Love and Other Mistakes

De: Jessica Kate

Narrado por: Liz Hill

Jessica Kate’s heartfelt and romantic debut proves that love always comes in God’s own time.

Natalie Groves once had big dreams. But soon after her fiancé, Jeremy Walters, inexplicably broke off their engagement and left town, her father was diagnosed with cancer. Now tasked with keeping her family afloat, Natalie’s grand plans have evaporated...and God feels very far away.

Fast-forward seven years, and Jeremy is back in Charlottesville with an infant son and years of regrets. When his niece, Lili, lands on his doorstep in need of a place to stay, Jeremy needs help - and fast.

An internship opening finally presents Natalie a chance at her dream job, but she needs a second income to work around it - and the only offer available is Jeremy’s. They could be the solutions to one another’s problems, provided they don’t kill each other in the process. When they join forces, sparks fly. But they both know there’s a thin line between love and hate...and that love will turn out to be the best decision - or the biggest mistake - of all.

This inspirational contemporary audiobook is a stand-alone novel, though it also features characters from Jessica Kate’s forthcoming novel, A Girl’s Guide to the Outback (coming January 2020).

Book length: approximately 90,000 words. Includes a reading group guide.

"A stunning debut.... This tale of love and redemption will stay with you long after you've closed the book. A must-read." (Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author of The Wedding Dress)

"Witty. Charming. Heartfelt. I could go on and on about Jessica Kate’s debut novel. From its highly relatable characters to its pitch-perfect dialogue, Love and Other Mistakes is a delightful, romantic read filled with just the right amount of sass. I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud as I watched Natalie and Jem navigate their relationships, careers, and faith. Definitely one of the most enjoyable books I've read lately, and I can't wait to see what’s next from Jessica Kate!" (Melissa Tagg, Carol Award-winning author of Now and Then and Always and the Walker Family series)

"Love and Other Mistakes wraps a poignant and warm look at relationships within a smart, sly, and knowing comedic voice. Readers of Sally Thorne and Bethany Turner will be immediately at home with Natalie: an all-too-real heroine who balances whip-smart agency with an endearing vulnerability and whose intersection with long-lost Jeremy helps her forge a path to confidence and discover the woman she was always meant to be. Kate’s unputdownable debut recognizes that all human relationships - familial, friendship, romantic - are worth the keen eye and clever insight of her talented pen." (Rachel McMillan, author of the Van Buren and DeLuca Mysteries)

"If you’re looking for a story with sass on top of style, or a fresh voice pumped full of fun, you need to read Love and Other Mistakes. Then after you’ve enjoyed this - and I’m confident you will - make a date with whatever this exciting new author writes next!" (David Rawlings, author of The Baggage Handler)

©2019 Jessica Kate (P)2019 Thomas Nelson

Witty and heartfelt

For me, romantic comedy is like that acquaintance you nod to across the room at a gathering. I respect it enough to acknowledge it, but I have to be in the right mood to cuddle under a blanket with it and a pumpkin spice latte for ten hours, you know?

Perhaps that’s why it took me awhile to crack open Jessica Kate’s Love and Other Mistakes. The cute illustrated cover teases romantic comedy, but what I found inside is thankfully so much more.

This book has a cast of characters that could easily be picked out of everyday life. The good people, just trying to make it through life on a hope, a prayer, and a lot of hard work (Jem, Natalie, and Stephanie). The too-good-for-our-world ones (Lili, Nick, Sam, Natalie’s parents). And the downright wretched, whose selfishness threatens to destroy everyone in their wake (cough...Mike...cough).

I felt every emotion while reading this novel. For me, that’s a great thing. I liked Jem and Nat’s relationship. They aren’t cookie cutter characters, and at times seem like their own worst enemy. But they each are doing their best, while still making sacrifices for those they love.

16-year-old Lili is the star of this show. Highly relatable, kind, and stuck in awful circumstances, she stole my heart. Her scenes with Nick, the boy from across the tracks, were my favorite. It had me sort of wishing the author would give the Young Adult genre a shot, because she could stand up next to John Green for sure.

I love Jessica Kate’s writing style. Her spin on words and witticisms kept me hanging on every sentence. She absolutely could write true light-hearted romantic comedy if she wanted to, but personally, I hope she sticks with the soul-deep stories that leaves a lasting impact like this one.

Love leads to forgiveness and redemption

This was an interesting story. It was slow to get going and the author took her time building the world. But if you stick with it, you will find that this book was a gem. The writing was smooth and the plot was interesting.

Natalie Groves is looking for a job and ends up as a nanny for her ex-fiancee Jeremy "Jem" who unceremoniously left her a couple of months before they were set to get married seven years ago. While caring for Jeremy's son, Natalie tries her best not to dwell on the fact that he never explained his reasons for running out on her nor did he end a letter or email in the seven years that he was gone.

Meanwhile, Jeremy is back in his hometown where his brother Mike and his wife Steph are pastors and Mike's father is the town sheriff. This family has some unpleasant history and most of the book focuses on their strained relationships. So Jeremy has unfinished business with Natalie and with his father whom he doesn't really speak to.

The reader is taken on a journey which deals with parental failures, marital woes and how it affects children. Ultimately, the characters have to navigate their own feelings of purpose, worth and forgiveness.

What I really liked best was that the reader got an HEA but everything wasn't neatly tied up at the end. There is room for continual growth as the characters are on a life journey. And the writer was subtle with the Christian message. This story was a winner for me.

Pleasantly surprised

I really enjoyed this book however, I didn’t realize it was a Christian based book, which was a pleasant surprise. The narrator was good but not great, but that’s more personal preference. It was a very sweet story a little too Hallmark for me, again personal preference. If you’re looking for a sweet love story that puts God first, this is your book.

Sweet but not for me

At first I looked forward to a story about forgiveness and second chances. I couldn’t finish the book though. Yes, forgiveness is spoken about. I was also excited that the book talks about working within a church. It’s hard to find a book that talks about growing up in the church but the book touches on the subject of divorce and the effects on the children of that marriage. Yes, your parents actions can make an impact on you but you can’t let it define you. The author uses the parents issues to allow a child to spiral out of control using it as an excuse to do whatever she wants. I’m done with this kind of mentality. People need to take responsibility for their actions. This book wasn’t for me but I know people who might like it because they identify