Customer Reviews

My Favorite Mistake

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"My Favorite Mistake" is a story about a girl named Faith, who has long since left her hometown in the state of Minnesota, and is now based out of Los Angeles. She is a world-traveling culinary writer currently visiting Italy for an article, when she gets a phone call from her younger sister Skye back in Minnesota. It seems Skye has gotten herself into trouble once again and desperately wants Faith to come home. (Home as in Minnesota, not Los Angeles). Skye's husband has left her, she is pregnant, and the bar that they co-own is in financial trouble. Faith at first is adamant about not wanting to go home for various reasons, but after a couple of terse phone calls (one from Faith's own ex, who can't stand her but really thinks she needs to get back to Minnesota to help her sister), Faith gives in. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she packs her stuff up and takes a road trip to Minnesota.

Thus begins Faith's adventure. She vows to save her sister, save the bar, and reconcile with (or just avoid entirely) her ex-boyfriend Flynn. But of course things don't quite go the way she plans. Her ex, who had proposed to Faith before she'd fled town with another guy ten years previously, seems to not be able to take being in the same room with her. Her scatter-brained yet lovable sister Skye is desperate to get her life together, but can't seem to pick a decent guy or show up for work on time. Worse yet, certain financial circumstances force Faith and Flynn to spend a lot of time together. When it becomes apparent that there is still a lot of sparks between herself and Flynn, Faith realizes she must come to terms with why she ran off in the first place, and whether she still has feelings for him. (Feelings other than physical, that is!) Will she be able to find herself, help her sister, and save the bar from financial ruin? Will her sister get her act together? These and many other questions will be answered when you read this book.

"My Favorite Mistake" mixes together a perfect recipe of romantic suspense, sisterly love, friendship, exciting plot twists, and wonderfully flawed characters for a delightful read. The main character Faith is very funny and real, and I often found myself laughing out loud at some of the things she says. The other characters, while all possessing various flaws, come across as very likeable and realistic. You'll find yourself rooting for them even through all of the mistakes they make!

The plot of "My Favorite Mistake" was flawlessly executed, stubbornly holding my attention until the very end. Pretty much from page one, things start happening at a fast pace. Beth Kendrick does an excellent job at both keeping the reader informed about what happened in the characters' pasts, and moving things along in the present.

Many readers will be able to identify with the main character, because she is just so down-to-earth and funny.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves a good story. (Just don't start it before going to bed or you'll be up all night!)

A successful traveling food writer, Faith reluctantly returns to her Minnesota roots to aid her flighty sister in turning a profit on the bar they own together. She does not count on having to run into Flynn, her first (and only) love. Ten years earlier, Flynn gave her an ultimatum - marry him or move on. She chose to move on to LA with a bass player (which comes up in several humorous conversations).

As she tries to salvage the bar and renew a friendship with Flynn, old wounds are opened, and she finds herself falling for Flynn all over again, Faith turns to her halfwit sister for romantic advice with mixed results. Can either of them forget their past misdeeds and try to forge ahead by learning to trust each other?

Filled with a lot of longing on both sides, Kendrick does a great job of creating completing characters, injecting witty dialogue into every day situations, and making the reader feel like they are in the room with the characters.

Given a choice, food columnist Faith Geary would rather be undergoing a root canal than be back home in Lindbrook, Minnesota. You see, ten years ago, Faith did a stupid thing. When her first and only true love proposed, Faith panicked and fled for California with another guy -- who actually ended up dumping her, but that's beside the point. Now, thanks to her sister Skye's convoluted love life and failing business (a bar in which Faith has invested all of her life's savings, thank you very much), big sister Faith is back in Lindbrook to fix the mess. Unfortunately, there's one little glitch in Faith's master plan. It seems Skye has a partner at the bar and his name is Patrick Flynn. The same Patrick Flynn Faith had unceremoniously dumped a decade ago. Welcome back, Faith.

It's immediately apparent that Flynn has not forgotten nor forgiven Faith for their break-up. But, interestingly enough, it's also obvious that he can't stay away from her, which is a good thing since they have to work together to save the bar and keep Skye out of trouble. Soon the sizzle is back and its time for Faith to stop running and face their past. Can she go home again?

Beth Kendrick's debut is a realistic look at the trials and tribulations of a modern day heroine, flaws and all. An intriguing blend of guilt complexes and wry humor, Faith is a career girl who once screwed over her prince charming, but is now determined to make things right and try for another shot at a happily ever after. While not as vividly brought to life as Faith, Flynn comes across as a wary man still hurting from his first love's rejection but not closed off to the idea of a reunion. The secondary characters are a riot and are lovingly detailed, including the irrepressibly flighty Skye, her laconic would-be swain Lars, Faith's former high school rival, Sally, and the various personalities in this quirky town. Charming and laugh out loud funny, MY FAVORITE MISTAKE will have you wishing to go home again too.

TheSchemer

Readers of chick lit - and anyone who appreciates a very well-written story - will love MY FAVORITE MISTAKE.

New author Beth Kendrick is a talent to watch. She skilfully tells the story of Faith, a smart, savvy woman who has been doing just fine, thank you very much, living far from her family and her high school boyfriend. However, when her younger sister Skye calls with the perfect hat trick (my husband ran off; the business in which you invested your life savings is about to go bankrupt, and, oh yeah, I'm pregnant), Faith has no choice but to leave Los Angeles and return to the small town in Minnesota where she grew up.

Faith thinks she is going home to straighten out her sister's life, but as she runs into certain faces from her past (not the least of whom is Flynn, the boyfriend she abandoned ten years ago), Faith learns that maybe her carefully constructed life in LA wasn't so fulfilling after all. Her return home sets in motion a journey of self-discovery that is at once funny and touching. I found myself giggling at one page, blinking back tears at the next.

Witty and clever don't begin to cover Kendrick's way with words. The author's unique voice is one to treasure, and MY FAVORITE MISTAKE quickly became one of my favorite chick lits of this year - or any year.

I won't rehash what the other reviewers have said, but I think that this is formulaic romance novel-writing at its worst.

I am so glad this wasn't the first book I read by this author. I have read several of Ms. Kendrick's books and enjoyed them all. Unfortunately, My Favorite Mistake falls flat. There is no character development and Faith and Flynn are about the most unlikable romantic leads ever. It is easy to see why Faith left town at 18, but why Flynn blames Faith for leaving after he dumped her is never explained. Flynn plays the victim card over and over and over again, and it gets very old very quickly. I have no idea what Faith sees in him, other than the chemical reaction they share, but sexual attraction only carries a relationship so far. Not that Faith is a prize.

As far as the supporting cast goes, Leah's family is used to show that Faith is not the complete commitment-phobe everyone believes her to be. Skye is a mess, and Sally is an old high school enemy. Even Flynn, who has never missed a chance to hold a grudge, thinks Faith and Sally should have gotten over the high school antics already.

If you must read this book, I'd recommend you borrow it from your library.

This book was lively and entertaining, with a lot of underlying insight. While Faith learns to live down her past mistakes, she builds a more meaningful future for herself. Her long-lost love, Flynn, is strong with being a bully, and sensitive without being sappy.
All the characters are sharply drawn--men, women, children and dogs. There is even a good dog and an evil dog. What happens to them is often surprising, but never unexplained.
The Midwestern setting rings true--and I have been there. The small-town people talk, act, and think the way they should.
None of the humor in the book is mean. There seems to be a lot of compassion even in the most farcical situations.
My favorite scene is at the bar called the Roof Rat, when two conflicting events are scheduled for the same evening--an academic wine party and a hockey team beer fest. The resulting mix of personalities is hilarious.
I would definitely read another book by Beth Kendrick.

It was ok. I love the storyline of having a second chance with your fist love. The only thing I didn't like was that the women are shown to be weak and dependent when it comes to men...but I guess sometimes that's real life!

I think this is one of the best books I have ever read! Beth Kennrick has a great talent with writing. The characters are so real with makes the book even better. Definitely won't be able to put the book down because you just want to keep reading because it's that good! Definitely recommended guaranteed you will enjoy!!

I never would have picked up the book on my own, due mostly to the uninspired cover, but then I read a positive review of it at chicklitbooks.com and decided to take a chance. It's a fun book. Like most "chick lit," it's not deeply serious, but it has characters you can root for, a fast pace, and fun humor.

The central character is Faith Geary, a Lindbrook, Minnesota native who moved to L.A. to do travel writing after an explosion with her boyfriend, Flynn, which ended their relationship. After years of desultory dating and flying to Italy to do articles on gelato (she has terrible jet lag), her helpless blonde sister, Skye, summons Faith back to Lindbrook to help. Skye is pregnant, her husband left her for another woman, and the bar that she and Faith started with their own investment, Roof Rat, is struggling.

Faith begrudgingly comes back to the small Midwestern town she thought she'd seen the last of. The setting is one of the charms of the book. So few books that I read take place in Minnesota; I was interested to see what life there is like. In this town, there's a mixture of bowtied professors and hockey players. There's also a memorable bar contest.

The thorn in Faith's side is the fact that she must work with Flynn, her ex, whom she left to run off with a bass player to L.A. so many years ago. Faith and Flynn have great chemistry. It's interesting to see how they deal with their history.

Recommended.

I admit that I was sucked into this book by the fantastic cover that was completely eye-catching. This debut novel is very well written with 3-D characters that make you laugh, cry and feel. (Although I wanted to smack the younger sister several times! :) Faith has a wonderful, identifiable journey and the romance is crafted realistically. I'll definitely get more books from Ms. Kendrick. A quick, fun summer read.