REVIEW: Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score

In Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score, When NYC literary agent Zoey Moody followed her best friend and her only client, Hazel Hart, to teeny tiny Story Lake, PA, she thought it would be a quick trip. Mainly because small towns aren’t her thing. But several months later, Zoey and Hazel are still in Story Lake. And it doesn’t look like they’ll be leaving anytime soon considering her bestie is in love with a local contractor and ready to get married in the near future. While she wants nothing more than to see Hazel get the sweetest of HEAs, Zoey isn’t looking for a storybook romance herself. Now, a one-night stand? That she can handle. Especially if it’s with hunky Gage Bishop: local part-time contractor, part-time attorney, and all-around good guy. But when her lust for her new landlord turns into something a lot stronger, Zoey will have to rethink her stance on relationships–even if it means she could face heartbreak again.

“I’m serious, Haze. I’m not into nice guys.”
“Zo, Gage isn’t the nice guy. He’s the good guy. There’s a big sexy difference.”

Gage has been toying around with the idea of finding a woman to settle down with since seeing his brother Cam fall head-over-heels for Hazel. He wants the kind of stability their parents have created over the years, to have a partner who will be there day in and day out. Even though Gage is very much attracted to Zoey, she’s not the right woman for him. Her penchant for getting into outrageous situations has led to him nicknaming her Disaster. And that’s the last thing he needs in his life. But Zoey has a way of sneaking under his skin, charming him when he knows they are far too different to make a true go of things. As unexpected issues with his family start to shake his normally rock-solid foundation, Gage wonders if he’s been looking at things all wrong. Maybe what he truly needs is someone fun and adventurous like Zoey to help him make the most of things.

“Since I met you, I’ve learned that the world isn’t as black-and-white as I always thought it was. It’s not gray either. It’s every color, and you’re the one who showed me that. You and your damn disco ball.”

It was wonderful to be back in Story Lake with Lucy Score’s newest rom-com, MISTAKES WERE MADE. The Bishop family and the townspeople were still just as quirky and lovable as ever while fish-out-of-water and down-on-her-luck literary agent Zoey Moody struggled mightily with…everything. Seriously. Between her personal woes and her career having done a cliff dive in the previous book, Zoey needed some assistance. And who better to lend a hand than Gage Bishop. The guy who is always prepared and has not just a five-year plan but a ten, fifteen, and twenty-year plan. But trying to keep Zoey, aka Disaster, out of trouble was way more than Gage bargained for.

“You’re so bad at this one-night-stand thing.”
“We’ll just have to keep trying until I get it right.”

Seeing Zoey and Gage together was an absolute blast. Lucy Score did a great job with this opposite attract couple, showing how Zoey’s chaos and supposed messiness was (eventually) calmed by Gage’s tidiness and organizational prowess. It was when we learned more about Zoey’s childhood and family that her personal struggles and hang ups really began to make sense–as well as why Gage’s tight-knit family bond was so foreign to her. Both characters did a good bit of changing over time. But Zoey finally coming to terms with certain aspects of her life and the personal growth she had by the end was as heartwarming as it was a cause for celebration.

TROPES/VIBES:

• Quirky small town rom-com
• Opposites attract
• Forced proximity
• Bald eagle shenanigans
• Dual POV

CW: View Spoiler »Fertility issues, neurodivergent diagnosis (detailed), toxic parental relationships « Hide Spoiler

A keeper shelf worthy, laugh-out-loud romance by one of my go-to authors, Lucy Score, MISTAKES WERE MADE is a can’t miss story full of heart and with a heaping helping of humor.

QOTD: Does your town or city have any unique fundraising events? (Story Lake had an ultimate bingo game complete with complex rules & a pig who chose the team captains. lol)

Book Info:

Publication: Published: March 10th, 2026 | Bloom Books | Story Lake #2

He’s looking for the perfect wife. She’s looking for the perfect one-night stand.

Literary agent Zoey Moody doesn’t like small town life, but here she is: exiled from Manhattan’s publishing scene and trapped in a tiny Pennsylvania town with her BFF and only remaining client, Hazel. The problem? She’s totally broke.

All she needs is for Hazel’s next romance novel to become a gigantic hit, and Zoey will be back in New York. Nothing will stand in her way. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch landlord, Gage Bishop. He’s smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he’s ready to settle down.

Zoey might be the most beautiful woman Gage has ever met, but it’s clear they’re all wrong for each other. She’s allergic to commitment and can’t work a calendar app; he’s looking for a wife and has the next five years all planned out. She’s afraid of animals. He lives in a literal barn. But when Gage’s world is rocked by a devastating family secret, he turns to Zoey for one night to forget everything. That one night just might change everything…or ruin it.