Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown

Former Bachelorette star Hannah Brown trades reality TV drama for romantic fiction in her debut novel “Mistakes We Never Made,” and the result is a charming, if occasionally predictable, enemies-to-lovers road trip romance that will satisfy fans of Emily Henry and contemporary romance enthusiasts alike.

The Heart of the Story

“Mistakes We Never Made” follows Emma Townsend, a perfectionist interior designer, and Finn Hughes, her former debate team partner, as they’re thrust together during a wedding weekend gone awry. When bride Sybil Rain mysteriously disappears before her nuptials, Emma and Finn embark on a whirlwind road trip to Las Vegas to retrieve her—a journey that forces them to confront their complicated romantic history spanning over a decade.

Brown structures her narrative around four pivotal “mistakes” that Emma and Finn almost made throughout their relationship: prom night, a pool encounter, a rooftop liaison in New York, and another wedding disaster. This framework provides an effective scaffolding for exploring their tumultuous past while building toward their inevitable romantic resolution.

The central premise—two people with unresolved romantic tension forced into close quarters—is romance gold, and Brown generally executes it well. The wedding weekend setting adds urgency and emotional stakes, while the missing bride subplot provides both comic relief and genuine dramatic tension.

Character Development and Chemistry

Emma emerges as a compelling protagonist whose control-freak tendencies stem from genuine vulnerability rather than mere bossiness. Brown skillfully reveals that Emma’s need to “fix everything” isn’t just about being responsible—it’s about protecting her own heart from the kind of abandonment she experienced when her father left. Her character arc from rigid perfectionist to someone willing to embrace uncertainty feels authentic and hard-earned.

Finn presents a more complex challenge as a romantic hero. While his transformation from high school heartbreaker to mature adult is believable, some of his past behavior—particularly the pattern of pursuing Emma only to pull away—requires significant character rehabilitation. Brown works overtime to redeem him, but readers may find themselves occasionally frustrated with his track record of emotional unavailability.

The chemistry between Emma and Finn crackles on the page, particularly during their verbal sparring matches that recall their debate team days. Brown excels at writing romantic tension, whether it’s a heated argument in a burger joint or stolen moments in a hotel elevator. Their banter feels natural and showcases both characters’ intelligence and wit.

Supporting characters, particularly runaway bride Sybil, serve their purposes but sometimes feel more like plot devices than fully realized people. Sybil’s wedding crisis provides the necessary catalyst for Emma and Finn’s reunion, but her motivations occasionally feel unclear, making her disappearance seem more contrived than organic.

Writing Style and Pacing

Brown’s prose is accessible and engaging, with a conversational tone that makes the book an easy page-turner. She demonstrates particular strength in writing emotional scenes—Emma’s confrontation with her control issues and Finn’s vulnerability about his past mistakes ring with genuine feeling.

The dual timeline structure works effectively, with flashbacks to their “almost” moments providing context for their current dynamic. However, the pacing occasionally suffers from this approach, particularly in the middle section where the Las Vegas search sometimes feels drawn out.

Brown’s background in reality television serves her well in crafting dialogue that feels natural and contemporary. The characters speak like real people, not romance novel archetypes, which helps ground the more fantastical elements of the plot.

Thematic Depth

Beyond the surface romance, “Mistakes We Never Made” explores meaningful themes about control, forgiveness, and the courage required to risk one’s heart. Emma’s journey toward accepting that she can’t control everything—including other people’s choices—provides genuine emotional resonance.

The novel also examines how past hurts can shape present behavior in destructive ways. Both Emma and Finn carry emotional baggage that manifests as self-protective mechanisms, creating a cycle of missed connections. Brown handles this psychological complexity with surprising nuance for a debut romance.

The wedding setting serves as more than mere backdrop—it becomes a meditation on commitment, timing, and the difference between settling for someone and choosing them. Through Sybil’s crisis and Emma and Finn’s reunion, Brown explores what it means to truly be ready for love.

Series Context and Future Potential

As the first book in the “Mistakes We Never Made” series, this novel establishes a solid foundation while leaving room for future developments. The upcoming second book, “The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain” (2025), promises to delve deeper into Sybil’s character and her own romantic journey, which should address some of the underdevelopment of her character in this first installment.

Brown hints at larger interconnected storylines involving the friend group, suggesting a series that will explore different types of love and relationships. This approach allows each book to stand alone while building a richer fictional world.

Areas for Improvement

While “Mistakes We Never Made” succeeds in many areas, it’s not without flaws. The road trip plot device, while effective, occasionally feels forced—particularly some of the obstacles that conveniently throw Emma and Finn together. The Las Vegas sequence, while entertaining, sometimes veers toward farce when the story might benefit from more emotional intimacy.

Some secondary plot points feel underdeveloped, particularly Emma’s career struggles and family issues. While these elements add depth to her character, they sometimes feel like boxes being checked rather than integral story components.

The resolution, while satisfying, arrives somewhat quickly after considerable buildup. Readers might wish for more time spent on Emma and Finn actually navigating their relationship rather than just committing to it.

Comparisons and Context

Fans of Emily Henry’s “Beach Read” and “People We Meet on Vacation” will find familiar pleasures in Brown’s debut—the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, the witty banter, and the emotional depth beneath the romantic comedy surface. Like Henry, Brown understands that the best contemporary romance combines humor with genuine emotional stakes.

The book also recalls Taylor Jenkins Reid’s approach to examining relationships through multiple timelines, though Brown’s execution is less sophisticated. For readers who enjoyed “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” or “Daisy Jones & The Six,” this offers similar relationship complexity in a lighter package.

Final Verdict

“Mistakes We Never Made” marks an promising debut for Hannah Brown as a romance novelist. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it executes familiar tropes with genuine heart and emotional intelligence. The book succeeds most when focusing on Emma and Finn’s emotional journey and stumbles slightly when relying too heavily on external plot machinations.

Brown demonstrates real talent for creating chemistry between characters and mining genuine emotion from their conflicts. Her writing shows confidence and maturity that bodes well for future installments in the series.

For readers seeking a contemporary romance that balances humor with heart, nostalgic longing with forward momentum, “Mistakes We Never Made” delivers a satisfying reading experience. It may not be groundbreaking, but it’s thoroughly entertaining and emotionally engaging—exactly what devoted romance readers crave.

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