My Favourite Mistake
by Chelsea M. Cameron
Genre: New Adult contemporary
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Publication date: February 12th 2013
Pages: 384 (kindle edition)
Source: own copy
Author's website | GoodReads

Taylor Caldwell can't decide if she wants to kiss her new college roommate or punch him. On the one hand, Hunter Zaccadelli is a handsome, blue-eyed bundle of charm. On the other, he's a tattooed, guitar-playing bundle of bad boy. Maybe that's why Taylor's afraid of falling in love with him, or anyone else. She doesn't want to get burned, so she needs him gone before it's too late.

Hunter himself has been burned before, but Taylor's sexy laugh and refusal to let him get away with anything make her irresistible. Determined not to be kicked out of her life without a fight, Hunter proposes a bet: if she can convince him she truly loves or hates him, he'll leave the apartment--and leave her alone. The problem is, the more time they spend together, the less she hates him, and the more she moves toward love.

But when the man behind Taylor's fear of giving up her heart resurfaces, she has to decide: trust Hunter with her greatest secret, or do everything in her power to win that bet and drive him away forever.

"I was done being a victim. It was time for me to take charge and live my life instead of letting something that happened to me lead my life. So many people had told me the same thing, hundreds of times. It was something I had to learn for myself."

My Favorite Mistake gave me one of the best reading experiences in the history of ever. I was giggling and blushing and screaming in my head. This book had me grinning from ear to ear. My friend Jassie was the one who told me that I should read it, and I love love love her forever because of that.

The thing about My Favorite Mistake is that I have absolutely no idea what exactly set it apart from the rest of the New Adult books I had. It had the overly used recipe of 'girl with a troubled past who didn't want any more trouble + seemingly bad boy with problems of his own but *gasp* actually develops a soft side because of aforementioned girl = boy chases girl but girl denies her feelings because being with boy is bad for her'. Yeap, it was one of those books. However, I devoured the book and loved it to bits in spite of all that.

Maybe I enjoyed this book because of Taylor. Unlike most of girl protags in books like this, Taylor wasn't some goody goody damsel who constantly needed saving. Something happened to her in the past, and she was determined to keep it a secret. Her past didn't affect her confidence, deadpan humor and her sharp tongue though, and she didn't have to rely on Hunter for everything. The only time she cracked was when her sister told her news she wasn't expecting, but easily overcame that not just because of Hunter, but because of her courage in herself. I had to admit that she had her ice queen moments in the first parts of the book and it annoyed me a bit, but the fire and feist in this girl was evident and infectious.

But maybe I enjoyed this book because of Hunter. You know how in some books with love triangles, there's a guy A and a guy B? Guy A is a ~playah~ bad boy with tattoos and sexual innuendos popping out of his mouth 24/7, and Guy B is the sweet blonde hair and blue eyed boy-next-door who can cook and plays the guitar and does everything a gentleman would do. See, Hunter Zaccadelli is Guy C- all of the above. He had the perfect balance of rush and steady. I also loved that he wasn't needy and overly possessive about Taylor and gave her space when she needed it because he actually understood her. I felt a connection with Hunter because we have the same obsession- we both obsess over luck. Hunter has tons of lucky charms tattooed over his body and caresses them when he needs courage. I really really adored this boy because he was virtually perfect yet undeniably flawed. And yeah, Hunter Zaccadelli can cook, ladies.

Or maybe I enjoyed this book because it was perfectly composed. Yes, it's plot is somewhat overused, but if written correctly and perfectly, it can turn out to be an incredibly good novel. Both of the main characters are perfectly imperfect, but they just don't rely solely on each other. The book also stresses the interactions and relationships of Taylor and Hunter with the other characters and you can sense their growth throughout the book. It also has it's dramatic climaxes, but the author masterfully controlled them and didn't make them over the top and unrealistic. The writing was perfectly paced, easy, and conveyed Taylor's narrative voice in the most honest way possible. My Favorite Mistake had all the components that every great book should have, and Chelsea M. Cameron weaved them all together to create a tale that every person who believes in romance should read.

THE NUB AND GIST: 4.5 STARS

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