The Mistake

The Mistake

book

2015

WISE
74%

WISE Score

A high-heat college hockey romance where the big-man-on-campus has to actually work for a second chance.

Where to Read

Amazon
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Libby
Libby

Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)

Screenwise Verdict

This is the quintessential 'BookTok' hockey romance. It’s funny, fast, and features a male lead who actually has to work for his redemption. However, it’s firmly in the New Adult category. If you’re looking for a sweet, PG-13 sports story for a middle schooler, this isn't it.

This is a college-set romance with explicit sex and plenty of beer-soaked frat parties. For older teens who are already diving into adult romance, it’s a top-tier pick in the genre. For anyone younger, the 'mistake' might be letting them read it before they're ready for the maturity level.

Age Fit

Strictly for the 17+ crowd. It's 'New Adult' romance, meaning it's written for adults but features college-aged characters—and the 'spice' level reflects that.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
55

While it's a high-heat romance, the core arc is about personal accountability and the male lead learning that a 'mistake' requires genuine effort to fix, not just a flashy gesture.

Imaginative
50

Standard contemporary college setting. The 'imagination' here is in the sharp, quick-witted dialogue rather than world-building.

Safe
30

This is 'New Adult' fiction, not YA. It contains explicit sexual content and frequent alcohol use that would be inappropriate for younger readers expecting a standard sports story.

Enriching
65

Explores themes of family expectations, career pressure (pro hockey vs. personal choice), and the importance of communication in relationships.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Sharp banter that actually feels like how college kids talk—fast, witty, and occasionally crude.
  • Healthy persistence as the male lead, Logan, learns that making amends is a process, not a one-time event.
  • Fast pacing makes this a quintessential 'one-sitting' read for fans of contemporary romance.
⚠

What to Watch For

  • Explicit sexual content is frequent and descriptive; this is written for an adult audience, despite the college setting.
  • Party culture is the backdrop, featuring heavy drinking and casual hookup discussions that mirror a specific type of university experience.

Conversation Starters

  • "What makes a 'grovel' in a story feel earned versus just annoying?"
  • "How do you tell the difference between someone being persistent and someone being a creep?"
  • "Does the pressure Logan feels from his family regarding his future feel realistic?"

Deep Dive

Elle Kennedy basically owns the college hockey romance genre, and The Mistake is one of the pillars of the Off-Campus series. If your teen is hovering around the romance section of a bookstore or scrolling social media, they’ve seen this cover. It’s the story of John Logan—hockey star, serial flirter—who messes up his chance with Grace and has to spend the rest of the book winning her back.

The banter is genuinely funny, and the characters feel like actual humans rather than cardboard cutouts. But let's be clear: this is New Adult (NA) fiction. In the publishing world, that’s a polite way of saying the characters are twenty, they drink a lot of beer, and the sex scenes are descriptive. It’s not 'unsafe' for a mature 17-year-old, but it’s a massive jump from typical Young Adult (YA) fare.

With a streaming series adaptation in the works as of 2026, the hype is only getting louder. If you have a kid who loved The Summer I Turned Pretty and is looking for 'what's next,' this is the more mature, more explicit version of that vibe.

What Parents Ask

Ask Anything

Get a personalized guide on any topic

Writing about The Mistake? Put this WISE score on your site