| Title | : | Mr. Wrong Number |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 350 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2022 |
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing….
Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.
Mr. Wrong Number Reviews
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Sassy, saucy, stimulating and absolutely great choice for Sophie Kinsella and Christina Lauren book lovers, romcom addicts just like me!
I was at a business trip when I get the arc of this laugh out loud, steamy and hot as July in Florida book! After a few pages later I was so tempted to read the entire of it and skip my meetings. So I did something new and set my alarm at 3 a.m. in the morning to arrange my reading time and I devoured it till 6 a.m.
It’s worth to my all sleep deprivation, purple halls under my eyes give me free witchy look that my entire production team adores! I’m sooooo happy, smiling ears to ears and fully motivated! Such a great book makes you entire week and turn your most boring trip into unforgettable adventure!
Olivia -Liv-Livvie Marshall seems like walking talking thinking chaos: she’s carrying her bad luck like a torch, finding herself in the most extreme, awkward situations! She gets sagged-cheated -dumbed- homeless at the same day! ( FYI: she’s not kicked out from her apartment: she accidentally putted the place into fire when she tried to get rid of her ex’s love letters by burning them and you may guess how her bad luck gets under control! )
Now she has to live with her brother Jack and his douchebag and extra hot roommate Colin Beck who turned her teenage years into hell by mocking her nonstop!
Why this guy looks sexier in those suits? Why he’s looking exactly like photoshopped Ryan Gosling from “Crazy.Stupid. Love.” ( those killer abs make her extra hyperventilate)
But she has to focus to make a fresh start by finding a new job! She has great writing skills! Even though she has to act like she has two toddlers to take her last writing gig from Times. She will give alternative advises to moms but she already has enough experiences thanks to her hyperactive nephews she’s voluntarily babysitting !
And she has also have text- friend: a guy who wrongly dialed her number to ask what she was wearing. When their texting eventually turns into sexting, things get a little escalated!
What if the guy she’s texting and having a crush for months is the same douchebag roomie and her teenage nemesis!
Colin likes control, regularity, accurateness, great in maths. He thinks Olivia is train wreck free spirited chaos! But he realizes teenage girl he has been teasing for years, turned into a sexy, challenging woman who can truly confuses his mind!
What if she’s the misdial goddess he cannot get out of his head!
This is great example of enemies to lovers and sunshine meets the grump troupes!
I thought to fit some points because at some parts I didn’t like to see everyone in her close circle thinks little of Olivia including Colin! But I could cut only half star and still rounding this book up to 5 stars because it was so sarcastic, entertaining, sexy, enjoyable! Actually this book put a big smile on my face, changing my mood. If a book makes you happier, it deserves more than five stars! And this book truly accomplished its mission!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. -
this is cute enough. the story is simple, doesnt take itself seriously, and perfect for anyone who loves the ‘older brothers best friend’ trope.
which is why i know a lot of readers will enjoy this. however, i dont know if its because im getting super sensitive in my old age, but i found quite a bit of the MCs behaviour to be either a) way too ridiculous and over-the-top that its borderline annoying or b) so childish and immature that its borderline red flag.
i think this is 100% a stylistic choice by the author when it comes to the characterisation. im sure others will find the MCs to be quirky and endearing, but man. i was rolling my eyes so much. so its most likely just not my kind of humour or charm. not the books fault. and i will say, the sexual tension is done really, really well!
so not my favourite romance, but still decent!
↠ 3 stars -
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
Mr. Wrong Number is the right book to pick up if you’re looking for charm, laughs, and just a bit of steam.
Olivia Marshall literally has the worst luck ever. Bad things always seem to happen to her, so it’s almost no surprise when she gets fired and then accidentally burns her apartment building down after burning the love letters her cheating ex-boyfriend wrote to her.
Now, she’s forced to move in with her brother until she finds a new job and makes enough money to get back on her feet. Unfortunately for her, her brother currently lives with his lifelong best friend, Colin Beck.
Olivia always thought Colin was stuck up and arrogant…although she secretly always found him hot. Colin always considered Olivia his friend’s “annoying little sister”.
One night, Olivia gets a risque text message from a random phone number. She decides to respond to Mr. Wrong Number, and they start up a titillating and flirtatious text relationship. She looks forward to his messages every day while she tries to maneuver in her crazy life.
Colin can’t believe it when he realizes that Miss Misdial, the random woman he’s been texting (and maybe sexting) is none other than his best friend’s annoying sister, Olivia. Do they have a chance to make things work in real life? Or should he just end the texting before their worlds implode?
I LOVED this sweet rom-com. Olivia and Colin are amazing characters, and their chemistry is HOT and STRONG! I was rooting for them the entire time, even in that inevitable rom-com moment when something ultimately threatens to pull them apart.
Add to that some genuine laughs and extreme charm. What’s not to love?! This also has the perfect amount of heat to satiate most fans of the genre. The partially open door sex scenes don’t feature the infamous “C-Words” or anything very graphic…but you’ll still get the idea of what’s going down.
This is the first book I’ve read by author Lynn Painter, but definitely won’t be my last. Even her acknowledgements section is heartfelt and adorbs.
4.5 stars.
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for providing me with a widget of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 3/1/22.
Review also posted at:
https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com -
I have had the suspicion that Lynn Painter's works are not one for me to indulge in, especially after the catastrophe from reading
Better Than the Movies. But well, me with my best quality — I'll give her that benefit of the doubt. Plus, considering that this is not a YA romance, perhaps we will have something good in the house.
Regrettably, I am not a bit surprised when this novel also turned out to be another disappointment. This is even worse and I can't help but develop Olivia's annoying habit of rolling her eyes that sometimes I wonder how she still didn't get them squinted from doing it every 60 seconds.
I'll be benevolent and go with what I enjoyed with Mr. Wrong Number: the romance
There's just something so conspiring in craving the dangers of forbidden romance. The whole ordeal of falling for your brother's best friend does sound tempting and I think Lynn Painter went industriously in making sure Colin and Olivia's affair didn't go to waste as in her previous work. They bantered, helped each other out, and had a few funny scenes here there.
It was just a bit stroke of luck that Lynn Painter is being safe with the level of smuttiness. I understand if she was being considerate of her readers since her debut book was YA and she may have not attracted lots of adult readers to begin with, but I think it was clear enough if this is an adult romance, what readers should expect out of it.
People read smuts for many reasons; sometimes it's for entertainment or experience; sometimes, it's just because and I can be a bit of bothor more. It’s not like I’m being demanding of what is unnecessary. As for this case, I think if there will be a bit more details than a close-door scene, it will help to flesh out both Colin and Olivia's chemistry. The romance was enjoyable but it did not hit the roof. Why is that? Now let's get to the nastiest part of my review.“When things don't go as planned, we can either pout and behave like a reticent child, or take some time to reconsider our choices. Ruminate over what we've done in our past, and how best to move forward in our future.”
The book's main takeaway was on finding yourself and never stopping at failures. I appreciate the themes that Lynn Painter is going for. It was a good reminder and I honestly get the message she was trying to set forth. It was relatable, especially when you're struggling, had a parent who always brings you down and I guess, overall miserable.
Frankly speaking though, it was a bit hard to swallow when none of the characters are likable. Now that I've met Olivia, I believe the author just loves to write her heroines ✨quirky✨ and ✨different✨ and Olivia's entire personality is just her series of unfortunate events. She was so one-dimensional; it was either being clumsy or hypercritical. I noticed that Painters likes to make a point of her characters' traits by having them repetitively signified all the time.
I was having a hard time resonating with Olivia because she pisses me off a lot with her immaturity and scathing mind. This book utilized such a disgraceful kind of miscommunication trope and I did not dig it one bit. It makes sense when it happened to the author's YA characters because they don't suppose to have most things figured out, but when you're reaching your 30s, I'm expecting a bit of rationality on your end. Both the MCs seem to age backwards instead of their own prime."He's still an asshole. He looks at me like he knows he's better than me"
While I appreciate Colin's POV (because I can't remember if we had one for Wes), it was unavailing at first because it was just more of his reaction and thoughts on Olivia instead of letting readers unravel him as a person. And when you're relying on a disparaging worldview of a heroine to allow you to get to know the other characters, it didn't help your case.
I believe it was not Lynn's intention to give a lot of focus to Colin but it was only the latter that we get to know more of him than just "the love interest" or the "jerk" as claimed by the Queen of Rolling Eyes. For a good part, the author didn't give room for any lewd thoughts or objectification from Colin in feigning his attraction to Olivia. Like, he was just appreciating her as a real person and it's refreshing. He lives up to his status quo and that’s the only matchable piece of himself as a grown successful man.
Having that said, did I enjoy the book? Still NO, or maybe, if only the characters, the plot, and the romance were parallel from the beginning. The beam scale was skewed all the time for when the romance was good, the characters were there to ruin the whole course of the book or vice versa. The plot was absurd and a lot of thing just doesn’t make sense.
What's more now that my hypothesis is correct, it's best to say, it was nice to read Lynn Painters' works as this will be my lastor not.Let's just hope she didn't come out with pretty covers that got me weak all the time because who judges a book by its cover? Definitely me, duh. -
This was hilarious and delightful! I couldn't put it down. Olivia really tried my anxiety at the beginning, but her banter with Colin (aka Mr. Swoonworthy Perfection) was *chef's kiss*. The conflict at the end wasn't my favorite, but this was just personal preference and not anything pertinent to the quality of the story. If you enjoy:
✔️Enemies-to-lovers
✔️Tension without unbearable angst
✔️Laugh out loud humor
✔️Did I mention Colin and his abs and how he winks at just the right moment?
✔️Modern mild Mr. Darcy vibes
Then you need to pick this one up ASAP.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy. -
Olivia Marshall is down on her luck after being laid off from her job, dumped by her boyfriend, and becoming unintentionally homeless after a little incident involving old love letters, matches … and a possum. Yeah, don’t ask.
Lucky for her, her brother Jack is willing to let her stay at his and his roommate’s place for a month while she gets back on her feet. Not as lucky for her, she doesn’t realize that this roommate is Jack’s best friend since childhood, Colin Beck, who’s only ever seen her as Jack’s bratty little sister and now older snarkastic one.
(Yes … ‘snarkastic’ is a word, if you count Urban Dictionary as a source, and I LOVE it. If you’re listening Mirriam-Webster, et al., please officially add it? I digress.)
It’s a good thing Olivia has a mysterious new anonymous friend to vent to about her annoying situation. They’ve been texting regularly since the night he accidentally messaged her asking what she was wearing, and she’s become Miss Misdial to his Mr. Wrong Number. As the discussions get more personal, it’s amazing how much they have in common … especially when it comes to certain “appetites”, shall we say?
Where does this all lead, and does Olivia get back on her feet and maybe find love in the process?
Silly question. It’s a rom-com. You know the drill. That’s like asking if the sun is going to rise in the morning.
Lynn Painter has written an incredibly witty, charming rom-com with hilarious banter, lots of Olivia’s funny klutzy moments and missteps, and a heaping helping of chemistry and sizzle. Seriously … is it hot in here? My only complaint is that she could sound a bit immature, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
I listened to this on audiobook while reading along on my Kindle, which was perfect. The voicework by Callie Dalton and Andrew Eiden was excellent and they brought both characters to life so well. I had a blast with this, and I’ll definitely be watching for more from Lynn Painter!
★★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)
Thanks to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley, and author Lynn Painter for the digital ARC and my library/Libby for the audiobook. I’ve reviewed it honestly and freely. It’s now available. -
i was gonna give this three stars, but the more i think about it... i kinda hated this book lol. the ending was so unsatisfying and the hero had a victim complex the size of the entire continent of Africa.
seriously my fave part of this book was Jack (Olivia’s brother) beating the shit out of the H, Colin. and he barely even punched him😒 Colin at least deserved a broken nose and one black eye.
Colin was one of those golden boy “nice guys” who in reality is just a nauseating douche lmao. he’s supposed to have feelings for Olivia but still calls her “pathetic”, “a mess”, “a shit show” and any other variation of that — both out loud and in his inner monologue.
i usually love when the MCs are kinda disgusted and confused with themselves when they realise they have feelings for the other MC... but Colin just verged on mean for me. yeah, Olivia was chaotic and she’s not a heroine everyone is gonna like (on any other day, i probably wouldn’t have liked her all that much, but luckily i read it today and enjoyed her quirkiness). but it didn’t give every character, including the H, the right to constantly shit on her😭 (like her family are never reprimanded for constantly making fun of her for being a “shit show” – even in the final chapter, her mother doesn’t believe Colin is in love with Liv bcos of the type of person she is and Colin could never be interested in her🤨)
then Colin would have the audacity to be insulted that Olivia would regard him as pretentious or mean or up his own arse... sir you are all those things. i mean, you call the girl you’re into a shitshow on a regular basis and it’s not exactly the most endearing thing you could say about her. one time she says she doesn’t have a lot to bargain with/offer a potential new job, and this fugly bitch goes “i know”💀
don’t even get me started on his insulting lobe declaration my god. “i somehow fell in love with you” in spite of never liking her. wow nice👌🏻 every girlie’s dream. and again, Colin had the audacity to turn it around on him and act the victim when she tells him that that declaration is insulting— he even got Jack, Liv’s brother, on his side to make Liv feel bad for not forgiving him... but never told Jack WHY they broke up (that he lied about being Mr Wrong Number and manipulated the fuck out of her). bet if he knew then Jack wouldn’t be happy either. who’s the pathetic one now, you slimy bitch?
and not only that, he lies to her for the entire duration of the book. he knows that she’s the woman he’s been talking to online but Liv doesn’t know. and when she asks if they can meet in person... he pays a coworker to pretend to be Mr. Wrong Number and show up at the cafe instead. Olivia spends the whole time with this random dude thinking it’s the guy she’s been talking to but it’s just Colin manipulating everything to save his own skin. (the guy even later tells Liv how Collin called her pathetic, a shit show, a klutzy puppy right before Colin tells her he “somehow” fell in love with her— so yeah, i would lose my shit too. God forbid you’re attracted to her ffs).
soooo... yeah, babes. you are a pretentious douchebag. at least own it. don’t have the audacity to be offended when you exhibit that kind of behaviour lol.
i wanted to give this three stars bcos i enjoyed Olivia a lot. she’s chaotic. unhinged. clumsy. idiotic. reckless. impulsive. immature. and i loved it lol. idk she was funny and entertaining to me. i needed her craziness to drown out Colin’s obnoxious mediocrity (i mean even his dad nailed it and said: “Come on, Colin, shut your obnoxious mouth, will you?”) but Olivia was just hilarious and was the sole reason for my enjoyment. she said some of the stupidest shit that had me cackling. so that alone was pretty perfect.
but when finishing the book and reading their reconciliation, i was severely unimpressed so decided to drop a star. i think after several romcom attempts, they’re just not for me. the cliches mixed with the heroines being walking stereotypes and bland douchey heroes are clearly not for me. -
So brother’s best friend….those words are enough to get most of you to read this! Well, this was actually funny but a lot was lacking.
So Olivia is living with Colin and her brother, at least till she can get her shit together. On a random day, someone texts her, and Olivia can immediately tell this person obviously meant to text someone else. For some reason though, they still continue to text each other because….um…well…yeah I don’t know why either. Funny enough while the sexual tension is being built through their texts, another one is being built off the screen. It turns out that “Mr. Wrong Number” is Colin. They don’t know this for a while though. When do they find out, who finds out first, and how do they deal with it?
When I say lacking, I don’t mean I necessarily hate parts of the book. I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry. The characters on their own were a little interesting and unique, and there were some parts of the book that weren't always about romance. But seeing that the romance was the main plot, it’s fair to give it this rating when I wasn’t feeling the chemistry. I would still pick it up if you’re looking for something light and cute. -
Wow. I hated this. Olivia was completely unlikable and obnoxious. She wasn't unlucky, she was just an inconsiderate asshole. It is not cute to treat someone who is graciously letting you stay in their flat after you burnt down yours (!!!). This is petty but it was truly galaxy brain to me when the author wrote something about the love interest (I cannot remember his name, but he was very boring and didn't have a personality beyond being very hot and rich) owning a sterling silver colander. Babe, those don't exist. Do you mean stainless steel? I know it's so minor, but it truly took me out of the story so much.
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DNF @ 22%: I really wanted to like this one, but I could not stand our main character, Olivia. She was so selfish and she literally burned down an entire apartment building burning love letters from an ex and seemed to feel like no guilt about it??? And lied to and/or was just generally awful to everyone around her???? This was truly just.. not it
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If you find me wheeze-laughing on the floor, I’m thinking about Mr. Wrong Number. If you find me fanning myself, I’m thinking about Mr. Wrong Number. If you find me dreamily staring into the distance, I’m thinking about Mr. Wrong Number. Because Mr. Wrong Number is the most sidesplittingly funny, shenanigan-packed, sexual tension-filled book I’ve read in a long, long time. I dare you not to fall in love with Olivia and Colin, but most of all I dare you not to fall in love with Lynn's writing!
Disclosure: Lynn and I share a publisher (Berkley), and I received a free ARC. -
pls why did I read this so fast? barry allen 🤝 me, you know? ANYWAY— this book brought me a burst of serotonin! it had me hooked from the very first page. I wasn’t obsessed w Collin & Olivia by any means, but at the same time I was really happy reading this so do with that information what you will. this one is definitely for all the romcom fans, it had a lil bit of everything!
“tell me exactly what you’re wearing mr. wrong number” 💛 -
I LOVED this one. My romantic heart was so happy with it. Perfect for this month of February!
Olivia Marshall has a reputation. She finds herself in weird situations like the last one that has ended her up without a home. She was burning the love letters from her ex-boyfriend when her apartment went up in smoke. Not having a place to live, she moves into her brother's condo.
Her brother shares a room with his best friend Colin Beck, Olivia's nemesis. Olivia had a HUGE crush on Colin since she first met him as a teenager but after a while, it turned into hate. In her mind, he has nothing but behaved as douche to her over the years. Yes, he is still sexy or maybe even better looking now but who is looking at his abs? To her shock, she starts noticing nice things about him when he is not teasing her any longer.
But Olivia is in a conundrum. She is starting to like Colin as a person but she has created this friendship over text with a stranger, Mr. Wrong Number. Their textship begins when he sends her a text meant for someone else. Over the next few weeks, they are happy to interact this way. Olivia starts relying on Mr. Wrong Number while they bounced back ideas about life and plans for the future.
Who would Olivia pick? Colin or Mr. Wrong Number???
Did I crush on Colin?
Absolutely!!
In truth, I loved both characters. Oliva's "luck" was cringe-worthy and I felt sorry for her. I also was laughing while reading Mr. Wrong Number many many times. I thought it was delightful! I read the book in one sitting and the pages just flew away.
I also recommend not reading the blurb which in my opinion gives way too much information. I didn't read it, so I was extra happy.
Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It |
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What happens when you send a text to the wrong number???
Olivia Marshall had to move in temporarily with her brother, Jack, and his roommate Colin Beck after some shocking and sad events in her life. She is there to get back on her feet, find a job, and a place to live. What could go wrong? One night she gets a text from someone she doesn't know...…
This book had me smiling from ear to ear! Ever get a wrong text? I got a picture of eggs once with the text saying "let's hit this" either the person was hungry or had a strange egg obsession. Either way, it was not as exciting as the texts sent in this book. They were fun and I loved the banter back and forth. I enjoyed all the characters, and I will even admit to spitting out my drink at the part where she mentions the image of being catapulted off the air mattress when someone sits down on it, because:
a. if you have ever slept on an air mattress on the floor you know how they suck
b. you have ever had the misfortune of being on one when someone gets off or on them.
c. if you have the sense of humor of a middle schooler (me) you will find this insanely funny.
But I digress, Mr. Wrong Number and Ms. Misdial are funny, they are witty, they are sexy, they talk the talk, but can they walk the walk (which is a lame euphemism for you-know-what)?
You can't go wrong with this book! It's fun, sexy, and steamy!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at
www.openbookposts.com -
this is the sort of book that ordinarily i'd probably roll my eyes at/give a low rating but i guess i just picked it up at the right time lol. i'm a total sucker for pen pals/epistolary romances and this one was charming in that way. i like the text conversations and the overall set up for the book.
i didn't appreciate olivia's character in the slightest, she was an incredibly big dumb ass and also pretty rude. but i think she met her match in collin lmao. idk this was fun and funny if i don't think too much about it. -
Mr. Wrong Book 4 Me
Olivia does not deserve Collin I will take him from her.
Let's play a game, I like to call it 'if I had a penny every time....'
Every time......
Olivia tripped over nothing
Oliva knocked something over
Olivia made a mess
Olivia made me want to scream
Oliva made me laugh
Collin made me want to strangle him
Collin made me laugh
Collin was an asshole
Collin was a bad best friend
I would be so rich I would be able to build myself a library.
Seriously this book got on my nerves so much and I have a love/hate relationship with everyone in this book. Like Olivia, she is a walking talking *WARNING* sign. Every. Single. Thing she touches breaks, falls or malfunctions in some way (maybe that's why here past relationships fail opsie). For. The. Love. Of. God can we stop with 'the QuIRkY main character that is SoOOoooOoO cLuMSy. Ughh I hate that so much. But then there is the funny, nice, weird side of her that I love. Texting Olivia was amazing she was smart, witty and funny. How can she be two people at once? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING
Olive the entire book:
And Collin, I don't even know where to start. He was an asshole, a sweetie, a 'i hate everyone but you, a nerd, and a literal bully this entire book. I really liked Collin for the first part of the book but then there were so many fights AND I HATE IT. At the start, he was a grouchy asshole but I was like 'oh yeah he's the love interest he's gonna change' but Nah he didn't. In fact, he insulted Olivia so much that she was scared to hear what he thought sometimes. That's what I like to call TOXIC BEHAVIOUR. And not telling Olivia what she deserved to go was a real bad asshole move. Now I'm thinking about it I think I'm leaning towards not liking him too much while also loving him because he was nice......sometimes. Also he broke the bro code. not cool bro!
Collin the entire book:
Now that I think about it this book was not good and I don't think I will be reading from this author again.
My thoughts on this book:
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This was fun but not as remotely outstanding as you all told me. What’s in Colin Beck that everyone finds so charming?
Firstly, the story. It’s cute and kind of predictable, but if you're a fan of the big-brother’s-friend trope this’d do for you. I like how the texts were included in the narration and the dual povs at needed times.
Also, I like the fact that he hadn't a crush on her before but fell in love because of the texts. I think it's significant in this trope to let the readers see the difference between Olivia the girl - a pain in the ass for Colin as much as for her brother, the classical little sister - and Olivia the woman - the adult she became.
And this brings us to the characters.
Olivia is the classical romantic heroine, a troublemaker to whom everybody is attracted like a magnet due to her good intentions. She's young and naive in a good way, but she's also annoying and impolite sometimes. I mean, who actually opens a new bottle of liquor when she's a guest in someone else house?
Colin is, obviously, the opposite of her: too stiff, too cocky, too good-looking. He's nice with everyone but her because for some reason he finds it hilarious to be a bully and a jackass with her. I think the purpose of the author was to write some sort of knight with shiny armour, kind of rude and sarcastic but with a good heart. In her mind was probably a perfect idea, but I'm not sure if it worked on paper.
On one thing I just know we all agree: both their families are horrible. Colin’s father is the classic guy who gets killed in CSI but since he was such a bad person nobody’s sad, and his mother gets along with it because appearances are more important than everything else. And Olivia’s family is just as awful as his: Jack’s supposed to be mean but caring because he’s her older brother - and I don't know if his it's normal behaviour - but I’d have loved it if she had punched him; her father has no personality; finally, the only word I can use to describe her mother is “bitch”, and I waited for all book long for her to finally start shouting back at her mother but unfortunately it didn’t happen.
So did I like it? Yes, but I need to read at least another book by Lynn Painter to make sure she's capable of writing about romance. As I said, it's a cute and funny story about two people who “unconventionally” fell in love, but there is no chemistry between them.
Olivia and Colin can't apparently stand each other, then they start texting, have sex and end up together. But the excruciating passion, the uncontrollable feeling of even needing to be in the same room with the other person doesn't exist.
Also, I’d like to say that not every romance story needs sex scenes. Kissing and then waking up the next day is totally enough if it's too difficult to write to them.
↠ 3.5 stars -
i’d rate this 0.5 if i could.
I’ve read books with insufferable character before but good lord this one takes the cake. olivia is a horrible person. Bad luck? hell no. shes inconsiderate, selfish, a trainwreck, a huge ungrateful mess and every negative thing rolled into one person.
she drank someone’s 4000bucks-im-saving-it-for-bad-days tequila without permission, and gaslight the tequila owner for owning expensive liquor, she made a huge mess in someone’s kitchen and never apologizes for it, she slept on someone’s bed again without permission and make a joke out of it. im only 30% in, and this much has happened. not gonna stick around for the rest of the 70%.
the dude has no personality too, so im out. -
This book had me in absolute tears because I was laughing so much, so here are three reasons why I think you should read it:
Number 1: Colin is sexy and looks like Ryan Gosling (that man is delectable)
Number 2: Olivia is a hot mess, but HILARIOUSLY witty and charming
Number 3: It’s the brothers best friends trope aka a LOT of angst…like does it get any better than that?
I will say there are some moments where pop culture references take me out of the story a bit, and a few points where I was scared we were leaning towards the miscommunication trope but I’m happy with where the story turns to in the end. Other than that, I had an incredible time reading this book.
If you liked The Unhoneymooners or My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren, I think you will LOVE this book.
*Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with the ARC via Netgalley* -
I liked the premise, but there were too many wtf moments for me to stay invested in the story.
Please indulge me as I rant out my feelings on this one.
Things had a tendency to get very campy and gave off prime-time CBS sitcom vibes.
Example: The main character burned her apartment building down when she got attacked by a possum while torching love letters on a balcony, and there were no financial or criminal consequences for her.
It makes sense that this was the author's first adult novel because the main characters acted pretty juvenile despite their ages.
Olivia was so clumsy, inconsiderate, and made such poor decisions that one would think she might have an undiagnosed medical condition. That is the only reason I can think that someone who weeks earlier made herself homeless with the aforementioned possum fire, would then leave a pot of sauce simmering on the stove at her brother's apartment while she left to run errands.
Colin is marginally better. He should have just told Olivia as soon as he figured out it was her that he'd been texting. I realized he too was a lost cause much later when, instead of telling the truth, he went and roped in a coworker to pretend to be the person Olivia had been texting. What kind of dumb Two Broke Girls style antic is that?
There were a few other smaller things that bugged me too.
Why didn't Olivia have any friends? Why was her only friend an acquaintance she hadn't talked to since high school? Did people stop associating with her because she thought replacing a stainless steel colander with a cheap plastic one was appropriate?
Why didn't anyone buy her normal clothes after the fire so she didn't have to wear her high school clothes to job interviews? Like her sister-in-law couldn't lend her anything? It seems like there were several ways to resolve this lack of clothes problem and the author went with the most nonsensical one just to make Olivia uncomfortable around Colin.
Everything that had to do with alcohol felt like it was written by someone who doesn't drink. A half a bottle of wine for a three-person spaghetti dinner? 4 people had leftover bottles from a 12 pack that lasted the rest of the week? I'm not saying get trashed, but who drinks that little.
I have never been to Omaha. So maybe things work differently there. Perhaps in Omaha, a single newspaper column will get billboards and commercials, though I don't think even Dear Abby got that kind of advertisement when print media was relevant.
It was easy to ignore some of the silliness at the beginning of the book when the story was enjoyable, but things just kept getting more and more absurd.
While this book was not my cup of tea, I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoyed the later seasons of Once Upon a Time or felt that Ross Gellar was a good romantic partner.
This should probably be a one star review, but I added an additional star because of the single mention of Nick Miller from New Girl. -
4 stars
This is my second book by Lynn Painter and she does enemies to lovers so well! Add in a brother’s best friend troupe, a mystery wrong number text, and a heroine that is a hot mess in the best way, this book was a blast!
Olivia has lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment complex burnt down… all on the same day. She doesn’t have the best luck. She’s crashing with her brother for a month until she can get a job and back on track. Her brother, and her brother’s bff and roommate, Colin.
Colin and Olivia had fantastic banter and I loved them together. Olivia worked my nerves during parts of the book, but overall I liked her and Colin was the absolute best! I enjoyed the heck out of this book!
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Callie Dalton & Andrew Eiden
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 8h 27m -
Oh my god this book was hilarious.
Exhibit A:
“What do you think the first guy to ever milk a cow was thinking?”
I’m glad I never read it in public because people would’ve thought I was batshit crazy the way I was cackling like a hyena.
This 100% would’ve been 5 stars but the miscommunication around two thirds in was a no from me and whilst I appreciate the nod to Pride and Prejudices’ “I love you, even against my better judgement”. It’s just not cool to insult the women you love in your proclamation of love by telling her that you “can’t believe” it yourself that you love her… We only let Mr Darcy get away with that shit, nobody else.
Still, 4 stars because this made my heart happy✨ -
A hot romance with some great banter, but ultimately, I didn't like the main character or the love interest 🤷🏻♀️
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2/5 stars
God the conflict was annoying, the main character was insufferable! I tried to like this book I swear but goodness I just can’t stand Olivia, she’s so obnoxious and cringe I couldn’t. I’m a girls girl but yeah I just couldn’t like her -
This was SO good! The blurb kept ALL its promises and delivered even more.
YES to glorious banter texting with a stranger, YES to flirty sexting with a stranger, YES to laugh out loud banter between enemies, YES to hilarious relatably hot mess heroine (neither annoying or irritating, she's just the most endearing klutz), YES to seemingly cold and detached heroes, YES to forced proximity premise, YES to clandestine naps, YES to shared bathrooms and trickling droplets of water on vividly described body parts, YES to confusing feelings between opposites, YES to insanely charged sexual tension moments, YES to not-so-slow slow burns, YES to heartfelt confessions, YES to secret flings, YES to sweet and slow kisses, YES to fast and furious sexing, YES to angsty complications, YES to HEA.
Mr. Wrong Number was a winner on all accounts : fun, heartfelt and SEXAY. So so sexy.
This book is UNPUTDOWNABLE, be warned!
Admittedly, I'm a sure thing about all things epistolary in romance but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy all of them. Here the author did an amazing job layering both characters entanglements, the instant matching humor and personalities of their texting relationship and their much slower awareness of each other sharing a housing situation.
The banter was golden and the overall humor on page was entertaining. I loved loved loved the tiny bit of unrequited feelings filtering through the heroine's POV as much as her genuine reluctancy to find the hero desirable in any way. And of course witnessing her—and him— failing miserably. Olivia and Colin were just inevitable and too good together. Bantering and sexing. Yes, the banging was quality good.
I could have done without the two parts third act conflict though, one was enough, the other was drawn out, both of them were definitely too much.
There's an excerpt for an upcoming story (about Olivia's brother, Jack) that totally hooked me the way Mr. Wrong Number hooked me within a few lines and I'll be miserably counting the days until release day (December 2022!!!).
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I love the wrong number trope! Texting banter is my favorite especially when it turns into sexting with the best friend little sister kind of mess. Conflict, conflict I want you! Can't wait for this!
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— 1.5 🤭
oh god
brother’s best friend trope i am so sorry for the injustice this book has done you. the way all these adult rom coms have been disappointing me lately 😔🤚 pretty sure my rating for this book has been progressively decreasing in the two weeks since i’ve read it lmaoo
i think we can all agree that better than the movies >> mr wrong number i mean i was ready to throw the book across the room 65% through. i couldn’t though because i was reading on my phone and well i like my phone ?? bestie stick to ya content please
the first half of my reading experience was very different from the later half. i low-key thought olivia (took me a solid 5 mins to remember her name rip) was quirky and relatable. accidentally setting her building on fire because she was burning letters from her ex? being a world class klutz with extremely bad luck on her side? very fun to read about. right until she started making bad decisions and blaming other people for her problems. i don’t even know whether i’m supposed to call what happened *miscommunication*.
honestly i had enough when she invalidated colin’s feelings after he confessed how he felt. it’s not like he’s any better with how it seemed he was toying with her for most of the book. he’s so hot and cold i was mostly annoyed. bUt he forgave her way too quickly imo like the way the whole conflict resolved made me want to facepalm.
anyways we love it when an anticipated release doesn’t hit so yeah. read her other book better than the movies instead !!
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✨Crazy, Stupid, Cockblock✨
I sped through this like I was auditioning for Fast and Furious 10. It was super easy to read and super compelling throughout most of the book. The chemistry was lethal and Colin was basically a golden Clark Kent. Their texting was fun and showed their compatibility. I was truly laughing and I love Lynn’s writing style and the sense of humor we saw in her YA debut is still here. I also felt huge Mr. Perfectly Fine vibes except like happier? There was a lot for me to love in this one, but I can’t deny that some parts let me down.
I’m into the reckless plan-cancelling type of pining that’s always been there. Mutual and embarrassing and irrevocable. I think it just adds an extra layer to the drama and angst and hopelessness to the romance. Here, Olivia had definitely always had a crush on young Ryan Gosling, Colin. Colin never saw her as a sexual being until he found out she was the mysterious woman he’d been texting.
Now this is FINE but it’s not that kind of brother’s-best-friend always-been-blazing-sexual-tension trope. He never really noticed her before, but his noticing her in the book didn’t stem from some huge makeover. He just learned she was funny and witty and what sexual positions she favored. I definitely appreciated that she’d always been herself, he was just a dense little pound cake.
For the majority of the book, Colin is a sex god of the supremely delicious variety. He’s got money, a good taste in fashion, tortoiseshell glasses. Sex on a stick and I’m definitely at that carnival. All the tickets. He makes a very very bad decision somewhere in the middle of the book and you’re like why my beautiful, handsome prince??? Sweet, pretty idiot. He’s got minor daddy issues but they never play too heavily into his brooding. I loved when he was absolutely wrecked and drunk and thinking karaoke was a great idea at the end.
Olivia was another situation completely. One of my favorite tropes is the reformed mean girl. This book is similar since Olivia starts at just about the lowest point possible. She’s not a mean girl, but a hot mess. (Think of Kiera Knightley in Laggies or Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids.) Honestly, she’s not even a hot mess, but a flaming menace to society. We do see Olivia reform and I liked the journey, but she did push me a little too far. I stopped caring by the end because there were three breakup scenes and she caused two of them. Did she ultimately get rewarded multiple times for being a menace? Yes. Do I care as much about that as I do about the closed-door sex? Nope. Sue me.
But I also didn’t buy Colin’s whole thing about her not being a hot mess but a gorgeous gorgeous vibrant tornado. She fucked up all sorts of shit, most of the time with little regard for the consequences. She is who she is and I enjoyed her most of the time, but damn she was stressful. I mean two out of three breakups Olivia? My poor heart. She also didn’t care about drinking his celebratory tequila which was kind of a dick move. I don’t think he should have been the one to apologize first.
Up until about fifty percent, I was ready to risk it all for these crazy kids. Then I hit The Wall. It’s always either one of two scenarios. There’s the proverbial (sometimes literal if we’re lucky) wall that characters fuck against and it’s great and I’m like “wow fuck you gravity, you’re my BITCH!” and then there’s The Wall I hit when a romance is closed door. Once I hit that wall, it’s just really hard for me to care what happens in the rest of the book. So it’s a major issue when The Wall is *erected* at like 50% through the book.
The first sex scene is very very vague and if you blink you’ll miss when he actually goes inside her. (A page and a half.) It’s maybe a little more than closed door but the rest are fade-to-black, closed-door galore. It’s like you have this thing you loved so much that betrayed you body and soul, and it tries to smooth you over with “but it was crazy good porn star sex!” Over and over and over until you want to punch the proverbial fucking wall. It just really rubs me the wrong way when we get shut out of the sex and then characters are always just referencing how good the sex was. Salt in the wound much? Their chemistry was scorching until this point. Cruel and unusual.
These horndogs were so hot for each other but I barely felt the heat. Especially when they start the book talking about favorite positions and have blatant passion. My own personal David Lindhagen. Catch me shouting about being cuckolded by closed-door romance at a local bar.
Like I said earlier, there were three breakups in this book, and the main *sexual* event was around 50%. That’s a lot for me to handle without explicit sex so I settled on 3.5/5. I loved the first half and it was truly funny, but I just got tired of David Closed-Door Lindhagen, which took my remaining patience away from tolerating the gorgeous gorgeous tornado that was Olivia.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶/5
I was going to round up on Goodreads but four stars really doesn’t feel right because I think I am just so disappointed. I don’t even know if I’ll reread. Three stars doesn’t seem all that right either. It could truly go either way between 3.25 and 3.5. Idk but note to whoever reads this, please just include explicit sex. It’s really about civic duty at this point.
This book was kindly provided by the publisher and I’m on their influencer team. All opinions are honest and my own!
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Initial reaction:
Hate to say it but getting cockblocked reallllly pissed me off and I never recovered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶/5 -
Whereas BETTER THAN THE MOVIES was an adorable YA romance, MR. WRONG NUMBER was everything I love and enjoy in a rom-com.
It had great banter, funny scenes, a fresh and entertaining plot and reliable rom-com vibes. I’m also a big fan of texts/emails and other communications in romances, and the text exchange in MR. WRONG NUMBER was fabulous. AND give me some enemies to lovers vibes and I’m in heaven!!!!! Add some sizzle to it and I’m hooked.
This book is going to be a crowd pleaser!!!!
- hate to love
- brother’s best friend
- text exchange
- great banter
- opposite attracts
- forced proximity
- hot mess heroine
- kissable abs
- swoony hero
- hand flex à la Mr. Darcy
Overall, this one was a quick read for me. Loved the writing and humor. And the characters were relatable, especially Olivia, she was such a hot mess. Also loved that Colin was her opposite in every way but together they were GOLD!!!
The only thing I didn’t enjoy quite as much was the forced conflict in the last act. It’s always the same and I’m so over it. Authors need to find some other way to spice it up.
But besides that the novel was entirely entertaining, and I can only recommend it to anyone who loves a funny and engaging romance. -
A hero who acts like Mr. Darcy and looks like Ryan Gosling? Yessss, you read that correctly, and yesss, I would get on my knees for Colin Beck.
First of all, thank you to my book bestie, Chelsea, for putting this book on my radar. When she tells me she thinks I'll like a book, I know I will...and once again, she wasn't wrong because I ADORED THIS ONE!
It was such a fun romcom with tons of laugh-out-loud, swoony-worthy moments.
Read Mr. Wrong Number if you like:
💋Brother's best friend
💋Close proximity
💋Witty banter
💋Mr. Darcy and Ryan Gosling á la Crazy Stupid Love.
Memorable Moments:
“What is this, though? Like . . . Cher meets Taylor Swift?"
"I looked more like I should be in an eighties rock video than an adorable show with Nick Miller."
“You gave my a stomach hickey.” -
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!
Spoiler laden review. Skip if you don't want spoilers
I found the female protagonist to be super obnoxious.
It mostly annoyed me because the areas for which I disliked her had nothing to do with the plot (meaning these scenes could fully have been excluded from the book, to its betterment)-- but rather her behaviour to her "roommates." Between spilling ink on her hosts' carpet, opening and drinking an expensive bottle of alcohol she had no right to, leaving a massive mess in the kitchen for someone else to clean up, sleeping in her host's bed when he wasn't home and denting a piece of expensive kitchenware, I found her to be the worst house guest and I couldn't get over it.
It isn't even just that she was horrible to her host, but she actively tried to make him feel irrational for his very justified feelings of annoyance, to the point where HE has to apologize to HER. Any amends she tries to make in regards to her behaviour is sarcastic and ill-intentioned (buying someone a plastic replacement for metal kitchenware because it is "just as good" is a jerk move and you aren't "down to earth" for it. It is actually a VERY bad idea to use a plastic strainer for BOILING WATER).
The book tries to frame it as quirky, isn't she just so relatable? Her life is a mess!
Her self centred behaviour after someone GRACIOUSLY lets her live with them, RENT FREE, is not relatable. It's cringy to read.
It's not a good look.
This book would have been a DNF for this reason, but I finished the book to see if she at any point would apologize for her actions or recognize that is was bad behaviour. She does not.
