Mistakes We Never Made

Mistakes We Never Made is a 2024 romance by Hannah Brown, written with ghostwriter Emily Larrabee. The novel centers protagonist Emma Townsend as she races across the country with love interest Finn Hughes in search of her friend Sybil, who has fled her wedding weekend. Mistakes We Never Made debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. It is Brown’s first novel, though she previously released a memoir entitled God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life’s Best (and Worst) Moments (2021). Brown also appeared on reality television shows The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Dancing with the Stars, and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

This guide refers to the 2024 edition published by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss racial discrimination.

Plot Summary

Mistakes We Never Made opens on a Wednesday night in Malibu, three days before Sybil Rain’s wedding, as maid of honor Emma Townsend goes out with Sybil and their friends, Nikki and Willow, to celebrate. At the bar, she runs into Finn Hughes, her old debate partner from high school, whom she has never dated despite several near misses over the years; to Emma, each was a mistake. Later that night, Sybil confesses that she’s nervous about the wedding, and Emma promises support.

The next day, Sybil has gone missing. Emma sets off to find Sybil, but the only person she knows with a car is Finn, who, it turns out, owns the Singer-manufactured Porsche 964 she’s been admiring in the parking lot.

On the drive, Emma expresses dissatisfaction with her job at a design firm. Finn is selling his company. When they stop for lunch, she runs into Aaron, Nikki’s ex-boyfriend. Nikki and Aaron met on LovedBy, a romantic reality television show. Emma ends up getting into a fight with Aaron, and the restaurant’s cashier films it. Emma thinks that Aaron is no better than her father or Finn, both of whom hurt her.

A flashback takes the reader back to junior prom, when Finn asked Emma to be his date but never showed up. When she went to his house later that night, he apologized and explained that he had forgotten. Emma cut him off and left.

In the present, Nikki calls Emma and yells at her for fighting with Aaron. Emma and Finn arrive in San Diego to look for Sybil. Emma thinks she sees her kayaking. She and Finn rent a boat to pursue the woman in the kayak, but it isn’t Sybil. They fight when Finn tries to bring up their past. Emma ends up fainting just before they get back to shore because she hasn’t eaten all day. Finn carries her to safety and finds her a lunch. The Find My Friends app shows Sybil in Las Vegas. Emma convinces Finn to drive there, but he makes a bet with her. If they find Sybil and bring her back for the wedding, Emma gets to drive Finn’s car. If they fail, Emma has to say something nice about Finn. They shake hands.

A second flashback takes Emma back to a pool party between her first and second years of college, where she ends up making out with Finn. When she asks about the significance of what they’re doing, Finn implies that it doesn’t have to mean anything. Emma feels it’s a mistake.

On the way to Vegas two days before Sybil’s wedding, Emma feels that she and Finn are settling back into the rhythm they had as debate team partners. They talk about their families and how Emma had a lot of responsibility after her father left. Emma is grateful to Sybil for always making her feel included, even when she felt different because her father wasn’t around.

When they arrive at Caesar’s Palace, Emma and Finn gamble on the casino floor and end up getting complimentary tickets to a boxing match that evening. Nikki calls to say that Jamie is on his way to Las Vegas: When he asked about Sybil’s whereabouts, Nikki told him that they were throwing an impromptu bachelorette party there. Finn suggests going to a nice dinner and posting about it to see if they can lure Sybil to them. He and Emma freshen up, and Emma decides to enjoy the dinner. She wonders where their relationship could go if they let it.

In a third flashback, Emma remembers when Finn came to stay with her and Sybil in New York City. Sybil ends up going to see her boyfriend, and Emma and Finn go up to the roof of her building. Finn says that his current girlfriend wants an open relationship. Emma herself is also dating someone. He also confesses that the night of the junior prom was when he found out his father’s cancer was terminal. He apologizes for not being honest, and they kiss. Finn stops them, remembering that Emma has a boyfriend. However, he implies that he wants to break up with his girlfriend to be with Emma.

At dinner in Las Vegas, Finn tells Emma that his mother is selling his childhood home, and Emma asks him to make sure it doesn’t get torn down because she loves its design. Emma also admits that things are tough at work and that she wants to open her own design firm. Finn suggests moving from New York back to Dallas. In the elevator afterward, they start kissing. When the doors open, Nikki is standing there, having arrived with Jamie on one of his friend’s private jets. Soon after, Jamie also says that he has a voicemail from Sybil. Emma eventually tells him that Sybil wants to be alone.

When Finn, Nikki, and Emma look at Find My Friends, they learn that Sybil is on her way to Albuquerque. Finn and Emma set off. They make a pitstop in a park, where they spend the night. They also talk about Emma’s dad and his decision to leave. In the morning, they have sex before getting on the road. However, Emma is reluctant to get hurt again and tells him it’s a one-time thing. Back in the car, they also talk about Sybil, who was at the hospital the night Finn found out about his dad. He refuses to tell Emma why, saying that she doesn’t get to know everything about everyone’s lives. Emma doesn’t think she can trust him. She starts to think they should turn around, but Finn disagrees. Emma takes his keys and locks herself in the car, determined to go back to Malibu. He gets in and reluctantly agrees to let her drive. When they fight again later and Finn says that she needs to forgive people for making mistakes, Emma thinks of the last time they saw each other and loses control of the car.

The final flashback reveals what happened the last time Finn and Emma saw each other. It takes place six months after Finn’s visit to New York. They have been texting regularly, and Emma thinks that their friend’s wedding weekend is when they’ll finally get together. However, she discovers that Finn did not break up with his girlfriend, and they have a fight that everyone hears over a microphone Emma forgot she was holding. Embarrassed, she storms off, and Sybil comes to take care of her.

In the present, Emma and Finn are both all right, but the car has to be towed. The closest place for them to go is Emma’s dad’s house, and the tow truck driver takes them there. Even though her father tries to pretend that they’re still close, Emma sees how alone her father is. When she tries to bring up his decision to leave, he tells her he thought it was the right choice for everyone. Emma starts to feel that she needs to stop trying to control her friends’ lives. She remembers that when her father left, she was so hurt that she kept the movie ticket he had bought for them that day. She still has it. Finn holds her.

On Saturday morning, Emma and Finn wake up at her father’s, and they borrow her dad’s car to go to the Grand Canyon. Emma lets go of the movie stub, and she and Finn yell into the abyss. Emma realizes that she sees Finn differently now. She wonders if she should’ve trusted him the whole time. He also reveals that he bought his mother’s house because Emma asked him to. They finally hear from Sybil, who has returned to Malibu. They fly back.

After Emma gets ready for the wedding, she finds Finn. They confess that they’re in love and that he self-sabotaged because he was afraid of disappointing her. She admits that everything that has happened between them is the result of their pasts. They kiss. Then, she goes to find Sybil.

Sybil apologizes for leaving, and Emma tries to show her that she supports her no matter what. Sybil reveals that she had a medical problem the day of the junior prom. She isn’t ready to tell Emma everything and feels that she needs to learn to care for herself. Emma trusts that their friendship can grow. Emma knows that everything will work out, even if they all make mistakes.

In the Epilogue, Finn and Emma move into Finn’s house together. Finn proposes, and Emma says yes.