Book Review of "The Best Wrong Move" by Lily Parker + an Author Q&A

Hi friends!!

It's time for another Book Review!

I am so excited to bring you this amazing debut contemporary romance novel The Best Wrong Move that releases tomorrow, April 24th, from Choc Lit, an impint of Joffe Books and a Q&A with the author Lily Parker. Thank you Lily and Choc Lit for an eARC of this book.

I connected with Lily on Instagram around the time I signed with my literary agent through a mutual friend, and when the ARC call went out for her debut novel, I just had to read it. Not just because of our romance writer connection, but also because it looked so stinkin' cute! And I'm so glad I did...

The spoiler free book review...

[Click the picture for the Amazon link or find it at the end of the blog]

This is really the reason you're here, so let's get to it! But also, stick around for the interview with Lily Parker below.

I gave this book a wholehearted rating of:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yes. That's right. FIVE STARS. I don't have a lot of time to read these days, and I devoured this book in just a couple of days. I couldn't put it down! Lily's writing is so easy to get sucked into. The chapters are short so it's way too easy to say "just one more" when you get to the end of one, and before you know it you're almost done.

We'll talk about some of the things in my review more in-depth in the questions I asked Lily, but let me cover a few of my favorite things.

The prologue, wow, it sucks you right in, and it just doesn't stop. I'm not usually a fan of prologues, but if you're someone who tends to skip them, you can't skip this one. It sets the tone for the entire book and really sets up the point-of-view character's (Olivia) personality. She's a strong, independent, successful woman willing to take a risk in her life and in love, but it horribly backfires (as risks sometimes do). Although, we learn later that things weren't entirely as they seemed.

Which is one of the things I loved about this book. Lily built in so many layers with the situation and with Olivia and Dom (my current book boyfriend) that I was still considering them and realizing things even as I was typing up the questions to send to Lily for my interview. At one point when I was reading, before Dom's entire backstory was revealed, I messaged Lily to ask her if Dom was in the mafia! 😂 (Spoiler: He's not, but he does have secrets.) She really did a great job of planting little things along the way for both characters that come together later.

Also, I loved the Hawaii setting! The beach descriptions had me feeling the sand between my toes and the sun on my face and smelling the salty air. I wanted to book a trip to the coast right then.

This is a SPICY book. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (maybe even 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ but the only reason I might refrain from 5 is because it doesn't get into BDSM/kink territory). Olivia and Dom's chemistry is electric and once they give in, they can't keep their hands off each other. But Lily does a great job balancing the plot with the spice.

The Best Wrong Move is told from a single POV (Olivia) in present tense. I enjoy both single and dual POV books, but I think this one worked really well in a single POV. It definitely lent more of an air of mystery to our protective, sexy, hero Dom.

My biggest complaint, honestly, is that I wanted MORE before the epilogue. Just a few more chapters to see how Olivia and Dom manage the weeks to come and their new normal. I didn't want it to end!

And if you need any other reason to read this book, there's a cat.

I was thinking about this one for days (still am). A beautiful debut. Amazing job, Lily Parker! I cannot wait for the next one!

And now, without further ado, I'm so excited to have been able to interview Lily about writing, the inspiration for the book, and what's next.

Q&A with Contemporary Romance Debut Author Lily Parker

First of all, congratulations on your stunning debut The Best Wrong Move. Is this the first book you’ve ever written? Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing.

Thank you! The Best Wrong Move is the second book I’ve written. The first book shall never be claimed, or I’ll go back and re-edit it one day to polish it up for fresh eyes!

I did professional contract writing and editing for years, but began writing my first full-length novel in 2022 after joining a local writers’ critique group that met in-person every month. The monthly meetings held me accountable just one chapter at a time and I found myself loving the process – the writing, the editing, and the critique partnering. Something about those meetings gave me the courage to think I could actually complete a full manuscript, so I did. I made so many mistakes with that first book that I set it aside completely when I started on The Best Wrong Move.

Once I finished The Best Wrong Move and sent it to my publisher, I quickly got to work on what ended up being the third book in the series. Once I finished that, I had so many beta readers requesting a book about the best friend side character (Abby) from The Best Wrong Move, that I got to work on that next.

I was a writing machine in 2023 and ended up writing all three books in the Off-Limits series within about ten months! 

I always love hearing about the different ways into publishing, and I think it’s encouraging for writers to hear that there’s more than one way to get there than to take the traditional path of querying to find an agent who will then submit your book to publishers.

You’re an American author, but your publisher is a fairly large independent house in the UK. Can you share what turn of events led you to be able to connect with this publisher, especially as an unagented author? 

Absolutely! I couldn’t agree more – there are so many ways to summit the publishing mountain with plenty of options where authors are finding massive success outside the main Big Five. 

My first editor and I had the most serendipitous meet-cute! I was not planning to submit my book to any publishers or agents, and was actually attending a self-publishing conference (20 Books to 50K) in Las Vegas. I met her at a romance author mixer at the end of the day, and I didn’t have any sort of pitch ready to share because I hadn’t planned on meeting any publishers while there. We casually chatted about my WIP, which at the time was The Best Wrong Move, and about another book I’d quietly self-published without doing any sort of marketing for (remember, I made all the mistakes with that one!), but it was currently sitting on Amazon. 

On the last day, when we were both leaving the hotel to catch our Ubers, she caught me outside and said she’d downloaded my self-published book off Amazon and had spent the week reading it. She gave me her card and asked me to email her my WIP when it was done. 

I thought she was just being nice, but I spent the next month finishing the book, running it through two (amazing) beta readers, and doing a few rounds of deep dive edits on it. I sent it to her and within two weeks we had a Zoom call where she offered me a three-book deal with Joffe! 

It was the best decision I’ve made as an author. Joffe Books is based in London and is the largest independent publisher in the UK, but the attention they’ve given my debut series has taken my breath away. I adore everything about the team there and am flying out to London next month for the second time to see them all! 

Writers often don’t think about signing with an overseas publisher, so what’s it been like working with a publisher in the UK? And working with a publisher in general? Anything different than you expected going into this journey?

I don’t have any U.S. publisher experience to compare it to, but I do know that I hear from my editor and marketing team all the time! We Zoom whenever something important comes up, they’re supporting and leading the charge on some incredible marketing strategies, and they use Ingram for distribution here, just like most U.S.-based publishers. 

Another interesting point is that I feel like there’s an international reach happening with my books. I am seeing reviews from Australia, Sweden, the UK, and more. My entire three-book debut series was purchased by Audible for global rights, meaning they can translate and record audiobooks for the Off-Limits series in any language now, which is going to be incredible for opening up an international reach as well!

Another fun side note is that I’m learning how some mainstream U.S. phrasing is understood or seen in other cultures as we edit. For example, my editor will flag a phrase that might not hit as well in the U.K., and ask if I’d like to revise it. I personally enjoy knowing that what I’m writing is still very much in my voice, but will be well-received elsewhere, too.

The level of support I’ve received has been unexpected. I hear stories from other authors about how they rarely hear back from their marketing or editing team, or it’s crickets for months without any updates. That couldn’t be more opposite than my experience. I hear from them about something nearly every week, and have been brought in to collaborate on book covers and marketing materials. I’m going to be joining a romance author cruise in February of next year (LoveLit Cruise 2026!) and the marketing team is already sending me fun swag to take onboard for all the cruisers. The entire Joffe team has truly blown me away with how supportive and enthusiastic they are!

So, while I can’t compare my experience to working with any other U.S. publisher, I do know I’ve been happy with them!

What's the story behind the gorgeous pink cover? It's so eye-catching! Was that something you asked for or something the team at Choc Lit came up with, or was it a combined effort?

Thank you! The cover really is eye-catching, isn’t it? My editor, Becky Slorach, asked me to create a mood board for each book, but she ultimately took creative lead on working with a cover designer. Rachel Lawston, the designer, is an award-winning illustration artist in the UK that Joffe commissioned for all three covers in the Off-Limits series. I think she truly nailed the colors on each, and did an amazing job drawing the eye in such a busy market.

Once each cover was close to completion and had gone through a bit of reader testing by Joffe, Becky would send me a near-final draft to get my input. I only ever had small tweaks here or there to add. So while I felt brought in to collaborate on the design, the fabulous colors and artwork were designed by the editor and artist, using my original mood boards.

With all the talk of AI being used in creative spaces, I feel incredibly proud and lucky to be working with a talented and deserving artist! It’s a big deal to me, and I’m thrilled with how each turned out! Each Off-Limits cover is available to check out on Amazon already, if you’d like to take a look!

Alright, let’s talk some about your book. Honestly, I devoured it. I wish I could say “in one sitting” but I don’t have that kind of time to read! However, it only took me a few days and for me that’s super fast. 

It opens with a pretty huge conflict (and this is in the blurb so no spoilers here) the main character, Olivia, proposes to her boyfriend on live television and he says “no.” For me, it really established Olivia’s character, that she’s willing to do something so ballsy and untraditional. What inspired you to start with this unconventional scene as a catalyst for the change in her life?

Thank you! I keep hearing that readers are finishing the book in a day or two, which is the ultimate compliment!

And that’s a great question about what inspired me to start the book off with a nontraditional televised proposal-gone-wrong! Sometimes I sit down to write and shock myself by what lands on the page.

I believe the beginning came from one thing: I am fiercely loyal to strong FMCs (female main characters), which is my favorite type of character to write. I want them to be relatable, real, and flawed. I want them to make mistakes and then watch them navigate these awe-inspiring, life-changing moments that they’ll look back on at the end of their (fictional) lives as the moment that changed everything. 

The entire series features women who are brave enough to get out of their own way, buck tradition, or make their lives messy on the path toward their own authentic happiness. Authentic being the keyword there! 

Each of the FMCs in the Off-Limits series, by the end, is comfortable and thriving inside their imperfection, which is what I think we all want to be. It’s that moment of finding peace within our own imperfect life – that’s the goal! And that’s the feeling I want each of my readers to walk away with: The knowledge that a beautifully imperfect mess of a life can turn out to be everything we ever wanted in the end.

And how about that setting? Wow, I had some serious beach wanderlust reading this book! How did you decide to set the book in Hawaii? Do you visit there frequently or is it somewhere that’s on your bucket list?

I got the idea for The Best Wrong Move when my husband and I took an extended trip to Hawaii in 2023. During the pandemic, we’d promised ourselves that we’d take a ridiculous, over-the-top vacation when the world got back to normal, and that was the trip! We arrived feeling deeply burned out but found ourselves swooning over our lives and the world again by the end of our month-long stay. 

I wanted to bring that healing vibe of the islands into the book while Olivia recovered from her own heartache and public humiliation. 

A great setting can become its own character within a book, and that’s exactly what the island became in The Best Wrong Move. The ocean became a she, and she became part of Olivia’s journey toward finding herself again. In fact, Olivia starts out by tearing up when she sees the ocean, saying it felt like seeing an old friend again after way too long. That’s exactly how I felt when I got there, too.

The entire experience of writing Olivia’s story felt like a mini mental break from reality, and I love hearing from readers that they’re experiencing the same vacation-type escape from their very own living room while they get swept away by the gentle waves of the island as they read it, too.

Dom is still my new book boyfriend because I haven’t had time to read anything else since to kick him off the throne. He’s such a sweetheart and really has so many layers.

Fake dating is one of those tropes I’ve come to recently enjoy, but I’ll be honest, the chemistry is so strong between Olivia and Dom, I never once imagined they’d be able to keep those walls up for long. So tell us, was there someone who inspired Dom or did you just set out to create a man who would give Olivia everything she deserves given what she’s been through?

Olivia is a New Yorker, while Dom was born and raised in California, eventually making his permanent home on the North Shore of Oahu. I wanted to have a strong opposites-attract vibe between them, and make him someone that would eventually feel like home to Olivia even though she was miles away from anything familiar. 

Dom became that non-judgmental protector who was her soft place to land, largely because of his own hidden past. I don’t want to give too much away, but they have some major things in common while maintaining incredibly opposite lifestyles!

I attended college in Hawaii, and found that I loved the laid-back surfer vibe there! There’s also a strong connection with family and found family because these islands are so isolated from anywhere else in the world that you end up meeting people that become like family members to you. You share all the small (or large!) holidays together, and it makes for some incredibly strong bonds. 

Dom and his found family on the island encompass so many of the people I met there – strong, loyal, funny, multi-talented, incredibly smart, and passionately in love with their surroundings. 

He’s the guy we all want to meet on vacation – while single, of course!!

Oftentimes, an ex comes back into the picture to try to spoil the new relationship out of jealousy or some other negative emotion, but (again in the blurb so no spoilers!) Olivia’s ex is an annoying mosquito buzzing in her ear because he’s there in Hawaii!

Why did you decide to torture poor Olivia the ENTIRE BOOK? And did you delight in scheming new ways to make her ex a nuisance? As a reader, I just felt so bad for Olivia, but as a writer, I was laughing like man, maybe I need to torture my characters even more!

Ha! I loved having Olivia’s ex, Rex’s character, living next door. Not only that, but he has a beautiful new girlfriend from day one, and it leads Olivia down a relatable path of spying from her own townhouse while they share a wall. 

I think that idea of an ex driving you wild with forced proximity is such a universal truth. Whether the ex is on your social media feed, or is in the same city as you, or they just keep popping up at the most obnoxious places, it’s something we can all relate to! Olivia just had to have him living directly next door, which brought the fake dating scheme with Dom to life. 

Years ago, I had an ex that just continually popped up everywhere, to the point that my now-husband and I saw him on the jumbo-tron screen while we were at a big hockey game! It was laughable by that point, and we still laugh about that ridiculous phase of our lives where everywhere we went, there he was. I think having that constant reminder of your ex in your ear can help you remember why they were never right for you in the first place, and what better reminder than to have him living next door?

The question we’ve all been waiting for, what’s next? You signed a three-book deal, so what part of the process are the next two books in and how much can you tell us about them? Are they connected to characters from The Best Wrong Move (I can think of at least one or two who need a happy ending!) or are they connected some other way like location or not at all? 

All three books in the Off-Limits series are available to order on Amazon now, which is absolutely wild to me. 

The second book, The Best Worst Mistake, features Abby!! If you haven’t read the first book yet, Abby is Olivia’s sassy, workaholic bestie from New York who keeps her laughing the whole time. 

Almost every early reader of The Best Wrong Move asked me to write Abby’s story next. The response to Abby’s character was so overwhelming that I switched gears and wrote her happy ending as the second book, which is coming out July 2, 2025! It’s right around the corner. 

Abby’s story is a second chance romance featuring a forbidden workplace encounter with her former law school flame, Dax Harper. He is funny, quirky, and reminds me of Adam Brody’s character, Noah, from Nobody Wants This. We all love the guy who will make us laugh and then go wickedly weak in the knees.

In book two, Abby’s love interest, Dax, has a best friend billionaire business mogul client named Silas. Silas ends up having a huge part in the book and my editor and I fell so head-over-heels in love with him that it was clear he needed his own story.

Book three, The Best Wild Idea, comes out January 22, 2026. It is a heartbreakingly powerful story about Silas and Jules – the girl Silas has always secretly loved, but who was engaged to his best friend, Grant. Jules and Silas had a huge falling out and haven’t spoken in years, when Grant dies. But before he passes, Grant sets up a trip for the two of them, making his best friend Silas promise to take care of Jules after he’s gone, even though he knows Silas and Jules currently can’t stand each other. 

The Best Wild Idea has a striking blend of enemies-to-lovers, second chances, found family, shared trauma, and letters from the past that bring the two of them on a worldwide adventure and path back to friendship, and eventually love. 

Each book has been so fun to write, and I can’t wait to share the whole collection. You can read them all out of order, and not have any spoilers since the series is character-driven! 

Pre-orders and covers for all three books are now open on Amazon!

Where can we buy your book? If a local bookstore doesn’t have it, will readers be able to order it there if they don’t want to purchase through a corporate retailer?

The books are distributed through Ingram, so even if a bookstore or library doesn’t carry it, readers can request them to order it! 

Right now, all three books in the Off-Limits series are available on Amazon (including pre-orders for book two and three!), Barnes & Noble’s website, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible.

Where can readers find you online? Do you have a newsletter sign-up?

I adore connecting with readers on Instagram (@lilyparker_author) and will absolutely reply to any unhinged live-read DMs that come my way! I love sharing reader photos, reviews, and anything you want to tag me in.

I highly encourage readers to sign up for my newsletter here which will ensure they’re first in line for ARC requests, and any exciting news I can share. I don’t send out newsletters often, so you know it’ll be good n’ juicy stuff when you see my name in your inbox.

You can also connect with me on Goodreads, TikTok, and Threads. 

Do you have any release events coming up or book signings you’d like to tell us about?

I will be joining the LoveLit Cruise as a guest author with a whole slew of other amazing romance authors in February 2026, which is looking to be a total blast! I’m also looking at my calendar to see what events I can squeeze into the next year. I’ll be sure to keep readers posted on upcoming events via Instagram and my newsletter.

For fun! What are you currently reading or if you could only recommend one book (romance or otherwise), what would it be and why?

I am a multi-book reader, which means I always have a stack of books I’m reading (and listening to), based on any given mood. So I’m currently reading the thriller You Killed Me First by John Marrs for my book club, a hilarious rom-com ARC called Better Than Gelato by another 2025 debut author named Libby Tanner, and a hilarious rom-com called Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie to get ready for my upcoming trip to Scotland.

Because your blog has so many writers here, if I could recommend one book, I’d recommend Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. It’s a game changer for plotting out your book and shares how to hit the beats before bringing your book to market. Even if you only take certain lessons from the pages, it’s a great starting point for plotting phenomenal stories!

Where else can you be found online? 

Link | Lily Parker on Instagram

Link | Lily Parker on TikTok

Link | Lily Parker on Threads

Link | The Best Wrong Move on Goodreads

Link | The Best Wrong Move on Amazon

Let me know in the comments if you pick up The Best Wrong Move and what you thought!

Be sure to follow Lily Parker on social media to keep up-to-date with her upcoming books.

If you do check the books out, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads! This helps authors immensely!

My next book review is Linny Mack's Changing Tides, another lovely debut releasing May 6, 2025.

Other book reviews:

Link | Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods

Link | The Masks We Wear by BD Carpenter with Author Q&A

Link | Mage Breaker by Sean R. Frazier with Author Q&A

Link | Silverweaver by Cee M. Taylor with Author Q&A + Excerpt

Link | The Ghosts of Reeser Morrigan with Guest Post by author Amara Lynn

Until next time, friends.

Rose

Link | Linktree for Rose

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