After an abrupt firing, literary agent Zoey leaves her high‑pressure Manhattan job for the quieter world of Story Lake, a change she views as humiliating. Mistakes Were Made uses this shift to question the value of status‑driven success. The narrative shows that achievement shaped by prestige offers little satisfaction, while work tied to purpose and connection offers far more. Zoey first aims to rebuild her old life out of spite, yet her unexpected reinvention in Story Lake draws her toward community and meaningful effort instead of the superficial world she left behind.

Zoey’s early goals depend on outside approval. She plans a “triumphant comeback” (5) by stealing bestselling author Earl Wiggens from her old agency, Beau Monde. Wiggens, whom Zoey herself describes as “moderately gross” (7), still represents everything she once chased. She believes controlling his career will prove she has “officially won at life” (12), even though she disagrees with Wiggens’s misogynist values. Zoey’s ambiguous approach to Wiggens grows out of the toxic, competitive culture of her former office, where colleagues like Jim Whitehead treated success as a game of outmaneuvering others.

As Zoey settles into Story Lake, she begins working in ways that rely on cooperation rather than rivalry. She takes a “part‑time gig” (34) as the town’s publicist because she needs the money, yet she soon takes pride in the role. When she suggests the Reader Weekend festival, she does more than design a marketing plan. She rallies the town behind a shared project. The energy of this group effort stands far from the hostility of Beau Monde. Her shift grows stronger when she discovers the talent of Opal Mallory, an unpublished writer at the local retirement community. When Zoey chooses to champion Opal’s work instead of Wiggens’s established career, she moves away from empty prestige and toward a definition of success tied to authenticity.

The novel also uses the context of Zoey’s neurodivergence to reexamine definitions of “success.” Zoey often uses loaded terms such as “disorganized” or “irresponsible” to describe herself, because she does not fit the larger world’s perception of a put-together, responsible person. However, once she is diagnosed with ADHD, Zoey realizes that she is neither irresponsible nor failing at life. She simply requires a different set of tools to manage her time and skills. When Zoey calls herself a “failure at adulting” (202), Opal reminds her that “nobody is good at everything” (202). Instead of trying to conquer her weaknesses, Zoey should focus her energy on the things she is good at, such as ideating. Opal’s advice upends the traditional notion of a “successful” woman who can do it all; rather encouraging Zoey to be good at a few things. By accepting herself, Zoey can also write her own script for success.