Hannah Brown proved that writing about what you know can come in many different forms, especially with her debut novel, Mistakes we never made.
The book, which was released on Tuesday, May 7, follows the story of Emma Townsend, a 28-year-old interior designer who finds herself on a road trip along the West Coast with Finn Hughes, a childhood sweetheart and former flame, with whom she doesn’t always get along.
“I love the Taylor Swift Easter eggs and I tried to add a little bit of that. I will say there are a few (few) Easter eggs in there, but they’re really loosely based on things,” said Brown, 29. We weekly “I would say that this whole book is a fiction book, and I haven’t had this experience of Emma and Finn at all, but their feelings and their doubts and the lack of communication between two people, they were definitely inspired by things that I’ve experienced in my life.”
Bachelor Nation fans who are familiar with Brown’s story were definitely able to identify snippets from the book that acted as real-life inspiration for High school alum.
Read on to discover some of Brown’s Easter eggs. Mistakes we never made novel:
The state school connection
Brown’s leading lady, Emma, is a native of Texas and attended the University of Texas, Hook ‘Em. As fans of The Bachelor know, Brown was introduced in Colton UnderwoodThe 2019 season was a Roll Tide season for me as an Alabama native who graduated from the University of Alabama.
Brown’s previous career choice
Before she became a reality star, podcast host, and author, Brown was an interior designer. In fact, she still does interior design work. (Brown recently appeared on former Tyler Cameron‘s Coming Home with Tyler Cameron as your design partner.)
In Mistakes we never madeThe protagonist Emma is also an interior designer.
A subtle mention of ‘Bachelorette’
One of Emma’s best friends in the book, Nikki, was on a reality dating show called Loved byAt one point, the character made it clear that he was “not there to make friends.” Sound familiar?
Just call her Hannah ‘Beast’ Brown
At several points in the novel, Emma is referenced as experiencing “Beast Mode.” During her time on The Bachelor, Brown received her own nickname, “Beast.”
Brown’s difficulty in making toast
Brown famously botched his toast at Underwood’s banquet. Bachelor season, choosing to say “Roll Tide” before everyone took a sip of their drink. It seems like he took that moment and ran with it. Mistakes we never made.
At one point in the novel, Emma reveals that she hates giving toasts, recalling a moment at her mother’s birthday dinner.
“I tried to say a few words about how much she means to me and ended up so nervous that I muttered, ‘Hook ’em up,’ and raised my horns in the air,” Brown wrote in the novel.
An allusion to her breakup with ‘Bachelorette’
Emma’s other friend Sybil had a few compromises in her life, as expressed in the book. Nikki, on the other hand, fell in love with a man named Aaron during her time in Loved byHowever, he lacked “integrity and trustworthiness,” as stated in the book, which led to their separation.
Brown, for his part, had a failed engagement after accepting a proposal from Jedd Wyatt During it Bachelorette party season finale in 2019. During their engagement, a woman named Haley Stevens Stevens came forward and claimed that Wyatt had only gone on the show to further his career. Stevens also claimed that she and Wyatt were in a relationship prior to Brown’s death. Bachelorette party The season began filming. Wyatt has since denied having a girlfriend when he left for the reality show, but he and Brown called off their engagement.
Brown’s anxiety problems
Brown has been open about her anxiety issues and how it affected the lead-up to her now-fiancé’s proposal. Adam Woolard(She suffered a “complete mental breakdown” before his proposal in August 2023.)
Her main character, Emma, experienced a similar situation when she decided to start a relationship with Finn. Mistakes we never madeFinn is always by Emma’s side and offers her tools to deal with anxiety. It’s safe to assume that those parts of Finn could be inspired by Brown’s real-life fiancée.
