
Member Reviews

Enjoyable YA debut. This story takes us behind the scenes of the country music stage. Clay and Annie are a couple of young, new/new-ish country stars who need each other for different reasons...Annie is a breakout new YouTube star and daughter of a country music legend, and Clay is country music’s hottest young star who needs a bit of an image change...and the more they get to know one another, the more they realize they need each other...for reasons other than why they came together in the first place.
I enjoyed their story...it was one of love, loss, redemption, and new beginnings. I’ll definitely check out books from this author in the future!

🔎 Book Review🔎
-
I received an ARC of You’d Be Mine through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Look out for it on the shelves on April 2nd!
-
🔎 Main Characters: 3/5🔎
Clay is a party-animal country star and Annie is a rising singer with famous parents. Both have a lot on their plates, which makes for some great depth and characterization. While each is interesting in their own way though, I have to admit that I didn't get them together. Their romance was pure insta-love and I didn’t see their relationship grow enough to make me want to root for them.
-
🔎 Secondary Characters: 5/5🔎
Clay and Annie’s band members are the main secondary characters in the novel, and everywhere that they fall flat, the secondary characters- Fitz, Jason and Kacey- shine. A lot of time is spent on the friendships in this novel and those are the relationships that are most meaningful.
-
🔎 Writing Style: 3/5🔎
Super read-able and easily binged, Hahn’s writing style gets the job done. I finished this novel in just a night once I got going and a lot of it can be attributed to the pacing and easy-to-read style. Be warned, however, some of the descriptions and writing is super cheesy and made me wince a little in the same way a soap opera might.
-
🔎 Plot: 4/5🔎
I think fans of A Star is Born are really going to like this one. It captures the grittiness of the country music industry and music tours while providing that sweet romance that was super enjoyable.
-
🔎 Ending: 3/5🔎
I liked where the characters ended up by the epilogue in terms of their development. I wasn’t pleased with the time jump before the last two chapters and epilogue though- it felt very jarring and ruined some of the denouement for me.
-
🔎 Total: 18/25🔎
3 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Annie grew up in the shadow of her talented parents, and their tainted romance. After finding them dead of a double suicide, she doesn't want the spotlight and fame, not if it comes at such a high cost it did her parents. She doesn't want to turn into them.
The execs are intent to sign her, so when Clay Coolidge shows up at her door, she's resigned to join. It might be fine headlining for him, he's a great performer and real easy on the eyes. He's been in the news a lot lately, he's got a drinking problem and he keeps ending up in trouble. Sweetheart Annie Mathers might be just the thing Clay needs to clean up his reputation.
But two broken souls that aren't ready to heal might not be the best for each other, even if their attraction is strong. There needs to be a lot of healing for each of them to move forward.
You'd Be Mine is a fun YA read, it's got a lot of great characters including Annie's cousin Kacey and her best friend Jason, they make for a fun band together. While I didn't love Clays' character, he was written really well, his bandmate Fitz is a lot of fun and he does well to balance out Clay because he understands the hurt that has caused Clay to act out. Annie's reasons for not wanting to make it big are understandable, and I think being paired up with Clay helps her to see that she's a lot better off than she thought she was.
You'd Be Mine has some great YA elements of love, self-acceptance, and the pressures of everyday life. Watching Annie blossom from being super talented to being super talented and adored is great because she's as star struck with her fans as they are of her. She's a fun character and I wouldn't mind reading more of everyone down the line.

This was fluffy and fun and I loved the Nashville and country music setting. Annie and Clay were adorable and this was an overall wonderful book.
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars
I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've seen Annie as my salvation. My light at the end of this fucked-up tunnel. Her name would save my reputation. Her passion would inspire my music. Her love would fix me. And all this time, she's seen me as her downfall. Her inevitable conclusion. I would break her, and she was going to let me.
"Awww, this looks like a cute, fluffy little boo- OH MY GOD." -Me, while reading this.
So yeah, I went in this expecting a light, good-girl-falls-for-bad-boy, country-themed YA romance. And don't get me wrong, I did get that. I just didn't also expect all the heavy themes of drug addiction, alcoholism, and grief that came along with it.
Annie and Clay's relationship is indeed a focal part of the story. Their chemistry sizzles unlike any other book couple I've seen, and the whole country vibe this book had going on added to both the romance and to its general atmosphere. Listen, I usually hate country. I'll almost always switch the radio station whenever I hear country music come up. But this book got me to willingly listen to some of Johnny and June Cash's stuff. That's impressive.
But don't let that light and breezy cover fool you. This story is even darker than it looks. While the romance is prominent, the even bigger part of the book are their relationships with grief. Both have endured loss -- Annie's parents were country stars. Their relationship was so tumultuous that it ended up in both of their deaths and left Annie scarred for life. Clay's brother went to fight to war and died overseas. Annie deals with her grief via her music. Clay deals with it with alcohol bottles. This snippet sums it up better than I can:
"This isn't like a movie, Kace. This is real life. He's really grieving over his brother. He's really got a drinking problem. He's really into hiding both of those things by sleeping with lots of women around the country, including his ex. He really just got himself arrested for battery. I'm really a mess of a girl who can't even close her eyes without seeing her parents' dead bodies and can't kiss a boy without thinking she's going to kill him. That's real life," I say. "That's volatile."
It ain't pretty, folks. Though Clay's trying, he does a lot of damage to Annie, especially in one scene around the end. And, in my opinion, he wasn't totally called out enough for it. But at the same time, Annie doesn't magically fix him. He improves himself, and then they get together. I appreciate that.
Good for anyone looking for the right combination of romance, angst, and character development, with maybe a dash of country music.

eARC provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
This was definitely a read I would recommend to others depending on their tastes. However, this was not a great one for me. In my quest to read more widely outside of my comfort zone this year, I picked this one up. Since I normally read SFF and the like, a young adult contemporary about two country singers is definitely far far outside of my comfort zone. I could have seen myself liking this, however something just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
I spent most of the book wanting more information from the characters and a deeper dive into their thoughts. Part of it missing the mark came from some of the reveals that didn't seem substantial enough to back this us. I think I would have been able to suspend some of my disbelief reading this and rated it higher if I had gotten that. However, if that's not something you tend to really look for in your books, I think you'll like this one more than I might have!
I know so many people will still love and enjoy this though, and look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts. I might have to revisit this one eventually!

Cute and likable, especially for someone who enjoys country music. It is perhaps too juvenile for people not in high school since the main characters behave more like Disney pop stars rather than actual teenagers.

Witty and cute contemporary story and me liking country music just added to my enjoyment of the story. Quick easy read would recommend to a friend

I love a good book about fame and its consequences, so when I read the summary for You'd Be Mine, I knew it was something I'd be interested in! I don't love country music though, so that was a bit of a downside to me. However, I ended up really enjoying this book, especially the romance :').
Now, I don't know if any of you have seen the show Nashville, but I thought that this book was...a print form of it? Which was alternately good and bad to me. Bad, because I found the melodrama interesting first, but it quickly became tedious to the point that I just put off reading this book for a bit. Eventually, though, I persevered, and I'm glad I did. See, with Nashville, I would love some scenes and plot lines and hate others. That's how I felt with You'd Be Mine.
The scenes I loved were the cute and heartwarming ones. Annie's relationship with her cousin and best friend were so nice to read, as were the scenes with Clay and Fitz. The ending with Annie and Clay was the best part of the whole book; it actually made me round my rating up!
I also really liked the songwriting parts! I'm fairly musically inclined, so it's very interesting to read the background behind these songs. However, and this is how I feel with most books with music-centered plots, reading all of the lyrics at once (especially in an ebook) is a bit tedious. I really liked these songs though! The lyrics are so well-written and evoke so many emotions.
The characters were also a very strong aspect of the book. They're all very well-rounded and complex; we get to know them as if they are real people. We feel Annie's conflicting feelings of love and fear with the music industry; we travel Clay's journey of healing and acceptance with him. I actually really liked how the author dealt with Clay's addiction and didn't glorify it, especially with what happened with Annie's parents.
You'd Be Mine is a great contemporary novel, with its ups and downs of fame and the music industry. The friendships are the best, and the romance was so cute! I also think the author handled very heavy topics such as loss and addiction well and balanced them with the lighthearted parts of the book. Pick this book up April 2!
**This post will be up March 13, 2019.**

I was so excited about this book and it surpassed expectations! Engaging plot, flawed but lovable characters, dreamy romance — it checked all my boxes. I was swept up in both Annie and Clay's individual stories instantly, and quickly became invested in their developing relationship as well. It seemed like Hahn did justice to both the magical aspects of fame and its major downfalls, making this story feel more real than idealistic. At the same time, it was not so depressing as to feel gratuitously edgy. I was also very satisfied with the pacing of the story and how it all wrapped up in the end. I would recommend this to any fans of romance and/or country music, and look forward to reading it again myself!

* I received this E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was a very swoon-worthy, emotional read. I loved it so much. I very much enjoyed the romance. Im a sucker for a romance contemporary. I highly recommend reading this book. It will get you in the feels!!!

3.5/5 stars
You'd Be Mine is a YA contemporary romance that focuses on the music industry.
The main characters are both 18. Annie Mathers is a country singer. Her deceased parents were singing legends. Clay Coolidge is a superstar musician going on tour. His label wants Annie's band to open for him.
The book alternates narrators between Annie and Clay (1st person POVs).
The beginning of this book was fine. But it just didn't grab my attention like I was hoping it would. I did like both Annie and Clay. They were both trying to get over people they had lost. But I just wanted more.
The last part of the book was definitely the strongest. I really enjoyed the last chapters. And the epilogue was amazing. I just wish that the rest of the story had held my interest in the same way.

I started this book when I'd just finished an excellent adult fantasy series and I thought "am I really ready for a YA romance after that?" Boy did this book answer with a yes! Annie and Clay were both complex characters fighting their own demons. Annie is the child of country music royalty and also the victim of a horrible family tragedy. Clay has been almost left alone after his brother died while on deployment in the Middle East. Both are forging careers on the country music circuit-are they going to be good for or bad for one another? I won't spoil the story but saying whether they are either. I felt that both characters were allowed to naturally address their pasts without contrived machinations and misunderstandings. Great read-can't wait to read other books by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I haven't watched A Star Is Born, but if it's anything like this book, it must be amazing. There are so many things I want to metion in this review, let's start by saying I'm not into country music or novels that include music as subject, though recently, I've read quite a couple and maybe I'm more into it than originally thought. Because they were all great so far. And it's safe to say that You'd Be Mine ruined me for all the other music related books there are.
Despite the author's effort trying to point out Annie and Clay/Jefferson aren't like Johnny and June Carter Cash, they are. Oh, they so are. It's all present: the country music, the fame, the drugs, the alcohol, the heart-eyed girl wanting to save the boy. Sometimes, it felt like I was watching Walk the Line for teens. And I mean that in a good way. I didn't know I needed such a story until I read it. I didn't know I longed for an up-to-date version of Johnny and June until I got to know Annie and Clay/Jefferson. So, thanks for that, Erin!
There's a lot of family drama involved from both sides. And both of the characters got their own ways of dealing with them. I wouldn't want to trade places with either of them, and just because Annie avoids drugs doesn't mean she's dealing with her grief and her anger in a healthy way. That shows pretty good during the end of the story. I loved that scene when it all came crashing down on her. I'm kind of sad the story lost its greatness to me there as well, though. It was rushed, Annie found herself pretty quickly again, gaining her cool back, pretending like nothing happened. I didn't get that. And that's the reason I can't give five full stars to this amazing story, sorry.
The most important thing, I think, was the friendship in You'd Be Mine though. Next to the beautiful romance, of course. Kacey and Jason and also Fitz were this great team. A bunch of friends anyone would be grateful to have. I think what's saved Annie and Clay/Jefferson was having each other, but also their friends. Even more so, I guess. They always had their backs and there were never any hard feelings, no fights, which I was really susprised at actually, but found refreshing. I liked that. Also, their friendship shows that family's who you choose.
Next on, the lyrics. It was hard for me imagining melodies along to the lyrics, but words speak louder to me than anything else, and so I let them sink in. Of course, You'd Be Mine, Annie's personal lead, is my favorite, but I also liked to find out that the importance of the messages behind their songs were what Annie and Clay/Jefferson really thought about. They didn't want to sing these shallow songs, other people wrote for them. It's nice of the author to point that out.
I don't know if it had to do with the ARC-file I was provided, but sometimes, the time jumps were a bit too much for me. They happened in the same line, no change of paragraph, that's why I felt a bit lost sometimes. There should have been a visible switch.
Lastly, I'd like to point out the one thing five shining stars worth for. Always. This is Erin Hahn's debut novel. And you'd never actually guess this, because the way this author writes just blew me away. It's extraordinarily beautiful. It's like reading a huge poem. Every word's so well thought-through. That's what's having me lost for words, finally.

Cute but angsty young adult romance
You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn mixes growing up, romance, loss and success in an interesting way.
Annie and Clay both come with their own far share of emotional baggage. We watch them work through it as the story progresses. I liked how their band members brought extra dimension into the story.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

As a girl who grew up in the south listening to country music, I was instantly drawn to this book. On top of that, I'm a sucker for cute romances. This sounded like the perfect combination for a successful read for me.
Annie Mathers is an up and coming country singer who goes on tour with country heartthrob, Clay Coolidge. As the tour progresses throughout the summer, Annie and Clay's relationship grows into something that neither of them is ready for. Both Annie and Clay have experienced tragedies in their past, and their willingness to give into their feelings for each other suffers because of this. The journey through Annie and Clay's relationship and time on tour was quite a fun ride - at times I was laughing, other times I was grinning from ear to ear, and some times I was shedding a tear or two. This book is not just a love story of two celebrity teens. It also explores facing tragedies and how we can learn to accept the past in order to move forward to a happy future.
The only downside to this book was that I felt like a lot of the transitions from one scene to the next were choppy. There were several times when characters would be having a conversation, then the setting would abruptly change, and I would be left guessing where we were and how we got there. Some of the grammatical errors interfered with my reading as well, but those can easily be fixed before publication.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend to those who are looking for a YA romance with a little more depth that the typically "fluffy" read.

This one was fabulous! I love books about music and well Country Music is my jam! This book of opposites attracts and bad boy fun really got me loving this one. This covers the dark and light sides of the music industry and I think the author did a great job with it. I loved every second of it and could not put it down. Both main characters in this one were amazing! You have a musically gifted girl and a not so bad bad boy and this setting that was just marvelous.

Title: You'd Be Mine
Original Rating: Four Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Erin Hahn
Disclaimer : I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review. My review is, in no way, influenced by this fact.
Calling this a rollercoaster of emotions would be an understatement.. Ufff, did I love it.. You'd Be Mine starts with Superstar Clay Coolidge who's gets in trouble in the middle of his music tour and the only way he can keep up his contract is if he convinces Annie Mathers, America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy. Unfortunately, her parents died when she was a kid due to the pressure and expectations of fame and their toxic relationship. Alas, the girl is vary of following in her parents' footprints into the music industry..
“Can you imagine? They don’t have to sing and parade around onstage to be happy— to feel whole.” She looks back at me, her eyes wide and piercing. “But I do. My parents did, too. To the point that they died for it.” She shakes her head. “I tried to do something else— be something else— but I couldn’t. I can’t shake it.”
The story moves in with her agreeing to the tour and we get to see the chemistry between the two.. And Goddd, it's not just chemistry between the two.. They have physics too.. Clay's word, sorta, as he
believes "They have magnetism."
"There’s a lot unsaid between Clay and me. Well, there’s a lot unsaid by Clay, period. I’m just not sure I’m the one to open that particular can of worms. Still, I’m drawn to him. Annoyingly drawn. Like a bruised and wayward moth flying into a flickering light bulb."
But despite the "sciences" between the two, they have a lot of obstacles too.. From Annie's baggage to Clay's problems, it makes you wish for them to be together with everything but you're still hesitant too.. I also loved all their friends aka bandmates.. They added their own elements into the storyline. The writing style was good too. As I've read a lot of popstar books, I was vary of this one.. Just wanted to test-read it. It goes without saying this one my first from Erin Hahn, but I'd absolutely love to read more from her. Thankfully, it was not the same boring story, giving the very same thing with a bit of extra.
In fact, despite being a typical popstar romance, it hooked me from beginning and I really got in Annie's and Clay's head.. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
Overall, it has been a great read for me and I'd suggest it to superstar romance reader, book boyfriend lovers and bad boy addicts..
Happy Reading lovelies.. 💟💟

I completely adored this book! You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn is the story of Clay Coolidge, country music's teen heartthrob and resident bad boy, who made his name singing about booze and girls. After one too many drunken nights out, Clay is given strict instructions to clean up his image or risk losing his contract. Step one is convincing Annie Mathers, girl next door and country music's newest darling, to sign on for his summer tour. Annie is the daughter of two of country music's greatest stars, whose tragic deaths 5 years ago still haunt her. But despite her reservations, Annie agrees to be a part of the tour. What follows is a gorgeous story about love, friendship and facing your inner demons.
I am fascinated by the "ordinary" lives of celebrities (like what does Beyoncé eat for breakfast??) so I loved reading about being backstage on a music tour. I also loved that this book was as much about the music as it was about the characters. And even then, it's not just a cheesy teenage romance. It's emotional and touching, full of heart and witty banter. The friendships between Annie and her bandmates, and Clay and Fitz, were wonderful to read. These two characters felt much older than your average teenage summer romance story - they are tortured and complicated, but sweet and innocent at the same time, and I loved their chemistry. I also really loved the song lyrics that Hahn has included throughout the book! Erin Hahn: when is the soundtrack coming out?
You will love this one if you're a fan of the TV show Nashville or A Star Is Born. I highly recommend it! I would LOVE to see this as a movie!
This one is out on 2 April - keep an eye out for it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was really cute with a lot of angst. Great plot and lovely YA novel. The dialogue is great and so is the plot. At the end I loved Clay and Annie and I just want to read about them all over again.