From the blurb, I was sure this would be right up my alley- I adore YA, country music, and slow burn romance, but sadly, You'd Be Mine fell a bit flat for me. I think perhaps it's because of the ages of the characters- I think the angst and drama might have worked a bit better with older characters rather than late teens. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read, just not one that knocked my socks off.

A sweet love story lively with swoon and swagger!

Erin Hahn’s debut is a lively heart warming contemporary YA romance. The kind of book that puts a BIG smile on your face! The thing I really like about young adult romance is how innocent it is; how everything is just so exaggerated, because it is the first time these characters have ever felt this way. I guess I appreciate that the characters have not been jaded yet and I can forgive them their naïveté because they are young. Perhaps I long for the days when I was a little more naïve and a little less jaded.

Annie and Clay are up-and-coming country stars. Clay has a bit of a bad boy reputation, his label insists he gets Annie to tour with him to help repair his image. Annie is the daughter of two major country legends who died tragically, determined not to follow in her parents footsteps she is extremely hesitant to step into the spotlight. The two end up touring together and what follows is a Sweet relationship, that I am sure every reader and fan was rooting for. Of course as in all good teen romances this book had plenty of drama, angst, and emotion. I believe Miss Hahn did a wonderful job handling the drama, and the ending... perfect!

Annie and Clay were great characters and I loved the relationship between them. Annie had such a quiet confidence and a sweetness about her. Clay was really a good guy in and boy clothing. The two of them together were quite magical, especially when it came to the music. Erin Hahn brought such strong voices to these characters that I feel as though I’ve heard them sing.

A lovely little gem of a book, perfect for readers of all ages who love the love.💕

*** many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book ***

This was actually a super cute concept for a book. I loved the idea of teenagers on tour, even if their love story was pretty predictable. Annie and Clay had a lot of baggage, but were fun to read about and follow along for the summer.

I really really wanted to love this book. Every time i got fed up , i took a break and picked it again. But it wasn't my cup of tea.

You'd be mine is a story about two country music stars who are about to go on a tour and embark a musical journey. Though they are two entirely different persons , they have one thing in common - their music.

You'd be mine is the kind of story where you gotta love and connect with the protagonists. This book has two protagonists and some common side characters who appear in both pov.

Annie and Clay , both of them had been through some rough struggles . But Erin didn't let us feel the struggle. She has kept on reminding us again and again which got boring soon.

I didn't connect with any of them. And both protagonists seemed too "over cliched" to the point of burning.

Annie was the sweet kind " sees the best in people " person. Clay was the shut off brooding silently creepy person. Could it "be" more cliche?

I couldn't take it and dnf it at 40 percent. I'm saying this wasn't for me. This might work for you.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy for reviewing.

This is a must read for an fans of the show Nashville. It's a YA romance behind the scenes look into country music, complete with a swoon worthy male lead, country classics, and well fleshed out characters.

I could go on and on about You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn but bottom line is this is a MUST READ!!! I cannot wait to read more from Erin!!!

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
Publication Date: April 2nd, 2019
TW: drug abuse, suicide mentions, & alcoholism

Initially, I was a little unsure of this book. I had heard some so-so reviews and didn’t want to get my hopes up. I ended up reading it anyways, and wow, am I glad I picked it up. This book follows Annie Mathers, a humble country western star on the rise with a tragic past, and Clay Coolidge, the bad boy of the country music scene, as they go on tour all over the US together for the summer. As the tour goes on, Annie wins over the crowds and supercharges her fanbase becoming the next Country Mega-Star. This book has some highs and some lows and basically everything in between too.

What I Did Like:
- I loved the setting of this book. Maybe it’s just me, but I really enjoy books with touring plots. The constant change in setting keeps you on your toes and keeps you entertained.
- Also, I really enjoy all the country-ness of it all. It was just the right amount, without being too much.
- I really like when books centered around music include the lyrics to some of the songs “written” by the character. It adds an extra layer of detail that I appreciate.
- I hope on the audiobook that the lyrics are actually sung. That would be really cool.
- Annie’s backstory is revealed in bits and pieces, which adds a little mystery/puzzle to the plot, which I enjoyed.
- Okay, the bandmates are seriously my favorite part of this book. They are just the right amount of silly, sarcastic, and weird. The fill out the secondary cast quite well.

What I Didn’t Like:
- The flirtation-ship between Annie and Clay is cute, but in reality, Clay is a giant douche and Annie is unrealistically nice. It just rubs me the wrong way when then interact in their polar opposite states.
- I would have like to see more interaction with Clay and Annie’s families. They set up some really good characters and just didn’t really flesh them out much.
- Some things in this book are just a bit much for me. I’m going to leave it at that because I don’t do spoilers.

Recap:
Overall, You’d Be Mine is a quick, cheesy, country read. It’s a great YA version of the county-themed novels the romance genre is generally known for. Annie and Clay have great chemistry, except when they’re furious with the each other, and the friends/bandmates add a profound sense of camaraderie to the tour. You’d Be Mine is a great read as long as you don’t dwell on the details too much.

3.75/5 stars

xoxo, Bree

*Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

For more reviews like this visit https://wordsaboutwords.com

This was such a cute and sweet story. I have been craving a good YA story and Ms. Hahn did not disappoint. I am not a fan of country music but after reading this book I am wanting to listen to all things country. I was captured from the first page. After finishing this debut novel I will definitely be on the look out for more from Erin Hahn.

3 REASONS YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS BOOK:
1. YOU LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC
Alright, so this one may be a bit obvious considering the subject of the book, but if you’re a fan of country music (or honestly just music in general), you may love this book. Our two main characters are country music stars: one already at the top of his game, the other a fast-rising star. Annie grew up with parents who were deeply involved in the country music scene and that shaped her viewpoints on some aspects of the industry. While Clay found country music to be his escape from having to face some tough things back home. Both have such a love for music and for country music in particular, and that really showed through in the writing.

2. YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A MATURE YOUNG ADULT BOOK
The topics discussed in the book are on the more mature side, but still ones that I think should be discussed in young adult literature. This book covers a multitude of topics including addiction, death, depression, love, heartbreak, and so much more. The characters may be 18 to 20 years old, but they’re dealing with very adult problems, much of the reason behind that having to do with the industry they’re in.

3. COUNTRY, COWBOYS, AND MUSIC
I know I technically already mentioned two of the above things, but it’s true: if you like any of those, this book may be up your alley. It did make me think of summers growing up in Texas, listening to country music out on the lake or in the backyard. It brought me back to all of the outdoor festivals and concerts I’ve gone to over the years and made me want to make more time to enjoy the things that make me happy. Just like country music makes Annie and Clay happy.

Note: Since I did promise an honest review, I want to tell you this book missed a couple of marks for me, and in the end just wasn’t for me. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be right for you! Here are a couple links to some reviews by friends of mine who loved this book:
Kellisa at @KSquaredReads on Instagram
Morelia at @StrandedinBooks on Instagram

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy of You’d Be Mine to read and review, and for letting me be apart of this tour. I was very excited to read this book because it sounded like a cute, fluffy, contemporary. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I had some issues with this book, but there were a few things I liked about it.
Issues: my biggest complaint were the time skips. Half of the time, these made absolutely no sense to me, especially in the first half of the book. Sometimes they would be at the star of the chapter, sometimes they would be in the middle of a paragraph, or in the middle of a scene that felt incomplete. Most of the time, there was nothing that broke them up or differentiated what was currently happening and the time skip. There would be page breaks with a symbol that would divide many time “moments later” was said. But then something like “3 weeks later” or a flashback would be in the middle of a paragraph or a scene that I didn’t realize was over. I mostly didn’t understand why there were don’t changes or dividing symbols for some time skips but not the others. This did get a little bit better in the second half of the book though.
The other biggest issue I had was how they managed to stay unrecognized the entire time. In some scenes these characters would be hyped up as these huge deals in the country music industry, but then in others they would talk about how no one ever recognizes them when they aren’t on stage. They talk about how Clay leaves all of his audiences at his shows in “puddles of hormones” and you can honestly tell me that he can go out in public and not a single person recognizes him? Not a single fan comes up to him? He’s never followed by paparazzi? If he has that much of an effect on his fans, surely someone is bound to notice him.
Things I liked: I did, however, like that it was a dark contemporary. Don’t be deceived by the cover, this book is VERY dark. I’m a fan of hard-hitting contemporaries, so I liked the darker aspects of this book. Also, the cover is gorgeous. I also liked that it dealt with the dark side of fame and being in the music industry, and boy did this book not shy away from that. It's important for people to know that these industries are not all glitz and glamour and that the celebrities we see all over the media everyday are real humans who have real feelings and are dealing with real issues. This book portrayed that fantastically. Overall, I would recommend this book if you like country music or if you enjoy darker contemporaries. However, please go into this book knowing the following trigger warnings: depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, death of a family member/parent, suicide, witness to suicide.

You’d Be Mine
By: Erin Hahn

After reading the first couple of pages I was completely invested in the story and read this book in one sitting. This story was sweet and cute but with a lot more depth and emotion than I thought I was going to get, but that just made the story more relatable and realistic.

I loved both Annie and Clay, throughout the book as they are both dealing with their own inner demons and challenges life throws at them. We see them grow, trying to overcome their difficult past and maneuvering themselves in the ins and outs of the country music industry while falling for each other

I am so happy I had the chance to read this contemporary romance and look forward to reading more from Erin Hahn.
I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books via NetGalley

This book caught be my surprise. I couldn't put it down, and loved the plot line. How their relationship was intertwined with their careers was very sweet.

Annie Mathers is daughter to not one, but TWO famous parents. Doing everything in her power to not end up like her parents did, she wants no part in the country music lifestyle her parents had. But when an unknown and crush-worthy famous star shows up on her grandmother’s front porch, Annie finds the lifestyle she hated now hard to resist.

"And that, boys and girls, is the story of how stone-cold Annie Mathers found her lady parts."

Clay, America’s swoon worthy star, is exactly the kind of trouble Annie has been trying to avoid. This bad boy isn’t all that he seems.

"So, she sings like an angel, plays like the devil, pitches championships, and slays amusement park games. Is there anything you can’t do?"

Trying to go against all odds, they still find themselves attracted to the opposite. But is there more to each of them than what appears?

This would’ve been just the book I would’ve been looking for in high school. It contains the glamour, the hot bad boy, and the playful love that every teenager wants in his/her life. A perfect summer read for a carefree reader, I can only imagine sipping on some sweet alcoholic beverage by the pool reading this. The audience really gets to know the characters and join in on the country of their character development. This is a perfect read for someone who wants to get swept away and not have a care in the world while reading it!

"If I had to choose my favorite, you’d be mine."

I have two great loves in my life: books and singing. I was so thrilled when I heard the premise of this book, because it combines my two loves. The fact that quite a lot of it also takes place in the city that I love as well was just icing on the cake. 

I absolutely loved Annie and Clay. They were both such strong characters, and when you put them together I felt like they just leapt off of the page. I enjoyed seeing how they both had trauma in their past and how they each dealt with it in such different ways. Even though they were both teenagers, I never felt like their problems were juvenile. At the same time, I also never felt like they were behaving differently than a typical teenager would behave. I thought that Hahn did an excellent job portraying how a teen would navigate the high-stress world of being a professional musician. 

I really loved all of the references to classic country artists. It gave the world a real feel of authenticity. I was able to connect to the characters in their love for these real-life classic singers, and it really immersed me in their world. I thought this was very well done. 

All in all, this book was fantastic. Believable and likable characters (fantastic supporting characters as well), and a well-drawn world made me fly through this book. I truly didn't want it to end! 

My Rating:

I gave You'd Be Mine 5 STARS!! If you are interested in country music and the world behind the scenes of touring musicians, this is a great pick for you!

I have to be honest, I couldn't finish this book.

The blurb made me think I'd adore it...as music romances are some of my favorites. But I found myself bored through most of the first third of the story and just couldn't stay engaged.

DNF 27%.

I am not a huge fan of country music, but this book makes me want to change that. (Or, I guess, makes me a fan of Clay and Annie, especially Annie and her band Under the Willows.)

Because holy crap, you guys, I love Annie. She's got a tragic backstory and this book is A Star is Born but sweeter. (Clay also has a tragic backstory, but while Annie is Striving to Move On, Clay is Surviving With Help From Girls & Booze. So yes, total A Star is Born, right?)

This story hits a lot of my favorite notes: famous people, love story, awesome friendships, grief. It never feels inauthentic or Lifetime-ish, which is very impressive considering again, tragic backstories.

I hope this becomes a movie. 

Recommended.

I’m not quite sure what I expected when I read this book, but boy it certainly wasn’t this. It’s intense, dark, yet hopeful, filled with places we’d rather not visit but is a stark reality in the world today. The only thing I can describe it as is Taylor Swift meets A Star Is Born. I gobbled up this book in 3 days.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a free, digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: Drug and alcohol abuse, suicide (discussion of)

I really loved everything about this book. It was dark in ways I didn’t think it would go, yet there were always these bits that gave you hope for both Clay and Annie. This book just felt perfectly summery and had me longing (a bit) for my teenage days. If I had this book when I was a teenager, I have a feel it would have resonated with me more profoundly than it does now. There were times the plot did become repetitive, and that was just due to the nature of the summer tour. But the author allowed Annie and Clay to disappear, together or separate, as they revealed parts of themselves to each other. You saw their connection slowly creeping up on the both of them, and how they wanted bits and parts of each other but was still not quite sure. It was great to read, although Clay made me mad quite often, lol.

I did think some parts were unbelievable, especially in terms of Clay’s more illicit and illegal activities. I think some of this was glossed over, and I felt like we didn’t get enough of the meat of the issue. I wanted more showing scenes instead of telling scenes.

I loved all the characters! I loved Annie, Jason, and Kasey’s friendship; the growing romance between two side characters; and Annie and Clay together, not just as musicians but the blossoming friendship and romance between them as well. I found it really endearing and their notions about each other heart-breaking. Y’all know I’m a sucker for a good backstory and Annie and Clay have such heart-wrenching ones, I got teary-eyed when they both got emotional about their pasts! 😭 Annie was embraced by a warm family after what happened to her parents, which she didn’t take for granted. Clay, on the other hand, started out well, but wasn’t able to face the demons. Despite everything that happened to him, he was able to crawl out of it and know his boundaries.

This book was such an enjoyable read. Hahn takes you into the bright and dark lights of country music. I loved how she captured grief and healing. She didn’t leave us broken and hopeless either. As I said before I read this book in 3 days, which tells you how much I enjoyed it and how much of an easy read it was. This book has the perfect mix of things I wanted when I was a teenager (maybe not so much the country music part), and it really makes me feel a bit nostalgic for some reason.

I received a review copy from St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and this in no way affects my review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

You’d Be Mine was a book I remember going “oh that looks interesting!!”, saying I couldn’t wait for its release, and entering giveaways for.

What I got was not so quite that.

I ended up calling this one a DNF at 41% because it still hadn’t made me feel anything. I really wanted to keep going and do my best to give a fuller review but I’m working on telling myself it’s ok if I don’t finish.

You’d Be Mine I believe is supposed to be about a romance between two country music singers that develops through a summer on tour. Now, I’m a sucker for celebrity romances so I was kinda excited to find another one. One of the biggest problems with this novel for me was that 41% in, we had no sort of romance happening and nothing else happening either. Sure we got the whole press thinking they were and the constant “ooh his eyes” or “ooh she’s challenging me to be better” but that’s all we got.

I got not attachment to any of the characters whatsoever. None of them made me want to care or keep going.

I even skipped towards the end and tried to see if anything had improved but it still felt stale.

This was a book I had high hopes for but fell really short on keeping me involved.

4.5 stars

I soooo enjoyed this one! Refreshing and unexpected and a little bit darker than you might think!

I’ve been eyeing my ARC of You’d Be Mine for months, and I’m really happy to say that this book pulled through. I might even stretch that to say that this book pulled me out of an impending reading slump, which is always wonderful.

You’d Be Mine was much more than just a sweet romance—it took a look at the darker side of the country music scene as two different country sensations came together for a tour over the summer.

It was just entertaining and filled with tension and made for a really enjoyable read, and I honestly don’t have a lot of criticism for it. It’s definitely on the older side of YA and has a bunch of crossover appeal, and I found it to be a great book to lose myself in.

One of my favorite parts was how the characters knew they weren’t ready for a romance.

Yes, Hahn already brings so much delicious tension with the characters themselves and their interactions and lingering gazes, but she also loads on the romantic tension with the way that the characters both waited to start something.

You’d Be Mine is almost a waiting game of sorts—you’re waiting for the characters themselves to heal enough to be ready for each other, which makes it different from 2010-era YA romance where characters would just jump into a romance when they obviously weren’t ready and didn’t have their own personal issues sorted out. I like how Hahn shows that the characters know they need to sort out their own issues before committing to someone—and the added benefit is how it makes the book all the more tense (and satisfying when the end comes).

It’s not only a good message for readers (don’t do things when you’re not ready emotionally), but also hopefully indicative of a budding theme in YA romance fiction. I liked this a lot, and I think this was a really fresh and different thing Hahn is adding to the genre.

The country music setting is so charming.

You can probably tell that I’m very much not a country music follower, but Hahn not only makes it interesting and understandable to any reader—country music lover or not—but also lets it add charm to the story and the romance.

Most people know that I’m a huge sucker for a famous person trope (*cough cough this book*) and You’d Be Mine fulfilled that and made me swoon with the song lyrics that Hahn wrote and the distinct regional quirks of the characters and setting.

So much fun.

It tackles more than just romance.

I mean, I talked about how the characters had their own issues to work through, and this was a huge part of the book. While the romance was mixed in, each main character, Annie and Clay, had their own demons to battle.

This is also the part where you might want to check out the content warnings about how intense these get, because Clay developed an alcohol problem after his brother died and Annie was the one to find her parents dead. They each have their own demons they’re struggling with, and I liked how Hahn both gave the characters arcs outside of just the romance, and also touched on some darker topics associated with the country music scene.

It’s not all just Southern charm, and there’s some darkness hidden inside too.

Honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say. This book was fun and entertaining and refreshing.

Although You’d Be Mine touched on some darker topics, it ultimately was a really enjoyable story that let me get out of my head and just enjoy the characters and country music scene.

I’d definitely recommend to contemporary romance lovers who like a bit of a backstory to their characters and more angst less fluff, as well as anyone who might have a slump coming who thinks this book sounds awesome!

I look forward to what Erin Hahn writes next.

I fell in love with the country music scene in You'd Be Mine. Erin Hahn did a wonderful job of bringing that scene to life. Annie is an amazing singer who is trying to escape the past of her parents legacy. She is really trying to be her own person, with her own career and doesn't want anything to do with her mother's legacy. She is also struggling through grief and where her life should go. All of this felt so real, I could feel her pain, and her happiness.

Clay was a bit tough to like. Typical famous person antics, booze and girls. He pushed people away by being a jerk. He is struggling through his own grief, but was not handling it well and while he was surrounded by people who care, no one stepped up to help him deal (to be fair, he was good at covering it). By the end, it was impossible not to root for him to find his happy and what he wanted out of life.

My favorite part of You'd Be Mine was Fitz (Clay's friend and bandmate) and Kacey (Annie's cousin and bandmate). They were THE CUTEST. I could have read a whole book about them. They had chemistry and seemed like such a fun couple.

Clay and Annie also had chemistry, but it was more subtle, mostly because of the baggage they both carried. Annie and her parents, Clay and his brother. They worked through it as things progressed, but not too fast. I loved their banter through song. It was clever and perfect for them. I found the ending of You'd Be Mine to be perfect for them and completely realistic.