I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what can I say… this book was ADORABLE! Seriously, so cute.. and it had some hints of spice, which was pleasantly surprising!

I love a good former lovers brought back together story, and this was exactly everything I could have hoped. Cameron was so lovable and Shelby was so down-to-earth.

I would recommend this book to anyone!

This book had all the things I love: second chance romance, childhood love reignited, small town settings, slow burn, and witty banter.
The two MC’s are absolutely perfect! There is miscommunication (my least favorite) but only in the beginning, they talk and work through things and it’s such a refreshing take.

This was a fun and pretty spicy at moments!

DNF

I honestly couldn’t even get through the first chapter because of the amount of profanity, use of alcohol, and even the possibility of a sexual situation. Not my cup of tea.

Built to last is a second chance romance, but so much more. Shelby Springfield, Cameron Riggs, and Lyle Jessup have a very complicated past. They were all co-stars on a television series as teens, and there was a bit of a love triangle. Shelby and Cameron were each other's first loves, but Cameron is spooked by those feelings and he leaves to go to school. Lyle swoops in, and he and Shelby become an item, for five years until he dumps her for her best friend. Who does she call, Cameron. Cameron has a great career as a National Geographic photographer and documentary maker, but he packs up and takes a rickety plane to LA when Shelby tells him she needs him. Knowing she is living a toxic life, her leaves her a note saying she has to get out of LA, and takes off again, before he can act on his attraction to his former love. Fast forward ten years. Shelby works with her father on home renovations, specifically restoration, as well as owning her own furniture restoration business. Enter Lyle who wants to stir the pot. He is now a director and offers Cameron and Shelby a pilot to make a home renovation show. When Shelby asks Cameron if he is interested, he can't help but come on board, even though he knows nothing about renovating homes.

This was a great story, and I enjoyed it more than I had expected I would. I love home renovation television shows, but this was more about relationship building, coming home, second chances, and finally standing up for yourself. The TV pilot was Shelby's chance to show the world that she wasn't that messy party girl anymore, but had landed on her feet and had a successful business. She wasn't pining over Lyle, the one who dumped her. Cameron is finally ready to face Shelby and all the feelings he has for her, even ten years later since their last meeting. Lyle is just a mess. He is a bit of a narcissist and wants to make Shelby and Cameron look bad, to make himself look self-important. Family plays a huge role in this story as well. Neither Shelby or Cameron have healthy relationships with one of their parents, and we see them come to terms with that in the story. I have to say, Shelby's mom is a piece of work, enough said. This story pulled me in from the start and I was invested in seeing where Shelby and Cameron would go with their lives. There is a lot of baggage to unpack, feelings to share, emotions that need to be explored and finally they can both move on. The romance took a bit to develop, which I liked, but eventually it happened and there were some open door bedroom scenes, but overall, this was a story I recommend to those who enjoy a nice, fun romance

Unfortunately my opinion on this one differs from the majority of reviews. I was disinterested and a number of weeks after reading it, I can't recall the players or the plot. What I do remember is picking it up and putting it down many times as it didn't quite hook my attention. I am, however, very much a big mood reader and this could be a case of wrong book, wrong time.

ERIN HAHN STOLE MY HEART ONCE AGAIN! 😍
The cozy, warm feelings of this book with a splash of those HGTV renovation feels made this book the perfect romance. The pining. The swooning. The tree-trunk legs. All of it made for the wonderfully swoony adult debut from one of my favorite authors!

Built to Last deserves so much attention and so I feel a little guilty that this review is coming a month after I read it. That said, it's never too late to rave about a book, right? If you love books with HGTV vibes, grew up in the era of Disney channel and Nickelodeon stars having way too much pressure put on them, and just generally are in the mood for a sweet love story, I think this book could be a real winner for you. I've said before I need to write a post just about how I think romance novels are tackling actor/actress narratives differently this year, and I sort of feel like Built to Last is a softer version of Birds of California by Katie Cotugno, which released earlier this year.

In terms of actual plot and tropes and other reasons why you might want to read this book, this one is a sort of mutual pining, second chance situation that wound up working so incredibly well for me. Also, Shelby was everything. At the beginning of the book, we meet her at arguably her messiest and when we re-meet her, she's put her life back together in a way that looks a lot smaller than it used to. I loved all of her jagged edges and the hidden gooey inside. Cameron, for his part, is such a cinnamon roll whom I mostly adored immensely. And really, just, I highly encourage you all to pick this one up if ANY of this sounds interesting because I'm really struggling to find the words to explain why this one was such a winner. I can't wait to read more from Hahn in the adult space.

This was my first book by Erin Hahn, and It was unfortunately a miss for me.
I ended up DNFing this book, I tried to enjoy it but it could just not hold my attention.
I'm not a huge fan of love triangles and the story was just overall slow.

I was given a copy of this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Erin Hahn for allowing me to be an early reader.

Middle of the road for me, sadly, I just didn't feel any of the chemistry at first and didn't care for the characters. While they do definitely grow on you the romance was still just eh for me. I love Erin's writing though and really enjoyed the background of the main characters, will definitely still always pick up more from Erin.

Loved lover loved this! So witty and salty and totally lovable characters! Erin Hahn will now be an auto-buy author for me! I absolutely adore Shelby and Lorelei and Maren - I want them as buddies in real life!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun read about two former child stars who have a second chance romance when they team up to shoot a pilot for a home renovation show! Highly recommend if you like: Michigan, the Midwest, famous people, second chance romances, guys with beards who wear flannel, and pop music. Each chapter starts with a song title which was pretty cool! Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the copy via NetGalley. This is my honest review. This book came out a while ago so you can read it now!

I really enjoyed this book! The book follows two former child stars that have a second chance romance when they team up to shoot a pilot for a home renovation show. I loved that the big conflict was more external than internal. I really liked that their former co-star was the villain. I thought it added an interesting aspect. I really liked that Shelby and Cameron sorted their stuff out individually and when they finally had their conversation, it was healthy and worked for them. By communicating clearly they were able to avoid the miscommunication mess that is in so many romance books.

I loved all the side characters! Based on some of the reviews I’ve read it seems like some of them may be getting spin-off books which I look forward to reading!

Overall, this was a 4.75 for me! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a super cute second chance contemporary romance book. Shelby, Lyle and Cameron were child stars on a hit show. Cameron and Shelby had instant chemistry, but when they became young adults circumstances led Cameron to leave the show, go to college and start a career creating National Geographic documentaries all over the world. Shelby fell into a relationship with Lyle, which ended publicly, and messily. Shelby left her acting career and went home to Michigan. She worked with her father in his contracting business and became a master furniture restorer. Every time Shelby needed Cameron, he dropped everything and came running. But, he never stayed.

Shelby's latest call comes with a proposition. Star in a home renovation show so they can prove to everyone that they aren't total screw-ups, and Cameron can explore finally settling down. The catch; Lyle is producing the show, and he's got shenanigans up his sleeves to mess with the couple. I loved the chemistry and the "will they or won't they" tension throughout most of the book. Shelby and Cameron and so cute, but they kept sending each other mixed signals. When they finally got on the same page, however, the couple was fire. I loved the trust and support they had for each other, and the minor characters supporting the main story added dimension and humor to the book. I raced through this book in just a few hours and loved it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

Oh my stars. This book absolutely knocked it out of the park for me! Picturesque setting, adorable characters, and an actual plot line made this a 5 star read for me. I absolutely loved that Shelby found her calling after her acting days were over. I loved the relationship with her dad and all that she learned from him. From the beginning, I was so pulling for her and Cameron to pull through and go the distance. Lyle was such a monster and I was very passionate about how much I hated him. I think him and Shelby's mom had a tie for who I hated the most. Overall, I thought this book had everything it needed to make it a true five star read.

This romcom was cute, though not the most memorable for me. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have it’s good moments— I always appreciate stories told via dual or multiple POVs because it allows to know exactly where both characters are at mentally-speaking in relation to the plot, and I do think that worked in this story’s favor. And while I don’t read too many small-town romances, I adore second-chance ones, so this was a nice happy medium in-between both.

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for review. All thoughts are my own.*

This was my first book by Erin Hahn, and I really enjoyed it! I think this was a great adult debut, and second chance romance is a trope I really love.

Shelby Springfield has spent years trying to overcome her past. She was a former child star who had an average pop career, a public meltdown captured by paparazzi, and a big public breakup with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. She also can’t seem to forget Cameron Riggs, her other co-star and childhood sweetheart.

Whenever Shelby called, Cameron would come. Then Cameron would take off, traveling around the world making documentaries, unable to confess what he really wants. Lyle winds up shaking things up and calling both Shelby and Cameron in to do a home renovation show, putting them both back in the spotlight.

Cameron wants to come home and put down some roots, Shelby wants to prove she’s not the party girl anymore, and Lyle wants to mess with them both. As Shelby and Cameron film the pilot for “Homemade”, will they rekindle the flame?

I loved the chemistry between Shelby and Cameron! They have such a sweet relationship, and we got to see some flashbacks into their past that really added to the story. They begin to grow as individuals and face their mistakes. I found myself cheering for them along the way and hoping for a successful show. I believe that the secondary characters in this book may get their own stories, so I am excited about that as well. I really found them to be enjoyable!

If you fancy romance and home renovation, I think you would really like this book!

Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs first met as child stars while working on "The World According to Jackson." As teenagers, they were sneaking off for secret kisses in closets. As adults, they've been pining for each other from a distance, each unwilling to admit their feelings to the other. Finally, after 10 years, the two are pushed back together to film a pilot for "Homemade," a home renovation show.

The chemistry between these two is adorable, and I found their romance story very cute and cozy. Looking forward to more from this author.

This one was a DNF for me. I will not be posting a review of it but thank you for sending I think people would like this one it just wasn't for me. Thank you again for the copy.

This is the type of sweet, swoony story that makes my heart sing.

I am such a sucker for the “build something together while building a foundation for a relationship/rebuilding a relationship” trope. The writing flows so well I just felt myself zipping through the pages, falling more and more head over heels for these characters.

Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs were childhood sweethearts– growing up together on and off camera on a hugely popular show. When things between them heated up too much as teens, they split ways and spent the next decade apart, trying to shed parts of their past they’d long outgrown.

It’s been five years since Shelby split very publicly from her other former co-star, Lyle. The first person she called when it happened was Cameron. He knew the timing still wasn’t right for their relationship, so he ran away again. While Shelby moved back home to Michigan to restore furniture and houses, Cam’s been making documentaries all around the world.

Now the pair gets a chance to reunite on camera– with Lyle begging them to give the spotlight another shot.

The tension and chemistry is palpable, just jumping off the page. The banter is fantastic. The setting is also super easy to picture, with three-dimensional side characters that help bring the world to life. The villains in the story are truly punchable, so you’ll be feeling some type of visceral way for them to get their comeuppance. I’m crossing my fingers for another story in this universe!

Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for a review copy.

Hahn’s first romance novel for adults features a second chance romance between a pair of former child stars–turned House flipper and documentarian. They’re brought back together over the prospect of an HGTV-style renovation show based in Michigan. Local ties, song-related chapter headings, smart leads and fun side characters make this a potential series to watch out for. Shelby has two best friends Hahn could feature later.