Built to Last is a charming friends-to-lovers romance about two childhood stars whose paths collide in an unexpected way, taking them each on a journey of self-discovery. Will they find their way back to each other, and if they do, can they make it work this time?


This is one of my favorite tropes. I enjoy the feeling of intimacy that comes from knowing someone from childhood, and the writing really makes the reader connect with Shelby and Cameron's relationship. It wouldn't be a romance book without a little friction along the way, and as Lyle continues to interfere, I find myself rooting more and more for Cameron and Shelby. The pace of this book was quite good, I felt engaged right from the beginning and my curiosity was held throughout. Overall, I found this to be a quite enjoyable romance for someone looking for a light read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

If you like celebrity/ commonfolk romance, Erin Hahn's "Built to Last" is a fun combo of that trope and childhood friends to lovers. If you're an HGTV fan, you'll also love this fun story of reconnecting with the pieces of your past that you've avoided in attempt to protect yourself.

4 stars! Built to Last is an enjoyable second-chance romance. The characters are likable and the storyline kept my interest. Recommend!
Thank you to Erin Hahn, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about a book that will give you all the fuzzy feelings!

I love how this book follows child TV stars a decade after they have left Hollywood behind and have been leading otherwise normal lives far from LA. For me, Shelby was the clear star of this book! While I loved the romantic relationship formed in this book, I loved reading about Shelby's growth and transformation into who she is now.

This was definitely an enjoyable read and one I would recommend if you're in the mood for a happily ever after romance!

I really enjoyed Built to Last! I think my favorite elements were the home renovation scenes. I recommend this one!

Erin Hahn's Built to Last is a sparkling second chance romance about owning what you’re worth and fighting for the one who got away.

Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to overcome her past, sanding it away like the rough spots on the vintage furniture she makes over. But as a former child star, it’s hard to forget a widely documented meltdown and huge public break up with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs—the one who got away.

Anytime Shelby has called, Cameron has come running… And then he runs right off again to chase stories around the world by making documentaries, too scared to admit what he really wants. But when Lyle stirs the pot, getting the two back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron can't help but get on board.

There's something in it for everyone—almost. Cameron wants to set down some roots. Shelby wants to prove she's not the messy party girl anymore. And a jealous Lyle can’t help but try to get in the way. But for his two childhood friends who had more chemistry than he could ever dream of, nothing is getting in the way of their second chance at love.

I give this fun book 4/5 stars.

Synopsis: Childhood co-stars, Shelby and Cam, were also one another's first love. When they're thrown back together after years apart--full of pining--to do a reality home renovation show, they realize that maybe there's more than lost love between them after all.

As always, my two stars and a wish...

1. I loved how Cam actually participated in the home renovation. It made the ending a bit predictable but I really enjoyed that he found himself in that project.

2. Shelby's growth from the prologue to the end of the novel was fantastic. She really came into her own through it and that was great to see.

Wish: I realllllllllyyyyyyyyyy didn't understand Lyle's motivations. I wish there was more insight into that. Also, I wish that Shelby and Cam bought the house because that would have been cute.

Overall, a fun read that looks at second chances in more than one way.

I expected more from this book. I was so excited to read this book, I mean I love home renovation shows. The synopsis was to big in my opinion. The concept was every about the execution was not.

I am always fascinated with famous young people and how they handle the spotlight after sudden rises to fame. I always end up hoping as well that they can somehow "escape" and find peace after being in the relentless spotlight of the public and the media. Built to Last played on these hopes of mine so well!

Shelby and Cameron met and connected while working on a wildly popular teen show. They both left Hollywood and went their separate ways in a sort of dramatic fashion but so much was left unsaid and unexplored between them. Thrust back together by their ex-co star (and Shelby's ex-boyfriend). to work on a home renovation show, the two of them have to decide if adult Shelby and Riggs want to communicate and work on what their teenage selves left behind...

Second chance romance is my favorite trope and this book certainly delivered. I loved how they explored healthy communication early on in the book which made rooting for them easy, emotional and fun. Seeing Shelby and Riggs reconcile who they were with who they are and want to be together was beautiful. The side characters were also wonderful additions to the book that made their world one I wanted to live in. The only downside of this book is I wish I could actually watch their show HomeMade!!

Definitely recommend this book.

Shelby Springfield was a child star alongside Cameron Riggs and Lyle Jessup. As is the case with many child stars, he life spiraled and she was finally smart enough to leave that life and start over in anonymity. Ten years she has spent overcoming her past, honing her skills in vintage furniture restoration and loving her new life. But when a home renovation show is proposed, she sees the opportunity to help her father as well as herself financially. Can she handle getting back into show-biz? And the biggest kicker- Lyle and Cameron are invited back in as well. Her past collides with her present and there is a lot to work through.

Overall a sweet second-chance romance. There is some language though.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“The World According to Jackson” launched the careers of eleven year olds Lyle Jessup, who played the lead, Cameron Riggs who played his nerdy best friend Carter, and Shelby Springfield who starred as Jackson’s love interest-Makayla. Seven years later it all crashed down and the stars have gone their separate ways. .Shelby has been helping her dad flip houses, and when the have the opportunity to create a reality show, the network doesn't feel like her and her dad have the necessary chemistry to keep the viewers interested. Showrunner Lyle, one of the trio from TWATJ, suggests Cameron come in to do the show with Shelby. Shelby and Cameron’s back story makes this sweet second chance love story come to life. The chemistry was very real, and I loved watching these two work, flirt, and communicate. The secondary cast of characters were pretty great, too. I think this will be an enjoyable book for anyone who reads contemporary romance.

Erin Hahn has long been one of my favorite YA authors, and with her debut adult romance, I can safely say she's going to be a favorite adult romance author, too. I loved how low-angst Built to Last was. There's wasn't a third-act breakup, and there wasn't any awful miscommunication. It was a truly sweet second-chance romance. They were each other's first love, but fame and circumstances drove them apart. She spiraled. He escaped. But now, years later, they're adults and ready for a fresh start, and they've never forgotten that one perfect, stolen night. Add in a manipulative ex turned TV producer, an HGTV-style home renovation show, and some tree-trunk thighs, and you get Built to Last. I adored it. I'm so grateful to St. Martins Griffin for my advance review copy, but I bought a finished copy for my shelves to lend out. Because it was perfect.

Back in 2020 during the COVID lockdown, I came across Erin Hahn’s YA novel More Than Maybe. That day I knew I would read everything she wrote. If you haven’t read it yet, please do it! It’s still my favorite of hers by far.

Besides being Erin’s book, the other reason I knew I needed this was the HGTV vibes. Y’all don’t even know how obsessed am I with home renovation shows. Add it to a romance book and my day is booked!

I listened to the audiobook on audible and I really enjoyed the format.

The MCs in the story Cameron and Shelby were extremely likeable. I loved them both immediately. I’m not a huge second chance romance but I actually wanted them together so bad.

Cameron is the hero we all want and need. He was so down to earth, it was hard not to love him.

The side characters I mostly loved. Shelby’s dad was the best and Lorelei is the perfect girlfriend.
I’m hoping Lorelei’s story is next because I’m obsessed with her!

I could have gone without Lyle and his wife, though I understand the point of them in the story.

Overall this was a lighthearted romance that you all need in your life.

Built to Last is a second chance romance troupe that makes you believe in “meant to be.”

Shelby Springfield and Cameron were childhood co-stars and secret sweethearts. Cameron found his way out of the limelight just in time to head off to college. Shelby took a while longer to find her way out but out she came and headed straight to her hometown in Michigan where she took up furniture restoration to complement her father’s home rehabilitation company.

When Shelby and Cameron are propositioned with a reality TV show where they flip together, Shelby can’t say no because she is trying to help her dad and Cameron can’t say no to Shelby. Erin Hahn has nailed bringing the emotions of her characters to life.

I knew I would love this book! I loved the Shaadi Setup by Lillie Vale and How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan, so if you liked either of those books, I highly recommend Built to Last by Erin Hahn.

Shelby is trying to outrun her past as a child-star. However, that proves difficult with a viral messy breakup from her co-star Lyle Jessup. He sounds like a jerk doesn't he? Gah. I really didn't like him. Talk about a great villain in a story; this guy was just that. Broken hearted and humiliated about her breakup, Shelby calls her forever crush, Cameron and despite his fear of flying, he jumps a flight to be by her side. Sloppy drunk, Shelby is what awaits Cameron and after making sure she's ok, he takes off to keep making documentaries around the globe.

However, years later, when Lyle decides he's bored and wants to stir things up, he decides to play puppeteer. :Lyle orchestrates pushing Cameron and Shelby back into the limelight on a home renovation show. Unable to forget Shelby, Cameron can't resist coming back. Despite running away from his life, Cameron feels drawn to the idea of setting down roots and Shelby is determined to show the world she's no longer a party girl, but a family gal who loves restoring homes and furniture with her dad.

I loved the premise, I enjoyed the rollercoaster ride with Shelby and Cameron, and really liked the growth of these characters over time. I love books about home renovation so much. When authors take time to detail the restoration process in detail and the makeovers the characters make happen, I'm sucked in. I'm always looking to shift furniture around my home and add new touches. Of course after reading this book, I had to keep myself from reupholstering a couch I have.

I listened to this one as an audiobook courtesy of PRH Audio and would highly recommend it!

5⭐️

<b> Everything between Cameron Riggs and me has always felt at once insignificant and extraordinary. We were kids. It was only a crush. It was just sex. I swallow thickly, knowing none of it was that simple.</b>

Shelby and Cameron were once costars on The World According to Jackson, a very Disney Channel-esque teen show, when they were growing up. Shelby and Cameron were always close, and had a relationship in secret during the course of the show. But then after the show ended, Cameron left for college, leaving Shelby behind in Hollywood. Shelby started dating Lyle, the main character and her love interest in the show. The two dated for five years before Lyle cheated on Shelby with her best friend. Shelby immediately called Cameron in a drunken haze, and Cameron dropped everything he was doing for his job at National Geographic to fly in from Alaska. When Cameron arrives, Shelby is a mess and drunk. Instead of staying and taking advantage of her, Cameron leaves and writes Shelby a note telling her to get out of Hollywood and not let the town suck her dry.

Five years later, Shelby and Cameron are called in to a meeting about a potential home renovation show. Shelby has sobered up and moved back home to Michigan and helps her dad with house flipping. Cameron has been traveling for National Geographic. The two are surprised and annoyed to see their former costar, Lyle, is the showrunner calling the shots for the new show. Cameron and Shelby eventually agree to do the show, and get started a month later by picking a house to renovate.

Neither Cameron nor Shelby really got over one another, and they ease back into the way things always were. This is such a cute second chance romance and Cameron and Shelby are so good together. Lyle constantly tries to sabotage them during the show in an effort to see them fail, but in the end they prove him wrong. The drama, the characters, the banter are all spot on and so so good. As far as spice goes, it’s pretty mild but still really great!!

<b> “I had you first, and I’ll have you last.”

“You’ll have me forever.”</b>

BOOK REVIEW: Built to Last by Erin Hahn
2022 Publication Date: October 18

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
️
T.I.M.E. Best Books By Genre | Best Contemporary Romance Book
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Set your love standards based on reality... Not reality shows...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
Built To Last is more than just a feel-good love story... It's also a nuanced exploration of celebrity culture and the toll that it can take on mental health.

Hahn doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of stardom, but she also doesn't use them as a crutch or an excuse for bad behavior. Instead, Hahn shows us how the inherent trauma of being in the public eye can lead to very real mental health issues, and how those issues can be exacerbated by a toxic industry that values profit over people. It's a timely and important message, delivered in an entertaining and accessible package.

At the center of the story, Shelby is a relatable heroine who is trying to move on from her past. I loved watching her grow and change throughout the novel. She starts as a woman who is afraid to take chances, but by the end, she’s learned to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants.

Perfect for readers looking for an emotional roller coaster of a romance novel.

This book has it all: forbidden romance, Hollywood drama, relatable characters, and even a bit of social commentary thrown in for good measure.

Erin Hahn's Built to Last is a wonderful second-chance romance that will leave you wanting more. The main characters are richly drawn and the story is captivating with plenty of witty banter. With character development spanning from childhood best friend to adults with lots of history as a real relationship develops via undeniable chemistry.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll root for Shelby every step of the way... You won’t be disappointed!...✨😎✨

Pages: 330
Genre: Best Contemporary Romance Novels
Sub-Genre: Second Chance At Love Romance
T.I.M.E. Jalapeno Rating:️ 🌶🌶 (Medium Spicy)
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Lake Michigan Area (US)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Movie: A Lot Like Love

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Must-Read Second Chance Romance...

Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to forget her past. As a former child star, it’s hard to live down a widely documented meltdown and huge public breakup with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs — the one who got away.

But when an opportunity for a reunion show comes up, Shelby has to decide if she’s ready to confront her past head-on.

Erin Hahn expertly weaves together present and past, seamlessly transitioning between timelines to give readers a full picture of Shelby's journey.

We see Shelby at her lowest moments, making foolish mistakes out of insecurity and low self-esteem. But we also see her strength and resilience, as she slowly picks herself back up and starts to build a life that she loves. And through it all, we root for her — cheering for her success and hoping that she'll finally get her happy ending.

Erin Hahn's Built to Last is a sparkling second-chance romance about owning what you’re worth and fighting for the one who got away.

If you're a fan of Christina Lauren or Jasmine Guillory, you'll love this heartwarming story of second chances and reconciliation.

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
• The importance of fighting for what you want.
• The power of second chances.
• The need to be honest with yourself.

BOOK QUOTE:
"I'm all in... No take backs... " — Built to Last by Erin Hahn

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Home renovation plus second chance romance equals a delightful time with Shelby and Cameron. The two former child TV stars end up living next door and are thrown together into a big renovation project. They’ve grown a lot since they saw each other last and Cameron is still wrestling with his feelings for Shelby. This book has a lot of swoon worthy moments that will keep you reading until the final coat of paint is dry.

This is an adorably sweet, heart-warming story that is just pure enjoyment to read, throughout. I found the writing refreshing and the plot as well as the characters more than endearing. I cannot recommend it enough!

Built to Last was REFRESHING in how it handled misunderstandings. Cameron and Shelby, former child costars, have a long history and while certain plot elements could have been drug out with miscommunication, I was pleasantly surprised that they mostly talked like adults. Huh imagine that!
When they are brought back together to film a pilot for an HGTV-like show, they are offered a second chance to become who they want to be. The pacing of this story was great, and the supporting characters really added to the story. This is for all the readers out there who love second chance, friends-to-lovers and slow burns.
Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This second chance romance will have you swooning into your chair. Loved Cameron and Shelby and their journey. The emotional intelligence of their bond is real and they dealt with their interpersonal problems healthily when the time came and I loved that. This book is a great adult romance, this author has already established herself in the world of YA and we love to see a multi-talented author. Also loved the side characters, Maren and Lorelai and could not be happier that they'll feature in their own stories soon!