✨Book Review✨

Title: Built to Last by Erin Hahn

Pub date: October 2022

Rating: 5🌟

Okay booksta babes, drop what you are doing and mark your calendars for October because you all need to read Built to Last by @erinhahn_author! I just finished the eARC courtesy of @netgalley and @stmartinspress @smpromance and I’m honestly about to start re-reading again it right now. If you loved When In Rome by @sarahadams and Maggie Moves On by @scorelucy, this release needs to be your next pre-order immediately!

Shelby is a former child star who survived that former life as well as losing her first love Cameron and then a very public breakup with her fellow co-star Lyle at 22. Fast forward 5 years later and she’s picked up the pieces of her life and heart and started a successful furniture restoration business and flips houses with her father. Cameron went on to college and then to become a documentary producer with National Geographic and Lyle went on to continue being a troublemaker in Hollywood. Shelby and her Dad are then tapped for a new home renovation show called HomeMade but things get interesting when the network feels her Dad isn’t the right fit and they reach out to Cameron to fill the co-host role they are looking for, much at Lyle’s conniving request. Cameron comes back to Michigan to give it a shot because he can’t ever seem to stay away from Shelby. The story follows from there with Cam and Shelby shooting the pilot episode while dodging their past, their current feelings, and many toxic digs from Lyle.

This book sucked me in from the start and fellow romance readers are going to swoon just like I did, while simultaneously wishing bad things for Lyle 😜. It’s a second (or third?!) chance at love trope that we all know and love and will have readers falling in love instantly too. And praying for a sequel! Like immediately please @erinhahn_author!

Thank you so much @netgalley & @stmartinspress @smpromance for the chance to read this story ❤️

second chance childhood sweetheart stories are my greatest weakness, so i was beyond eager to pick this up.

the chemistry between shelby and cam is really well done. every interaction they have is believable and feels genuine. i really enjoyed their banter and appreciated how their relationship developed. i was more than rooting for them and their home renovation show to work out.

so while this more than delivers with the second chance trope, im so bummed out that the childhood sweethearts aspect took a back seat. i would have loved to have more flashback scenes. other than quick references, i think theres maybe like one and a half actual flashback scenes total throughout the entire book. and, because of this, it creates a lot of miss opportunities for character development, growth, and connection.

but even though this may not have lived up to all of my expectations or wants, this is still a decently sweet story with a lot of heart. perfect for readers who are obsessed with home renovations shows!

This has all the fun, sweet elements I wanted in a book, so cute! I’d definitely recommend it to my family and friends.

I am finding out that I really love second chance books, so I was very excited to read this one!

I loved the relationship between Shelby and Cam - they were so adorable! The development of their relationship was on point and it just sucked me in and made me want to read more and more. I finished this book so quickly.

This was my first book from this author and won't be my last.

This was a super unique romance! I liked reading a story about former child actors. And the home renovation storyline was interesting too! My only complaint is that the reasons the love interests weren’t together for the first part of the book felt flimsy at times? But overall, a cute read! I hope the author does a book about Lorelai’s story next!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!!

Thank you NetGalley, Erin Hahn and St. Martin's Press for the ARC Built to Last. This is my personal review.
I loved every word of this great book! The author made me really like Shelby and Cameron. I loved the chemistry between them and could feel it jump off the page as I read.
Friends to lovers stories are one of my favorites and this is one I can read over and over for years to come.
I read this book in one day and so glad I spent the day with everyone in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an arc of this book. I’m gonging to start off by saying that this book was a breath of fresh air. I went into it a little scared of how they would handle the situation between the characters but was pleasantly surprised with how well the author managed it. I love second chance romances and books where the two MCs have to work together. The way the characters went from not having seen each other in years to friends to lovers was perfectly paced. They acted like actual adults and communicated with each other and were willing to be honest and depend on each other! Like I said, breath of fresh air!


Slight spoiler!
My absolute favorite thing about this was the lack of third act break up! I love that they were a team. I think that having the conflict be something they could fight together was great because it shows them as partners and more romances should do that instead of misunderstandings or having one of them screw up!


Anyway, to sum it up, this was a quick and refreshing read about two child actors who got out finding their way back to each other.

3.5 ⭐ rounding up to 4 because this was binge-read worthy, which is my favorite kind of read.

This was cute, and a perfect summer vacation read. I was nervous because I'd already recently read a child stars as adults trope as well as a home renovation trope so I didn't know if this would feel like a repeat. However it was very fresh and well done- bonus that it lends itself very well to a series that I'd definitely keep my eyes out for in the future. I'm off to go check out the author's backlist...
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Content cautions: Heads up there's quite a bit of lanague (f-word most pages kind of language if that bothers you) and two to three fairly steam scenes.

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I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley, however all opinions are honest and my own.

The book had such a great premise, but ultimately, it wasn't until the 79% mark that anything really happened. I also found that this book focused heavily on Cameron, almost in a role reversal to typical romance novels. Shelby, the FMC was grounded, confident, and secure in her new life away from Hollywood. Cameron was constantly on the run (sometimes literally), never wanting to make a mistake or let anyone down. It became sort of a refrain of his inner thoughts.

Once they were together sparks flew, but by then 80% of the book is over.

I was hoping for a cute second chance story with some home renovations thrown in, but this one fell short for me.

Also, a couple of grammar and detail errors. In one scene Shelby has a shirt with cut off sleeves and then she wipes her forehead with her (non-existent?) sleeve.

“She’s varnishing, looking gorgeous in her holey jeans and an old Clay Coolidge concert tee with the sleeves cut off.”

“ Shelby wipes her forehead with the back of her sleeve and puts her brush down,”

It was extremely well written unfortunately it wasn't my style. The author definitely has some talent and can't wait to read more from them. I rated it a 3 out of 5 stars for how well written it is.

Let me start off by saying this book was definitely cute! However, I think the summary provided a lot more potential than what the book was able to match up to.

I want to start off by talking about Shelby, who appears to want to come off as strong-willed, but rather comes across as the opposite. I found that most of her dialogue was rather cringe and insufferable to read, for a lack of better wording. On the other hand, Cameron didn't seem to have any personality or any depth or character development outside of his relationship with Shelby. I'd like to also say he feels very insta-lovey from the get-go, but since I'm reading a book to escape reality, I'll digress!

Personally, the writing style also wasn't for me. This is a personal qualm, however, and nothing of the writer's fault. I think the book had a lot of potential but it did redeem itself slightly with the promise of a cute ending.

Shelby and Cameron have known each other since they were little, growing up in the spotlight as childhood stars. Though they have been apart for almost 10 years, once they are thrown back into each other's lives, the chemistry is still there. Things get difficult with the world once again watching their romance bloom onscreen. Can they work through these trials to find their way together once and for all?

I really didn't like Shelby from the first meeting of her character, and it took a lot of effort to see beyond that and allow her character to grow in my mind. Cam seems like a good guy with a lot of other issues to still work through, but they are both changing.

I also would like to read a good contemp romance that isn't completely full of foul language. Some is usually fine, but it was extremely off-putting to have this amount of swearing and in this particular story.

I received a DRC from the publisher.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'd give this book 3.5-4 starts. I really liked all of the characters in the story, including the two main characters, but I would have liked to see more about Cameron and Shelby when they were younger.

Cameron, Lyle, and Shelby grew up together starring on a tween show, <i>The World According to Jackson <i>. But, when it ended Cameron went off to college and eventually to make documentaries for National Geographic and Lyle and Shelby went on to date. Eventually, Lyle's breaks Shelby's heart and she decides to leave Hollywood behind.

Fast forward another five years and Shelby's found her niche, restoring furniture for her Dad's house flipping business. She's so good at it that she's had a home renovation show in the works, but when Lyle comes on as the shows producer things get a little chaotic.

I loved most of the characters in this book. Both Cameron and Shelby were well rounded people who had their own flaws and room to grow throughout the book. Their friends were all great, supportive and just pushy enough to get Cameron and Shelby out of their comfort zones.

You could feel the love that Cameron and Shelby had for one another from their first interaction and the missed communications between the two were so frustrating throughout the book. There were often times in the book where I found myself saying, "Just talk!!" so, I was definitely invested in the relationship.

I'd say the biggest reason I didn't LOVE this book is because I felt that the relationship between the two had already been built and we didn't get to see any of it. Besides one flashback near the beginning there wasn't a lot of exploration of Cameron and Shelby falling in love. The best way for me to describe is that it felt like I was reading part two of a Duet series, without having the chance to read part one. I also never understood the motivation for Lyle to act the way he did...

Overall, <i>Built to Last</i>, was a very well written book with characters you could connect to and root for. If you like second chance romances I'd definitely recommend this book.

Disney-like child stars meets HGTV meets second chance romance? And it’s dual POV?! Perfect premise!
Cam and Shelby just oozed chemistry and amazing dialogue. I loved how open and honest they were with each other after having dealt with years of miscommunication. It was super refreshing to read a romcom where the main characters aren’t torn apart by their dumb decisions, just torn by circumstances, which is very realistic.
I also thought Cam and Shelby’s respective friends added a lot to the book. Even though there were a lot of characters, each was fully fleshed out and added something to the story.
The song titles for the chapters was amazing! I even ended up making a Spotify playlist with all of the songs, because Erin Hahn clearly has great taste in music!
The novel did a great job at making me feel connected to Shelby and Cam from the first page, with me already being mad at Shelby on Cam’s behalf by page three! I felt that way the whole book.
While the writing felt a little off and clunky near the beginning, since this is an ARC, I’m hopeful those issues will be corrected with the published edition!

Ahhh! I couldn't be more excited about this! I have the biggest book hangover. The friendship, the love, the pining! This is top tier romance right here. Erin Hahn just became an autobuy.

I love these characters and this writing! Second chance romance is probably my favorite and this book was so charming. They have growth and chemistry, which I love to read!

Thank you NetGalley and Erin Hahn!

This book was such a great rom com !
I enjoyed watching the relationship between them continue to grow. !
I would highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC .

There are few micro-tropes better than boy obsessed. Especially when we get to read his POV, and friends this is one, among MANY reasons why I am so thrilled to be here today sharing everything I loved about Erin Hahn’s new adult romance, Built to Last! Having never read anything by Hahn previously I had no idea what to expect writing style wise, and my word, she’s going to be a insta-purchase moving forward (and a backlist purchase shortly!).

As always huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance copy, thoughts below are my own.

Gosh where to even begin? Well rather than make you read a whole bunch of my ramblings I’ll get right to it: I loved it. This is a low-angst second chance romance between two former child-stars, who end up “making it out alive” from the toxicity of the industry, their peers and in some cases their parents.

This book is absolutely about the deep and consuming love Cameron and Shelby have for each other, but it’s also about the love of family (both found, animal, and biological). Which Hahn does a fantastic job both showing and telling.

BUT WHAT REALLY, REALLY, REALLY FREAKING RESONATED IS HOW MUCH THIS STORY IS ABOUT GROWTH, BRAVERY AND THE STRENGTH TO LOVE EACH VERSION OF WHO YOU ARE AND BECOME AS WE GROW UP. EVEN IF THOSE PREVIOUS VERSIONS WERE LESS THAN PERFECT.

Shelby is a freaking QUEEN. And seeing the iterations of her that are less shiny, make who she is in the present really lovely. And to read how Cameron perceives her will straight up melt your heart. I loved watching her be so freaking competent in her workshop, which is refreshing AF (at least for me, who works in a very cis-male dominated field).

And Cameron, boy has been running for so long, that having him stop, take a breather and figure out what staying in one place looks like was so satisfying, along with seeing how talented he was in his own right.

Set against the sturdiness of the midwest, and among a fictionalized HGTV Chip & Joanna style show they are working on, the playfulness, love and partnership so clearly shines between these two.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes you got it: I loved this book. But it has easily become a future comfort read, which we could ALL use right now.

Perfect for fans of Olivia Dade, Trish Doller and Jaqueline Snowe, Built To Last will make you laugh, dreamily sigh and maybe give you the swoons. Grab it wherever you get your books, October 18th, 2022.

I am in love. There is nothing else to say. This is one of the best romances I've read in a while and I am so, so, so happy to have read it. I'm still smiling ear to ear at just the thought of this story.

Built to Last follows the story of two estranged childhood best friends/couple who broke up a decade ago and now are meeting each other after 10 years apart from a short meeting 5 years before that ended on a bad note. These two people also happen to be famous child stars who did a show together for the better part of their teens and then said good-bye to the Hollywood life for different reasons. They're back on set now, filming a reality show together, which is being produced by their ex co-star and the third person who formed part of the glorious trio of child actors on their erstwhile show. The three of them have a very complicated history, but this show means something to each of them, and they all end up being thrown together after so long, thanks to this.

What I loved most about the show has to be the leads - Cam and Shelby. They came alive on page right from the word go, and didn't take long to steal your attention. I was rooting for Shelby, extremely hard, just a couple chapters in, and then for Cameron even harder as I read more about him. Their relationship is so natural and easy, so beautiful in it's simplicity. They're both in love with each other, have probably been so from the day they met, but timing had always gotten in the way before. With all this time on their hands now, they start afresh, and fall in love with the adults they've become.

Their relationship was fleshed out so well, and it was such a heartwarming thing to witness. They clearly cared about each other right from the first word of the story, but the layers to it kept unfolding as I read ahead, and made me love them even more.

Both Cam and Shelby had complicated family lives, and I liked how that was explored, how they took to each others' parents, who seemed to fill a void in their lives. I also liked how the resolution of these issues was done.

Cam and Shelby's friends were amazing and I think I need books for all of them, because I need to know them better! @ god pls make it happen!

This book is absolutely perfect for fans of soap operas - swoony romance, a touch of drama, grand gestures, heart-stopping kisses, and just so, so, so much pining. A DREAM COME TRUE!

Second chance romance is not my favorite trope but I really liked the reality tv aspect that was going on in this and so I wanted to give it a try. It was a little slow in the beginning but it did start to pick up around the 30% mark and I started to really enjoy it. If I am being honest, I didn't like how our FMC acted at some times and I couldn't get passed that but it also didn't keep me from finishing the book either. There is so much good about this book and it definitely outweighs the bad. I believed the love from the two main characters and I enjoyed my time reading it which is the main thing for me. It was missing some things for me and that is why I didn't give it a complete 4 stars, but its 3.5 for sure. I could see myself giving this author another try in the future.