I’ve read so many contemporary romances lately that were just mediocre. I was pleasantly surprised to see I was approved for an e-arc of this book from NetGalley and jumped right in. This is the first book I’ve read by Erin Hahn but it won’t be my last. I was entertained from start to finish and was so happy this book got me out of my contemporary romance slump. All of the characters, even the anatagonists, had depth and flaws. Cam was such a lovable leading man with relatable fears. Shelby had in interesting character arc from a child star with mommy issues to an independent woman who found her backbone. I really enjoyed the evolution of the romance between Cam and Shelby. There wasn’t a feeling of will they/won’t they, just a question of when the timing would be right. I also enjoyed the little breadcrumbs sprinkled in the story that made me think another book about Shelby’s best friend Lorelai and her ex-fiancé is in the works. I would definitely check it out if it is. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of romances, especially if you love the best friends to lovers trope. Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the e-arc!

Two child actors (stars, really) who tried to leave Hollywood behind are suddenly back in front of the camera. Cameron and Shelby are brought together to costar on a reality TV show renovating houses.

Friends to lovers and old flame are the tropes that come to mind for this book. And we get to see both points of view - which is my favorite in romance books! I personally think it gives us an even deeper connection to the characters as we see their love blossom.

It is such a cute read with a bit of spice!

Child actors who grew up and experienced so many firsts together, then separated by life and circumstance find themselves back in front of the camera again, only this time with more to prove … not only to their fans but to themselves. Built to Last is all about perfect timing, second chances, and believing in yourself.

Shelby and Cameron may have been physically apart for the last 10 years, but they have still been apart of each other’s lives. Now they find themselves together again, only this time instead of acting they are flipping houses in northern Michigan.

Built to Last is Hallmark meets HGTV, in this reno RomCom. I enjoyed these characters, and their history together. I loved their friends. I adored the Midwest feel and backdrop. This was my first book by Erin Hahn, but I will definitely be visiting some of her backlist, because I enjoyed reading this one so much.

Built to Last starts about 5 years before the main plot starts,
and introduces us to Shelby and Cameron right after Shelby
and her ex-boyfriend, and former costar to Shelby and
Cameron, Lyle, break up. The reader gets a sense of the
unfinished business these two have.
Fast forward 5 years, and we see Shelby living her best life
away from Hollywood, restoring furniture and flipping houses
with her dad. I enjoyed that Hahn made Shelby the handy one
out of the three, and portrayed her as a woman who had hit
rock, but pulled herself out of it and made something of
herself outside fame. A reality show brings Shelby, Cameron,
and Lyle back together, and immediately I hated Lyle. And it
continued through the book.
The book does a good job with tension, will they or won't they,
and growing this rekindled relationship between Shelby and
Cam. The side characters are great and add color to the
story, they aren't just there to be there. There were a lot of
other relationship issues to work through with side characters,
Shelby with her mom, and Cam with his dad and brother.
also loved how maternal Cam's mother was to Shelby
knowing that her own mom was a trash.

Shelby and Cameron are famous former child stars who had crushes on each other when they worked together - but now haven't been in touch for years. Now, Shelby is living in Michigan doing furniture restoration and home remodels. When she gets a call to come back to the small screen as the host of a home renovation show, guess who's been asked to learn the trade and be her co-host? Cameron had no intention of ever going back to show business either, but he can't resist the opportunity to rekindle things with Shelby. Unfortunately, while the plot sounded promising, I didn't love this one - too many obnoxious side characters that I just wanted the main characters to put in their place. I was hoping for a little bit more insight into what HGTV is like behind the scenes, and I also thought the romance was too slow burn given that Shelby and Cameron admitted their mutual attraction so early in the plot. It was sweet, but it could have been so much better.

Former childhood stars collaborate in the most unlikely way in terms of a reality renovation show called HomeMade. Shelby Springfield left L.A. over five years ago to start over in Michigan. Having been an actress and pop singer with too much tabloid exposure of her spiral downward, she now finds solace and satisfaction in home and furniture restoration. Cameron Riggs, her first friend and love, has been traveling the world to do documentaries for National Geographic. He left Hollywood over ten years ago and hasn’t looked back since. Then there’s Lyle Jessup, who is still a public celebrity and in the limelight, always trying to stay relevant. He’s Shelby’s ex-boyfriend and certified jerk extraordinaire, but he’s funding the pilot series project so he’s pulling the strings behind the scenes.

I was intrigued by Shelby and Cameron’s unfinished business in the sense that the feelings were very much still there, but they were never at the right place and time for a relationship to take off. Not to mention that Cameron really doesn’t have any experience in building and is hired as a face for the camera, but he’s learning everything he can anyway. Lyle is completely self absorbed and enjoys drama for the sake of drama. Between Shelby trying to prove the newer and older version of herself who is not the wild party girl and Cameron deciding to stop running away from his own life, these two have a lot to confront regarding both public and personal opinion. The writing is funny and witty and I was rooting for these characters, knowing they are past the glitz and glamour of fame and simply wanting to give the audience something they could be proud about. The angst between Cameron and Shelby isn’t too high now that they’re grown adults who can communicate honestly, but there are still so many relationships to be mended otherwise. It’s a bit of a growth story and journey for both of them, struggling with the tug of Lyle’s imposed spin versus controlling their own narrative. There’s just something fascinating about seeing kids who grew up together in the spotlight who know the song and dance of being on camera, but pave their own way to be the individuals they never had the chance to be before. Fingers crossed that there may be a story about Shelby’s best friend Lorelei Jones some day.

I loved this book! Second chance romances are mt weakness. Erin Hahn is a great writer. This is my first Erin Hahn book and it won't be my last. The chemistry was great throughout the book.

“I’m sorry I left you. Both times. Turns out, I don’t deserve you either. Love, Cameron”

“It means something hopeful, that look. And, I think, it means something more that she’s letting me see it now.”

“You’re not old, Cam. You and Shelby are still young, but you also started young. You know? You’ve lived a lot of life already. More than most. I’m just so happy to see you happy and creating something important and loving someone and being loved in return. And you did it all your way. You deserve that.”

I don’t know how I find myself reading the most unexpectedly perfect-for-me books so often.

How did I get so lucky as to have not just childhood friends to lovers, but also a second chance romance?! AND PINING WITH MINIMAL ANGST??!? This book spoiled me. It was so funny and the characters were so well-written… *chef’s kiss*

Shelby… I just wanted to wrap her up in a blanket and protect her forever. Her will to be better and happy was endearing and inspiring, and I admired her resilience so much. Cameron was just perfect. PERFECT.

MVP: Best bffs ever Lorelai and Maren. THEIR BOOKS WHEN???????

(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a very charming adult romance debut from YA author Erin Hahn. Not super steamy, but very fun banter and slow-burn romance.

Built to Last by Erin Hahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Child stars Cameron and Shelby have grown up together, with an unrequited love for each other. After Shelby’s embarrassing breakup with their costar Lyle, she moves home to Michigan to start all over. But fate brings the two back together in the form of a home reno show. Will this be the time they finally connect?

I was OBSESSED with this book from start to finish. It gave me Fixer Upper meets Flip or Flop vibes, and I loved it. The characters are flawed but lovable. Erin created a wonderful modern romance.

Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read and review this #ebook. Built to Last releases on October 18th!

Finally, the timing is right for these two!

With such a complicated history dating back more than fifteen years, Cameron and Shelby finally get the second chance they deserve. I loved how the book started off with an incident from five years earlier that showed both how much they belonged to each other and how much growth and maturity they each still needed.

Former childhood stars who are now completely out of show business, Shelby and Cameron are reunited by her ex-boyfriend, Lyle, who is producing a reality show and wants these two to star in it. He's not just aware of their complicated history - he's an integral part of it. Make no mistake - Lyle hasn't done a single bit of maturing in the ensuing years and he's not likely to at any point in the future. But that only brings Cam and Shelby closer as they confront all their past fears and insecurities as they deal with all the monkey wrenches Lyle keeps tossing at them.

I loved Shelby's dad, and how he was too real for reality TV. He's one of my favorite book characters of all time. I loved how the reality show gave Cam the opportunity to address issues with his family, too, despite his own strained relationship with his father. Their HEA was delightful and charming, and I loved every bit of their romance.

This is my first time reading this author, but it won't be the last. She has a truly gifted, witty way with words, stringing together very unexpected phrases that exquisitely convey the emotions of her characters. There wasn't a single thing I didn't love about this story, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a great testament to Hollywood and second chance romances (well, in this case, third). The two main characters were well developed and I think this is the first case where the miscommunication trope didn’t make me die inside (basically because it didn’t last very long). The side characters could have used a little more flushing out, but I have a feeling there may be a sequel/standalone set with the same characters on the horizon. The ending was really good and left me with warm fuzzy feelings. Would recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. Shelby and Cameron are super likable characters and you can’t help but root for them to get back together. I really enjoyed the house flipping element and it helped to tie in the secondary characters to the story. Shelby and Cameron’s chemistry is combustible and their banter is both sweet and sexy. Shelby is a strong and completely self-sufficient character. It is so refreshing how open and honest she was with her boundaries, especially with what she was willing to put at risk after coming so far in rebuilding herself. I appreciated that the formula to this book was different from others in the genre; there was no third act miscommunication, because they had worked through their communication issues earlier in the story. Hahn’s writing is quick, and flirty and funny. I loved the dual POV. I really appreciate that in romance novels so the reader can read both perspectives. Having it told from the first person perspective allows the reader to root for both Cameron and Shelby because you know they’re in love with each other, even when they don’t. It’s not always done well, but Erin Hahn nailed it. I loved that each chapter started with a song title, it really set the tone for the chapter. The side characters were great: Shelby’s dad who loved to rile Cameron up, Cameron’s friends Kevin and Beth who were fantastic and funny, and her two besties, Lorelai and Maren. Lorelai is such a huge support for Shelby and an amazing friend that would clearly do anything for her BFF! I love a great friendship side story, and I hope there is more to come, especially for Lorelai. This is my first Erin Hahn book, but it won’t be my last. Overall, a sweet, heartwarming read. If you love all things HGTV and Fixer Upper, then this is the romance for you! Thank you Erin Hahn, Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for the eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

This was cute and sweet and maybe a touch too smooth. I very much appreciate a romance with no contrived conflict, and this fit the bill very well! The premise of the home renovation show and that bringing Shelby and Cameron together was interesting, although the actual process of making the show wasn't especially well portrayed. The main characters fit well together and were developed as actual people. Altogether, very light and fun and enjoyable. 4/5

This reminded me of Tessa Bailey's hot and hammered series meetings It Happened One Summer. It was a fun book that reminded me of watching hgtv in the summer but if they made it where you worked with a long lost love. Super cute and fun.

this book was really really good! i loved shelby and cameron’s friendship and loved reading more and more about them, i also really liked how this book focused on the relationship between them but also on them figuring their own selves out at the same time. it was also really easy to get into and kept me wanting to read more after every chapter!

Built to Last is a second chance friends to lovers romance. I was rooting the whole time for the main character Shelby to gain the confidence and love that she thought she didn't deserve. As a child star, Shelby had been through the ringer dealing with bad publicity and a rocky romance. Through it all, she has always found comfort in former costar Cameron. Cameron is flighty and ultimately the fixture of the protagonists affections. They're reunited by their other former co-star and Shelby's ex under the guise of filming a home renovation reality show. The rest of the novel, much like the filming of the show in the novel is a little rocky. I just had a hard time getting into this story. The characters weren't my favorite and I wasn't a fan of how Cameron acted throughout the book. Overall, I wasn't mad at the story itself despite how long it took me to read it.

This was completely up and down for me. Some chapters were fantastic and others I could barely get through. That first chapter had me eye rolling and questioning whether to even go on. I struggled through chapters that felt more like I was reading about teenagers versus late-twenties adults. So, it’s a toss up. I laughed. I rolled my eyes. My husband even caught me smiling a few times, but then there were those chapters I struggled with. I’ll go middle of the road.

I love a good second chance love story!! The smut was on point! I could have done without them being child stars - it just sometimes makes it hard to relate and imagine it being a real life love story. I also felt the f word was over used. I’m all for a good cuss words to get the point across, but that wasn’t the case here.

Over all, I’ll definitely encourage my book friends to read and I’d HAPPILY read anything else written by Erin!! As always, thankful for the opportunity to experience these stories before the rest of the world. Thank you!!

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fun light read. And I loved the second chance trope in this book it was really well written. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone as well as read it again!


Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity