I was really excited when I saw this cover and read the description. It sounded like a cute and fun story and while it was it did disappoint me a bit. I liked the two main characters Shelby and Cameron but I hated Lyle (as you were supposed to) and wanted them to fire him or do something instead of how it all went down. Cameron, Shelby, and Lyle were all child actors on the same show growing up together. Cameron and Shelby were stealing moments off camera while Shelby and Lyle had the on screen romance, but when Cameron went off to college Shelby and Lyle started to date. After a messy breakup with Lyle Shelby finally leaves LA to find her own way and joins her father in home renovation. Fast Forward to the present and Shelby and Cameron are brought together to do a pilot for a home renovation show. I thought Cameron and Shelby both were kinda dumb but super sweet but they put up with way too much from several nasty characters. I did like Shelby’s best friend and the promise of room for a sequel with her story.

I truly loved every second of this. Second chance romance and a very well done friends to lovers AND home renovation?? Count me in.

This was such a great book. I loved getting both Cameron’s & Shelby’s POVs throughout. Seeing them adapt to their new lifestyle in their own way and trying to wrap their heads around their insane feelings for each other was perfect.

I am obsessed with all of their friends and I really hope the epilogue was a hint to more books about them!

I liked the story but the writing was a bit sloppy at times. When the characters think back to something that happened earlier in the day this transition isn't clear and it takes the reader out of the story as you try to resituate yourself. The characters are likeable but a little flat which makes it harder to be fully invested. There are also references to pop culture (eg. hashtags) just for those of you who don't like stuff like that. Overall, I think people who like lighthearted romances will like this, it gives a very similar vibe to the Ex Talk.
Tropes:
- second chance romance
- mutual pinning
- lighthearted
- external conflict (no miscommunication trope)

Ok WOW. This book was AMAZING.

A second chance, childhood friends, HGTV meets Hallmark romance with all the swoony moments and great banter. I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical I would not like this book, but it blew me away.

Shelby and Cameron have a long history together. Both were former child stars who left Hollywood and vowed to never return. That is until they are brought back for a home renovation reality show by their former co star, who has never given them anything but trouble. This book follows Shelby and Cameron as they navigate old feelings and realize their feelings for each other never went away. This is more than just a romcom; it's a redemption story that tells and beautiful love story.

I was rooting for Shelby and Cameron from the start! I loved them and their chemistry. I also really enjoyed that there was no third act breakup and that the main characters were so mature in their relationship despite all they went through. The only thing I did not enjoy or thought was lacking was some of the time jumps and things left out of the book that I wish I could of read about. But overall I REALLY enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC. I loved the premise of this book, childhood stars turned HGTV stars; right up my alley. However, I was a bit confused in the beginning, I felt like the characters weren't introduced well enough and I had a hard time catching up. Almost like it was a sequel and I missed the first book. But overall it was cute.

This was such a cute book! Second chance romances are one of my favorites. 2 Former hollywood tv stars went separate ways and eventually came back together only to end up doing a home renovation show. I absolutely loved the home renovation aspect cause i grew up watching HGTV! Shelby and Cameron seriously have the cutest friendship, and as obvious it was they were gonna get together, i still got super giddy about it. This was a cute cheesy romance, so if you enjoy that please read!

Thank you St, Martins Press & netgalley for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of 'Built to Last'!

'Built to Last' had everything I ever could have wanted in a romance novel. I grew up watching HGTV with my family and to read a book that has a romance forming while filming a house flipping show? My heart was swooning. The characters had so much emotional growth from the beginning of the book that I squealed by the time they got together because I truly wanted them to be happy. They handled all of the twists with grace and maturity. This is the perfect friends to lovers, second chance romance and I can confidently say I will be making all my friends read this once it's released in October.

4.5 stars = I really liked this. Built to Last was a really well done second chance romance for two former teen TV stars who have gone there separate way and established lives outside of Hollywood only to be roped into doing a home renovation reality show together. This was probably my favorite contemporary romance of the year so far. They reconnect as friends first, overcome sabotage by a not so friendly former friend, and there is some really sweet parts near the end. I will definitely be rereading this in the future.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley, release date October 18, 2022

This was a cute, quick read. It was very predictable but still a delight! I enjoyed all the characters, but would have loved more character development.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Love love love this book. Fresh, fun, engaging characters. There’s not a big split up that gets wrapped up in the last chapter. True love builds in beautiful ways between Shelby and Cameron. I hope there is a Lorelai story to come!

I want to start off and say thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this in exchanged for my honest review.

This is a second chance romance and a good one at that. This book follows two people who have a past; the past being childhood stars. They are now working on a home renovation show with one another. I got to say you can feel the chemistry between the two characters who are Shelby and Cameron, which is so great to read and feel.

Overall this is a great read and you will enjoy it.

Loved this. It was just what I needed to read and I read it in one day. Highly recommend if you are looking for a sweet romance.

Built to Last is a sweet, second chance, slow burn, friends to lovers romance with a little "oops one room" trope! If you love any of those tropes ~ I think you will definitely enjoy this book!

Shelby was kind of a mess, but I'm glad she had found her true passion, doing renovations with her dad, before getting back into a relationship. Cameron, the traveling photographer for National Geographic was a nice enough guy. Though they had that "insta love" from how they felt when they were younger, this book was a wholeeee slow burn with lots of pining while they figured things out.

I want to start by saying thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book! Although I was really drawn in to the plot sadly this book wasn't a five star for me. I am an avid romance reader and this book is a second chance romance with a fixer upper spin. This book has three main characters, an all American boy, the not so good guy, and the shared love interest. This book is really about the rekindling of Cameron Riggs, all American good guy who walked away from acting and someone who was clearly his first love, and Shelby a young actress who self destructed in the public eye trying to reclaim her newfound self and image. Their rekindling takes place in the form of a reality TV show about fixing up houses that happens to be produced by their old costar (and Shelby’s ex) Lyle.

Don't get me wrong the steamy scenes were fun and the friends to lovers storyline was definitely appealing but it was a little too slow for me. It is sweet and at times spicy romance with a slow burn. I found myself being able to put it down and not excited to pick it back up. I understood the reason these two could not be together and I was rooting for them but I felt like we were missing fun banter and sexual tension throughout the book. The characters are so good together that it's painfully obvious but the journey getting there felt lack luster. That being said there were definitely scenes and chapters that I loved and the characters are great but I wanted a little more.

Overall, if you are looking for a lighthearted read and are a fan of friends to lovers or second chance romance pick it up!

Being reunited with your first love can be a heady enough experience, but when you are both former child stars who are going to be working on a home renovation show together things get a little more complicated. Luckily when you have chemistry like Shelby and Cameron, the kind anyone within in a five mile radius can feel, complications don't seem to matter as much.

The chemistry between Cameron and Shelby was my favorite part of this book. It was the type that can set the pages a flame with the longing. It made the basic lack of communication between them even more difficult to take when it is already one of my romance pet peeves. Luckily; the two of them have solid best friends to support them and liven things up. The villains could have used some more development, When a figure from one character's past shows up I expected something monumental to happen and it didn't turn out to more than a mild annoyance for a couple of pages. The roadblocks towards their HEA never seemed worthy of the fuss when they had such deep feelings for each other and I just wanted to read more about them spending time together being adorable.

This was a fun book that definitely met the mood I was in. I am ready to read more by Erin Hahn.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

nothing better to read than a second chance romance. seriously it owns my heart. i absolutely loved this book, the author, the plot, the characters! chefs kiss!

When I read the first chapter of this book, I didn't think it was going to be for me, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. I really liked both of the main characters and thought there were some really funny moments.

There were two reasons I knocked it down a star. First, sometimes the author would lead you into these really emotional internal moments and then squeeze in a joke or pun or something that totally took me out of the moment. Second, I couldn't connect Shelby to the party girl persona. Obviously, in the present day (when the story takes place), Shelby has done a lot of growing. But even in the flashbacks, we never really see that part of her. It's hard to fully appreciate her journey from Point A to Point B when you never really saw Point A.

That said, I still had a lot of fun reading this and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary romance or is in need of a comfort read (because this book is just one big hug).

I couldn’t put this book down! This is the first book of Erin Hahn’s that I’ve read, and now I definitely need to add the others to my TBR. Shelby and Cameron were child stars that both left Hollywood and went their separate ways. Ten years later, they both end up being pitched a pilot idea for a home renovation show and have to navigate their unresolved feelings for each other as well as how to work with their third costar again. Loved how it was told through dual POV.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC! 📚

I really enjoyed this book! It had me hooked from the first chapter, and kept me on my toes the entire time! I fell in love with the characters and the romance!

I have pretty much accepted that if Erin Hahn writes it, I am going to love it. This story was no different. Add in to that the fact that this was a second chance romance, and I was in heaven. I absolutely LOVED this one! Add it to your TBR IMMEDIATELY!