From the first page of Built to Last, I was laughing. The plot is established early, which drew me in quickly as I chased the slow burn romance. It's a dual POV which is perfect for a romantic comedy centered around miscommunication, and rationalizing why she didn't just come out and say what she was thinking, or why he left the way he did. Another fun element is that each chapter is titled after a song, giving a playlist for this story.

What’s special about this story is that it wraps you up in rustic goodness. A home remodeling TV show and plenty of spicy scenes. This is the perfect romantic comedy with a setting so vivid I could smell the sawdust as I read.

This is my new favorite cozy yet spicy read.

Top notch wit!. I really enjoyed the sardonic humor. Hahn created some fantastic characters in a story that felt realistic. The home reno was balanced well enough that I felt like I was there without going so far that it reads as a how to manual. Would definitely recommend.

This was my first book by the author. It was an ok read. Definitely didn’t wow me and took me a bit longer to read, but still good. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or the plot.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

A great feel good book that’s perfect if you need a light read. The characters are relatable and easy to fall in love with! I love Shelby and Cameron’s story of falling away from each other but being brought together again. Definitely one to recommend to friends and I look forward to reading more from Erin Hahn

Built to Last by Erin Hahn was a cute romance. I loved how the story is surrounded by Hollywood and the issues one can have while living that lifestyle. I a huge fan of the location! I feel that most locations that writers use are Los Angeles, New York City, or another large populated "popular" location. Not many romances involve the UP of Michigan. I am excited that their way to each other is construction. It's not a huge love story in the making. However, Erin Hagn pulled it off.

Erin Hahn is an author who, no matter what they write, I feel the absolute dire urge to get my hands on as fast as possible. Built to Last was absolutely no exception! For lovers of the childhood friends to lovers trope, this one is for you. The story follows Shelby and Cameron — former childhood sweethearts — in the aftermath of what childhood fame does to a persons entire life. For as long as they’ve known each other, when Shelby calls, Cameron answers. And after her latest (and very public) breakup with another co-star, Lyle, he comes running just as he always has. But this time, it’s different. They’re both adults, and they’re both aware of that now more than ever. Where Cameron wants to finally put his roots down and fall in love, properly, Shelby is more concerned with patching up her public image. And Lyle? Well let’s just say he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Is it possible for these two to find love as adults, and with each other? You can find out this fall when Hahn’s latest hits shelves! Thank you to NetGalley for this incredible early preview!

It was very okay. Nothing particularly gripping but it certainly wasn’t awful. Cameron and Shelby were very cute and they made my heart happy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second chance romance? Slow burn? Friends to lovers? Forced Proximity? Workplace? One-bed? These are a few of my favorite things.

Built to last was such a fun novel about moving on from our past without leaving the ones we love behind. Shelby's journey was real, raw and emotional and I definitely felt like I was right there with her as she found her way back to herself. Overall this was a great read that I would absolutely see myself recommending to a friend.

This is perfect for readers who like to spend their Sunday afternoons alternating between HGTV and romcoms.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and netgalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is super cute. It doesn’t follow the typical romance formula of miscommunication driving the mains apart and it feels very grown up because of that. Instead, we have two main characters who change and develop without the reliance on a relationship or without complicating the relationship. It is refreshing! They have distinct voices in alternating chapter perspectives. I truly enjoyed every minute of this book!

A slow-burn second chance romance with engaging characters, Built to Last touches on a lot of issues, such as unhealthy family relationships, trial by social media, revenge, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
I loved main characters Shelby and Cameron, and the way they cope with the duplicitous Lyle, Shelby’s nightmare stage-mother mom Ada Mae, and Cameron’s estranged father and brother makes for an entertaining read. The action moves along quickly and the story flows well. Subtle humor and colorful secondary characters add to the fun and readers will cheer Shelby and Cam as they turn the tables on Lyle and the novel builds to its climax and resolution. Lovers of “clean” romance and women’s fiction will appreciate this charming light read.

I loved 'Built to Last' by Erin Hahn. I read A LOT and a lot of romcoms and this one had it all.

Erin Hahn wrote two fantastic main protagonists in her love story about Cameron and Shelby. It's a troupe but her writing makes it fresh because her character development starts out strong from the first paragraph. Cameron has wanted Shelby from the first moment they met which is love at first sight but the bond they have always shared and waited until they both matured enough from child stars to reconnecting as adults had a lot of nuances

Shelby always knew she had a great friend in Cameron but when they met at twelve as child stars they formed a bond that forShelby she knew she had a lifelong friend. For Cameron, it was more but he knew he had to leave LA to go to college and he became a world-traveling documentary filmmaker for National Geographic. At the same time, Shelby stayed in LA and went into a relationship with her other child co-star Lyle. who five years later has betrayed her by cheating on her with her best friend. She calls Cameron who leaves on the first flight out and is at her side. Erin Hahn's writing of the plane flight is spot on showing the lengths Cameron will go to for Shelby, He takes care of her, leaves a note encouraging her to put herself first, and leave what messes her up and flys back to shooting for National Geographic. Fast forward five years later and through manipulation to get them together to film a reality series the sparks fly as the journey to seeing this relationship get a strong foundation in making a reality series about home renovation together. Shelby has become found her passion in the last five years as a furniture restoration craftswoman. She is happy, doing well, and living her best life when Cameron reenters. Cameron and Shelby are so good together and with Erin Hahn's writing of behind the scenes, in the scenes, and watching the scenes it's all a perfect combination of building a relationship that you are rooting for. There are plenty of sexy times with the off-the-charts chemistry of these two and you can't help cheering for this time is their time and no further obstacles are going to prevent these two soulmates to have their time to shine.
I loved every minute of reading it and has made me an Erin Hahn fan and will be reading her other books and watching for her future published books.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, and Erin Hahn for the opportunity to read a fantastic, heartwarming story.

2.5 stars
This book was cute but it did take a while to get into it. I struggled with the first half but it picked up toward the end. The characters seemed younger than their ages and some of the banter didn't seem natural to me. I ended up enjoying some of the side characters more like Lorelai and Kevin and Beth.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs are literally the cutest couple. I absolutely loved their story and the slow burn to finally admitting and acting on their true feelings for one another.

Built to Last by Erin Hahn was a 5 star read IMO. I loved her character development and the premise of the story having Cameron and Shelby work together on a home renovation show; super cute!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

What if you had to work with the one that got away AND the jackass who cheated on you? Meet Shelby Springfield. It never seems to be the right time for her and Cameron. And it doesn’t help that they are both working with her awful ex, while trying to put together a home renovation show and convincing audiences that Cameron might know what he’s doing around a job site. (He doesn’t.). This is a slow burn friends to lovers romance as Cameron and Shelby navigate creating a show. While they tear down the house, they also need to tear down the barriers between them and sort out what it is they have. I did like the dual POV, as both characters are almost never on the same page, and my favourite character is Lorelai, retired country music star and Shelby’s sassy best friend. This is perfect for readers who love a slow burn and the tension it creates.

This one wasn’t my favorite, truth be told. A little more open door than I was expecting and I never quite warmed to the characters - I’m sorry!

Built to Last is a friends to lovers contemporary romance. Shelby and Cameron are child actors from a very well known family program; as well as two parts of a love triangle, the third being their co-star Lyle.

As fate, and Lyle would have it, Cameron and Shelby get a second chance in their mid twenties. In the form of a reality tv show offer in which they would get their hands dirty doing home make overs. It’s been five years since they’ve seen each other and almost ten since they’ve worked together. Both are wondering if what they feel is unrequited; while smarmy Lyle wonders how much drama he can stir up to milk this reunion for all it’s worth.

I liked the characters even though I wanted more from the character development. I’m not a big fan of how the story is presented to the reader. I think it could’ve been crafted in a more appealing way. It fell flat in a few areas. I wanted to know more about Shelby’s transformation that happened when she moved back to Michigan. That was glossed over. I wanted some kind of conflict or something to happen between the two main characters but they just sort of drift back to each other. Which was a bit boring. I loved it every time they shoved it to Lyle. But I also wanted to know more about him and his reasoning for being how he was; his inner workings.

I would recommend this book to readers that want a quick contemporary romance read. It’s not the best book of the year but it certainly won’t be the worst. I can see people enjoying reading this at the airport or while waiting for a bus. Definitely for quick readers as it’s not terribly interesting enough to keep coming back to.

Two former costars and childhood sweethearts are brought together again by their other costar and enemy. They decide to star in a house flipping show while battling unrequited love.

This was a pretty decent book for me - 3.5 stars but I round up. I did like Shelby and Cameron and I like that the author didn’t throw in too many dramatic interludes to keep the main couple apart. What I didn’t like were the oddly contrived scenarios Lyle used to upset them during production. I’m not sure how he had so much power and control and why they couldn’t go above his head to say he needed to not be involved in the project. Why did Shelby have to pretend to be okay with her mom for the cameras when the woman wrote a book stating she did porn? I am obviously not in Hollywood but it was clear Lyle needed Shelby more than she needed him and it was never clear to me why she put up with everything she did. It also wasn’t clear to me why a grown married man was obsessed with an ex from his teen years enough to track her down and then obsess whether or not she dated someone else… many years ago when they were all teens? Okay, maybe I should round down my stars as I type this I realize how nonsensical a lot of the plot points were.

In the end, great main characters, some great side characters (though they weren’t fleshed out much), love the idea behind the plot but the execution was frustrating.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book. I love Erin Hahn’s writing. This isn’t my favorite book of hers, but it’s one of the better books I’ve read this year. I usually have trouble with the movie/tv star as a starting point and this book was no different. Overall, though an enjoyable read. I’d recommend it to friends.

This was cute and fine. I wasn't blown away by anything and really didn't think Cam and Shelby had any chemistry. There was supposed to be former flame, second chance romance vibe happening, but it wasn't working for me at all.

2.5 ⭐️ This seemed like it was trying a bit too hard. I felt a little awkward inside Cameron’s head, the way he would describe things. He was too soft (for me) and I don’t mean to say men can’t be, but this just wasn’t believable. Some of the descriptions were weird to read and the characters felt extremely young (Shelby is supposed to be 27?). Their banter had me rolling my eyes a few times.

Lyle was Shelby’s asshole ex and kept trying to push Cam and her together for a tv pilot. It just felt so forced and Lyle as a character just pissed me off lol. Also, this took miscommunication to a whole new level. I don’t think I’ll ever read another from this author, and I am now thinking friends to lovers isn’t my thing either. There was no reason for these two not to be together for over half the book. Lol. Half of it was them basically reminiscing on having their first time with each other at 18, and then finally doing it as adults but it was…eh. What grown adult talks about that constantly? Even Kevin/Beth would chime in with innuendos. And what is Shelby’s obsession with Cam’s “tree trunk thighs”. The ending felt a bit rushed too.

I do believe this book will work for people getting into the romance genre, but I don’t really mesh with rom-coms that reference so much modern culture, and the fixer-upper part honestly didn’t even interest me 😭