There was so much to love with Built to Last by Erin Hahn. I finished this audiobook in one sitting thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio. I loved the banter between the two main characters, Shelby and Cameron and was rooting for them. A feel good novel that is fun, light and enjoyable.

This was a great book. I do not seeing myself using it for education, but definitely will recommend for those looking for something good to read.

Erin Hahn's adult romance debut hit the nail on it's head! I just finished my re-read of Built To Last via audiobook, and loved it even more the second time around.

Shelby and Cameron are former co-stars, and were each others firsts. Their chemistry reignites while trying to work together on a new project, all while trying to avoid the trouble-making of a despicable figure from their past.

A feel-good romance that will walk you through the aftermath of childhood actor drama, first loves, and having toxic people in your life. Great side characters, behind the scenes of a home renovation television show, and plenty of steamy reconnections - this book has it all.

I love the easter eggs within books, like seeing how Annie and Clay are doing from You'd Be Mine! Also can't wait for more in this series, especially a book about Craig and Lorelai. Erin is a true delight and a one-click author for me!

This book just wasn't for me. The characters were boring. There was nothing that made me want to turn the page and find out what was going to happen next.

Lisa Zimmerman and Kale Williams narrate Erin Hahn’s Built to Last. A second chance at romance sparks between former child reality stars and childhood sweethearts Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs when they reunite as co-stars to film a home renovation show pilot. Shelby renovates and restores furniture and works with her father renovating and flipping houses. A former child star with a brief pop career, she’d love to forget all about her widely documented public meltdown and break up with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. However, she secretly holds the memories of her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron—the one who got away—close to her heart. Cameron doesn’t make it easy to forget him because he’s there for her whenever she needs him. Unfortunately, he then takes off to make documentaries worldwide because he fears admitting what he genuinely wants. So, of course, when Lyle stirs the pot, thrusting them back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron’s once again right where she needs him, agreeing to do the show. The show is Shelby’s chance to prove she’s not the messy party girl anymore to everyone, and Cameron’s to come home and set down some roots. Lyle lives to torment Cameron and Shelby because of their connection as kids and having scorching chemistry.

Williams and Zimmerman’s animated narration brings Hahn’s emotional and funny second-chance romance to life. With pacing, intonation, and emotion, Williams and Zimmerman give the characters distinct voices, revealing their personalities, feelings, quirks, and state of mind. I prefer Williams’ voice for Cameron and Shelby. His narration is a better fit for the hero. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Zimmerman’s voice, particularly for Shelby. But as I got sucked into the story, Zimmerman’s voice/narration grew on me. Williams’ voices perfectly match both leads while offering fine for the secondary characters. I love Zimmerman’s voice for her BFF and Williams for Cameron the most. Zimmerman and Williams brilliantly express Shelby and Cameron’s connection, bond, years of knowledge, closeness, affection, desire, passion, and love for each other. They also capture their total dislike and frustration with Lyle. Zimmerman’s voice for him captures his jerkiness and that of her ex-BFF, now Lyle’s wife. The novel’s tone ranges from humorous, intimate, angsty, intensely emotional, and sizzling hot, and the narrators deftly shift between these tones. Zimmerman and Williams’ narration complements each other and Hahn’s snarky, introspective, emotional, and lively narrative style, delightfully bringing her captivating novel and fascinating characters to life.

Sometimes you are lucky enough to have that person, or people, in your lives who, no matter how much time passes between the last time you see them, it’s like nothing changes. You fall back into your friendship and the warmth and comfort of that connection with ease like no time has passed. Cameron and Shelby’s relationship is like that. I love, love, love Cameron and Shelby’s friendship and relationship—it’s sweet and sexy—and I love how they support each other and make each other laugh. Their fiery chemistry and intense connection continue to grow stronger over time. I love all the pining! And their desire for each other is intense, creating some humorous moments, especially from Shelby’s viewpoint. There’s even eye f@*#ing, which took me by surprise! Built to Last is a friends-to-lovers romance that starts with them as childhood friends, which I love even more. Even though you see just a bit of them as kids, those moments are powerful, enhancing Hahn’s development of Cameron, Shelby, and their complicated but beautiful connection/relationship.

Hahn’s vivid and detailed description, humor and wit, lively and natural-sounding dialogue, captivating story, and complex and charming characters drew me into the novel from the first scene. She deftly develops and evolves her relatable, multifaceted, imperfect characters, some of whom are lovable and others downright loathsome. Cameron and Shelby are so down-to-earth and relatable that you can’t help but root for them to work their stuff out and live happily ever after together. I love that Hahn lets them deal with their issues and learn to communicate without a lot of mess or drawing things out just for the sake of drama. In addition to Lyle’s games, Shelby’s mom is a hot mess. Consequently, Shelby has unresolved issues with both parents, and Cameron’s estranged from his parents and brother. Hahn makes every page of the book a compelling and entertaining journey.

I like Lorelai and hope Hahn allows us to learn more about her story. An intriguing character and supportive, encouraging friend to Shelby, Lorelai helps to reveal Shelby’s character, contributes to her evolution and growth, helps keep her grounded, and holds her accountable. Lyle, on the other hand, I couldn’t stand at all. But one thing about his character and his manipulations is how it reveals the strength and closeness of Cameron and Shelby’s relationship—one of my favorite things about Built to Last. I love how Shelby and Cameron support each other and give one another an outlet to let off steam for their feelings about life’s frustrations, disappointments, and stresses.

Charming, funny, sexy, sweet, romantic, steamy, and slightly angsty, Built to Last explores themes of identity, self-discovery, self-acceptance, finding your soulmate, belonging, discovering your passions, and overcoming childhood/family baggage. I highly recommend this captivating audiobook for childhood sweethearts/soulmates, home renovation/design, and second-chance romance fans.

Advanced review copy provided by OrangeSky Audio via Netgalley for review.

Childhood sweethearts second chance romance renovation show. I have never finished an audiobook so quickly. This was a great listen. The narrators really helps these characters come to life. Although I wish we would have known a little more about Shelby and Cameron’s backstory!

Shelby has spent the last decade rebuilding her life and renovating homes after a very public breakup/breakdown while Cameron has explored the world making documentaries. When former child stars reunite to host a home renovation show, will their past get in the way of a second chance at love?

I LOVED THIS! It was so good! I read a lot of books - and I’m way behind in my reviews - so when a book sticks with me, I know its a winner. I’ve read some of Erin Hahn’s YA books, and she’s made the transition to adult romance flawlessly. Also, I can’t wait to read Lorelai’s story!

DNF

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me and I was unable to finish the entirety of it. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

When this book started, I was buckling up for yet another romance book about a vapid protagonist who means well but just can't seem to get her life together. This book is far from that. I was so pleasantly surprised. This book follows two child stars who have grown up since they were on a television show together. They grew up in front of the cameras, but then they grew apart. This is a realistic and reasonable story about adults who are getting to know each other again after a falling out, and tells the story about finding love but not being ready for it....and then coming back to it when you are ready. I was there for it. The narrator was fine, and the pacing and tone were pleasant. I can't say that it was a remarkable narration, but it didn't detract from the story at all.

Shelby and Cameron are former child stars and exes who reunite to film a new home renovation show produced by Shelby’s most recent ex Lyle. Both Shelby and Cameron have something to prove in filming the show, but the chemistry between them is undeniable and they have to team together to work against Lyle’s shenanigans.

Erin Hahn is such an incredible writer who adds so much depth to her characters. I loved how we not only get to see where Shelby and Cameron currently are in their relationship, but also get a look into their full history throughout this story. I loved how they managed to communicate with each other and work through their issues without the third act break up we so often see in romance novels. Also the way they each grew as individuals was perfect to really allow them to finally have that solid foundation for a relationship. This one was just SO good.
I enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Lisa Zimmerman and Kale Williams. They both did a great job bringing this story to life.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, OrangeSky Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

The premise of the story is not original, but it was cute and enjoyable to read. The characters are attractive and I could see myself reading about the sub-character’s stories. The back stories are developed and I was routeing for them to stick it to the “bad” guy. In the audio verison, the narrators are good and I am glad they used a different people for each POV,

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Former child stars Shelby and Cameron come together to work on a home renovation show. Both have been friends forever, but secretly always wanted something more!


Recommended if you like:
-the second chance trope
-dual POV romance (with dual narration)
-workplace romance
-child stars grown up
-HGTV/home renovation
-reality tv shows

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the ALC. Built to Last is out now!

This was fine and the second chance of it all was strongest, but didn't love the two leads that much and couldn'lt figure out why they needed to get back together!

I read this in October and am only finally reviewing it in February. I'll be honest, I only remember the broad strokes. My notes include: "documentary filmmaker, child actor, secret pining, childhood romance, home renovation" and my memory pretty much stops there. I gave it four stars on Goodreads at the time, so I must have liked it. I do love a good home reno book!

I'm sorry this review is useless.

This book was so cute! I wish it didn’t take me so long to pick it up. I was hooked right from the start and finished it in one day, I found myself not wanting to put it down. I find whenever I read one of Erin Hahn’s books, I love them and end up binge reading them.

This book is a second chance romance. I found myself just wanting them to hurry up and get together! They had the best chemistry and banter. I also loved how their relationship felt so real and genuine. I also really enjoyed the home renovation theme in this book. If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and easy romance book to read, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the narration of this book and think the narrators both did an amazing job. I found the story to be lacking and didn't enjoy the characters at all. Overall, I was left disappointed because the premise of this book really drew me in, but it just didn't live up to my expectations.

The story was a little bit to easy for me and the first breakup a bit to unrealistic. Which is very difficult in second-chance-romance. But I would recomend it, especially in audio-form. I enjoyed the renovating part quite a lot. But stil I have the feeling the story is easily forgettable.

Freaking delightful. I read this book in less than two days, I seriously did not want to put it down. Built to Last was equal parts HGTV and Hallmark. The main characters were adorable, sweet and funny. Sometimes second chance romances are not my thing but the author really nailed it here. If you love renovation shows and romance with a touch of spice, you must read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audio note: The audio is well done! I'm not familiar with either narrator, but they both do a great job. I really enjoyed Kale Williams' performance, and Lisa Zimmerman was fine. Told in dual narration, the whole audio experience is enjoyable. It's also a good runtime (8.5 hours), which means this is perfect for bingeing. And the tone works well in the format.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the story. I've heard so many great things about this second chance romance that I decided to give it a go, despite the trope being one of my least favorites. So a lot of this is probably a "me" thing, but I struggled to connect to the characters almost immediately. I read the beginning once, set it aside for a month, then tried again and ultimately abandoned ship. I like the writing and the setup, but the unnecessary drama and miscommunication - plus years of being apart - failed to win me over. This might be a better fit for other readers though, because there's a lot to like beyond that. It was a DNF for me, but many are loving it.

Built to last is a second chance romance, but so much more. Shelby Springfield, Cameron Riggs, and Lyle Jessup have a very complicated past. They were all co-stars on a television series as teens, and there was a bit of a love triangle. Shelby and Cameron were each other's first loves, but Cameron is spooked by those feelings and he leaves to go to school. Lyle swoops in, and he and Shelby become an item, for five years until he dumps her for her best friend. Who does she call, Cameron. Cameron has a great career as a National Geographic photographer and documentary maker, but he packs up and takes a rickety plane to LA when Shelby tells him she needs him. Knowing she is living a toxic life, her leaves her a note saying she has to get out of LA, and takes off again, before he can act on his attraction to his former love. Fast forward ten years. Shelby works with her father on home renovations, specifically restoration, as well as owning her own furniture restoration business. Enter Lyle who wants to stir the pot. He is now a director and offers Cameron and Shelby a pilot to make a home renovation show. When Shelby asks Cameron if he is interested, he can't help but come on board, even though he knows nothing about renovating homes.

This was a great story, and I enjoyed it more than I had expected I would. I love home renovation television shows, but this was more about relationship building, coming home, second chances, and finally standing up for yourself. The TV pilot was Shelby's chance to show the world that she wasn't that messy party girl anymore, but had landed on her feet and had a successful business. She wasn't pining over Lyle, the one who dumped her. Cameron is finally ready to face Shelby and all the feelings he has for her, even ten years later since their last meeting. Lyle is just a mess. He is a bit of a narcissist and wants to make Shelby and Cameron look bad, to make himself look self-important. Family plays a huge role in this story as well. Neither Shelby or Cameron have healthy relationships with one of their parents, and we see them come to terms with that in the story. I have to say, Shelby's mom is a piece of work, enough said. This story pulled me in from the start and I was invested in seeing where Shelby and Cameron would go with their lives. There is a lot of baggage to unpack, feelings to share, emotions that need to be explored and finally they can both move on. The romance took a bit to develop, which I liked, but eventually it happened and there were some open door bedroom scenes, but overall, this was a story I recommend to those who enjoy a nice, fun romance. I liked that the audiobook was narrated by two performers, Lisa Zimmerman & Kale Williams. The story is told by both main characters, so having both a male and female narrator, it gave the story a more realistic telling. If you enjoy audiobooks, I suggest you give this one a try.