I really enjoyed this book. Lorelai is such a great lead and I loved how strong and independent she was - her relationship only made her stronger (my favorite kind of book) and Craig is the best kind of romantic internet. He was fully developed in his own right. Something Erin Hahn does so well is truly give the readers the full picture. I don’t think there were any stones left uncovered in this book. My only complaint, and it’s partially my fault, I didn’t realize this was the same character from Built to Last and I had to pull out my copy a couple times to refresh my memory. This is a fun read set in Nashville with complex and fully fleshed out characters.

Erin Hahn’s latest novel Friends Don’t Fall in Love is a friends-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of the country music industry in Nashville. I enjoyed Hahn’s book Built to Last so much that I requested this one for review without reading the synopsis, so it was a wonderful surprise to realize we were going to revisit my favorite characters from Built to Last.

This story follows Lorelai Jones, a country music superstar who fell from grace when she performed a protest song in support of gun control at a concert. Five years later she decides to mount a comeback and reaches out to the one man who has always been in her corner, her best friend Craig (or Huck as she calls him), who also happens to be a successful music producer.

Huck has issues of his own that he’s dealing with, including a former bandmate who refuses to give him credit for songs that Huck wrote for him. But no matter what Huck is dealing with, he has never been able to say no to Lorelai. In fact, he has been quietly in love with her for years. It is this complicated dynamic between Lorelai and Huck that really made this an excellent read for me. Hahn presents their relationship through both present-day scenes and flashbacks to show just how layered and complicated things are between them and I loved watching their relationship unfold this way and seeing Lorelai slowly wake up to what has been right in front of her all along.

Huck is an absolute cinnamon roll and I adored him, and I’ll always root for an underdog so Lorelai and her comeback story really appealed to me as well. The presence of the gun control debate and the cancel culture that surrounds it was right on the edge of being too much for me since I read romance to escape things like that, but thankfully Lorelai and Huck’s personal journey was enough to keep the story enjoyable for me. I also really appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the country music industry.

If slow-burn, friends to lovers romances are your vibe, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of Friends Don’t Fall in Love.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a cute friends to lovers romance. HOWEVER, I cannot stand the miscommunication trope. Super spicy scenes which I did not expect, but loved nonetheless.
Very cute, I enjoyed this read!! Thank you!!

Friends Don't Fall in Love had me absolutely melted into a puddle on the floor. Not only the spicy scenes- which are EXCELLENT (!!!!!!), but also in how absolutely head over heels in love Craig is. He falls first was done absolutely wonderfully in FDFiL. I love a good celebrity romance, and love that Hahn tapped into the music scene in Nashville. I adored this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. Lorelai spent one night with Craig Boseman after her career downfall and cancelled engagement. That one night was one neither one of them could ever forget, especially for Craig, who had been in love Lorelai forever. Five years after her downfall, Lorelai is back in Nashville, and Craig now has his own recording producing studio. To say the torch is still lit, is putting it mildly. It was fun to read the back and forth, and then the finally! The only reason I gave this book a 4-star rating was the language. I think the story would have been just as good without it. So glad that Lorelai found her Huckleberry. Will definitely be reading more of Erin Hahn books.

5/5 Stars

Thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of the book Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn
I enjoyed this book. I love both of the two main characters. They had flaws, but that made it perfect because I can relate to how the characters are feeling. I love her writing style

I will be reading another book from this author.

Rating this 3 stars out of 5.

I feel like there was something missing with this book. The longing Craig felt for Lorelai was done well, but the romance itself felt... I don't know, clunky? The moments leading up to Craig and Lorelai hooking up (the second time) felt very romantic and sweet, and yet they were like, "Yup, just being casual, no strings!" But I'm sitting there thinking that if that stuff happened in the real world there's no way the two of them wouldn't know they loved each other. I think that's what was annoying about it: How can you not know??

Craig and Lorelai's friendship is adorable and I truly enjoyed that. Him going to her when she was at her lowest after performing "Ohio" and just being there for her. It was a very sweet thing to do, especially when her ex-fiance was being an ass.

Also, I couldn't get over how the author made Lorelai's ex Drake into such a ridiculous caricature of an ex-fiance. It's like, fine, break up with Lorelai because you're afraid it'll "ruin your image" and all that jazz, but the way he did it? Did he seriously screen record himself going into his calendar, go to his wedding day, and erase the calendar entry for his wedding LETTER BY LETTER?? I had to put my kindle down and sigh heavily. I just... who does that? I'm not saying it needs to be completely realistic, but idk what in the sociopathic world...

I did enjoy the side characters, like Lorelai's friends and the musicians Craig works with - Jefferson and Annie. They made the world feel more lively. Overall just feeling let down by the main romance, which is a bummer.

Thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!.

Every book by Erin Hahn that I’ve read has been an incredible experience. This time it was totally different to what I had read but I loved it.
We have two friends who once crossed the line but let it in the past, but who cannot actually let it go for real and are drawn to each other, if only they let go…
I really liked the characters, Lorelai’s boldness and Craig’s uniqueness. They were very interesting characters and they had so much chemistry. The spicy part was just right and overall, it has a perfect combination of every good ingredient you might want to find in a romance book: drama, humor, banter, etc.
It was interesting to read about the music business, it was refreshing for me since I hadn’t read anything about it.
The only thing I regret is not reading the connected books before reading this one, but I will certainly do it soon.

In our current "cancel culture", this plot feels more possible than ever! I think Lorelai won more than she lost. Craig is a real friend - the one that stuck around when the cancel culture cancelled her. I enjoyed hearing about their friendship and what they did to revive her career. I think this is a romance that is going to "set the stage on fire".

I really, really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance. It was my first time picking up a book by Erin Hahn so I'm unsure if it was part of a series (I will admit I feel like it was but I didn't feel as though I was lost and missing anything). I love that the entire book was based on hiding real feelings. I've read others like it and they just didn't hit the mark that this book did. I hope to read more Erin Hahn in the future.

This was not was I was expecting at all. I really enjoyed Built to Last and was excited to get some cameos in this one. I enjoyed Lorelei and loved the celiac representation. However something was missing for me in this book. It wasn’t bad by any means! But it wasn’t great either. I think it got a little too into the comeback story and let the romance being a secondary plot. Which would’ve been fine if that’s what I was expecting but I was here for the romance lol. So I absolutely do recommend if you go in with your expectations set.

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes sans I loved how Hahn used it in Friends Don’t Falk in Love! Craig and Lorelai knew each other through her ex-fiancée who he also played with. Lorelai was so kickass and I really admired her taking a stance on gun control. Unfortunately it ruined her career. I liked the overlap with Shelby and Cameron. I loved learning more about the music industry and seeing the songs they wrote. I loved how much Craig cares for Lorelai, but I wish they’d communicated better. I’m excited for more books from Erin Hahn.

While I didn't head-over-heels love this one quite as much as Built to Last, I still strongly recommend this romance for fans of Alicia Thompson and Jessica Joyce. And Huck is such a dreamy love interest.

Calling all country music lovers- this was a fun read! 🎸🎤🎶
I loved that this story took place in the hometown of country music, Nashville!
Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and it was written well into the story. This was definitely a slow burn but I enjoyed getting to learn more about Lorelei’s story. She is sassy, vulnerable and lovable! Craig is just the sweetest guy and any girl would be lucky to have him on your side! The side characters were also relatable and funny.
I loved the mix of sweet moments, banter and spicy scenes. A few times in the story, I was annoyed with their lack of communication, but i get it- adult relationships are hard. 😬
Overall, an enjoyable romance!

3 1/2

Much like The Chicks a decade or so earlier after they took a stand, Lorelai Jones, country music superstar, finds herself on the outs after singing CSN&Y’s “Ohio” to protest school shootings. Within days, her fiancé dumps her via an Instagram post, her agent ditches her as does the record label. The only person who doesn’t is her good friend, Craig Boseman who seeks her out to console her.

Years later, Lorelai is a school teacher in Michigan but has too much music inside of her to totally give it up so she’s thinking about making a come back. She wants to do it on her own terms and is not a fan of the suggested “apology” circuit that her new/old agent lines up for her. But, as always, Craig is in her corner, and helps her find a way to make the kind of music she wants to make in Erin Hahn’s Friends Don’t Fall in Love.

There is a lot to like about Friends Don’t Fall in Love. First, the characters are different from the norm–although, yes, Lorelai is still beautiful. But Craig is a nerdy, nice musician who writes great songs and erotic poetry and wears glasses. A musical Clark Kent? ha. I did grow a little frustrated with Lorelai’s character though. But maybe I am just getting generally frustrated with the push and pull of relationships depicted in romances and the lack of communication.

I also loved the amount of music Hahn interjects into the story although I disagree heartily with the claim that Miley Cyrus’ version (although I am a Miley Cyrus fan) of “Just Breathe” is emotionally superior to either Pearl Jam’s (which is not really grunge at this stage) or Willie and Lukas Nelson’s version, which is not even mentioned.

And, I think anyone who wants to protest mass shootings has my support.

Now, my main issue with the novel is the big fat dollops of what felt like filler exposition. The case of tell vs. show. With first person POV’s we are privy to everything they’re thinking. Every. Little. Thing. I am a fan of less equals more, especially when exposition makes a novel feel much, much longer than 336 pages.

As always, your mileage may vary.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy.

im currently prefer to not have anything to do with st martin press right now. no harm to the author, just the publisher

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Our leading lady, Lorelai, was actually a supporting cast member in a previous book. I enjoyed seeing those characters make a cameo in this book as well! This book had a little too much spice for me that overshadowed the romance between Huck and Lorelai. I adored the friendship portion growing into more and would have been happy focusing on that aspect. I enjoyed a lot of the book, but the miscommunication/hidden feelings get frustrating after a while between the supposedly adult characters. Once they speak their truth, it is a great relief...:)
This was not my favorite book, but still a decent read. I look forward to seeing what else Hahn has to offer.

3.5 stars

I will read anything that Hahn writes, and I have! My first bullet point of love here is the cameos of some of our beloved Hahn characters. Swoon.

Second, pop culture references are a hit or miss for me. I liked her use here, especially the chapter titles. That was a definite if you know you know situation.

Lastly, oh Huck!! I adore him. What a fantastic main. I would have read the entire book in his POV if it was given to me that way. He is magical. Lorelai was equally great, but I definitively have a soft spot for nerdy male characters who get their moments to shine.

I was a tad concerned that the subject of school shootings would have been hard for me but per Hahn's usual ability, she covered this topic marvelously! One scene in the book just had me in tears with the advocacy for children who endure these daily issues of fear with potential safety issues. Thank you for doing this so beautifully.

Overall, it was a definite winner! Thank you to the publisher for the advanced review copy. All thoughts and comments are my own! 4.5 stars rounded up!

As always, Erin Hahn drivers a sweet and spicy romance with characters that feel incredibly real and tangible. We fell in-love with Lorelei in “Built to Last” and I loved finally getting to read her story. This was super swoony and while it did contain the miscommunication trope, the author did it in a not super annoying way 😆.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Erin Hahn delivers another spicy adult romance in the same universe as one of my fav books Built to Last.

I thought this plot and characters were super unique and was surprised the story took the path it went down. Initially, I had hoped Lorelai's book would be with her ex but I'm SOO glad it wasn't and instead focused on her and Craig. I really enjoyed the characters and felt so deeply for Lorelai and her struggles.

I wasn't as invested in the plot as the first one and really struggled with the third act breakup that happened. I also didn't love the time jumps that made you feel less connected to the story.


All in all, I recommend this book!

Thanks St. Martin's Press for the ARC