Until the following items are met by the SMP team, I will be withholding any promotion or review of any St. Martin's Press titles (including SMP Romance and Wednesday Book titles):

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from your employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how you're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how moving forward, you will support and protect your Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to your BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved all the humor in this book! I knew I was getting a country romance but was surprised by how spicy and funny it was! I’m from California and honestly know little to nothing about the Nashville music scene so it was fun to get an insiders glimpse into a different life. It was a little predictable but oh so sweet with characters that are easy to care about and an HEA that will make you swoon! Definitely check this book out if you like southern romantic comedies!

Friends Don’t Fall in Love, by Erin Hahn, is a delightful friends to lovers novel showing that the one you were searching to find may have been right there for you all along. Lorelai Jones was an up and coming country darling until she spontaneously sang a protest song after yet another school shooting. With that one inspired moment her career was kicked to the curb when her group and manager left her high and dry, canceling a tour and planned recording. Her personal life crashed and burned when her fiancé country singer Drake Colter dumped her online. But it was Huck that came to her when everyone else abandoned her, including one passionate night before Lorelai headed to Michigan and began teaching elementary school.

Now, eight years later, Lorelai is ready for a comeback and her friend, and her ex-fiancé’s former bandmate and songwriter, Craig “Huck” Boseman is there to help. Not too long after Lorelai’s exile, Craig quit the band and, with the help of an inheritance, he began his own recording company. Craig intends to do all he can to help Lorelai, including renting her the downstairs apartment in his duplex. Having gained a degree of respect in the industry, Craig has become a sought after producer, and has been retained to help Jefferson Clay Coolidge restart his career after his too much partying crash and burn. Writing a beautiful duet, Craig brings together Jefferson and Lorelai to launch each on a new path forward.

And this only scratches the surface of such a well told story that blends human nature, an intense, often cutthroat, industry, and interesting characters into a poignant novel. I have enjoyed all I have read by Ms. Hahn and this book is no exception! I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

This just wasn’t for me.. I didn’t feel an honest connection between Lorelei and Craig. It is a quick and easy read with a bit of open door romance. Read if you enjoy country music, friends with benefits, and miscommunication

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

A sweet friends to lovers romance between two country musicians. Lorelei destroyed her career and her relationship by playing a protest song at a concert. Five years later, she refuses to give up on her dreams and calls up her ex’s bandmate, Craig, to help her. Craig has always had feelings for Lorelei, so what will happen between the two as they reunite to rebuild her career?

I enjoyed this romcom, especially with the country music plot. The chemistry was there. The characters were likable. I was entertained.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

A wonderful example of friends still lovers trope! Told through the dual points of view of lorelei and Craig, who share a friendship and undeniable chemistry. Flashbacks help to give insight to their long-term friendship while the present day plot is a slow burn romance with spicy, open door scenes.

The story line is well done and all of the characters are well developed and likable, except Drake! The beginning is a bit slow to develop so don't give up, it starts to come together and get good about a quarter of the way into the book.

I am grateful to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary digital copy of this book that is full of friendship, love and humor.

Lorelai and Huck have been friends for years. Could they ever be more? Huck has been there for her over the years. But now she’s living right near him. She would like to revive her music career. He has underlying feelings for her. This was a fun story about the two of them over the years. There are some spicy scenes along the way.

Friends to Lovers is a common trope that satisfies romance readers looking for a happy ending. Erin Hahn takes that theme and builds a love story that has such tension that the reader is compelled to continue reading to find out if, how, and when they get together. Lorelei Jones is a country artist turned school teacher. Craig Boseman is an up and coming music producer in Nashville. They have been friends for years from the time when Lorelei was engaged to Craig's music partner. Lorelei moves back to Nashville to resurrect her career and when the two reconnect it is only a matter of time before something explosive happens. As usually in romances, there are misunderstandings and hurt feelings, but the build up is such a masterful slow burn. Partway through the book I realized that Lorelei's friends are the protagonists of Hahn's previous work, Built to Last. There is one more female in their friend circle and I am hopeful that Hahn new book Catch and Keep features her. Five stars!

thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I love LoreHuck they’re truly best friends to lovers to best friends to lovers and i adore them!

The setting of being a cancelled country star was so refreshing and something i wouldn’t have suspected or normally have thought a plot was going to be.

also as a kent state grad i love a good call back to Ohio and the connection to current events!

Love this.

Sexy, country music filled romance. Lorelai's music career was off to a great start, until she played a protest song at her concert and was immediately dumped by both her agent and her fiance. Ouch. After several years away from the music scene, she's ready to give it another shot, with the help of the one person who has always supported her, Craig. Craig, aka Huck, used to be in a band with Lorelai's fiance, but is now an up and coming record exec... And he's been in love with her for years. He's determined to help restart Lorelai's career, and maybe finally make the move from just friends to something more. Friends don't fall in love, or do they?

This was a fun, friends to lovers romance. I enjoyed the country music references, of which there were many. Lorelai and Huck have a lovely friendship, and great sexual chemistry. It just took them a bit to get on the same page. He's so insanely supportive of her career, and happy to just be part of her life. What a sweetheart. Swoon. She's afraid to put her heart back out there (who wouldn't be after what she went through). Huck is just the man to help mend her heart. Their growing romance was sweet to follow. I will happily read more from Erin Hahn in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoy Erin's writing and this was such a cute Friends-to-lovers story. I am not always a fan of this trope, as it is sometimes done in a way that makes me cringe, but it was done so well in this book. The chemistry was great, the banter was divine, and I could really believe that these friends would fall in love and be great together. Thanks to the publishers for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great friends to lovers romance. I believe this is a spin off of The Built to Last book that Erin put out last year. I loved the Nashville setting but especially that Lorelai is from Michigan, my home state. I thought her and Huck were perfect together and had a great relationship. They had great chemistry and banter that's a key to a good romance. This was just overall cute and fun to read.

This book as wonderful. I loved the setting of Nashville and the peak inside the country music scene. Lorelai was an up and coming country star until her fiancé, a fellow country star, ended things with her on an instagram post after she sang a protest song about gun rights. Lorelai went back to Michigan, and 10 years later she reached out to Craig "Huck" Boseman, her friend and man she had a fling with right before she left. Oh he's also the ex bandmate and songwriter fro her ex-fiancé.

The book has a few flashbacks throughout and the dual POV allows the reader to see how both Lorelai and Huck feel. They're so bad at admitting their feelings that it's comical. The secondary characters also helped propel their story as a couple and the plot as a whole. I loved this foray into adult romance and can't wait to read what Erin writes next.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. But personally I think the country music darling storyline is getting old.

Quick Summary: "The perfect climate for..." a country love

My Review: Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn is a fictional romance published by St. Martin's Press. It was released in 2023.

About the Book: After being blackballed by the country music industry because of her beliefs, Lorelai Jones was in a predicament. As a result of her stance, she was subjected to a cruel and unusual breakup with her fiance via social media. She was devastated. She knew she had some tough choices to make. The one person she could always count on was her friend, Craig Boseman. They had a great friendship, but could they have more?

My Final Say: This story was so familiar. It could have actually played out in the court of public opinion, even now. The connection that the main characters had was obvious from the first flashback until the end.

Other: This was a low low heat read, however, there were moments of spiciness.

Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💬

Thank you for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

Could there possibly be more than friendship between the two main characters?

“Friends Don’t Fall in Love” by Erin Hahn is a classic friends-to-lovers story.

Set in the country music world, the author does an excellent job of getting the reader to root for the characters throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Erin Hahn for gifting me this ARC. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to what’s next.

Do not judge the book by its cover on this one. I think the cover does not do this justice and makes it seem like just a sweet country romance but instead its more for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six or other music based books. I was confused at the beginning with the time jumps but once it got to the present time, it was easier to keep track of and I loved the characters. I would have enjoyed even more backstory of the characters, their childhoods, etc. but in general I really enjoyed it. It is an open door romance and features friends to lovers and miscommunication.

Summary
Lorelai Jones has returned to Nashville to try to get back her country music career, the one that tanked 8 years ago when she decided to protest gun control laws after yet another school shooting. After spending time in Michigan returning to her teacher roots, Lorelai stepped back into the spotlight for her friends Cameron and Shelby and home design show. Working with one of her best friends, Craig aka Huckleberry aka Huck, Lorelai is getting back to her writing and performing roots. But her ex-fiance (who dumped her via Instagram!) and Craig's former bandmate, Drake, is trying to worm his way back into her life while also stiffing Craig out of songwriting credit for all his music. And Lorelai is afraid that being around her will negatively impact Craig and his music production studio. There is also the little issue of one night together between the two that neither has forgotten and chemistry that remains off the charts...

Review
I fell in love with Erin Hahn last year when I got to read Built to Last as a digital ARC and was thrilled to be selected again. This book is perfection. I was eager for more of Lorelai's story and loved getting to know her even more. Her and Huck and their banter and chemistry and most important, friendship, were on point. I loved revisiting Shelby and Cameron and Michigan. It is just heartwarming to see the strong friendship and how Lorelai and Huck work to prioritize their friendship no matter what. I love books about songs and reading lyrics. I wish there was a way to get soundtracks with all the songs.
I also love how this book, while being a romance, didn't shy away from social issues.

I have been provided with a review copy of Friends Don't Fall in Love from NetGalley for an impartial review. This was just a great read. I just had so much fun reading this story.