This was a slow burn romance, with a friends to lovers theme, and had a lot more heat at times that I would have expected. The two protagonists are both leaders in the country music world. There's a lot of history there, which is covered throughout the book, and we follow their story as it unfolds over several years (though primarily in the latest). They fumble their way through trying to be friends with benefits, don't communicate very well, and finally find their happily ever after. It's the journey you'll appreciate.

loved this 2nd book about friends to lovers. I loved that they were both writers but bad at taking to each other. Loved the slow burn romance. Loved her friends and great to see the couple from the 1st book. I would love to know what happened to drake lol but I can't wait to read about Maren.

I enjoyed this book so much - being a country music fan definitely helped. I loved that it was dual POV and the friends to lovers was done so well. I feel like the gravity of a change in the relationship like this is often skipped over in books, but this book did a great job of giving us a front row seat to the evolution. I loved the characters and was rooting for them!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Note: content warnings are listed at the end of this review.

This takes place in the same world as “You’d Be Mine” and “Built to Last”. You can read “Friends Don’t Fall In Love” without reading either of those but I recommend catching up with those two books afterwards, if you didn’t read them beforehand. For greatest enjoyment, I’d read the others first.

This books starts off six years ago with brief snippets of country star Lorelai’s life before her country music career imploded and she went back to Michigan to teach elementary school. The flashbacks focus on her life with her ex-fiancé Drake Colter and his bandmate/her best friend Craig “Huck” Huckleberry Boseman.

Present time, Lorelai is back in Nashville after writing a song for her friends Shelby and Cameron. She lives in the other half of Craig’s duplex while working with him, at his studio, on some new music.

This book centers on these two best friends who are oblivious to the others feelings. Will they figure things out? Will Lorelai make it back in country music after her big faux pas? Will we get any cameos from previous books?

I really liked this one. The two leads were sweet, smart, funny, and had good heads in their shoulders. I very much enjoyed watching them bumble through their feelings and relationship, all while being incredibly supportive of each other and their own friends.

I was delighted to see former MC’s return. This is one of my all time favorite things…if you like that too, you will not be disappointed. I’m just hoping we get one more book in this “series” … please? It’s RIGHT THERE. Cough, Wisconsin, cough.

The new supporting characters were well developed … Arlo and Dr. Josh were hilarious and super fun additions.

I was thrilled to see a main character in a romance who has celiac. We need more representation all around, and imho, this was well done and appreciated. (I do not have celiac, though.)

There were several scenes that made me laugh out loud, scenes that made me cheer, and more. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a friends to lovers romance with a country star twist.

CW: discussion of preparing for school shootings at an elementary school and gun violence general.

Friends Don't Fall in Love follows the story of Lorelai and Craig as they navigate the way that they feel about each other after years of being best friends. Lorelai, once a country music sweetheart, is looking to get back into music's good graces after making a social faux-paus by taking a political stand in front of a crowd at one of her concerts. The results of singing her truth and lobbying for gun reform in front of a crowd of country lovers? Her tour was cancelled, she was cancelled and her fiancé broke up with her over social media. At her lowest point, her best friend Craig is there. One magical night, they sleep together and leave it at that. Years pass and Lorelai wants to make it back into the scene, and Craig's record label is just the place to do it. Will they be able to resist temptation?

This book was such a cute read. Friends to lovers is incredibly underrated. I enjoy the slow burn and the tension and all of the build up that leads to two people finding out that the person they needed was in front of them all along. Erin Hahn's characters are fierce, undeniably down to earth and relatable in a way that made this read really enjoyable. The spice was done just right, the tension and the build was absolutely tantalizing. This book is a smash hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erin Hahn for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I loved Built to Last, but this was a masterpiece. Really, I have no notes. Erin has a way of making you fall in love with her characters individually, which makes them as a couple all the more believable and someone you really want to root for. This is how you do friends to lovers. We knew Lorelei was kick ass, and this really proved it. Craig is a top 5 book boyfriend who really knows how to play the long game, but most importantly, how to be a male friend who is not creepy. I loved the look into the music industry this time, and how fickle it can be. Wait I lied, I do have one note and that is I would’ve liked to see Lorelei and Melissa interact at least once, that could’ve made for some really funny scenes. Either way, Erin you have outdone yourself and i’m hoping to see Maren’s happy ending next.

Having enjoyed Erin Hahn's books in the past (particularly "Built to Last"), I was excited to see that she had a new book coming out. Her newest book, "Friends Don't Fall in Love", is centered around Lorelai and Craig, who have been friends for years and years. Lorelai is a country musician who seems to have it all: a successful career and famous fiance. However, once everything falls apart, she turns to her friend Craig, a songwriter and record label owner to help her. Craig has been in love with Lorelai for years, but is surprised when he finds out that she has feelings for him too. Through their easy friendship and hot chemistry, the two find that they work best together.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the two had easy chemistry. This book was fun to read and I look forward to Hahn's next book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

this was cute, i love a good friends to lover type book. the plot was good (sometimes a little slow, but we still moved.) i loved the country artist aspect of it all, very fun. it was something different which i’m always looking for. also the many mentions to taylor <3

thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Another delightful romance by Erin Hahn! I loved this friends-to-lovers stories, especially with the cameos from much-loved characters from her other books and the themes of the cost of fame and putting art/music into the world. I was worried that an ex showing up might mean second-guessing & poor boundaries, but I loved seeing those moments develop our leading lady's strength. There's lots of pining and steamy moments, so if open door romance isn't your favorite this one might not be the best for you. As a gluten free girl, I loved the way the struggle to socialize and enjoy good food with others was shown in the midst of a celiac diagnosis, without it being too much focus. Lots to love in this story for me!

Oh Erin! It’s magical. You break our hearts and then carefully piece them back together. Thank you for sharing Huck and Lore with us as well as bringing back so many dear friends. Sweet, sexy, sensitive…all the feels. I fluffing love this one!

I'll give this book a 3.75. I wanted to be completely in love with this book, but its just not my favorite unfortunately. I felt myself connecting with built to last way more. I feel like this book suffered from establishing a lack of personal connection and i feel like it went straight to sex, which is just not my favorite trope. I dont usually like friends with benefits. I also felt like there was too much focus on the music career and not enough with the couple. In the end its a cute read, I feel like people who love music careers, friends with benefits turned to love and friends to lovers would like it, but it fell flat to me.
Thank you netgalley for this arc.

I was absolutely obsessed with this book from start to finish! I LOVED being able to read about Lorelai's story, after her absolutely badassery rallying her troops in "Built to Last," Erin Hahn's first novel in this universe. Lorelai's storyline continues after we left off in Built to Last, with helpful flashbacks into Lorelai and Craig's history. I really enjoyed the musical themes and how the MCs were stationed in Nashville for most of the story. I feel like I could really hear the songs they were describing so perfectly. 5 stars for this excellent book, I can't wait to read more by Erin Hahn and I hope she focuses on our girl Maren next :)

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

While this was definitely a fun and sweet story and I enjoyed the characters, I found the story to also be a bit boring. It didn't particularly hold my interest.

I thought this was a fantastic follow up to built to last. I adore Hahn’s writing and the way she gives her characters such full, rich lives. This book is sweet and chaotic and fun and emotional and just an altogether fantastic read. Highly recommend!

I didn't realize when I requested this, but this is connected to BUILT TO LAST -leading lady country singer on the come back trail Lorelei was friends with the starring pair from that book:)

This part of the cover blurb sums the story up perfectly "Erin Hahn’s Friends Don’t Fall in Love is about long-time friends, taking chances, and finding out that, sometimes, your perfect person was right there in your corner all along."

Friends to lovers is my catnip, especially when the friends part of the story is well established before the lovers part kicks and even more so when one of the friends has been secretly carrying a torch forever. I loved the leading man Craig who is talented and supportive (and whose torch for Lorelei burns so bright). Lorelei is quite charming in the lead and I loved seeing her stand her ground with some douchey people.

I thought the flavor of the recording industry careers and song lyrics really added to the story as well. With some friends with benefits action going on the steam level is high (I skim these steamy stuff now days, but there wasn't so much that I felt Iost any of the basic story). There's a nice cameo for the past pair from the previous book and bits that look to set up maybe two more stories - can't wait.

All in all FRIENDS DON'T FALL IN LOVE was a total win for me.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Expected publication October 17, 2023. This is an unpaid review.

Erin Hahn deserves more credit as one of the best writers in contemporary romance right now. Built to Last was one of my favorite novels of 2022, and three months into 2023, I’m sure this will make my best-of-the-year list.

Lorelai and Craig have such incredible chemistry and banter from the very beginning. If you’re looking for an electric ‘friends (with benefits) to lovers’ story, this is the romance for you.

I love a book set in the music industry, but this is the first country music romance I’ve come across. Would love for this to get an adaptation someday so that I can hear all the beautiful lyrics in this book come to life! The Nashville setting is also really rich, almost as much a character as Lorelai or Craig.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy!

i cant say enough good things about this book it was funny, entertaining and very much what i hoped it would be. You get some character's from the book before and enjoy new ones, and it was fun to watch craig and lorlelei fall in love after being friends

I loved Erin Hahn's follow-up to Built to Last. Lorelai and Craig were amazing together and their friends to lovers story was completely authentic and believable. I loved the glimpses of Shelby and Cameron and can't wait to see my favorite couples again in Maren's story next!

Loralei "Jones" Jones and Craig "Huckleberry" Boseman are two song writers who are really playing the long game in this friends-to-more contemporary romance. They have a special connection and terrible timing. They can collaborate on a song as easy as breathing but seem to be unable to communicate outside of the bubble of music production. They are so hot for each other and yet.... This book is all about trying not to lose the one you want to hold close to you in the most precious ways. It's about being able to see the potential in yourself that others see in you, even though the world has taken you for a rough tumble and has told you in big bold letters "you messed up,' while your conscience is saying "you are right on track.'.
I loved this story just as much as all of Erin Hahn's previous books. She has original song lyrics and poetry scattered through out and it's fun to see these two work out their personal relationship through music. If books where the main conflict is miscommunication bothers you, this might not be your jam, though.
Thank you so much for the ARC!!

Just as sweet and swoony as Built to Last! Lorelei Jones is a feisty country star that I wish I knew in real life, and Craig Boseman is too cute for words. I enjoyed the banter and inside jokes, as well as the musical references and steamy scenes.