I loved it when the friends fell in love~

This book is so charming! I have never read a book from Erin Hahn before, but I certainly will check out more. The love story was well-paced, and I enjoyed seeing the flashbacks to the first time they got together, and how that bond transformed into friends (and obviously more).
I adored Lorelai and Huck, but the supporting characters were just as entertaining, and the Nashville / country music scene really made the story come to life. It was the perfect balance of a little spiciness and a lot of sweetness for me!

This book started slow, but I got more invested in the characters as the story went on. It was cute and spicy, and I liked having the dual POV. Craig was sweet, and Lorelei was fierce. The miscommunication annoyed me, but I guess there has to be a conflict. Overall, it was an enjoyable friends to lovers romance.

I am a big fan of Erin Hahn’s books, so I was so excited to see she had a new one coming out! I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped I would. I thought it was really cute, just not my favorite. This book had a celebrity friends to lovers trope, and that’s not a favorite of mine. I did like the connection between the characters and the country music aspect. I know others loved this one, so I do recommend checking it out!

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

If you're a fan of friends to lovers, he falls first, and country music then Friends Don't Fall in Love needs to be added to your TBR! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Friends Don't Fall in Love is the perfect novelization of the song "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. This book is a spicy, romance novel and a straightforward friends to lovers trope.

Hahn's style balances more light hearted concepts such as a country star/Nashville darling with more serious topics such as the main character's desire to bring focus on gun control or politics. Overall the dance is done well, but there are a few spots where the writing gets clunky. It is almost as if Hahn is trying to fit more than is really necessary in order to give her novel depth beyond what is called for in a straight romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to review this novel.

I love Erin Hahn and will always read her books. I was grateful to get this one as an ARC via NetGalley.

Overall, this book was fairly middle of the road for me, hence the 3 star rating. It wasn't that I didn't like the characters, but I felt a bit of the story and their background was given a shortcut, given that 1) we met the FMC as a friend in a previous book and 2) the storyline is about two country musicians who fall in love and explore that via music. Normally that's a storyline that will draw me right in. However, this storyline has already been loosely explored in a different way via yet another of Hahn's books, and characters from two previous books (at least) appear in this story. So I can't recommend this book as a standalone, as I think some shortcuts are taken and you'd miss a lot. Because of this, the story also felt familiar and repetitive, and not in a great way (the Dixie Chicks parallels also were hard for me to ignore). I'm hoping her next book will stretch Hahn out of this comfort zone into a newer fresher world.

I'm an Erin Hahn fan, so when I saw this book come up on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it.

Friends Don't Fall in Love is a sweet, spicy, friends-to-lovers book set in the world of country music. This is a second book in a series -- but if you haven't read the first book, that's okay! You'll still fall in love with both of these characters. Lorelei James, singer/songwriter and Craig "Huck" Huckleberry Boseman, songwriter and producer (and secret exotic poetry writer) have been friends for years. After Lorelei's career and relationship with Huck's bandmate imploded, the two share one spicy night together. But, Lorelei left Nashville and her country music dreams behind. But now, an older and wiser Lorelei returns to Nashville hoping to reclaim her career and the only person that can help is Huck. Brought back to together after several years apart, it doesn't take long for the line between friendship and lovers starts to blur. But can Lorelei and Huck juggle their careers, their friendship and their feelings for one another?

Hahn really knocked it out of the park with this book. It's sweet and funny but also has a lot of great LGBTQIA rep in it. It also has the right level of spice in it as well!

If you're looking for a fun, well-written adult romance, then you need to add this to your list asap!!

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am such a sucker for friends to lovers. I am a sucker for some good steam. I am a sucker for literally all the things this book was! I mean, can you say CHEMISTRY? Holy smokes what a nice surprise.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press! This was a cute read! I got through it pretty quickly whereas in some celeb books I do not. Can't wait to read others by Erin Hahn - but I'll probably do audiobooks instead. I'll get through them much quicker!

Engaging story and characters up. Rated a 3 because at some point halfway I started loosing interest in the main characters. Overall I enjoyed it but something was missing to make it a 4 or 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin Hahn and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly just loved these characters so much. I loved that they were older, best friends and one character lives with a chronic condition. I love supportive partners and they were just swoon worthy. This whole novel was perfection and I can’t wait for the authors next novel!

After reading and enjoying Built to Last by Erin Hahn, I was really looking forward to Friends Don't Fall in Love which I ended up really enjoying as well! I really liked Craig and Lorelei's characters and loved that we got dual POV. I liked seeing both their relationship and careers progress over the course of the book. I enjoyed their chemistry and was rooting for them to end up together, but I did find maybe there was a little bit too much miscommunication as I wish they would have shared their feelings a little bit sooner than they did, but I get that they wanted to protect their friendship too. There was a lot of cute moments (the caretaking moment when Craig looks after Lorelei when she wasn't feeling well) and some spicy ones too. I thought it was so fun that there were songs that went with each chapter and enjoyed the song lyrics and text messages that were incorporated throughout the book. I loved seeing appearances and mentions of Shelby & Cameron from Built to Last too!

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for a friends to lovers romance that centres around the music industry (specifically the country music scene) with dual POV and some spice, check out Friends Don't Fall in Love! This was my second book by Erin Hahn, and it will not be my last. I'm looking forward to reading Maren's story in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Friends Don't Fall in Love slowly wooed me to the friends to lovers trope. Having read Hahn's previous novel, Built to Last, it was fun entering back into a familiar world. Even though this is a romance, it wasn't all easygoing and hiccup free. Lorelai has a lot to work through from her past and reentering her singing career. I loved the flashbacks and pining, but even more I loved how Craig is there for Lorelai every step of the way and they care for and protect each other as friends first.

Not to start this review off so generic, but I really loved reading this book! Such a classic friends to lovers romcom. I typically am not a huge celebrity romance fan, apparently EXCEPT when it involves country music. Then I’m all in!! Aside for a few weird time hops in the beginning, I can’t think of anything I would change!!
4.5⭐️

When I finished Erin Hahn’s last novel, Built to Last, I shamelessly begged the author to write a spin-off featuring Shelby’s friend, Lorelei Jones. Imagine my joy when she replied (!) and said that was the next book! Long story short, I’ve been looking forward to this book since I first met this character a year ago. And Lorelei’s own book, Friends Don’t Fall in Love, did not disappoint!

Lorelei Jones’s career and life fell apart when she used her platform to make a public statement against gun violence. Country music as a whole, her manager, and even her fiancé all abandoned her as a result. Lorelei returned to Michigan, where she taught elementary school and thought she let go of her music dreams… until the events in Built to Last brought her back to her music. Stepping into the spotlight to support her friends, Lorelei discovered her fans were still there for her. With more songs building up in her mind, she returns to Nashville to try again in Friends Don’t Fall in Love. This time, she knows her ex-fiancé Drake is no good…even if he keeps literally showing up on her doorstep. But Huck, his ex-bandmate and her longtime friend, has always been good with her and for her. Their songwriting skills combined are revealing unexpected feelings and off the charts chemistry.

There’s so much about this book to love: the witty banter, friends to lovers, using one’s voice and platform for good, building community that values you for who you are, and Celiac representation. As someone with a fairly recent diagnosis that requires a lot of dietary restrictions, it was refreshing to see that on the page. Though I don’t have Celiac’s, I do have to be careful about what, and where, I eat. Seeing a character navigate that same scenario was reassuring, and it’s handled so well.

I also appreciate this statement, shared on Hahn’s website and social media, regarding Friends Don’t Fall in Love, “Lorelai Jones and I have both spent time in the classroom and this subject is very close to our hearts. Please take care when reading.” This is such a caring and beautiful way of preparing readers, without scaring anyone off.

Once again, Hahn crafts relatable, intriguing characters. Dual POV, interstitial song lyrics, and flashbacks show the course of this coupling’s friendship and feelings. And once again, I’m hopeful for a spinoff with yet another character– this time Shelby and Lorelei’s friend, Maren. But this time, I already know Maren’s story is coming and I don’t have to beg the author on Instagram!

Lorelei and Huck are such fun characters, with real heart and depth. Their family, found family, and friends they choose to build community with are wonderful to see. The long-distance friendship representation is also top-notch, and it’s just lovely to see real life experiences on the page like that. Our worlds are big, and we have to make an effort to stay connected. The group chat texts, video chat calls, and travel adds to the realistic aspect while bringing more humor and heart to the characters.

Ooh, for my friends who read this blog more for KidLit content– this is not KidLit! This is an adult romance and the spiciness level is not low. (I’d rank it around 4 out of 5 for spice!)

This was such a fun read, and I can’t wait for Maren’s book, too! I loved picking up on the hints of what is in store for her sprinkled in Lorelei’s book. This friend group is just delightful, and I love getting to see characters from past books further along in the timeline.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love is available now. Thank you to author Erin Hahn, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC such that I could share my honest opinion.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

This book started a little slow for me, and I also found it a little hard to follow in the beginning. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, especially because they refer to each other as first names sometimes and last names other times.

The friends to lovers was a bit of a slow burn that didn’t make much sense. They had previously had a one night stand, which they both enjoyed, so it didn’t make a lot of sense why it took them both so long to finally get together.

Overall I did enjoy the authors writing, and the characters were enjoyable.

Lorelai Jones was once a country music star on the rise. Then she made a professional faux pas, striking the wrong chord with the media. Suddenly Lorelai found herself going from country music’s sweetheart, to fodder for a cliched country song.

Rejected by her fans AND her superstar fiancé, Lorelai flees the music scene, hiding out as a school teacher. But as the old saying goes, you can take the girl out of country, but not the country out of the girl. That’s when Lorelai decides to reach out to songwriter and old pal, Craig Boseman, one of the few people she feels she can still trust from the old days.

While time has moved on, Craig’s feelings for Lorelai have not. Still, he harbors no illusion that she will ever feel the same. Putting his pining aside, Craig agrees to help reboot Lorelai’s career. But partnering with Lorelai stirs up more than just feelings for the singer, it also dredges up feelings of professional self worth.

As the two spend more time together, the more Lorelai sees Craig in a different light. Acting on their impulses might put Craig in a time out from the friend zone, however their hookup still leave both parties secretly shook up. Still, the bigger question remains-can Craig they rewrite his lovers lament into an epic love song?

Friends Don’t Fall In Love had a few of my favorite story elements - musical romance and friends to lovers frivolity. Despite all of this, I found myself wanting to love this story far more than I did. I can’t tell if it was a case of it’s not you it’s me, but I just didn’t find myself connecting with the characters or their journey.

I absolutely adored this book. Lorelei and Huck here so dang perfect and cute together. Their friendship was strong but their love was stronger. They both wanted to do for the other and that was amazing to see. I liked how their relationship progressed and even how they put a stop to everything once Huck realized he wanted more. I loved the supporting characters and laughed plenty of times with this one. I can’t wait to read another Erin Hahn book! She doesn’t disappoint!

Sad to say I did not fall in love with this.

I think the challenge for me is because I have not read all the books set in this universe -- BTW, nowhere in the summary does this say it's part of a larger interconnected world -- I had a hard time keeping track of the characters, caring about these characters and felt like I was missing out on not knowing everyone's backstory. While this is probably meant as a standalone, I just felt disconnected from the story.

Strangely, what led me to pick up this book was Erin Hahn's young adult You'd Be Mine which I read over 4 years ago and many books in between. I recall the cover, remembering it was well written and had a similar country western theme BUT since that was the 1st in this universe, it was uncomplicated and easier to follow. This just didn't work for me.

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.