Maren and her family came to Cole’s Landing Resort every summer. The resort’s son, Josiah, was Maren’s oldest brother Liam’s best friend. Maren found Josiah attractive but she was just Liam’s little sister. Maren’s fishing buddy was an older man who would take her out to fish. When he died, he gave the bait shop and apartment to Maren. Years later she returns to Cole’s Landing to refurbish her new property after quitting her job and refusing to accept her boyfriend’s proposal. She is happy to be back, sharing time with the Coles and surprised to see Josiah is divorced with two children. This is a wonderful book. Josiah’s 6-year-old daughter has autism and Maren pays attention to her needs and helps Josiah get his children ready for school. Anders loves to fish as much as Maren did as a child and they have an instant bond. Josiah is drawn to Maren, and she finds him very attractive. Now it is just getting Liam to accept them as a couple. I loved how patient Maren was with Josiah and his family. The support Josiah's parents gave him and the support given to Maren by her friends and parents was refreshing.
This book is about accepting what needs to be done, living the life you want, and sharing it with others.

This is the romance novel for the midwesterner’s soul. Maren has just rejected her boyfriend's proposal, left her job, and escaped to Northern Wisconsin where she spent her summers as a child. She goes there to figure out her life and in doing so sparks fly with her brother’s best friend.

I truly enjoyed this romance having spent many childhood vacations fishing and swimming in Wisconsin lakes. I loved both of the main characters and their instant connection. The only reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is because I couldn’t get behind Joe’s exes feelings and actions towards her children. I just really couldn’t fathom a mother acting that way. This book would make the perfect fall read as the leaves are changing color or reading while on vacation up at the lake.

Maren Laughlin has appeared as a side character in other books by Erin Hahn (Built to Last and Friends Don't Fall in Love), but has never been the main character. In Catch and Keep Maren takes center stage. Maren has been living in Michigan, but things have gone awry with both her job and her boyfriend. To get away from all that drama Maren takes a leave of absence to Wisconsin where she grew up. An old friend left her his bait shop/apartment when he died and she decides she'll focus on restoring that while she figures out what to do with her life. What she isn't counting on is Josiah Cole, her older brother's best friend. Maren finds herself spending time with Joe and his two kids on a daily basis, even though her brother, Liam, has told her to stay away from them.

The chapters alternate between Maren and Joe so we get to know what each of them is thinking and feeling. I love this type of writing style. The build up to the romance is slow, but worth it. Everything feels right and nothing feels rushed or ridiculous. Sometimes this type of story feels contrived, but not with Joe and Maren. I did not want to leave this world when the book was over.

If you love a slow burn romance this book is for you. It has some spice without being over the top. This is a great addition to the universe Hahn has built. I hope this isn't the end for this cast of characters. Maybe we need Liam's back story? Anything to keep me in the Michigan/Wisconsin world these characters reside in! Pick up your copy of Catch and Keep in October 2024! Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

Wow! What a treat. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story was full of love, laughter, and so much healing! I adored Maren and Josiah as they learned to love each-other while loving themselves. The family dynamics, the banter, the fishing references, the love!! Gosh I am such a fan. Maren is a wonderful character who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and is such a delight to learn more about. This journey is perfect for those who love the lake, fluffy romances, single dad tropes, lovable characters, self-growth, and healing. Erin, I AM IN LOVE!

This book was great!! I didn’t realize it was a part of a series, but to me did great as a standalone. I loved the small town/ lake romance. I was able to read this book on one setting. I was rooting for Jo and Maren the whole time I was reading. I love the brothers best friend trope so much.

ARC Review -


This was an okay read for me. I'm not going to get too critical here because I found it to be a very readable book. It just wasn't particularly gripping in my opinion. Maybe because I'm not a lake girl? And I don't fish? It sounded good when I read the blurb, but I didn't quite get there for me.

Anyway, brother's best friend/single dad MMC and former fishing YouTuber/best friend's little sister FMC. It felt a little soapy a time or two, and then at times not dramatic enough...but it had some cute moments as well.

If you grew up going to a lake with family or fishing, this could be a great read for you. It leans pretty heavy on the nostalgia factor more than the small town vibe.

While this was a no from me, I don’t think it will be a no for everyone, so I’m giving it a 2 ⭐️.

I’m biased against military romances — or in this case military-adjacent romances with a dad who is either currently or was previously in the military. As a navy brat who grew up with a very selfless, dedicated mother who took charge 99% of the time at home because my father was working, I just can’t get on board with the “my wife got tired of being home alone with the kids all day while I was serving my country and fighting for freedom.”

They tried to make Joe out to be so selfless, so perfect, so dedicated that it ended up making him completely one-dimensional. I’m sorry, in very, very rare instances will you find a military man who is okay with a son wearing pink and painting their nails while the mom has an issue with it. I just don’t think it was very realistic and gave a weird military propaganda-type feel.

(Again, this is probably a product of my own internal biases)

I appreciate the autistic representation, though there were instances of poor labeling (ex. Person with autism vs. autistic person). Again, back to the unrealistic nature, an autistic child is very rarely going to open up to a completely new person within an hour of meeting them, yet it happens straight away in this book. I think this may have just been a lack of thorough research on the author’s part. It was clear a surface-level Google search was done on autistic children and their triggers, but the social aspect of autism wasn’t done justice in this book.

And then there’s Maren— arguably the most unrealistic and one-dimensional character of them all. “Musky Maren” is her nickname which deserves jail time alone. I understand the reference to the fish, but come on… “musky” Maren. All I’m getting is that she smells.

If you like fishing and don’t mind cheesy dialogue, absolutely no stakes, and cringe-worthy inner monologues, I think you’ll enjoy this. I do love a lake resort setting, so that was a bonus point for this, I just think it lacked depth and emotion.

I think the author should stick with YA.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet story of finding your place in the world. Maren flees her job and boyfriend for northern Wisconsin, where she plans to fix up the old bait shop and house that she recently inherited. She immediately runs into Joe, her older brother's childhood best friend, now a single dad running the local resort. They quickly fall into something like a relationship, but have to decide if this is just for the summer--or for keeps.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I had never read anything by this author before and it was such a nice fun light read. Highly recommend!

Maren is just over thirty years old and has decided she wants to change her life and leave her job and she even turned down a proposal from her boyfriend. She is ready to start her live over again and make some lifestyle changes. But while on this journey Maren comes across Joe and he is easy to get along with.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

All in all, this book was cute. An easy read, a good little story filled with heartwarming characters and uncomplicated love. It was a solid three stars for me. My favorite things about this book were excellent communication, and not a ridiculous plot point that tore the mc's apart in the third act. However, it did read a little bland. Sometimes, the MC's felt rather 2D, their attraction stuck on the page and not believable. However, they were still wholesome characters written with good intention.

Definitely recommend if looking for a cute and quick heartwarming romance. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for this eARC!

I really loved this. I loved that the main character was from Michigan, because I’m from there too, so I could relate to Maren in my own way. Maren and Joe have amazing chemistry, they’re so perfect for each other. Joe has an autistic daughter, and I love that the author chose to include that in this book. It’s shown in such a beautiful way, and made me so happy to bring awareness to it. All the characters were great, even though I didn’t care for Liam, and didn’t like Kiley at all, (who would, after what she did??) this book was so heartwarming, like a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside. It was beautifully written, with a great plot, lovable characters and some good spicy scenes. Overall, fantastic read and very well done.

Awwww this book was so sweet. The cover was gorgeous and it matched the goodness inside. Set in Wisconsin, a beautiful backdrop to a wonderful storyline with relatable main characters. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Maren quits her job as a park ranger, turns down a proposal, and leaves to claim her inhertiance, a run down bait shop. cute story.

This book literally has me delulu because tell me why I suddenly want to meet a hot single military veteran with two cute kids!? For real though this book had me giddy I devoured it in like 3 hours I couldn’t put it down. I was head over ass in love with this book and will recommend this to everyone! Read this if you love brothers best friend, small town romance, age gap, single dad…then you need to pick up this book!

What a cute romance novel about friends to lovers. I loved Maren and Joe, the supporting cast of characters and the small town in Wisconsin where the story was set. I felt like the character development was real and relatable. I loved feeling at home reading about the fishing the life in Wisconsin.

I just could not love Erin Hahn's writing more. She tells such good stories with such a beautiful eye for character development and place. I feel fully at home in the places and with the people she describes in each of her books, and this one was no different. Maren and Joe were so wonderful, and even though I've never been to Wisconsin, I felt like I understood the feel of where they were. This was also a really special book to me as the parent of an autistic toddler. Parts of the book were really hard to read, but mostly it was wonderful seeing a family like ours on page and seeing how well the people around them loved Lucy.

What a beautiful cover!! Catch & Keep by Erin Hahn is the perfect summer read! Brother’s best friend, small town romance. This one made me laugh and feel all the feels. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author~

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I loved this book. I have not read anything by Erin Hahn before and this book hooked me right away so I looked up the two books that are companions to this book and devoured them as well. I will definitely be reading more of Erin Hahn in the future.

Brother's best friend is one of my fave tropes, so I was really excited to read this one! And I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. It was sweet and swoony and all the things I wanted. The premise is great, the setting is described vividly, and it feels like you were dropped in a perfect summer getaway. I love the nuances of all the characters, the neurodivergent representation, and the way you rooted for every single one of them. It was a quick read but one that I really enjoyed!

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Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this title. These are my honest thoughts.