i saw this book and the cover immediately hooked me. once i read that it was about fishing, i had to check it out. i did think the stalker was going to turn a little more suspenseful than it was and i found her brother more annoying than necessary, but this was a cute small-town romance with great representation and depth. a great cozy romance to read out by the water!

The simplest way to describe this book is cute and cozy.

We follow the lives of Maren and Joe who have both had troubling past relationships. Maren having just turned down a proposal to her longtime boyfriend and Joe being a divorced single dad of two. They’ve known each other for decades as Joe is Maren’s brothers best friend.

There are so many things I loved about this book. One being the representation of autism in Joe’s daughter, Lucy. The way Lucy is described is very accurate for autism spectrum disorder, and I’m really glad it seems like the author did her research to do the topic justice. Another thing I loved was just the realness of the characters and their development as their own individuals finding themselves, but also finding themselves together. The spicy parts of the book were unmatched as well!

All in all I have zero complaints about this book. I really loved the feel good, happy ending to it. Five stars!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the ARC copy of this book!

I have not previously read any other titles by Erin Hahn, but I can say with certainty, I will be after reading Catch and Keep. It was such an adorable, fun, enjoyable story and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. Maren was a strong MFC and the story actually surprised me (in a good way) at several points. I am not into fishing, camping, etc but this had zero impact on my love of the book. Definitely recommend Catch and Keep

What a fitting end to this trilogy that started with 'Built to Last' (Shelby and Cameron) then 'Friends Don't Fall in Love' (Lorelai and Craig). Finally Maren gets her happy ever after.

This book was just a beautiful and sweet romance, calm and gentle like the Wisconsin lake depicted in the story. I adored how Maren and Joe were with each other. Maren seamlessly slotted into family life with him and his children. I also loved her individual relationships with the kids, especially Anders becoming her fishing partner, like she was as a kid to Foss who bequeathed his fishing shack to her. Her brother really annoyed me but I liked that everyone supported Maren in calling him out over his misogynistic attitudes towards her.

I honestly breezed right through this book, I couldn't put it down. I was also thrilled by the many cameo appearances from Shelby, Cameron, Lorelai and Craig, especially the video chat with the guys. Erin Hahn creates such warm and wonderful characters with heartwarming moments, that she will forever be an auto-buy author for me.

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

Single-dad trope? Sign me up. This was so cute. I loved Joe and Maren and Ander and Lucy and the beautiful family they made. I adorable kids-bonding scenes with the love interest it just warms my heart so much and it gives me so many of those moments. 10/10 recommended

3.5⭐️

"It seems like Joe and I got our start in the middle and once I stopped freaking out about it being wrong, I realized it felt overwhelmilng right."


Our FMC Maren's longterm boyfriend proposes to her, she panics out and takes a leave of absence to move to Northern Wisconsin, where her family used to spend summers. An old family friend left her a house there, and her brothers best friend Joe now runs the resort. Joe is divorced and raising his two children alone, and Maren's brother warns her to stay away.

This was the main conflict- Maren's brother thinks she is impulsive and irresponsible, and that Joe has too much time on his plate. Maren is only in Wisconsin temporarily at first, and he thinks Joe would be left picking up the pieces when leaves. The thing is, her brother wasn't entirely wrong. Was he a jerk about it? Absolutely. But she did take a leave of absence from her job, move out of her apartment and flee Michigan when her fiance- who she didn't even seem to have serious feelings for- proposed.
To make matters worse, later when her brother finds out her and Joe have been seeing each other and freaks out, she AGAIN up and leaves. She decides to 'give them space' because she doesn't want to come in between their friendship? So she just packs a bag and flies out of state, on Thanksgiving weekend?! Just leaves her family who were there to visit her. Yet again her response to conflict was to just run away from it, and then somehow convince everyone that this was the mature thing to do?! Mind boggling to me

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Such a cute and light hearted read! I really enjoyed the interest the main character had in the outdoors and how handy she is. However, the pacing of this book made it difficult for me to get fully invested. The plot felt somewhat slow, then the romance went very quickly, and then the book slowed back down again. I think if the plot had been more steady it would have kept my attention more. With that being said, still a light and easy read that I would recommend.

Do you ever read a book where you can just close your eyes, sigh and imagine yourself there? This is it.

Maren is passed over for a promotion at work and finds out she lost it to none other than her boyfriend (who went behind her back to apply!). He then proceeds to do a very public proposal which ends in Maren fleeing to her comfort place in Northern Wisconsin. She begins fixing up a bait shop/apartment left to her by an old friend while trying to sort out her life. Enter Joe. He is a single dad to two wonderful children and happens to be Maren's older brother's best friend, making him off limits.

I absolutely loved the interactions between Maren and Joe's family. Anders was absolutely precious and I thought that Hahn portrayed Lucy's ASD so well. I was rooting for them all from the very first interaction. The relationship they all formed felt so natural and relatable. There isn't one single thing I would change about their story.

I did not realize that this book was set in the same world as the author's previous books (which I have not read). However, I think it works perfectly as a standalone. It has made me want to pick up the other books because I loved Maren's friends!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Erin Hahn for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED it. There’s an extra side of nostalgia for me since my family vacationed up north in a cabin at a resort with a lake growing up. So it felt like I was right at home along with Maren. This was such a feel good romance. I of course loved Maren and Joe’s story.. but I adored Joe’s relationship with his kids. When I read that he was a Marine and a single dad, I had an idea in my head what kind of father he was. But I was happy to see how he met each of his kids where they were and accepted them for who they were and what they liked and needed. And on top of that how Maren stepped right in to be their missing piece. I thought all the relationships in this book were precious and well thought out. Maren and Fost, Maren and her best friends, and how Maren and Joe’s families grew up together. Maren finding her own way back to her roots and not letting anyone change her was icing on the cake. Maren defending herself to Bryce and her brother and not “needing” a knight in shining armor to do it for her was excellent. It was funny, it was warm and fuzzy, it was all the good stuff! I just really adored this book and couldn’t put it down. I don’t have anything negative to say about it!

A sweet story. A bit predictable but still a nice read. The character development is pretty good and the place descriptions are such that I want to book a cabin for a week or two. An easy to enjoy book.

Absolutely loved this book. It was everything you could ask for in a feel good rom com. Hunky single dad? Check. Adorable kids? Check. Finding herself and what she wanted to do with her life? Check.
The perfect brain break book!

This book offers a quaint escape to a small town where romance gently unfolds between a woman and her best friend's brother. The novel is an easy read, filled with coziness and a well-paced, sweet love story. Characters are distinct and relatable, with a compassionate portrayal of ASD.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. Romance with brothers best friend, and it was such a great story and made me laugh feel all the feels and was such a fantastic book! This will be an auto buy/read author going forward. Highly recommend!!!

I cannot wait to read more of Erin Hahn's books! Truly enjoyable.

4.5/5!
I LOVED this book! I was in a reading slump and this cured it!

All of the characters were amazing and I loved how they all cared for each other. I want to visit wherever the lodge is because it sounds like such a fun time!
The cole family>>>

Maren and Joe's relationship was so natural and sweet I love them. Joes children, Lucy and Anders, were probably my favorite part of this book. Lucy has ASD and the portrayal of navigating meltdowns with patience and understanding is both realistic and heartwarming.

This book had forbidden romance, small town, and brothers best friend!! such cute tropes!!
Thank you so much to Erin Hahn and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this title!!

Love! One word to describe what i felt for this book.

This book was the perfect read for my book slump.

the location of the story sounded so picturesque and made me want to visit.

The characters were lovable. I found myself smiling and not realizing.

This is a hug in a book.

Thank you so much to Erin Hahn and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this title. This book was a great friends to lovers romance. The story moved along quite nicely and didn't feel like it dragged at all. I loved the small town feel. The characters had great chemistry. Would recommend!

I don't fish and have zero knowledge about any fishing terminology (STILL not 100% clear on what a musky is??!) but this book was so freaking cute and cozy. The side character relationships in this book were written so well, I love that we got to see Fost and Maren's bonding over their love of fishing, Joe and Maren's nosy meddling parents, Maren's obtuse, overprotective older brother... it was perfection. Their little family dynamic was so endearing to read about. I also really enjoyed that Joe's kids were almost like main characters as well, it felt very important for the reader to see not only Maren and Joe fall in love, but also get to see Maren and the kids love for each other. Seeing Maren learn Lucy's quirks stemming from her autism and fumble through helping Anders come to terms with his feelings about his mom was really sweet and was handled really well. The stalker bit left a little to be desired; I thought Maren handled the situation well, but I was fully prepared for more drama around that, and it was dealt with kind of quickly at the end, feeling like more of an afterthought.

If you like cute, small town, brother's best friend kind of romance you'll enjoy this! Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc!

I thoroughly enjoyed this friends to lovers story set in Northern Wisconsin. Thirty something year old Maren was a fun character--a former beauty queen whose real passion is fishing. After she turns down a wedding proposal from the same boyfriend who went behind her back to secure the job promotion she'd been working for, she decides to renovate a fishing shop she inherited. She runs into her big brother's bff, who is divorced and has full custody of two small kids. Maren fits seamlessly into their lives, and the process of watching her fall in love was both believable and enjoyable. I'd read more from this author for sure.

The plot was engaging and the writing was beautifully descriptive. I found myself completely immersed in the story and couldn't put it down. I think this ARC will be extremely popular once released. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming and captivating read.

“Please … you’re terrible at fishing. I obviously caught you”

older brother’s best friend at the lake .. say less!!


“And you’re everything I didn’t think I wanted but now I don’t know if I could live without.”