This was such a cute book.
It was a quick read and so sweet.
Maren and Jo are so cute together and you root for them the whole book. Jo’s kids are so sweet and I love when he sticks up to Maren’s brother when the brother puts Maren down in front of him.

Will definitely read more books by this author!!!

This charming novel blends the tropes of single-dad romance and forbidden love with a heartwarming twist: one of the children is autistic. The protagonist, Maren, brings a refreshing perspective. Her love for fishing, and her friendship with a grandfather figure, adds a unique detail to her character. It's also what brings her home after a humiliating proposal when she realizes her life is going the wrong way.

Maren's journey of integrating back into her hometown is beautifully portrayed. The slow burn between her and Joe is masterfully crafted, with playful banter and deep-seeded friendship (and a little spice).

The children, Lily and Noah, are not simply plot devices. The portrayal of navigating meltdowns with patience and understanding is both realistic and heartwarming. As a mother of a child with a sensory processing disorder, I know how challenging this can be.

This is a heartwarming, easy-to-read love story.

A big thank you to NetGalley for providing this delightful read.

This book absolutely warmed my heart. I loved the authenticity of this childhood friends to lovers relationship, with a hint of second chance. Maren and Joe were lovable characters. I love the small town feel of this book and the interconnectedness of the characters. I also love the way that Maren loves Joe daughter without abandon. Overall this was a beautifully authentic love story that had the right amount of spice, sweet moments and heartbreak. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and this publisher for the ARC!

Catch and Keep is a romance set at a small lakeside resort with Maren, our pageant queen/fishing extraordinaire and single father, Joe, who is both her older brother's best friend and single dad to two lovely children, one of whom has been diagnosed with autism.

I loved the caregiver representation for a child with autism -- it's clear that Joe has had to adapt in many ways to establish a routine that works for our girl Lucy, and this is portrayed rather thoughtfully while working to advance our understanding of why Maren is a good fit for this family. This book takes its time, but that time is spent creating a romance that felt realistic even after that initial spark of attraction. I appreciated the pacing, and feel this would be a great book for anyone looking to sit down by the water this summer and just enjoy watching two people fall in love and fit together.

I could have done without the small stalker plot point, since it ultimately was never a major part of the story, but - I mean, I did appreciate that it fleshed out Maren's character a bit better, as she grows to understand herself, how she's underestimated, and wrap her mind around the way in which social media impacted her in her youth. None of this was immensely mind-blowing to me, so was neither here nor there, personally.

Lots of great spice starting around the halfway point, and I doubly loved that there was NO third act breakup!! Yay!! None of that stupidity from our main character who made smart decisions and never felt childish despite being accused of such.

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars to this book -- it was a well-written, thoughtful, and great book; and also nothing that stood out to me in my cup of tea. This book is for the true romance book lovers of the world, who want to see and understand two people falling in love, and derive joy from that love!

What an absolutely sweet story! Im grateful for the chance to read this book as an ARC (thank you NetGalley and team!). I hadn’t read the other two in the series, but since they’re standalone stories it definitely wasn’t necessary (but I will be going back to read the other two!)

If you spent any time on a lake or in the woods growing up, or even love to go as an adult, this book will absolutely give you that nostalgic feeling. The imagery really transported me to the resort and the lake and I just felt so at peace reading it!

Maren and Joe’s love story was sweet and gentle, but I really loved the story of them coming together and the way she loved and accepted his kids as well. I also loved the friendships, not only with Lorelai and Shelby, but her friendship with Fost was genuine and pure as well.

This is a great book for anyone looking for a feel-good story that’s filled nostalgia, hope, and love.

okay.. so i wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as i did! the plot was fairly fast-paced, altho slow in the beginning and took alot of brain power to push through and im glad i did! the characters were funny and light-hearted, and i liked their growth and development throughout the book. yall know im a SUCKER for single dad trope and i loved the representation in this book. will definitely be recommending! so fun!

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

I thoroughly enjoyed the lightness of this book, how the main character with very handy and outdoorsy. And that Joe's kids were welcomed to be exactly who they are.

That being said, I felt the story line itself was pretty slow - until it went too fast, and then it was slow again. At times it felt like plot line whiplash, and I couldn't figure out the tempo of the story.

On top of that, the character development seemed to be lacking quite a bit in this book. For such a long book invested in mainly two characters (plus the two small kids) I would have expected more development with the characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you!

Opinions are my own, however.

I'm an avid romance reader and enjoy Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Ali Hazlewood, Rachel Lynn Solomon and Katherine Center. I've just added Erin Hahn to my list after reading her latest and my first Hahn novel. This story had me thinking about the similarities with Jimenez's "Part of Your World" in the way that the love interests in both books must learn to adapt to each other's circumstances and do this in a very natural, and easy way.

While the novel's Prologue with the flashback had me concerned for a half second about where the story was going, starting with chapter 1, it had me hooked pretty much.

Maren is a fishing expert and former park ranger who moves back to the Northwoods in Wisconsin, where she spent her Summer days as a child and then again as a young adult. Josiah "Joe" Cole is Maren's brother's Liam's best friend and his family runs the resort in the town Maren has escaped too. There are fireworks from their very first encounter as adults and while the romance is a slow build (this is friends-to-lovers) the pay-off when it gets there is well worth it.

Joe is a single dad with two kids, one of whom has Autism Spectrum Disorder. I thought the book demonstrated sensitivity and high awareness of Autism and its inclusion was organic and positive. Maren's friends (and really all the ensemble of supporting characters) are a hoot.

Like any good romance novel, the story is ultimately about the protagonist's journey into self-discovery and advocacy and this one fit the bill beautifully.

Highly recommend!

I loved this book! There were so many parts of this book that tugged at my heartstrings.

Maren, after throwing up on her boyfriend's shoes as he was proposing, ran to an old apartment and bait shop she was left by an old friend from her past. This lake, this place, is her happy place. She finds her calm and peace there. This is the story of Maren and how she unexpectedly finds her happily ever after.

One of the things I loved most about this book, was the relationship between Maren and the two children. Having been told by her big brother, over and over again that she wasn't good enough or too immature, she didn't think twice about falling in love with the two children who absolutely needed her. She was strong, patient and loving to two wonderful children she was just getting to know. That part of the story was so wonderful.

I found the story so interesting coming from both the perspective of Joe and of Maren. They saw things in different ways, yet were experiencing the same feelings. They were both coming from a different place of hurt, but found ways of healing and calming each other without really trying. It was an easy and comfortable relationship. Erin Hahn kept the story moving with the building tension between the two characters, but also with Maren's relationships with the others in the story.

I would definitely recommend this to others and I will definitely read this again in the future, along with other novels by the same author.

Maren turns down a proposal from her boyfriend that stole her job, puked on his shoes, and ran to the only place that’s ever felt like home to her; a resort in Wisconsin where she has spent her whole life fishing. A mentor has left her his bait shop and apartment which she plans on fixing up. While there, resort owner and her brother’s best friend, Josiah Cole, and his two children grow close to Maren and she starts to reconsider the life and home she thought she would have.

This was an enjoyable read! The dialogue was very well done and I enjoyed the banter between Maren and Joe. The way they melted seamlessly into each other’s lives was beautifully written. Maren’s character development throughout the novel and how she learned about all the different types of love was my favorite thing about this story. The reader grew with Maren as the story went on and watching her relationship grow with Joe’s kids was so sweet.

The romance! There was some unexpected but nevertheless exciting spice and it seemed like Maren and Joe just got each other in a way that was honest and real. The slow burn in this one was very satisfying!

There was an underlying element of suspense in the stalker subplot which I’m not sure benefitted the story as much as it could have. It felt like it popped up pretty randomly throughout the book and the conclusion of that particular storyline was a little anticlimactic. Also felt a little weird to end the regular portion of the novel that way.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and it’ll be perfect for reading on the lake or outdoors this fall!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you love..
Brother’s best friend
Dual POV
Single dad
Slow burn
Fall on the lake vibes
Building relationships and community through outdoorsy activities like fishing

This was my first book by Erin Hahn and I absolutely LOVED it!

I thought this was a perfect and heartwarming small town romance. I loved the way Maren and Joe’s relationship developed. It was organic and sweet. I enjoyed that Joe was always showing up and taking care of Maren. I thought it was precious. Maren’s compassion towards Anders and Lucy was also positive and heart warming. I thought Erin’s portrayal of autism was done perfectly. I really appreciated how little conflict and tension there was between Maren and Joe. Their relationship was a breath of fresh air for me and I enjoyed how mature their communication felt.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the Bryce storyline. I could have done without that part of the story and I think I would have enjoyed the story just as much if not more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Especially, if you are looking for a heartwarming romance.

This was such a cute book! I am a sucker for a brother's best friend romance AND a hot single dad. I know about next to nothing about fishing but thankfully I didn't have to. This book opens up with Maren throwing up on her (now ex) boyfriend when he tried to propose to her and then her running away back to Wisconsin. It was so nice to see Maren come to terms with some things in her life and then watch as her feelings that she had for her brother's best friend Josiah or Joe as he's called throughout the book grow. The kids were written well as a lot of the times, kids are written too young for the age they're portrayed. Having one of the kids be autistic really showcased the troubles that parents of kids with ASD go through and seeing the absolute love that Maren had for both of his kids and trying to make them all feel included was so heartwarming. There were funny parts of the book but also touching parts of this book as well. Overall, this was such a great story.
My only complaint would be that the side story of why she shut down her YouTube with the creepy comments followed by the creepy guy kinda didn't go anywhere and seemed to just be in there to add a little bit of mystery/tension.

FMC Maren has just blown up her life by turning down a marriage proposal and quitting her job to inherit a decrepit bait shop. She meets local resort owner and single dad, Josiah, with whom she falls into an easy companionship. A swoony, friends to lovers romance that will have you rooting for Maren and Josiah to continue choosing each other.

This book is quite literally, a breath of fresh air. Set against the beautiful setting of the Northwoods in Wisconsin. This book had me wanting to grab a fishing pole and settle back beneath a canopy of pine trees. I don’t even fish but I may just throw a line or two into a lake soon!

Maren may be the annoying best friend’s little sister and Joe may be her brother’s annoying best friend. But maybe, just maybe, there’s more there. Spoiler alert: there is (!!! 🥰😍❤️)

Besides the sweet love story that Erin paints for us. One of my favorite parts was Joe’s adorable children! I fell in love with them just as much as Maren found herself falling for them too!

His oldest, Anders has such a sweet spirit and his love for others just lights up the page. Then there’s sweet Lucy! I love the way Erin portrayed autism, she did it perfectly. These kids stole the story and they’ll steal your hearts as well.

So grab a fishing pole or just lay a blanket out under a tree and dive into this little slice of heaven that Erin so perfectly created.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

TBH ,

it took me a while to get into t his book , but once I got into it I truly fell in love, Maren and Joey had such a cute story that hit home .
ARC from NetGalley and St. Martins Press

I enjoyed Built to Last, the first book in this debut adult romance trilogy by one of my favourite YA authors Erin Hahn, and book 2, Friends Don't Fall in Love ranks as top 2 personal favourite by her. I was looking forward to reading Maren's story, even more so after the little hints dropped in the previous book. Catch and Keep mostly delivered on that front. Maren and Josiah are both lovable characters, and I especially loved reading about Joe's kids (there is a sensitive autistic rep present). I've never been on a lake vacation, so I didn't have any personal reference points (which I imagine would add even more enjoyment to the experience), but it was transporting in Erin's capable hands (even though I'll never be interested in going fishing, if I'm honest). There was one plot thread that felt underdeveloped throughout (trigger warning for stalking), but Maren and Joe's journey from best friend's younger sister and older brother's best friend to being in love was very compelling. Oh and it was great to have Shelby, Cameron, Lorelai, and Craig pop in with squee-worthy special appearances.

This is a single dad, older brother’s best friend romance. One of the children is autistic, which makes their story even more interesting and lovable as she falls for his 2 children and they fall for her. And did I mention the dog? Her dog plays a big part in the story which I loved.

Maren is a great FMC and I really enjoyed her love for fishing. She had a bond with an old man growing up that taught her to fish and I loved this part of the story and how much impact she made on his life.

Joe is super lovable too. They have a slow burn for sure. The chemistry between them during the few spicy scenes were great & I actually wish we got a few more of those scenes.

I also enjoyed the banter between her and her friends during the few text messages where they discuss their life and relationships.

I gotta say I did not like her brother at all. Even when he apologized, I still hate him and don’t forgive him.

The last 1/3 of the book was my favorite when they finally become a true family. This is a good heartwarming love story.

I really enjoyed reading Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn. It was so sweet and I loved Maren and Josiah together! I didn’t realize this was part of an interconnected standalone series and now I want to go back and read all of Erin Hahn’s other books!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review.

Absolutely loved this sweet and spicy romance. This was adorable and I especially appreciated that it seemed like it was going to veer into fake-dating but avoided it. Overall the characters felt nuanced and the connection felt authentic. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have loved every Erin Hahn book I’ve read (all 5 of them) and this one was no exception. I didn’t see this coming as the conclusion to the adult series she’s been writing when it first started but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Can’t wait to see what she writes next!!