Great at first, sweet and lovely. But then it gets all mussed up with nonsense for a bit and the romance isn’t as hot as it should be. What kind of adult still says finger bang? I kinda agreed with Liam that both Marne and Joe acted like kids for quite a bit. Maren proved them right too by running off at the first sign of trouble. Immaturity at its best. At least the setting and rest of the family stuff was nice.

I love this book!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After having an embarrassing and disastrous breakup Maren runs back to the place she always loved the most. She claims her inheritance of a run down apartment and bait shop in Wisconsin. While trying to fix it up she runs into her brothers best friend, Josiah. He’s a single dad with an autistic daughter living his life up on the lake running the family hotel. Maren starts to find that hanging around Josiah and his family is easy and lovely and just might be everything she ever wanted.

This book was so good! I loved maren and the growth she had. Her learning to stand up for herself was also really great. Josiah was a dreamboat! I love when young children are included in books and written well and Hahn did not disappoint in writing Anders and Lucy! I also thought she handled the topic of autism so delicately and well.

A little spoiler ahead ——
There was no third act breakup! I adore that! It made me kick my feet and giggle and just yessss 👏🏼👏🏼

Much appreciation to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

I was hesitant at first because I’m not usually one for books fully based on things like sports and definitely not a fishing person, but I adored this book. I honestly was hooked (pun intended), and couldn’t stop reading.

I’m always a sucker for friends to lovers romance, but I enjoyed the care given toward the difficult things both had been through as well as the thoughtfulness around what it is like to date when you already have kids.

I really appreciated that it was the male lead, Josiah/Joe, who was the one with custody after the divorce. And I really loved seeing how he cared for his kids and family. It was refreshing as a child of a divorce.

The part that got me the most was the way the author discussed a child with autism and the challenges therein. I wasn’t expecting that part of the book nor did I expect how important a storyline it would be. I loved how people cared for Lucy and the juxtaposition of those who didn’t. But this line in particular as a mom with a child on the spectrum rung so true “Just like the rest of the human population, people with autism were unique in how they manifested their sensory habits. If they like something, they let you know. If they didn’t, they also let you know. The important thing was to let them reveal themselves to you and to give them a safe space to do so.” How beautiful to say they are just like the rest of the population, and if you give them a safe space they will reveal themselves. I loved watching Lucy evolve through this story.

Anders the other child as well. The love he has for his sister reminds me of my son with his sister. I love that they acknowledged his shrinking of himself and made sure he was able to do things he wanted too. Beautiful.

Of course the romance was also good. “We don’t speak but it doesn’t feel weird.” This is what love is. The way they carefully explore their feelings and give each other time to consider and make choices is beautiful.

Overall such an easy, cozy read that brought so many emotions with it.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I picked up this book not realizing I had already read the first book in this series (that maybe isn't a series?) and it was so nice to come back to this world. Maren and Joe are so adorable as they rediscover their friendship and what it means to find love. I really appreciated how the author brought them together and kept the barriers simple and not ridiculous. The storyline about the obsessed fan felt a little like an ad-on, but I appreciated how hit played into the ending and helped Joe and Maren present a united front. All in all, a cozy lovely read!

This was my first Erin Hahn book and it did. It disappoint. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this cutie of a book!!!

First of all, the relationships with the kids in this one just got me 🥹❤️. And the dog, wow. I loved how she wrote about them all.

Secondly, the setting was beautiful. I really felt like I was there, immersed in the breezy lake air.

Thirdly thank you for the no third act break up!!! I love a best friends brother, single dad romance and this delivered 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.

What an incredible book - can’t wait to pick up more by Erin!!

I wanted to love this. I kept pushing myself to read it and every time I had to put it down. I just didn’t vibe with it. After so many times of picking it up I am going to DNF. It is most likely just me!

It was fun and spicy and lake life perfection!

Maren is the girl next store and she’s incredible at fishing. Josiah is the single dad advocating for his children!

This is the outdoor girlie book I’ve been waiting for and you’re going to want to read this one if you’re looking for:

🎣 A outdoor girly that holds her own
🎣 A single dad advocating for his kids
🎣Lake life. Two kids growing up together, then falling as adults. ♥️
🎣 A meddling older brother
🎣 Happily Ever After (HEA)

“Catch and Keep" packs so much within its pages and Hahn writes it all flawlessly. Readers are gifted a small-town romance story with emotional depth. I found myself smiling so much and then hit with these powerful feels of protection for these characters. Hahn really did a number on me.

Some of my favorite tropes are written into this one: single dad, a strong-willed heroine, and a slow-burning romance. Add in the Fall setting of a lake side resort and I couldn't ask for more.

Leading lady Maren is a badass and I love how confident she is even in the moments where she is unsure. She never forgets she's capable. Josiah is the strong silent type and while his plate is so so so full, he has this amazing way of making others around him feel needed and appreciated. There's a lot of maturity in this book and as someone in her early 40's I really appreciate seeing older characters behaving in ways that seem genuine, that don't have me rolling my eyes at their drama.

I will say there is a villain in this novel and let me tell you, I wanted to knock some sense into HER.

Not my favorite of Erin Hahn's books, but I still really really liked it. I loved that Maren and Joe have history but are also fully grown adults with their own lives and needs and wants (yay for reading characters in their 30s!). I could have done without the overbearing brother and the villain ex-wife, and the autism rep was good (but I think could have been better). But Joe was such a good dad, and Maren and Joe were such realistic characters, and they felt like they fit so well.

Erin Hahn does not disappoint! This is actually interconnected with two of Erin's previous books, which I did not realize, one of which I have read and gave 4 stars (Built to Last) and the other I have not read (Friends Don't Fall in Love) but is on my TBR. One doesn't necessarily have to read the previous books prior to reading Catch and Keep, but the other couples from those books do make their happy-couple appearances in this book.

Aside from that, this book was the perfect read for mid-fall as the book spans from about September and through the Christmas holidays and into the next year. Maren returns to her childhood stomping grounds at a rustic lakefront resort after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend and being passed up for a promotion to her dream job. Here she runs in to her brother's best friend, Josiah, who works at the resort. He's all grown up--home from duty in Iraq and single dad to two kids. Maren and Josiah are so sweet and easy together. I loved seeing them combining their lives around the resort, in the outdoors, and in their home. Josiah's kids were great as characters and Maren was almost too good with them considering she had no previous experience with kids, let alone an autistic child. But hey, I'm easy to please. I like a nice, happy, sappy love story and Erin Hahn delivered.

There was so much to love about this mildly spicy romance set in a Wisconsin town. Maren has been fishing all her life. She inherited a bait shop and apartment from a mentor where she spent her summers growing up. Josiah is her older brother's best friend. Her brother has made it clear that Josiah has been through a lot and doesn't need her in his life to complicate things. Josiah is dealing with a lot. He is a single dad with full custody of his two kids, one of which is on the autism spectrum. It's a good Quick Look at being a single parent of a child on the spectrum. Maren can't help falling for the single dad and his two amazing kids. Joe is a sweet former Marine who would do anything for his kids. He develops feelings he never planned but doesn't want to lose. This book made me smile from start to finish. Thank you for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely adorable and fun read that’s perfect for the wintertime because it makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters out on a boat in the middle of summer! This is a heartwarming read that depicts character complexities in a realistic manner. There’s neurodivergent representation, a strong sense of community, and still plenty of spicy scenes and swoon-worthy tropes!

When 33-year-old Maren turns down her boyfriend’s proposal and abruptly quits her job to move back to the town she grew up in to fix up a house she inherited, she isn’t prepared for Josiah Cole—an attractive single dad to two small kids who owns the local resort… and just so happens to be her older brother’s childhood best friend.

Catch and Keep is a story of finding one’s self, believing in others, and taking risks in life.

Thank you to Erin Hahn, St. Martin’s, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I love these characters with all my heart. I was so excited to finally get Maren’s story after falling in love with this universe in Built to Last & Friends don’t fall in love. I loved getting to see the characters from those books in this one too. As a lake girl I loved this story so dang much.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an early copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Plot: Maren turned down her boyfriend's too public proposal and took off to the fishing shop and apartment that a friend left her, taking a leave of absence from her job to do so. The fishing shop thing is right beside the property that she used to go to with her family growing up and that property is owned by Josiah's family. Joe is now a single father because his ex-wife is useless, frankly, and his youngest is autistic and he feels like he's got a lot of balls in the air, but that he's not doing a good job juggling. Maren initially is pretty determined to self-isolate, but that doesn't last long and she finds herself helping keep the balls in the air (this metaphor doesn't work super well when extended like this, huh?). Anyway, they eventually fall in love, obviously.

What I Loved About This Book: Everything about Maren and Josiah. I really loved them. I loved the family. I even loved this weird obsession with fishing. I had such a good time with the scenes when the two of them were on the same page. Also, Maren's brother still has a hard time seeing Maren as a full-grown adult and I really appreciated the way that was handled in this book. It started off so annoying and I wasn't sure I would be happy with the resolution, but I really was!

What I Struggled With: There's a stalking sub-plot that really didn't need to be there. First of all, it doesn't add anything to the story. It's not what ultimately results in the conflict between Josiah and Maren, which I appreciated. It's just there to... Honestly, I'm not sure. But I could have done without it.

Who I Would Recommend To: If stalking isn't a trigger for you, I would recommend this widely. I absolutely adored everything about Josiah and Maren and I've really enjoyed all three books of these interconnected standalones. I would love to co-opt this friend group and have it be mine too.

Erin Hahn is an autobuy author for me. I have loved everything she has written. While the plot is predictable in some ways, the execution makes Catch and Keep truly special. Hahn's writing style is witty and heartfelt, making it easy to fall in love with the characters and their world. The small-town setting is beautifully described, evoking a sense of nostalgia and peace.

Catch and Keep is the perfect book for you if you're looking for a feel-good romance that will leave you smiling. It reminds you that love, like fishing, takes patience, perseverance, and a little bit of luck.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am SUCH a big fan of Erin Hahn, and I've been looking forward to the next book in this series like it's my job. I LOVED this series and I looove this book!

Catch and Keep is a realistic portrayal of parenting in the 21st century and dating. This love story features two people connecting after years apart, and whole life lived in-between. The setting gives off a strong sense of place and home. The reader experiences the breeze of the lake, the sounds of nature and your toes in the sand. Welcome to the Midwest.

Catch and Keep is heartwarming romance with two people finding each other when they need each other the most for a true love.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin

This was an easy, enjoyable read. There were several great tropes too.

Maren turned down the proposal of her boyfriend, left her job, and came back to her happy place on a lake in Wisconsin. She grew up spending the summers here fishing and being outdoors and can't wait to return to the slower pace of life. Joe, her older brother's best friend, still lives here and has taken over his parents' resort. He has two kids and is doing his best to balance all the things. Maren and Joe hit it off but they don't know if they can make it work with all the factors they have to consider.

This book was just a sweet story of two childhood friends falling in love. Joe and Maren were both great, likable characters. I liked the single dad trope a lot. Joe's kids were a great addition to the book without taking up all the page space. The best friend brother's trope is usually one I enjoy but it felt a little heavy handed here. The brother was a jerk, but he somewhat redeemed himself at the end.

Overall this was just a cute, easy read, without a lot of drama or angst. I also enjoyed the first book in this connected trio, but I missed the second so I'll have to go back and read that story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Erin Hahn writes in such a way that you feel you are *IN* the story.

A heartwarming story that is a slow burn brother's best friend trope. He's a divorced single parent with a child on the spectrum (which by the way was so well done) and she is figuring out who she is after a big life change.

I adored every single thing about this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this gem!

The fourth in Erin Hahn’s series (following Shelby and Cameron - child stars turned home reno tv stars - and Lorelei and Craig - country star and brilliant producer, and young country stars Annie and Clay), we head up to the Wisconsin Northwoods to spend lazy days fishing on the lake with Maren and Joe. Maren - fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend whose public proposal went hilariously wrong – takes a leave from her job and goes up to the Northwoods where she spent her summers to clean out the bait shop and apartment left to her by her fishing mentor. There – two adorable kids in tow - is her brother’s best friend, Joe.

There are a lot of layers here - Maren’s stalker from the time she was a minor online star for the videos of her fishing – reemerges. Her older brother is an idiot (is there nothing more patronizing than a couple thinking they can’t be together because the one is the best friend of the other’s brother? Plus, he talked down to her in ways that were unacceptable. I wish she’d had the guts to stand up to him before Joe helped her do it.) Joe has his own difficulties putting his foot down with his flighty ex, who essentially abandoned her kids when she couldn’t handle having an autistic daughter - kids who Maren of course instinctively knows how to parent and who instantly love her.

Given the challenges on paper, everything just sort of falls into place for these two, their problems less obstacles and more gentle curves for them to navigate around. Sweet, wholesome, enjoyable.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 3.5 stars rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.