I really enjoyed this heartwarming love story. It really captures what it’s like to persevere moving forward in life. It was such a wonderful read.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this older brother's best friend to lovers story! Likeable characters - except Liam and Kiley! lol
I especially enjoyed Maren's connection with Joe's kids develop. A little spicier than what I personally prefer, but that's a me issue, not a writing issue.

My one critique - Maren is known as "Musky Maren" because she is known for catching muskellunge fish. However, as a high school teacher, teens use the word musky to indicate body odor.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Catch and Keep follows Maren who goes back to her childhood summer getaway home after turning down a proposal from her boyfriend. She has inherited a run down old bait shop and decides to stay and fix it up, and immediately runs into her childhood friend Joe. He’s now a divorced dad of two and easily becomes friends with Maren, working and spending time together. I didn’t expect to love this book so much, but dang it, I really did. This is a story I won’t soon forget, full of love, heart, laughter, spice, and a little drama just to keep you on your toes. I’m obsessed.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for access to this E-ARC! So cute!! Loved the characters & the setting. Also enjoyed just the whole vibes of this book. Excited for more from this author.

Hahn has crafted the perfect summer come down. Tucked away in northern Wisconsin we meet Maren, or Mare, and her older brother’s long time best friend Joe during a warm September. Maren has escaped to her childhood safe haven to process the fallout of turning down her now ex-boyfriend's proposal. Little did she know she was moving in right next door to now single dad Joe and his ready-made family. At the behest of her brother Liam, Mare is determined to not interfere with Joe’s family and life. She has enough of her own problems to deal with: a run down bait shop left to her by a childhood mentor, looking for a new job, figuring out how to start over. Of course, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t go according to plan.

Hahn has crafted characters that feel whole and their interactions are engaging. The inclusion of diversity brings a welcome air of reality to this contemporary romance. The dialogue is authentic and the pacing is smooth. Joe and Maren’s dual narratives add depth and understanding to the characters' inner thoughts.

This is the perfect book to curl up with on a fall day and get immersed in the world of “Catch and Keep”.

At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin's just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone—at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.

Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful. Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin.

This was a super sweet slow burn. I love the single dad trope, it's one of my favorites. When kids are written WELL into a good romance, it's going to be a winner for me. This was that. I loved Josiah and Maren, their budding (slow!) relationship, and the kids! Beautiful. Highly recommend this, especially to people who like family stories! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

It was a very good book! I enjoyed the characters and the story was different than what I have read before! Would recommend!

This book was absolutely precious. Maren just ran away from a proposal to fix up a bait shop and apartment that we're left to her by her mentor. She runs back into Joe whose her brothers best friend. Joe is a single dad who is trying his best for his sweet kids. This book has great autism representation and a precious love story about people who are moving forward though they've been through a lot and choosing each other no matter what.

3 stars is a bit of a reach! It was slow and fast at the same time. Loved the representation in this and the location of where it took place was unique. Grateful that Netgallery gave me this ARC and I would recommend people readying this if they are looking for a quick and easy read, I just didn’t like how the storyline felt all over the place.

Absolutely loved this book! As someone who has family from Michigan and Wisconsin, this book totally captured the mannerisms of a Northerner.
The dual point of views from the FMC & MMC was immaculate because you were able to experience the 🌶️ from both sides.
I think this book encompasses the whole “right person, right time” despite their baggage. Having a midlife crisis and running off to then fall in love with your brother’s best friend? I think yes 🥰

I absolutely loved everything about this book. It made me laugh, cry, ponder, and fall in love with the characters. Lucy's autism was so beautifully written about - written with so much love, acceptance, and care. Anders had such an important light shone on him - often times, siblings of kiddos with special needs end up taking care of themselves and I love that Maren was able to fill that hole for him. The characters were loveable, the storyline was amazing. Being a Wisconsinite, I can truly say the vibes were spot on for the Northwoods. I cannot get enough of this book.

Catch and Keep was such a great read. Maren, the female lead was so incredibly likable that you couldn’t help but want for the best outcome for her. I was rooting for her for the entire book. I also felt she was super relatable too! Joe was also a really likable character who seems to have been through it and your heart really just goes out to him! I absolutely loved the dynamic and romance between the two, and I’m a sucker for a good brother’s best friend trope. The only thing that I didn’t love about this book was that I felt that some events were built up in the storyline, that didn’t play out in the dramatic way I thought it may have or was built up to be, but it didn’t take away from how thoroughly I enjoyed the story overall! I absolutely recommend this book to all light-hearted romance readers!

Really enjoyed this book! It is the 3rd book of three friends - I had not read the first two books but it doesn't matter. I was not lost at all. And now I want to go back and read the first two books. It is a great summer beach read and I read it in a day!

3.5 stars! This was such a cozy, heartwarming read. I love the "sibling's best friend/best friend's sibling" tropes, and have read and really enjoyed a few of Erin Hahn's other books, so I was especially excited to pick up CATCH AND KEEP, and it definitely did not disappoint. The relationship between Maren and Joe was so sweet to read about—their chemistry practically jumped off the page! Beyond the romance, I thought Hahn did an amazing job of developing the setting (literally felt like I was there on the lake!), as well as the platonic and familial relationships in the book. It's always fun when characters an author has previously written about show up in future stories, and I loved seeing the friendship between Maren, Lorelai, and Shelby shine throughout. It was also great to read about Joe's relationship with his kids, and the special bond Maren created with them. Maren's adorable dog was another highlight for me, of course!

If there's one thing I didn't personally love, it was the stalker plotline. I felt like it made sense, given that Maren used to be a famous influencer, but at the same time, didn't seem totally necessary, since there were other sources of conflict/tension throughout the story. I also thought the resolution of it was a little bit rushed—I loved that Maren saved herself and resolved things herself, but the pacing felt a little off towards the end, considering how much buildup there had been surrounding the whole storyline. Still, I really enjoyed CATCH AND KEEP overall, and would recommend it, especially for any romance fans! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. I fell in love with the characters and was really invested in them, especially Joe. From the first chapter in his perspective I was hooked. It had a good amount of spice for a romance(that sometimes I wish would have went on a little longer). I wish there was a little more conflict but it was definitely a feel good romance that I will read again and recommend.

Having the story set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin felt perfect for me. The book made me feel like I was back home where I grew up.
Maren and Joe just so perfectly together and that made the book even better!
The author did a great job of making the story jump off the pages and into my heart. I have read other books by Erin Hahn and will recommend her books because they are written with feeling and make her readers care about the characters.
Thank you NetGalley, Erin Hahn and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of the book Catch and Keep. This is my personal review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

For starters, this was my first Erin Hahn novel and was one of the more realistic contemporary romances I’ve read. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this was part of an interconnected, standalone trilogy. If I’ve read the others, I think I would have enjoyed this story more. Def looking forward to reading her others though.

I’ve never read a single dad/parent trope before. I think this was well done sharing the complexities that it can have especially having a child with ASD. This had the perfect autumn, hallmark feel good vibes with just enough depth.

What caught my attention was up north travels and the fmc was a fishing influencer, how fun is that? As a fellow Michigander, I appreciated all the Michigan references. Also, being from a small town, couldn’t agree more that there truly is nothing better than a hometown hardware store. IYKYK. 😅

This cozy small town romance is set to release October 15th, 2024. You’ll be in the mood to sit by a lake and casting a line. Be sure to add to your tbr!

i’ll start off extremely honest and say that i don’t think this book was made for me, which is perfectly ok! i do love romance but this one lacked some depth to me. it was a very very easy read and most definitely a “what you see is what you get” type of book, which is nice sometimes. i feel like character development was odd and some of them even went against what was shown of them. it was very predictable as well, which isn’t horrible it just added to me not thinking the book was for me. if you like fast paced, low stakes, single dad romances this is definitely the book for you!

This book has some of my favorite tropes in it, so I was thrilled to read it! Read this one if you like brothers best friend, single dad, and childhood family friends. I loved how we saw Maren’s relationship bloom with Josiah’s kids and how the author represented having an autistic child. I found the problems with the children’s biological mother unrealistic. The way Maren’s brother treated her like a child and how immature he acted at age 39 also felt a little far fetched otherwise this would have been a 5 star read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Run to get your copy when this book comes out on October 15!

My first Erin Hahn book and definitely not my last! I couldn’t stop reading “Catch & Keep”. It was funny, heartbreaking and lovable. As a teacher, the description of Lucy with Autism was done beautifully and realistically. Highly recommend reading Catch & Keep!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Erin Hahn for the ARC!