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liciaaaaa's review
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Title: Built to Last
Author: Erin Hahn
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: October 18, 2022
I received a complimentary eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sweet • Hospitable • Basic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to overcome her past, sanding it away like the rough spots on the vintage furniture she makes over. But as a former child star, it’s hard to forget a widely documented meltdown and huge public break up with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs—the one who got away.
Anytime Shelby has called, Cameron has come running… And then he runs right off again to chase stories around the world by making documentaries, too scared to admit what he really wants. But when Lyle stirs the pot, getting the two back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron can't help but get on board.
There's something in it for everyone—almost. Cameron wants to set down some roots. Shelby wants to prove she's not the messy party girl anymore. And a jealous Lyle can’t help but try to get in the way. But for his two childhood friends who had more chemistry than he could ever dream of, nothing is getting in the way of their second chance at love.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I added Built to Last to my TBR based on the cute cover and the home renovation/reality TV show elements. I wasn't aware of Erin Hahn's previous books, but it makes sense she'd have a backlist of YA titles because I did find aspects of it in this adult romance.
Told in dual POVs, Shelby and Cameron's characters initially drew me into the story. They had good banter and it was clear to see how deeply they cared from one another despite everything. I was engaged with their story through the first half as I was getting to know them. Yet, by the second half the conflict has been resolved and not a whole lot happened from this point on. The ending wrapped up a little too nicely for my liking and made it less believable. There is a lot of backstory with this one, to the point it overtook the romance. Because of all of this, the characters felt one-dimensional.
I did really enjoy the house flipping, getting a behind the scenes look at show production, and the furniture hunting. The small town setting was portrayed realistically and some of the secondary characters were absolute gems.
Overall, Built to Last had a many solid parts, however, they ended up coming together in an underwhelming fashion. It certainly was a bad book, but rather a typical romance that won't stick in my mind. I'd read this author again if there was a book the piqued my interest and could see how readers who read a lot of rom-coms might like this one more than I did.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• second chance romance
• childhood friends
• house flipping
⚠️ CW: sexual content, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, emotional abuse, child abuse, gaslighting, abandonment, infidelity, alcohol, mental illness, alcoholism, eating disorder, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Child stars have this weird quirk where they're never really kids to begin with, but they never grow up either."
Author: Erin Hahn
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: October 18, 2022
I received a complimentary eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sweet • Hospitable • Basic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to overcome her past, sanding it away like the rough spots on the vintage furniture she makes over. But as a former child star, it’s hard to forget a widely documented meltdown and huge public break up with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs—the one who got away.
Anytime Shelby has called, Cameron has come running… And then he runs right off again to chase stories around the world by making documentaries, too scared to admit what he really wants. But when Lyle stirs the pot, getting the two back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron can't help but get on board.
There's something in it for everyone—almost. Cameron wants to set down some roots. Shelby wants to prove she's not the messy party girl anymore. And a jealous Lyle can’t help but try to get in the way. But for his two childhood friends who had more chemistry than he could ever dream of, nothing is getting in the way of their second chance at love.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I added Built to Last to my TBR based on the cute cover and the home renovation/reality TV show elements. I wasn't aware of Erin Hahn's previous books, but it makes sense she'd have a backlist of YA titles because I did find aspects of it in this adult romance.
Told in dual POVs, Shelby and Cameron's characters initially drew me into the story. They had good banter and it was clear to see how deeply they cared from one another despite everything. I was engaged with their story through the first half as I was getting to know them. Yet, by the second half the conflict has been resolved and not a whole lot happened from this point on. The ending wrapped up a little too nicely for my liking and made it less believable. There is a lot of backstory with this one, to the point it overtook the romance. Because of all of this, the characters felt one-dimensional.
I did really enjoy the house flipping, getting a behind the scenes look at show production, and the furniture hunting. The small town setting was portrayed realistically and some of the secondary characters were absolute gems.
Overall, Built to Last had a many solid parts, however, they ended up coming together in an underwhelming fashion. It certainly was a bad book, but rather a typical romance that won't stick in my mind. I'd read this author again if there was a book the piqued my interest and could see how readers who read a lot of rom-coms might like this one more than I did.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• second chance romance
• childhood friends
• house flipping
⚠️ CW: sexual content, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, emotional abuse, child abuse, gaslighting, abandonment, infidelity, alcohol, mental illness, alcoholism, eating disorder, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Child stars have this weird quirk where they're never really kids to begin with, but they never grow up either."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
gondorgirl's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol
emmas_bookshelf's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun read about two former child stars who have a second chance romance when they team up to shoot a pilot for a home renovation show! Highly recommend if you like: Michigan, the Midwest, famous people, second chance romances, guys with beards who wear flannel, and pop music. Each chapter starts with a song title which was pretty cool! Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the copy via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
culzean's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
theoceanrose's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
bringmybooks's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, & St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
This is such a bummer for me, but it really feels like one of those "did I read the same book as everyone else?" type of books - Built to Last has a 4.1 rating on Goodreads and I just don't get it. I didn't buy into their love story and didn't feel as though there was enough of a reason for them to pine after one another the way they did. It also felt like a lot of angsty spicy times - which I don't necessarily mind - for absolutely no reason which gave a feel of their relationship being built on a physical attraction and not much else.
The strongest parts of this book, for me, were those discussing the home reno aspects - I loved reading about the restorations that Shelby did, and loved all of the parts talking about the specific home renovation project they were working on for the TV show. (But in my opinion that was not enough to carry the book)
All of that being said: I like Erin Hahn's writing and as this was her debut adult novel, I would definitely try another by her - which we will get, because this is a first in a series! Erin has stated that the second book will feature Lorelai and the third Maren, so I will definitely give Lorelai's book a try before making my final judgment on EH's foray into adult novels.
Also all of THAT being said, I am super in the minority here so if the synopsis speaks to you I would still give it a shot! I think you'll know pretty early on if you're going to have the same issues that I did.
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
This is such a bummer for me, but it really feels like one of those "did I read the same book as everyone else?" type of books - Built to Last has a 4.1 rating on Goodreads and I just don't get it. I didn't buy into their love story and didn't feel as though there was enough of a reason for them to pine after one another the way they did. It also felt like a lot of angsty spicy times - which I don't necessarily mind - for absolutely no reason which gave a feel of their relationship being built on a physical attraction and not much else.
The strongest parts of this book, for me, were those discussing the home reno aspects - I loved reading about the restorations that Shelby did, and loved all of the parts talking about the specific home renovation project they were working on for the TV show. (But in my opinion that was not enough to carry the book)
All of that being said: I like Erin Hahn's writing and as this was her debut adult novel, I would definitely try another by her - which we will get, because this is a first in a series! Erin has stated that the second book will feature Lorelai and the third Maren, so I will definitely give Lorelai's book a try before making my final judgment on EH's foray into adult novels.
Also all of THAT being said, I am super in the minority here so if the synopsis speaks to you I would still give it a shot! I think you'll know pretty early on if you're going to have the same issues that I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder
alexleigh20's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy