Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Friends Don't Fall in Love

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Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn

2 reviews

aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition

emotional slow-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

3.0

Don't let the cute cover fool you; this book is surprisingly SPICY. Of course a guy with the name "Craig" has an anonymous erotic poetry Instagram account. It's always the most unsuspecting ones who are the kinkiest. And don't let the title fool you, either, because these friends most certainly DO fall in love. Craig (or "Huck" short for Huckleberry, his middle name) is a 36-year-old music producer in Nashville, and Lorelai is a 33-year-old disgraced country music star turned school teacher wanting to return to music. Once upon a time, Craig was in a band with Lorelai's now-ex-fiancé, who unceremoniously dumped her through an Instagram post after she protested gun violence at one of her concerts (he was an abusive prick, so she's better off). Craig is a talented songwriter wrote all of the band's songs (including one clearly about Lorelai) but was never credited, not even as a co-writer. After her "scandal," Lorelai moved from Nashville to Michigan, and now, five years later, she has returned to Nashville, living in one part of Craig's duplex and hiring Craig's record label to produce her comeback album. This book is perfect for he falls first (and harder) lovers, because Craig has been in love with Lorelai forever, but it's been a right person, wrong time kind of thing. Seriously, they're the epitome of "it's been a long time coming, but / it's you and me, that's my whole world / They whisper in the hallway, 'She's a bad, bad girl.'" I could write an entire essay about how Lorelai is the poster child for Miss Americana.

This book started off pretty choppy, with several consecutive time jumps that left me both confused and wanting more. With all the history behind their relationship, I constantly felt like I was missing some context. For this reason, I struggle with books where one of the main characters is (secretly or not so secretly) already in love with the other. I don't get to witness the process of them both falling in love with each other. There is also some lasting miscommunication and uncorrected misunderstanding regarding what each person wants from the other (i.e., casual or serious). And yes, this leads to a third act breakup. Even though this book is a standalone, it heavily connects with You'd Be Mine (Annie and Clay) and Built to Last (Lorelai is best friends with Shelby and Maren), neither of which I have read. Craig and Lorelai are both great main characters (though Craig has some major side character energy, lol). They're likable but flawed. With a name like Craig, his personality needs to do all the work (haha), so I'm glad he is a cinnamon roll (I guess you could call him a beta, though he def takes charge in the bedroom! Beta on the streets, alpha in the sheets?).

At times, I felt so frustrated for and with Lorelai. For her because of how she has to resign herself to such disgusting and crude sexism to gain back her career. With her because she couldn't see an alternative to the "apology tour" and hiding her true thoughts and beliefs. I don't doubt that country music, especially the industry (and labels) as a whole, is still ultra conservative, but the tides have been changing over the last few years. And then there are progressive icons who have long carved out a space in country music (take Dolly fucking Parton, for one). So the fact that Lorelai couldn't see this as an opportunity to embrace rather than stuff down her values was hard for me to relate to or understand. She eventually gets to the point of being unapologetic, and I was rooting for that growth.

As a Swiftie, Lorelai's situation totally reminded me of Taylor Swift, specifically the frustrations she expresses in Miss Americana. While Lorelai is nowhere near as famous as Taylor (it's hard to reach THAT level of fame), she has to deal with the repercussions from her label and the country music industry after speaking out about injustice (though Taylor no longer writes country music). In Miss Americana, Taylor and her dad argue over what she should do: speak out and potentially lose fans or keep quiet. I definitely see more spunk and an activist inclination in Lorelai than I do in Taylor (as much as I love Tay, her feminism is very white/performative and she doesn't speak out nearly as much as she should), and I could really relate to Lorelai's inner turmoil over her return to country music. When I requested this book on Netgalley, I wasn't expecting the overtly political messaging in it, but I really appreciated it. I could feel how near and dear the subject is to Erin Hahn. And despite my hang-ups, I did enjoy this book, and I liked Craig and Lorelai together.

Do yourself a favor and read this book if you like:

👩🏻‍🎤 Taylor Swift-coded FMCs (and your fav Taylor song is Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince)
👩🏻‍🎤 he falls faster AND harder
👩🏻‍🎤 she upgrades from her ex to a much better model
👩🏻‍🎤 friends to lovers, SLIGHT celebrity romance (they're not UBER famous)
👩🏻‍🎤 country music (but like, make it progressive)!

Thank you SO much to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Content Warnings

dianaschmidty's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I feel like this book was designed for me. I knew from the first chapter that I would likely be giving this book five stars because like my favorite songs in a book form. Anybody who knows me knows how much I love music. Music and books are basically my life and country music is one of my top genres. The fact that each chapter begins with a country song, many of which were already my favorite songs, is basically what convinced me to read this book. I love how the book pointed out the hypocrisies and wrongdoings of the country music industry, something I’m personally invested in.

I should also talk about the real center of the book: the romance. OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVED CRAIG (aka Huck) AND LORELAI’S RELATIONSHIP!!!! I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, but then add in the years of pining, the miscommunications, and the fact that they are the definition of “right person, wrong time” and this book was perfect for me! I wish we hadn’t skipped over so much of their fwb stage, but beyond that, it was amazing!

I should also talk about how this book literally inspired me to write a song. The book is full of poems and song lyrics and it just got me in a super creative mood, so yesterday, I sat down and wrote a song for the first time in like four or five years, so I have to thank Erin Hahn for her magical writing, because this book feels like it was infused with some sort of creative energy!

I also loved the side characters! I read Built to Last in July of 2022 and didn’t even realize that this was a continuation of that story until chapter two! It was great to see Shelby and Cameron again, and I hope that Maren gets a book! I actually went back and reread some of that book (specifically the mentions of Craig), which made my enjoyment of this book even better. I also found out that Clay/Jefferson and Annie, who are featured in this book, have a book of their own, which I definitely want to check out in the future.

Overall, Erin Hahn has created this lovely universe full of country music and HGTV references (two things that I highly value) and I’ve basically decided that I’ll read anything she writes!

I have only one question though: Why wasn’t “Friends Don’t” by Maddie & Tae included in this book? Between the fact that it’s practically the title of this book and it’s a great country song, I’m confuzzled…

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Erin Hahn for providing me access to this book.

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