4.5 stars

Oh wow!!!!

This book was way more than I expected. And it was so much more than I could have hoped for. I was feeling this giddiness, happiness, and an all around enchantment I haven’t felt in a long time.

2018 has been a year of wonderful debut novels. I found so many new authors to keep an eye on, and I’m thrilled that Erin Hahn is one of them.

The rockstar genre has been a favorite genre of mine, and I think a young adult novel about two country singers fits nicely into this category.

Besides its being a wonderful young adult novel, with an highly emotional plot and fantastic characters, there was a certain amount of raw emotions that shone through it. It gave this book an emotional punch that was unexpected.

You’d Be Mine truly had everything a music centered novel should have.

Swagger, swoon, an over abundance of feelings, lots of music, a little bit of star crossed lovers, and a love story that without a doubt spoke to me.

I loved the entire cast. They were sweet, charming, relatable, and so very likable. They cared for each other, supported and teased one another, and just had an amazing time together. Of course such a book doesn’t come without a good amount of emotional turmoil, but I was wonderfully pleased by the way the author decided to go about it. It was a truly amazing debut novel.

But the writing was what really won me over. I absolutely LOVED this author’s voice. Smart, witty, charming – it all worked for me. Nowadays it’s really all about the writing for me. Plot alone won’t win me over if the writing doesn’t grip me. Reading You’d Be Mine was a true pleasure. From the very first page on, I was HOOKED!!

If you love young adult love stories that make you swoon, laugh and FEEL – this novel is a MUST READ!!! I’m truly in love with this story, and can’t wait to read her next book, I already put it on my GR tbr. 2019 can’t come soon enough.

A great teen/young adult romance. The main characters were fantastic, and the secondary ones were delightful.

“It was pretend.

It was supposed to be this act professionals do for laughs. For profit. For whatever it was until it no longer was any of those things for the two people that mattered: me and him.”

4 stars

This is the definition of a cute story. Perfect for readers shying away from angsty reads and looking for a good time.

The characters are easy to love, easy to connect with.
Their inner conflicts are easy to relate with.
The pace is just right for the story, not too slow not rushed either.

Not many faults to find here. The book has been polished and everything runs smoothly.

On one hand you have Annie, gifted daughter of two mega country stars who left her too soon. She is courted by music labels for months now but is afraid to follow in her parents steps. She knows what glory can do to someone. How all consuming a passion can be.

On the other hand you have the current music golden bad boy Clay. He is barely nineteen and already big in the music industry.

“What comes to mind when you think of Clay Coolidge?"
(...)
"Sex appeal, boozehound, makes love to the mic, rock star, stadium filler.”

If he was born to sing he lost his way somewhere since his brother's death. He is now trying to grieve and burrows in his pain in alcohol. The record label grows tired of his antics and sends Clay to settle a contract with Annie. She is their bargaining ship and his last chance.

Annie fought for years against her natural inclination but music is in her blood and can't be denied any longer.

With her friends she'll do Clay's first part touring the whole summer with him and his best friend Fitz. Country music fans soon flock to these incredible concerts. They are magic together.

Of course you will have a romance but ...it's complicated as Annies is extremely guarded given her past and Clay thinks he does not deserve her.

“So, she sings like an angel, plays like the devil, pitches championships, and slays amusement park games. Is there anything you can't do?”

They both will have to face the demons of their past and overcome their trauma if they want to become who they were meant to be and live their lives to the fullest.

I had a great time following this tribe, witnessing Annie's rise and doubts while rooting for Clay who was obviously in need of help.

You have all the expected clichés about country music and it worked extremely well in this bitter sweet coming of age romance.

For a country music fan like me this was like walking in a candy store: all sweetness and hard to leave.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for trusting me with this copy of the book. It had no influence whatsoever on my willing and always honest opinion.

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of YOU’D BE MINE by Erin Hahn in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS

If Clay wants to keep his recording contract, the bad boy country singer has to convince the reluctant Annie Mathers to tour with him. Annie, the daughter of country legends who tragically committed suicide five years ago, wants to escape her parents’ hard partying nightmare.

Reading the blurb, you might think you’ve read YOU’D BE MINE in different formats before, and you have, but rarely as well executed as Erin Hahn does in her debut. YOU’D BE MINE has enough edge to avoid the pitfalls of being just another clichéd trope.

I’m not a country music fan, in fact, I avoid the style at all costs and could go off on a tangent about all the reasons why. Annie’s and Clay’s stories apart and together each compelled me to keep reading. I didn’t root for them as a couple, an eighteen-year-old who lost her parents to addiction ought to think ten times over before considering loving an alcoholic. But the heart isn’t governed by logic and neither are people. I wondered, while reading YOU’D BE MINE, why more bad girl/good guy stories aren’t written.

Hahn’s writing is refreshing and engaging. She won me over with interesting, complex characters that made me forget the predictability I suspected before beginning. YOU’D BE MINE will appeal to a variety of readers, including those who vehemently dislike country music.

This book was really cute. It centers around two country music singers and their journey together. They are both flawed and real. I loved the author’s writing. I can totally see this being a movie!

I got to read an early draft of this book through NetGalley.

When I read the premise of this book, I think I was expecting it to me something similar to Emery Lord’s “Open Road Summer”. I adored that book, and I was ready to get swept away into a summertime country singing romance.

Whelp, it wasn’t what I expected at all. This book deals with a lot: alcoholism, suicide, drug addiction, death. You could say it’s also about forgiveness and healing. However, that portion wasn’t given enough page time to make those storylines feel entirely realistic.

I wished I could have rooted for the romance between Annie and Clay/Jefferson, but the chemistry felt lacking to me. They’re drawn to each other, but they spend the whole book dealing with Martyr Syndrome (both focusing on why they can’t/shouldn’t be together) that we don’t see the WHY they should be together. I felt like their romance was developed enough to make it feel authentic.

If you liked “A Str is Born”, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. It’s a little cliché, it’s a little melodramatic, but overall it isn’t a bad book.

I loved this quick, satisfying read. The inside, behind the scenes glimpses into the music industry fascinated me. Annie and Clay's interactions had me smiling and laughing out loud.

I've just finished this book and i am sobbing my heart out no words to describe the greatness of this book. Erin Hahn is an absolute genius to play with my stone cold heart and make it feel all the feels. i loved every single character in this book and couldn't think of one fault in the entire book! If you read one book this year it should be this!

I’d say this was really more like 3.5 stars for me, but I’m rounding up because I’m not quite the target audience for this one. This book was fun and interesting, and I blew through it in a single evening. The characters were well-written and nicely fleshed out. I appreciated the growth and complexity they followed over the course of the story - it was compelling to see them develop on their own and not just in relation to each other. I also appreciated the flashes of diversity the author worked in through Jason Diaz and the lesbian newlyweds, and in particular the remark about Nashville being very white, though I’d have loved her to dive a little deeper on those topics. The book was very wholesome and certainly oversimplified, and I’d have liked a little more about the ways in which fame made things tough for them (a la The Idea if You), but overall, it’s a fun and engaging piece of YA.

I was so excited to receive this book early in a giveaway and was not disappointed! It was fascinating getting caught up in the world of a country music star, especially one who grew up having 2 country music legends as parents. The characters were so loveable, real and a bit broken- watching them go through the journey of self-acceptance and healing was beautiful. I also couldn't help but wish I could see Clay and Annie perform together, I'm sure it would have been magical!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a copy for review. Wow! I absolutely fell in love with Clay and Annie in this book right from the beginning. This novel will make you laugh, cry, and laugh again. The dynamics between the two bands is very refreshing, and I wouldn’t mind a whole book just about Kacy and Fitz, or Jason! Country music has always been a big part of my life, and the songs that we’re written in this book were beautiful and I could definitely picture “You’d Be Mine” being a hit off the pages. Looking forward to more from Erin Hahn in the future.

I cant even begin to thank NetGalley enough for this book. I LOVED it! Full of heart, witty and best of all lots of country. Its not a perfect love story which is why I loved it so much. Actually after having seen A Star is Born (the new one) this reminded me of it. Not in the same way obviously, however Annie and Clay's story gave me all the feels that Ally and Jack did. I routed for them, and to be honest, I fell in love with them. I can't believe that this ie Erin's first book. I am adding her to my favorite authors list and can't wait for her follow up!
Thank you again NetGalley!

DNF at 50%. The story started out well and you could easily see where it was going. Two country singers, put on a summer tour together. Bad boy meets good girl, with a make-shift romance for the crowds, which turns into a real-life relationship.
For a YA novel, I thought the story was slow moving. I found myself getting bored, and with the alternating narration of the characters in each chapter, I had a difficult time keep track of who was telling the story. There were references to classic country singers and songs that I'm not sure all readers would know or appreciate. There were spots where the book jumped from scene to scene, and some more detail would have been appreciated. All in all, I really wanted to like this book, but in the end found that I just couldn't finish it.

This is a sweet book - a coming of age story shaken up in a margarita with a twist of pomegranate juice and a splash of something twangy - but it's just not my sort of story. I have never been a fan of country music or anything country-like, and while I finished this book easily it just wasn't my cup of tea. Well-written though - if you enjoy the subject matter, definitely give it a read.

This book was fantastic.
I was hooked into Annie & Clays Stories (respectively) almost instantly. I grew to love these characters as if I knew them in real life.
Erin Hahn crafts such a beautiful and real story that will surely tug at all of your heartstrings and will surely make you fall in love with country music. While at times this book is sweet and light hearted it does also touch upon serious topics in a refreshing and very important way.
Extremely well done and I highly recommend this book.

A sweet love story that overcomes heart break, personal demons and substance abuse. Full of country music and feels!

Clay and Annie come together to perform from two different backgrounds but both of them are fighting their demons in the background. Clay trying to find solace after his grandfather’s and brother’s death while Annie is still trying to come to terms with her parents death, the famous country singing duo, whose star power thrusts Annie into the limelight whether she likes it or not.

The story depicts how their lives collide, tangle and untangle on this one summer tour together.

Erin Hahn has written a wonderful, WONDERFUL debut novel that is worthy of every compliment I am about to pay it! It was one of my favorite contemporary YA books I have read this year...so sad that I have to wait a year until I push it into everyone's hand ;)
Annie is country music royalty, thanks to her combative, toxic parents; but Annie wants no part of that life...she just wants to write music and connect with her fans, she doesn't want to lose herself to anyone or anything, like her parents.
Clay is an rising country star, coasting on his good looks and easy, fun songs because of a personal tragedy. When Clay's label threatens to pull his contract unless he cleans up his act and they tell him that Annie will be his opening act for the giant summer tour, Clay goes along with it to save himself. As the summer progresses, Clay and Annie become closer and closer until they finally share all their secrets with one another. As the secrets begin to become larger and larger Annie needs to decide if Clay is what she needs, or wants, in her life.
A stunning book with an entirely believable relationship and problems that each person faces. Can't wait to see what else Erin Hahn comes out with!

I really enjoyed this story. It had a great flow and it made me want to stay up and finish it. It was a cute story with a happy ending, but also so much more then that.
The book followed two young country music stars, still teenagers who have broken pasts, but find out they still have the capability to love. It starts out that the tour managers want to play up on the idea of a romance between them, and then it actually turns into one. It's a "love story" yes, but also more, and I just liked it.

DNF at 38%

I know that I didn't give this book a huge chance, but I just felt so bored and cringey reading it. The story is interesting, but it's just not my favorite kind of story. The insta love was silly, and the writing is nothing spectacular.

There is absolutely no reason I should have liked this book but I absolutely did. I am not the biggest fan of country music and a romance set around it was really the last thing I should have wanted but You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn is a wonderful, heartfelt romance that I really enjoyed reading. I think it was the backstories of the two main characters that really drew me in. But before I get too deep into the story, let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. 

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. 

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk. 

Clay Coolidge is a mess. He drinks too much. Sleeps around too much. Fights too much And is just a bit out of it. He's been doing the country music thing for a while and is wildly famous. But he's gotten a little sick of the same old he's sung over and over again. They don't mean much to him anymore or at least not as much as the songs he's been currently writing do.

But he has one too many late nights and his record label is fed up. If he wants to keep making music, he needs to get Annie Mathers, a legacy to country music, to agree to be his opening act on tour.

And that's how we meet Annie. Annie is not a mess. Well...we'll get to that in a minute. But compared to Clay, Annie doesn't drink, doesn't sleep around, and has a pretty great life set up for herself. She records videos of herself singing and performs at festivals with her band every now and then. She is also the daughter of one of the most famous country music couples in history. But when Clay comes to her grandma's house in Michigan (I love when Michigan is in any book lol), she does not know what to say. Sure, she loves music and loves to perform, but she doesn't want to end up like her parents.

And that is a perfect lead into Annie and Clay's demons. To say they have a lot of them would be an understatement. Annie is still dealing with her parents' deaths. Her mother died from an overdose and her father, after finding her mother dead, died by suicide, leaving her alone. While she certainly can't escape being associated with them, she wants as little to do with them and their way of life as possible. 

Clay's demons involve his grandfather dying but mainly revolve around his brother dying on the battlefield. He was a soldier and pretty much Clay's biggest role model, and his death is what caused Clay to spiral out of control.

You can see how putting these two together might cause sparks and not necessarily the good kind. 

But, after much cajoling, Annie signs the contract and agrees to go on Clay's tour with her band. And that sets them on a path neither of them thought possible. 

It's clear from the beginning that Clay and Annie are attracted to each other but he finds her to be too good for him and she is not messing with a guy that reminds her of everything that was wrong with her parents.

But, this wouldn't be a romance if they didn't fall in love.

So, as they go from city to city together and get to know one another better, their bond begins to grow. And then THE KISSING HAPPENS! Unfortunately, those demons we talked about get in the way. (Don't they always??)

There is also a little bit of jealousy in the way as well. As they go from festival to festival, it's clear that Annie is a star and everyone almost immediately falls in love with her. Clay has been used to having the crowds screaming just for him, so to have to share that makes an already self-conscious Clay feel worse.

This book was very much a rollercoaster for me. For most of it, Clay was not my favorite character and I was not sure how I was going to be happy with him and Annie getting together. But somehow (authors are tricky people lol), I grew to like him! As I said in the intro, these characters backstories and their demons are what really drew me in, especially to a story I was so unsure about.

It kind of felt like I was one of the side characters in the story in a way because Annie was so easy to like and Clay took some time to really endear himself to me. The stories of Annie's parents and how she has had to deal with it is absolutely heartbreaking and when you read about Clay's family and background, it's hard not to have a soft spot for him as well.

OMG, I haven't mentioned the format yet! It is split into Annie's perspective and Clay's perspective, alternating every other chapter. And...THERE ARE LYRICS!! The songs that Annie and Clay write are all in the book, so you get insight into what they're thinking/feeling and you get to read the songs and imagine what they sound like!

Overall, You'd Be Mine (wait until you get to what the title means OMG) was a lovely break from some of the darker books I've been reading lately, although it did have its dark moments. I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. While this is primarily a romance, have some tissues nearby as well.

You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn comes out April 2, 2019.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.