Childhood sweethearts who get a second chance at love as adults? LOVE. Mix it with a home renovation show and double-love. Only rating it 4 instead of 5 stars because I felt like all the rehashed drama with Lyle was unnecessary and took away from Shelby and Cam's rekindled romance.

Erin Hahn’s Built to Last is a poignant and heartfelt exploration of love, friendship, and the complexities of growing up in the shadow of fame. The story follows two childhood friends who reconnect as adults, navigating their past and the pressures that come with their ambitions.

Hahn's writing is engaging and lyrical, beautifully capturing the emotional nuances of her characters. The chemistry between the protagonists is electric, and their journey of self-discovery feels authentic and relatable. The themes of family, identity, and the impact of childhood experiences add depth to the narrative, making it resonate deeply.

While the pacing occasionally lags, the overall experience is captivating and emotionally rewarding. Built to Last is a touching tale about the power of second chances and the strength of true connection. A must-read for fans of contemporary romance! 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

Review to come, I accidentally got this one and didn’t download before archive. Will read and update

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and I loved to see Shelby and Cameron get their HEA. The pacing was good, the spice level was low but enjoyable. I am such an HGTV fan girl that this story was right up my alley - I'd definitely love to watch Home Made!

4 stars.

A cute romance! I enjoyed the premise of the story. The characters were well written. I found myself going back to keep reading because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next

I'm a sucker for second chance romance AND home renovations. The themes can be a bit heavy handed at times, but it's exactly what you need sometimes. I was charmed through and through.

Who doesn’t love a second chance romance? Add in a fixer upper renovation show and you’ve got me hooked. Shelby and Cameron were costars on a children’s TV show but when it wrapped, they went their separate ways. They are reunited as adults on a renovation show, and it’s clear these two have had feelings for one another for a long time. Excellent banter, fantastic chemistry, and definitely some sexy spice.

I absolutely adore a celebrity romance and when I read, Erin was writing one, I knew I had to read it. This book was so cute, flirty, and so much fun.

I think it's so fun that home renovation plots are showing up so often in the romance genre (ex. i loved maggie moves on by lucy score!) and this was another fun entry to this hyper-specific subgenre. Teenage acting costars to lovers + redoing a house on reality tv + second chance romance + the cutest family vibes + the steamy romance = Built to Last by Erin Hahn!

Erin Hahn just became one of my favorite romance authors. I went through this series so quickly (like, within a few days) and I instantly felt sad that it was over. Shelby and Cameron share such a sweet, heartfelt relationship, and the book just felt so genuine.

This has a strong start with charming characters. I really want to love it as I love the fixer-upper premise. I just didn't feel much tension or conflict. I don't understand the big deal behind Shelby's reputation. There wasn't much going on and I felt bored most of the time. Maybe this would be better as a novella?

This book had a cute premise and interesting characters, but it unfortunately was just an ok read. The plot pacing was uneven and I just couldn't connect with Cameron or Shelby.

Erin Hahn was already an auto-buy author for me in the YA space, and after reading Built to Last it's safe to say that status will be following her over into Young Adult. This tender second-chance romance between former childhood co-stars has all the heart we've come to expect from Hahn. This also broke my streak of hating books with reality TV centric plots, so kudos for that.

I wanted to like this but I just didn’t I did not finish it. Super cheesy hard to follow and just not my kind of book. I am a grown adult and I swear a bit. But the f word was in this more than I could handle.

Second chance will always be hit or miss for me. While I enjoyed the back and forth and the rebuilding (low) angst, I would've liked a bit more tension. This is heavy on the emotional connection, which makes Cameron and Shelby's relationship feel very deep and real, they so clearly care for one another on such a deep level.
Bigggggg fan of the heavy emphasis on healthy communication! You love to see it in a beautiful romance!

I have enjoyed the other books I have ready by Erin Hahn, so it saddens me that I could not connect with the characters of Built to Last. I found myself bored and having difficulties wanting to finish this book. I look forward to her next book because I know Erin Hahn is a good writer. Maybe this book is more of a “me” thing. I will not be reviewing this book on my social media account.

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Shelby has spent the last ten years trying to stay out of the spotlight. After having a major downfall after being a famous childhood star, she wants to try to move on from that life. But, Cameron, her old flame, is hard to resist. When a new opportunity has them coming together, she can't help but fall back into his charm. Are these two meant to be together? Or, should the past stay in the past?

What I 🤍:
💕 Second Chance Romance
🏠 Home Renovations
🌟 Celebrity Romance
🌳 Small Town
🔼 Love Triangle

I absolutely adored this book! Erin Hahn is one of my favorite romance writers. I love how we really get a glimpse into each of her characters. This is the first in the series, and it won't be my last. If you love Chip and Joanna Gaines, then this book is for yoU!

I love Erin Hahn’s YA books so I was excited for her first adult novel. This was a good story. The like a second chance story. I thought Cameron and Shelby had a great backstory and great chemistry.

Just my opinion, but I thought it took too long for them to go to bed together, then when they did it was like just filler to the story. The romantic pacing could have been better.

But I loved the side characters (looking forward to Lorelei and Drakes story). And the parents were great.

Overall, another enjoyable story from a favorite author.

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."

This book was good, but not my favorite. I didn’t feel/fall in love with the characters like I wanted to. It was a well written book, I just didn’t connect with the characters. You may love it. It was want for me.