Shelby was a childhood star growing up on a popular sitcom. She had a toxic relationship with her mother and didn't see her dad as much as she would have liked. While on her time acting on the show she grew close to her co-stars Cameron and Lyle. Shelby ends up dating Lyle for many years after the show ends and has breakdown when their relationship ends. Cameron has always been there for Shelby and when she calls him after the breakup with Lyle, Cameron jumps on a plane to be there for her. Unfortunately, Shelby is in a rough place and the visit does not go according to plan.
Fast-forward years later, Shelby is over Lyle, hasn't heard from Cameron, is sober, and living in her hometown working with her dad. Shelby is happy with her life in Michigan working refurbishing antique furniture. Shelby submits a tape for a new home renovation show that could bring in more money for her and her dad. The tape isn't as well received as she would like but they ask Shelby to film a pilot for show with a costar that they have lined up. When Shelby flies out to LA to meet this person she finds out that Lyle is going to be producing the pilot and that the person they have picked for her to film the show with is Cameron. A happy reunion between the three former costars? Definitely not. Shelby and Cameron agree to film the pilot together but things don't go as planned. Lyle decides that things need to be shaken up and throws in curveballs left and right to trip up the two costars.
I really enjoyed this book, following the romance between Shelby and Cameron. The two learn that a lot has happened since they last saw each other but they still have feelings for each other as they did when they were kids. Shelby and Cameron's love for each other seemed so genuine and I really enjoyed that. There was a solid about of steam but not too much that it took away from the plot. Overall, I think if you like a funny love story about the one that got away, this book is for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read a review this book before publishing.

This was adorable. I absolutely LOVED it.

Shelby, Cameron and Lyle all spent their formative childhood & adolescent years on a TV show with national fame. Growing up in the spotlight isn't easy and when you're a child start, your mistakes stick around forever.

It's been ten years since the show ended. Cameron and Shelby were each other's first love, but the timing never seems right for them. He left at 17 for college. He came back at 22 when she and Lyle broke up, but he left again. Now, they're 27 and the 3 of them are working together to create a reality TV show that focuses on flipping houses. Shelby has carved out a nice life in Michigan, out of the spotlight, where she refinishes and builds furniture alongside her dad who flips houses for a living. Lyle has signed on as the showrunner and convinced Cameron to come back and star alongside Shelby.

Will the timing finally work out for Shelby & Cameron, or while Lyle sabotage Shelby again, derailing the life of calm success that she has built over the last five years.

Lots of chemistry and steam in this one.

A very sweet friends to lovers romance between two former child stars. I hated Shelby’s mother and Lyle with a passion, but liked nearly every other character. The bartender and his wife were great. Plus this book was set in Michigan which automatically gives it extra points from me. Some spice but nothing crazy.I enjoyed the love story overall. It was a quick, easy read! I finished in a couple of hours.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this!

This was my first ARC and I was really excited for it! I thought the premise of the book sounded fun and and has a lot of potential. While this book did get slightly better for me towards the end, there were just some things I really struggled with from the beginning.

What drew me to this book initially was that the characters were friends and it was a second-chance romance. The chapters were short and easy to get through, I loved that we got a point of view for both main characters, and the steam/spice was excellent!
+short chapters & dual POVs
+I thought the steam in this book was pretty good!

What I struggled with the most was that while these characters were supposed to be 27/28, they read really juvenile to me for a good portion of the book. I found Lyle to be incredibly annoying, and this book did feel a little too YA at certain points

Overall, I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t my favorite!

This book was really cute, as someone who lives for home improvement shows, specifically ones that restore old homes to their former glory, I felt like this book was written for me. I thought the relationship was cute, family and friends were cute and it just made me feel all warm inside!

A friends to lovers story that chronicled the good, bad and ugly of growing up as child stars together. I personally did not buy into the chemistry between Shelby and Cameron outside of a pure physical connection. That made it difficult to remain invested.

This book didn’t blow me away and didn’t quite stand up to a lot of the romances I have recently enjoyed. However, it is worth a read if you’re a sucker for second chance romance.

In BUILT TO LAST, the title could mean the premise of rehabbing old houses, or rehabbing old relationships.

Or both.

Onetime childhood/teen actors Shelby Springfield, Cameron Riggs and Lyle Jessup were a trio in every sense of the word, with Shelby caught between the two boys on the set. One she falls in love with…one she falls into a toxic relationship with.

Fast forward twelve years and a lifetime of mistakes later and the once popular now disgraced teen idol Shelby is being given the chance at a reality tv comeback in the form of a house rehab show – something she now does with her father. The catches? One, the show is being produced by her notoriously ass-whole-y ex, Lyle and two, Cameron is asked to be the costar.

A lifetime of relationships and mistakes and growing up makes this story a darling one.

I truly hated Lyle. I don’t know who couldn’t after reading him- and I’ll admit, his douchiness was a little over the top to suspend my disbelief. But that’s just me and in no way takes away from the story.

This is a charming romance about second chances in life, in relationships, and in love.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for a sneak peek. A solid 4 stars from me for this delightful read.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Second chance childhood sweetheart stories are my greatest weakness, so I was beyond eager to pick this up.

The chemistry between Shelby and Cam is really well done. Every interaction they have is believable and feels genuine. I really enjoyed their banter and appreciated how their relationship developed. I was more than rooting for them and their home renovation show to work out.

So while this more than delivers with the second chance trope, I'm so bummed out that the childhood sweethearts aspect took a back seat. I would have loved to have more flashback scenes. Other than quick references, I think there's maybe like one and a half actual flashback scenes total throughout the entire book. And, because of this, it creates a lot of miss opportunities for character development, growth, and connection.

But even though this may not have lived up to all of my expectations or wants, this is still a decently sweet story with a lot of heart. Perfect for readers who are obsessed with home renovations shows!

This book was a cute friends-to-lovers story between two child actors who grew up in the public eye, and were forced to deal with the good and the bad that came with their profession. Well, until they didn't.

As a friends to lovers enthusiast, I really enjoyed this book, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I liked it. I didn't really fall in love with the characters on their own because I didn't understand why they were drawn to each other aside from the physical attraction. I couldn't find any depth in their relationship, but they we're kind of cute so that's that.

I can’t quite remember how I stumbled upon Erin Hahn but ever since randomly picking up "More Than Maybe", I’ve loyally and happily devoured the entirety of that semi-interconnected universe. So when I saw she was coming out with a new book, I automatically added it to my TBR and was thrilled when I received an early copy from NetGalley. I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical at first because the synopsis indicated it didn’t feature characters from any of her previous books, as a small part of me would have loved to read more about their lives. That being said, my least favorite part about More Than Maybe was how young they were so I was excited to see how Erin Hahn tackled adult relationships that I could hopefully relate to a bit more.

Cam and Shelby, the duo at the center of “Built to Last,” are a lot of things, though I’m not sure relatable would be the first word that comes to mind, given that they were former child stars on the same show. To be honest, their dynamic was frustrating to me, at first. In some of the initial scenes, I found myself wanting to yell at them “just talk to each other.” But as the story built, the other elements of the story won me over such that by the end I was fully on team #Spriggs. It’s a romance novel, after all, so I’m certainly in support of the romance. And yes of course I’d swoon if someone loved, supported and protected me the way these two ultimately did for each other. Just, in this case, I felt like what makes this book special were the way all the pieces fit together — not just the first lovers second chance/friends to lovers energy going on between Cam and Shelby but the way their friends and family interacted with it and how they handled the consistent undercurrent of chaos that was Shelby's ex, Luke Jessup. While it was clear from the beginning that his role was to create conflict, both for the show at the heart of the book and the book’s plot itself, I respected how Erin Hahn didn’t let that drag the storyline down. It was addressed and it was a definite factor driving some of the plot but it didn’t unnecessarily complicate things with manufactured drama or a miscommunication that, in my opinion, occurs too often in both romance novels and romantic comedies. The whole thing felt relatively normal (if you adjust for the fact that the primary characters were teen stars and the backdrop was Hollywood/reality tv) — from the breakfast debriefs with Shelby’s girl squad to the way the ex tried to be petty and was shut down by both the girl and her best friend (again, discounting the fact that he did this by leaking a biased story to the tabloids and the girl countered with a music video montage of her new relationship).

I was potentially predisposed to like this given that I have been a secret home renovation show fan girl since I was little (from TLC to HGTV’s Home Town), and I might be ignoring some issues as a result, but I enjoyed "Built to Last" nonetheless. I will be keeping an eye out for what I hope are at least two spin offs featuring the lovely side characters in this book (I’d put money on a Lorelai book next but wouldn’t say no to a prequel featuring Kevin and Beth or even a book set a few years in the future hashing out Lyle’s relationships). In the meantime, I’m going to go reread Erin Hahn’s YA series, starting with More Than Maybe.

Read if you liked The Honey Don't List, Fix Her Up and/or 99 Percent Mine.

T he premise was different than anything else I’ve read lately. a second chance at love for two former child stars, Shelby and Cameron. while they renovate a home for a tv show. I enjoyed most of the characters. Especially Shelby’s dad. He was so encouraging to Shelby and Cameron.
It was light and cute and sweet. I liked reading it!

It's been a few years since I've read an Erin Hahn novel and I'm so glad I picked up Built to Last. I zoomed through this novel on the nights when my jetlag kept me awake and it was the perfect companion on those sleepless nights.



I hooked on the story of Cameron and Shelby from the first few pages and as I got to know them and their history, I couldn't help but root for them. They were both so clearly smitten with each other and their on the page chemistry and friendship was fun to read. I really appreciated how together Shelby was and what a mess Cameron seemed to be--a nice reversal of what I think some readers expect in their characters. I loved how they worked together to foil their nemesis-a nice touch. Additionally, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenes between Cameron and Shelby and having not read an Erin Hahn novel in quite a while, I didn't know to expect that.



Overall, a sweet romance with some laughter = a perfect way to get through my haze of jetlag.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGallley in exchange for an honest review*

Former child star Shelby Springfield has been out of the public eye for years, finding happiness in her father's home renovation business and her own furniture refinishing. But everything changes when her former co-star (and ex-boyfriend) drags her into a house flipping show. To make matters worse, their other co-star, Cameron Riggs is brought on as co-host. There's more to Shelby and Cameron's relationship than anyone knows, and it's only a matter of time before the secret comes out on set...

I really enjoyed this book, it was full of heartfelt emotions and had an emotional depth that I really love as a reader. It explored more than just the relationship between Shelby and Cameron (and by extension between Shelby, Cameron, and Lyle). The commentary of the way we fetishize child actors, particularly young girls, was striking and very on-the-nose. Every time the characters looked back on the happy parts of their childhood, as the reader I could feel that same tug of nostalgia, and when they thought back on the less happy parts I could feel that sadness too. The author has done a spectacular job of making this book emotional.

I loved seeing Shelby grow up and stand up for herself throughout the novel, and I felt the appropriate level of hatred for Lyle too. The parental relationships in Shelby's life were also so well done, her mother is the absolute WORST and I liked that even though she had a great relationship with her dad (now) she held him accountable for his mistakes while she was growing up in Hollywood.

This book still had that bubblegum tween show feel to it, despite being really steamy and I thought that worked really well. It was a great choice on the author's part, and she executed it perfectly. I find as a reader my ratings hinge on the epilogues, and thankfully this book had a great one.

This book releases on October 18th, and I would definitely recommend it to my romance fans out there!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an e-arc of Built to Last by Erin Hahn.

I was instantly drawn to this book because it has my favourite type of cover for romcoms. I don’t know what it is about these covers but I am like a bee to flowers or a moth to a lamp.

There is also another aspect to this book I didn’t realize I love to read about. Books about reality tv shows. I have read a few books this year (and last year) about tv chefs and news anchors. I didn’t think this would be a trope that I enjoy, but here we are. I am apparently a fan!

In this book we follow two child actors that have left Hollywood in pursuit of happiness. We are first introduced to the characters in the midst of Shelby’s hardships. After being publicly broken up with and humiliated, she calls her old cast member, Cam, to come to her aid. It had been a few years since they had left the show they had stared on together and he was currently in Alaska working on a documentary for National Geographic. Still he received her plea for help and he caught the first flight he could. Shortly after arriving to her aid, Cam writes Shelby a letter and leaves for Alaska again. The story jumps years into the future. That’s where our two main leads find each other again and and try for their second chance.

Shelby Springfield is now happy, she works with her father flipping houses. She loves to restore old pieces and make them look new again. She has an idea to pitch what they do for a reality show.
Unfortunately the producer the channel has leading it, is her ex boyfriend Lyle. He was a terrible person in the past and Shelby doesn’t think he’s changed. Fortunately he chose Cam to be her co-star for the series.
Can Shelby and Cam work through their past for a second chance or will meddling Lyle ruin it?

I enjoyed this book. I found myself getting so angry at Lyle and I would have to remind myself that it was just a book, he was just a character in the book and I was reading it for fun. I was fully emersed in this world and all I wanted was for Shelby and Cam to be happy, finally admit their feelings and for the show to succeed.

Occasionally I found Cam to be a little to dense that is was almost to unbelievable, how many hints do you need man?!

Would I recommend this?
Yes. Definitely. If this is a genre you like, then you will most likely enjoy this novel.

Really enjoyed the character story and development throughout the book. The author took you on a journey from celebrity to navigating a “normal” life. It invoked so many different feelings throughout and I couldn’t put it down!! The villain was written so well. I hated him throughout the entire book. So well written!

Shelby and Cameron make for the most adorable couple, after they both got their heads out of their asses and learned how to communicate. In all reality, I adored this couple and their friendship. As someone who loves books AND home renovation shows, this was the best of both worlds! I would absolutely watch HomeMade in a heartbeat.

I really enjoyed this story of second chance love between two former child stars and childhood sweethearts. Particularly, I found the building of the house as a metaphor of the characters' building back their love. The characters read a bit juvenille which I suspect is because the author has previously written YA. I look forward to the author's next adult book.

Built to Last is a very sweet, fun second chance romance. The plot was interesting and I normally love second chance romances but ultimately the story fell a bit flat for me. I really enjoyed the side characters & I loved that you could feel the chemistry between Shelby & Cameron. This was a really cute, quick read if you’re a fan of HGTV.

Second chance romance with some forced proximity. I really liked this book and how well written it was. I hate miscommunication issues but it makes it even more realistic. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.