So I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. I expected drama (childhood actors, so duh) and obvious instalove but man was I DEAD wrong. Shoutout Netgalley for approving me for this one cause I was excited just from description and cover (sucker for illustrated covers tbh). Shelby, Cameron and Lyle were all childhood actors on a show together where Lyle and Shelby were main characters and Cameron was the nerdy best friend of Lyle’s character. Everyone obviously wanted Lyle and Shelby to be together irl but whadddya know? Cameron and Shelby were sneaking away while on the show ..until cameron left the show (and Shelby) for college. Years later Cameron gets a text from drunken Shelby asking him to come to her rescue after Lyle broke her heart (did I mention Shelby and Lyle dated for 5 years after the show ended but broke up because Lyle cheated) yeah it was definitely drama filled but as the story progressed I realized there was so much more to it than what I originally thought.

I love when a book can make me laugh out loud and make me feel all the emotions, otherwise, I personally don’t think it’s a good book and let me tell you - the banter between Cameron and Shelby had me straight up giggling.

Cameron Riggs may be my new book boyfriend and this may be one of my favorite reads so far of 2022.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

It took me a bit to get into this book. I thought the beginning had way too much exposition and was so wordy I was getting frustrated... and then I got hooked.

I'm such a sucker for a second chance romance and you just feel this one so much. Cameron and Shelby are ex costars, having been two thirds of a trio in a children's show. Ten years after their show ends the pair are reunited by their (manipulative) third costar to make a home makeover show.

Once I got past all the convoluted set up this story required, I truly got sucked in. Both Cameron and Shelby experienced so much of their lives together but after not speaking for the better part of ten years, it is so heartwarming getting to watch them fall back in love. Besides being, at times, too wordy, I did really enjoy the writing in this book.

For me, this book was missing something to make it a five star read. I'm not sure exactly what it was but I felt like the conflicts got resolved too easily. It felt like despite having all this trauma and past baggage, there really was no conflict that stuck. Things kept getting thrown at them and they just handled it right away (which I guess shows that they are both healthy and secure with themselves but I still think it made a weird choice for a romance novel). It was like I kept waiting for something to knock them down from the clouds and it just never happened.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to add it to my bookshelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read and review this advance copy!

This is definitely a cute friend's to lovers romance! It was a little bit slow getting started, but once I really got into it I fell in love with the main characters. I enjoyed that it was built around a home renovation reality show, I think that added some charm to their stories!

I did not love all of the language in the book. I also didn't love the villan, his character just seemed a bit unrealistic.

Overall this is definitely a cute romcom!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC or Built to Last and the chance to share a review, voluntarily.

Shelby and Cameron worked together as child actors and have been separated after a decade. They reunite to work on a home renovation reality show and find a spark they thought had dimmed.

I was drawn to the premise of this book and liked it almost immediately. Cameron and Shelby were such thoughtful and authentic characters. I loved the way this trope was approached in a new, not-cliche way. The roles of family and friends strengthened the plot and centered all the love they had. I liked that it was light on drama but still interesting. The dialogue was quippy and realistic.

A few things snagged or bugged me. The story felt just a tad too long for me and I didn't think the comments section adding anything of value to the plot or character development. I didn’t feel like the experience of Cam leaving for college was explored enough and I didn’t understand the conflict with his dad at all. I also wished Lyle’s motivations for being such a manipulative jerk we’re explore/explained me and I wished something negative would happen to him.

Overall this was a touching read with a great amount of heat.

I’m an avid romance reader so when I saw this available to be requested, I jumped on it. I really thought I would enjoy it but it was a little too slow for me. I enjoy friends-to-lovers & a second chance romance but the surrounding characters really drove me crazy (looking at you, Lyle).
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A pretty unique take on the recent spate of contemporary romances with home renovation - or a home renovation show - as the setting. The protagonists are former child actors from a once-popular show, and there are complicated feelings along with public embarrassments to tangle up their histories.
Even with all of these ingredients, 'Built To Last' just didn't stick with me: I wasn't drawn in or rooting for the characters or the relationship and I couldn't buy into the motivation of the antagonist.
Usually I finish a book with some sort of emotional moment - a satisfied "ah!" or a variation of "yuck!" This book provoked no reaction, it's details already fading.
Milage of other readers my vary.

Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs were co-stars on a TV show growing up. After years apart, they both get called to star on their own home renovation show.

This second-chance, childhood friends-to-lovers was so cute! It took me a little to get into it but once I was I couldn’t put it down! This book was fun and lighthearted and definitely what I needed after binge reading every dark romance I could find on TikTok lately.

On top of how adorable this book was there was no 3rd act breakup!!! That’s an all-around winner in my book

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy!

This book was so cute, I finished it in a day! Shelby and Cameron were an adorable pair and I enjoyed the premise and the characters (not you Lyle and Marcella). It reminded me a bit of 99% Mine with house renovation, friends to Lovers, second chance romance, romcom with a title bit of spice mixed in. This is a great little pick me up read. Thank you to St. Martins Press for the eARC via Netgalley for my honest review.

Erin Hahn basically owns my reading life. If she writes it, I am reading it. When she announced a romance for adults instead of her usual YA romance, I NEEDED this book. I was right. I really did need it. I loved this story of two child stars who come together as adults to film a pilot for a home renovation show. Their history and tension and their hidden love for each other was so easy to sink into and kept me compulsively reading until the very last page.

I loved that the big conflict was more external than internal.
I loved that they sorted their stuff out individually and when they finally had their conversation, it was healthy and worked for them. It wasn't half talks that made more of a mess later.
I loved their families and their friend groups.
I loved glimpses of Annie and Clay (read You'd be Mine)
I loved Kevin.

I can't wait for more in this series of books and from Erin.

Best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers again, you will always be famous. Shelby and Cameron are just so perfect. I absolutely love that there was no third act break up, they were just allowed to be happy and live their life.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was a fun one! Who doesn’t love a home renovation show and a second chance love story? I really enjoyed the first few chapters because it gave us a glimpse into their lives before the main part of the story takes place. It was fun getting to know all the side characters, but it was still focused primarily on Cam and Shelby. We also got a dual POV and a fun epilogue!!

The one thing I would have changed was the chapter headers. Halfway through I realized there were song titles listed for each chapter, but they weren’t the chapter names. I would have liked it better if it were switched. Put the song title as the chapter title, and then just put Shelby or Cameron underneath.

Thank you so much St Martins Griffin for my early copy!

5 years after a very public break-up from her former co-star and ensuing breakdown that results in her leaving LA, former child actor Shelby has found a new normal in her home state of Michigan. She finds a love and talent in refurbishing old furniture and helps her dad flip houses.

When she is approached about filming a home improvement reality show, she doesn’t realize she’s walking in to a meeting that her ex-boyfriend, Lyle, set up, and has asked her first love (and their former co-star) Cameron to be a part of. Shelby has to figure out how to manage the feelings she still feels for both (contempt for Lyle and love for Cameron) while making sure their pilot gets picked up for a season.

Erin Hahn’s writing is laid back and easy to get sucked in to. The banter between Shelby and Cam had me feeling all of the things, and I couldn’t help but absolutely love them. It was the perfect palate cleanser after some heavier recent reads, and would make the perfect vacation book.

Built to Last will be released in October.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

Built to Last is Erin Hahn’s debut Adult RomCom, but it still has all the charm and heart of her YA novels. This novel also connects to her other novels, so the easter eggs were neat to see!

Built to Last is the story of Shelby and Cameron, former best friends and childhood sweethearts. They’ve had a decade full of missed chances and almost romance, but after not seeing each other for five years, they’re forced together by their unlikable co-star Lyle, who happens to be Shelby’s other ex-boyfriend and the showrunner of Shelby’s new home renovation show.

I really enjoyed Built to Last! I loved how each chapter had a song associated with it. I also liked how the songs reflected the feelings of our main duo (and often contrasted each other). It’s always fun seeing how Erin Hahn ties music into her novels!

Cameron and Shelby’s connection is great. They may be one of my favorite Erin Hahn couples. I really enjoy their interactions – and how in sync they are, most of the time. I’ve seen a couple of other reviewers mention this, but they do have a similar vibe to Erin and Ben from HGTV’s Home Town. Even their renovation show, HomeMade, bears a resemblance.

Shelby’s best friends Lorelai and Maren are awesome. I’m so excited that they are each getting their own book! With all the hints and pieces of information about Lorelai in this book, I can’t wait to see how her novel is going to go!

All in all, Erin Hahn never disappoints and her transition to adult romcoms is practically perfect!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of Built to Last!

While the premise holds promise, the plot is a little tired and I didn't find the characters as interesting as I had hoped. Built to Last is too formulaic to stand up against a crowded field of romance novels available to readers.

I really enjoyed this book. I grew up in Michigan, so I loved the setting AND sprinkle in a home reno show, I was sold.

The book follows Cameron and Shelby, 2 childhood sitcom stars. Cameron left the show when he turned 18 to go to college. 5 years later, him and Shelby briefly reunite when Shelby and Lyle Jessup break up (Lyle was also on the same sitcom as them). Cameron leaves and returns to his job at Nat Geo, only for him and Shelby to be brought together 5 years later. So, now we are 10 years from when Cameron went away to college and Shelby has a made a name for herself over the past 5 years in Michigan where she works along side her dad flipping houses and refinishing old furniture to bring it back to life. Cameron and Shelby are brought back together by none other than Lyle Jessup who wants to shoot a pilot for a home renovation reality show of Shelby but wants Cameron to be a part of it as "comic relief" since the two have such great chemistry.

I thought the side characters had a great mix. Kevin and Beth were fantastic and funny. I really loved Lorelai and I'd love to see more on her. Maren wasn't in it enough to really have much of an opinion. Shelby's dad was funny and observant and liked to rile up Cameron. Shelby's mom was a real piece of work. Lyle is so petty and is clearly still has feelings for Shelby and is jealous of Cameron.

I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but the book touches on first love, broken hearts, insane family dynamics, fierce friendships and second chances.

If you like a good Rom Com, I highly suggest this one. I honestly hope there's a book 2 about what happens next OR a book about Lorelai.

This book hit all the marks for me … a young cast growing up on a television show (I pictured Saved by the Bell), a home improvement endeavor, and a love that endures many challenging outside negative forces. All of this is accomplished with charm, humor, and honesty. I enjoyed this book a lot and was so happy the the epilogue gave us a glimpse into the future of these characters. I feel as if I would root for them in real life!

I couldn’t put this book down. An amazing read. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and this one is one of my favorites. I really did love this book, and I have no more words to say to describe how much I love it. A must read.

This was a fun read! Shelby, Cameron, and Lyle were child stars on a popular teen show. Behind the scenes, there was plenty of teenage romantic angst.

Now, 10 years later, Cam and Shelby have left show business, but Lyle is still in the thick of it - behind the scenes now. Cam has switched gears and is now behind the camera, making documentaries for National Geographic. Shelby has strayed the furthest - she and her dad work together flipping houses. Shelby's expertise at furniture restoration is the icing on the "flipping" cake!

Shelby and Cameron are lured back in front of the cameras are lured back in with the promise of a house-flipping reality show pilot. Shelby really wants this so that her dad can be a consultant and have a solid retirement plan. But, the romantic angst of their teens makes a return appearance. Can they all get through it? Will the pilot be picked up? Do they even want it to be picked up? What would that mean for Cam's new career?

While the story does delve into some deeper issues, such as the emotional abuse Shelby endured at the hand of her stage mom, Ada Mae, all-in-all this was a light, fun read - perfect for beach or pool.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Cameron and Shelby were child TV stars together and have reunited as adults on a home renovation show. After Shelby had a rough spell in LA in her 20s, she has created a new life for herself back in her home state of Michigan restoring furniture pieces. Cameron, who also grew up in Michigan, has returned after traveling with Nat Geo for work. Their childhood crushes for one another don’t take long to resurface, and they learn to navigate working together and rebuilding their relationship as adults outside of Hollywood. I adored this story and couple. They are both so charming and I highly recommend this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

So I may be a little biased with this book simply because it takes place in Michigan (where I grew up and live). But, despite being biased about the location of the story, I can say that I loved the plot! I’m a sucker for home renovation shows, so that plot coupled up with Michigan and told in a cute rom-com way made for a great read!