REVIEW: Friends Don't Fall in Love

I'm torn about my feelings about Friends Don't Fall in Love. I'm giving it a three-star rating mostly because I was frustrated with the characters' behavior.

I usually love friends-to-lovers and second-chance romances, but this one didn't quite hit the mark. It technically fits those tropes, but it didn't do them justice. Instead, it turned into a short-lived friends-with-benefits situation, which wasn't handled all that well.

The story follows Lorelai and Craig, who've been friends for years, had a one-night stand in the past, and are both significant players in the music industry. They're pining for each other, but instead of being honest, they avoid their feelings and refuse to discuss them. On top of that, Lorelai is trying to stage a comeback in country music after being blocked for speaking out against guns.

I loved the parts of the book that dealt with gun violence and school shootings—they were critical topics and handled well. The music industry setting was super interesting. But man, the characters just drove me up the wall. Lorelai and Craig had zero self-confidence in themselves, making their dynamic toxic. Everyone around them constantly cheered them on and told them how amazing they were.

And then it takes forever for anything to happen. It's 90% into the book before they even admit to themselves how they feel and not until 93–95% before they tell each other. At that point, it didn't feel like a slow burn—it just felt like they were dragging their feet.

While I appreciated some parts of the book, like the social commentary and the music, the story, the characters, and the way the romance played out let me down.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

This one was cute! I regret waiting so long to read it as I’m a mood reader but it was definitely a fun and quick read! It had tropes I enjoyed in it and the content was very easy to consume and relate with in some aspects. Would definitely recommend to others

This book follows Lorelai Jones (who we met in the book "Built to Last") and her music producer Craig "Huckleberry (yes, I shit you not, that is his middle name)" Boseman. The way this is set up with flipping back and forth between the past and present was too confusing and at time aggravating. I almost wish they had their whole "flashback" scene at the beginning of the book and then the rest was set in the present-day.

I liked seeing the other characters from Hahn's book make cameos here and there, including Annie Mathers and Clay Coolidge from "You'd Be Mine." And while I understood the storyline parallel already, I liked the note at the end referencing the struggles The (Dixie) Chicks went through in the country music industry when they protested George W. Bush and how it is similar to Lorelai's story.

(Disclaimer: I may have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't listened to it on audiobook. The "southern accents" were just not it and it was almost "twang-y" if that makes any sense at all.)

A cute, country music love story. I enjoy a second chance romance and this was no exception. The main characters are well-developed, but there are lots of side characters and many of them ran together as I read. I also appreciate a contemporary romance that isn’t afraid to explore social or real-world issues, and found myself wanting even more of that storyline in this one. 👀

*I was honored to read an ARC of this book via
NetGalley and the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.*

Love a rom com. Love Erin Hahn. Love a book set in Nashville.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I’m a sucker for a good book with music at its core!

Lorelai is trying to win back the hearts of country music radio after she chose to perform a political song when she wasn’t supposed to. She moves back to Nashville hoping to create a new album with her longtime friend Craig (Huck), and former bandmate of her ex-fiance. With Huck by her side, she works to charm Nashville again while trying to stay steadfast in who she is.

There’s so many more side plots to this book, and at times, I found it hard to keep everything straight, which is a big reason why this isn’t 5 stars. I didn’t think the timelines of before and after Lorelai’s fall from grace were well laid out some of the time and had to relisten to portions of it to realize if I was in the past or present.
I really enjoyed the budding relationship between Lorelai and Huck and how he was meant to be the “average joe” amongst all of the “gods” that are normally in romance books. I’m not normally a fan of slow burn romances, but I loved the friendship between them so much that it didn’t really matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I couldn’t get very far in this as soon as the opening chapter said the backstory. The country star who pissed off conservatives is exactly what happened to The Chicks, so it pulled me out of the story.
DNF

Thank you for an e-arc of this book. I apologize that it has taken me so long to get a review to you. However, real life got in the way of reading as well as some mental health problems. However, here is my review.

One of the first things that I had to get over myself for was this book was the name of the female main character being Lorelai. Just a bit too much Gilmore Girls for my taste and I feel like the name is heavy handed now a days. Which is not the fault of the author, but more what I thought of it. That said, this was a fun and easy read, so I did appreciate that part of the book. Friends to lovers is much better than enemies to lovers sometimes and it works with the musicians of the book world.

The other problem was not feeling too connected to the characters. While I enjoyed the story, it was just a breezing through life thing and I needed a bit more. However, overall, it was a nice read.

Erin Hahn does it again. I hope it's in the plans for Erin to continue releasing such reliable, feel good, swoony love stories.

This books was as cute and sweet as it was horny but that is the best part of Erin Hahn books. All the feels are there and Lorelei and Craig had the chemistry and sizzle that every good book needs.

I have never tried this author before and I‘m so glad I did now. This book is such a cute and quick and entertaining read!
I loved the characters and the romance was great. I could feel the chemistry which is always amazing!!

This romantic comedy is a joy to read! With quirky characters and a fun plot, it’s filled with laugh-out-loud moments and tender scenes. The relationship develops in a believable way, and the ending leaves you with a smile. Perfect for anyone looking for a light, uplifting read!

Friends to lovers is my favorite trope and I will fight the enemies to lovers crowd to the end!!

This was my second read by Erin Hahn and it certainly will not be my last.

What a sweet book! Friends to lovers is my favorite trope and this was a cute one. So glad that I got to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Erin Hahn!

What a fun, unique and tender friends to lovers romance! I loved catching back up with Lorelai and Craig after meeting them in Built to Last. Per usual Erin did an amazing job of weaving tender moments, angst and witty banter together to create a captivating and fast paced read. What I loved about this book was the bond between the two main characters, the message of standing up for your beliefs and values, and the focus on perseverance and living life on your own terms.

I just love Erin's writing!

Did not finish at 5%. I was not vibing with the story. The characters were alright and the writing was good, but the plot was not holding me.

Lorelai Jones is a country music artist who lost her career and her celebrity fiance five years ago after singing a protest song (sounds like another recent read!). The one person who stood by her was Craig (aka Huck), a Nashville music producer who’s been in love with Lorelai ever since. When the two come together to rebuild Lorelai’s career, the sparks fly, but is it more than just a friends-with-benefits situation?

This is the follow-up to Hahn’s Built to Last, and those characters appear again here (though this could stand alone). Huck and Lorelai have a sweet and supportive friendship, and I loved the dual perspectives that allowed us to see how cool and confident they each perceived the other to be, which conflicted with the turmoil they both actually felt. Heads up for some steamy open-door scenes.

Unfortunately, after multiple attempts I have been unable to get into this book. It felt very slow for me and the characters were not likable which made it hard to root for them and enjoy the story. Due to that I have decided to soft DNF the book and potentially pick it up at a later date.

My first time reading Erin Hahn and this was enjoyable. Friends to lovers isn't my go-to trope and needs to be done well to really impress me. Famous/music romances are always a good bit of escapism for me.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I really like Erin Hahn’s writing! I thought this was a really cute book. It felt a little “I’ve seen this before” but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it to friends wanting a small-town romance feel!