I am such a sucker for friends to lovers. I am a sucker for some good steam. I am a sucker for literally all the things this book was! I mean, can you say CHEMISTRY? Holy smokes what a nice surprise.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press! This was a cute read! I got through it pretty quickly whereas in some celeb books I do not. Can't wait to read others by Erin Hahn - but I'll probably do audiobooks instead. I'll get through them much quicker!

Engaging story and characters up. Rated a 3 because at some point halfway I started loosing interest in the main characters. Overall I enjoyed it but something was missing to make it a 4 or 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin Hahn and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly just loved these characters so much. I loved that they were older, best friends and one character lives with a chronic condition. I love supportive partners and they were just swoon worthy. This whole novel was perfection and I can’t wait for the authors next novel!

After reading and enjoying Built to Last by Erin Hahn, I was really looking forward to Friends Don't Fall in Love which I ended up really enjoying as well! I really liked Craig and Lorelei's characters and loved that we got dual POV. I liked seeing both their relationship and careers progress over the course of the book. I enjoyed their chemistry and was rooting for them to end up together, but I did find maybe there was a little bit too much miscommunication as I wish they would have shared their feelings a little bit sooner than they did, but I get that they wanted to protect their friendship too. There was a lot of cute moments (the caretaking moment when Craig looks after Lorelei when she wasn't feeling well) and some spicy ones too. I thought it was so fun that there were songs that went with each chapter and enjoyed the song lyrics and text messages that were incorporated throughout the book. I loved seeing appearances and mentions of Shelby & Cameron from Built to Last too!

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for a friends to lovers romance that centres around the music industry (specifically the country music scene) with dual POV and some spice, check out Friends Don't Fall in Love! This was my second book by Erin Hahn, and it will not be my last. I'm looking forward to reading Maren's story in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Friends Don't Fall in Love slowly wooed me to the friends to lovers trope. Having read Hahn's previous novel, Built to Last, it was fun entering back into a familiar world. Even though this is a romance, it wasn't all easygoing and hiccup free. Lorelai has a lot to work through from her past and reentering her singing career. I loved the flashbacks and pining, but even more I loved how Craig is there for Lorelai every step of the way and they care for and protect each other as friends first.

Not to start this review off so generic, but I really loved reading this book! Such a classic friends to lovers romcom. I typically am not a huge celebrity romance fan, apparently EXCEPT when it involves country music. Then I’m all in!! Aside for a few weird time hops in the beginning, I can’t think of anything I would change!!
4.5⭐️

When I finished Erin Hahn’s last novel, Built to Last, I shamelessly begged the author to write a spin-off featuring Shelby’s friend, Lorelei Jones. Imagine my joy when she replied (!) and said that was the next book! Long story short, I’ve been looking forward to this book since I first met this character a year ago. And Lorelei’s own book, Friends Don’t Fall in Love, did not disappoint!

Lorelei Jones’s career and life fell apart when she used her platform to make a public statement against gun violence. Country music as a whole, her manager, and even her fiancé all abandoned her as a result. Lorelei returned to Michigan, where she taught elementary school and thought she let go of her music dreams… until the events in Built to Last brought her back to her music. Stepping into the spotlight to support her friends, Lorelei discovered her fans were still there for her. With more songs building up in her mind, she returns to Nashville to try again in Friends Don’t Fall in Love. This time, she knows her ex-fiancé Drake is no good…even if he keeps literally showing up on her doorstep. But Huck, his ex-bandmate and her longtime friend, has always been good with her and for her. Their songwriting skills combined are revealing unexpected feelings and off the charts chemistry.

There’s so much about this book to love: the witty banter, friends to lovers, using one’s voice and platform for good, building community that values you for who you are, and Celiac representation. As someone with a fairly recent diagnosis that requires a lot of dietary restrictions, it was refreshing to see that on the page. Though I don’t have Celiac’s, I do have to be careful about what, and where, I eat. Seeing a character navigate that same scenario was reassuring, and it’s handled so well.

I also appreciate this statement, shared on Hahn’s website and social media, regarding Friends Don’t Fall in Love, “Lorelai Jones and I have both spent time in the classroom and this subject is very close to our hearts. Please take care when reading.” This is such a caring and beautiful way of preparing readers, without scaring anyone off.

Once again, Hahn crafts relatable, intriguing characters. Dual POV, interstitial song lyrics, and flashbacks show the course of this coupling’s friendship and feelings. And once again, I’m hopeful for a spinoff with yet another character– this time Shelby and Lorelei’s friend, Maren. But this time, I already know Maren’s story is coming and I don’t have to beg the author on Instagram!

Lorelei and Huck are such fun characters, with real heart and depth. Their family, found family, and friends they choose to build community with are wonderful to see. The long-distance friendship representation is also top-notch, and it’s just lovely to see real life experiences on the page like that. Our worlds are big, and we have to make an effort to stay connected. The group chat texts, video chat calls, and travel adds to the realistic aspect while bringing more humor and heart to the characters.

Ooh, for my friends who read this blog more for KidLit content– this is not KidLit! This is an adult romance and the spiciness level is not low. (I’d rank it around 4 out of 5 for spice!)

This was such a fun read, and I can’t wait for Maren’s book, too! I loved picking up on the hints of what is in store for her sprinkled in Lorelei’s book. This friend group is just delightful, and I love getting to see characters from past books further along in the timeline.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love is available now. Thank you to author Erin Hahn, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC such that I could share my honest opinion.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

This book started a little slow for me, and I also found it a little hard to follow in the beginning. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, especially because they refer to each other as first names sometimes and last names other times.

The friends to lovers was a bit of a slow burn that didn’t make much sense. They had previously had a one night stand, which they both enjoyed, so it didn’t make a lot of sense why it took them both so long to finally get together.

Overall I did enjoy the authors writing, and the characters were enjoyable.

Lorelai Jones was once a country music star on the rise. Then she made a professional faux pas, striking the wrong chord with the media. Suddenly Lorelai found herself going from country music’s sweetheart, to fodder for a cliched country song.

Rejected by her fans AND her superstar fiancé, Lorelai flees the music scene, hiding out as a school teacher. But as the old saying goes, you can take the girl out of country, but not the country out of the girl. That’s when Lorelai decides to reach out to songwriter and old pal, Craig Boseman, one of the few people she feels she can still trust from the old days.

While time has moved on, Craig’s feelings for Lorelai have not. Still, he harbors no illusion that she will ever feel the same. Putting his pining aside, Craig agrees to help reboot Lorelai’s career. But partnering with Lorelai stirs up more than just feelings for the singer, it also dredges up feelings of professional self worth.

As the two spend more time together, the more Lorelai sees Craig in a different light. Acting on their impulses might put Craig in a time out from the friend zone, however their hookup still leave both parties secretly shook up. Still, the bigger question remains-can Craig they rewrite his lovers lament into an epic love song?

Friends Don’t Fall In Love had a few of my favorite story elements - musical romance and friends to lovers frivolity. Despite all of this, I found myself wanting to love this story far more than I did. I can’t tell if it was a case of it’s not you it’s me, but I just didn’t find myself connecting with the characters or their journey.

I absolutely adored this book. Lorelei and Huck here so dang perfect and cute together. Their friendship was strong but their love was stronger. They both wanted to do for the other and that was amazing to see. I liked how their relationship progressed and even how they put a stop to everything once Huck realized he wanted more. I loved the supporting characters and laughed plenty of times with this one. I can’t wait to read another Erin Hahn book! She doesn’t disappoint!

Sad to say I did not fall in love with this.

I think the challenge for me is because I have not read all the books set in this universe -- BTW, nowhere in the summary does this say it's part of a larger interconnected world -- I had a hard time keeping track of the characters, caring about these characters and felt like I was missing out on not knowing everyone's backstory. While this is probably meant as a standalone, I just felt disconnected from the story.

Strangely, what led me to pick up this book was Erin Hahn's young adult You'd Be Mine which I read over 4 years ago and many books in between. I recall the cover, remembering it was well written and had a similar country western theme BUT since that was the 1st in this universe, it was uncomplicated and easier to follow. This just didn't work for me.

I really enjoyed this book. Lorelai is such a great lead and I loved how strong and independent she was - her relationship only made her stronger (my favorite kind of book) and Craig is the best kind of romantic internet. He was fully developed in his own right. Something Erin Hahn does so well is truly give the readers the full picture. I don’t think there were any stones left uncovered in this book. My only complaint, and it’s partially my fault, I didn’t realize this was the same character from Built to Last and I had to pull out my copy a couple times to refresh my memory. This is a fun read set in Nashville with complex and fully fleshed out characters.

Erin Hahn’s latest novel Friends Don’t Fall in Love is a friends-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of the country music industry in Nashville. I enjoyed Hahn’s book Built to Last so much that I requested this one for review without reading the synopsis, so it was a wonderful surprise to realize we were going to revisit my favorite characters from Built to Last.

This story follows Lorelai Jones, a country music superstar who fell from grace when she performed a protest song in support of gun control at a concert. Five years later she decides to mount a comeback and reaches out to the one man who has always been in her corner, her best friend Craig (or Huck as she calls him), who also happens to be a successful music producer.

Huck has issues of his own that he’s dealing with, including a former bandmate who refuses to give him credit for songs that Huck wrote for him. But no matter what Huck is dealing with, he has never been able to say no to Lorelai. In fact, he has been quietly in love with her for years. It is this complicated dynamic between Lorelai and Huck that really made this an excellent read for me. Hahn presents their relationship through both present-day scenes and flashbacks to show just how layered and complicated things are between them and I loved watching their relationship unfold this way and seeing Lorelai slowly wake up to what has been right in front of her all along.

Huck is an absolute cinnamon roll and I adored him, and I’ll always root for an underdog so Lorelai and her comeback story really appealed to me as well. The presence of the gun control debate and the cancel culture that surrounds it was right on the edge of being too much for me since I read romance to escape things like that, but thankfully Lorelai and Huck’s personal journey was enough to keep the story enjoyable for me. I also really appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the country music industry.

If slow-burn, friends to lovers romances are your vibe, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of Friends Don’t Fall in Love.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a cute friends to lovers romance. HOWEVER, I cannot stand the miscommunication trope. Super spicy scenes which I did not expect, but loved nonetheless.
Very cute, I enjoyed this read!! Thank you!!

Friends Don't Fall in Love had me absolutely melted into a puddle on the floor. Not only the spicy scenes- which are EXCELLENT (!!!!!!), but also in how absolutely head over heels in love Craig is. He falls first was done absolutely wonderfully in FDFiL. I love a good celebrity romance, and love that Hahn tapped into the music scene in Nashville. I adored this book.

alright this was pretty cute. sweet, sweet, sweet as it gets but it was still missing that extra lil something that would make it stand out to me. i enjoyed it for what it was, but some components were less compelling and i feel as if i didn’t fully connect with the characters or their romance.

I enjoyed reading this book. Lorelai spent one night with Craig Boseman after her career downfall and cancelled engagement. That one night was one neither one of them could ever forget, especially for Craig, who had been in love Lorelai forever. Five years after her downfall, Lorelai is back in Nashville, and Craig now has his own recording producing studio. To say the torch is still lit, is putting it mildly. It was fun to read the back and forth, and then the finally! The only reason I gave this book a 4-star rating was the language. I think the story would have been just as good without it. So glad that Lorelai found her Huckleberry. Will definitely be reading more of Erin Hahn books.

5/5 Stars

Thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of the book Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn
I enjoyed this book. I love both of the two main characters. They had flaws, but that made it perfect because I can relate to how the characters are feeling. I love her writing style

I will be reading another book from this author.

Rating this 3 stars out of 5.

I feel like there was something missing with this book. The longing Craig felt for Lorelai was done well, but the romance itself felt... I don't know, clunky? The moments leading up to Craig and Lorelai hooking up (the second time) felt very romantic and sweet, and yet they were like, "Yup, just being casual, no strings!" But I'm sitting there thinking that if that stuff happened in the real world there's no way the two of them wouldn't know they loved each other. I think that's what was annoying about it: How can you not know??

Craig and Lorelai's friendship is adorable and I truly enjoyed that. Him going to her when she was at her lowest after performing "Ohio" and just being there for her. It was a very sweet thing to do, especially when her ex-fiance was being an ass.

Also, I couldn't get over how the author made Lorelai's ex Drake into such a ridiculous caricature of an ex-fiance. It's like, fine, break up with Lorelai because you're afraid it'll "ruin your image" and all that jazz, but the way he did it? Did he seriously screen record himself going into his calendar, go to his wedding day, and erase the calendar entry for his wedding LETTER BY LETTER?? I had to put my kindle down and sigh heavily. I just... who does that? I'm not saying it needs to be completely realistic, but idk what in the sociopathic world...

I did enjoy the side characters, like Lorelai's friends and the musicians Craig works with - Jefferson and Annie. They made the world feel more lively. Overall just feeling let down by the main romance, which is a bummer.

Thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!.