Erin Hahn continues to write books that spin off from the same group of characters, all somehow related to country music, and I enjoy them, for the most part. This one follows Lorelai and Craig/Huck who have been friends for years, though they both fall subject to pining for the other. He's a music producer and she is trying to make a comeback after she has been disgraced from country music for speaking out on social issues. Their relationship escalates throughout the book, but it didn't feel authentic. A problem I consistently have with the friends-to-lovers trope is that the transition never feels believable, and this one fell victim. I enjoyed the country music elements, but the romance really fell flat--and considering this is a romance novel, that's not the thing you want to hear. I don't have much to say; this was a quick, fairly enjoyable read.

First read of Erin's. Won't be my last. Loved everything about this book. The characters were people I would actually like to be friends with in real life. Liked their background of country music and how outspoken she was.

Lorelai made a statement about gun control that led country music to black list her. Her fiancé who is another country music star broke off their engagement on social media. Years later she moves back to Nashville to make a comeback. Craig- who Lorelai has a long history with will help her make her way back to the music scene.

My favorite thing about Friends Don’t Fall in Love is the song game Lorelai and Craig play. I grew up listening to country music so just about every song mentioned I’ve heard MANY times.

If you even vaguely follow country music you’ll know that a lot of what happens in Friends Don’t Fall in Love fits with events of the past and current. While it is a love story there’s more to it.

This was not a book I could read in one sitting. That does not mean that I enjoyed it any less! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of Friends Don’t Fall in Love to read and review!

I can tell this is meant to be a lighthearted read but I found the beginning to be very choppy and I didn't like the pacing at all. Going back and forth between perspectives gave me whiplash, especially when I was given no background. Clearly some jokes in this book will pull some laughs out of people, but that wasn't my experience. I felt the main characters had no depth and their decisions irritated me quite a bit. I understand it's probably meant to be that way, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I will not lie to you. I was all about this cover when I saw it and requested it before I even had a chance to read the synopsis. And I’m so glad I did because this was a perfect early Fall read! I loved the setting, I loved the chemistry between the characters, I loved the dialogue. I thought it was a highly enjoyable read that had all the delicious aspects of Romance we love, with the complexities that make it feel like you sink your teeth into.

Synopsis:

“Lorelai Jones had it all: a thriving country music career and a superstar fiancé. Then she played one teenie tiny protest song at a concert and ruined her entire future, including her impending celebrity marriage. But five years later, she refuses to be done with her dreams and calls up the one person who stuck by her, her dear friend and her former fiancé’s co-writer and bandmate, Craig.Craig Boseman’s held a torch for Lorelai for years, but even he knows the backup bass player never gets the girl. Things are different now, though. Craig owns his own indie record label and his songwriting career is taking off. If he can confront his past and embrace his gifts, he might just be able to help Lorelai earn the comeback she deserves—and maybe win her heart in the process.But when the two reunite to rebuild her career and finally scratch that itch that’s been building between them for years, Lorelai realizes a lot about what friends don’t do. For one, friends don’t have scratch-that-itch sex. They also don’t almost-kiss on street corners, publish secret erotic poetry about each other, have counter-top sex, write songs for each other, have no-strings motorcycle sex, or go on dates. And they sure as heck don't fall in love... right? “ —StoryGraph

What I Liked:

The Setting—Loved being in Nashville and the lakeside wedding in Michigan too!

The “Bigger” Message—I’ve always had a very hard time with country music because of some of the messaging in it. I loved that this was about a country singer who loves the style but loves using her platform for good more. Also, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book with an MC who is Celiac!

The Chemistry—Just insert fire emoji here.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The 3rd Act Break Up—Look, I am not one of those readers that is opposed to the 3rd act break up. I don’t stop reading because I know it’s coming. But, I needs to be good. And I just felt a little disconnect at this point in the reasoning!

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

mentions of gun violence (protesting), mention of school schooting

Erin Hanh has never disppointed me when it comes to romance. Both YA and adult, she knows how to make you swoon and love love.

Cannot wait for what she has next.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn is about long-time friends, taking chances, and finding out that sometimes your perfect person was right there all along.

Lorelai Jones is the sweetheart of country music and seems to have it all. When she decides to perform a political song at a concert, her entire future is ruined.  Her band falls apart, her music star fiance breaks up with her on social media and she is "cancelled' in the country music scene.  

Craig Boseman is in the band with her ex-fiance and the only one who comes to her side after she's cancelled.  After the two of them share a one night stand, Lorelai disappears to restart her life.  Five years pass, and several things have changed: Lorelai's ex is up for best artist award.  Craig has his own recording studio and Lorelai has his support to attempt a career in music again. 

A cute and spicy friends-to-lovers trope, I enjoyed the country music culture of bandmates and drama.  The characters in the story are the group of people you want as friends.  

This was my first book by Erin Hahn and it won't be my last!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This book will be available 10.17.23

“Friends Don't Fall in Love” by Erin Hahn
But Some Truly Lucky Ones, do,
I did love this story. Although, I believe I would have enjoyed it a bit more without the ‘Spice’ scenes that I chose/choose to skip over. It is such a bother, the need to fast forward when one chooses to not witness the intimate details of a scene. But the story was great and I am glad for the time I spent with Craig and Lorelai. Life can be harsh and sometimes be so blessed with goodness. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: I enjoyed this book! I haven't read many romances in a while and I found the characters interesting and well developed. The premise is that a rising country music female vocalist is shunned after singing a protest song about gun violence--"Ohio". She makes her way back to Nashville and to a close friend who becomes something more. The author's knowledge of music is solid--the characters play a game where they compete for best songs. The author's profile says her sound track is "grunge"--but her knowledge seems wide and deep. Well written, well crafted and plotted, overall enjoyable book. I had read her previous romance--and those characters appear in this book.

The prologue is the first about 10% of the book and really confusing. Who's who and when is this happening? There's a lot of mention of other characters but no explanation of who they are.

It takes to about 25% to get interesting, though there are still some holes. The song game they play? No one ever explains that so I don't even know why it's supposed to be meaningful. And still they rely on external knowledge for HUGE plot points like we're supposed to know what Ohio is.

Honestly should have been about 30% shorter. Too much swearing and sex and not enough story happening. Had to drag myself across the finish line.

this was such a sweeeeet friends to lovers romance! it was filled with the best tension and banter - it does have miscommunication in it and i wasnt a fan of that but their HEA was so sweet that it was worth it in the end! their chemistry was great and i loved the spice!

Friends to lovers is one of my very favorite tropes and I thought it was done really well in Friends Don't Fall in Love. Spoiler alert - they do ;) Lorelai and Craig's second chance-ish romance had all the banter, pining, and sweet moments that I love about Erin Hahn's writing. It also had some very steamy scenes that left me fanning myself and a bit envious of Lorelai. LOL Craig was such an ooey gooey cinnamon roll and so it will surprise absolutely no one that I fell head over heels in love with him <3

The book started a little rough since there were several rapid fire time jumps, but I did enjoy getting the flashbacks later on. Some serious topics are discussed in the book too, so please check CW's. You can clearly tell that this is an issue that is very close to the author's heart. The story itself is relatively low angst, but it did bother me that the conflict that kept these two apart for so long was a lack of communication. I could understand their hesitation given their histories, but this definitely shifted from a case of friends to idiots to lovers. I liked that the secondary characters all called them out on it though (loved Arlo and Maren!), and how supportive they all were as these two *finally* figured things out. The level of detail about the music industry was intense at times, but it was interesting to get that behind the scenes. The epilogue was the sweetest and I loved how it brought our characters full circle. I'm hoping a book for Maren is already in the works!

Note: The book can be read as a standalone, but it does feature characters from Built to Last and You'd Be Mine pretty heavily. I haven't had a chance to read You'd Be Mine yet and I feel like it would have enhanced my enjoyment if I did, since it's a great update on those characters (Clay and Annie) and a wonderful look into their future.

CW: mentions of school shootings and gun violence, public backlash/loss of career, public break up with ex-fiancé, arguments and possible legal battles regarding uncredited/unpaid work on songs and lyrics, Celiac disease and reaction to accidentally eating gluten (on page), some OM/ex drama

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I loved meeting Lorelai in Built to Last and her story might have taken the top spot. This was friends to lovers perfection and I couldn't get enough. Lorelai and Craig were truly everything to me. I enjoyed that this dove into the country music scene and this is probably my favorite of Hahn's to date. I also read You'd be Mine and I thought the cameos and connections in this world were really cool. The drama was engaging and the friendships were so wholesome and genuine. I also enjoyed how woman-forward this book was and how toxic certain industries can be. I devoured this book and would definitely read more in this world. Thank you to SMP Romance for the e-arc to read and review!

If I thought I loved Shelby and Cameron's story last summer when I first dipped my toes into Erin Hahn's writing, i LOVED LOVED LOVED Friends Don't Fall in Love. I didn't quite gobble it down but I loved every word, every scene - the way Erin's writing brings the characters and their story to life was just perfection - like the first amazing chord of a song right through the bridges, verses, chorus and right to the end!

This is the story of Lorelai and Craig. They're friends. Who slept together once on the night that Lorelai found herself ousted from the country music scene and dumped via a social media post. Except now it's half a decade later and she's back - with Craig - making music and living in the downstairs flat of his duplex. And they try to have casual sex but it's just too good and you know, they catch feelings (or admit to well buried feelings).

Once upon a time Lorelai Jones had a thriving country music career, and was due to walk down the aisle with her country music rockstar fiance very soon. That is until she decide to sing a protest song at a concert, and everyone turns their back on her. Everyone except for her fiance's bandmate/co-writer, Craig. Craig has always liked Lorelai, but never made a move out of respect of his bandmate. The two reunite to help rebuild Lorelai's career, while also dealing with some searing tension.

I want to start off by stating that I am not a country music fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The description of Nashville were so vivid, that I felt like I was walking down the street. Lorelai and Craig had the right amount of tension, that I was turning page while begging for one of them to make a move. The book had a great balance of dealing with a serious topic, while delivering a delicious romance between these two characters.

I am now a Erin Hahn fan, and can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you to Erin, Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

I read Built to Last in 2022, and while it was enjoyable, I can say this one topped it. Throw in country music with friends-to-lovers, and I’m all in. It’s cute, it’s spicy, it’s angsty and it’s wonderful.

Lorelai was country music’s sweetheart until she used her voice. Her actions cost her the career of her dreams and the man she was engaged to. But now, she’s back and ready to get into the music scene again with her best friend by her side.

Craig, AKA “Huck,” has always held a torch for Lorelai, and stood by her side during the end of her career. He’s determined to help her reach the top again, but he also has to focus on not letting her know his feelings.

It’s a story about making a comeback, sticking to your opinion and choosing to surround yourself with people who love you for all parts of your soul, romantically or platonically. I loved Lorelai and Craig, I hope we see them again in another book!

Grab Friends Don’t Fall in Love when it releases on October 17! ❤️

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 WOW! I loved this book! This isn’t usually the case for me but I absolutely LOVED reading from the male leads point of view. This actually makes me want to read more romcoms written from the guys view. SO well done. I really did love both characters though. But I admit that when I would be reading from Lorelei’s side, I was dying to get back to Craig/Huck’s side. Well done on both sides either way. I do wish that I knew what the outcome was with Drake and everything that happened between him and Craig. But, I loved the ending and the epilogue so, I’m happy either way. Some of the technical jargon in the studio was boring to me and I kinda skipped forward on some of that but it didn’t detract from the story. Definitely recommend this book though!

As far as spicy goes 4.5/5. Definitely a spicier book in spots but it’s not constant. It’s just a nice addition to the story.

Lorelai Jones had a thriving country career until she played a protest song. In an instant, she lost everything: her contracts, her career, her fiancé. Fast forward five years later, and she’s ready to make a comeback. She reaches out to her old friend, Craig Boseman, who now owns his own indie record label. However, Craig has been a little bit in love with Lorelai for years - but friends can’t fall in love.. can they?

This book opens five years in the past where we get to see the immediate fallout from Lorelai’s decision to play the protest song. We then get glimpses into the time between then and now and what’s happened to Lorelai and Craig. The flashbacks started out strong for me, but once we got to the present, I was mostly bored?

For me, I think the story needed to start five years ago and stay there. I think Lorelai needed to make her comeback sooner - I think that there would’ve been more actual conflict and reasons that these two shouldn’t be together.

The ex-fiancé, Drake Colter, in the background still trying to win back Lorelai after five years felt.. unrealistic? Especially as he was the one who walked away from her. I thought finding out that Drake had stolen his songs from Craig would be a catalyst for something, but there’s even a paragraph in the book about how he literally chooses to do nothing about it?

Personally, I kept running into confusion with the side characters - it felt like there were quite a few and then on top of that, the author would switch back and forth from calling them their first name versus last name which made it really hard to keep track of who everyone was. This would literally happen in the same paragraph.

All in all, this was a fine story, but all the conflict felt internal and quite frankly unnecessary. I think the miscommunication trope is a hard one to get right, but honestly this didn’t even feel like miscommunication- just no communication at all.

Erin Hahn (Built to Last, More Than Maybe) has written a delightfully sexy homage to country music in Friends Don’t Fall in Love, her witty new friends-to-lovers romance.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the chance to read "Friends Don’t Fall in Love" in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun, flirty, and cute book.

Erin Hahn truly delivered in the friends-to-lovers aspect, which I enjoyed very much. The banter, inside jokes, and angst were wonderful. Hahn put me through an emotional rollercoaster full of tension and chemistry that kept me entertained. Plus the actual plot of the story was amazing. Lorelai Jones, once a Nashville starlet, is ready to make her way back into the music scene after being booted out. Craig Boseman used to be Lorelai's ex-fiance's songwriter and backup bass player but now has his own record label. The two combine forces to work on bringing Lorelai back into country music. I loved this plot! The romance was spicy and fun, but the plot truly kept me entertained.

The book is told from both Craig and Lorelai's points of view, so we get to see all the feelings from both of them! I am a huge sucker for dual pov books, if a book is dual pov I'm already typing it in to add it to my tbr. Hahn truly delivered in this aspect. Both Craig (Huckleberry as Lorelai calls him, cue the butterflies) and Lorelai have well-developed personalities, and I never once confused their points of view.

I definitely recommend Friends Don't Fall in Love if you're looking for a flirty, friends-to-lovers romance with a great plot!