I received a copy through NetGalley and regret not starting it earlier. I’ve always wanted to go to Nashville and when I do I’m going to think back on this book and try to find Huck and Lorelei’s haunts. Great story of friends who fall in love and the anxiousness that goes with it. The romance was sweet and sexy all at the same time. I love the game they played with each other, topping each other with song titles. Only question I had in the end is did Drake get what he deserves?

I wanted to read this book because I had read and liked one of Erin Hahn's YA novels (You'd Be Mine). The writing of her adult novel reminded me of Lucy Score, so if you're a fan of hers this might be a good book for you!
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but I wasn't a fan of how their friendship history was downloaded quickly in the first couple of chapters. I also felt that the queer characters felt a bit forced. Overall, not my cup of tea, but it may be yours if you like the kindle unlimited type of romance!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

While the synopsis made it sound like everything I love in a friends to lovers romance, it sadly left me highly unsatisfied.

Firstly, this story did have a bit of seriousness to it regarding gun violence, so please do check trigger warnings beforehand.

It took a bit before we had a proper interaction with the mc's, about 29% into the story (they do text/call, though).
The story was so focused on the musical aspect that it overshadowed the romance part. It unfortunately lacked in both the friendship and romantic chemistry. I also skimmed a lot of the story nearing the end as I've just lost interest.
There was also an annoying ex I simply didn't have the time for...

Sadly, this just wasn't for me. It could've had huge potential if it focused on the right things instead of being all over the place...
I'm mostly mad because I don't even have one positive thing to talk about for this review :(

What you can expect:
• friends to lovers
• country singers
• cinnamon roll H
• nashville setting
• dual pov

This was my first Erin Hahn book, and I'm left with some mixed feelings. There were a lot of things I absolutely loved about this book, most importantly the romance. I adore the friends to lovers trope and I love a celebrity romance, and I thought especially the friends to lovers aspect was done really well here. I just felt like the book was so slow, especially in the first half. There was so much backstory being explained that it almost felt like a chore to read at times, and this left me wondering if the book was structured optimally. I did enjoy this overall though, and I would happily read from this author again.

Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn is a friends to lovers romance for the ages. The story is about Craig and Lorelai, who are best friends and fall in love. Craig is a country music writer and producer, while Lorelai is a former country music star who is now unpopular.

While the first person present narration is not my favorite, I could get over it and really enjoy the story. Craig and Lorelai's relationship felt so natural and I could root for them through the book.

The third act break up is always painful, but this one wasn't, and I think it is because of the friendship they have.

If you like friends to lovers tropes in romance, you should really give this one a try. Bonus points for celiac representation. I always like to see authors adding in personal touches and using their platform to raise awareness of things like this.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn is the perfect read for you if you like friends to lovers, he falls first, dual POV, flashbacks, forced proximity, and the caretaker trope. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed getting to read Lorelai and Craig’s story – and catching up with Shelby, Cameron and Maren, but was really left wanting a little more from the book – maybe seeing more of the past relationship between Lorelai and Craig instead of feeling like I was being told they had feelings for each other without seeing it. Also, the number of times I wanted to just shake both of them and yell out just communicate with one another already – unnecessary drama and the loathed third act breakup! Ultimately, Craig really is Lorelai’s biggest supporter and the way he encourages her throughout the book to take back her music career and just be the amazing woman he knows she is was just perfect. All in all I did enjoy the book and will be reading future books by Erin Hahn.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Erin Hahn and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

As a whole, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t a cant stop, have to keep reading kinda romance. But it was enjoyable, light hearted, and had some of my favorite tropes. There aren’t any bad things I have to say. Nothing that overwhelming made me dislike anything, but it’s a solid 4 stars from me. I enjoyed the characters and their friendship. But definitely think they could’ve just gotten together. I’m not a fan of the third act drama that everyone does :/ but I did enjoy it!

Beautiful story right here! You will probably yell at the characters at times, scream even, but in the end you will fall for these two and cheer them on! Soulmates are a once in a lifetime find, so when you find yours, hold on tight, even if you don't realize it at first! 5 stars for this one!
Lorelai was young, but had the guy she was going to marry, and a great career, till one day, when she took a stand on stage, and lost it all. One thing she never really lost, was her best friend Craig, he was always there when she needed him, but their friends, and she doesn't want to lose that, plus she's scared, because the last time she thought she gave her heart away, he walked away from her. Can she trust her heart again?
Craig has always been in the background, always there to pick up the pieces for his bestie Lorelai, when he douche canoe fiance left her after her stand at her concert. He's loved her from afar, but in his mind, he doesn't want to lose the friendship they have, and let's be honest, she can't possibly feel the same way for him right?
I devoured this story, I know you will too! Grab this asap!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars
🔥🔥 - (3 moderate spicy scenes)

[ thank you @smpromance & @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

PUB DATE: October 17, 2023

THOUGHTS:

Read if you like:
•country music romance
•producer / musician
•best friends to lovers
•forced proximity
•dual pov

I loved the music aspect of this novel! Craig is a music producer and Lorelai is a country music artist. The song lyrics throughout were a fun addition and also Craig’s poetry!! IYKYK.🔥

Craig and Lorelai’s friendship was so solid. So it was nice to see the support of each other over the years and no insta-love since they already had this established relationship. It was just mutual pining between them both until they realized casual [and miscommunication] wasn’t cutting it.

The time jumps in the beginning were a little wonky to follow. It wasn’t super clear but eventual I figured it out. I just wished they had smoother transitions into the present storyline.

Overall, a good low-stakes, friends to lovers romance! ❤️🎶

I had a hard time with this one because I like the author and I really enjoyed the first book, but was slightly disappointed with this one. It might just be that rockstar type romances aren’t my thing. I’m also not a listener of country music, so I know I missed references. The timing felt weird in places, with flashbacks, and the big thing for me is I usually don’t mind the miscommunication trope, but it annoyed me a bit in this one. I really wanted to like this more. It's written well and flows for me, but it just wasn't my thing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

I enjoyed Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn in general. It was fun to see where Shelby and Cameron from Built to Last are now as well! Friends Don't Fall in Love follows Lorelai and Craig "Huck" as they navigate Lorelai's attempt to build her singing career back up and Huck gets his recording studio off the ground.
The characters were fun and interesting, but this novel is basically one big miscommunication and it felt frustrating to read at times.

4.5 rounded up!
Lorelai and Craig “Huck” have been friends for years, both involved in the Nashville country music industry. They’re friends to lovers, but the good kind where one has been PINING for the other since the start and not “you were like my siblings but all of a sudden I’m hot for you” kind. Craig’s basically been in love with Lorelai from the start which makes it so much more believable! I really enjoyed these two together and my only complaint is wanting MORE moments of them together🫶

🎤friends to lovers
🎤he falls first
🎤beta music producer MMC
🎤fiery singer/teacher FMC
🎤open door (face 🎢!)
🎤Nashville as a character

CW: discussions of school shootings and gun violence, neither event occurs on page

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Premise was what interested me but I did not end up enjoying this as much as I hoped. The story jumped around a lot and did not flow very well imo and it felt like it was part of a series rather than a standalone. Others will probably like it more but was not for me. 2.5 ⭐️

4.25/5. Releases 10/17/2023.

Vibes: country music, BIG PINING, heroes who really really love to go down, and... its always the quiet ones

Craig Boseman (or "Huck", as he's known to one person in particular) writes hits for his friend, country star Drake Colter, with little to no credit. He let it go--until Lorelai Jones, Drake's fiancee, is canceled for singing a protest song and is promptly dumped by Drake. After sharing one night together, Craig and Lorelai go their separate ways... until they reconnect years later. Now Lorelai wants to take another shot at country stardom. And she needs Craig's help.

Friends to lovers is a challenge to make exciting, but I was drawn in by how quickly this book establishes the emotional stakes. I understood why Craig didn't make a move immediately; it made sense to me. Plus, he and Lorelai were such charming characters with strong, believable chemistry--I just wanted to see what they did next. The result is a hot, sweet, sometimes cathartic romcom. And you don't have to be a country fan to enjoy it.

Quick Takes:

--The thing about Craig and Lorelai's relationship is that while they are "friends" when the book begins, the sexual and romantic tension is there immediately. It's there that first night, when they drunkenly hook up after Lorelai's career and relationship implodes. It's there when they exist as regular old platonic friends--and mind you, they're practically roommates as Lorelai rents one half of a duplex from Craig. It never feels like these people miss one another's appeal. They don't suddenly wake up and see each other "in a different way". The connection and attraction was always there. But Craig understandably didn't feel he could make a move when Lorelai was with Drake (a classic setup if there ever was one) and Lorelai... wasn't ready, in my opinion.

--Honestly, despite being a nice girl with her heart in the right place (Lorelai's cancellation is linked to protesting the second amendment--a big no no for country singers) Lorelai is refreshingly flawed and human. While she isn't immature, she is perhaps a bit emotionally stunted, not prepared to accept Craig's feelings until he is so certain that she couldn't possibly want him the way he wants her. Their conflict is less about either one majorly fucking up than it is about two people who've put off giving a relationship a chance for so long that when the tension finally snaps, they really don't trust it. I found this super compelling, and as a sidebar, I really loved that they were in their thirties. They didn't have their shit together 100%, but there was a marked difference to the way they handled their emotions that first night and the way they confronted their feelings with years of experience later.

I will say that towards the end I could've used a little more conflict, but that's because I'm a conflict queen. By no means is this book angst-free or without drama.

--One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the sense of friendship? Often, I feel that friends are just there to be there in a lot of recently published romances. Here, the girl talk especially really seemed authentic. There's one scene wherein Lorelai is essentially recapping a recent hookup with Craig, and it's so fucking messy. Because she is BEING messy. And it's both genuinely hilarious and emotional. It felt like a conversation I would have with my friends, and I so appreciated it.

--For the record, his name is Craig, but Lorelai nicknamed him "Huck" (more a reference to the line in Tombstone than the book, a SOLID choice). This helps the Craig part. But also, he somehow pulled it off, because he is quite hot.

--How hard does the country music aspect of this book work? It's present enough for it to feel like Hahn knows her shit and put thought into it, but it's not overly heavy. These are not twang-y fake rednecks, which I find a lot in contemporary romances written by people who think the south is So Charming (I say as a southerner). Craig and Lorelai love country music, and Craig does refer to himself (in a derogatory manner) as a "country boy" at some point. But these are clearly both savvy Nashville music scene people. They know what they're about, they're not corny or silly.

And the musicians referenced are a good mix of classic country and new country, which I appreciated. So often, books like these reference people who were famous like 20 years ago but didn't really stand the full test of time. Here, it felt like the author got country music as an industry--and it's a huge one--and while she clearly loves the music, she's not shy about the issues inherent to it.

None of that is like, ROMANTIC but it's an important part of writing a good book. It elevates the story.

The Sex:

Yes--there are good sex scenes in this book. Sex scenes that are extremely focused on cunnilingus--Craig is very into giving, and I was not mad at it. Nor was Lorelai! There's one scene in particular where this man just like... hits the floor. And it is incredibly good. The climactic (in more ways than one) sex scene? So good.

Also, Craig writes erotic poetry. Mostly about eating pussy. And posts it anonymously on Instagram. This level of "aw shucks I'm a normal guy" slutitude was just too much for me in the best possible way. This girl is just scrolling through her friend's pussy poetry Insta, knowing it's him from the jump, SWEATING.

This was a really fun, emotional book that didn't skimp on the relationships or the sex. Again, I usually don't like friends to lovers--so the fact that I enjoyed this one so much is a testament to how engaging it is. I definitely plan on reading more from Erin Hahn.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Erin Hahn has quickly become an auto read for me, so I didn’t read much of the blurb and was pleasantly surprised to see it picked up in the Built to Last world. Very similar storyline to BLT but I’m not disappointed in the slightest. On the surface they are different, but the underlying story is pretty much the same - long time bestie drops everything when MC is at their lowest point, last night in town sex, intense pining, then pretending they don’t love each other for years. It's slightly infuriating that a single real conversation could solve everything, but then we wouldn’t have the book, so I’m glad they’re both oblivious. Hopefully Maren is next!

This was such a cute, quick, and steamy read about two people working in country music who are friends. I’m not always a big fan of friends to lovers, but when done right, I can get behind it! I really loved that there’s dual POV and mutual pining in this.

There were some things I found repetitive, and the breaking the fourth wall, talking directly to the reader was a bit jarring when it happened, but overall I really loved this. Read this if you like reading about the ins and outs of writing music, and also like reading about friends to lovers and/or friends with benefits.

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK- best friends trope, anonymous identity trope, happy ending. It was so nice to read and have emotions and his/her pov. The timeline was a bit hard to understand, but it all worked out and you get to understand. There's flashbacks to explain parts of the storyline. The book's vibe is a country song: body like a back road, to be specific. I couldn't put it down!

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you St. Martin’s Press!

This book was friends to lovers, but in a way that felt fresh. Huck and Lorelei are both in the country music industry, and have always been platonic friends - except for a one night stand years ago, on the same night she was dumped by Huck’s music partner. Years pass, and their careers take dips and dives. Then, Lorelei returns to Nashville for a comeback, with Huck as her number one cheerleader. A couple of grand gestures later…and maybe the two start to figure it out.

For lovers of country music or the TV show Nashville, it was the perfect mix of celebrity and friendship and drama. I instantly felt like I knew the characters, and I was rooting for “good guy” Huck from the jump. I’m glad it took the main characters awhile to realize their feelings, because the slow burn was fun (if not a little frustrating at times). I may or may not have shouted at the pages a couple of times!

A great fall read to cozy up with.

I wish I loved this book as much as I did Built to Last. I really enjoyed both of these characters and the tension is fantastic. I just wish their miscommunication was handled more thoughtfully. I also thought it was strange to have character's from the authors YA book in her adult book, that kind of threw me for a minute.

Lorelei was a rising star in country music when she decided to take a political stand onstage that got her publicly shamed. Her good friend Huck was the only person to stand by her. Unfortunately, he was also in her fiancée's band. Years later, Huck has gone on to be an Indy record producer and songwriter and Lorelei decides she wants to make music again. Can they make music together and be best friends without falling in love?

Hahn returns to Nashville in this friends to lovers book, centered around country music like some of her previous books. Many of those characters show up in this one also. I liked the characters' chemistry and thought this was a fun romance. Warning: it is also very, very spicy. This would be a good fit for lovers of The Bromance Book Club series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.