A beautifully written, heartfelt romance.

Maren returns to her hometown after her love life falls apart, only to find her brother's childhood best friend living nearby with his two adorable kids.

I loved Maren's strength and independence--she's built a career doing what she loves, even as she faces challenges like being harassed by a fan and dealing with an unsupportive brother (whom I wanted to punch for most of the book).

Joe is an absolute teddy bear, devoted to creating a safe, loving environment for his children. The constant struggle with his ex, who refuses to accept their daughter's autism, added such emotional depth to his character. Watching Joe rediscover happiness while also seeing the kids' personal growth throughout the story was heartwarming.

One of my favorite parts was seeing familiar faces from two of Erin Hahn's other books--it felt like a family reunion I never wanted to end.

This poignant story had just the right balance of laughter and tears. I couldn't get enough of it, and it left me craving a peaceful day of fishing with a great audiobook and my dog!

Catch and Keep was a joy to read. Maren was such a strong, independent FMC. She knew her mind and was brave, facing her demons head on. Liam, her older brother, was judgemental and bossy but a great foil to showcase Maren’s ability to handle herself. Joe, Liam’s best friend, was a tender, patient single dad. I don’t have any personal experience with autism, but it seemed like a realistic portrayal of the challenges of raising an autistic child. I adored the organic relationship that developed between both Joe and Maren, and Maren and his kids. This is a great book for the romance lover who appreciates the outdoors.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin and Erin Hahn for an advanced reader copy (eARC) in exchange for an honest review.

Maren escapes to a resort in Wisconsin after her boyfriend's proposal. The resort town is one that her family frequented/lived in during her childhood. She attempts to live in and fix up a falling down bait shop she has inherited. She runs into Joe, her brother's best friend. Joe is a single parent of two with an ex who was not suited to a Wisconsin lifestyle. Getting together is fraught with Joe's friendship with Maren's brother, Joe's two kids, Maren trying to decide on her future. Does Maren catch Joe? Does Joe catch Maren? Do they keep each other? You'll have to read this delightful book to find out; but, you won't be disappointed! Love, love, love Erin Hahn's books!

ARC Review: Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
Pub Date: October 15, 2024

My goodness, I LOVED this book!! When Maren's boyfriend proposes to her in public, she realizes that this isn't what she wants. So she takes a leave of absence from her job and goes to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, the place her family visited every summer and her happy place. While she decides what to do next, she works on fixing up the cabin and bait shop that was left to her. She also reconnects with Joe, her brother's best friend, whose family owns the resort that they stayed at as kids. Joe is divorced and single parenting two kids and doesn't have space for something temporary. But as Maren and Joe continue to spend more time together rediscovering who they are now, the sparks can't be denied...

Listen - you know when a book seems like it might be designed specifically for you? Well, this book sure was written for me IMHO. I'm originally from WI and my family has a cottage up in the Northwoods - it literally is my happiest place. After spending almost 10 years on the east coast, I moved back to my home state about 6 months ago. Though I didn't move because of an unwanted proposal, I did move because I was looking for *something* that my life out there didn't have. So obviously I related to Maren a whole lot - though I haven't met a single dad (yet!).

I loved the evolution of Maren and Joe's relationship and how much she loves his kids. Kids for me are sometimes a tough sell in a romance - but I thought they were great additions here and never took over the storyline. I thought the representation of a child with autism was done really well and my heart melted when she accepted Maren and knew that she was a safe person.

All in all, this was a book that hit all the marks for me! Swoony and bantery and just exactly what I needed. Highly, highly recommend this one

Thank you to SMP for the eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Maren's life isn't what she thought it would be. She turned down her boyfriend's proposal after he stole her dream job and moved back to her hometown. Maren loves the outdoors and wants to go back to simpler days. Here, she runs into her brother's best friend, Joe, who is now a single dad with two kids. They seem to effortlessly fit into each other's lives, but what's the catch?

Thoughts 💭
This was a sweet, cozy, slow burn romance. Joe is a single dad who is raising his two kids (one who has autism), and it was heart-warming to read. Maren fits right into their lives seamlessly, but the timing wasn't right until now. I thought it was cool that Maren used to have a YouTube channel where she was pretty popular. She has two famous friends who appear in the story and have their own separate books. This isn't listed as a series, and I didn't find it confusing without reading the other two stories, but I did wonder at first why there was so much time spent talking about these other characters. After a little research, I realized they had their own books. I loved the support these friends had for each other and would love to go back and read the other stories. This is definitely a romance to check out with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket. It was sweet and wholesome.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Oh man. Swoooon!!! The romance in this book is so natural and beautiful. And also surprisingly super hot?! Yowza. And because it’s an Erin Hahn romance, my eyes were welled up (but NOT crying) for about 65% of the book. So naturally, I loved it. 5 stars. 10 stars. All the stars.

You know it’s a good book when you start adding other books by the author to your TBR pile. I loved Maren and Joe so much. I loved how real both characters felt and their journey together. Their love is perfect and I couldn’t stop reading this book. I want to read about Maren’s friends (and fortunately their stories have already been told).

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced readers copy of Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn.

This was a new to me author and boy did she not disappoint. I enjoyed this novel so much I went searching for her back list of books.

I think she did an excellent job of navigating tough subjects including neurodivergent children, divorce, marriage, co-parenting and all around family dynamics really well. I like that despite all this tough content we still got a great slow burn romance out of the story. It felt like a genuine romance between a girl and her brother's best friend. I found the storyline delightful even though I wouldn't consider myself outdoorsy like our main character.

I would definitely recommend this for fellow readers who enjoy a romance with a bit more depth to its story.

This was a very sweet story. I haven’t read the others in this series and wasn’t lost so it definitely works as a stand alone. Loved the autism spectrum representation.

Unfortunately i made the decision to DNF this book after multiple failed attempts to consume. I hope to pick it up again at a later time.

I love a cozy romance set in a lake house in a small town. This was a light, sweet and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

The main character was dynamic and interesting but the real draw was her relationship with the children of her boss/brother’s best friend/neighbor. I thoroughly enjoyed the representation of an autistic child and the tender, respectful relationship she had with most of the people in her life. The children in this book are a delight to read and the way they were included in this love story felt real and respectable.

It did have a bit of steam but was also a sweet love story between two people who had known each other most of their lives. Both characters with a flawed past but both coming together with respect and love for each other.

It’s worth mentioning that although not listed as a series, this book includes characters from Erin Hahn’s previous two adult novels “Built to Last” and “Friends Don’t Fall in Love.” While definitely a stand alone, this book does include characters from those books in a prominent role.

The setting alone made this book a delight. There was a minor stalking issue that didn’t totally add to the book but it all worked out in the end. Read if you want a quick, fun, lakeside romance with a bit of steam.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I’ll start this review with brutal honesty. I don’t think this book is the right read for me, and that’s OK! I do believe it’ll have an audience, but I have to stay true to my gut with the mediocre rating. If you’re not an outdoorsman/woman, this is probably not the book for you. I found the cheesy dialogue more cringey than charming or cute. The characters lacked depth and the plot was predictable, which overall made the story fall flat. It’s an interesting premise, but this one just didn’t strike a cord with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book offers a charming and engaging read, perfect for fans of personal growth and romance. It follows a thirty-something woman on a journey to find her place in life, alongside a single dad adjusting to his new normal—who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. I dare you not to fall in love with them both and his two kids!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

This was an incredbly heartwarming story. It's never too late to start over and find what makes you complete.

Things are not looking great for Maren when she is overlooked for a promotion, and then her on the rock relationship ends in a way that I can only describe as someone not understanding their person at all. She moves back to the little town where she spent all her summer days fishing and starts to find peace. But that's not all she finds. Her older brothers best friend is there and single. But he comes with some baggage. This book contains fantastic Autism representation and one of the best single dad stories I've read in a while. Joe is a literal golden retriever.

- brother’s best friend
- single dad
- friends to lovers

Catch and Keep features Maren, a 33 year old woman who uproots her life in a time of chaos. Her boyfriend got a promotion that she was gunning for (he didn't tell her that he was applying) and the cherry on top was when he proposed to her in front of family and friends (she doesn't like being surprised and put on the spot like that).

She inherited a little bait shop and home on a lake where she spent a lot of time at while growing up. There she reconnects where her older brother's best friend, Josiah. Josiah is a single dad with 2 kids. They weren't super close growing up because their age gap of 5 years felt huge at younger ages, but as adults doesn't seem so astronomical.

I liked the book overall, but I wasn't in "love" with it. Maren wasn't my favorite FMC, her circumstances baffled me sometimes. For example, she doesn't like being put on the spot but was a former YouTuber and beauty pageant queen?

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review Catch and Keep.

The books in this series just keep getting progressively better - I think this was my favourite of the trilogy. I loved watching Maren integrate into Josiah's family, and how good she was with his children and loved them like her own from the start. I'm not usually a fan of single parent romances, but this one was great. So sad this series has come to an end, but what a way to close out a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advance copy.

This was sweet and soft. Maren makes a break for her comfort place when her boyfriend publicly proves that he doesn’t know her at all. She ends up attempting to clean up and renovate an inheritance property while she figures out what to do with her life from here. She ends up sliding in seamlessly into the lives of her older brother’s best friend’s family.

I loved how gentle both of the kids were with Maren and vice versa. She is happiest in the entire world out fishing on calm water but was willing to absolutely throw down the minute that those kids show signs of being mistreated and I love her for it.

Joe and Maren were pretty low stakes, low drama and I really appreciated them for it. It was exactly what I wanted at the moment.

This was a pleasant and unique read. I liked diving into Maren’s world of fishing and lake living despite not being outdoorsy myself. I loved how she loved Joe’s kids, and how she had many facets other than just being a stereotypical tomboy. Maren’s relationships with her friends were also so fun, although I didn’t realize this was a standalone in a series and I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read the previous books.

Where the story lost me a little was the central conflicts. I wish Joe and Maren had spent a little more time in the middle actually communicating with each other, rather than just randomly hooking up and then ignoring the issue. Liam was also super annoying, taking the whole overprotective/condescending brother thing to the extreme in a way that felt really unfair to Maren, and I don’t think his explanation at the end redeemed him.

Overall, I would say this was a good book though, and I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn is a heartwarming and cozy romance about Maren, who returns to her hometown to start fresh by revamping her inherited bait shop. After turning down her boyfriend’s proposal and leaving her job, she’s ready to take control of her life. Enter Josiah, a single dad who runs a resort and happens to be her brother’s best friend. Their chemistry is undeniable, and I loved watching their relationship develop naturally. The bond Maren forms with Josiah’s kids, especially Lucy, who has ASD, is so touching. Hahn does a great job of giving the children depth, making them an active part of the story. Maren and Joe’s romance is sweet and organic, full of tender moments like Joe serenading her with Bon Jovi. With lovable characters, heartfelt family dynamics, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments, this is a delightful story about second chances and finding love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After rejecting her boyfriend’s very public proposal, Maren Laughlin leaves her job and life behind and heads to Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a ramshackle of a bait shop. For the first time, she’s in the driver’s seat of her life despite the many opinions from those around her. She longs for a fresh start, and revamping the bait shop is the first step.

After the dissolution of his marriage, Josiah Cole decides to keep his focus on his two kids and his resort. He doesn’t have time for anything else. Certainly not his best friend’s younger sister. The more Maren circles his orbit, the harder she is to resist.

Joe and Maren are two people at a crossroads. Each has coped with adversity, and yet they still remain hopeful. I loved them together. The chemistry between them was palpable. I enjoyed the tender moments they had together. Found family is one of my favorite tropes, and I loved how quickly Joe’s children welcomed her.

Oftentimes, the brother’s best friend trope has a heroine who pines for the MMC for a long time with the MMC none the wiser. That wasn’t the case here and thank, God. It was so refreshing to read about a heroine who lived a full life without really thinking about the MMC, until they reconnect as adults. This puts them on an even playing field and the relationship feels balanced.

Joe and Maren’s relationship develops organically. We watch them slowly fall in love and join them along for the ride. They have great chemistry, and I enjoyed the scenes where they take care of the children just as much as the scenes of them together. They’re a solid team, and their friendship naturally involves into something more intimate. When Joe serenades her with a Bon Jovi song, my heart fluttered. There were so many romantic moments. It was lovely watching them fall in love and watching Maren fall in love with the children. And let’s not forget about the lovable Rogers.

I also really love how Ms. Hahn gave Joe’s children depth and complexity. They’re active characters in the story. She did a great job writing a character with ASD. Representation matters, and Ms. Hahn wrote about Lucy’s experiences with sensitivity and care. I loved the relationship between Maren and the children. It was so heartwarming and special.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!