There was so much to love about this mildly spicy romance set in a Wisconsin town. Maren has been fishing all her life. She inherited a bait shop and apartment from a mentor where she spent her summers growing up. Josiah is her older brother's best friend. Her brother has made it clear that Josiah has been through a lot and doesn't need her in his life to complicate things. Josiah is dealing with a lot. He is a single dad with full custody of his two kids, one of which is on the autism spectrum. It's a good Quick Look at being a single parent of a child on the spectrum. Maren can't help falling for the single dad and his two amazing kids. Joe is a sweet former Marine who would do anything for his kids. He develops feelings he never planned but doesn't want to lose. This book made me smile from start to finish. Thank you for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely adorable and fun read that’s perfect for the wintertime because it makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters out on a boat in the middle of summer! This is a heartwarming read that depicts character complexities in a realistic manner. There’s neurodivergent representation, a strong sense of community, and still plenty of spicy scenes and swoon-worthy tropes!

When 33-year-old Maren turns down her boyfriend’s proposal and abruptly quits her job to move back to the town she grew up in to fix up a house she inherited, she isn’t prepared for Josiah Cole—an attractive single dad to two small kids who owns the local resort… and just so happens to be her older brother’s childhood best friend.

Catch and Keep is a story of finding one’s self, believing in others, and taking risks in life.

Thank you to Erin Hahn, St. Martin’s, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I love these characters with all my heart. I was so excited to finally get Maren’s story after falling in love with this universe in Built to Last & Friends don’t fall in love. I loved getting to see the characters from those books in this one too. As a lake girl I loved this story so dang much.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an early copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Plot: Maren turned down her boyfriend's too public proposal and took off to the fishing shop and apartment that a friend left her, taking a leave of absence from her job to do so. The fishing shop thing is right beside the property that she used to go to with her family growing up and that property is owned by Josiah's family. Joe is now a single father because his ex-wife is useless, frankly, and his youngest is autistic and he feels like he's got a lot of balls in the air, but that he's not doing a good job juggling. Maren initially is pretty determined to self-isolate, but that doesn't last long and she finds herself helping keep the balls in the air (this metaphor doesn't work super well when extended like this, huh?). Anyway, they eventually fall in love, obviously.

What I Loved About This Book: Everything about Maren and Josiah. I really loved them. I loved the family. I even loved this weird obsession with fishing. I had such a good time with the scenes when the two of them were on the same page. Also, Maren's brother still has a hard time seeing Maren as a full-grown adult and I really appreciated the way that was handled in this book. It started off so annoying and I wasn't sure I would be happy with the resolution, but I really was!

What I Struggled With: There's a stalking sub-plot that really didn't need to be there. First of all, it doesn't add anything to the story. It's not what ultimately results in the conflict between Josiah and Maren, which I appreciated. It's just there to... Honestly, I'm not sure. But I could have done without it.

Who I Would Recommend To: If stalking isn't a trigger for you, I would recommend this widely. I absolutely adored everything about Josiah and Maren and I've really enjoyed all three books of these interconnected standalones. I would love to co-opt this friend group and have it be mine too.

Erin Hahn is an autobuy author for me. I have loved everything she has written. While the plot is predictable in some ways, the execution makes Catch and Keep truly special. Hahn's writing style is witty and heartfelt, making it easy to fall in love with the characters and their world. The small-town setting is beautifully described, evoking a sense of nostalgia and peace.

Catch and Keep is the perfect book for you if you're looking for a feel-good romance that will leave you smiling. It reminds you that love, like fishing, takes patience, perseverance, and a little bit of luck.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am SUCH a big fan of Erin Hahn, and I've been looking forward to the next book in this series like it's my job. I LOVED this series and I looove this book!

Catch and Keep is a realistic portrayal of parenting in the 21st century and dating. This love story features two people connecting after years apart, and whole life lived in-between. The setting gives off a strong sense of place and home. The reader experiences the breeze of the lake, the sounds of nature and your toes in the sand. Welcome to the Midwest.

Catch and Keep is heartwarming romance with two people finding each other when they need each other the most for a true love.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin

This was an easy, enjoyable read. There were several great tropes too.

Maren turned down the proposal of her boyfriend, left her job, and came back to her happy place on a lake in Wisconsin. She grew up spending the summers here fishing and being outdoors and can't wait to return to the slower pace of life. Joe, her older brother's best friend, still lives here and has taken over his parents' resort. He has two kids and is doing his best to balance all the things. Maren and Joe hit it off but they don't know if they can make it work with all the factors they have to consider.

This book was just a sweet story of two childhood friends falling in love. Joe and Maren were both great, likable characters. I liked the single dad trope a lot. Joe's kids were a great addition to the book without taking up all the page space. The best friend brother's trope is usually one I enjoy but it felt a little heavy handed here. The brother was a jerk, but he somewhat redeemed himself at the end.

Overall this was just a cute, easy read, without a lot of drama or angst. I also enjoyed the first book in this connected trio, but I missed the second so I'll have to go back and read that story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Erin Hahn writes in such a way that you feel you are *IN* the story.

A heartwarming story that is a slow burn brother's best friend trope. He's a divorced single parent with a child on the spectrum (which by the way was so well done) and she is figuring out who she is after a big life change.

I adored every single thing about this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this gem!

The fourth in Erin Hahn’s series (following Shelby and Cameron - child stars turned home reno tv stars - and Lorelei and Craig - country star and brilliant producer, and young country stars Annie and Clay), we head up to the Wisconsin Northwoods to spend lazy days fishing on the lake with Maren and Joe. Maren - fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend whose public proposal went hilariously wrong – takes a leave from her job and goes up to the Northwoods where she spent her summers to clean out the bait shop and apartment left to her by her fishing mentor. There – two adorable kids in tow - is her brother’s best friend, Joe.

There are a lot of layers here - Maren’s stalker from the time she was a minor online star for the videos of her fishing – reemerges. Her older brother is an idiot (is there nothing more patronizing than a couple thinking they can’t be together because the one is the best friend of the other’s brother? Plus, he talked down to her in ways that were unacceptable. I wish she’d had the guts to stand up to him before Joe helped her do it.) Joe has his own difficulties putting his foot down with his flighty ex, who essentially abandoned her kids when she couldn’t handle having an autistic daughter - kids who Maren of course instinctively knows how to parent and who instantly love her.

Given the challenges on paper, everything just sort of falls into place for these two, their problems less obstacles and more gentle curves for them to navigate around. Sweet, wholesome, enjoyable.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 3.5 stars rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Catch and Keep is such a cozy, heartwarming romance set in a beautiful place, the lake. I wanted to read this book because of the setting and the single dad premise. More lake books please. I really enjoyed my time there while reading.
Maren, our main character, goes through an emotionally embarrassing moment when her boyfriend proposes to her in front of all of her friends and family - and she says NO! However, it all leads her to Joe and his kids!
Somehow Erin Hahn managed to write a cute yet sexy story that is wholesome too! I highly recommend picking this one up. Now I’m excited to read more of her books and this series!
Thanks St. Martin for the advanced reading copy, I adore your romances!

Thanks to everyone for this early copy of Catch and Keep.

If you love single and older brothers best friend, you love this book. Both main characters were super loveable, and it was a nice slow burn of a story. I found that I enjoyed the banter and that some heavier topics were touched on.

I enjoyed this one! I loved that it was set in Wisconsin and on a resort with fishing and all the outdoor activities. Maren is an outdoorsy girl that just broke up with her boyfriend after an unbecoming public proposal. She moves to Wisconsin and takes over the bait shop she inherited, living on her brother's best friend's family resort. Joe and Maren both feel very mature and easily feel like real people I would know. I loved that Maren welcomed Joe's kids so openly and felt the autism representation was done well. This was my first by Erin and I'm excited to go back and read the others in this series! Thank you SMP romance for the eARC.

Can a book heal you, and make you believe in people more? I think Erin Hahn's books can. I just laughed so much, and was so heartened by Catch and Keep. It's the perfect took to cozy up to. Maren is 34 years old, and has just left her job and potential fiancee (until she said "no" to him, resoundingly) to return to the lake where she grew up fishing. Her brother Liam treats Maren like she's an irresponsible child, but she is brave and smart, and knows that she needs the time at the lake to fix a cabin that's been left to her, and to also find her own way. This is very much a journey of self discovery and a love story at the same time. Maren reunites with Joe, whose family she grew up with, and who owns the nearby resort. Joe is also getting over heartbreak, and raising his two kids on his own. It's so easy to see why Maren falls in love with Joe and his children. They support each other, have a lot of fun together, and of course, have great chemistry. The only part of the book that I didn't like was Liam's high handedness about Maren's decisions, and his anger that she would hook up with his best friend Joe. I really wanted to slap Liam, but luckily Joe and Maren both stood up to him. Oh! And there really are fun and sweet side characters in this book as well (Maren's best friends are from Hahn's other books, so it's a good reason to read up on her). I think what I appreciated the most about this book is that the people and problems felt real while also dreamy at the same time. Lord send me a hot, competent man, ex-Marine, great divorced Dad to an idyllic lake. This has everything you could possible want from a Romance novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!!

I really enjoyed this one! It was so unique and so well written!

Maren has just returned to a place she knows as home after rejecting the proposal of her boyfriend. The surprise public proposal showed Maren that he definitely didn’t know much about her or what she would like, otherwise he wouldn’t have proposed in public. In fact, the proposal was so overwhelming that Maren threw up, and then left the area for the foreseeable future.

While Maren is in town, she’s does have a purpose: she’s inherited a home/former store from a beloved family friend, and she’s determined to fix it up. She’s also happy to be back where she developed her love for fishing, a passion she still has to this day. Maren knows her stay here is temporary, but things get complicated as she starts spending more time with Josiah Cole. At first, the family hires her as a guide for fishing charters, but Maren’s involvement with Joe becomes much more personal as she begins helping out with his kids. A single dad, Joe is doing a pretty good job raising his children, but sometimes things can get out of hand. His daughter, Lucy, is autistic, and Joe does his very best to do what will help her and accommodate her needs. Doing this with two kids all on his own can be a handful sometimes, which is why Maren starts spending more time with the family, especially as the kids take to her more and more. If that already didn’t sound like a complicated situation, guess what! Joe is best friends with Maren’s brother, who would not be happy about all the time they’ve been spending together.

As Maren gets closer to Joe and his kids and starts to figure out what she wants in the future, Joe is falling hard for Maren. But both have a lot at stake, and there’s many reasons why this relationship could be doomed from the start.

I thought this book was really good! I had never read a book where fishing was so prominent of a topic, but this one did it so well! Even the title is a fishing reference, which is so cute. I also appreciated the research and details the author put into Lucy’s character. I’m glad that Lucy was such a big part of this story, and I think it’s important to have inclusive books that discuss Autism, because there’s a chance that if you haven’t been touched personally by it, you may have some misconceptions. Also, the kids’ mother drove me insane!! But unfortunately there really are people like that who just deny what their children need and only see what they want to see.

Anyway, I definitely recommend this one and I would be interested in reading others by Erin!

Maren is 33 years old and has just been proposed to by her boyfriend, a proposal she turns down, and picks up her entire life and runs away back to the place she spent so much time in growing up in Northern Wisconsin. She has always loved fishing, and her late mentor left her his waterfront property and bait shop to Maren after his passing and it is where she escapes to now.

Josiah has been divorced for 2 years now and has full custody of his 2 kids. He wasn't always the best husband to his ex wife, but he is an excellent father, and son. He runs the resort his parents own, and when Maren shows up back in town he can't help but notice how his best friend's little sister has grown up into a beautiful woman.

From the minute she is back they fit in each other's lives so easily. His kids adore Maren, and Maren is exactly what Josiah didn't know he needed in his life. But will they take things too fast and burn out before they are really able to build something?

Honestly Erin Hahn is such a brilliant romance author. She has this talent for writing stories that are so relevant and handle hard topics, while being so witty, funny, and romantic. All of her characters feel so real and relatable, and her writing feels so healing and always fills a hole in my soul with its authenticity and soul.

I LOVED Catch and Keep!
I read the book in one day…..I didn’t want to put it down.
The love story is pure and authentic in every way.
The characters are so engaging and relatable.
The spice level was perfect.
The sweet moments pulled on my heartstrings in so many ways.
And, the heartbreaking moments definitely broke my heart.
Are you looking for a book that will give you all the feels? You need Catch and Keep on your TBR list!
I am looking forward to reading more books written by author Erin Hahn.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Erin Hahn hooked me quickly with this delightful novel. In a series of quick decisions Maren Laughlin turns down her boyfriend’s proposal, takes a leave of absence from her career as a park ranger and returns to Northern Wisconsin where she spent her childhood. She has inherited a rundown waterfront bait shop from an older man who helped her learn to love fishing. While cleaning out the property she runs into Josiah Cole. He is her older brother’s best friend and is now a single dad and manages his family's vacation lodge and cabins.

Of course she had a bit of a crush on him growing up, although he was too old to notice her then. But he notices her now. She and her wonderful dog Rogers are welcomed back by his parents and his two children warm up to her as well. There are some of the, I can’t go there with my best friend's sister, but they are going there. Since she is spending months of time it all feels organic. They know each other's backgrounds generally but they still need to discuss current lives and failures of relationships. He has extra guilt as he was away in the marines as his marriage floundered. I thought the pair were fun together. I loved her interaction with the kids and the realistic depiction of a child on the autism spectrum.

This is a stand alone novel and I am not sure why it is not called a series. I’ve read previously, Friends Don’t Fall in Love (Oct 2023) and Built to Last (Oct 2022). All three of the female MC’s are friends after meeting in a therapist's waiting room. And the two couples from the previous book make appearances in this book. Regardless of how it is marketed, this is my favorite of the three and I enjoyed the others. (4.5 Stars)

Book starts with her being 13 and having a crush on brothers best friend being 18, then later brother best friend is remembering how she was attractive etc, which seems creepy because it only talked about when she was a child, seems pervy. DNF'D.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc. This was cute up to the point where it wasn‘t anymore. I got bored with the story and I thats entirely my fault but I don‘t want to force myself to read books I don‘t enjoy. But If you‘re looking for a single parent, friends to lovers story check this one out!