Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Erin Hahn has definitely become one of my new auto read authors. From the first page, I was hooked. The main character, Maren, was very likeable. Josiah Cole was also a great main character. I loved that not only did we get Maren’s point of view, but Joe’s was also slipped in. I was not a fan of Liam or Kiley from the beginning, but the few text changes and bantering between Marin, Lorelai, and Shelby had me laughing out loud. Cath and Keep definitely had me wanting to curl up on some lake shore and either read this cozy novel or cast a line.
If someone were to ask me my favorite part, I would probably say the last 1/3 when they became a family.
If you are looking for a good slow burn romance, this on is for you!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6625016516
Brother best friend is My trope. I have never read a book like that, that I didn’t love. Seeing Maren and Joe’s relationship morph and change was just what I needed. I will continue to live vicariously through books! Lol
After turning down a proposal, Maren returns to a small lake town where she grew up after inheriting property
from her old fishing mentor, Foss. She runs into Joe, her brother Liam's best friend. Joe works at the family
Cole's Landing resort. Having family nearby helps with raising two children, especially when one is autistic.
Maren and Joe are attracted to each other but each has doubts about a relationship working out. Maren, a former
fishing influencer with her own YouTube channel, works for the resort as a fishing guide in exchange for a place to
stay while renovating her inherited property. Maren's and Joe's repeated contact makes it harder to fight the attraction.
#CatchandKeep #StMArtinsPress #NetGalley
This is a must read for cabin girlies everywhere! I could not put this book down and finished it the same day I started. I found myself smiling, screaming and blushing throughout the book. The characters were well-written and felt very real. I appreciated that the characters were not in their twenties and rather in their thirties. In my mind, I could plop myself right within the story. The details were realistic and wonderful with a little bit of nostalgia sprinkled in. There were moments of heartbreak perfectly placed within the story that didn't take away from the romance or make it seem melodramatic. The writing by this author was seamless and from the start it felt like an absolute 5-star experience! I look forward to reading more titles by Erin Hahn!
Thank You Netgalley
Release date: October 15th 2024
I loved this book!
Maren Laughlin was proposed to by her boyfriend, but she declined and left her job as a park ranger to return to her roots in Northern Wisconsin and accept her inheritance.
Josiah Cole, who is a single dad to two kids, handles everything by himself. However, when Maren takes on the project associated with her inheritance, it alters the dynamics for both of them.
For Maren and Josiah, things seem to flow naturally. The question is, will it endure, or will family complications arise?
read to find out :)
Single parent trope is one of my favorites so I was immediately captured in the story. Maren and Joe were both such great strong characters, I loved them. Joe’s kids are just so adorable! So much love and no third act break up!
I want to start by giving a big thank you to @netgalley and @erinhahn_author for generously choosing me to read and review this digital ARC!
🤍Friends to Lovers
🤍Single Dad
🤍Small Town
🤍Brother’s Best Friend
🤍Autism Representation
Wow… I loved this book! Dare I say it’s my favorite ARC I’ve ever read? It’s definitely in my top favorite books of all time. The author, Erin Hahn, makes you feel like you’re living this story in real time! This book was everything I wanted, plus some!
Maren and Joe’s relationship was one that felt very real from the start, only growing stronger in the end. The love they have for Joe’s kids!!🥹 One of my favorite parts of this book was Joe’s daughter having Autism. Oh my Special Ed. Teacher heart!!!😭 The descriptions used to describe Lucy’s mannerisms were perfect and so spot on. I loved how Maren learned by observing what Joe did for Lucy and implementing them herself. I love a book with Exceptionality Representation!
This book has so many of my favorite tropes, so it’s no surprise how much I enjoyed it. 5⭐️ read for sure. This book releases on October 15, 2024! I will 1000% be getting the physical copy when it releases!🩷
Catch and Keep is the third book in Erin Hahn’s first adult romance series. I have not had the opportunity to read the previous books, but if they are anything like this one, I look forward to them. It is everything a modern-day romance novel should be.
Maren Laughlin spent her teen years guiding fishing tours in northern Wisconsin and had a YouTube channel made popular by her knowledge and looks.
Dating while being a single parent isn’t easy, and Joe hasn’t had sex in three years, but he fights his attraction to his best friend’s little sister. She is on the rebound, and giving fishing tours while she figures out her life. Despite all the protests, of course, they’re both drawn to each other. Maren steps in to help with Joe's kids, and she fits into their lives. They want each other, but uncertainty looms over their future. When Maren receives an ideal job offer in Arizona, she has to decide if she can leave Joe and his kids.
I finished reading it in one go, absolutely devouring it.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. It is an enjoyable and fairly quick romance read.
Catch and Keep is the third book in Erin Hahn’s first adult romance series, and just like the previous two books, it is funny, sexy, and heartwarming. It is everything a modern-day romance novel should be. In the first book, Built to Last, Hahn introduced three lovely women - Shelby, Lorelai, and Maren. The first book centered around Shelby. The second book, Friends Don’t Fall In Love, was devoted to Lorelai. Now it’s Maren’s chance at love.
Maren Laughlin spent her teen years guiding fishing tours in northern Wisconsin and had a YouTube channel made popular by her knowledge and looks. “It was basically hot girl fishing, with the added bonus that she knew what she was talking about." Now she has a fulfilling career as a park ranger. Her best friend Shelby referred to her as “frat-boy catnip. It’s the heady combination of beauty queen and park ranger” in the first book of the series. When Maren’s boyfriend applies for the same job promotion - and gets it - and then makes a very public and unwanted proposal, Maren ditches the life she’s built in Michigan to run away with her dog to the Northwoods. She inherited an old bait shop by the lake, and spends the first few days of her escape “deep cleaning decades of grime and rodent feces from the tiny, questionably livable apartment."
The bait shop used to serve visitors at Cole’s Landing Resort, where Maren gave fishing tours. Josiah (Joe) Cole has been her brother’s best friend since they were kids, but she hasn't seen him since before he got married and had kids. He’s a single parent now, with full custody of his two kids - and those kids made my heart melt. His daughter is autistic and his son “has a soft heart” and likes pink. More impressive than the kids is their father’s fierce love and protection. “If pink makes him happy,” Joe swears he’ll buy his son “every shade of pink in the world.”
Swoon. Is there anything more attractive than a strong man who supports his kids and wants nothing but the best for them? The world needs more dads like him, especially in fiction.
Dating while being a single parent isn’t easy, and Joe hasn’t had sex in three years, but he fights his attraction to his best friend’s little sister. She is on the rebound, and giving fishing tours while she figures out her life. Despite all the protests, of course, they’re both drawn to each other. Maren steps in to help with Joe's kids, and she fits into their lives. They want each other, but uncertainty looms over their future. When Maren receives an ideal job offer in Arizona, she has to decide if she can leave Joe and his kids.
Catch and Keep is a slow burn, and despite the mutual attraction, they don’t get heated until two-thirds of the way through the book. I finished reading it in one go, absolutely devouring it. It is as hot and lovely as the previous two books, but this one is honestly my favorite of the three. Adding an amazing single dad to the mix - with an autistic child - brought romance into reality. We need more neurodivergent representation, along with supportive parents with would do anything for their kids. Readers want to see Maren and Joe together. They want to see those two kids grow into adulthood under their loving care - and maybe have some future siblings, too.
Hahn is a talented author and I’ll continue to read anything she writes.
I found this book to be entertaining and give it 3.75 stars. It starts off with the main character, Maren Laughlin, being proposed to by her boyfriend who has just secretly applied for and won the promotion of park ranger that Maren had tried to get. The secrecy of going for the same job, along with the very public proposal, was too much for Maren and she hightails it out of the state after vomiting on her boyfriend during his proposal. She goes to a cabin in Wisconsin that has been left to her and proceeds to put it together. Maren had grown up spending many summers with the cabin owner and had learned many fishing skills from him. She proceeds to fix up the cabin, give guided fishing tours and along the way care very much for her older brother's best friend who is living in the same town with two young children. One of these children is autistic and the author does a very good job at explaining with great accuracy the gentleness and patience required of the dad, Joe. Maren is able to fit right in and the kids develop a deep bond with her. I won't spoil the story, but it is a romance. It can be a bit steamier than what I prefer, but the story is good. The older brother, Liam, can be very annoying in his treatment of Maren, thus I knocked off 0.25 stars. But the portrayal of the kids, the divorced dad and the family coming together definitely made it worthwhile.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. It is an enjoyable and fairly quick romance read.
This was a cozy slow burn featuring the brother’s best friend trope (done right), and single dad trope. What I loved about this romance was that both the characters were in their 30s. It was so refreshing to have this age group included in a romance, as I’m so used to most characters being in their 20s.
The FMC, Maren, had left the tiny little fishing resort town she grew up in to pursue life as a Park Ranger. When her boyfriend got a promotion job over her, unbeknownst to her that he even applied, she takes off on a sabbatical home to catch a break and think things over. She decided to work on renovating an old friend’s bait shop and apartment he left for her in his will.
Maren reunites with the MMC, Joe, her brother’s best friend, who now manages the resort. Joe and Maren were never close growing up, so this was a sweet story full of tension and relationship building. Maren, Joe and his two children worked to get to know each other through renovations, fishing, the resort and pizza dinners. Maren even got back to her roots taking side gigs as a fishing guide at the resort, and Joe found some relief to befriend a woman who his kids adore.
My only complaint about the book was the inclusion of B. Callahan (he wasn’t really necessary for the story or the plot line). Callahan is a local, yet creepy, fan of Maren’s from when she had a fishing YouTube channel. His entire character really was just added garble in the story and didn’t add a layer of suspense, as I initially thought his character would.
Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the copy to read and review.
Really enjoyed this one. Having read the previous 2 books in the series, I was really looking forward to exploring Maren’s story. Loved all the characters we got to know in this story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
I don't know if I could love Maren and Joe more. This book was so incredibly charming while still feeling raw and honest. Maren is a park ranger, formerly a well-known fishing enthusiast with a YouTube channel. At a crossroads, she heads to Wisconsin to tie up loose ends at the cabin/bait shop she inherited from a family friend/elderly fishing buddy. From there, she reconnects with Joe, her brother's childhood best friend. Joe is a veteran, a single father of two and just doing his best to keep it all together as he tries to take over his family's resort business. Hahn's characters area beyond real; they are the first ones to point out their own flaws and issues and it just so happens that Maren and Joe perfectly fill the missing holes in one another's life. As someone who grew up fishing, I truly appreciated the Wisconsin setting and the details about lakes, fishing tourism, seasonal resorts and just the outdoor elements in general. These characters aren't afraid of getting dirty in all areas of life; there's great representation of autism (Joe's daughter is on the spectrum) and retired military. I didn't realize this book was the third in a three-book series and now I'm ready to go back and read the other two.
A fun, feel good book with a little spice to keep it interesting. I liked the obstacles they faced as a couple, but I loved that the problems weren’t unrealistic like so many other books.
Catch & Keep is a solid, delightful, perfect brother's best friend/ friends to lovers/ single dad romance. No unnecessary drama, no third act break ups, just two people trying their best to do this relationship right.
I could gush about Joe and Maren, their chemistry, their open and honest conversations. But what I really want to gush about is Maren's relationship with Joe's kids. It's beautiful, heartfelt, and hilarious at times. When Joe tries to do it all himself as a single dad, Maren sees a need and steps in to help, not as a way to elicit feelings from Joe, but because she genuinely cares about those kiddos.
Joe and Maren make an incredible team from the moment they see each other for the first time in a decade on that beach in front of the bait shop. And a little meddling from moms and best friends never hurt anyone.
Catch & Keep is out October 15! You'll want this one for a cozy, fall read (and then again for the beach next summer 🤷🏼♀️).
This book is quite literally, a breath of fresh air. Set against the beautiful setting of the Northwoods in Wisconsin. This book had me wanting to grab a fishing pole and settle back beneath a canopy of pine trees. I don’t even fish but I may just throw a line or two into a lake soon!
This is book 3 of a series involving 3 friends: Shelby, Loralei and Maren. This is Maren's story. I had not read the previous two books but picked up Loralei's audiobook and the narrator made it impossible for me to continue it. I will probably go back to those stories and read the physical books because Catch and Keep is written in such a smart yet emotional way that it makes me want to read more by Erin Hahn. When a narrator isn't the right fit for a listener it can take a person out the story fast.
That said, I loved Joe and Maren's story. There was depth of feeling, a past that they both had to resolve emotionally and the trope of the brother's best friend catching feelings for the little sister. There are some side characters in the form of two little kids that melt my heart.
Even better is the found family feeling.
There is a lot of history, a lot of chemistry and a whole lot of spice.
But the emotional threads weaved throughout the story is the reason that I got all the feels.
Excellent book that I will look forward to seeing how the audiobook version sounds like.
Thank you for the advance copy to the author Erin Hahn, NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Griffin
I absolutely adored this book! It was such a cute feel good cozy romance read! I really like the single dad trope, but this book took it to another level. Joe has two kids, one of which is autistic. How he takes care of her when she get upset sealed my love for him as our MMC. This book represented how women are treated in the public eye, as well as how some parents give up or ignore when their child is different from others. The romance was slow burn, which I personally love, and the spice was perfect. Not too much, not too little. I also love how there is a dog that plays a big part in the story. I love the fishing aspect, as I seem to connect with Maren when it comes to being a more outdoorsy person.
All in all this book stole my heart, and I believe it is one of my favorite romance reads of the year.
This was such a cute read. The perfect beach read. Maren and Joes story was so well done, I read this in one sitting.
this was such a cute book. the lake vibes make it perfect to read during the summertime. i absolutely loved the banter between Maren and Joe. the last few chapters of this book was what really got me. i loved seeing Maren interact with Joe’s two kids, who are absolutely adorable by the way.
thank you netgally for this arc!