Such a fun book! I love a good single dad romance, and then add in the brother/best friend aspect this book is a total “catch”!

The story drew me in from the very beginning and absolutely transported me into the story!

I gobbled this up like a fresh baked dona de azucar! I knew Maren & Joe's story would be good, but they smacked me in the face with their love. I'm not one to read "sibling best friend" anything, but it's Erin Hahn and a bestie from a certain trio, so I had to dive in. And I LOVED IT. All parts. The angsty bits, the sibling digs (oof, but boy do I get it), the humor and little loves. It was, what I've come to understand, signature Erin Hahn. Honestly, loved the communication between the MC's. I'd rather see them working together than reading through a third act break-up or grovel (don't get me wrong, I do love me a great grovel). Also the representation was wholesome and well written, even the hard parts. It was great and even had me shedding a tear or two. Towards the end I found myself saying "Thank you Erin Hahn" out loud-- alone in my room of course.. There was no added hoopla, just love, family, and friends. Oh, and a true boat daddy (;
So, thank you Erin Hahn.

This was so cute!! I love this book as much as I loved her others. I loved the characters in this book as much as I loved the town. The plot was just as good as the romance and the pacing was perfect. Just overall a really good romance!

Loved this adorable book. I felt quickly invested in all of the characters. A great beach reach for this summer.
Thank you to netgally for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for my objective review. There are some spoilers that follow, so proceed with caution. Our female main character Moren left Michigan after a proposal gone wrong and a lost work promotion, and relocates to Wisconsin to take over an inherited bait shop on the lake where she spent childhood vacations. Joe, her older brother's best friend, a single dad to Anders and Lucy and ex-Marine, runs the family-owned local resort. This is the third in a trilogy, which I didn't know going in, but this worked fine for me as a standalone and I didn't feel I was missing out on key plot points by not having read the first two in the series.

What I liked:
• Written in dual first-person POV, which I always like because you get better insight into both main characters.
• I love that she was a park ranger and she also had a successful fishing YouTube channel when she was younger. There's a sweetness to her reminiscing about her past friendship with the gentleman who owned the bait shop.
• I enjoyed the way the author writes banter, and Moren's snark. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Joe's children, as well as how they were written with all their quirks (and that their quirks were something to be enjoyed and celebrated).
• I liked that Maren was the one to resolve the issues with her stalker on her own. I was concerned that the author was setting her up to be saved by Joe, but thankfully she was written as her own savior instead. As she should have been, you don't write a strong independent woman with a career and background like hers and then have her be incompetent with managing her own struggles.
• Although at first Joe gave her grief (alongside her brother) about her competence and abilities, and I worried how that dynamic was going to play out over the course of the book, he did seem to respect her independence and strength. Other books with similar storylines would have had him be her protector and hero (especially since he's the ex-Marine nurturing single dad). Thankfully the author didn't have this book play out like that or it would have been a DNF for me.

What I didn't like:
• Her older brother is an infantilizing jerk and was that way through most of the story. He gave her grief from the get-go, all of it mired in the over-done "little sister" dynamic. And it took his best friend to finally lead him to realizing he was being over-bearing and ridiculous and borderline abusive. He couldn't have figured that out for himself? It would have been a stronger resolution had he been willing to listen to Maren when she protested his treatment and attitude over and over and over again. I guess at least he apologized, eventually.
• The stalker. I get why he existed since it added some tension to the story (and the fact that she had a stalker seemed very realistic given that she had been at one point a popular YouTube star). But the resolution with Bryce felt unrealistic and a bit anti-climactic. He seemed such a large part of the story as he kept popping up in menacing ways, especially after years of infatuation. It felt like a bigger show-down was being set up to happen, and that he posed a much larger danger than he seemed to at the end. And then all that happened was that she told him off while also flaunting her boyfriend, and he was appropriately chastened and just slunk away? Yeah, okay.
• Maybe a minor point, but it seemed a bit much that she also did beauty pageants as a kid, in addition to being extremely interested in fishing. Not that young girls can't and shouldn't have diverse interests, but more like the author wants to make sure we know that, "Yeah she's outdoorsy but she's also gorgeous!" It seemed unnecessary and I didn't feel it added anything substantial to the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the story for the most part and I would read this author again. The writing and the story was enough to keep me engaged to the end, and Joe's kids were adorable and wonderful. 3.5 stars rounded down to 3, it would have been 4 stars if her brother hadn't been such a colossal and condescending jerk to her for no real reason.

Love this second chance love story and have been looking forward to Maren's story! Erin never fails to deliver! Love the character development in this novel and feel that this is the perfect summer read to cozy up to with a great amount of spice!

I loved the characters in this book. The depth the author layers into their stories all comes together and made this book a delight. This is an amazing second chance, found family book that I would recommend and read again. This romance had the “it” factor. The characters have real connection as well as chemistry and it adds substance to this book.

I have enjoyed all of Erica Hahn’s adult novels. They are romantic and fun. This one follows Maren who is best friends with the characters in her previous books. She just broke up with her boyfriend by throwing up on him while proposing and she runs away to a cabin that was left to her. There she sees Josiah Cole, her brother’s best friend, who is divorced with two adorable children. They find themselves drawn to each other. This book is a fun read. I love the characters and I enjoy seeing these two characters pull for each other. It’s such a cute story. Perfect for summer!

catch and keep was a really sweet romance.it was adorable and I especially appreciated that it seemed like it was going to veer into fake-dating. I really liked Joes story

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it defiantly won't be the last! Especially since I know know that this is the third book in a series. I loved the way that the story unfolded with Maren and Joey. I loved the writing, I was immediately hooked and I rooted for the MC's the whole book.

This one was a miss for me.

Catch and Keep had all the right components, but the style/quality of the writing (all tell, no show) was too hard to overcome. The tone and (lack of) complexity in the writing didn’t align with the heavy, adult topics the book is trying to tackle. As a result, those moments—some of which had a lot of potential as emotional and social commentary—came across as jarring and forced, interrupting the story instead of adding to it.

Normally, I’d say that those in the “New Adult” category might enjoy a read like this, but given that the main characters are in their 30’s (which, I do usually love to see), that isn’t the audience either.

Most of us can overlook weaker writing when the story is compelling or moderately unpredictable, but this one wasn’t believable. Some incredibly complicated and should-be-highly-problematic conflicts among characters were resolved too easily, leading to poor pacing.

Ultimately, I suppose I couldn’t see what motivated these characters and, as a result, couldn’t connect to them. So many lengthy descriptions were included that didn’t advance the plot—an attempt to set the scene and introduce the characters, I’m sure, but overall falling flat.

All that said, I will remember this book’s Dedication as an example of what TO do in this section of a book. It transported me back to my own summers on Midwestern lakes and got me excited for and invested in this read. But that style/level of writing—one that prioritized a connection with the reader’s experience—didn’t translate into the storytelling.

Someone looking for an easy, quick summer read might pick this up and enjoy it, but for avid readers in the romance genre, I don’t think this is going to stack up and I’m sorry to say I couldn’t finish it.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Catch and Keep is an Adult Contemporary Romance that takes place in Wisconsin about a girl and her love to fish! I know, off first read your probably wondering if it’s good, let me be the one to tell you it definitely is worth your time!

This book really has everything dual-POVs, brother’s best friend trope, single dad and military man. And i absolutely could not forget the autistic representation with one of Joe’s children! I loved Lucy so much and she added so much to the story and Hahn does a fantastic job of keeping true to her character while showcasing her personality. Oh and of course there is an adorable dog whose relationship with Anders is soo cute!

I had a hard time putting this down! I almost made myself late to work because I wanted to keep reading it! Hahn does such a fantastic job of drawing you in at the end of each chapter! I burned through this in like a day and a half.

The only thing I’ll knock this for is the writing feels a bit juvenile at parts and corny. Also like all her friends were famous influencers which is definitely possible but seemed a bit off when she deleted her accounts 😂. Idk that part felt a bit unnecessary because she kept referring to her friends as her “famous friends”. Even these minor comments though were more cute than anything else!

Also, something I didn’t learn until going through the reviews of this book after I finished it is it’s a sequel. This is the third in the series which is not notated on here unfortunately.

So if you read this review before starting the book, here’s the order based off release date:
1. Built to Last
2. Friends Don’t Fall in Love
3. Catch and Keep

I also love that the characters are older! I feel like so many of the books I read are young twenty somethings so this was quite refreshing to read about characters who knew what they wanted their life to look like. Joe and Maven were just adorable. Their chemistry was off the charts and it’s definitely a bit of a slow burn!

The biggest downside to this book is that it doesn’t release until October 15th and you will have to wait to get your hands on it! I will absolutely read more by Hahn!!

My Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Erin Hahn for providing me with an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Catch and Keep. I loved reading Catch and Keep! If you love Hallmark movies, this is definitely the book for you. After a ruined engagement, Maren Laughlin, finds herself back in the town she spent summers at as a child. As she tries to find herself, she quickly reconnects with her brother’s best friend, Josiah Cole. Josiah is newly divorced, helping his parents run their resort, all while keeping up with his two children. Maren and Josiah find themselves connecting and filling in the missing pieces of their former selves.

Maren easily became one of my favorite characters. She is headstrong and independent. The relationship that she builds with Joe’s kids is sweet and really gave better perspective into who she is. Her and Joe balanced each other out so well. I found myself wishing that we had more background on Maren’s relationship growing up with her brother, Liam. I know they mention that he was always like that growing up, but I was frustrated that, no one else said anything in Maren’s defense.

I would 100% read another book following the stories of the side characters. This book was very wholesome and explore the realties of heart break and moving forward. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this author!

Ugh, what does Erin Hahn put in her books that makes them so unbelievably good?!? I told myself I'd wait to read this ARC until it was closer to the start date, but I couldn't contain myself.

This whole interconnected set of standalones has given me that fuzzy, giddy feeling as I read them and Catch and Keep is no different. This time, we join Maren Laughlin, best friend of Shelby (from Built to Last and Lorelai (from Friends Don't Fall in Love and park ranger extraordinaire, as she breaks up with her boyfriend in the most spectacular fashion. Blindsided by his misguided proposal (she pukes on his shoes) and upset that he went behind her back to nab a promotion she was gunning for, she flees Michigan to head to her childhood retreat in Northwoods Wisconsin.

There she runs into Josiah (or Joe) Cole, her brother's best friend and single dad. Despite warnings on both sides, the two find that their lives mesh perfectly. They've known each other their whole lives and it feels like they are starting their relationship in the middle. Maren loves Joe's kids, and Joe thinks Maren is the catch of a lifetime. Will their relationship be able to survive the temporary nature of her stay or his brother's misgivings?

Catch and Keep is a sweet, soft, fuzzy, lovely romance with adult characters, who adult problems, and use adult communication (aside from one minor blip) to solve them. I loved (loved, loved!) the previous two books and this one is just as wonderful. I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on it!

* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

Very excited for this READNOW book! I absolutely love a good second chance at love single dad romance and this perfectly fits the bill. I look forward to sharing much more on this title soon.

brother’s best friend + small town resort + fishing = feel good fun. a sweet story that had a lot of tropes i don’t usually go for (like single dad) but it was done in such a natural and wholesome way… while still having some spice. 🥰

the conflict in this story was all external - i would have liked a liiittle more tension. but ‘catch and keep’ serves its purpose well as a lighthearted palette cleanser. i’ll definitely be reading more erin hahn when i need a sweet and swoony reset <3

4.25 stars

thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is such a heart warming lake romance. The relationships between the characters were so good through out the whole book.

Love a good single dad/brothers friend trope. If you’re looking for an easy read I recommend giving this a try.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

This was a quick, easy and cute read. A brother’s best friend romance set on a Michigan lake resort makes for a good time! The story was predictable and sweet, but interesting enough to make it a page turner.

Side note, I think I loved the relationship between Maren and Josiah’s kids even more than Josiah himself. Don’t get me wrong, Josiah is an endearing love interest but Anders and Lucy are next level adorable.

Learning to fish, painting tackles, and “I’m your baby.” 🥹 Too cute. Give them the world!!

Heart warming and lovely. If your on a reading slump, I can tell you this book will bring you right out of it.

Thank you netgally for this arc

This book was such a cute read! I love Maren’s character and heavily relate to not liking surprises. But this was so easy to read and I loved the fishing spin on this love story. The different elements of the story all fit together so nicely.

Anders and Lucy were also super cute, and Joe was so sweet! I enjoyed seeing Maren’s growth through the story, it was very relatable and realistic. Overall, highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, Erin Hahn, and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!