I loved this book! There were so many parts of this book that tugged at my heartstrings.

Maren, after throwing up on her boyfriend's shoes as he was proposing, ran to an old apartment and bait shop she was left by an old friend from her past. This lake, this place, is her happy place. She finds her calm and peace there. This is the story of Maren and how she unexpectedly finds her happily ever after.

One of the things I loved most about this book, was the relationship between Maren and the two children. Having been told by her big brother, over and over again that she wasn't good enough or too immature, she didn't think twice about falling in love with the two children who absolutely needed her. She was strong, patient and loving to two wonderful children she was just getting to know. That part of the story was so wonderful.

I found the story so interesting coming from both the perspective of Joe and of Maren. They saw things in different ways, yet were experiencing the same feelings. They were both coming from a different place of hurt, but found ways of healing and calming each other without really trying. It was an easy and comfortable relationship. Erin Hahn kept the story moving with the building tension between the two characters, but also with Maren's relationships with the others in the story.

I would definitely recommend this to others and I will definitely read this again in the future, along with other novels by the same author.

Maren turns down a proposal from her boyfriend that stole her job, puked on his shoes, and ran to the only place that’s ever felt like home to her; a resort in Wisconsin where she has spent her whole life fishing. A mentor has left her his bait shop and apartment which she plans on fixing up. While there, resort owner and her brother’s best friend, Josiah Cole, and his two children grow close to Maren and she starts to reconsider the life and home she thought she would have.

This was an enjoyable read! The dialogue was very well done and I enjoyed the banter between Maren and Joe. The way they melted seamlessly into each other’s lives was beautifully written. Maren’s character development throughout the novel and how she learned about all the different types of love was my favorite thing about this story. The reader grew with Maren as the story went on and watching her relationship grow with Joe’s kids was so sweet.

The romance! There was some unexpected but nevertheless exciting spice and it seemed like Maren and Joe just got each other in a way that was honest and real. The slow burn in this one was very satisfying!

There was an underlying element of suspense in the stalker subplot which I’m not sure benefitted the story as much as it could have. It felt like it popped up pretty randomly throughout the book and the conclusion of that particular storyline was a little anticlimactic. Also felt a little weird to end the regular portion of the novel that way.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and it’ll be perfect for reading on the lake or outdoors this fall!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you love..
Brother’s best friend
Dual POV
Single dad
Slow burn
Fall on the lake vibes
Building relationships and community through outdoorsy activities like fishing

This was my first book by Erin Hahn and I absolutely LOVED it!

I thought this was a perfect and heartwarming small town romance. I loved the way Maren and Joe’s relationship developed. It was organic and sweet. I enjoyed that Joe was always showing up and taking care of Maren. I thought it was precious. Maren’s compassion towards Anders and Lucy was also positive and heart warming. I thought Erin’s portrayal of autism was done perfectly. I really appreciated how little conflict and tension there was between Maren and Joe. Their relationship was a breath of fresh air for me and I enjoyed how mature their communication felt.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the Bryce storyline. I could have done without that part of the story and I think I would have enjoyed the story just as much if not more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Especially, if you are looking for a heartwarming romance.

This was such a cute book! I am a sucker for a brother's best friend romance AND a hot single dad. I know about next to nothing about fishing but thankfully I didn't have to. This book opens up with Maren throwing up on her (now ex) boyfriend when he tried to propose to her and then her running away back to Wisconsin. It was so nice to see Maren come to terms with some things in her life and then watch as her feelings that she had for her brother's best friend Josiah or Joe as he's called throughout the book grow. The kids were written well as a lot of the times, kids are written too young for the age they're portrayed. Having one of the kids be autistic really showcased the troubles that parents of kids with ASD go through and seeing the absolute love that Maren had for both of his kids and trying to make them all feel included was so heartwarming. There were funny parts of the book but also touching parts of this book as well. Overall, this was such a great story.
My only complaint would be that the side story of why she shut down her YouTube with the creepy comments followed by the creepy guy kinda didn't go anywhere and seemed to just be in there to add a little bit of mystery/tension.

FMC Maren has just blown up her life by turning down a marriage proposal and quitting her job to inherit a decrepit bait shop. She meets local resort owner and single dad, Josiah, with whom she falls into an easy companionship. A swoony, friends to lovers romance that will have you rooting for Maren and Josiah to continue choosing each other.

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!

Maren may be the annoying best friend’s little sister and Joe may be her brother’s annoying best friend. But maybe, just maybe, there’s more there. Spoiler alert: there is (!!! 🥰😍❤️)

Besides the sweet love story that Erin paints for us. One of my favorite parts was Joe’s adorable children! I fell in love with them just as much as Maren found herself falling for them too!

His oldest, Anders has such a sweet spirit and his love for others just lights up the page. Then there’s sweet Lucy! I love the way Erin portrayed autism, she did it perfectly. These kids stole the story and they’ll steal your hearts as well.

So grab a fishing pole or just lay a blanket out under a tree and dive into this little slice of heaven that Erin so perfectly created.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

TBH ,

it took me a while to get into t his book , but once I got into it I truly fell in love, Maren and Joey had such a cute story that hit home .
ARC from NetGalley and St. Martins Press

I enjoyed Built to Last, the first book in this debut adult romance trilogy by one of my favourite YA authors Erin Hahn, and book 2, Friends Don't Fall in Love ranks as top 2 personal favourite by her. I was looking forward to reading Maren's story, even more so after the little hints dropped in the previous book. Catch and Keep mostly delivered on that front. Maren and Josiah are both lovable characters, and I especially loved reading about Joe's kids (there is a sensitive autistic rep present). I've never been on a lake vacation, so I didn't have any personal reference points (which I imagine would add even more enjoyment to the experience), but it was transporting in Erin's capable hands (even though I'll never be interested in going fishing, if I'm honest). There was one plot thread that felt underdeveloped throughout (trigger warning for stalking), but Maren and Joe's journey from best friend's younger sister and older brother's best friend to being in love was very compelling. Oh and it was great to have Shelby, Cameron, Lorelai, and Craig pop in with squee-worthy special appearances.

This is a single dad, older brother’s best friend romance. One of the children is autistic, which makes their story even more interesting and lovable as she falls for his 2 children and they fall for her. And did I mention the dog? Her dog plays a big part in the story which I loved.

Maren is a great FMC and I really enjoyed her love for fishing. She had a bond with an old man growing up that taught her to fish and I loved this part of the story and how much impact she made on his life.

Joe is super lovable too. They have a slow burn for sure. The chemistry between them during the few spicy scenes were great & I actually wish we got a few more of those scenes.

I also enjoyed the banter between her and her friends during the few text messages where they discuss their life and relationships.

I gotta say I did not like her brother at all. Even when he apologized, I still hate him and don’t forgive him.

The last 1/3 of the book was my favorite when they finally become a true family. This is a good heartwarming love story.

I really enjoyed reading Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn. It was so sweet and I loved Maren and Josiah together! I didn’t realize this was part of an interconnected standalone series and now I want to go back and read all of Erin Hahn’s other books!

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

Absolutely loved this sweet and spicy romance. This was adorable and I especially appreciated that it seemed like it was going to veer into fake-dating but avoided it. Overall the characters felt nuanced and the connection felt authentic. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have loved every Erin Hahn book I’ve read (all 5 of them) and this one was no exception. I didn’t see this coming as the conclusion to the adult series she’s been writing when it first started but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Can’t wait to see what she writes next!!

3.5 stars

Maren and Josiah! Ugh what a catch indeed

Maren is having a rough go of it having gotten passed up for a promotion and a messy proposal. She flees to her favorite place on the lake to go fishing and clear her head. What she was not expecting was her brothers best friend to be there post divorce with his kids.

This book sucks you right in and gets you hoping you catch a musky. I loved the characters and the progress Liam makes.

Brothers best friend
Grew up together
Secretly dating
He falls first
Autistic child
Single dad
Messy divorce
Dog mom


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

4 stars

This was a cute brothers best friend, outdoorsy, single parent romance.
I really liked Joes story. He’s been through so much and he was such a good dad and the ways he showed Maren that he cared were so sweet. He’s the ultimate golden retriever single dad and I really liked that.
I liked Marens character but felt like it was a little underdeveloped. I felt like there wasn’t enough backstory explaining why she made the decisions she made. I did really enjoy how she was with Joes kids and thought she and Joe were really cute together.
The plot line with her fixing up the bait shop was dropped off very early in the book and then only brought back up in the end to wrap the story up. I wanted a little more from this or at least for it to be addressed that she wasn’t working on it anymore.
There were also I think 2 flashback scenes dropped randomly into the book which felt super out of place to me and didn't really add anything to the story. Also the brother was awful and I felt like we needed more of a resolution than we got.
Overall I enjoyed this book but I found that it lacked a little bit of depth

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!!

I really liked Erin Hahn’s prior two books in this series, and Maren seemed like she would be my favorite female lead out of the three. She’s down to earth, vulnerable, and fiercely loyal. Joe is similarly noble, which makes them the perfect pair…. and also makes them a litttttle bit less interesting in my opinion. I wish there was a little bit more conflict/tension, but again that’s probably a personal preference. I also was a little turned off by all the talk of fishing, but I guess that’s kind of Maren’s deal so I can’t be mad about it. I definitely googled what a musky was, and I still don’t understand the appeal. Again, personal preference. I’d say this was like a 3.5 for me, rounded up here because the banter was top notch. Also— not a fan of Liam. He is irredeemable in my opinion. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I was so excited to get this ARC, I definitely was not disappointed. Frist off, I loved the whole Cole family…. Plus so many other great characters.

I loved this book! I found myself sneaking chapters in whenever I could and staying up past my bedtime to find out what happens next. The characters were believable, relatable, and well-rounded. It was a small town romance with a single dad and brother's best friend. I loved how the author touched on autism and how it made me fall in love with Maren and Josiah even more. I only took off a star because the plot lacked a little complexity for my taste. However, it was a perfect love story with the right amount of spice without any cringe-worthy vocabulary.

With this book you'll get single dad second chance romance that will make your heart burst!

Maren goes through a traumatic experience which prompts her to move back to her hometown lake to fix up a bait shop she inherits. As she's figuring out her next steps in life she reconnects with those she knew when she was younger, and begins to figure out what it really is that she wants out of life.

I loved almost every moment of reading this cozy romance! The FMC is the girl that I wish I had grown up to be. Strong, independent, and an amazing fisherman!

The one facet of the story that I didn't care for came during their first intimate encounter. Maren explains that she's on an IUD and was tested 4 months ago, and her partner hadn't been with anyone since his wife. They opted for no condoms which I feel is a very irresponsible section because safety should be paramount. This wasn't pertinent to the story, so it could have been left out.

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn was an absolutely beautiful and sweet contemporary romance novel. Having literally ran away from her now ex-boyfriend and never to be fiancé after a public proposal, Maren finds herself at a cabin in Northern Wisconsin, at one of her favorite places to escape. While here and fixing up a bait shop and apartment that was left to her, she reconnects with Joe, her brothers best friend. The moments when Maren is with Joe and his two kids are absolutely the sweetest moments ever. The way she so seamlessly observes and predicts how to help them and enrich all of their lives is so perfect. Maren and Joe's love story is so tender and sweet and I could not ask for anything else for their little family. I'm also a sucker for a book with a beautiful lakeside setting and I definitely enjoyed reading this one!

This is a perfect cozy small town romance that I would definitely recommend! It is set to release October 15th, 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Erin Hahn for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read almost every book by this author, and sadly for me, her adult books aren’t as great as the Y/A books.
With this particular one, I really wanted to love it, but I didn’t even like it, I don’t know but it felt flat to me. The dialogue, the characters, everything was so forced and weird.
I thought the idea of the two kids was a sold for me, but even with them the story was stiff (the best word I found to describe it) and the hero was so meh… he let his ex-wife mistreat his children and he let his best friend (who is the heroine’s brother) insulted the love his life, which made me super upset, like if my brother would use those words to describe me, well let me tell you he would have teeth by now. There is also the stalker situation, it was resolved in a few sentences, but something so cringy wasn’t properly handled.
I just hope the author goes back to the Y/A books soon.
I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.