Built to Last by Erin Hahn

SYNOPSIS

Shelby Springfield has spent the last ten years trying to overcome her past, sanding it away like she does the rough spots on the vintage furniture finds she makes over. But as a former child star, it’s hard to forget a mediocre pop career, a meltdown widely documented by the paparazzi, and a huge public break with her former co-star Lyle Jessup. It’s also hard to forget her other co-star and childhood sweetheart, Cameron Riggs -- the one who got away.

Anytime Shelby has called, Cameron has come running… And then he runs right off again to chase stories around the world by making documentaries, too scared to admit what he really wants.

But when Lyle stirs the pot, getting the two back in the spotlight with a home renovation show, Cameron can't help but come on board.

There's something in it for everyone -- almost. Cameron wants to come home and set down some roots. Shelby wants to prove to the world she's not the messy party girl anymore. And Lyle wants to twist the screws on his two childhood friends who had more chemistry than he could dream of with anyone. Sparks and sawdust fly as Shelby and Cameron film the pilot for "Homemade" and battle Lyle’s shenanigans at every turn.

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Erin Hahn is one of my favourite authors and has been since I picked up her debut novel You'd Be Mine. Her first three novels were YA and were written in a way that I was desperately hoping the characters were real and living lovely lives (and that I could listen to the music that Annie Mathers and Jefferson Coolidge had created!). I was thrilled to have the chance to read her first Adult Romance novel and it didn't let me down. 

YES to Reunited Ex-Lovers 
It's fairly weird to call Shelby and Cam ex-lovers since they were 17 at the time, but I LOVE this trope because it gives readers a chance to see characters reunite after years apart and try to figure out how (or if) they fit in each other's lives anymore. As we slowly unravel Shelby and Cam's past and see how they learn who each other are in the present, we fall more in love with them and get to see them fall in love with each other. I am here for all of it and thank Hahn did a wonderful job! 

Felt Like I Was Watching HGTV (in the best way!)
I'm a huge fan of home reno shows (Home Town and Masters of Flip are so sooting to me), so of course the concept of two people renoing an old home immediately grabbed my attention. Although I know nothing about salvaging historical pieces and refurbishing the, Hahn convinces me that she does and that Shelby does an amazing job with it. Ultimately, this was so much fun to read because it was so easy to visualize this as a tv show. 

Great Secondary Characters 
Hahn has always done an amazing job creating secondary characters for readers to fall in love with, and Built to Last is no different. From Shelby's friends (who are going to be getting their own books!), to Cam's family and Shelby's ex, these secondary characters feel just as real and important as the main ones. This is important to me because I love reading a book where things feel real; I've never been a fan of books where the focus is solely on the main characters. I need the depth of additional people to care about (or hate, *ahem* Lyle). 

Overall, I loved this book! I'm so excited for it to be released on October 18, 2022 and have ​already preordered a personalized copy for myself. Hahn has really shown that she writes great adult novels and I honestly don't know now if I'm more excited for her next YA or her next romance because she keeps stealing my heart!

Built to Last comes out on October 18th (only a few weeks!). 

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FINAL RATING: 5/5