Built to Last | ARC Review

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.

Erin Hahn’s sparkling rom com debut, Built to Last, is a second chance romance sure to have readers falling in love fast.

This book was adorable! It made me feel like I was reading the love story for Chip and Joana Gaines or something like that.

There were so many wonderful tropes in this book that added up to create a lovely rom-com. A few for your reference include:
– second chance romance
– celebrity romance
– friends to lovers
– mild miscommunication
– It’s always been you

This book was a true rom-com in my opinion. It had lots of really cute, romantic moments, but also had many moments that made me laugh out loud. Shelby was a funny character to get to know and so fun to hear the thoughts of. She was a recovering child actor with things to overcome and relationships to mend. I loved seeing how she handled her past when it showed up at her doorstep five years later. 

This book had so much angst and pining and I loved every second of it. The romance, as I mentioned above, had a few different tropes that it drew from and I thought it suited it well. Additionally, there was no third act break up. I always have mixed feelings about that because I like the drama and heartache, but I know others hate the breakups. This would be a good book for those people. The romance was amplified in my opinion because of the dual pov. Hahn did the pov of Cam very well. His thoughts felt different than Shelby’s which I was so happy about.

I have to put in a plug about Cam. He was the absolute sweetest man ever. I fell in love with him from page one for so many reasons. One big one though was because of his heart. He was running from his demons for most of the book, but that didn’t stop him from being so sweet and kind and loving.

I do wish there had been more specifics talked about on-page before Shelby and Cam jumped into things. Like, it was all implied (you’ll know what I mean when you read the book), but I would have liked to have it spelled out on page.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will now have to go back and read Hahn’s YA novels.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

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