Erin Hahn

If Toby Keith Joined The American Pie Crew And Had Lunch With Nicholas Sparks, You'd Get Something Close To This Book. Seriously. One, no matter what the RWA/ RNA types claim, Sparks writes romance novels. Tragedy is a perfectly valid end to a romance, and sometimes the romance is ever more powerful/ memorable *because* it ended in tragedy. And now that we've inserted a "controversy creates cash" flashpoint into this review... ;)

Seriously, the Keith and Sparks connections here are primarily show more due to the background of our male lead, a former soldier now returning home to take over his parents' business as they attempt to retire. It is this part of the tale that adds some extra emotional heft that Sparks and Keith were so excellent with, particularly as it relates to soldiers, in their stories. Indeed, there are absolutely times where Keith's "American Soldier" begins to sound almost audibly in at least this reader's head while reading this book.

Outside of our male lead though, this book is one that highlights that northern Michigan/ upper Wisconsin lake resort vibe that American Pie used so well in a couple of their movies to great extent, though mostly showing it from a more local perspective than the summer party crowd. We get some meta commentary on the perils of online "fame", and we get a LOT of laughs - which is where the American Pie connection really comes to bear. Not in the titular joke from that series, but there are absolutely some comedic bits that will take readers "of a certain age" (re: those who were older teens/ younger 20s when the first couple of American Pie movies came out) back to that era.

Overall a largely fun romcom with some truly serious elements, though seemingly lighter in tone than many "Hallmarkie" movies despite having elements that are more serious than are generally found in that set. So an interesting combination, and one that Hahn works to great effect here.

Very much recommended. show less

Meg has been raised under strict Christian guidelines, so strict that most would automatically roll their eyes at hearing of them. She's never strayed, is horrified at the slightest sinful thought, never kissed, never even held hands. When she applies to be a counselor at a bible-oriented ranch camp in California, what she learns thanks to the information they require, including her birth certificate, shatters her eighteen years of reality completely. Her feeling of betrayal, coupled with show more the immediate fallout between her parents, sends her north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to meet her great grandmother, a woman she never knew existed.
It's a multi-faceted journey, part geographic, part emotional, part self-discovery. She bonds with Betty, her purple-haired great-gram immediately, but more importantly, she meets Micah, who has his own issues with religion and the church. His father, a local pastor, betrayed the community and his family when Micah was thirteen, leaving huge emotional scars. His parole hearing is coming up and has brought lots of pain and anger to Micah's surface. The more Meg and Micah get to know each other, the closer they become and that intimacy allows them to sort out their conflicted feelings about God and religion. The author does a stellar job of pulling readers through this process as though they were an invisible friend in the same room.
I couldn't stop thinking about something my son-in-law said several years ago as I was reading the story. He was raised as a Catholic, but no linger attends services. He said, "I love God, but I hate the church." Meg and Micah could relate to his sentiments.
There are several other important people in the story, Meg's uncle, Micah's best friend, the woman who hires Meg to work in her bakery and the man who Meg grew up believing was her dad. This is a book that addresses the conflicts so many young adults face when they have been raised with overly strict and onerous religious values. It does it in a sympathetic and even handed way. You come away understanding there's plenty of room to love God without being tied to heavy chains of guilt for being a normal teen. Please read the author's note at the back. I'm so glad she persevered and didn't let this book languish in a drawer. show less

Thank you sweet baby Jesus for no third act break up.

This was lovely. They were both on a tv show as kids and fell in love. After years apart, they reunite for an HGTV-esque home renovation show and turns out those sparks between them never went out.

I loved that there were no games or miscommunications between them. When things came up, they talked about it and dealt with it. I loved that Cam took everything so seriously and was constantly at the job site trying to make sure he knew what he show more was doing so he didn’t look ridiculous next to her. He was not a natural at house renovations so I loved that he put in extra hours on his own to learn and get the skills.

When Lyle rolled into town and the whole group met in a bar, I felt my whole body cringing because I just knew he would try to sabotage her sobriety for fun so as soon as she made it clear to the bartender that no matter what anyone says, she’s sticking to ginger ale, I felt my whole body relax. Good on you, Erin Hahn.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. show less

Erin Hahn is such a consistently solid author.

When you read as much as I do, it can take a bit to hook me sometimes and I'll meander through a book until it grabs me. This had me paragraph one, page one. Craig wasn't even pretending to do anything but bask in the glow of her if friendship was as good as it ever got for him and he would be grateful for it. I appreciate when a character has absolutely no chill even in his own mental dialogue from the beginning. I thought Lorelai was a dream show more in Built to Last so I was thrilled to see it.

Lorelai was an elementary school teacher turned country superstar and sang a song condemning the second amendment because her heart was broken after yet another school shooting. Her star blinked out immediately in the backlash from everyone. Her fiancé broke up with her via public Instagram reel and everyone let her flounder. Except Craig.

I can't say enough good things about this book. She was a woman who accidentally falls in love with her best friend and both of them think they're the lucky one in the relationship. They're both right and it was glorious.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. show less