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angiebee81's review
4.0
Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn was given to me for an honest review.
Joe Cole is a single father, retired marine, and a businessman running the family fishing lodge in Wisconsin. Marren Laughlin has just been passed over for a promotion and thrown up on her now ex-boyfriend during his marriage proposal. She's leaving her current shatter life to return to the lake she loved as a child and find her brother's best friend, Joe Cole.
This was such a fun read. I loved the relationship between Marren and Joe's kids. This book was such a fresh romance without a single miscommunication which I loved so much.
I will definitely read more of Erin Hahn in the future.
Joe Cole is a single father, retired marine, and a businessman running the family fishing lodge in Wisconsin. Marren Laughlin has just been passed over for a promotion and thrown up on her now ex-boyfriend during his marriage proposal. She's leaving her current shatter life to return to the lake she loved as a child and find her brother's best friend, Joe Cole.
This was such a fun read. I loved the relationship between Marren and Joe's kids. This book was such a fresh romance without a single miscommunication which I loved so much.
I will definitely read more of Erin Hahn in the future.
laurenabayne's review
4.0
"Obviously, matching your manicure with your lures isn't a requirement to be a successful fisher-person, but we think it adds a little something extra."
I've been one to rail against single dad romances and brother's-best-friend romances lately, but this one was pretty darn cute. I loved how it actually felt like a real small town, not just a Hallmark town, with clear effects of tourist seasons in how things worked. The supporting cast from Hahn's previous books showed up in just the right dose, enough to give Hahn's readers a sense of satisfaction but not overwhelming to those who have not read the previous two books in the trilogy. The autism rep in Lucy was SO well done - her meltdowns were very realistic and weren't glossed over into the "quirky" autism rampant in romance novels lately. I also like that Joe never was parental to Maren when they were kids, they were more like ships passing in the night, which made the story a lot stronger.
And of course, the romance itself. The chemistry was palpable, the slow burn was stellar, and it was perfectly cozy and heartwarming in the best ways.
Should the Bryce subplot be stronger? Yes. Were there times were Maren seemed a little TOO perfect as the ultimate girly girl and tomboy with the former YouTube and pageant fame? Yes. Did it fall into some of the pitfalls of brother's-best-friend? Absolutely. But overall this was an enjoyable read that was perfect for a summer evening.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
I've been one to rail against single dad romances and brother's-best-friend romances lately, but this one was pretty darn cute. I loved how it actually felt like a real small town, not just a Hallmark town, with clear effects of tourist seasons in how things worked. The supporting cast from Hahn's previous books showed up in just the right dose, enough to give Hahn's readers a sense of satisfaction but not overwhelming to those who have not read the previous two books in the trilogy. The autism rep in Lucy was SO well done - her meltdowns were very realistic and weren't glossed over into the "quirky" autism rampant in romance novels lately. I also like that Joe never was parental to Maren when they were kids, they were more like ships passing in the night, which made the story a lot stronger.
And of course, the romance itself. The chemistry was palpable, the slow burn was stellar, and it was perfectly cozy and heartwarming in the best ways.
Should the Bryce subplot be stronger? Yes. Were there times were Maren seemed a little TOO perfect as the ultimate girly girl and tomboy with the former YouTube and pageant fame? Yes. Did it fall into some of the pitfalls of brother's-best-friend? Absolutely. But overall this was an enjoyable read that was perfect for a summer evening.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
ladyalireadsalot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
yeahorneighreviews's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully written, heartfelt romance.
Maren returns to her hometown after her love life falls apart, only to find her brother's childhood best friend living nearby with his two adorable kids.
I loved Maren's strength and independence--she's built a career doing what she loves, even as she faces challenges like being harassed by a fan and dealing with an unsupportive brother (whom I wanted to punch for most of the book).
Joe is an absolute teddy bear, devoted to creating a safe, loving environment for his children. The constant struggle with his ex, who refuses to accept their daughter's autism, added such emotional depth to his character. Watching Joe rediscover happiness while also seeing the kids' personal growth throughout the story was heartwarming.
One of my favorite parts was seeing familiar faces from two of Erin Hahn's other books--it felt like a family reunion I never wanted to end.
This poignant story had just the right balance of laughter and tears. I couldn't get enough of it, and it left me craving a peaceful day of fishing with a great audiobook and my dog!
Maren returns to her hometown after her love life falls apart, only to find her brother's childhood best friend living nearby with his two adorable kids.
I loved Maren's strength and independence--she's built a career doing what she loves, even as she faces challenges like being harassed by a fan and dealing with an unsupportive brother (whom I wanted to punch for most of the book).
Joe is an absolute teddy bear, devoted to creating a safe, loving environment for his children. The constant struggle with his ex, who refuses to accept their daughter's autism, added such emotional depth to his character. Watching Joe rediscover happiness while also seeing the kids' personal growth throughout the story was heartwarming.
One of my favorite parts was seeing familiar faces from two of Erin Hahn's other books--it felt like a family reunion I never wanted to end.
This poignant story had just the right balance of laughter and tears. I couldn't get enough of it, and it left me craving a peaceful day of fishing with a great audiobook and my dog!
rsbrack's review
5.0
You know it’s a good book when you start adding other books by the author to your TBR pile. I loved Maren and Joe so much. I loved how real both characters felt and their journey together. Their love is perfect and I couldn’t stop reading this book. I want to read about Maren’s friends (and fortunately their stories have already been told).
I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.
I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.
macyboston's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a new to me author and boy did she not disappoint. I enjoyed this novel so much I went searching for her back list of books.
I think she did an excellent job of navigating tough subjects including neurodivergent children, divorce, marriage, co-parenting and all around family dynamics really well. I like that despite all this tough content we still got a great slow burn romance out of the story. It felt like a genuine romance between a girl and her brother's best friend. I found the storyline delightful even though I wouldn't consider myself outdoorsy like our main character.
I would definitely recommend this for fellow readers who enjoy a romance with a bit more depth to its story.
jamiebrito's review against another edition
Unfortunately, this was not for me. I couldn't get into the writing style. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an arc of this.
thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an incredbly heartwarming story. Its never too late to start over and find what makes you complete.
Things are not looking great for Maren when she is overlooked for a promotion and then her on thr rocks relationship ends in a way that I can only describe as someone not understanding their person at all. She moves back to the little town where she spent all her summer days fishing and starts to find peace. But that's not all she finds. Her older brothers best friend is there and single. But he comes with some baggage. This book contains fantastic Autism representation and one of the best single dad stories I've read in a while. Joe is a literal golden retriever.
- brother’s best friend
- single dad
- friends to lovers
Things are not looking great for Maren when she is overlooked for a promotion and then her on thr rocks relationship ends in a way that I can only describe as someone not understanding their person at all. She moves back to the little town where she spent all her summer days fishing and starts to find peace. But that's not all she finds. Her older brothers best friend is there and single. But he comes with some baggage. This book contains fantastic Autism representation and one of the best single dad stories I've read in a while. Joe is a literal golden retriever.
- brother’s best friend
- single dad
- friends to lovers
avethibs's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First off I wanna say that I love Erin Hahn’s writing style. The plot and setting is like a dream scenario to me. It reminds me of how I grew up as a little tom boy at camp and on the lake with my brother and cousins. All of the subplots added to the story and were fully wrapped up. All the characters were fleshed out well and I enjoyed reading their journeys. Joe is patient, kind, thoughtful, and protective of those he loves. Maren is strong-willed, confident, and loving who always finds a way to show it to the people she cares about. Together, they are a good team that loves and takes care of their little family. Anders was so adorable and loving towards his sister and it was good to see him getting the love and support he needed and that Joe wanted to provide from the help of Maren. I loved the autism representation and Lucy was an incredible little girl. The way Joe took care of her and aimed to understand and support her was beautiful. Loved her connection with Maren. Also, points added bc there was an adorable dog! The ending of this book was beautiful and all loose ends were tied. First 5⭐️ book I’ve read in a while!
First off I wanna say that I love Erin Hahn’s writing style. The plot and setting is like a dream scenario to me. It reminds me of how I grew up as a little tom boy at camp and on the lake with my brother and cousins. All of the subplots added to the story and were fully wrapped up. All the characters were fleshed out well and I enjoyed reading their journeys. Joe is patient, kind, thoughtful, and protective of those he loves. Maren is strong-willed, confident, and loving who always finds a way to show it to the people she cares about. Together, they are a good team that loves and takes care of their little family. Anders was so adorable and loving towards his sister and it was good to see him getting the love and support he needed and that Joe wanted to provide from the help of Maren. I loved the autism representation and Lucy was an incredible little girl. The way Joe took care of her and aimed to understand and support her was beautiful. Loved her connection with Maren. Also, points added bc there was an adorable dog! The ending of this book was beautiful and all loose ends were tied. First 5⭐️ book I’ve read in a while!