Name: Ashton Reed's review of You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn
Item: You'd Be Mine
Rating: 5
Author: Ashton Reed

Erin Hahn

One of Oprah.com's "Best Romance Novels of 2019"! “For fans of authors who blend music and sighs, like Katie Cotugno and Morgan Matson." - Paste Magazine Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels tenor, isn’t worth the risk. Erin Hahn’s thrilling debut, You’d Be Mine, asks: can the right song and the perfect summer on the road make two broken hearts whole? "If you’re still obsessing over A Star Is Born (because, same) you’ll love this new romance novel by Erin Hahn." – Cosmopolitan

A Novel

You'd Be Mine

Ashton Reed

"If you’re still obsessing over A Star Is Born (because, same) you’ll love this new romance novel by Erin Hahn." - Cosmopolitan Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk. Erin Hahn’s thrilling debut, You’d Be Mine, asks: can the right song and the perfect summer on the road make two broken hearts whole? "Witty and charming, with an off-the-charts, irresistible blend of romance, humor, and characters who steal your heart from page one. Erin Hahn is an author to watch." - Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

Denaiir

This was the perfect YA contemporary romance, with a touch of country music, a cute romance that didn't take too much space in the story, real main characters who struggled with tons of issues, but it never became too much. It was well-balanced and I loved the ending.

Annie Mathers is America's sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can't convinc

Christine Bruce

Some issues but super cute

There are a couple of issues in this book- mainly with some editing and stiff dialogue mostly in the beginning. But overall, it’s a cute fun read that country music fans- and just fans of romance with a little angst- will enjoy.

tish

Aleena Korell

"Dolly Parton just wished me luck," I say under my breath.
"I think Dolly Parton just pinched my butt," Jason whispers back.

I sort of expected this to be average, cheesy rockstar drama. It turned out to be much deeper than that... and far higher quality. It's about identity and honesty with yourself about your past and your future. And music. And rockstar drama. Annie's character kept surprising me with hidden grit and spirit, and I was glad she wasn't purely boxed into the "sweet, country-singing good girl only here to be corrupted by the bad boy" trope that I sort of expected at the beginning. Turns out she's mostly incorruptible, but she's not the blushing prude, either. And Clay's character, also with hidden depth, is written with convincing edge and honesty, and he has his own journey-- separate from Annie and his relationship with her. For once in this genre, dual perspectives didn't just work-- they were integral to the story and its quality. 

Who knew I'd be this impressed with a book about two teenage country music stars?

Caitlyn DeRouin

A contemporary romance centered around country music? It's all my favorite things rolled into one. I absolutely loved this book. Once I started it I couldn't put it down and now that I've finished it I'm sad it's over. I'll definitely be reading this one again.

mary

this book has my heart and soul. i love this so so much.

laura

I adored this book so much. I really loved this read. This is def a darker take on the country music industry and deals with harder topics like drugs and alcholism and also grief for both characters. I really loved the music tour set as the backdrop. I also would kill for a music cd inspired by these songs. I loved the romance and found it to such a unique romance from start to end. I really loved the side characters. I think this is the prefect summer read and loved every second. If you like love life and the list but want a harder more emotional read. This is one you should def pick up!

Anna Agarwal

Emily C Peterson

So this book was... okay. I wanted to love it. I REALLY wanted to love it. This book has so many amazing reviews about the depth of the characters and the beauty of the writing.

I just... didn't get any of that. The characters were meh. The writing was just fine-- nothing spectacular.

My favorite thing about this book was the last 50-70 pages. Pretty much all the rest of the book, I was waiting for the end because I wanted to read something else.

Honestly, I think this was mostly a me problem and not a book problem. I don't tend to read a ton of contemporary fic, and I also don't generally love country music.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Megan Leprich

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Me being a huge fan of country music I knew I would enjoy this book. Add in the fact that I love contemporary YA I was immediately sold on this book.

After Annie's country super star parents die she's at a loss until Clay Coolidge shows up at her door. He needs her and her bandmates to be his opener for his summer tour or his label is going to drop him. Annie gets swayed into it and as they start their tour together fans start speculating if there's more going on between them than just playing shows together. They both start to wonder if the fans and their friends are right but if there's one thing Annie doesn't want is a high-profile relationship like her parents had and Clay has his own demons he needs to figure out.

I heard great things about this book and the author before I read it and I feel like this book definitely lives up to its hype. The author had such a great writing style and I loved the plot behind the story. I loved both characters Annie and Clay individually and I loved the fact that they both had to deal with their own personal issues before they could come together.

I also loved all of the emotions in this book and how it wasn't just a sappy happily ever after story. There was plenty of drama and hurt thrown in to make it a more grounded and relatable book. Me personally I'm not a huge fan of romance books but this was so much more than just a regular love story.

I loved Erin Hahn and her debut novel and I can't wait to read more by her.

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of You’d Be Mine in exchange for an honest review!

Triggers: Suicide Mention, Alcoholism, Drugs (heroin mention & use of pills).

Wow. When I requested You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn, it was mainly due to my a) obsessive request disorder, b) it looked cute, and c) I seen both the book & author pop up on my Twitter timeline multiple times that I just felt I needed to read this book. What I didn’t realize when requesting You’d Be Mine that it’d not only be cute, but also filled with actual issues & pain. Yes, friends, this YA Contemporary novel is filled with loads of pain. & for me, that’s what makes it stick out over the rest.

You’d Be Mine focuses on two country musicians going on tour; both, being forced to fight their demons. Annie’s the daughter of two legendary musicians — both letting the rock & roll life get to them until it ended up being their demise. & Clay, the headliner who’s still dealing with his brother’s death & turning to alcohol, women & drugs to fill the void. 

Admittedly, there were times that I did not care for Annie or Clay. The chapters alternate between their P.O.V.s & it felt a lot of their inner dialogue were them going on about liking the other, but how!! it!! just!! wouldn’t!! work!! & it kinda got a little eh after awhile. Eventually, I did find myself liking them & especially them together.

Personally, I feel that Erin Hahn handled the dark subject matter quite well. It fit perfectly with the rest of the book, without making it the main aspect of the novel. These demons may come out to play throughout, but it doesn’t weigh down on the rest of the book; making it still perfect for those who are just looking for a nice YA Contemporary.

For those who love YA Contemporaries & can deal with heavier subject matter, I do recommend You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn!

Also, I’m a sucker for any book that has a Dolly Parton mention.

Aubrey Erskine

Check out the full review and the playlist I made on my blog:
 http://theshelflifechronicles.home.bl...

When I first saw You'd Be Mine and read the description for it I was expecting a cute summer read like Emery Lord's Open Road Summer; It wasn't like that at all. You'd Be Mine had so much depth and feeling in it that calling it a "cute and light summer read" would be a disservice. This book deals with the heavy issues of loss, depression, and coping in all the wrong ways but does so in a relatable way. Our two main characters are not flawless but they are strong and I was rooting not only for them to be together but for them to also really find themselves and move on from their troubled pasts.

➽ Clay Coolidge - The typical frat boy country star who is the life of the party but behind his exterior is dealing with the loss of his brother in all the wrong ways. Girls, alcohol and fighting can only help so much especially if they're threatening to derail his budding country music stardom. His label company sees him as a risk and now he has to convince good girl and country music prodigy Annie Mathers to sign with the label and tour with him this summer or his career is toast before it ever started.

➽ Annie Mathers - With two uber famous country music stars as parents it's no doubt that Annie has the talent to back-up the label of country music prodigy she's grown up with, but she's struggling. Annie's parents, Cora and Robbie, are one the most tragic country love stories, lost to the industry in such an awful way. Annie doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps, but her love of being onstage along with her raw passion for singing and songwriting might just win out over her fear. Clay is thrown into her life to make her dreams come true, but Clay himself is everything she wants to avoid. He's trouble with a capital T. A smokin hot cowboy full of issues that are dragging him down. The last thing she needs is the Robbie to the Cora she doesn't want to be, but Clay is a tough one to resist.

4.75/5 stars

You guyssss. This book, y’all. I think I’m talking more southern and listening to more country songs than I was before this book, but other than that, I only have good things to say (😉). All jokes aside, this book is such a moving contemporary novel, and I am inspired by these characters.

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Goodreads synopsis:
Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things.

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.

While this synopsis is alright in describing the plot, it doesn’t quite do justice to the characters and the intensity of the themes in this novel. You’d Be Mine is primarily about stardom, specifically in the country music industry. Annie wants to perform for a living more than she can even express, but she’s terrified of becoming like her mother or having a relationship like her parents’. Hahn does a great job of unraveling both Annie’s and Clay’s backstories at a good pace throughout the novel so I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say it’s completely understandable the extent to which Annie goes to remain separate from the industry and its temptations. On the flip side of that coin, the industry and it’s temptations is Clay’s escapism. Performing is his life, his soul, but he uses the distractions he sings about (i.e. booze and girls) to hide from the hurt and grief he hides deep within himself. The intensity of these themes takes this book to the next level. I really thought I was going into a fluffy contemporary romance with this one, and while some of the feels come from the sweet, sweet romance, most come from the brokenness of these two main characters as they wrestle with themselves and their pasts, and then their healing as they decide their futures are going to look different.

At first, I felt like their feelings for each other happened too fast. And I felt like their conflicts felt self-inflicted and unrealistic. But this book and these characters have so much depth. There’s so much to their relationship under the surface that actually makes it pretty darn realistic. It’s messy, and complicated, and so real. I am honestly in awe of this debut; the sheer amount of feelings I have even days after finishing it is just astounding.

So aside from its impressive complexity, I really did love the country music vibes. I am not a country music person myself, but I have a new appreciation for the unique atmosphere country music can create, and it was absolutely THE MOST FUN to experience Annie and Clay perform and make music on their tour. To balance the bad things about the music industry, this book shows a lot of the great things as well, and I have so much pride for them both!!!! 😭 There are a few songs written in as well, and that’s just, ugh all the feels.

This review has started to become incoherent and fangirl-ish, so perhaps that’s my cue to wrap it up 😂. This debut is incredible. It’s meaningful and cute and inspiring and funny and altogether just a fantastic journey. I am truly obsessed. I recommend this to all contemporary readers, and readers who love music!! But actually, I really recommend it to all of you...

I was gifted a finished copy by Wednesday Books; thank you so much! All opinions are my own.





If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow me on Instagram/Pinterest @ashton_reads for more bookish content! Thanks for reading!

Ashton Reed &
You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn

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