You’d Be Mine – ARC Review

You’d Be Mine
by Erin Hahn
Release Date:  April 2, 2019
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Standalone
Number of Pages:  304
Kindle Edition
Source:  Net Galley ARC
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating: PG-13
Read 3/24/19 to 3/25/19

 

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.

Not what I was expecting at all…in a good way.  From the description of this book I thought it would be a fun and cute romance that I would enjoy.  While it is a fun romance, it’s also very deep and serious.  And I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

At the very beginning I thought I might have some problems getting over seeing Clay as a jerky Justin Beiber type.  (I’m not saying Beiber is a jerk now, settle down.  There’s no denying he had some rough patched through the years though.)  While I enjoy stories and romances with characters of all ages, this seemed a bit different since the characters are still quite young but dealing with things that make them seem older.  I was afraid this would end up a story of the poor little rich kid who needed to learn to grow up.  That’s not the case at all here.  Clay has his issues, but you’ll find that he has dealt with a lot in his short life so far.  He comes by his issues honestly, not because he’s a spoiled star.

Annie has such an innocence about her, but she’s sharp as a tack.  There are several instances where her friends/bandmates, Kacey and Jason, try to shelter her from things they are feeling and doing because of her perceived innocence.  I love how she tells them that just because she has made certain decisions doesn’t mean she is going to judge them for making different choices.  It’s refreshing and honest.

There is definitely chemistry between Annie and Clay, but in the beginning it’s sometimes hard to see it through the circumstances.  Trust me, those glimpses here and there for the first part of the book will turn into a full-on inferno soon enough.  Even so, they are both so aware of their own fallibilities they have a hard time seeing this magnetic pull as a positive things.

This is a beautifully written debut novel.  Not only do I appreciate the love the author shows my home state of Michigan in a country music story, but I enjoyed the friendships she created in this story.  I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

4 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**