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La canción perfecta
Dos estrellas de la música: una que detesta la fama (ella) y otra que la necesita en su gira (él). Y cuando el amor estalle, ¿podrán mantenerlo lejos de los focos?
Si Clay Coolidge, una súper estrella de la música country de dieciocho años, no logra convencer a Annie Mathers para que se una a su gira veraniega, la discográfica que lo representa lo dejará caer. Eso es lo que pasa cuando tu imagen de chico malo se convierte en realidad en la de chico con mala vida.
Annie es la heredera de una dinastía de la música country que vio cómo sus padres desaparecían de manera trágica. Detesta la fama y lo único que se permite es mantener su canal de YouTube, donde los seguidores se cuentan por miles.
La discográfica quiere a Annie, por lo que Clay utilizará todo su encanto y desplegará todo su atractivo para conseguir que acepte acompañarlo en la gira. Y lo logra: Annie y su grupo aceptan. Sin embargo, lo que ella no está dispuesta a aceptar de ninguna manera es mantener una relación bajo el escrutinio los focos que podría acabar como la de sus padres.
Si Clay Coolidge, una súper estrella de la música country de dieciocho años, no logra convencer a Annie Mathers para que se una a su gira veraniega, la discográfica que lo representa lo dejará caer. Eso es lo que pasa cuando tu imagen de chico malo se convierte en realidad en la de chico con mala vida.
Annie es la heredera de una dinastía de la música country que vio cómo sus padres desaparecían de manera trágica. Detesta la fama y lo único que se permite es mantener su canal de YouTube, donde los seguidores se cuentan por miles.
La discográfica quiere a Annie, por lo que Clay utilizará todo su encanto y desplegará todo su atractivo para conseguir que acepte acompañarlo en la gira. Y lo logra: Annie y su grupo aceptan. Sin embargo, lo que ella no está dispuesta a aceptar de ninguna manera es mantener una relación bajo el escrutinio los focos que podría acabar como la de sus padres.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2019
241 people are currently reading
15509 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hahn
8 books1,409 followersERIN HAHN is the author of the young adult novels You'd Be Mine, More Than Maybe, and Never Saw You Coming as well as the adult romance Built to Last. Romance is her vibe, grunge is her soundtrack and fall is her signature color. She fell for her flannel-clad college sweetheart the very first day of school and together, they have two hilarious kids who keep her humble. She lives outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has a cat named Gus who plays fetch and a dog named June who doesn't.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,436 reviews
July 13, 2020
100th read of 2020!! 🥳
This was a quick cutesy story of a girl who can sing, making it big by touring with a boy who can sing. They’re both country artists, so there are some country life things thrown in there. Kinda predictable... 😬 Pure Country. A Star Is Born. Country Strong. There’s a tear in my beer.... and country artists have a lot of baggage. 🤷🏼♀️ I can’t say it’s the best I’ve read, but not the worst either. 😊
This was a quick cutesy story of a girl who can sing, making it big by touring with a boy who can sing. They’re both country artists, so there are some country life things thrown in there. Kinda predictable... 😬 Pure Country. A Star Is Born. Country Strong. There’s a tear in my beer.... and country artists have a lot of baggage. 🤷🏼♀️ I can’t say it’s the best I’ve read, but not the worst either. 😊
January 24, 2024
A sugar sweet romance cupped in the hands of tragedy.
This story went deeper than I anticipated, but I enjoyed it!
There's a little Johnny and June in all of us.
This story went deeper than I anticipated, but I enjoyed it!
There's a little Johnny and June in all of us.
November 16, 2018
Obviously, I've already written, read and loved this book... but I just wanted to say that I sincerely hope everyone who takes the time to read Annie and Clay's story finds something of themselves in it. You honor me with your support and curiosity and I can't wait to share my country music kids with all of you! <3
March 11, 2020
Be still my music- and drama-loving heart!!
In Erin Hahn's You'd Be Mine , Clay Coolidge is one of the hottest young country music stars out there. Sexy and talented, he’s perfected the frat-boy, everyone-have-fun, check-out-the-pretty-girls type of music that has netted him a Grammy for Best New Artist, and has crowds following his every move, especially women, despite his only being 18.
But Clay’s fun-loving style barely hides his drinking problem, his emotional issues that push anyone away who tries to get too close, and his penchant for getting into fights. After one raucous evening, his label gives him an ultimatum: convince Annie Mathers to tour with him or everything will be canceled.
Annie Mathers is country music’s sweetheart. The daughter of two legendary entertainers who died tragically, Annie is more talented than they were but she's deathly afraid of falling into the same patterns her parents did. Still, she’s itching to perform and make her music public, so she and her band, made up of her cousin and a childhood best friend, agree to be Clay’s opening act.
From the very get-go, the two are drawn to each other, and the record label wants to take advantage of those sparks and their chemistry at every turn. Even though there is some truth to their feelings for one another, Clay knows he’ll drag her down, while Annie hopes she can save him. They both have demons to fight, but can their careers—and any chance at being together—survive?
I enjoyed this book so much from start to finish. I love music and celebrities so the subject hooked me completely, but so did Hahn’s storytelling. It was melodramatic and soapy without being ridiculous, predictable without being frustrating. I loved these characters despite their flaws.
The one thing that felt weird was that Clay was supposed to be 18, but he seemed so much older and so damaged that you’d think he was 10 years older. I had to keep reminding myself of his age throughout the book, but it didn’t dull my love for it at all.
Romance, drama, and country music—can you ask for anything more? Can’t believe this was Hahn’s debut!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
In Erin Hahn's You'd Be Mine , Clay Coolidge is one of the hottest young country music stars out there. Sexy and talented, he’s perfected the frat-boy, everyone-have-fun, check-out-the-pretty-girls type of music that has netted him a Grammy for Best New Artist, and has crowds following his every move, especially women, despite his only being 18.
But Clay’s fun-loving style barely hides his drinking problem, his emotional issues that push anyone away who tries to get too close, and his penchant for getting into fights. After one raucous evening, his label gives him an ultimatum: convince Annie Mathers to tour with him or everything will be canceled.
Annie Mathers is country music’s sweetheart. The daughter of two legendary entertainers who died tragically, Annie is more talented than they were but she's deathly afraid of falling into the same patterns her parents did. Still, she’s itching to perform and make her music public, so she and her band, made up of her cousin and a childhood best friend, agree to be Clay’s opening act.
From the very get-go, the two are drawn to each other, and the record label wants to take advantage of those sparks and their chemistry at every turn. Even though there is some truth to their feelings for one another, Clay knows he’ll drag her down, while Annie hopes she can save him. They both have demons to fight, but can their careers—and any chance at being together—survive?
I enjoyed this book so much from start to finish. I love music and celebrities so the subject hooked me completely, but so did Hahn’s storytelling. It was melodramatic and soapy without being ridiculous, predictable without being frustrating. I loved these characters despite their flaws.
The one thing that felt weird was that Clay was supposed to be 18, but he seemed so much older and so damaged that you’d think he was 10 years older. I had to keep reminding myself of his age throughout the book, but it didn’t dull my love for it at all.
Romance, drama, and country music—can you ask for anything more? Can’t believe this was Hahn’s debut!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
May 23, 2020
Many thanks to Natalie at Wednesday Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
This book was sent to me by the publisher! If you would like to know how to get ARCs and review copies, feel free to watch my video, Advanced Reader Copies 101!
------------
But If I close my eyes
And wish it all away
Pretend I'm someone else
Pretend I'm here to stay
Gave us half a chance,
Let my stupid heart decide
There's no doubt in my mind,
You'd be mine
I don't know much about music. And while I do have a personal playlist, I'm not too into music. That said, I, like most people, have quite a few favorite celebrities. It was so fun to get a peak, even if fiction, into the broken, beautiful world.
So what's this book about?
You'd Be Mine follows a wide array of characters but mainly Annie and Clay, two talented artists on the glow up. Much to the industry's dismay, Annie and Clay aren't on good terms. But they are forced together on a summer-long tour around the US. That's this book in a nutshell. Basically, I Have Lost My Way meets Dumplin. It was charming, funny and emotional.
Characters:
♣ Jefferson "Clay" Coolidge - Every story about country music needs a cocky cowboy, right? Wrong. Not to say that I didn't like Clay. That's not true. I hated him. For a good half of the book, I really didn't like him. I felt bad because I don't know if that's what the author meant to happen. Towards the end, I did warm up to him but that was mainly because of the character growth as is usual in most YA novels.
♣ Annie Mathers - Our second lead, Annie Mathers, is also a singer but is a lot kinder and a lot more humble about it. (*cough* Clay *cough*) As I mentioned earlier, Annie has reservations about going on tour with Clay. It was for a few very understandable reasons. One, she was having a hard time with Clay (Girl, I don't blame you). Two, she was feeling very hesitant to join hands with the "industry" because… Three, her parents were "killed" by it. I won't go into this because it is potentially triggering but I also want to avoid spoilers. Annie didn't have much character growth but that was mainly because, in my opinion, she didn't need it. In fact, I felt like Annie was a bit of a role model as far as celebrities go. Of course, she wasn't perfect but she handled the pressure well and was very humble about her privilege.
♣Trina Hamilton - Trina Hamilton is by far, one of the funniest characters I've met in a while. Partly because her last name is Hamilton which reminds me of the musical but she does not have the decorum or grace but in the best possible way. Trina is like your loving but pissed Teacher who is sick of you zoning out in class but loves when you share smart answers. And it's not like she tries either. She's is so open and brutally honest but instead of making you dislike her, it makes you want to laugh and sit down and have a chat with this woman. Even funnier, I got "villain" vibes from her. I thought maybe she was supposed to be the villain or at least a partial antagonist. I feel so weird. My character senses are broken. Great.
♣ Fitz Jacoby - Honestly, I felt like Fitz was Clay's babysitter. No joke. He was really only brought into the story to keep track of and "protect" Clay. Not to say that he wasn't unlikable but he was likable either. He was just a medium. I guess I can be grateful that he basically kept all the characters from hurting each other. Or themselves. Or that squirrel over there- Wow, I just realized how crazy this band is.
♣ Jason Diaz - errrrrrrrrrrmmmm. I don't really remember anything about Jason. This could be for two reasons. One, he was forgettable and didn't add anything to the story. Or, two, he wasn't included enough in the story. Two is most likely. It does kind of frustrate me when authors introduce characters and then don't use them. I'm not saying Erin Hahn did this on purpose but sometimes authors bite off more than they can chew.
♣ Kasey Rosewood -
And now, the part of my review where I talk about psychology! Yay! I know I sound like a broken record but this topic is very, very important to me. Anyway! A big theme in this novel is how being famous can take a toll on your mental health. I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. I don't claim to be famous but I am blessed enough to have a relatively decent following on Goodreads and my blog (Thank you guys for that! Every day, I feel so blessed to have such a large, kind community to interact with! I greatly appreciate and realize my privilege!). Even with my small audience, I do feel the stress of performance. Because it is stressful. There are some days where I just don't feel like reading or writing my reviews. But because most of the books I read are review copies, meaning I am obligated to read and review them, I don't get a break very often. Now, I know you must be thinking: Tucker, why are you complaining? You get to review books for free?
Again, I appreciate the privilege but with privilege comes responsibility. Because when you have an audience, suddenly you're not alone anymore. You have hundreds of eyes watching you every moe. There is so much unspoken pressure to get everything right. All I'm saying is being under the spotlight has its perks but also has its downfalls.
Another big theme in this novel is country music. Now, I'm not a big fan of country music. I don't mind it but it's not my favorite. Even so, I loved how it is shown that not just country music but music and art, in general, can move the world. Music can show passion, joy, love and release pain, anger, and sadness. This book truly shows the wonder of music.
At the same time, we, as the reader, get a really interesting look into the ins and outs of being a musician and singer. I found it so fascinating to read about everything from paperwork to tour buses. It a side of fame we don't get to see much and I really appreciated the inclusion of that aspect.
On the other hand, a big issue at play was the "industry". I put industry in quotation marks because industry is very broad and rather vague. What I mean by industry, and I don't know much about the music industry, is things like record labels and all that stuff. Do I have this right? It's record labels, right? See, I told you I don't know much. The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes it can be scary to be an artist when you feel like people are trying to buy not just your music but you.
On that note, I loved how Annie and Clay, even though they were working with the industries, stood strong. They stayed true to themselves and to their art. They were independent and strong-willed but were also smart about it. I think the reason big companies get this way is because it stops being a group of people working together with a shared goal. It mutates into rules, codes, and schedules. Soon, the only goal is to get more money. I think that if companies can be aware of this, they can do better at avoiding it.
On a lighter note, I enjoyed the little romance side plot between Clay and Annie. It provided a welcome distraction from all the emotions of the celebrity world and the stress of being on tour. I really hope we get another book so we can see more Clay/Annie action!
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel! It was cute and funny while being tense and serious all at the same time. It was a beautiful combination of expertly crafted plot and writing that of someone who really knows what they're doing!
Bottom Line:
4.5 Stars
Age Rating: [ PG-13 ] (For sexual scenes, language, heavy themes)
Major TW: Suicide
Cover: ⅘ ~ Plot: ⅘ ~ Characters: ⅘ ~ Audiobook: ⅘
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August 26, 2019
❥ 4.5 / 5 stars
WOW. This book is really GREAT and completely beyond my expectation. I’m so in love with it that I want to read the second book from Erin Hahn today or tomorrow. 😍🥰
But if I close my eyes
And wish it all away
Pretend I'm someone else,
Pretend I'm here to stay
Gave us half a chance,
Let my stupid heart decide
There's no doubt in my mind,
You'd be mine
WOW. This book is really GREAT and completely beyond my expectation. I’m so in love with it that I want to read the second book from Erin Hahn today or tomorrow. 😍🥰
April 15, 2019
A sweet love story lively with swoon and swagger!
Erin Hahn’s debut is a lively heart warming contemporary YA romance. The kind of book that puts a BIG smile on your face! The thing I really like about young adult romance is how innocent it is; how everything is just so exaggerated, because it is the first time these characters have ever felt this way. I guess I appreciate that the characters have not been jaded yet and I can forgive them their naïveté because they are young. Perhaps I long for the days when I was a little more naïve and a little less jaded.
Annie and Clay are up-and-coming country stars. Clay has a bit of a bad boy reputation, his label insists he gets Annie to tour with him to help repair his image. Annie is the daughter of two major country legends who died tragically, determined not to follow in her parents footsteps she is extremely hesitant to step into the spotlight. The two end up touring together and what follows is a Sweet relationship, that I am sure every reader and fan was rooting for. Of course as in all good teen romances this book had plenty of drama, angst, and emotion. I believe Miss Hahn did a wonderful job handling the drama, and the ending... perfect!
Annie and Clay were great characters and I loved the relationship between them. Annie had such a quiet confidence and a sweetness about her. Clay was really a good guy in and boy clothing. The two of them together were quite magical, especially when it came to the music. Erin Hahn brought such strong voices to these characters that I feel as though I’ve heard them sing.
A lovely little gem of a book, perfect for readers of all ages who love the love.💕
*** many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book ***
Erin Hahn’s debut is a lively heart warming contemporary YA romance. The kind of book that puts a BIG smile on your face! The thing I really like about young adult romance is how innocent it is; how everything is just so exaggerated, because it is the first time these characters have ever felt this way. I guess I appreciate that the characters have not been jaded yet and I can forgive them their naïveté because they are young. Perhaps I long for the days when I was a little more naïve and a little less jaded.
Annie and Clay are up-and-coming country stars. Clay has a bit of a bad boy reputation, his label insists he gets Annie to tour with him to help repair his image. Annie is the daughter of two major country legends who died tragically, determined not to follow in her parents footsteps she is extremely hesitant to step into the spotlight. The two end up touring together and what follows is a Sweet relationship, that I am sure every reader and fan was rooting for. Of course as in all good teen romances this book had plenty of drama, angst, and emotion. I believe Miss Hahn did a wonderful job handling the drama, and the ending... perfect!
Annie and Clay were great characters and I loved the relationship between them. Annie had such a quiet confidence and a sweetness about her. Clay was really a good guy in and boy clothing. The two of them together were quite magical, especially when it came to the music. Erin Hahn brought such strong voices to these characters that I feel as though I’ve heard them sing.
A lovely little gem of a book, perfect for readers of all ages who love the love.💕
*** many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book ***
January 24, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
You’d Be Mine showed up as a surprise “I think you’ll love it” in a box of ARCs from St. Martin’s Press. My initial reaction was . . . .
I mean, for real. I’m the worst. Which is why I try to be very selective when it comes to reader copies and only request/accept things I think I’ll love. YA romance? Yikes. I’m not always so good at reading those. Buuuuuuuuuuut, sometimes you just know you’re gonna be okay right from the jump. The cover and title of this one were appealing, the name dropping of other authors worked great because my mind kept thinking they wrote I’ll Meet You There (so sorry Heather Demetrios – but people should really name drop you because you write some good stories) and the plot????
So here’s a little confession: I have become a super hardcore fan of what I call “pop country” music. I grew up on Waylan and Willie, rebelled with the likes of Eddie Vedder and other soothing song stylings of Seattle grunge, and now thanks to my kid (who also introduced me to 21 Pilots – a duo that never fails to make me feel like a dirty pervert who will have Dateline showing up at the door any moment) I am a lover of Top 40 country music. THIS is a book about Top 40 country music. And I loved it. Kudos to you brave little marketer for rolling the dice on me!
The story here starts with Clay Coolidge. He’s the hottest thing in country music and makes all the girls want to take their underwears off by singing them songs like . . . .
Unfortunately he also has a rep for being a real bad boy to the point where his underage drinking shenanigans might cost him his contract. The potential solution to his problems? Get himself an opening act that will tidy up his image. That’s where Annie Mathers comes in. A legacy to country royalty and 100% good girl who sings songs like . . . .
Annie always keeps her eyes on the prize – especially after seeing what the darker side of fame did to her parents. Their job is simple. Tour the summer State Fair circuit and make America fall in love with the new version of Johnny and June . . . .
Heavy on friendship and country music – light on romance, You’d Be Mine is sure to be a hit. If an old grouch like me can fall in love with these kids’ love, surely actual kids who are in the target demographic for this book will too . . . .
ARC provided by Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.
You’d Be Mine showed up as a surprise “I think you’ll love it” in a box of ARCs from St. Martin’s Press. My initial reaction was . . . .
I mean, for real. I’m the worst. Which is why I try to be very selective when it comes to reader copies and only request/accept things I think I’ll love. YA romance? Yikes. I’m not always so good at reading those. Buuuuuuuuuuut, sometimes you just know you’re gonna be okay right from the jump. The cover and title of this one were appealing, the name dropping of other authors worked great because my mind kept thinking they wrote I’ll Meet You There (so sorry Heather Demetrios – but people should really name drop you because you write some good stories) and the plot????
So here’s a little confession: I have become a super hardcore fan of what I call “pop country” music. I grew up on Waylan and Willie, rebelled with the likes of Eddie Vedder and other soothing song stylings of Seattle grunge, and now thanks to my kid (who also introduced me to 21 Pilots – a duo that never fails to make me feel like a dirty pervert who will have Dateline showing up at the door any moment) I am a lover of Top 40 country music. THIS is a book about Top 40 country music. And I loved it. Kudos to you brave little marketer for rolling the dice on me!
The story here starts with Clay Coolidge. He’s the hottest thing in country music and makes all the girls want to take their underwears off by singing them songs like . . . .
Unfortunately he also has a rep for being a real bad boy to the point where his underage drinking shenanigans might cost him his contract. The potential solution to his problems? Get himself an opening act that will tidy up his image. That’s where Annie Mathers comes in. A legacy to country royalty and 100% good girl who sings songs like . . . .
Annie always keeps her eyes on the prize – especially after seeing what the darker side of fame did to her parents. Their job is simple. Tour the summer State Fair circuit and make America fall in love with the new version of Johnny and June . . . .
Heavy on friendship and country music – light on romance, You’d Be Mine is sure to be a hit. If an old grouch like me can fall in love with these kids’ love, surely actual kids who are in the target demographic for this book will too . . . .
ARC provided by Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2022
This one opens with a bang and sucks you right into the life of Clay, teen country music sensation who’s waking up after a bad night and a bar fight. And now his agent and his label are pissed. I was immediately captured by Erin Hahn’s fun voice and also her quick no-nonsense storytelling. Clay’s label tells him he has to convince Annie Mathers, the daughter of country sensations (recently deceased) to come on tour with him if he wants to continue playing.
I loved the small scenes in this one, the touches of small town farm life in addition to showing what life is like for stars on the road. Erin Hahn writes beautifully and gives you exquisite details you can taste and feel and see. This had some really hard moments in addition to the lovely, lyrical musical ones. The loss of Annie’s parents has a particularly tragic twist, and Clay’s backstory isn’t free of demons either, and watching the slow burn as these two find their way to one another is delicious.
I loved the small scenes in this one, the touches of small town farm life in addition to showing what life is like for stars on the road. Erin Hahn writes beautifully and gives you exquisite details you can taste and feel and see. This had some really hard moments in addition to the lovely, lyrical musical ones. The loss of Annie’s parents has a particularly tragic twist, and Clay’s backstory isn’t free of demons either, and watching the slow burn as these two find their way to one another is delicious.
September 18, 2017
I was fortunate enough to read an early draft of this book and I absolutely loved it!
You’d Be Mine is my favorite kind of YA contemporary: witty, charming, uplifting, and off-the-charts swoony, but with enough tension and challenges to keep the story grounded in reality. Annie is country music royalty and a reluctant rising star, signed to Nashville party boy Clay’s summer tour to help rehabilitate his image. They’re both playing a role, but their hidden depths, dreams, and complicated back stories give them crackling chemistry that’s incredibly fun to read. And the secondary characters are so razor-sharp and well-drawn, you’ll wish they had their own book (can they? please?). This is Erin Hahn’s debut, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
You’d Be Mine is my favorite kind of YA contemporary: witty, charming, uplifting, and off-the-charts swoony, but with enough tension and challenges to keep the story grounded in reality. Annie is country music royalty and a reluctant rising star, signed to Nashville party boy Clay’s summer tour to help rehabilitate his image. They’re both playing a role, but their hidden depths, dreams, and complicated back stories give them crackling chemistry that’s incredibly fun to read. And the secondary characters are so razor-sharp and well-drawn, you’ll wish they had their own book (can they? please?). This is Erin Hahn’s debut, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
January 10, 2019
You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn is a young adult contemporary romance that takes readers behind the scenes of the world of county music. It’s a bit of an opposites attract where the bad boy isn’t really as bad as he pretends to be.
Annie Mathers isn’t too sure of stepping into the spotlight in the country music industry after what happened to her parents. Both music legends themselves Annie’s parents fell victims to the dark side of the industry and it cost them their lives leaving Annie alone in the world. However, Annie’s talent surpasses that of her parents and the labels are battling over getting her to join.
Much like Annie, Clay Coolidge was born with a natural musical talent that stood out from the rest. Clay however jumped right into the business and hasn’t looked back. When Clay’s label wants to sign Annie to open for his next tour they give him the task of having to convince her to join him on the road, will Annie be able to resist his bad boy charm?
You’d Be Mine is a cute little contemporary romance that reminded me a bit of the television show Nashville. This has all the ins and outs, the ups and downs and intrigue of the behind the scenes of the music business. The characters were likable and fun to root for and the story felt as if heading right out on tour along with them giving all the emotion of their journey along the way.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Annie Mathers isn’t too sure of stepping into the spotlight in the country music industry after what happened to her parents. Both music legends themselves Annie’s parents fell victims to the dark side of the industry and it cost them their lives leaving Annie alone in the world. However, Annie’s talent surpasses that of her parents and the labels are battling over getting her to join.
Much like Annie, Clay Coolidge was born with a natural musical talent that stood out from the rest. Clay however jumped right into the business and hasn’t looked back. When Clay’s label wants to sign Annie to open for his next tour they give him the task of having to convince her to join him on the road, will Annie be able to resist his bad boy charm?
You’d Be Mine is a cute little contemporary romance that reminded me a bit of the television show Nashville. This has all the ins and outs, the ups and downs and intrigue of the behind the scenes of the music business. The characters were likable and fun to root for and the story felt as if heading right out on tour along with them giving all the emotion of their journey along the way.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 4, 2019
Happy pub day week to this book! Check out my blog tour via instagram today for this all those that follow me there :).
You'd Be Mine is such a sweet and charming YA novel!!
I finished this book in a little over one day!! Let's meet Annie and Clay. Two young and upcoming country stars that have their own inner demons and challenges to overcome in this journey called life.
What I really loved about this one? It wasn't all that cheesy romance scenes between teenagers... it went so much more deeper then the surface level.
I loved the entire cast of this book! They were all supportive, caring, compassionate, and in all likable! It was a very strong debut novel and am impressed by Erin Hahn's voice. She has a way to getting into the heart and soul of her readers <3 <3.
If you're a fan of YA novels that make you smile, swoon, laugh, and feel all the emotions than get this book on your TBR!
Huge thank you to Wednesday books for the arc generously provided via Netgalley.
4.5 strong stars!!!
Publication date: 4/2/19
Published to Goodreads: 1/16/19
You'd Be Mine is such a sweet and charming YA novel!!
I finished this book in a little over one day!! Let's meet Annie and Clay. Two young and upcoming country stars that have their own inner demons and challenges to overcome in this journey called life.
What I really loved about this one? It wasn't all that cheesy romance scenes between teenagers... it went so much more deeper then the surface level.
I loved the entire cast of this book! They were all supportive, caring, compassionate, and in all likable! It was a very strong debut novel and am impressed by Erin Hahn's voice. She has a way to getting into the heart and soul of her readers <3 <3.
If you're a fan of YA novels that make you smile, swoon, laugh, and feel all the emotions than get this book on your TBR!
Huge thank you to Wednesday books for the arc generously provided via Netgalley.
4.5 strong stars!!!
Publication date: 4/2/19
Published to Goodreads: 1/16/19
March 19, 2019
DNF
I don't normally write a review for books I DNF, but I came pretty close to the end so I'm going to sum up my dislikes as briefly as possible. This is the author's debut book, and sometimes that comes through in the writing, sometimes it's indiscernible. Unfortunately for me, the writing was just average, and failed to garner any excitement. The synopsis sounded promising, if a bit cliché. Two teen musicians on tour, discovering an attraction for each other as they deal with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. It's a formula I've read many times, but there's always a way to put a fresh spin on things so I went in with an open mind. The author modeled Annie and Clay after Johnny Cash and June Carter, two legends in the country music industry. This didn't work for me. At all.
The problem? I failed to feel any interest in the supposed romance between the protagonists. There wasn't any romance that I saw for most of the book. Clay is chasing Annie to use as a life preserver to save his fledgling career. Bright, shiny, talented, Annie who comes from country music royalty and inherited her parents' gifts. His label has ordered him to recruit her as his opening act, or his pending contract will cease to exist. Clay is suffering with the loss of loved ones, has abandonment and grief issues, and doesn't know how to deal. He's bottled everything up and turned to women, alcohol, and fighting. Which I've got to say, didn't impress me all that much. Clay was a selfish jerk that failed to gain any sympathy from me.
Maybe if I was sympathetic, I wouldn't have minded him giving giving Annie mixed signals. He'd kiss, hold hands, and be there for her when she needed someone to talk to about her own family loss. The whole time fighting his attraction and admiration for her. This girl who's survived just as much of a tragic history as him, and somehow manages to not act like a buffoon. I might have felt something for this couple for the scattered moments they shared, except for the fact that he was sleeping with his casual sex partner up until almost 70% in the book. The first time it happened, I let it go. They weren't a couple, and were barely getting to know each other. The second time, was TWO CHAPTERS after he had this revelation of a kiss with Annie:
I’ve kissed a lot of girls. I’ve slept with a few of them. But I’ve never in my life kissed someone like this. Felt like this. Wanted like this. It’s as though we’re one person. Like my soul found its fucking other half and I don’t even know what to do with that except I can’t ever stop this. I will die happily with her on my lips.
Yes...he slept with this other woman AGAIN after starting to have strong feelings for Annie. Was that even it?? NO. Annie shows up at a memorial for his brother to show her support for him, and when she gets to the bar, he's surrounded by women. Throws them in her face and asks if she's jealous. Worst of all, she's perfectly fine with him behaving that way, because "they're not like that," and the poor guy is having a hard time facing reality. Let's give him a pass. Instead of getting angry, her breath hitches at how hot he looks staring at her. Now, by this point, she's trying to fight her feelings for him too because he's the bad boy archetype who's no good for her. She sees his downward spiral and pretty much watches helplessly while staring at how well his butt fills out his jeans. The third and last time he turned to Lora for sex, (at 70%, remember) these are his thoughts about Annie:
We weren’t anything more than kissing on a beach. I got more action from Lora this summer. But somehow, it does matter, and fuck if I know why.
And there you have it. I couldn't read past this point. I felt zilch for the romance, and Clay frustrated me to no end. Not to mention, it took Annie way too long to put her foot down and say enough is enough. Writing a song called Coattails was her one rebellion against his nasty attitude towards her in the beginning. She sang it onstage as a way to show him that she wasn't putting up with his crap. And then proceeded to apologize to him for it not long after. I thought their relationship was too toxic-one teen rocketing towards underage alcoholism and graduating to drug use before he crashes and burns. The other being attracted to him despite the fact that her own mother had addiction problems and died of a drug overdose. I see that a lot of people have enjoyed this one, but unfortunately it didn't work for me.
I don't normally write a review for books I DNF, but I came pretty close to the end so I'm going to sum up my dislikes as briefly as possible. This is the author's debut book, and sometimes that comes through in the writing, sometimes it's indiscernible. Unfortunately for me, the writing was just average, and failed to garner any excitement. The synopsis sounded promising, if a bit cliché. Two teen musicians on tour, discovering an attraction for each other as they deal with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. It's a formula I've read many times, but there's always a way to put a fresh spin on things so I went in with an open mind. The author modeled Annie and Clay after Johnny Cash and June Carter, two legends in the country music industry. This didn't work for me. At all.
The problem? I failed to feel any interest in the supposed romance between the protagonists. There wasn't any romance that I saw for most of the book. Clay is chasing Annie to use as a life preserver to save his fledgling career. Bright, shiny, talented, Annie who comes from country music royalty and inherited her parents' gifts. His label has ordered him to recruit her as his opening act, or his pending contract will cease to exist. Clay is suffering with the loss of loved ones, has abandonment and grief issues, and doesn't know how to deal. He's bottled everything up and turned to women, alcohol, and fighting. Which I've got to say, didn't impress me all that much. Clay was a selfish jerk that failed to gain any sympathy from me.
Maybe if I was sympathetic, I wouldn't have minded him giving giving Annie mixed signals. He'd kiss, hold hands, and be there for her when she needed someone to talk to about her own family loss. The whole time fighting his attraction and admiration for her. This girl who's survived just as much of a tragic history as him, and somehow manages to not act like a buffoon. I might have felt something for this couple for the scattered moments they shared, except for the fact that he was sleeping with his casual sex partner up until almost 70% in the book. The first time it happened, I let it go. They weren't a couple, and were barely getting to know each other. The second time, was TWO CHAPTERS after he had this revelation of a kiss with Annie:
I’ve kissed a lot of girls. I’ve slept with a few of them. But I’ve never in my life kissed someone like this. Felt like this. Wanted like this. It’s as though we’re one person. Like my soul found its fucking other half and I don’t even know what to do with that except I can’t ever stop this. I will die happily with her on my lips.
Yes...he slept with this other woman AGAIN after starting to have strong feelings for Annie. Was that even it?? NO. Annie shows up at a memorial for his brother to show her support for him, and when she gets to the bar, he's surrounded by women. Throws them in her face and asks if she's jealous. Worst of all, she's perfectly fine with him behaving that way, because "they're not like that," and the poor guy is having a hard time facing reality. Let's give him a pass. Instead of getting angry, her breath hitches at how hot he looks staring at her. Now, by this point, she's trying to fight her feelings for him too because he's the bad boy archetype who's no good for her. She sees his downward spiral and pretty much watches helplessly while staring at how well his butt fills out his jeans. The third and last time he turned to Lora for sex, (at 70%, remember) these are his thoughts about Annie:
We weren’t anything more than kissing on a beach. I got more action from Lora this summer. But somehow, it does matter, and fuck if I know why.
And there you have it. I couldn't read past this point. I felt zilch for the romance, and Clay frustrated me to no end. Not to mention, it took Annie way too long to put her foot down and say enough is enough. Writing a song called Coattails was her one rebellion against his nasty attitude towards her in the beginning. She sang it onstage as a way to show him that she wasn't putting up with his crap. And then proceeded to apologize to him for it not long after. I thought their relationship was too toxic-one teen rocketing towards underage alcoholism and graduating to drug use before he crashes and burns. The other being attracted to him despite the fact that her own mother had addiction problems and died of a drug overdose. I see that a lot of people have enjoyed this one, but unfortunately it didn't work for me.
December 8, 2021
3.5 Stars
CW:
Well this book ended up being less cute and fluffy and more damaged and heartbroken than I was expecting. It took me a while to get into the story but overall I enjoyed it. It could have done with a wee edit as I think it felt longer than the story warranted. The romance wasn't super swoon worthy but I really liked Jefferson. His character development was the most enjoyable aspect of the book for me.
On a side note, I hope Mrs Google doesn't judge me when she sees how long I spent googling and watching cowboy line dancing videos. Yes I have seen the videos but I need to know if this is actually a thing. Are there bars where people set their drinks aside and pop up for a line dance or two? And does everyone know the moves? Like are there set songs with set dance moves? How widespread is this phenomenon? I am not joking. I genuinely want to know.
CW:
Well this book ended up being less cute and fluffy and more damaged and heartbroken than I was expecting. It took me a while to get into the story but overall I enjoyed it. It could have done with a wee edit as I think it felt longer than the story warranted. The romance wasn't super swoon worthy but I really liked Jefferson. His character development was the most enjoyable aspect of the book for me.
On a side note, I hope Mrs Google doesn't judge me when she sees how long I spent googling and watching cowboy line dancing videos. Yes I have seen the videos but I need to know if this is actually a thing. Are there bars where people set their drinks aside and pop up for a line dance or two? And does everyone know the moves? Like are there set songs with set dance moves? How widespread is this phenomenon? I am not joking. I genuinely want to know.
March 31, 2019
2.5 stars
I thought for sure when I read the synopsis this was going to be a great read for me. I normally love stories revolving around the entertainment field, in this case the country music industry, I like romances and well-developed characters with interesting backstories. And while this book had those elements, I found myself bored for so much of the story. There was only one brief moment towards the end I felt any type of emotional connection to the characters. Given so many of the early reviews for this book have been positive, I think this is much more of a case of a book just not being right for me rather than it being a bad book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
I thought for sure when I read the synopsis this was going to be a great read for me. I normally love stories revolving around the entertainment field, in this case the country music industry, I like romances and well-developed characters with interesting backstories. And while this book had those elements, I found myself bored for so much of the story. There was only one brief moment towards the end I felt any type of emotional connection to the characters. Given so many of the early reviews for this book have been positive, I think this is much more of a case of a book just not being right for me rather than it being a bad book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
April 2, 2019
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was a wonderful romance! I went into this book without a whole lot of expectations. I picked this book up largely because it sounded somewhat original. I don't remember ever seeing another book about a pair of young adult country music stars so I decided to give it a chance. That risk worked out pretty well. This was one of those books that sucked you in and didn't let go. I just had a great time with this book.
Annie is the daughter of country music superstars. Her parents are gone so her grandparents are her closest family. She is leary of walking in her famous parent's footsteps but she has a gift. When Clay knocks on her door to recruit her for the opening act on his tour, she decides to go along with the rest of the trio, which includes her cousin and close friend.
Clay is headlining the tour and has been on the music scene just a little longer. Even though he is underage, he has spent a lot of time on the road drinking or hanging out with girls. He has some things in his past that he is also trying to deal with and he isn't always dealing with them all that well.
I loved Annie and Clay together. From the very start, I thought that the scenes between them were the times when they were completely real. Clay wasn't always such a nice guy when other people were around but Annie seemed to bring out the best in him. I loved their chemistry both on the stage and off. I really thought that these two were good for each other and it was a ton of fun watching them find their way.
I would recommend this book to others. It was a very well done story about two people working to get over their pasts while they fell for each other. I look forward to reading more from this new author.
I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
This was a wonderful book! I loved Annie and Clay more and more with each chapter. They both had demons from their past to deal with and it was interesting how differently they chose to do it. I thought that they were great together and I loved seeing how everything wrapped up.
This was a wonderful romance! I went into this book without a whole lot of expectations. I picked this book up largely because it sounded somewhat original. I don't remember ever seeing another book about a pair of young adult country music stars so I decided to give it a chance. That risk worked out pretty well. This was one of those books that sucked you in and didn't let go. I just had a great time with this book.
Annie is the daughter of country music superstars. Her parents are gone so her grandparents are her closest family. She is leary of walking in her famous parent's footsteps but she has a gift. When Clay knocks on her door to recruit her for the opening act on his tour, she decides to go along with the rest of the trio, which includes her cousin and close friend.
Clay is headlining the tour and has been on the music scene just a little longer. Even though he is underage, he has spent a lot of time on the road drinking or hanging out with girls. He has some things in his past that he is also trying to deal with and he isn't always dealing with them all that well.
I loved Annie and Clay together. From the very start, I thought that the scenes between them were the times when they were completely real. Clay wasn't always such a nice guy when other people were around but Annie seemed to bring out the best in him. I loved their chemistry both on the stage and off. I really thought that these two were good for each other and it was a ton of fun watching them find their way.
I would recommend this book to others. It was a very well done story about two people working to get over their pasts while they fell for each other. I look forward to reading more from this new author.
I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
This was a wonderful book! I loved Annie and Clay more and more with each chapter. They both had demons from their past to deal with and it was interesting how differently they chose to do it. I thought that they were great together and I loved seeing how everything wrapped up.
October 20, 2019
You'd Be Mine is a story about two teenage, popular country music singers Annie Mathers and Jefferson (Clay) Coolidge who are dealing with their own respective inner demons and tragic pasts--Annie is trying to get out of the shadows of her famous country music singing duo parents and their volatile marriage and violent death while Clay is angry with his elder brother for going off to war and dying in the ine of duty. Both are exceptionally gifted singers and when Clay gets into another violent ruckus, his label gives him the choice of either convincing Annie and her two bandmates to become the opening act on his summer tour or else kiss his contract goodbye. While on tour, both Annie and Clay gradually get to know each other, one show at a time, and realise that each one has a deeper layer to their personality.
This was a sweet, heartwarming story of two individuals who are trying to overcome the burden of their past and challenges in life, and the only way they know how to do it is through music. I liked the musical tour setting of this story and while reading this book, I kept thinking that this can be turned into a good, decent movie. I cannot say that I have listened to a lot of country music but what I have listened to, I have liked it a lot....there is something very rustic and honest about country music and this book felt the same way.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC.
This was a sweet, heartwarming story of two individuals who are trying to overcome the burden of their past and challenges in life, and the only way they know how to do it is through music. I liked the musical tour setting of this story and while reading this book, I kept thinking that this can be turned into a good, decent movie. I cannot say that I have listened to a lot of country music but what I have listened to, I have liked it a lot....there is something very rustic and honest about country music and this book felt the same way.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC.
March 25, 2019
I loved the synopsis of this one and had heard from a few friends that it was great. Sadly, it was not the cute and fluffy contemp I was expecting.
I liked Annie and Clay well enough. They’re both stronger and more resilient than they think. There were qualifiers constantly used for the secondary characters and with a pretty small group, it felt unnecessary and clunky and no one really stood out.
Plot wise, I was bored. The shows were repetitive and I skipped over all of the song lyrics. I did like the mention of older country stars and their songs. There’s a lot of amazing music in the world and I feel like some of it could be forgotten.
Overall, Annie and Clay had a lot of potential, but I didn’t see the spark I was looking for. I couldn’t connect to them and that had me not caring about their story.
FYI: talk of suicide, drug overdose, alcoholism, and religion
**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**
I liked Annie and Clay well enough. They’re both stronger and more resilient than they think. There were qualifiers constantly used for the secondary characters and with a pretty small group, it felt unnecessary and clunky and no one really stood out.
Plot wise, I was bored. The shows were repetitive and I skipped over all of the song lyrics. I did like the mention of older country stars and their songs. There’s a lot of amazing music in the world and I feel like some of it could be forgotten.
Overall, Annie and Clay had a lot of potential, but I didn’t see the spark I was looking for. I couldn’t connect to them and that had me not caring about their story.
FYI: talk of suicide, drug overdose, alcoholism, and religion
**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**
April 1, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
5 Nashville stars for the new Johnny and June!
I realize that I am not the target audience for this YA country music romance. Then again, I am not the target audience for Riverdale or Pretty Little Liars, but I love those too! Terrific characters, great storyline, and music lyrics that I wish were on Spotify so I could download them.
Annie is trying to make her own way on the country music scene. A difficult feat when her parents were country music's power couple which ended in tragedy. Clay, is a country singer with plenty of vices, but he cannot resist the sway of Annie's music or Annie herself. During a summer tour across cities in the United States, the pair are being advertised as the new " Johnny Cash and June Carter." Although the two deny any type of relationship in public, behind the scenes tells a different story.
I just fell right into this story and Clay& Annie are definitely one of my favorite fictional country couples (right up there with Reva and Deacon). If you're looking a little romance with some richly written characters, look no further than You'd Be Mine.
5 Nashville stars for the new Johnny and June!
I realize that I am not the target audience for this YA country music romance. Then again, I am not the target audience for Riverdale or Pretty Little Liars, but I love those too! Terrific characters, great storyline, and music lyrics that I wish were on Spotify so I could download them.
Annie is trying to make her own way on the country music scene. A difficult feat when her parents were country music's power couple which ended in tragedy. Clay, is a country singer with plenty of vices, but he cannot resist the sway of Annie's music or Annie herself. During a summer tour across cities in the United States, the pair are being advertised as the new " Johnny Cash and June Carter." Although the two deny any type of relationship in public, behind the scenes tells a different story.
I just fell right into this story and Clay& Annie are definitely one of my favorite fictional country couples (right up there with Reva and Deacon). If you're looking a little romance with some richly written characters, look no further than You'd Be Mine.
March 18, 2019
This book is what I imagine reading a really well written country music fanfic would be like. And you know what? It’s actually pretty great.
Sometimes I think it’s important to let ourselves enjoy books that might not be the most sophisticated in the world, and enjoy this book I did. I loved every little cheesy romantic line.
We follow two characters: Annie Mathers, rising country star reeling from the double suicide of her parents (both iconic country singers), and Clay Coolidge, bro-country singer who may just be a bit deeper than he seems on the surface. The story follows Annie and Clay as they go tour with Annie’s band ‘Under the Willows’ as Clay’s opening act. Drama, romance, and a surprising amounts of heartbreaking moments follow.
I think the writing in this is actually quite beautiful, especially for a debut novel. Erin Hahn describes many things with elegance and beauty, especially music. She obviously knows her stuff when it comes to country music, and her love of music in general really shines through in the way that she writes.
The tone of the story is an interesting mix of sadness, sarcasm, and romance. The relationship drama gets pretty heady in some bits, but if you can get past it, there’s a lot of serious stuff that’s actually very well handled.
What I think won me over about this book is that both characters are internally struggling with a lot of things, especially self worth and being authentic. Clay is dealing with the death of his brother, wanting to make music he connects with rather than pandering, and substance abuse. Annie is desperately trying not to become her parents, all the while refusing to deal with the impact their death is having on her. The way these characters and their struggles are handled is nuanced and heartfelt. It took it from fun contemporary romance to a book with a whole lot of merit.
If you’re looking for an impeccably written contemporary romance that also handles darker themes with care, this book will be a new favorite. So excited to continuing following Erin Hahn’s career; I could easily see her becoming a new favorite YA contemporary author for me!
Sometimes I think it’s important to let ourselves enjoy books that might not be the most sophisticated in the world, and enjoy this book I did. I loved every little cheesy romantic line.
We follow two characters: Annie Mathers, rising country star reeling from the double suicide of her parents (both iconic country singers), and Clay Coolidge, bro-country singer who may just be a bit deeper than he seems on the surface. The story follows Annie and Clay as they go tour with Annie’s band ‘Under the Willows’ as Clay’s opening act. Drama, romance, and a surprising amounts of heartbreaking moments follow.
I think the writing in this is actually quite beautiful, especially for a debut novel. Erin Hahn describes many things with elegance and beauty, especially music. She obviously knows her stuff when it comes to country music, and her love of music in general really shines through in the way that she writes.
The tone of the story is an interesting mix of sadness, sarcasm, and romance. The relationship drama gets pretty heady in some bits, but if you can get past it, there’s a lot of serious stuff that’s actually very well handled.
What I think won me over about this book is that both characters are internally struggling with a lot of things, especially self worth and being authentic. Clay is dealing with the death of his brother, wanting to make music he connects with rather than pandering, and substance abuse. Annie is desperately trying not to become her parents, all the while refusing to deal with the impact their death is having on her. The way these characters and their struggles are handled is nuanced and heartfelt. It took it from fun contemporary romance to a book with a whole lot of merit.
If you’re looking for an impeccably written contemporary romance that also handles darker themes with care, this book will be a new favorite. So excited to continuing following Erin Hahn’s career; I could easily see her becoming a new favorite YA contemporary author for me!
August 20, 2019
4.5 stars
I soooo enjoyed this one! Refreshing and unexpected and a little bit darker than you might think!
Content Warnings:
I’ve been eyeing my ARC of You’d Be Mine for months, and I’m really happy to say that this book pulled through. I might even stretch that to say that this book pulled me out of an impending reading slump, which is always wonderful.
You’d Be Mine was much more than just a sweet romance—it took a look at the darker side of the country music scene as two different country sensations came together for a tour over the summer.
It was just entertaining and filled with tension and made for a really enjoyable read, and I honestly don’t have a lot of criticism for it. It’s definitely on the older side of YA and has a bunch of crossover appeal, and I found it to be a great book to lose myself in.
One of my favorite parts was how the characters knew they weren’t ready for a romance.
Yes, Hahn already brings so much delicious tension with the characters themselves and their interactions and lingering gazes, but she also loads on the romantic tension with the way that the characters both waited to start something.
You’d Be Mine is almost a waiting game of sorts—you’re waiting for the characters themselves to heal enough to be ready for each other, which makes it different from 2010-era YA romance where characters would just jump into a romance when they obviously weren’t ready and didn’t have their own personal issues sorted out. I like how Hahn shows that the characters know they need to sort out their own issues before committing to someone—and the added benefit is how it makes the book all the more tense (and satisfying when the end comes).
It’s not only a good message for readers (don’t do things when you’re not ready emotionally), but also hopefully indicative of a budding theme in YA romance fiction. I liked this a lot, and I think this was a really fresh and different thing Hahn is adding to the genre.
The country music setting is so charming.
You can probably tell that I’m very much not a country music follower, but Hahn not only makes it interesting and understandable to any reader—country music lover or not—but also lets it add charm to the story and the romance.
Most people know that I’m a huge sucker for a famous person trope (*cough cough this book*) and You’d Be Mine fulfilled that and made me swoon with the song lyrics that Hahn wrote and the distinct regional quirks of the characters and setting.
So much fun.
It tackles more than just romance.
I mean, I talked about how the characters had their own issues to work through, and this was a huge part of the book. While the romance was mixed in, each main character, Annie and Clay, had their own demons to battle.
This is also the part where you might want to check out the content warnings about how intense these get, because Clay developed an alcohol problem after his brother died and Annie was the one to find her parents dead. They each have their own demons they’re struggling with, and I liked how Hahn both gave the characters arcs outside of just the romance, and also touched on some darker topics associated with the country music scene.
It’s not all just Southern charm, and there’s some darkness hidden inside too.
Honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say. This book was fun and entertaining and refreshing.
Although You’d Be Mine touched on some darker topics, it ultimately was a really enjoyable story that let me get out of my head and just enjoy the characters and country music scene.
I’d definitely recommend to contemporary romance lovers who like a bit of a backstory to their characters and more angst less fluff, as well as anyone who might have a slump coming who thinks this book sounds awesome!
I look forward to what Erin Hahn writes next.
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, Netgalley, and Erin Hahn for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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I soooo enjoyed this one! Refreshing and unexpected and a little bit darker than you might think!
Content Warnings:
I’ve been eyeing my ARC of You’d Be Mine for months, and I’m really happy to say that this book pulled through. I might even stretch that to say that this book pulled me out of an impending reading slump, which is always wonderful.
You’d Be Mine was much more than just a sweet romance—it took a look at the darker side of the country music scene as two different country sensations came together for a tour over the summer.
It was just entertaining and filled with tension and made for a really enjoyable read, and I honestly don’t have a lot of criticism for it. It’s definitely on the older side of YA and has a bunch of crossover appeal, and I found it to be a great book to lose myself in.
One of my favorite parts was how the characters knew they weren’t ready for a romance.
Yes, Hahn already brings so much delicious tension with the characters themselves and their interactions and lingering gazes, but she also loads on the romantic tension with the way that the characters both waited to start something.
You’d Be Mine is almost a waiting game of sorts—you’re waiting for the characters themselves to heal enough to be ready for each other, which makes it different from 2010-era YA romance where characters would just jump into a romance when they obviously weren’t ready and didn’t have their own personal issues sorted out. I like how Hahn shows that the characters know they need to sort out their own issues before committing to someone—and the added benefit is how it makes the book all the more tense (and satisfying when the end comes).
It’s not only a good message for readers (don’t do things when you’re not ready emotionally), but also hopefully indicative of a budding theme in YA romance fiction. I liked this a lot, and I think this was a really fresh and different thing Hahn is adding to the genre.
The country music setting is so charming.
You can probably tell that I’m very much not a country music follower, but Hahn not only makes it interesting and understandable to any reader—country music lover or not—but also lets it add charm to the story and the romance.
Most people know that I’m a huge sucker for a famous person trope (*cough cough this book*) and You’d Be Mine fulfilled that and made me swoon with the song lyrics that Hahn wrote and the distinct regional quirks of the characters and setting.
So much fun.
It tackles more than just romance.
I mean, I talked about how the characters had their own issues to work through, and this was a huge part of the book. While the romance was mixed in, each main character, Annie and Clay, had their own demons to battle.
This is also the part where you might want to check out the content warnings about how intense these get, because Clay developed an alcohol problem after his brother died and Annie was the one to find her parents dead. They each have their own demons they’re struggling with, and I liked how Hahn both gave the characters arcs outside of just the romance, and also touched on some darker topics associated with the country music scene.
It’s not all just Southern charm, and there’s some darkness hidden inside too.
Honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say. This book was fun and entertaining and refreshing.
Although You’d Be Mine touched on some darker topics, it ultimately was a really enjoyable story that let me get out of my head and just enjoy the characters and country music scene.
I’d definitely recommend to contemporary romance lovers who like a bit of a backstory to their characters and more angst less fluff, as well as anyone who might have a slump coming who thinks this book sounds awesome!
I look forward to what Erin Hahn writes next.
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, Netgalley, and Erin Hahn for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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June 30, 2023
beware: potentially new-found favorite contemporary author alert!
Erin Hahn sets the record straight with this outstanding debut. it has so much heart. it did also in a way remind me of A Star Is Born what with the FMC being so heavenly talented and the MMC being a little screwed up in the head. on the other hand, the narrative itself is completely different.
i love that its about music, a country music at that. i love that its character driven. i love that it deals not only with the romantic aspect of Clay and Annies relationship but also their personal hardships and shortcomings. i love that its also about family and friendship. i also really appreciated that the author didnt use Clay and Annies love as a plot device to solve their problems.
overall, its an adorable and sweet read that make you swoon but it also has a realistic depth to it. oddly enough by the end of the book i had a strong urge to open Youtube and listen to some old country music.
Erin Hahn sets the record straight with this outstanding debut. it has so much heart. it did also in a way remind me of A Star Is Born what with the FMC being so heavenly talented and the MMC being a little screwed up in the head. on the other hand, the narrative itself is completely different.
i love that its about music, a country music at that. i love that its character driven. i love that it deals not only with the romantic aspect of Clay and Annies relationship but also their personal hardships and shortcomings. i love that its also about family and friendship. i also really appreciated that the author didnt use Clay and Annies love as a plot device to solve their problems.
overall, its an adorable and sweet read that make you swoon but it also has a realistic depth to it. oddly enough by the end of the book i had a strong urge to open Youtube and listen to some old country music.
March 31, 2019
You'd Be Mine is a thoroughly enjoyable young adult novel about Annie, aspiring country singer and daughter of two (dead) country legends, and Clay, a hot young country singer who persuades Annie to join him on tour to keep his label happy because his public image (and private life) have taken a big hit.
It's fairly standard ya stuff--falling in love, dealing with family issues, deciding to be yourself--but the writing is *outstanding.* Annie and Clay have scorching chemistry, and both of their troubles with their respective pasts feel genuine. Annie's anger at her parents/fear of turning into either of them was especially well done.
If you're a fan of Walk the Line (such an enjoyable movie!) this is a perfect pairing. Sweet with a lot of smolder, and you can't help but root for Annie and Clay as a couple and for themselves. Highly recommended.
It's fairly standard ya stuff--falling in love, dealing with family issues, deciding to be yourself--but the writing is *outstanding.* Annie and Clay have scorching chemistry, and both of their troubles with their respective pasts feel genuine. Annie's anger at her parents/fear of turning into either of them was especially well done.
If you're a fan of Walk the Line (such an enjoyable movie!) this is a perfect pairing. Sweet with a lot of smolder, and you can't help but root for Annie and Clay as a couple and for themselves. Highly recommended.
July 19, 2019
This is a slow-motion train-wreck and I'm finally jumping off with a sense of relief. The author is actually pretty good. Which is why I kind of hated the story. I mean, the characters are well-drawn and the secondary characters have a strong presence. But Clay is that poor-me jerkwad with a monster dose of self-hatred that translates into the dreaded "I'm no good for you" negative motivation*. And Annie is sweet, but has personal demons that are quickly catching up to her right as fame and money are making really bad decisions the default path.
I should have stopped when Clay has a meaningless hookup (I hate those in the middle of a romance novel) with a long time gal-pal after doubling down on being an outright donkey-hooter at Annie. But I continued through Annie compromising her no-drinking policy and then making a play for compromising her no-hookup policy (only stopping because Clay pulled the above-mentioned "I'm not good for anybody" idiocy). And I just don't care any more.
And it doesn't help that the whole thing is threaded through with an anti-fame theme that repeatedly bashes the predatory exploitation of innocents in the country-music industry. I kept waiting for one of the big-wigs to offer Annie a sweet sweet taste of the "special" candy.
Sigh. Just to reiterate, Hahn writes good. That's not the problem. I just hated the story her talent was in service to.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
I should have stopped when Clay has a meaningless hookup (I hate those in the middle of a romance novel) with a long time gal-pal after doubling down on being an outright donkey-hooter at Annie. But I continued through Annie compromising her no-drinking policy and then making a play for compromising her no-hookup policy (only stopping because Clay pulled the above-mentioned "I'm not good for anybody" idiocy). And I just don't care any more.
And it doesn't help that the whole thing is threaded through with an anti-fame theme that repeatedly bashes the predatory exploitation of innocents in the country-music industry. I kept waiting for one of the big-wigs to offer Annie a sweet sweet taste of the "special" candy.
Sigh. Just to reiterate, Hahn writes good. That's not the problem. I just hated the story her talent was in service to.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
April 15, 2018
I read an early copy of this book and I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!! Annie and Clay are precious and they make sweet sweet country music together. Fans of OPEN ROAD SUMMER will fall madly in love with Erin's debut novel. And if books like LETTERS TO THE LOST got ya emotional, YOU'D BE MINE will break your heart then make it sing!!
I couldn't get enough of the music, the swoons and the writing. I admired the realness and rawness of both main characters and I loved their romance even more because of that. Have you ever gone to a concert and felt every song in your bones and in your heart so much you wanna cry?? That's what reading YOU'D BE MINE felt like. <3
I couldn't get enough of the music, the swoons and the writing. I admired the realness and rawness of both main characters and I loved their romance even more because of that. Have you ever gone to a concert and felt every song in your bones and in your heart so much you wanna cry?? That's what reading YOU'D BE MINE felt like. <3
November 23, 2018
4.5 Stars!!!
Arc generously provided by Net Galley for an honest review.
Adorable-Charming and Unputdownable! This is Hahn's debut novel and I admit, I am impressed! This was such a fun read. The characters were funny, likable and just genuine. This book made me want to wear a cowgirl hat and pull my boots out the closet.The author turned me not only into a fan of her work but of country music while reading. The whole time they were on tour and would do a show I felt like I was right there in the mix! Highly recommend to those looking for a good book that gives you all the feels!
Arc generously provided by Net Galley for an honest review.
Adorable-Charming and Unputdownable! This is Hahn's debut novel and I admit, I am impressed! This was such a fun read. The characters were funny, likable and just genuine. This book made me want to wear a cowgirl hat and pull my boots out the closet.The author turned me not only into a fan of her work but of country music while reading. The whole time they were on tour and would do a show I felt like I was right there in the mix! Highly recommend to those looking for a good book that gives you all the feels!
March 25, 2019
Clay Coolidge is a country music superstar. He sings successful songs about girls and drinking and trucks. But he has a bad boy reputation and pattern of behavior to go along with his good looks and soon his record company will only keep him under one condition: if he agrees to do his summer tour with Annie Mathers. Mathers, meanwhile, is the daughter of Cora Rosewood and Robbie Mathers, also known as country music royalty. Annie grew up in country music. As she states, she knew the words to "Coal Miner's Daughter" before she learned her alphabet. But her parents died when she was a teen, and she turned away from music, living with her grandparents on their farm. But snippets of Annie's music with her band, best friend Jason Diaz and her cousin, Kacey Rosewood, have made it on the Internet, and they are wowing everyone. Annie agrees to join Clay's tour, because--no matter how hard she tries--she can't stop loving music. But she doesn't want a relationship with anyone in the music industry. It's what tore her parents apart. Still, the more time she spends with Clay, she can't help but see beyond that bad boy "trucks and girls" persona. And she wants to know more.
"Either you tour with Annie Mathers or you don't tour at all. I'm willing to take the loss on your contract. We have plenty of eager young talent ready to fill your spot."
I was so excited to read this book, because I love country music with all my heart, especially some of the older music that Hahn weaves into this book. I read this on the heels of WHEN IT'S REAL and couldn't help but compare the two. I fell hard for REAL. My reaction for MINE varied, though I still enjoyed it a lot; for sure, the two--while romances--are very dissimilar in many ways.
This book has some really dark tones to it, and both Clay and Annie are struggling with some major demons. Each have dealt with some major sadness in their lives, and Annie's past with her parents is honestly just awful. As a result, this isn't a light, fluffy romance, and it has some surprising emotional depth to it and its characters. Annie, especially, is really easy to like and to root for.
"Everything in me speaks music with a fluent tongue. Surely it's genetic, but my parents certainly haven't done me any favors. If anything, their deaths nearly killed the music in my soul."
As I said, I quite enjoyed the music aspect of the book. Not just the country music part, but the overall fact that the book is centered around a tour. It's really fun to get glimpses into tour life--especially since everyone is so young. Pretty crazy how much responsibility and freedom they all have. There's also a lot of songwriting and emotions displayed through songwriting, which I loved. (Side note: As a child, I always dreamed of being a country singer-songwriter. This was probably due to my intense love of Mary Chapin Carpenter, which lives on to this day. Alas, I cannot carry a tune or read music, so this dream has yet to come to fruition.)
"That's the glorious thing about music. It speaks to the very heart of things in the most absolute and obtrusive way."
The one hard thing for me was that the book got rather repetitive in the middle with both Clay and Annie going on about how they were wrong for each other. It seemed to stall the plot for a while, as I felt like we were waiting for a bit for something to happen. Yes, we realize each was damaged, but it seemed like the book hit on that just a little too much/too often for a while.
Still, this was a really good read. It's very emotional and honestly heartbreaking at times. If you're a music buff, I think you'll enjoy it even more, because of all the musical scenes and songs woven into the book. The characters are very real and go through a lot. There's no insta-romance, and you will root for Annie and Clay, even though you'll want things to move along a bit in the middle. I totally cried at the end, which is a major sign that Hahn did a good job. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 04/02/2019.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram ~ Smashbomb
"Either you tour with Annie Mathers or you don't tour at all. I'm willing to take the loss on your contract. We have plenty of eager young talent ready to fill your spot."
I was so excited to read this book, because I love country music with all my heart, especially some of the older music that Hahn weaves into this book. I read this on the heels of WHEN IT'S REAL and couldn't help but compare the two. I fell hard for REAL. My reaction for MINE varied, though I still enjoyed it a lot; for sure, the two--while romances--are very dissimilar in many ways.
This book has some really dark tones to it, and both Clay and Annie are struggling with some major demons. Each have dealt with some major sadness in their lives, and Annie's past with her parents is honestly just awful. As a result, this isn't a light, fluffy romance, and it has some surprising emotional depth to it and its characters. Annie, especially, is really easy to like and to root for.
"Everything in me speaks music with a fluent tongue. Surely it's genetic, but my parents certainly haven't done me any favors. If anything, their deaths nearly killed the music in my soul."
As I said, I quite enjoyed the music aspect of the book. Not just the country music part, but the overall fact that the book is centered around a tour. It's really fun to get glimpses into tour life--especially since everyone is so young. Pretty crazy how much responsibility and freedom they all have. There's also a lot of songwriting and emotions displayed through songwriting, which I loved. (Side note: As a child, I always dreamed of being a country singer-songwriter. This was probably due to my intense love of Mary Chapin Carpenter, which lives on to this day. Alas, I cannot carry a tune or read music, so this dream has yet to come to fruition.)
"That's the glorious thing about music. It speaks to the very heart of things in the most absolute and obtrusive way."
The one hard thing for me was that the book got rather repetitive in the middle with both Clay and Annie going on about how they were wrong for each other. It seemed to stall the plot for a while, as I felt like we were waiting for a bit for something to happen. Yes, we realize each was damaged, but it seemed like the book hit on that just a little too much/too often for a while.
Still, this was a really good read. It's very emotional and honestly heartbreaking at times. If you're a music buff, I think you'll enjoy it even more, because of all the musical scenes and songs woven into the book. The characters are very real and go through a lot. There's no insta-romance, and you will root for Annie and Clay, even though you'll want things to move along a bit in the middle. I totally cried at the end, which is a major sign that Hahn did a good job. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 04/02/2019.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram ~ Smashbomb
March 18, 2019
4 stars
This is the definition of a cute story. Perfect for readers shying away from angsty reads and looking for a good time.
The characters are easy to love, easy to connect with.
Their inner conflicts are easy to relate with.
The pace is just right for the story, not too slow not rushed either.
Not many faults to find here. The book has been polished and everything runs smoothly.
On one hand you have Annie, gifted daughter of two mega country stars who left her too soon. She is courted by music labels for months now but is afraid to follow in her parents steps. She knows what glory can do to someone. How all consuming a passion can be.
On the other hand you have the current music golden bad boy Clay. He is barely nineteen and already big in the music industry.
If he was born to sing he lost his way somewhere since his brother's death. He is now trying to grieve and burrows in his pain in alcohol. The record label grows tired of his antics and sends Clay to settle a contract with Annie. She is their bargaining ship and his last chance.
Annie fought for years against her natural inclination but music is in her blood and can't be denied any longer.
With her friends she'll do Clay's first part touring the whole summer with him and his best friend Fitz. Country music fans soon flock to these incredible concerts. They are magic together.
Of course you will have a romance but ...it's complicated as Annies is extremely guarded given her past and Clay thinks he does not deserve her.
They both will have to face the demons of their past and overcome their trauma if they want to become who they were meant to be and live their lives to the fullest.
I had a great time following this tribe, witnessing Annie's rise and doubts while rooting for Clay who was obviously in need of help.
You have all the expected clichés about country music and it worked extremely well in this bitter sweet coming of age romance.
For a country music fan like me this was like walking in a candy store: all sweetness and hard to leave.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for trusting me with this copy of the book. It had no influence whatsoever on my willing and always honest opinion.
Have you read it?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
This is the definition of a cute story. Perfect for readers shying away from angsty reads and looking for a good time.
The characters are easy to love, easy to connect with.
Their inner conflicts are easy to relate with.
The pace is just right for the story, not too slow not rushed either.
Not many faults to find here. The book has been polished and everything runs smoothly.
On one hand you have Annie, gifted daughter of two mega country stars who left her too soon. She is courted by music labels for months now but is afraid to follow in her parents steps. She knows what glory can do to someone. How all consuming a passion can be.
On the other hand you have the current music golden bad boy Clay. He is barely nineteen and already big in the music industry.
“What comes to mind when you think of Clay Coolidge?"
(...)
"Sex appeal, boozehound, makes love to the mic, rock star, stadium filler.”
If he was born to sing he lost his way somewhere since his brother's death. He is now trying to grieve and burrows in his pain in alcohol. The record label grows tired of his antics and sends Clay to settle a contract with Annie. She is their bargaining ship and his last chance.
Annie fought for years against her natural inclination but music is in her blood and can't be denied any longer.
With her friends she'll do Clay's first part touring the whole summer with him and his best friend Fitz. Country music fans soon flock to these incredible concerts. They are magic together.
Of course you will have a romance but ...it's complicated as Annies is extremely guarded given her past and Clay thinks he does not deserve her.
“So, she sings like an angel, plays like the devil, pitches championships, and slays amusement park games. Is there anything you can't do?”
They both will have to face the demons of their past and overcome their trauma if they want to become who they were meant to be and live their lives to the fullest.
I had a great time following this tribe, witnessing Annie's rise and doubts while rooting for Clay who was obviously in need of help.
You have all the expected clichés about country music and it worked extremely well in this bitter sweet coming of age romance.
For a country music fan like me this was like walking in a candy store: all sweetness and hard to leave.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for trusting me with this copy of the book. It had no influence whatsoever on my willing and always honest opinion.
Have you read it?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
November 26, 2021
Really good story that had more substance to it than I was expecting. I thought I was picking up a fluffy YAbook, but there was a lot more to it. Great story with great characters you couldn't help but root for.
April 19, 2019
I enjoy country music a lot and I’m a big fan of Faith Hill, Rascall Flatts, Lady Antebellum so when I saw this YA Contemporary story centered on country music, I was quite intrigued. I’ve read YA stories featuring rock stars but this is my first time reading a YA story centering on country music.
Clay was your typical bad boy, dragging a painful past behind him, hell-bent on a path of self-destruction. One of his latest transgressions led him into meeting Annie, a seemingly good girl. Their paths collided and only time would tell whether they’d complement each other or destroy one another.
Annie was the daughter of a famous singer and she grew up in the limelight. She got out and tried a different path but the lure of music was too hard to resist. When Clay came to convince her to come back and sing, she already wanted to and so started their tour together.
They both had their pasts and issues to work through. This story emphasized the beauty of music, the art of it, how it affected people. But also showed the darker side of the music world—the stress and pressure, the depression and the temptation to take the easy way.
I appreciated that the author showed the gritty side of the show business but there was a certain depth lacking in the words that would have given the story more impact. The writing style made the issues feel less dark instead of intensifying the impact.
That said, “You’d Be Mine” was a pretty good story, dealing with serious issues that impact teens and musicians. Also, throughout the book, one part of my mind kept trying to work out the significance of the title before I finally got it.
***Note: Received from Netgalley for an honest review.
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