Built to Last

Shelby and Cameron were child stars who fell in love at eighteen but when Cameron went off to college, he left Shelby heartbroken and all alone. She threw herself back into the LA scene but after a bad breakup, she begged Cameron to come back to console her which he did, without hesitation. Once he arrived he knew he couldn’t stay so once again, he left her and went back to his real life. There was only so much rejection a girl could take so Shelby packed up her belongings and moved back home to Michigan, where life was simpler and where she could get on with the next chapter in her life. The Hollywood lifestyle was behind her or so she thought, until she was offered the chance to be the star of a different kind of show.

Shelby was proud of her new life and if doing the new show would also help her father, she just knew she had to do it. But how would she react when she sees Cameron again and will they be able to recreate the onscreen chemistry they once had? Does he really want to leave his coveted job with National Geographic to work with the one woman who has ever really owned his heart? How will Lyle, the third player in the drama treat them, and what tricks does he have up his sleeve to make their lives miserable?

Shelby and Cameron certainly have a chemistry that was built to last!! They fell in love as innocent teenagers who had been thrust into the spotlight of a popular TV show. Ten years after their last scene together, they are once again in front of the camera but this time, Shelby is calling the shots and Cameron is right there by her side. They are a charismatic, but humble couple who have a second chance to entertain their fans, old and new, one room and one house at a time.

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Built to Last by Erin Hahn is a second-chance romance for two characters who were teenage lovers, and now face each other again, years later.

Story Recap:
Shelby Springfield was a child actor during her formative teen years, she was one of the three main characters on a sitcom called The World According to Jackson. Her two co-stars were Lyle Jessup and Cameron Riggs. Cameron and Shelby fell in love while filming the sitcom, but when Cameron left suddenly for college, she turned to Lyle.

When Shelby calls Cameron after her breakup with Lyle, he comes running, but he doesn’t stay. He goes back to his job as a National Geographic documentarian, where he flies around the world 11 months a year. After a public meltdown after her breakup with Lyle, Shelby leaves Los Angeles to live with her father in Michigan and learns the home renovation and furniture rehabilitation trades from her dad.

When Lyle asks both Cameron and Shelby to do a home renovation show, with him as the showrunner, both are skeptical at first, but they eventually agree. Will spending time together working on a reality show spark up the flames they used to have for each other?

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at making a reality show, especially a home-flipping reality show. I felt like the author really understood child actors and the issues they face. Each of these three main characters were child actors and they each had different reasons and a different support system when they were on the popular tv show.

I loved this second-chance romance between child stars. When they first became an item, they were so young, and it makes sense that they both had to go and grow up a bit before they could have a real relationship.

I enjoyed this book from the very first page. Shelby was a bit difficult to like at first, but I did warm up to her quickly. I loved her dad, and could totally understand why the tv show people didn’t want him in the show! Shelby’s mother was your typical stage mother, and I could understand Shelby’s desire to lead a “normal” life.

Recommendation:
I recommend Built to Last to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.