“Someone please save me from this saccharine crap.”

Honestly, same. I’m surprised how high of a rating this book has with as many cheesy, eye roll-inducing lines that are just constant. I’ve read and loved a lot of cheesy romances but guess I’m not the audience for this particular flavor, whatever that is. I couldn’t finish it.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I got this book, I definitely didn't expect it to be what it was. And I'm so grateful for it! I'm in a romance novels vibe lately, and this was definitely one of the best I've read in a while.

First, I gotta talk about Jules. She's great, very aware of her strenghts and weaknesses, the kind of main character you love in the first page of reading their thoughts. Sometimes she was a little stubborn, but who isn't? Especially with everything she felt was under her responsibility, it all made sense, and it was really nice to see how she evolved throughout the story.

Tyler was just as delightful to read. It's always nice to see the male character completely dumbstruck everytime he sees the woman he loves, and he was a very layered character, with his own issues and also very aware of them.

Maybe my favorite thing about this book was the family environment surrounding it. Even though the focus was on the love story (as is the series' name), it was very clear from the beggining that this was also a family story. Not perfect families, but real ones, with real issues and effects on the characters' lives, but also very important for their growth. Family love played a big part in it, and I just loved it.

Overall, it was a great read, which motivated me to go look for the author's other stories right away.

Written with love., with characters that are divine, this story holds my heart.
Many thanks to Tracey Ewens and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Catch" by Tracy Evens was a nice little escape from my usual reading material.

Jules Bartlett spends 300 days a year on her family's fishing boats and absolutely adores it. If she's not on the water she's raising her daughter Bella. Jules has no time for romance or BS. After a heartbreaking divorce, Jules put a wall around her heart, vowing never to let anyone else hurt her.

But of course, there's always someone who breaks down those walls. Introducing Tyler Pace, Jules' self-made, and extremely handsome childhood friend. Tyler has always loved Jules but never took the chance in telling her. Until the two engage in some "casual sex" and change the course of their lives forever.

This book was a breath of fresh air. It was a sweet, cute friends/enemies to lovers trope. Honestly, enemies to lovers are one of my favorite romance tropes. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romantic escape!

I have not read previous books in the series, but I did not mind at all, this book can be standalone.
The beginning was a little slow and I was quite bored, but then after some point, I could not put it down, I enjoyed this book so much, but something was a cliché.
After all, it was a really cute story and I recommended this book to everyone who likes nice and cute romances.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.
3,5/5*

Though I wasn't sure what to expect, and contemporary is not my go-to genre, I was immediately hooked (no pun intended) by this story of the relationship between a fishing boat captain and her brother's best friend.

Tyler Pace fell in love with Jules Bartlett long before she became a divorced single mother. He's a reliable friend to her and her daughter Bella, but Jules's prickly nature keeps him at arms length and he begins to doubt she will ever be ready to risk her heart again. In Jules's mind there are two major strikes against this local boy who made good - he has money and a tendency to use it to swoop in and fix things. Obstacles abound and past trauma is very present, as Tyler's alcoholic father's health fails and Jules is invited to the wedding of her ex-husband and the friend he cheated with.

Set in the town of Bodega Bay, California, this is such a slice of life story - from the supportive friends and wonderful families, to the small town community in this story of two people who have known each other all of their lives finding love - albeit with vastly different timing.

What a surprise this story was - through the ups and downs of this relationship, as the narrative switches between perspectives, I was all in and left at the end with a desire to read more of this series. I do enjoy a mature romance, and these are the type of characters that feel like people you might really want to know. Recommended with a note that this salty slow burn contemporary is an open door romance with cursing as a natural feature of language in the narrative as well as the dialogue.

This review refers to a temporary digital copy that I voluntarily read through NetGalley, courtesy of the author. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

I have truly enjoyed all of Tracy Ewens’ books, and Catch is no exception. Picking up where the Blow left off, the reader learns more about those characters while exploring Tyler and Julie’s story. This aspect is one of the best parts of Ewens’ books, they follow characters previously introduced. Tyler and Julie have each faced hardship and disappointment, which has left them at times jaded. However, their attraction to one another overwhelms even their most cynical thoughts, forcing them to make big decisions. You’ll root for these two while also learning about their jobs, as Ewens does an excellent job researching the occupations and giving the reader insight into those worlds too.

A modern day fairy tale with a twist…


Life is not always easy, as Juliet Bartlett and Tyler Pace can well attest, with pain and scars most often inflicted by those closest. This harsh reality has dissolved the magic of love and a happily-ever-after causing them to pour their energy into their work and responsibilities as a way to manage their feelings and protect their hearts. While their ordeals are hard to forget; they’re even harder to keep from coloring everything going forward and influencing choices and decisions. Jules and Tyler are familiar with each other’s pasts having grown up together, Tyler is Jules’ older brother’s best friend who spend a significant amount of time with their family due to his horrible home life. Their lives are even more intertwined since they both moved back to Bodega Bay, CA; revolving around their love and care for Jule’s eleven year old daughter, Bella, as they continue a relationship marked by their sarcastic banter while keeping each other at arm’s length emotionally. But love has a mind of its own and they soon learn that love is not something that can be managed, like their work, when it decides to write them in its fairy tale.

“The problem with feelings was that unlike tasks, they couldn’t be added and deleted as quickly as he would like. Feelings stuck and made a mess.”


Tracy Ewens has written a refreshingly, unconventional contemporary romance in Catch: A Love Story. Jules is not your traditional female lead. She is a tall, athletic woman who captains her own fleet of commercial fishing boats. Some might even paint her as unfeminine with her dominant personality and caustic tongue, sharpened by her circumstances, yet there is a soft, even fragile, side that is evident in her interactions with those closest to her, especially her precious daughter, Belle. An especially perceptive child, Belle brings out the best in the adults around her, forcing both Jules and Tyler to constantly re-evaluate their predilections towards relationships and especially their feelings towards each other.


Catch: A Love Story might seem to follow a predictable plot line: antagonistic friends fight a mutual attraction, run scared from the realization that they care deeply for this other person, only to come to the realization that they can’t live without each other. Yet the story’s unique characters and introspection puts a highly creative and entertaining twist on this common trope. While I couldn’t help disliking Jules’ blunt and abrasive delivery with Tyler, who was loyal and longsuffering on so many fronts with her, it was fitting considering she used that persona as a shield for her bruised and battered heart. Her personality also made the audacious ending, of the princess sweeping in on the white horse to save the day, that much more believable. If you are looking for a great summer read, Catch: A Love Story by Tracy Ewens might just fit the bill.

Catch: A Love Story by Tracy Ewens is a slow-burn contemporary romance novel.

Jules Bartlett is a single mother raising her daughter Bella since her divorce. She works as a captain of the Branch Fishing boats. Her frenemy Tyler Pace, CEO of Pace Capital and co-owner of BP Glassworks, is a family friend and has been secretly in love with her for a long time.

This is a voluntary review in exchange for the e-ARC I received. I’m truly grateful to the NetGalley team and publisher for the chance. Thank you.

The love story was so delicate, I really enjoyed reading about this particular second-chance love. The setting and the plot was well developed. Before reading make sure to look up TWs, each character had their purposes which was lined out and somehow met by the end of the book.
It was a heartwarming story!

This is a beautiful romance with appealing characters and a solid plot. I loved how the heroine, Jules, is a single (divorced) mom who is empowering, while the hero, Tyler, is literally the guy next door (Jules' brother's closest friend). The narrative is not the most innovative in the category, but it is well-written. Our  love birds attend Jules' ex's wedding, where flames flare. Because they move from friends to lovers, their chemistry is authentic and lovely. However, the interaction between Tyler and Jules' daughter, Bella, was a nice surprise that I was looking forward to reading.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I didn't finish this novel as the language and setting weren't for me. Loved the cover art!

Thank you to Tracy Ewens, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My rating: 4/5 stars

Okay, so this is my first time reading a book by Tracy Ewens, I'm really drawn by the cover and the synopsis of Catch: A Love Story! I was really worried when I found out that this book is a part of a series, but thank God that this can be read as a standalone.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much? Some of my favorite tropes are here in this book, slow-burn romance, strong and independent women MC, and friends-to-lovers!
The atmosphere of the small town is also great! What I love the most is the character! Jules is a hard-working single mother who also works as the only female captain in the town. Tyler is the best friend of Jules's brother, so apparently, Jules and Tyler grow up together (which is very cute pls). Tyler has to deal with his alcoholic father while maintaining his work. Their romance is just so sweet (thanks to Tyler mainly), the fast-pacing is also great!
Although I have to admit I was really frustrated by Jules's behavior at the end, I keep saying "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THAT JULES?" but well, it's forgiven :)

I will keep my eyes and tbr list for more Tracy Ewens's books!

So different than what I expected but an excellent read! One of my favorite romance novels of the summer. Part of the series that I haven't read but it worked as a standalone. I will definitely check out the other books in the series.

Catch was a wonderful romance that breaks the typical mold. It was an easy quick read where you were invested in the characters and cared about their welfare.

Catch was a pretty cute and fun love story - the heroine is a fishing boat captain and a single mom who needs no man and the hero was a poor kid who’s now a self-made rich entrepreneur and has been in love with the heroine for years.

The cover drew me to this book when I saw it on NetGalley and it was an enjoyable read - I like reading about mothers in romance and I also prefer it when the characters know each other well before the story begins. It was also fun and had lots of banter where you can easily see the years of friendship between them.

Jules “I need no one and I know best”-attitude got old pretty quick, though. She’s pretty hurtful at times and it didn’t seem reasonable to be so… petty, perhaps, six years after her divorce. I just wanted to shout “get over it!”. It was nice to read about a man who found a tall woman in waders sexy, though.

Quirky, catchy, twisted and humorous – this book was loaded, to be honest. And going in with no expectations, this book was an amazing, feel-good read. The characters were so relatable in their behaviours and the apt amount of drama they carried out had me turning the pages at every chance.

This story is simple yet relevantly dramatic and I loved how the author has balanced both these aspects so well. Jules’s and Bella’s headstrong character and Tyler’s compassionate nature really captivated my attention throughout the book.

I am really happy that I got a chance to read this book. It was, all in all, a fun and fulfilling read.

This was my first Tracy Ewens book, but it won’t be my last! Catch is a heartwarming, second chance romance between Juliet ‘Jules’ Bartlett, a divorced single mom who might be a little bitter/grumpy, and Tyler Pace, a her brother’s best friend/business partner who is a natural fixer and has been in love with Jules for years. Tyler has part of Jules’ life since they were kids and is practically a member of the family. Jules desperately wants Tyler physically but has absolutely no desire to be ‘fixed’ or to allow herself to fall in love again. Their back and forth banter gives way to their mutual attraction when Tyler accompanies Jules and her daughter Bella to her ex-husband’s wedding, but whether they can make it work for more than just a one night stand remains to be seen. I loved watching these two deal with all their past hurts and insecurities, trying to set those things aside and make room in their hearts for each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tracy Ewens for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this story!! I found myself pulled into the storyline right away and couldn't help but root for Tyler from the beginning! I absolutely loved the charming small town setting. The only thing I wish is that it hadn't ended as I wasn't ready for the story to be done!

I absolutely loved this book! It felt like everything I wanted from a romance was given to me by Ewens. Catch: A Love Story brought so many great things to the table, and I feel like I could discuss this book for hours on end with anyone that has read it. My favourite part of the book has to be the characters - they're brilliant! Ewens has created beautifully written characters, who are not only likeable, but also feel like real people. They're vulnerable and have flaws that are portrayed perfectly throughout the novel, it really adds a well-rounded feeling to the book, and as a reader, it was nice to see characters show vulnerability; while authors easily choose to gloss over this side of characters, Ewens did not.