From the moment Blake and Louise met, I have been rooting for them at least get together even if it was just a hookup. This book was really good, it gave insights to a sort of midlife crisis with Louise dealing with the ration of trying to get pregnant but also finding joy in her life in her 30's.

What I loved most about this book was the witty characters that were really well thought out and written, each character carried their own story whether it was deep and traumatic or normal. I enjoyed how well the author brought so many real life aspects in this book that is not easily overlooked, there is depth here in terms of societal norms and family expectations.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good rom-com that is a slow burn and a sort of enemies to lovers. This book was well paced and easy to read and follow along.

Blake's story and issues were well written and i enjoyed how things managed to link really well in this book, it's an eye opener for those stressing about their lives in their 30's or pushing themselves beyond their limits.

The truth is that this book is quite entertaining but I don't think it was the book for me.
I was pretty excited when I read the plot of the book, it made me think it was going to be pretty funny, but in the end it didn't convince me.
I thought it was a pretty funny book, I liked the story in general, plus the fact that the main character is named Louise Lane, well.
The story between Louise and Blake, but still something didn't quite convince me. The ending definitely wasn't what I expected, I feel like it could have been a little better.This is the author's debut novel, and although this book didn't quite convince me, I must admit that I would like to read more from this author.
As I said, this was not a book for me.The plot was quite tender, the idea is no doubt great, but still I don't know.

Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for giving me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely intrigued by this cover and blurb, I had to request it. Our FMC is character driven and a little unsure what to do next, and our MMC is a bar owner and philanthropist. I loved their relationship and the depth that we got from these characters. It was enjoyable to watch them grow together.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #undertheinfluence

A fantastic enemies to lovers, romantic read!
Blake has begrudgingly left his not-for-profit to deal with Goldies, his family's embattled restaurant; Louise has just split from her perfect-on-paper fiance. The two cross paths and continue to do so and slowly grow into their true selves together. The chemistry between the two, the wit, sassiness, and messiness of life explored in this novel really made it a bingeable read.

The main characters interacted with each other only a few times throughout the whole book. Minus the vacation. They interacted with other people more often which was so annoying and one of the reasons the connection seemed flat. Sebastian and Geoff were the only interesting character throughout this whole book even though they just came abruptly and faded away just like that. I also wondered why on the earth couldn't Blake just downloaded Instagram? And what the heck just happened after the vacation?

Okay, it took me more than a month to finish this book.

This book was cute. Unfortunately, it wasn’t super for me, but I liked it nonetheless. I found that the first half of the book took a really long time to get through and just felt kind of endless. The second half of the book was much better and moved at a faster pace!

Blake is the very description of “looks like he could kill you, is a cinnamon roll.” He is widely known as “the guy who broke Tinder” which I found extremely comical. While he seems like a bit of a jerk, he is actually raising money for his charity that bottles water in Peru. Then we have Louise, who has the unfortunate last name Lane. Queue up those Superman jokes (there were a few of them). She is a banker who was in a rough relationship with a plot twist that I did not expect!

This book is marketed as enemies to lovers, but it felt more like one of those “they meet, don’t like each other, meet again, like each other a little more, eventually and quickly fall for one another” kinda storylines. Overall, it was a cute read which had settings in Australia and Peru which I can’t say is a combo I’ve found in any other book!

⚠️TW: infertility, addiction, alcoholism

Thank you, @netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

More of a 3.5 star read but it's closer to 4.

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher to read and give an honest review on this book.

I took my time with this book as I was travelling so I have to say I kept getting back and forth it and the feeling it gave me every time I picked it up was one of comfort. I have to say I liked reading this book, the main characters were very loving and had a lot of depth, that I thought could be used even more in the book to elevate the story. I liked how both characters are different yet meet at the same feeling of loneliness, guilt and determination. I liked how both characters made it easier for the other to reach their journey of growth faster and start becoming who they're meant to be by facing unresolved issues and needs and working on fixing them.

I liked the setting of Peru, it added so much to the back, being able to travel to another part of the world like that and reflect on how other people's lives can impact yours by just being around them.

I think this book got better the more I read it. But then suddenly, it ended. I felt like I needed more time with the book to even learn more about the characters' future. But I feel like the revelation came in a couple of pages and then the epilogue and the story reached its end. I felt like that was too fast.

Overall enjoyable read, great characters, engaging topics, but it was missing some things for me. As a debut novel though, I would recommend this for sure!

Under the Influence
By Karina May
⭐⭐⭐



I really like the idea of this book, the synopsis is perfect and captivating, the cover is soooo cute, but unfortunately I have a tiny little problem...
I dunno I was because of my non-fluent English, or due to writing...

I didn't connect with the characters, sometimes it seemed like the author just wanted to fill the sausage, and sadly, I caught myself sleeping in the middle of the reading.I really expected the writing to be more direct and blunt. because that way I would connect more with the characters and maybe understand the story better

A perfect premise with a very poor execution. As a frequent dating app user, I was interested. I wish it had kept me compelled for longer than the beginning pages.

I honestly just couldn’t get into the book, i’m not sure what it was for me, I think the cover was miss leading I thought it was going to be more about influencers not a divorced women who wanted to get pregnant… I hate not finishing books but I sadly didn’t finish this one…

Not for me. Sadly, I never connected with the writing or the characters. The relationship also felt a bit too underdeveloped. The pacing was a bit too slow for my tastes as well- it felt like it took way took long to get to the main "premise" of the plot.

I think others may like this, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

This book is everything to Iove about romance— the enemies to lovers trope never gets old. High-powered super organised financier Louise Lane meets handsome blue-eyed glasses wearing Blake – the man who broke Tinder. Louise isn’t convinced that his philanthropic image of bottled water for Peruvians is totally honourable, assuming the nightclub owner’s son’s intentions are misplaced. But neither character is honest from the beginning about the dramas in their family lives, and that’s how the fun begins.

Louise is delightful— uptight, engaged, clever and torn between achieving in her career at Robo Bank where she is stressed and overworked, or trying to beat the clock and her low infertility as she swings one last chance to have children.

Meanwhile, Blake has just lost the dad he believed was unfaithful to his family and is trying to clean up the nightclub finances for his mother. There’s more to him too, but Louise is yet to see it until they collide yet again, in Peru.

A trek to Machu Picchu for a photo opp with an influencer named Feather, and a cataclysmic breakup between Louise and her partner who are trying for a baby, are the kind of highlights that set the flavour of this story.

But there’s a lot of depth in this fast-paced Rom-Com. When the two meet, sparks fly in multiple directions and it sparkles on the page too— the great banter between the characters and settings of Sydney and Peru —so wonderfully descriptive, are a delight to read.

Will Louise and Blake see something deeper beneath the armoury of attitude they wear as protection?

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. i thought that this book was too long, I was expecting a Romance and in my opinion the romance wasn’t well developed. The characters spent more time doing their own thing on their own than together and it kind of bothered me, and also it was a little too slow for me.
But I still enjoyed that book

Under the Influence by Karina May

Read this if you enjoy:
🔺coincidental meetings
🔺character growth
🔺travel destinations

This one is a little feel good romance. Louise is at a crossroads in her life & hiding behind her career. Blake is tormented by decisions regarding his recently deceased father’s business & maintaining his own philanthropic clean water project in Peru. Unbeknownst to them, their common link is the overwhelming impact of family expectations.

They don’t exactly get off on the right foot, but after multiple run-ins, they start to realize that there’s more to the other person. I liked these characters. They feel pretty authentic and relatable—though perhaps dense at times. What I didn’t care for was the pacing. The ending came together way too quickly. Some significant things seemed to just dissolve into non-issues. The side characters didn’t shine like I expected.

The best part is the growth of the characters. They take chances in ways that unintentionally bring them together, which was fun to read.

Overall, it’s an easy, enjoyable read. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a wholesome romance.

I feel very neutral about this book. It was cheesy but cute & the growth between the characters was nice. I like Kent the best lol.

Under the Influence just wasn’t the book for me. I thought this book sounded amazing from the synopsis, but as soon as I started it, I knew it wasn’t for me. The writing wasn’t terrible, but it was confusing and hard to read at times. There didn’t seem to be any chemistry between the main characters, so the romance fell a little short. The cover is gorgeous, but the story felt like it was executed poorly.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

HOLY ENEMIES TO LOVERS KIND OF WORK ROMANCE WOWZA

224 pages of absolute nonstop all the time unable to stop page turning.

Karina May, this is the first book I'm reading from you, but it certainly won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Under the Influence", written by Karina May.

Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!

Read if you enjoy:
*enemies to lovers
*a quick-paced read
*humorous banter
*slow-burn romance
*DC comics/Superman

I also liked that the book was based in Sydney, Australia, because most of the books that I read usually have characters that are from the U.S. or England. I am however, slightly concerned that Louise may be a bit of an alcoholic. LOL.

This book was such an easy read. I loved the relationship between the two main characters and how everything played out. Would definitely recommend this book to everyone

Abandoned it at 40%. I feel like I didn’t enjoy this not because it was bad, but because I found it extremely slow and couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I guess it just wasn’t for me, but maybe some time soon I could give it another shot.