Ahh, this book left me with alllll the feels! Such a fantastic enemies-to-lovers rom-com.
The pace is a little quick, but I enjoy it when a book gets to the point and resolves quickly. Both main characters, Blake and Louise, have their own problems they are dealing with in relation to family, personal expectations, and societal expectations.
It's truly validating to read a novel that touches on how society expects so much of us and how different individuals handle living their lives in accordance with society or in accordance with their own desires and dreams.
I anticipate this being a fun, light read for those who want a book to leave them floating. I was rooting for Blake and Louise the whole time and the trip to Peru, oh my gosh...incredible. Take me to Machu Picchu now, please.

Thank you Netgalley and Escape Publishing for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.
Under the Influence releases on September 1, 2022!

I was very happy to see that the book was based in Peru before asking for a copy. My dear friend is living there so I was hyped for this detail. Unfortunately I was not a huge fan of the book itself.

The writing style was not my cup of tea (the storytelling from the third person, the sort of changing povs, that were not specified). I could not care for the MCs because they were unpleasant and flat.

Unfortunately this book was not for me…

Loved it! This story was so relatable, laugh out loud, sassy and has a slow burn romance. I also loved how the main character Blake cared so much about others and created a company to help others. This book will make you smile.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Karina is an Aussie author, and this was (to my trash-can memory, at least) my first novel that takes place in Australia (and Peru, too!). In Under the Influence, we follow Louise, tight-laced and no nonsense banker, as she's given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to travel with an Insta-famous influencer to Machu Picchu in Peru! The other half of this dual-POV story follows Blake, Tinder-viral and looking to use his newfound--er--notoriety to do good for others by way of bringing clean water to the same areas of Peru that Louise will be visiting. During their not-so-cute meet cute in a bar in Sydney, the two clash, and, well...we love a good enemies-to-lovers around here.

I really thought this was a cute story, especially because I loved all the little nuances of an Australian writer versus an American writer. The slight differences in spelling, and learning Australian slang, was really enjoyable for this American girl to experience. I do have to point out that it felt to me like the setup of this story drug on quite a bit longer than necessary...my Kindle tracked that I was 48% through the book before much of anything actually really happened to the main characters. Sure, their lives and background had to be set up, but that could have, in my humble opinion, been done more quickly. Since the buildup took so long, the ending was, unfortunately, very abrupt.

All in all, Under the Influence was a cute, quick read that fans of a cute, low-stakes romance will enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for providing the ARC.

DNF 35%

This book dragged something fierce. I felt like the first part of the book was all over the place and I was unsure where everything was headed. The fact that this is being described as an enemies to lovers rom com feels like a lie. There is very little interaction, even 35% in. How can they be enemies if they don't even talk to each other?

Honestly, Louise was right to reject the loan for Blake. He had no documentation, no projections, nothing, and he just expected her to hand over money. And then got mad when she didn't. She did her job? I guess I'm very confused.

Overall, I felt like this book was a mess and I couldn't force myself to finish it

DNF at 50%.

This felt like several different attempts at a book all thrown together and creating some kind of greige gloop.

First off there's the guy that broke Tinder trying to raise money for clean water in Peru, Blake, who gets dragged home to try to save his family's restaurant after the death of his philandering father. Then there's Louise, a hot-shot banker who refuses Blake's loan request when he approaches her bank.

Feathers (I think that's her name) is possibly Blake's half-sister, she's been singing in Blake's family restaurant (badly) but also set up her own new-age juice/smoothie bar aimed at the social media influencer demographic. Feathers might be flakier than a Cadbury's Flake but she knows her market and she is selling trips to Peru (I can't remember why) and asks Blake to assist for a share in the profits. Meanwhile, Louise is having a crisis of confidence and decides on a trip to Peru to 'find herself'.

Is this a small town Australia enemies to lovers/opposites attract? Who knows. At 50% the pair have only just reached Peru, they've barely interacted and from what I read the romance doesn't happen until the last 5% of the book. At the very least I think the cover is misleading because it suggests a contemporary romance which the book has failed to deliver.

I'm in a 'take no prisoners' kind of mood, DNF at 61%.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book was very underwhelming. Louise was so worried about societal pressures about having her own kid that she didn't even think of the other options she had. She could've adopted, or done surrogacy. Also this was a rom-com? I don't think having the romance in the last 5% should count it as a rom-com. It felt like two different books until about 90% through the book. I'm glad they were able to figure out that they didn't need to be succumb to the societal pressures or feel validated by their parents because they were already proud of them.

The beginning of this story was very confusing and it took me until about 25% in to it to figure out the different moving pieces. It was cute, but I never felt invested in the story.

The premise of this book had me extremely interested. It had everything I was looking for in a rom-com book- some enemies-to-lovers vibes with some forced proximity and romance in an exotic location. However, I feel like this book was very rushed and just had so much potential to be even better.

I feel like there was a LOT of background telling before we even get to Blake/Louise being in Peru and spending time together. I understand we needed some backstory to how they both ended up in the situations they were in, however, there were some parts that had either too little information and were glossed over and then some parts that had so much detail, yet added nothing huge to the plot or romance.

Some parts felt very rushed, especially the ending where the resolution and story gets "tied together," where I feel like there should've been way more detail.

I didn't hate the book, but I do wish there was some adjustments to how the story unfolded because there were some really funny, sweet, and thoughtful moments that didn't get as much of a chance to stand out. I'm still giving it three stars for the parts I enjoyed though!

When I first read the plot I thought it was really cute and was excited to read it but in the end it just didn't worked out for me. Blake and Louise were nice but I didn't really connected to them and I wish the author focused more in the romance between them. Also the pacing of the book was just not for me. However I do recommend it for people who like books with travels

Perhaps I’m not in a romance reading mood atm, but this just didn’t hit the spot for me. I found the pacing at the start of the book to be quite slow and as a result it was quite hard to get into this romance. Although I loved the initial set up between Blake and Louise and could see where the story wanted to take me, unfortunately the pacing really threw me off and as a result, I genuinely found it hard to care for the romance that was due to come.

In saying this, I can see myself recommending this to friends of mine who don’t mind a good slow romance. Unfortunately I think I just picked up this book at the wrong time to truly appreciate what the author was setting up.

Thankyou Netgalley & Escape publishing for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

Thank you to the author (Karina May), publisher (Escape Publishing) and NetGallery for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The thing that initially drew me to this book was the cover (it is cute af), and after reading the synopsis I knew I had to request it!
However, it took a very long time for me to get into this book and even then I wasn’t really into it, and found myself really struggling at 30-40% of the way through and debating whether to carry on. The plot was just ‘okay’, but nothing really happened to keep me engaged, which was disappointing because from reading the synopsis the potential was there with the idea but just fell flat.

I also felt that the book had a formatting issue (which may have been an arc problem), but also the writing style wasn’t great, and I felt like I had to go back and re-read paragraphs because I didn’t understand what was going on. There were also some unclear time jumps and POV changes which weren’t made clear, which also made reading/understanding difficult

I do like a dual POV book, however didn’t really like or relate to either MC. Following from this, the chemistry between them was lacking and the romance just wasn’t it.

I feel that this was also said to be an ‘enemies to lovers’ romance, however it just wasn’t and the characters just didn’t get on the first time they met, this doesn’t make them ‘enemies’.

Thank you for the ARC of this book. Under The Influence was a more complex romcom and a very fun read! I loved following the narrative from both Louise and Blake’s point of view, and it was easy and clear to bounce back and forth. I really enjoyed this and will be on the lookout for more from Karina May!

I wanted to like this book, but I found it extremely hard to follow. there were so many plot holes and loose ends. Louise and Blake had no chemistry.

Under the Influence
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/1/22
Author: Karina May
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 272
Goodreads Rating: 3.30

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Blake Goldfield is 'the guy who broke Tinder' while raising funds for his overseas charity. High-flying banker, Louise Lane, is dislike at first sight when she encounters Blake working the bar at her office Christmas party. Both are at a life crossroads: 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. As Blake and Louise watch their lives unravel, their paths seem to be inextricably tangled. Torn between the weight of expectation and her heart's desire, Louise searches for a fresh perspective in Peru. First stop: Machu Picchu. Final destination: Love?

My Thoughts: What drew me to this book initially was the cover, how cute is that cover?? This is a classic enemies to lovers trope, which I adore. This was a cute, clean romance that was easy to flow through in just a few sittings, would make this a perfect beach day or rainy day read. The characters had some depth, witty banter, amazing chemistry, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, heartwarming, kept me engaged, and so descriptively set in Sydney, then Peru, that you felt like you were on the journey with Louise and Blake. The witty banter did make me laugh out loud a few times and I just loved the blooming relationship between them. The one con for me was the ending, even though everyone cannot live happily ever after, I still wanted a little more. However, this was a good read and I would recommend purchasing when it comes out in a few weeks.

Thank you, Escape Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the ebook's format made my reading experience very uncomfortable. I really wanted to like this book. I was promised an enemies-to-lovers romance and that was not what I got. Not only was the romance a subplot, but the two main characters had zero chemistry. The book was more about two people struggling in life with serious issues. I found myself scrolling instead of reading the book because I had lost interest 25% in. It wasn't necessarily a bad story, it just wasn't for me.

2 stars!

I wanted to like "Under the Influence" so bad, but I just didn't. It feels like author Karina May didn't get this project edited. It is sooooooooooo long, and not in the sense that it has too many pages. It feels long because it takes sooooooooooo long for anything to happen! I could not identify with, relate to, or empathize with any of the characters in this book apart from Fernando and Mayra, two people who are barely in the story. Every other character fell flat for me. They aren't very nice as individuals, and it seems like they go out of their way to be combative or rude. I never believed in Louise and Blake's potential romance because their chemistry is nonexistent. Their friendship/relationship/pairing is born out of convenience and shared misery rather than attraction or caring. Even when we're forced to care about the idea that they might get together, I didn't care at all There are also a few major plot points towards the end of the book that don't sit well with me. They feel shoe-horned into the story to elicit a response from readers, somewhat manipulative if you ask me.

I usually finish a book in a day... it took me five days to finish "Under the Influence." I just didn't care enough about it to continually reach for it. I hate saying this because authors work so hard on their books, but I could not get into this one. The cover is adorable, which is why I was interested in the first place...all I'll say is don't be fooled like I was.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karina May, and Escape Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review in any way.

This book was really just meh. I came in thinking it would be a really cute romance set in Peru when in fact there is really little romance and they are barely in Peru. Both characters also felt incredibly 2d to me, I did like Blake a lot more than I liked Louise, he felt like he had more depth to him. The book was also just all over the place with a lot of subplots that led to the romance between Blake and Louise just basically being non-existent. This book is also very much not enemies to lovers given that the two characters were just mildly annoyed at each other at the beginning. I just feel like the two characters had no chemistry and I was much more interested in the plot regarding the restaurant than the romance. Thank you to Netgalley and escape publishing for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Karina May and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this book 4/5 stars!

I LOVED this book! I thought it was so fun and modern, and overall a great rom-com novel! The humor and banter was great. I think the only reason why I'm giving it four stars instead of 5 is because it was a little slower for the main characters to meet than I would've liked.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. The main characters fell flat for me and it was really slow without much development for the characters or the plot. The romance also was a sort of side plot and wasn't focused on which was not made clear from the prompt. Overall, I wanted a lot more out of this.