The Influencer series has been hit or miss for me. My favorite is the second book, Exes & O's.

The Catch features an influencer and a fisherman in an insta-love story. Nothing goes as planned when Melanie is invited to a resort for a week-long feature on her socials. Only the date gets mixed-up, and she finds herself in a half-renovated Inn with a brooding, grumpy, flannel wearing man.

Evan is consumed with guilt over the death of his cousin. He can't believe his luck when Melanie walks into the Inn with a reservation on a day that haunts his thoughts. Is this a sign from his best friend to forgive himself, and open his heart to a relationship?

Opposites attract storyline with snippets of enjoyable ROMCOM moments. The insta-love was a bit unbelievable with this couple.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing. Rating 3.5

i LOVED this book! I love anything grumpyxsunshine and this book definitely delivered! It was so perfectly swoony. Found family? Sign me up. Small town? Yes please! I loved the witty banter and I felt so deeply for the FMC finding her place. I do often feel a disconnect with "influencer" stories but this one was better than the previous one.

It's probably just me but I could not connect with this one. I'm not sure why when this author is a huge fav of mine. It could have been my mood? So I will definitely go back to it in the future.

Melanie is supposed to be at the spa. Except they have her reservation wrong…so now she is stuck here for a week. Well…not here, they are fully booked, but she manages to find an inn with an opening about an hour away. When she meets Evan however, he makes it clear the Inn is not open, and has no desire to let her stay. Lucky for her his cousin steps in. When he ends up in the ER with only Melanie there, she has to pretend to be his fiancé to be allowed in. Only problem is not his entire family think they are engaged…

Always love me a fake fiancé story! Add in a flailing influencer and it’s perfection! Oh wait…and don’t forget enemies to lovers! We hit all the favorite tropes in this one! I loved that Melanie was trying to reinvent herself and bring her audience back, but was struggling to do so. I think that’s a side of influencing people often don’t think about! Also Evan was just as dreamy as could be, and I adored his family so damn much! I found this to be a delightful read that was so enjoyable!

I didn't love this one.
It was cute enough, and if you like the tropes, you might like this book.
It just really wasn't for me.

Thank you Berkley for my copy of The Catch! All thoughts are my own.

If there’s one thing about me, if the book takes place in a coastal town, I’m gonna read it. Now add in the grumpy hero trope mixed with fake dating? It’s gonna be a knock it. I LOVED reading The Catch by Amy Lea. It was everything I loved about It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (grumpy fisherman, influencer heroine, coastal town) but felt a little more grounded in reality, which is my preferred style of romance. While i didn’t love Set on You, Exes and O’s and The Catch have quickly become favorites. It was such a fun read and I look forward to the next phase of Lea’s writing career!

Synopsis:

“In a last-ditch effort to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing scarier than nature itself? The burly and bearded bed-and-breakfast owner and fisherman, Evan Whaler—who single-handedly disproves the theory that Canadians are “nice.”After a boating accident lands Evan unconscious in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his welcoming yet quirky family, who are embroiled in a long-standing feud over the B&B. In a bold attempt to mend family fences, Mel agrees to fake their engagement for one week in exchange for Evan’s help with her social media content.Amid long hikes and campfire chats, reeling in their budding feelings for each other proves more difficult by the day. But is Mel willing to sacrifice her picture-perfect life in the city for a chance at a true, unfiltered love in the wild?” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—I LOVED being on the East Coast of Canada in this book. It was a stunning coastal setting that captured the feel of salt water spraying your face as you enjoy the view. Plus, it’s a perfect small town vibe.

The Tropes—Fake Dating! Grumpy Hero! Small Town! Meddling Family! So many good tropes that still feel grounded in reality.

The Characters—I fell in love with Evan and his family, so I can’t blame Mel at all for her attachments!

What Didn’t Work For Me:

Opening Pacing—It took a little bit to get into the story for me, but right at 25% I became super invested! I think I would have liked the inciting incident to come a hair sooner, but it didn’t impede my overall enjoyment of the book at all.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

I just don't think books about influencers are for me. I definitely see how this one could appeal to a certain set, but one that I am not apart of. I just cannot take the main character seriously. I'm sure overall the book is charming or whatever, but it was a DNF for me.

The Catch by Amy Lea
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro Foster
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub date: 2/13

This enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating rom-com was a highly anticipated read for me that did not disappoint! I have read and loved the first two books in Amy Lea’s influencer series, but I liked this one the best. The Catch has solidified Amy Lea’s place on my auto-buy author’s list.

The story starts off with lifestyle influencer FMC, Mel, traveling to Nova Scotia to stay at a boutique hotel. When she arrives, she realizes there’s been a mistake with the dates and is forced to find another place to stay for a week. This is when she ends up at a Bed and Breakfast run by Evan, a grumpy but smokin’ hot fisherman. Cue the enemies-to-lovers, found family, fake dating hilarity.

This was so cute. Mel is hilarious, and the banter between her and Evan never gets old. Evan is protective and adorable, and once these two get over their initial impressions of each other, the romance heats up quickly. I don’t always enjoy insta love like this in rom-coms, but it just worked really well here. The third-act conflict was very believable, and the resolution was perfect.

I loved all the side characters and quirky family members, the mental health rep, and the small-town charm. This was fun to listen to on audio, and Kelsey Navarro Foster did an amazing job bringing all the characters to life.

Overall, this was a cute read and a great conclusion to this series. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for my advanced copy and PRH for my complimentary audiobook.

I needed this at just this moment! After reading so many fantasy series for a few weeks I needed a light romance. This delivered! I loved the meaning around learning to open up to those that love you. The found family aspect for the FMC was the sweetest. The banter was funny and witty. I also really enjoyed the scene of the book. The small town, open waters, historic vibes at the inn was right up my alley! I’ll definitely be recommending!

The Catch was my favorite book in The Influencer series! I’m a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine and fake dating tropes, so this was the perfect book for me.

I was very invested in Mel and Evan’s fake engagement which reminded me of one of the movies I loved growing, While You Were Sleeping. The secondary characters were a great addition and the Nova Scotia setting was perfect. It was a fitting end to a fun series!

this is the third and finally book in the influencer series and I was really looking forward to this one. I have loved this series and this was was no exception. insta love is a hard one to pull off but I fell like Amy does it so well. this one following Evan and Mel had me all in my own feels. I love being able to have an emotional connection with the characters and Amy does such a good job at that. I laughed and cried while reading this. so well done!!!

Exquisite read!

This was a wonderful Enemies to Lovers set in a cozy ambiance of a book!
I love the destination and the fisherman town vibes.
This was the perfect installation to the influencer series and as per usual the steam was on point!

For those who have been reading Amy Lea, the Catch is the third book revolving around three friends, this time following Mel's adventures as she travels to Nova Scotia on an influencer assignment. The resort she's staying in miscommunicated the dates, so Mel lands a week early with no accommodation. She finds a vacancy an hour away at a private Bed and Breakfast and travels over immediately, only to find the inn dilapidated, closed, and the owner not excited to see her.

This was a cute grumpy/sunshine trope which I enjoyed immensely! It was compulsively readable, and both characters grow and change while learning about each other. The book is a fun mash-up of "While You Were Sleeping" (complete with characters named Jack and Lucy as a cheeky nod), and "The Proposal." As a fan of both movies as well as Amy Lea, there was very little not to be delighted about in this novel.

While grumpy/sunshine is not my favorite trope, I did enjoy this book because Evan's "grump" is revealed to have deeper layers, and he doesn't communicate solely through grunts.

One star is deducted because I did have one beef with the book that I can't let go. This section does contain a spoiler.

Mel states that she can't give up her life or move to Nova Scotia, but she gives up the week at the resort to spend more time with Evan. I keep trying to justify this decision - she's uncertain about the direction she wants to take her influencing; she's reconsidering her brand; she's found what truly brings her peace and happiness is not found on social media.... and I know that's the message the author is trying to convey, but at the same time, she made a commitment to the resort, it's part of her income and career, and she cancels on it for a guy. I wanted her to say, "come with me to the resort for a week," or "I've been having a ton of fun, but I made this commitment and I need to honor that. And if you respect me and what I do for a living, you'll understand that." It did not sit right with me that she ditched the resort. Again, I understand why the author did it - she wanted to give them more time together - but I feel that could have been achieved without sacrificing the week at the resort.

Small blip, still highly recommend the book and thought it was well-written, great representation, and fun all around!

I read and enjoyed the first two books in The Influencer series and I was anxious to finally read The Catch. This time, we’re following Melanie who is a fashion influencer who is struggling after the death of her dad, her mom taking over, and trying to take care of her brother. Plus she’s also trying to make ends meet as well.

It seems like Mel is finally catching a break when she’s given a chance to go on a dream trip for a week. Once she gets there, they let her know they have no room and she has to wait a week. It only gets worse as she can’t find a place to stay and goes to an Airbnb an hour and a half away where she meets Evan.

From the jump, these two immediately can’t stand each other as she thinks he’s a stoic douche and he believes she’s a vapid influencer. Through these unlikely circumstances, these two end up being embroiled in a fake dating scheme of epic proportions as a way for Evan to hopefully keep the inn where Mel is staying.

While the two aren’t comfortable with lying, they are almost too convincing and end up falling for each other in the process? The only issue is that Mel is leaving in a week and Evan has no places to relocate. Add in some meddling family members, plenty of good food and a chance at love, you’ll quickly fall in love with these two and their romance.

Aside from the romance, both of them are dealing with some past childhood trauma as Mel is still grieving the loss of her dad and taking care of her brother. Evan is trying to move past his guilt and grief due to the loss of his cousin. While the book is lighthearted, those topics weigh heavy on our characters so be aware of that if you plan on picking it up.

A super cute grumpy/sunshine fake dating story. A Small town, a meddling family, and well-developed leads create a vast and plot you fall for easily

This was such a sweet ending to this series! This one was kind of a slow burn on a tight schedule?? It took place over a week and Evan and Mel took almost her whole trip to finally confess some feelings! But then they were ALL IN. I loved watching his family fall in love with Mel, and her being able to help them come together again! Evan and Mel were the perfect opposites attract, fake dating to save the family inn, also I came here just to visit but now I love your family as much as they love me and hate lying to them?! If you love The Proposal, the vibes are very similar!!

Mel is a girl after my own heart. She doesn’t ever let people in, her closest friends don’t even know everything. She is very much a ‘people always leave ‘ girl and watching her find people that won’t ever leave 🥹 made me so happy for her! Evan and her family were exactly what she needed! She was the one taking care of her and her brother when they were growing up and now she found people that will actually care for her because that’s what family does. She found what she has always been looking for and it was so perfect!

also I loved Evan so much. We love a fisherman who falls in love with a city girl!! He was the grumpiest man alive but also it was CLEARLY because he was obsessed with Mel and didn’t know what to do about it. I mean he agreed to fake date her! When all he did was grumble in her presence!! They were CUTE!

Thank you so much to Berkley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you like judgy, unpleasant lady leads and as many bad takes on Canada as can fit on the pages, this might be for you.

So to begin with, I don't find the sorts of Canadian jokes that this story uses as its foundations amusing at all, and the writing only went downhill from there. There was a line like "There’s a decent chance I could take a murderer, particularly a Canadian murderer" that was completely baffling. And in another passage: “Best of luck with that,” he says cryptically. “It’s fishing season.”
A statement is absolutely not cryptic if you explain yourself a syllable later.

Some of it simply doesn't make sense - someone from Boston acting like Halifax is a culture shock? Both are coastal hubs in the same general area with maritime industries; it'd have been much more plausible if Melanie was from Arizona or something. There were sentences awkwardly worded - "the entire ascent up the stairs"? Where was the editor?

It was a struggle to get to the actual romance and steamier parts, which were the better done half of the book, but not worth the slog.

I give it two and a half stars, rounded down.

3.5 stars! This was a cute, summery romance! Pretty fast paced and entertaining, with a little bit of a found family vibe, a family inn that needs saving, and a city girl and a country guy. It got into the story pretty quickly so I was never REALLY bored but it did feel a little too long for what the story was.

For me personally this was nothing SUPER special, just a cute romcom to pass the time. Both main characters were great, I just wish we had gotten to know Evan a little better, so I think dual pov would’ve worked great in this book. The main trope is fake dating, and the reason behind it felt a little silly and far fetched for me, so it kind of kept me from rooting for the couple.

It takes place in a coastal town in Canada that’s very big on fishing so this would make a great, quick summer beach read. Not a bad book by ANY means, just not a favorite of mine!!

Thank you Berkley for the arc in exchange for my review!

Mel is Crystal and Tara's best friend and a successful fashion and beauty influencer. The constant need to keep her account current has Mel feeling. a little anxious and she's hoping that accepting an invitation to a seaside resort in Nova Scotia will give her content the boost that it desperately needs.

When a date mix-up lands her a week early in Nova Scotia and without any room at the resort, Mel is forced to try to find another place to stay. She ends up at a less than stellar B & B that has definitely seen better days with a plaid-wearing, gruff owner, Evan who seems immune to Mel's charms.

As Mel tries to make the best of the situation and curate content for her page, she continues to clash with Evan who is not happy that she is there and dismisses her as a vapid city girl.

When a serious of unfortunate circumstances lands Evan in the hospital, Mel reluctantly agrees to pose as his fiancee for a week in order to help his extended quirky but feuding family-who has shown up en masse to tend to Evan-bond over something instead of their long-standing feud over what to do with the future of the B & B.

As Evans and Mel are forced to spend more and more time together to perpetuate the ruse, they begin to develop a real friendship and romantic sparks begin to fly.

But it's not real...or is it? City girl Mel may never be the same and she begins to question everything about her life choices and what really amounts to true-unfiltered-happiness.

Mel was somewhat an enigmatic side character in the first two books of the Influencer series. It was great to see her fully fleshed out as a character with an interesting backstory and endearing vulnerabilities.

This novel is a bittersweet but satisfying end to Lea's Influencer series. I love her well-constructed characters, her themes of acceptance and body positivity, as well as her sensitivity as an author to always provide thorough trigger warnings to her readers at the beginnings of her novels.

Journeying with Crystal, Tara, and Mel has been a pleasure and I will miss them. Definitely do not miss this final installment!

This is my first Amy Lea book and I flew through it. What I really liked:
- Details like Mel’s lash extensions and fear of creepy crawly creatures that made her feel like a realistic city girl
- The physical scenes (not all of them were sex scenes) were hot and I always like when the characters’ dialogue with each other is also sexy/hot
- The overall writing style. And I loved every scene with the character of Ian.
I don’t love/buy people falling in love and changing their whole lives after two weeks, and although I totally wanted Mel and Evan to get together, I didn’t completely believe that she would have been his type, let alone that he would have fallen in anything other than lust with her in that amount of time.

Although there were a few plot issues I didn’t love, I really enjoyed her writing style and now want to read her other books.