4.5 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

what an ending to the influencer series! i really enjoyed The Catch and i think this was my fav book in the series yet. this book gives the While You’re Sleeping x The Proposal vibes that we all needed in a book 😍

The Catch pairs well with Tim Hortons (i needed an iced cap the whole time i read this). The fact that I’ll be in Halifax, Nova Scotia next month when this book is published, too, makes my heart so happy 🥹

if there’s one thing Amy Lea does well, it’s enemies to lovers 🫶🏼 i absolutely loved the dynamic between Evan & Mel, i think the evolution of their enemies to lovers relationship with grumpy sunshine was done so well. i’ll forever be sitting here and waiting for Lucy’s book, though 🥺

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 B&B 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 longstanding 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?

Evan & Mel’s book was just so cozy and romantic, i truly enjoyed every second of their story and I’m sad that we won’t get to see them through another book! like honestly, how do i move on?! 🌊 The Catch was the perfect send off for the end of this series, and I’ll truly miss this friend group 🤍

tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-grumpy sunshine
-opposites attract
-fake dating
-forced proximity
-spice (in public!!)

thank you to Berkley Pub for the ARC, i truly am grateful 🤍

Ahhh I adored this book and the audio so much! It started off a little wonky, but once it picked up I really loved it!

4.25 stars
Huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book!

Y’all this was adorable! I felt like I was rewatching a Sandra Bullock movie. It was the perfect mix of classic romcoms like While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal, while still maintaining a unique and modern charm.

I adored both of our main love interests. I am a sucker for a grumpy male main character and Evan did not disappoint. I love how Amy gave us insight on both Mel and Evan’s backstory and didn’t cut any corners on the character development. Sometimes in a romance book it’s easy to make characters one dimensional and Amy crafted an amazing cast that truly had laughing throughout!

I do wish the beginning was a little faster, but once certain things happened, there was no putting this book down for me. Definitely make sure to add this one to your tbr! Also I went into The Catch without reading either of the books prior to this one, and I was NOT confused, so they can definitely be read out of order! But you best believe I’m about to go back and read them asap!

Amy Lea's books have been on my TBR for a long time, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to review this one. Thank you, @berkleyromance and @prhaudio, for the free book and audiobook of the third book in Amy Lea's Influencer series, available on February 13, 2023.

Melanie is a Boston-based social media influencer struggling to keep her account relevant as the social media tides change. Therefore, she is excited when she is offered a free stay at a Canadian 5-star resort in exchange for her posting content about the hotel. Only when she arrives, there is a mixup with the dates, and she needs to quickly find a temporary place to stay, which is how she finds herself in a very suspect B&B in a small fishing village run by a quirky young woman and her very grumpy (and attractive) cousin. Over the course of just over a week, a series of chaotic events ensue that result in a near-death experience, a fake engagement, a family reunion, and the airing of a lot of emotional baggage.

I usually don't go for the big-city girl/small-town guy storyline in books. However, the madcap humor, quirky family, and how Lea gave the characters more depth and complexity than I was expecting made this one a welcome little surprise. The inn itself and all of the side characters make this one shine - from the story behind the family portrait in the dining room to naming the spider living in the bathroom and how the family pulls back together. Although this was the third in a series, and I have not read the previous two books, I didn't feel like I lost any enjoyment as the central characters from the first two books are incidental in this book.

Title: The Catch Amy Lea

Publication Date- 02/13/24
Publisher- Berkley Publishing
Overall Rating- 3.5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Catch by Amy Lea was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. This is the third book in the “influencer” series which takes a look at the lives and careers of influencers. It’s a series I never thought I would enjoy like I have.

The standout of Amy Lea’s writing that continues into The Catch is humor. If you are looking for a rom com that truly has the comedy element this is for you. I loved our main character, she demonstrated growth while not losing pieces of herself that matter. One of my favorite elements of the story was the “Schitt's Creek,” vibes. Our main character is truly displaced and that really adds to the humor. I had many moments where I was literally laughing out loud. Once you read it, come back and talk to me about the spider conversation because that wrecked me. I felt a lot of joy in the belly laughs.

Now you might be wondering why it’s not a 5 star. I think the more I read rom coms I know the formula and I imagine it has to be so hard to come off that formula as a writer. That’s the main reason it’s not a 5 for me, I really felt the formulaic element and would have liked something a little more different. I do want to own though that authors do their best to come up with unique situations and circumstances. I hope this genre can continue to move forward and create new stories. I think something that would have made this involved or interesting would be more heartfelt moments. That’s a really tough thing to balance with so much good humor but that’s what I felt made it fall flat for me at times.

Read this for the humor, good conversations about influencing, family of origin, being seen, and if you like a good renovation story. I will also say that for once the story gave what it promised it would.

I loved absolutely everything about this book! The grumpy x sunshine relationship, the banter, the spice. I loved how the fake relationship started and then slowly began to develop. This book had all my favorite tropes and delivered them in the best way possible. I enjoyed how Mel brought Evan out of the negative cloud he had been living in from the beginning of the book. This one was sweet and hilarious from start to finish.

2.5 rounded up to a 3.
Even though I've enjoyed other books in The Influencer series, this one fell flat for me.

I don't know if this series is officially over or not, but if it is? This was the pièce de résistance. It has enemies to lovers, fake dating, fake FIANCÉS, and a charming Canadian small town atmosphere. Pure unfiltered catnip y'all. The narration was seamless and it really helped me get in the Coral Cove mindset. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing more books there! Evan is an absolute hunk and Mel really comes into her own - I loved the focus on removing the filter she has over her emotions and her social media. It gave me all the feels and really cemented my love for this series. Overall? This book is a true catch.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the ALC*

Reviewed for Shelf Awareness:
Amy Lea (Exes and O's) takes her followers on a trip to a fishing village in coastal Nova Scotia in The Catch, the third rom-com in her sweet and subversive The Influencers series. When fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen arrives at a resort she's meant to promote and learns there's been a scheduling mixup, she hastily requests a reservation at the only Airbnb available in the area. Lobsterman and innkeeper Evan Whaler is unimpressed when an overdressed city girl shows up at his downtrodden inn expecting accommodations for a week. The inn is not only closed for renovations, it's at the center of a longstanding conflict between his mother and aunt.
The ensuing opposites-attract romance is a fish out of water turned fake engagement story with humor and depth. The two make all kinds of assumptions about each other, which play out to great comic effect as they are forced together again and again. Lea also tests readers' assumptions with a heroine who claims unapologetic ownership of her body and image, including past cosmetic surgery. The Catch is also full of surprisingly poignant moments as Evan and Mel both work to repair complicated family relationships and determine their professional goals.
The brilliance of The Catch lies in the author's ability to enthrall readers with clever twists on expected story beats and complex, lovable characters. This funny, medium-spicy romance is a great fit for fans of It Happened One Summer and Book Lovers.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for my free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Mel ends up in Canada at a B&B, where she meets Evan. A cute fisherman. Evan ends up having an accident and Mel accidentally tells the hospital that she is his fiancé. Honestly I’m a fan of “fake dating tropes” sometimes if done correctly but this book was very slow. I’m not a fan of slow burns when the spice doesn’t pick up until 55% into the book and it was only in one part of the book. I was looking forward to this book because I loved the other ones but this fell short for me.

I’ve read all these books in this series but this is my last favorite.

It's quite the bittersweet feeling finishing this series! I loved Crystal and Tara's stories, and I had quite high expectations for Mel's. I'm glad to say it lived up to my expectations.

The Catch follows Mel, a fashion influencer, as she finds herself in a small town in Eastern Canada and meets Evan, a fisherman. As a Canadian, I loved the Canadian references! I thought the small town setting was charming and really brought out the best in terms of romantic situations. I thought Evan and Mel had remarkable chemistry, and seeing them fall in love had me squealing like a little girl. This book did cover heavier themes and watching both Mel and Evan navigate these difficult personal situations together was truly what made their relationship stand out to me.

If you enjoy anything by Emily Henry or Christina Lauren, you'll love this book!

First and foremost, I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I could not put it down. The idea of a fish-out-of-water character like Mel and a fisherman from a small town like Evan was so attractive to me and the only reason I wanted to read this book, the fake dating part is just a bonus part of the plot to me that sweetened the deal. If you previously enjoyed Set on You and/or Exes and Oh’s like me, you will most likely enjoy The Catch. I really loved how Evan and Mel helped each other heal with their love, such a lovely read!

My only and tiny complain is that I wish there had been more of that found family aspect between that comes with the best friendship of the three girls in this series! That’s all and it doesn’t take away from the goodness of this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
️️🌶️🌶️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Small Town
- Opposites Attract
- Found Family
- Forced Proximity

Amy Lea’s ‘The Influencer’ series has been some of my favorite reads and The Catch is no exception!

A perfect blend of While You Were Sleeping x The Proposal is the best way to describe this book. Mel gets stuck at a bed and breakfast in a small village and is at odds with the owner/local fisherman - Evan. Shenanigans happen and then Mel and Evan find themselves in a fake date situation.

This is a fast paced love story and it works well with Mel and Evan. Mel is the determined sunshine and Evan is the grump (but secretly a cinnamon roll). There are little things that each of them do for each other that show how much they care for each other (eyelash scene IYKYK). Along with Mel and Evan’s snarkiness and banter is a whole fun group of supporting characters - like Crystal or Tara from the previous books in the series but my favorites are the newcomers - Evan’s family!

I have really loved this universe and will miss seeing these characters. This is such a fun series, and does a great job of not making you feel like you missed anything if you haven’t read the previous one. This book follows a fashion influencer named Melanie who is trying to change her audience, she is supposed to be visiting a resort to shoot content. Immediately things go sideways when the resort informs her that they made a mistake and mixed up her dates, but they are sold out and can’t accommodate her until the following week. She books a room at a nearby B&B to stay at until she can continue on to the resort, and meets our grumpy lobster fisherman/innkeeper who lets her know that the B&B is currently closed… It only spirals from there! It was an enjoyable read, kept me entertained and had such lovable characters. Highly recommend, and if you haven’t read Crystal or Tara’s stories you absolutely should go grab them too!

Sadly, a book that was incredibly bland and forgettable to me. Pockets of enjoyable moments that allowed this book to maintain my attention to the end, but not enough to make me fall in love with either character.

The last installment in Lea's influencer romance series, The Catch is your classic grumpy/sunshine, small-town boy/big city girl romance. Aka, It Happened One Summer. And I hate to be someone who compares novels because I think my judgment of one does not depend on my judgment of another.... however, It Happened One Summer is one of my favorite novels because it does not fall into the pitfalls of this book.

Melanie is stuck in a rut. She's no longer excited by her influencer job and feels that though she has two very close friends, she is lonely. When a resort offers her a free week's stay in return for social media content, she jumps at the fresh environment. Just her luck, however, is that the resort has mixed up the dates of her stay. Melanie scrambles to find a replacement for a week, ending up nearly an hour away in a small town at what appears to be a rundown inn. She mistakenly insults the inn's appearance just as the grumpy, growly owner, Evan, appears behind her. Melanie and Evan continually butt heads, Evan holding on to his grudge at her harsh judgment of the inn and Melanie responding with grumpiness in turn. Eventually, this book develops into a very half-baked fake dating plotline. Evan's cousin Lucy thinks that the way to reunite their family and keep from selling the inn is by having everyone bond over Melanie and Evan's engagement.

I had a lot of problems with this one. I was really hooked within the first few pages, expecting the joy of It Happened One Summer all over again. My first issue was the timeline of the story. The whole story takes place over a week. You expect me to believe they fell in love that fast? I don't. And not just because of the accelerated timeline, but because I didn't even witness it happen. One moment Evan and Mel are sniping at each other and Evan is rude and brusque and dismissive, and the next they are suddenly falling for each other? I couldn't even sense the physical tension between these two.

Also, he got a serious fucking head injury???? And then the book completely forgets about that?? Like literally seizing, serious concussion, the doctor says no strenuous activity. Then like 2 days later they're madly in love and doing an expert-level multi-hour hike. Huh? Did we forget the head injury????

Additionally, Evan was quite flat in personality. He had no growth throughout the story, claims that he never disliked Melanie and was just grumpy because it was a bad day and he couldn't handle how much he wanted her, and then basically has no hopes or dreams the whole rest of the plot. Melanie on the other hand had a much clearer arc of emotional challenges that she overcame to be with Evan.

I just couldn't cement myself emotionally in this story and I'm so disappointed because I saw a real growth in Lea's writing and storytelling skills between Set on You and Exes and Ohs and this felt like such a step back.

3.75*
This book was super cute. A great finale to the Influencer series by Amy Lea. Mel and Evan may even be my favorite couple from the series.
I love the Grumpy x Sunshine trope. Evan is definitely grumpy. To the point where I was unsure that he actually did like her and I was a little blindsided from him professing his feelings towards Mel.
Calling his fake-fiancé his fiancée and being protective over her when they weren’t even dating was too damn cute. I want someone to be obsessed with me like that!
I loved the town and subsequent secondary characters! They were all so well rounded and played their parts perfectly in the story. I need Lucy and Kyle to get their own happily ever after books. Lea has a way of making you care about the people that Evan has made part of his life.
This book was recommended to me as “perfect for fans of ‘It Happened One Summer’ by Tessa Bailey” and I agree completely.

I loved this one so much! This was a fast paced, fun, contemporary romance, and it was just what I needed. Mel is a great heroine, and I look forward to reading more of Amy Lea's work.

If you don't have THE CATCH by Amy Lea on your most anticipated lists of 2024...you need to change that immediately. This was the perfect grumpy/sunshine romance. It definitely reminded me of IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey, so I would 100% recommend picking this one up if you enjoyed that one as well!

What a fantastic book to kick off 2024 with!

The Catch follows the story of Melanie and Evan. Fashion Influencer, Melanie, is feeling what all social medialites feel, the worry of irrelevance. In an effort to refresh her brand, Melanie finds herself in a rural fishing village in Canada. Unfortunately, her trip to Canada is nothing like she expected. First, there is a mixup with her reservations, which puts her on the radar of Evan Wheeler, a local Bed & Breakfast owner, who hates Melanie on the spot. Despite wanting to turn her away, fate keeps bringing this unlikely pair together. And when a boating accident lands Evan in the hospital, a simple lie from Melanie turns both of their worlds upside down.

I am a sucker for opposites attract, fake relationship romances with a broody male main character, and The Catch does not disappoint. The broodiness oozed off of Evan and provided some incredible banter and tension. Yes, Melanie and Evan were such an unexpected pair. But, when fate brings the two of them together in the most unexpected way, the sparks between them were off the chart. Suddenly, things weren’t as simple as they seemed and I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out.

The Catch sucked me in from the very first page. I couldn’t help but fall for Melanie and Evan. They kept me on my toes and had me devouring each and every word of their story. This is my first book by author Amy Lea, and it certainly won’t be my last.

DNF at 54%…I loved the first two books of this series but this one was such a disappointment. I wasn’t a fan of Mel and Evan. Their romance isn’t believable. I didn’t like how shallow and closed off Mel was and Evan is too much for a grump. The supporting characters were okay but I couldn’t invest in their family drama.