The ensemble of supporting characters, comprising the beloved couples from the previous two books and Evan's family, added an enjoyable dynamic to the narrative, and I found their presence thoroughly entertaining.

However, my only reservation pertains to the rapid development of Mel and Evan's relationship. Their connection seemed to progress swiftly within the span of two weeks, and as you know,

I've never been fond of instant love scenarios in literature. Personally, such instances often make the relationship feel hurried and somewhat lacking in depth.

<b> Thank you to Amy Lea, Berkley and Netgalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. </b>

When a date mixup leaves social media influencer Mel stranded she hastily books a week at a rundown Inn in charming Cora Cove. But this fashion and lifestyle influencer is out of her depth in this rural fishing town that doesn't even have high-speed internet. To make things worse Evan, one of the innkeepers, a grumpy lobster fisherman, hates her on-site. Desperate to save her brand from every looming irrelevance, Mel tries to make the best of a bad situation - offering her marketing help in exchange for sightseeing and photo shoot opportunities. But when Evan lands in the ICU in a coma, and Mel can't reach his family she claims to be his fiance in hopes of keeping an eye on him. But as such things always do this little lie quickly spirals out of control and throws (a now awake) Evan and Mel together in hopes of saving his family Inn.

This fake fiance, enemies to lovers, grumpy meets sunshine, and small-town romance will appeal to all those who secretly (or not so secretly) harbored the fantasy of being swept away by a grumpy fisherman. (Fans of Tessa Bailey's "It Happened One Summer" and those who are looking for more books with that vibe will love this). Evan is really the whole package, rugged, loyal, responsible, always says the right thing (when he wants to), and has the voice of an angel to boot. Sadly the relationship between the two main characters felt a little off until 2/3rds through the book. Mel herself felt a little too surface level and maybe this was the result of her as a character keeping everyone at arm's length all the time and presenting herself as a brand instead of as a person but as it was a single POV book it did make the read a bit difficult. What I did love <spoiler> was the third-act breakup. The fact that it didn't stem from a misunderstanding but a mutual understanding of the issues of a long-distance relationship (and Mel's trust issues) and the heartbreaking goodbye scene between the two characters, </spoiler> really made this book for me.

3.25/5 stars.
2/5 steam.

Note: Instagram story was posted today. Instagram posts will be posted ~2 weeks before the expected publication date.

Can’t go wrong with anything Amy Lea puts out. Her characters are always charming, their dialogue fun and the love scenes spicy. This one did not disappoint. Loved it!

This book is very middle of the road for me. A grumpy (for absolutely no reason whatsoever except to be tropey) fisherman and an influencer end up together for a week in Canada with some While Your Were Sleeping and The Proposal vibes. This book has some rom com moments and the fisherman isn’t grumpy for long and there’s a little bit of swoon, but it wasn’t mind blowing. I’m personally not a huge fan of rom com retellings. Like, let this book be a nod to it, not the exact same scene and vibes and I’m literally just reading a scene from that movie. That’s frustrating to me.

I was also distracted the entire book by the inevitable third act hovering over the book like the grim reaper. It’s not enjoyable for the book to be so predictable that I can’t enjoy these two being together because the break up is glaringly obvious and talked about on page so frequently. And I hate third act break ups so much, it’s ridiculous.

I have more thoughts but they just seem very complainy and rude that I’ll just keep them to myself (and for me to text my book bestie about later 🤣)

Reading an Amy Lea novel is like a balm to the soul of the finicky reader that I am, and each new book of hers only reaffirms my undying devotion to her work. The romance, the characters; everything was pure perfection.

I loved the conclusion to this series! This was nice and spicy, which I come to expect with this author. But, also had a lot of depth with elements of healing and found family. Will highly recommend for Romance bookclub! Thanks for the chance to preview this one! I loved it!

I’m not a huge social media person, but I love a good fish out of water - city meets small town trope. In this case, Melanie is a big city gal and social media influencer for fashion and beauty. Through some mishaps, Mel finds herself unexpectedly in the small fishing town of Cora’s Cove, where she encounters grumpy, and less than welcoming fisherman and B&B owner, Evan. An unexpected series of events lands the two dislike at first sight in a faux-mance, that might just lead to more…

You know, I just really had a good time reading this one. It was a fast, engaging read that kept me flipping the pages, I read the first half in one evening and the second the next day. I enjoy good romcom vibes and this one had a sprinkling of Schitts Creek meets While You Were Sleeping meets The Proposal vibes - an odd combination but one I really enjoyed.

Mel and Evan were great mains and I enjoyed their evolving relationship to one another from forced acquaintances, to faux-fiancé(es), to more. They had some great banter, and I definitely laughed out loud at some of their petty, one-up-man-shipping 😅 The secondary cast though not as central were certainly a memorable crew. I love a found family element, so it was lovely to see that here.

Though the romance itself kind of evolves quickly, I didn’t mind it here. Not generally my thing, but how it played out in this context felt right. It does have some open door steam stiff happening, which I know preferences vary around. (For those who prefer not, it is easy enough to read around).

I was pleased with the wrap up to the story which I felt came together in a sweet, and satisfying way. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read an early copy! 💜

✨I want to build a home inside this book and live there forever and ever and ever with a hot fisherman and cozy b&b and all the poutine I could ever eat and a charming if slightly dysfunctional family and fresh air that smells like pine trees and maple syrup and lobster. God so much lobster. I’ve never wanted to move to Canada so badly. The “what is health insurance?” joke hurt just a little bit too much. Nova Scotia I will be inside you.✨

Anyways, The Catch was such a fun blend of While You Were Sleep meets The Proposal in the best way possible. It embodied romcom humor SO WELL. I could pick out similar scenes from each of the movies while reading, but it was completely its own thing. (For those who don’t know, Lea’s Woke Up Like This is a YA 13 Going on 30 masterpiece!)

I know there will be more books and new series (and I will be SAT!!!) but how am I to move on??? Especially when Evan and Mel were so lovely and the book so atmospheric. Again, I just want to live in it! My favorite part was just the chosen family—similar to how Sandra Bullock craves it in both While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal. But it was also definitely the hottest book in the series.

So while I’m so sad to see this series end, what a lovely send off it was. We saw brief cameos of all the past characters, and I feel such an attachment to their patchwork friend group. I cried a few times, but I definitely cried just knowing the series was over because I’m become SO ATTACHED to the way Lea writes such soft and sexy romance. I think you could read this without reading the first two, but I think the emotions will emotion the best if read in order!


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️.75*/5

*Multiple open-door scenes, language was sometimes vague and sometimes explicit. Great dirty talk and various locations.


Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

An addictive read about a city girl stranded in a small fishing town. Chaos and misunderstandings ensue as Mel, Evan and his family come together to discover who and what is family.

I found out only after reading The Catch that it is the third in Amy Lea's influencer series, but it works well as a standalone.

Melanie is a Boston fashion influencer who is told that her content may be getting a bit stale. So she jumps at the opportunity of an all-expenses-paid week in small-town Nova Scotia, photographing Canadian local color for her blog. But thanks to a booking error, she finds herself staying in a rundown hotel with Lucy, a welcoming front desk clerk and Evan, a definitely NOT welcoming hulk of a lobster fisherman.

Mel has always kept things inside after her mother abandoned her and her younger brother Julian and her father passed away--wary about making new connections so she can avoid more loss in her life. Even her close friends (protagonists of the previous books in the series) don't know everything about her.

The story focuses on Melanie's initial reluctance to meet the challenges of a new environment, not to mention a hostile man. This is a romance, so we can guess what happens, but it's a lot of fun getting there. Evan, the fisherman (and so much more), is a terrific romantic foil. Lucy and Evan's relatives are embroiled in difficult family dynamics, but they can be a hoot as well. Julian turns out to be a surprising character, and Melanie's friends in Boston are cute and supportive.

I thought Melanie's background could have been enhanced a bit more, but overall It's a faux romance story that evolves delightfully into something else entirely. Now I'm thinking seriously about looking for the first two books in the series.

My thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

"" You want to be my power of attorney?"
"Of course I want to be your power of attorney." I think this is the single most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.""

If you don't like sassy, smart mouthed, stubborn people, who actually have good hearts, accidentally falling in love, this one may not be for you. I, however, absolutely loved this book!

Melanie, Mel, is a smart mouthed fashion influencer from Boston who is desperately trying to keep her follower numbers up. Lately all they seem to do is fall. A mistake has her arriving at her next paid gig a week early with all the rooms booked. It's tourist season so she is forced to drive an hour and a half away to the only available airbnb in a small town in Nova Scotia. There she runs into Evan, a grumpy, sour, Mel-hating man, wisecracker who has a mouth of his own.

Realizing that the airbnb is actually closed (they forgot to take down the listing), Mel negotiates her stay by offering to help with their marketing, since Evan and his cousin Lucy are desperate to try and save the little in. When a boating accident lands Evan in the hospital Mel fakes being his fiancée in order to stay with him until his family arrives only to be mistaken by them to be his actual fiancée. Lucy begs her to keep up the charade and help her family mend old fences. Mel, being the soft hearted person she truly is, agrees and together they pull Evan into the charade, when he regains consciousness that is. Queue the silent struggle for dominance in the 'relationship.' And cue a lot of snickering from me.

So, what did I think?

Well for the most part I found it to be a pretty entertaining book. I snickered enough times (I read this while camping), that I had to read out several pieces of the book to explain why I was quietly chuckling/snickering. Mel and Evan were just so...competitive and petty. I love me a 'good' petty person. The banter back and forth along with some pretty ridiculous situations, I couldn't help but laugh. The bathroom scene...lol I read that whole bit out loud for people cause I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Ridiculous, but not out of the realm of possibility. I know a person or two who would probably have the exact same reaction.

Despite their bickering and personality clashing, Mel and Evan grow in their relationship. Hikes, town tours, parties, ATV rides, camping gone wrong...you can see it. Mel falls for Evan, who kinda stops being such an ass all the time and reveals he can actually be quite thoughtful and sweet. Even if he has to rehome Jarvis and Mateo so Mel will stop shrieking and breaking things whenever she sees them.

My only slight grievance with this book is how roughly 2/3s of the way through the book their relationship suddenly just goes from 0 to 60. It felt like it came out of nowhere (to me) and I, honestly, could have done without it. Mel and Evan's relationship was believable without suddenly throwing in of public, ahem, displays of affection. I was good with them randomly making out.

I was so excited to get this ARC for “The Catch” from the fabulous author Amy Lea. I highly recommend this story - I was such a fan!

The Catch was a pleasant surprise! It started a little slow, but quickly drew me in. At first glance, what seemed to be a superficial MC turned out to be so much deeper. The Catch featured a slow burn romance between the MCs and a found family for the female MC - let's be honest the family she is welcomed into is amazing! Such a sweet book full of life lessons and hard truths - definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was adorable and swoony and I just couldn’t get enough. The sweet country boy just melted my heart. I loved the family’s role in their story.

My heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley, Berkley, and Amy Lea for an E-Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

This book…ahhhh! It’s the perfect mix of It Happened One Summer mixed with two of my favorite Sandy Bullock films: While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal.

The Catch is a great rom-com read that is filled with a great cast of characters, sweet romance, and not to mention a flannel plaid wearing grump that you cannot help but fall in love with. I have loved Amy Lea’s Influencer Series, and I reading this book was definitely bittersweet knowing that it would be the last time hanging out with Crystal, Tara, and Melanie. I am going to miss reading their hilarious banter and how they support one another! Thank you, Amy Lea, for these amazing characters and the lessons they have taught me.

Crystal (Set on You) reminded me that being confident in your own skin is the most beautiful thing you can do. Tara (Exes and O’s) showed me that it is alright to embrace my emotions and lean into what makes me “crazy”!

And at last, Melanie enlightened me in how much happier we would all be if we just….just kidding! No spoilers here. I will let you just read her story when it come out February 13, 2024! Mark it in your calendar, folks, and get ready to travel with Melanie to Cora Cove in Nova Scotia. Until then, I am going to find somewhere I can eat poutine and grab a box of timbits!

I LOVED the first two books in this series so much - this one didn't completely hit the mark for me, but I still devoured it in one day, and it was enjoyable enough! I'm giving it 3.5 stars.

Synopsis: Melanie is a fashion influencer struggling to feel inspired by her content - and her followers can tell that her content is getting stale. When she gets the opportunity for a week-long stay at a luxury resort in Nova Scotia, she has to take it - the perfect opportunity to grab some great photos for her social media. But when she arrives at the hotel, she finds out the dates of her trip are wrong, and she has to find an option for accommodation for the week before the luxurious trip starts. There's only one option, as the area is busy with whale/fishing season, and it turns out to be a sketchy AirBnB with an even sketchier host in fisherman Evan Whaler. Sketchy because he seems to HATE Mel right off the bat - what did she do strong? The tension worsens - Evan ends up in the hospital after a boating accident, and for Mel to return to the room, she tells doctors she's his fiancee. When he awakens, he finds out he's in a pickle - to his (and his entire family's) surprise; he's engaged to someone he dislikes. But it could be an opportunity for Evan to bring his feuding family together and for Melanie to get some great social media content. As time passes, we see Evan's mood soften toward Melanie, and Mel realizes that life doesn't have to revolve around "likes." Will this fake engagement turn into a real love?

Trust me, I love a romance novel, and I don't even mind if they veer on far-fetched. But I DO like them to make sense, and a few things could have made more sense. Upon finding out why Evan was prickly and downright rude to Melanie at first, his reasoning didn't validate treating a paying guest at his inn like complete rubbish! If I walked into an Airbnb and the owner treated me like that...I would have lost my mind! WHAT?! Also, it didn't make sense to me that this fisherman, flannel-obsessed boy would magically fall for a girl who wears heels on a boat and almost kills him while setting up her tripod on a boat for the perfect shot. I suppose that opposites attract, but that didn't make any sense to me. I can't picture a guy who hikes to a waterfall to really take in the moment falling in love with a girl who hikes to a waterfall and then asks him to take the perfect photo multiple times without actually looking at said waterfall.

And another random tidbit, but part of me liked that it was Evan who showed up on Mel's door, in the end, to win her back. Still, there was a missed opportunity to return to Nana's story about how she met her husband and, after returning to the big city, traveled back to the Cove and found him on a boat. He said, "What took you so long?" Or something to that effect! It would have been such a great cyclical moment for Mel to find Evan on a boat after returning to Boston, realizing her love for him, heading back to the Cove, and for him to say the same thing - mainly because Nana was such an important sub-character.

But hey, this is such a quick read that can truly be devoured quickly. It's a fun romcom; I always love an Amy Lea steamy scene, and by gosh, I would date the HECK out of Evan, ha!

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

Have I felt like I have read this plot before? Sure. Will I tire of it? Absolutely not. Plus, it's Amy Lea so you can't lose. I think fans of any Sandra Bullock movie will love this, plus anyone who wants more whale-watching in their books.

This was another great read by Amy Lea! I thoroughly enjoyed Mel and Evan, and their love/hate dynamic. And now I want to visit eastern Canada!

Amy Lea is back with her The Influencer series and this time she's taking us on a trip to Nova Scotia. I had a great time reading this book and here's why:

* It was cool that this book left Boston for another location. It gave this book a fresh feel while still being connected to the first two books in the series. The new setting was so much fun! I loved the Canadian coastal town and the rundown inn. They were almost characters themselves.
* The meet-hate was awkward in the best way. I loved the irritation that simmered with chemistry that developed between Mel and Evan.
* The accidental fake relationship between them brought some big laughs along with the chance for a deeper connection between Mel and Evan.
* I liked learning about Mel and Evan's pasts and what shaped them into who they were. There was trauma to unpack and the way they shared it with each other and grew through it was special.
* The side characters were larger than life. Lucy was great. I would love for her to get her own romance. Evan and Lucy's family was hilarious. The feuds, the wackiness...pretty much everything about them added fun to the story. It was also nice to get a little Crystal and Tara as well.
* The spider, the slug, and the centipede.
* Lea did a great job mixing the big, tough emotions with uplifting, laughter filled moments.

There was only one thing that didn't work for me as well as I wanted it to...

* There was a big build up to the characters finally acting on their attraction, but somehow it still felt like instant love. It almost felt like it came out of nowhere when Evan was wanting Mel to stay his fiancée. It shouldn't have, but the only thing I could think of to maybe make it work better for me was having at least a few chapters in Evan's POV.

Other than that one thing, I loved this book. It was a lot of fun to read. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Lea wants to write next.

How can I be more obsessed with this book? The answer is, I cant! Everything about this book was perfection. From the witty banter to the emotional moments to the character development. I loved it. Do yourself a favor and read this one.