This was really cute! For fans of The Proposal, When You Were Sleeping and small town romances. Grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract and a heroine with so much familial baggage but highly relatable. If you're a parentified child, you'll relate to Melanie. Evan's family is great and they all are really well done characters. Mel's influencer friends were new to me because I haven't read the others in the series, but I'm certainly interested in going back to finish the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Amy Lea can do no wrong in my eyes! I have loved everything I have read from her and this was DEFINITELY no exception. It was heartfelt, funny, bittersweet, and overall a great experience reading it. The characters were dynamic and flawed, but the author really lets you see where each of them are coming from in an honest and open way. Plus, I love the fake-relationship trope. Its always a good time in my book. Can't wait to read more from her in the future!

Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram

The Catch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
comes out Feb 13!!! (perfect Valentine’s Day read!)

First of all, ladies get you a guy who supports and understands your eyelash obsession! 😂

Ugh this book just rolled all my favorite tropes in one amazing read and I just loved it so much!

It was set in a small fishing town in Canada- so obviously it came with all the quirks any small town story has. There was a whalewatching scene and Lobster Fest and I loved reading about them all! Also, I loved learning about the fishing lifestyle - i’m not talking about the fishing photos we are all familiar with (you guys know what I’m talking about 😂) but actual fishing for a living!

It was an enemies to lovers that started with an unfortunate meet cute and witty banter.

It had fake dating/ engagement and it opened up opportunities to so many cute scenes especially the male lead’s family is adorably overbearing 😂

She’s a high maintenance, big city, lifestyle influencer and he is a plaid wearing fisherman who loves living in his childhood town. So yesss, opposites attract + grump/ sunshine lovers, this is for you too!!

As for SPICEEE, you guys. I think Amy Lea is my favorite when it comes to finding the perfect balance of spice and story! And to my spice loving friends, this won’t disappoint because it iz spicyyy 😉🌶️

Lastly, it is instalove but this trope doesn’t bother me anymore because IT CAN HAPPEN, okay? 😂

But beyond all the cuteness from the book, it, touches on the concept of finding your home. Being someone who had always moved her entire adult life, the “finding your home” storyline is near and dear to my heart.

I can talk about this book all day, so please, do yourselves a favor and read it so you could experience the joy this book brings!

I listened to parts of it on audio and the narrator was superb! It was so easy to follow!! Thank you @prhaudio for the audiobook!

💭 Will you ever consider being in a long distance relationship?
☕️ Quality time is one of my love languages so no for me 😂

Thank you @berkleyromance for my complimentary copy and @prhaudio for my audiobook. My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartners

This was my first book by Amy Lea and I really enjoyed it! Grumpy/Sunshine is my favorite romance trope and the banter between Melanie and Evan is hilarious! The storyline centers around a fashion influencer who shows up at the wrong Canadian bed and breakfast and demands a room only to be refused by the grumpy lobster fisherman who owns the inn. Through a series of mishaps Melanie somehow finds herself agreeing to be this disagreeable man’s fake fiancée for a week! Then the fun really begins!

I alternated reading and listening to this one and I enjoyed both versions. Kelsey Navarro Foster does an excellent job narrating the story which unfolds through Melanie’s perspective.

Don’t miss this one if you enjoy:

*Grumpy/Sunshine
*Fake Fiancée
*Forced Proximity
*Hilarious Banter
*Slow burn, then LOTS of spice!

I loved the first two books in the Influencer series - they had the right amount of heart and the heroines were exactly what I look for in my rom coms. I was super excited when I scored a copy of this on Netgalley. Unfortunately, The Catch just did not land with me the way that Amy Lea's first two books did. Sadly, this book honestly felt a little paint by numbers - it hit most of the expected romance beats, but did so without any of the heart or chemistry.

When reading books, I try not to draw too many comparisons to similar books - but this one really had It Happened One Summer vibes, to the point that it was impossible for me to not think about their similarities while reading. Unfortunately, this was not a flattering comparison for The Catch. Where It Happened One Summer had similar leads (a grumpy fisherman and a outgoing fish out of water female lead) and told a similar story (big city girl in a small town) - The Catch lacked the heart, chemistry between the two leads, and character growth that It Happened One Summer had.

I just could not get invested in Evan and Melanie's story - they didn't grow or change in an organic way throughout the story. Also, their romance was a little too instalove for me - one day Evan just declared that he was in love with her and she should drop everything? That he had been in love with her since they met despite him being a bit of a tool to her? I don't know, it just didn't work for me and it felt like the author was telling the reader to make logical leaps that her writing just didn't account for.

Overall, I'm bummed that I really did not enjoy this one. I had high hopes, but I think this has bumped Amy Lea from being an autobuy author for me. The whole book just felt phoned in and overall I probably should have DNF'd this one.

Gahhhhhh. This book gave me all the feels!! I absolutely loved it from beginning to end and was rooting so hard for Melanie and Evan.

I adore a good grumpy/ sunshine story and this one was right up my alley! I enjoyed it so much that I requested the others in this series from the library and have my weekend reading all set.

The setting was wonderful and I absolutely adored Evan’s family and their lack of boundaries.

I will definitely be reading other books by Amy Lea. An enormous thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

@amyleabooks has done it again 🎣 and captured my heart 💙

Thank you @berkleypub for my #gifted copy!

It’s no secret that I love Amy’s The Influencer series, and The Catch is no exception.

Melanie needs to figure out how to maintain her followers and brand deals in order to keep her income. So, she decides to take a trip to Canada to visit a resort, but the resort messed up the dates. Now, she has to stay in a rural fishing village in a bed-and-breakfast run by grumpy fisherman, Evan. When Evan ends up in the hospital, Melanie pretends to be his fiancée so he isn’t alone. The problem? Now his family also thinks they’re engaged.

THIS BOOK HAS ALL THE FEELS 🥰 I loved the characters, the banter, the setting, the tropes! If you’re wondering if you should start this series, the answer is yes.

I cannot wait to read what Amy writes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litbylillireviews

When influence Mel gets invited to an all expenses paid Canadian resort for one week in exchange for content, she jumps on the opportunity. Only to find her travel reservation was screwed over. She finds an inn in a small town, the only one available for the time frame she needed. When she arrives at said inn, which was in a state of disrepair, she runs into the grumpy bearded inn co-owner Evan. Throw in a fake engagement, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, and what do we get? A blossoming romance between the two?

This was cute! I read it on vacation and definitely enjoyed it since I was on a vacay on the water. Lea did a great job with the small town vibes and details about the Cove where I felt like I was there. Mel and Evan were absolutely perfect for each other. I got total Victoria Justice vibes x Falling Inn Love x While You Were Sleeping.

Wonderful little rom-com and a good wrap up to the 'Influencer' trilogy. I laughed out loud a few times as well as held back some tears. This is a perfect opposites attract romance and is very similar to rom-coms of the mid-nineties. So, if you're a fan of those then this book is perfect for you.

Every time I picked up "The Catch", I was whisked away, and simply could not put this book down!

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Lea, and it certainly will not be my last. Her writing style is vivid, detailed, and her passion for the story she is telling is so clear, and there is so much heart in this story. Her characters have such depth, and they immediately jump right off of the page.

(Possible Spoilers!
Oh my gosh! This book truly has so much in it! Enemies-to-lovers turns into fake engagement, and Mel and Evan's story is filled with romance, deep emotional moments, family, and so much more. They truly help one another, understand each other in such a deep way, and the way they support each other is beautiful. This novel also discusses grief and healing, and these are such poignant parts of these characters lives that have shaped these two into whom they are. It is truly so moving.

I absolutely loved the setting of this novel as well! So quaint, special, and beautiful!

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Ms. Lea writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this novel, and to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a fun read. I liked Mel in the first two books so it was fun to learn more about her life and passions. I also liked this contained zero weird social media post pages. I don’t love insta-love as a trope and that is what this felt like, but you just have to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. There are lots of charming and funny moments that endear you to Evan and help you believe in the chemistry with Mel. I still will never be a fan of fake dating but this book was a fun time. If you want a fun book that has AAPI rep, small town romance, and a grumpy-sunshine romance, pick this book up!

The Catch
by: Amy Lea
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley

Atmosphere and attraction of opposites are everything in Amy Lea's book, The Catch. Female lead, Melanie, didn't plan to spend a week at a bed and breakfast in a remote fishing village on the Canadian coast. She also didn't plan to meet the likes of fisherman Evan. As a fashion influencer from Boston, Melanie is an upscale resort kind of woman.
Lea's story is a funny and engaging romantic comedy which was published during Valentine's week. The story has a significant spice factor at times, so keep that in mind. I would certainly read the first two books in Lea's "The Influencer" series.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for an advance reader copy. My review is my own.

This book was hilarious and heartfelt and so binge worthy. I read it in one sitting at my desk at work, clearly no work was being done. Amy’s stories are such a bright spot in the romance genre.

The final installment of Amy Lea's influencer romance series takes the reader to Canada with a fish out of water story that hooks the reader instantly.

"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.”"

Mel needs a rebrand to boost her influencer status but a mix up puts her in the path of the burly Evan. In Mel we meet a woman who is unsure of herself and hesitates to speak up in her personal life in the same way she does in her business life.

In her interactions with Evan we see her find a voice, of sorts, Lea utilizes the enemies to lovers and the fake dating but by creating unique and engaging characters the expected storylines are fresh and heartfelt.

The tension between them is palpable and take the reader through the anxious journey as they find their way.

There's an added bonus of getting an update on the characters from the previous books in this series.

Definitely a fun read!

A Summertime Hallmark Movie, with some added spice. I loved getting to spend time in Coral Cove with a burly fisherman who wears flannel. There's something about this small town that helped our heroine fall in love with not only a remote fishing village, but with the whole community. This feel good romance is sweet for summer.

Oh Amy, you had us at the lobsters!
FMC, Melanie Karlsen, finds herself out of Boston and off the east coast of Canada in an effort to save her influencer brand. Of course, everything goes awry! They booked her flight a week too early and they have no openings at her bougie lodge so she finds herself at a small fishing village bed-and-breakfast. Upon entering this bed-and-breakfast she runs into quirky little lobsters and a burly, bearded, grumpy fisherman. Grumpy fisherman, Evan Whaler, finds himself in a predicament at the hospital and ends up with a fake fiance, Melanie!
The moment we saw this was an available arc we jumped at the chance to read Amy Lea’s latest book in advance. After reading the other two Influencer books in the series we were so excited to get our hands on this one! It was so much fun being in Amy Lea’s world again, but set in a sea side village. It was definitely giving us some “It Happened One Summer” vibes with a dose of cute-sy little lobsters. Ugh, have I mentioned the lobsters enough?! If you can’t tell, we loved them! If you are looking for a sweet romance with a healthy dose of great side characters, strap yourself in for this read!
Happy release day and thanks for the advanced arc!!

Each book we get from Amy Lea's Influencer series is fantastic, and The Catch is my new favorite one! This grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating/fiancé’s, and small-town romance caught my attention and reeled me in! I felt the chemistry between Mel and Evan, and it was intense!

Influencer Melanie is desperate enough to accept a trip to a remote Canadian resort, but a series of mishaps lands her at a closed B&B with a (hot but) terrifying fisherman owner. As she gets to know Evan and his sister, though, Melanie is determined to help them save their family business. A fun read, although I found Melanie's general well meaning but clumsy mien to be a little grating after a while.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book. But it unfortunately fell flat for me. I adored Amy’s debut, didn’t get the chance to read the second book, but when this came available to me I jumped at the opportunity to read this. And I struggled

Mel, our FMC, is a fashion/lifestyle influencer. It’s basically her personality because in the 37% I read i saw no her. You know. What makes her laugh, what makes her cry, who is she outside of being an influencer, what does she do for fun that isn’t work? Would those have been answered if I finished the book? Maybe. The whole book is in her POV so I should have found something likable about her. But I didn’t

Evan, our MMC, is grumpy…and mean to the FMC. A MMC can be grumpy without being mean. I do believe he has more layers than just what Mel thinks about him. And if this book were dual POV I may have flown through this book

So while I thank Berkley Pub for an ARC, this book unfortunately didn’t work for me

4.5 Stars
Happy belated publication day to this book!
This one was probably my favorite installment of this series - Mel's character growth was great to see and it was impossible not to fall for Evan and I loved following their story. I also loved that this one was set in Nova Scotia, my sister lives in Yarmouth, NS right now and the East Coast has a special place in my heart (the seafood is fresh and so good, all the people are so friendly and the laid back vibes are so relaxing), so I totally get why Mel fell in love with it as well. I enjoyed how Amy Lea wrapped up the entire series in that epilogue (and I actually didn't hate the HEA ending in this one for once because it was realistic for the story) and will definitely keep an eye out for more from this author in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!