🦞 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 🦞
‘a grumpy lobster fisherman tosses a fashion influencer’s impeccably curated life overboard…’

🦞 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 🦞
firstly, thank you to @netgalley @amyleabooks & @vikingbooksuk for allowing me to read this ARC!

this was my first book by amy lea and it didn’t disappoint; it’s the third in the influencer series so i can’t wait to read the other two now! yes, i’m reading it backwards 😅

how can i influence you to read this book?
🦞 grumpy x sunshine
🦞 fake engagement
🦞 small town romance

i really enjoyed it, it was just what i needed after reading a court of silver flames - it wasn’t the most original story i’ve ever read but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment AT ALL!

i loved the characters and family dynamics in this book! both of the characters had backstories that were sad, but well developed. the romance between melanie and evan was really sweet (and spicy) - i was actually giggling at some points… when he got her eyelashes 🥲😍

the endings in romances are usually so cheesy but i didn’t get those vibes at all from this, it was actually believable 👏🏻

the one thing i didn’t LOVE (and this goes for all romances) was allllllll the descriptions of evan’s oceany blue eyes and how MASSIVE he is… unless this man is a literal giant and has ACTUAL ocean eyes, i don’t want to read it multiple times in a chapter 😂 however, it wasn’t as bad as the spanish love deception (the worst book i’ve read for this trope) and it did get less and less as the book went on which was a relief 🌊

🦞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭? 🦞
yes!!! this books releases on the 15th of february and if you need a bit of escapism, this is perfect! it’s a quickly, easy, FUN read and would be fab if you’re in a reading slump 💙

🦞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞… 🦞
it happened one summer by tessa bailey! it’s very similar to this 👀 i actually enjoyed this one more as i really don’t enjoy tessa bailey’s spicy scenes 🫢🌶️😅

So I’ve read exes and o’s by Amy Lea and adored it.. however this one was not for me. I wasn’t rooting for them as a couple and found them both childish. I think this could be solely because contemporary enemies to lovers hardly ever works for me.

This was the finale of the 3 book influencer series and I thoroughly enjoyed it, along with the first two books in this series! Evan came across as your typical big, grumpy, standoffish man while Mel was very much loud and bright and the total opposite of him. When they end up having to pretend to be engaged and have to spend time together we start to see more of their real personalities come out and even more so as they start to fall for each other.
It was full of tropes I love; grumpy x sunshine, fake dating and enemies to lovers so I had so much fun reading this charming romcom

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I normally reallyyyy appreciate a book with a grumpy v sunshine, “enemies” to lovers vibe, but it didn’t grip me and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two of them.

Loved Exes and Ohs and I hope to read more from Amy Lea in the future, as I’m sure there are more great things to come!

Really enjoyed this read this sweet read!
An adorable small town romance with really enjoyable characters and a cozy setting.

Full review tbc!

I loved this book

The MMC is the grumpiest of grumps when they first meet and I loved it

There were so many funny laugh out loud moments, like the camping, and just overall banter between the MCs. And also so many sweet moments, especially from the MMC, i was melting for him

The book is mainly set over a two week period but their relationship didn't feel rushed at all and i loved how vulnerable they were with each other

I enjoyed the journey we went on with Mel when she was kind of rediscovering herself

The grand gesture at the end!!!! It was so good!!! The mini plot twist (nothing bad) i cant it was so cute

- small town
- fake dating / fake fiancé
- forced proximity
- opposites attract, he’s from a small town x shes an influencer from the city
- single pov, 1st person

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own

I have loved the influencer series from the start especially the first two. I cannot believe this series has come to an end. I did really enjoy this one.
I thought Mel and Evan were great and I really love the grumpy x sunshine trope it's the best so I obviously really enjoyed this book!
A perfect end to the series :)
4/5 stars!
Can't wait to see what Amy Lea releases next!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the final instalment in the Influencer Series, which centres around Mel and Evan.

What a perfect ending to a series I have throughly enjoyed, this is my favourite of the three. Although we met Mel as part of the friend group previously, we didn’t really get to know her and it was really heartwarming to finally learn all about her.

When Mel’s plans don’t quite work out she is forced to stay at the last available Air B&B and meets Evan, the owner of the Inn…The first meeting is hilariously perfect, filled with sarcasm and they matched each other perfectly.

Evan was delightfully grumpy, which made me smile so much when he finally opened up to Mel and showed his softer side.

I can’t wait to see what Amy releases next and whatever it is, will be automatically added to my TBR

2.5 ⭐️

I don’t know what it was about this book that I didn’t connect with, but I really struggled to get into it.
In theory I should have really enjoyed it as the synopsis sounded really good and it has tropes I normally love, so I’m not sure if it was more of a me issue than the book, maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it.

It all felt very rushed to me, Mel and Evan barely knew each other for 2 weeks and they’re supposedly in love in that short space of time? Also the Enemies to Lovers aspect felt like it was just thrown in and then forgotten about, there was no real reason for it to be there and I find sometimes the trope is just thrown in to get more people interested in the book as it’s such a popular trope. It ended up feeling like a lot of other romances I e read with similar tropes, nothing was different or stood out to me.
I didn’t feel like Mel and Evan’s connection ran very deep, it all felt very surface level which was disappointing.

I also found that Mel was quite vain and often thought she was above/better than everyone else. Now I normally love character development, it’s one of my favourite plots in books, but I just didn’t feel it with this one, Mel still came across the same at the end, still obsessed with how many followers she has and the brand deals she had coming in. I think influencer romances are just maybe not for me! She also just seemed really immature at times? This is a grown adult overreacting about the smallest things! 🙄

So unfortunately I didn’t love this one, it just fell so flat for me. Which is disappointing as I enjoyed Amy’s previous books. The recipe for the book sounded great, but the execution just didn’t turn out well!

Sadly this is like a low 3-star for me (more of a 2.75, if we're getting specific).

I absolutely loved Exes & O's and I enjoyed Set On You too, but this one just didn't have the same magic as the second one.

My main issue with this book was the characters. I enjoyed Mel's character in the other books, but in this one she just annoyed me. I feel like she wasn't giving main character energy and I found her kind of irritating. I also just didn't vibe with Evan. I thought his reasoning for disliking her instantly wasn't an excuse. Like yes the reason was valid to be in a bad mood, but I think it isn't right to take that out on a stranger.

I also thought the whole set up for the fake dating/engagement was just not believable. I mean, it rarely is, but it really felt like a stretch in this. Furthermore, it was very obviously inspired by certain films, such as While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal, 2 movies that I really enjoy. But sometimes, the connection was too obvious. There were a couple of times where it was literally a direct scene from The Proposal and I found it really jarring.

I sound like such a hater, there were parts that I enjoyed, but most of the time I was a little bored and a little annoyed, which has never happened to me with any of her previous books. I'll take it that this was just a little blip in her track record, and move on to her next one, whenever that comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

I had a great time reading The Catch. The third and last book in the Influencer standalone series centres Mel, a fashion/lifestyle influencer from Boston whose trip to a luxury resort in Canada gets derailed when booking dates get mixed up. Instead, she ends up spending time in a small fishing town and gets to know the locals, including our MMC, the grumpy Evan. The story beautifully touches on the topic of grief and family and how the love within a family can be changed by grief. The chemistry between our main characters is sizzling and it was truly wonderful watching the two slowly warm up to each other and open their hearts. The Catch was a very enjoyable read (even for someone who hasn’t read the previous books, though I am now of course tempted to read them) and I am sure it will become one of the big romance releases of 2024 (well deserved).

The Catch is so good, I loved this conclusion to the trilogy! Evan and Mel are great characters and I loved their grumpy x sunshine dynamic, their fake dating doesn't last long but it was good fun.

The only thing I didn't love was the speed of the relationship, it wasn't insta love as such but the whole story takes place over two weeks which is pretty fast for how deep things got. I prefer a slower burn in romances but their banter was fun and the spice was good.

The way grief was handled was excellent, there are a few characters experiencing grief in different ways and I think it's lovely to see realistic representation in romance books.

I'm sad to see this trilogy end but I'm looking forward to reading whatever Amy Lea writes next!

DNF at about 43%
Listen, this isn't a bad book, and I could easily finish it before the end of tomorrow, maybe even tonight if I try hard enough but I don't see the point, I am being much harsher with my DNF's this year and if I am a good way into a book and know I am not going to give it over like 2 stars and I am also bored then WHAT IS THE POINT.
I was very excited when I got the ARC of this as I loved Set on You and Exes and Os was good but nothing that incredible, I was hoping this book would give me Set on You vibes but sadly not.
It felt like a slight rip off of It Happened One Summer, the FMC and MMC were both REALLY annoying and unlikable, I wasn't rooting for them AT ALL, it all happens over the space of like a week? SO pretty insta lovey as she just RANDOMLY STARTS TO HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM FOR NO REASON? LIKE THIS MAN HAS SHOWN HER NO KINDNESS OR NICENESS OR INTEREST and she for some reason still likes him?
The pacing felt off, I didn't like either characters I just was not interested in the plot, I knew exactly where it was going and what the third act breakup/argument was going to be I just didn't see the point in wasting any more of my time on it as there are SO MANY other books I am SO EXCITED TO PICK UP.
So yeah sadly this wasn't for me, I'm still very grateful for the opportunity to read the ARC as at least now I will know not to buy it.
Again it is probably a perfectly fine romance and I'm sure some people will enjoy it, I just didn't click with these characters and I don't think influencer books are for me actually.

Fake dating! I eat it right up !
It’s a fast paced romance which I tend to prefer with the main character Mel as a strong independent woman which you know we love to see ! ,
Mel gets stuck in a small town were she meets the stubborn Evan who really isn’t that keen on Mel even being around, that is until they fake date for the good of evans meddling family !

What an adorable book! I've loved reading this series and I'm super grateful to have received arcs for them 🫶🏻
Mel and Evan are the perfect grump x sunshine, the bickering is hilarious and their chemistry is off the charts.
It is very insta love so if that's your thing, this rom com is for you
Thank you for the ARC Penguin 🤍

I loved reading the previous two books from this series, and I feel so blessed to be able to have read both 'Exes & O's' and 'The Catch' before their release dates. The chemistry and romantic / sexual tension between Mel and Evan were just sooo good, and I think I'm having a book-hangover from this book. I'm excited to read more of Amy Lea's work in the future!

I loved this book!! The third one in the influencer series by Amy Lea and another great book. These books are interconnected standalones so can be read in any order (with slight spoilers if you read out of order).

I loved Mel from page one. She was such a great character and I really felt for her and her situation. She was so likeable and I felt her actions throughout reflected her character well. Evan was an absolute babe and I can totally see why Mel fell for him so quickly! A swoon worthy fisherman with a hard exterior but heart of gold - what more could you want?

I loved the family and friend dynamics in this and found it so funny, enjoyable, and fast paced read! It gave me ‘The Proposal’ vibes, which I absolutely loved! Definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed getting to know Mel from the other books and really getting to know her character. Evan was very stubborn (and grumpy) and they both clashed a lot with their personalities, starting out like ‘enemies’ due the Evans pre judgement of Mel and her ‘influencer’ life

Overall I enjoyed the story, although their relationship did move very quickly from been so slow to start but this was acknowledged and owned with how quickly they moved.

Tropes
Single POV
Grumpy x sunshine
Fake dating
Small town romance

Another home run for Amy Lea; already a fan of her previous work, this was an easy book to fall into. Small town romance with grumpy sunshine trope, whilst continuing the theme of how much social media is an impact on people’s lives which few contemporary writers do.

This book was the final to an interconnected standalone to a three-book series, and was the perfect book to end the series on
I was unable to put the book down and read it in one sitting
The plot was compelling and the characters felt real.
It felt as though I was watching a film rather than reading a book

I would absolutely recommed to others!