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funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such an unexpected hit for me - I absolutely loved reading Mel and Evan’s story! The setting of Cora’s Cove was so charming, and I thought Evan’s gruffness was depicted just right so the reader was able to go through a journey similar to Mel’s in her feelings about him. (Also, Evan singing “I’ve Just Seen A Face” by The Beatles?? Crazy needle drop and much appreciated). I definitely want to go back and read the first two books in this standalone series, but I’m almost hesitant because of how much I loved this book!!
I think I had high expectations for this book as I really enjoyed the first two in the series!
It was quite slow paced but had some good character building and there were elements of humour throughout
Felt similar to "It Happened One Summer" by Tessa Bailey (gal ends up in a small fishing town and falls for a grumpy fisherman)
Opposites attract, small town vibes
It was quite slow paced but had some good character building and there were elements of humour throughout
Felt similar to "It Happened One Summer" by Tessa Bailey (gal ends up in a small fishing town and falls for a grumpy fisherman)
Opposites attract, small town vibes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyable romance read with classic tropes. The reasoning for the fake dating was a bit thin, but it worked well enough. Overused the phrase ‘right where she needed it’, though most books do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent
2.5 stars
Melanie, a fashion influencer with a waning following, gets a promotional trip to a luxury resort in Nova Scotia, only to learn that they've screwed up her booking and she's on her own for a week and every hotel is fully booked. She winds up at a not-actually-available Airbnb in Cora's Cove where she meets the very grumpy, very hot Evan, who wants nothing to do with her. Sparks fly from there.
I really wanted to love this book. I really enjoyed Set on You and loved Exes and Ohs, so I had high hoops for The Catch. Mel was such a great side character in the first two books of this series, and I was excited for her to finally get her love story. Unfortunately, I found it to be the weakest book in the series by far, and I'm so bummed about it. This read like another version of Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer (which I also didn't like), and it just did not deliver in the way I'd hoped.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
-Enemies to lovers
-Small town shenanigans
-City girl meets country boy
-Not so meet cute
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Fake relationship
-3/5 spiciness
-TW: death (off page), parent abandonment (off page)
MY THOUGHTS
I'm sad to say that this book really fell flat for me. The humor and spark that made the first two books in this series so enjoyable was just totally missing from this novel. After successful world-building in the two previous books and the establishment of this great cast of characters that we know, it felt like a real missed opportunity to set this story in Nova Scotia (???) instead of in Boston with the Chen sisters.
There are some really big feelings and very real things for both Mel and Evan to contend with (abandonment, death, grief, poverty, trauma) but the book never goes beyond the surface with these characters. Every time they process something they narrate, out loud, to each other, exactly what they're experiencing which makes for a clunky and not super enjoyable reading experience.
There are some really charming moments throughout this book. The contours of a good enemies to lovers are there, and Melanie is fine as a character. I was delighted every time Crystal and Tara were in a scene. Ian, the freak 11 year old neighbor, is my favorite character and made me actually laugh.
Beyond that, though, I found both main characters to be at their best uninteresting and at their worst absolutely insufferable. Evan and Melanie were both obnoxious and wildly rude to each other throughout until they suddenly weren't without much explanation or buildup, so I don't know, maybe they deserve each other. Because the chemistry wasn't there in any really compelling way, the timeline of the book feels absolutely ridiculous.
There were so many minor subplots that weren't explored deeply enough for them to have the impact I think they were intended to have. The quirky family dynamics with the Whalers (which is a last name so on the nose I thought I must have misunderstood at first) get very old very quickly and reach a point of being extremely, extremely weird. (Also is there some inside joke about Canadian donut holes that I'm not in on? They were mentioned by name multiple times and serve no purpose at all in the story.)
Melanie really deserved a great love story and I'm bummed she didn't get one here.
Melanie, a fashion influencer with a waning following, gets a promotional trip to a luxury resort in Nova Scotia, only to learn that they've screwed up her booking and she's on her own for a week and every hotel is fully booked. She winds up at a not-actually-available Airbnb in Cora's Cove where she meets the very grumpy, very hot Evan, who wants nothing to do with her. Sparks fly from there.
I really wanted to love this book. I really enjoyed Set on You and loved Exes and Ohs, so I had high hoops for The Catch. Mel was such a great side character in the first two books of this series, and I was excited for her to finally get her love story. Unfortunately, I found it to be the weakest book in the series by far, and I'm so bummed about it. This read like another version of Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer (which I also didn't like), and it just did not deliver in the way I'd hoped.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
-Enemies to lovers
-Small town shenanigans
-City girl meets country boy
-Not so meet cute
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Fake relationship
-3/5 spiciness
-TW: death (off page), parent abandonment (off page)
MY THOUGHTS
I'm sad to say that this book really fell flat for me. The humor and spark that made the first two books in this series so enjoyable was just totally missing from this novel. After successful world-building in the two previous books and the establishment of this great cast of characters that we know, it felt like a real missed opportunity to set this story in Nova Scotia (???) instead of in Boston with the Chen sisters.
There are some really big feelings and very real things for both Mel and Evan to contend with (abandonment, death, grief, poverty, trauma) but the book never goes beyond the surface with these characters. Every time they process something they narrate, out loud, to each other, exactly what they're experiencing which makes for a clunky and not super enjoyable reading experience.
There are some really charming moments throughout this book. The contours of a good enemies to lovers are there, and Melanie is fine as a character. I was delighted every time Crystal and Tara were in a scene. Ian, the freak 11 year old neighbor, is my favorite character and made me actually laugh.
Beyond that, though, I found both main characters to be at their best uninteresting and at their worst absolutely insufferable. Evan and Melanie were both obnoxious and wildly rude to each other throughout until they suddenly weren't without much explanation or buildup, so I don't know, maybe they deserve each other. Because the chemistry wasn't there in any really compelling way, the timeline of the book feels absolutely ridiculous.
There were so many minor subplots that weren't explored deeply enough for them to have the impact I think they were intended to have. The quirky family dynamics with the Whalers (which is a last name so on the nose I thought I must have misunderstood at first) get very old very quickly and reach a point of being extremely, extremely weird. (Also is there some inside joke about Canadian donut holes that I'm not in on? They were mentioned by name multiple times and serve no purpose at all in the story.)
Melanie really deserved a great love story and I'm bummed she didn't get one here.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boring. Drawn out.