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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:
No
The Catch by Amy Lea
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(3.5)
After enjoying Exes & O’s so much, this book was on my tbr for sometime. A fish out of water theme featuring a small fishing town, a grumpy but hot lobster fisherman as the owner of the only b&b available for stay, enemies to lovers vibe, a fake dating scheme - what’s not to love?
If you have enjoyed Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer, then it is quite similar. Personally, I enjoyed it slightly better as the spice hit at a good mark, not too soon too much. Evan is an absolutely hot Canadian lobster fisherman who also is trying to save his family inn amongst a family feud. I really enjoyed Evan’s family - their banter and quirkiness. Melanie who is a Boston based fashion influencer, has had it tough growing up, being her brother’s sole guardian and scared to be far away from him, not asking too much for herself.
There were some very sweet and romantic moments, the first kiss on the swing, the one at the lighthouse
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(3.5)
After enjoying Exes & O’s so much, this book was on my tbr for sometime. A fish out of water theme featuring a small fishing town, a grumpy but hot lobster fisherman as the owner of the only b&b available for stay, enemies to lovers vibe, a fake dating scheme - what’s not to love?
If you have enjoyed Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer, then it is quite similar. Personally, I enjoyed it slightly better as the spice hit at a good mark, not too soon too much. Evan is an absolutely hot Canadian lobster fisherman who also is trying to save his family inn amongst a family feud. I really enjoyed Evan’s family - their banter and quirkiness. Melanie who is a Boston based fashion influencer, has had it tough growing up, being her brother’s sole guardian and scared to be far away from him, not asking too much for herself.
There were some very sweet and romantic moments, the first kiss on the swing, the one at the lighthouse
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amy Lea's influencers series have left the big city of Boston for this great small town romance, and the magic is still strong with this one.
Evan is your usual grumpy, bearded, family driven and flannel wearing hero. and he might be just what Melanie needed to find herself again. She's feeling like she's becoming someone else like she's become this persona built only to satisfy her followers.
They both embark in this fake relationship deal, and as you know it happens with these tropes they are there for each other over and over again, until their love blossoms and the fake becomes all too real.
The wild and roughness sets the tone for good laugh as the big city girl persona Melanie carries around struggles to adapt, and Evan is too readily available to come to her rescue.
Evan is your usual grumpy, bearded, family driven and flannel wearing hero. and he might be just what Melanie needed to find herself again. She's feeling like she's becoming someone else like she's become this persona built only to satisfy her followers.
They both embark in this fake relationship deal, and as you know it happens with these tropes they are there for each other over and over again, until their love blossoms and the fake becomes all too real.
The wild and roughness sets the tone for good laugh as the big city girl persona Melanie carries around struggles to adapt, and Evan is too readily available to come to her rescue.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
2.5 really
Yikes, the beginning of this book almost made my head explode. The main character was an absolute pill. Maybe it is my hate for how horrid social media is and I think the word ‘influencer’ should be stricken from the dictionary as every time I read it I shuddered. The middle of this book was the best part, especially when she stopped acting completely irrational and she finally looked at the world through her eyes instead of her phone’s camera lens; (another peeve of mind when people spend serious money going to a concert but spend it on their phones watching the show through there camera or selfie. Get A Life!). I digress. Things fell away again when the author basically ripped off a scene from one of my all time favourite films ‘While You Were Sleeping’.
Anyway I finished it and think maybe I should give it another 1/2 a star since I didn’t have to wade through any stupid posts that were on her instagram.
Yikes, the beginning of this book almost made my head explode. The main character was an absolute pill. Maybe it is my hate for how horrid social media is and I think the word ‘influencer’ should be stricken from the dictionary as every time I read it I shuddered. The middle of this book was the best part, especially when she stopped acting completely irrational and she finally looked at the world through her eyes instead of her phone’s camera lens; (another peeve of mind when people spend serious money going to a concert but spend it on their phones watching the show through there camera or selfie. Get A Life!). I digress. Things fell away again when the author basically ripped off a scene from one of my all time favourite films ‘While You Were Sleeping’.
Anyway I finished it and think maybe I should give it another 1/2 a star since I didn’t have to wade through any stupid posts that were on her instagram.
DNF at 31%
I've read the first two of Amy Lea's books and really enjoyed them, but this one just didn't do it for me. I'm all for enemies to lovers, but the chemistry just wasn't there and I just didn't like the interactions between the two characters. This book just didn't quite do it for me unfortunately
I've read the first two of Amy Lea's books and really enjoyed them, but this one just didn't do it for me. I'm all for enemies to lovers, but the chemistry just wasn't there and I just didn't like the interactions between the two characters. This book just didn't quite do it for me unfortunately
I read the book in one sitting, I didn't even know this is a part of series. I love the tropes in this book, Enemies To Lovers, Fake Dating and most of all the Found Family. I'm really greatful @Bookables for suggesting this book.
The Catch is a cute crossover of The Proposal and While You Were Sleeping. Melanie is a big-city fashion influencer who flies all the way to the east coast of Canada to revive her brand. Things don't go according to plan and she ends up staying at a dilapidated bed and breakfast in a rural fishing village. The owner Evan is of course a bearded grumpy lobster fisherman. The movie crossover takes place after Evan gets into a boating accident and Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his family. And of course, they agree to fake date for mutually beneficial reasons.
I probably sound jaded, but to be honest, while this book is cute and all, it's nothing special. I liked the found family trope here, especially for someone like Mel who's always been lonely and whose adoptive parents didn't have a healthy marriage. I also liked Mel's struggle and trauma associated with being thrust into the role of a parent for her younger brother. I liked seeing Evan's interactions with the women in his family. It was so sweet how he indulged them—letting his nana cut up the food on his plate, returning his mom's hug and patting her, etc. He's very open and accepting of other people's love languages. It was super sweet.
On that note, Evan's grumpiness didn't really fit the narrative. It felt like he was grumpy for the sake of being a "grumpy romance hero." His family was also quirky for the sake of weird comedy that made me feel super uncomfortable. There were so many weird and awkward moments when his family interrupted him and Mel during intimate moments...and everyone just pretended that was normal. There's quirky and then there's this...weird lack of respect for other people's privacy.
The other thing that annoyed me was the predictability of the third act conflict. I knew where it was going. Mel and Evan also both knew where it was going. So it was just a waiting game and it felt like the elephant in the room.
Anyways, complaints aside, this was a decent contemporary romance. Nothing spectacular, but I do like reading about lonely heroines finding love and family.
I probably sound jaded, but to be honest, while this book is cute and all, it's nothing special. I liked the found family trope here, especially for someone like Mel who's always been lonely and whose adoptive parents didn't have a healthy marriage. I also liked Mel's struggle and trauma associated with being thrust into the role of a parent for her younger brother. I liked seeing Evan's interactions with the women in his family. It was so sweet how he indulged them—letting his nana cut up the food on his plate, returning his mom's hug and patting her, etc. He's very open and accepting of other people's love languages. It was super sweet.
On that note, Evan's grumpiness didn't really fit the narrative. It felt like he was grumpy for the sake of being a "grumpy romance hero." His family was also quirky for the sake of weird comedy that made me feel super uncomfortable. There were so many weird and awkward moments when his family interrupted him and Mel during intimate moments...and everyone just pretended that was normal. There's quirky and then there's this...weird lack of respect for other people's privacy.
The other thing that annoyed me was the predictability of the third act conflict. I knew where it was going. Mel and Evan also both knew where it was going. So it was just a waiting game and it felt like the elephant in the room.
Anyways, complaints aside, this was a decent contemporary romance. Nothing spectacular, but I do like reading about lonely heroines finding love and family.
She'll never be alone in the world as long as he's in it.
This was such a cute story. I was brought into the story right from the beginning. I believe I equally enjoyed the second book in this series as well. It wasn’t anything super special but I enjoyed it so much.