The Catch

The Catch is the third book in Amy Lea's Influencer series and is an obvious blend of two iconic RomCom movies - While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal. One of my favourite parts of the book was the small-town east coast Canadian setting, complete with a bunch of colourful, quirky locals and a few Canuck references - TimBits, poutine, flannel, free health care ... to name a few.

The story is filled with many romance tropes with the main trope - fake dating/fake fiancée giving off strong vibes of both movies mentioned above. There were a gaggle of other tropes: grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed(room), and small-town/big city. There is InstaLove (admittedly not my fav) and readers will have to suspend disbelief that this all happens within 9 days, but I appreciated the addition (albeit with light handling) of issues like depression, family dysfunction and grief.

The Catch had all the ingredients for a great RomCom, but I finished it feeling like I needed a bit more. I wanted more in terms of plot, more humour, more spice, more from the secondary cast and a bit more to the plot (and less InstaLove). It's an easy read that I devoured in a day but, in my opinion, not as strong as the last book in the series, Exes and Oh's.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Amy Lea

Genre: RomCom

Series: #3 in Influencer series

Type and Source: eBook from public library

Publisher: Berkley

First Published: February 13, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: A grumpy lobster fisherman tosses a fashion influencer’s impeccably curated life overboard in the next romantic comedy from international bestselling author Amy Lea.

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.”

After a boating accident lands Evan unconscious in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his welcoming yet quirky family, who are embroiled in a long-standing feud over the B&B. In a bold attempt to mend family fences, Mel agrees to fake their engagement for one week in exchange for Evan’s help with her social media content.

Amid long hikes and campfire chats, reeling in their budding feelings for each other proves more difficult by the day. But is Mel willing to sacrifice her picture-perfect life in the city for a chance at a true, unfiltered love in the wild?