This book was a slow burn and it took a while for the chemistry between the two main characters to come through. I felt the characters grew and developed as the book when on which is something I like to see. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Thanks for the ARC!

Louise Lane is a banker who has just split from her fiancé after many months of trying unsuccessfully to conceive their first child. Blake has been working in charity in Peru but returns home to Sydney as his father passed away to help settle the family affairs, including the family restaurant. As their lives keep serendipitously intertwining Louise and Blake begin to form a connection.

This book was quite interesting and had some different themes than others I’ve read recently. I liked that it dealt with some deeper themes of family planning, grief and family secrets. That did make the novel seem more serious than others at times and did actually make me feel a little sad in parts when reading, so be careful when picking this up if these issues might be sensitive for you.

The book is a huge slow burn, the chemistry between Blake and Louise builds exceptionally slowly and really there is almost no romantic interaction until at least the halfway mark. That did make it difficult to understand the connection & feel the attraction of the main characters. I wasn’t totally convinced that in reality these people would actually fall in love and have a happy ending.

The setting of the book is interesting with some set in Australia and some set in Peru. At times I felt like there were a lot of different subplots and issues experienced by the characters, maybe too much. For me personally I found the Goldies & The Shell storyline very confusing as it wasn’t clear which venue was which and which one was owned by Blake's family and which one wasn’t. The venues also gave me more American Diner vibes rather than Sydney restaurant.

Overall I still found this to be a very strong debut from the author and interested to see what the author writes next! Thank you to NetGalley & Escape Publishing for providing this kindle copy for review purposes, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cute, little rom com. I was drawn to this book from the cover and the blurb. It had all the great elements of a good romantic book.

the enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites, but this book just didn't hit the mark in my opinion. it was a little boring and the writing wasn't my favorite. i honesty wish i liked it a little more...

The description of this book was better than the actual story. I just couldn't get into the story or connect with the characters. It was a struggle to finish this book. It's not terrible but it's not the type of book I enjoy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

From Peru with love, (wander)lust & loathing…

Blake Goldfield is ‘the guy who broke Tinder’ while raising funds for his overseas charity. High-flying banker, Louise Lane, isn’t buying his hot, eligible philanthropist act. In fact, it’s dislike at first sight when she encounters Blake working the bar at her office Christmas party.

Both are at a life crossroads: Blake has begrudgingly left his not-for-profit to deal with Goldies, his family’s embattled restaurant; Louise has just split from her perfect-on-paper fiancé.

Blake may be in control of the drinks, but Louise has the power to reject the loan necessary to keep Goldies open…

As Blake and Louise watch their lives unravel, their paths seem to be inextricably tangled. Torn between the weight of expectation and her heart’s desire, Louise searches for a fresh perspective in Peru. First stop: Machu Picchu. Final destination: Love?

A sparkling enemies-to-lovers rom com about the things we want, the things we think we want and the things that really count.

----

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy.
It's pretty good and solid enemies-to-lovers rom com. Recomend this book to any readers who love -to-lovers rom com.

Thank you so much NetGalley!

Opposites attract romance novel that is lighthearted and easy to read.
It was a mediocre romance novel that wasn’t for me but could be for others.
Read it for the story cause characters didn’t really have any chemistry. As a romance novel it’s a no from me but for the story it could be read sure.
Expecting a different story from the author, best of luck to them!

Under the Influence by Karina May follows Blake Goldfield and Lois Lane individually through a period of time in their lives. It's a Dual POV novel that begins after the death of Blake's father. He is brought back home to deal with the family's businesses and then Lois and Blake find themselves serendipitously placed in one another's lives again and again as the novel progresses.

I think I began this read as a romance in my brain, but the book is more about the individual journeys that the characters are taking and how the other affects them. I appreciated being able to hear from both of their points of view, and each character definitely is processing some big life moments that are impactful.

I forgot to even mention the plot that Blake Goldfield begins the novel as "the man who broke Tinder" for offering to use philanthropy in exchange for swipes. I thought this was going to be at the center of the plot, but it served more as an establishing back story for the character, and we are reading about how he moved forward from that.

Under the Influence is tagged as a romance novel, but I'd like to consider it more of a... simple, contemporary story that follows two individuals as they mature and get out of their comfort zone. The main characters, Blake and Lois, are at the point in their lives where everything is going downhill. As their lives open up before their eyes, they can't help but notice how tangled their situations really are.

This was a light, cute, and mindless read. I honestly enjoyed the writing style of the novel. I know it may not be something that many would appreciate, but I like how each chapter seemed to end abruptly, letting us wonder what the hell happened in between chapters. I like that because it's unique and really gets you thinking, but at the same time, you won't have to think too hard.

I just feel like the story is still raw. Although I think there are all the right elements, it still lacks a little bit of substance, especially toward the end. Some things felt like they were just put there for no reason, and then wrapped up in a way that doesn't really make sense with how things were built up. This had a weird pace that I couldn't tell if it was slow or not. For a romance novel, it's weird how it's already half the book and there's still not much happening in the romance aspect.

I also find that Lois and Blake seem like a good couple, but they just lack the chemistry that could have made the book more interesting. If you want to read this book, just keep in mind that you should focus on seeing the main characters grow (though I still felt the book was lacking in that area) rather than how they interact with each other and how they end up together.

Overall, this wasn't bad, but it wasn't that good either. I appreciate how it was written, though! So 3 solid stars for that.

I recommend this for anyone looking for a quick and light read. Not stressful at all.

This was a quick and easy romance set in Sydney and Peru. There were some cute moments in this book, I just wish we could have seen more!

Louise Lane works in finance, is engaged, and is trying for a baby. Her and her fiance, Jude, haven’t been connecting for a long time, which leads to an amicable split, which still deeply affects Louise. Blake lives in Peru running a clean water charity, WaterAid. He returns to Sydney when his father is ill, and is left to deal with Goldies, his family’s restaurant. This book is listed as a romance, but I would almost say it deals more with life changes as the romance itself sometimes felt like it was rushed and I would have liked to know more about these characters.

‘It meant I got to take you. Actually, Fernando gave me a whole spiel to impress you that day. But you made me so nervous, I forgot.’

Half of the book leads up to this trip to Peru and it isn’t until the second half that we have more interactions between Louise and Blake. I did enjoy some of the cute moments between these two, the Machu Picchu scene was very cute, and I wish there were more like that! Instead the ending felt very rushed, and there was a flash forward. Everything that had happened during the time, I would have liked to have read about, because it felt like the flash forward solved all the issues that were in the present timeline. I liked that this was a happily ever after, but I feel like I was robbed a bit of how they got there!

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy this book and the romance was sweet, but I just felt it was lacking and more could have been done with it.

Thanks to Escape Publishing, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book - I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm a bit behind on this review - I read this book last month and then forgot to review it! I think it's because I enjoyed it so much and I wanted to wait a while before I could review it to get all my thoughts down. It was a quick read as well and fast-paced.

First of all, I have to say, that enemies to lovers is not usually something I enjoy overly. Sometimes it can be overdone and leaves the reader wondering what the couple see in each other if they dislike each other so much.
But the instant snark in this book is so funny and enjoyable, that I could instantly see that it was a prelude to love.

This is really well-written and Blake and Louise are such great characters.

Also, Peru, I really need to go there.

I expect I'll be reading a lot more from this author.

A nice and easy read, that tackles hard hitting topics with a lighthearted approach. Louise and Blake are a match, but lacked the intimate connection I thought they would have.

Thank you to Escape Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE By Karina May

Blake runs a nonprofit organization, he takes a break from that to take care of the family Bar after his father passes away. Louise works for a bank who is in charge of approving loans.

😊What i liked -

✔ Opposite Attract/Holiday Vibes
✔ Blake and Louise's characters were well written.
✔ I liked the storyline. The struggles they each go through in their personal lives.
✔ I liked the banter in a few places.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I kept waiting for the romance. I saw no chemistry between the two.

📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝Romance Lovers


📈My Rating : 3/5

P.s- It is a well written book, but it wasn't for me. But I am sure it will connect with a lot of people.

Thank you Karina, Netgally and Escape Publishing for a copy.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Unfortunately this isn’t something I could get into right now. I do not think it was the book. It was my mood. I will come back someday

this book was just so much fun to read! i truly enjoyed my time reading this book. i am so thankful to netgalley for letting me read this book before the release date! please pick this up!!

I didn’t really enjoy this book. The first half I considered DNF’I got a few times as the book mostly focused on the two characters’ lives separately. The main characters didn’t really start to become likeable until more than half way through and there wasn’t ever enough of them together, falling in love. The twist with Blake’s father was kind of interesting, but just ended up making the story more sad and frustrating that he didn’t tell his son what was going on for so long. He essentially hated his father for most of his life because of a misunderstanding mostly caused by their lack of communication. I was expecting more of a rom-com when I started this book, but that’s not really what I feel like I got, except for the tail end.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so fun. I really enjoyed it. This book kept me interested and i enjoyed the book and this genre

Thank you NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the chance to review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and I really liked the premise.
Classic enemies to lovers with witty banter!
I wish it was a little longer.

Overall I really enjoyed it.

SOME POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW (noted where to stop reading for spoiler-ish thoughts)
TWs: Infertility, IVF Treatment, Terminal illness Cancer, Loss of a parent, outing LGBT members

Overall I thought this book was cute and I like a lot of the banter between the FMC Louise and MMC Blake and the MMC with a side character, Feather. I was laughing at bits throughout and there was plenty of tension coming from all angles that kept my on the end of my seat

I felt like I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the character to really truly care about the story, but I liked them enough to want to finish the book.

OKAY SOME SPOLINING THOUGHTS BELOW

I love the title and the cover- TOO CUTE! But I felt like they were a teeeeeeeeny bit misleading as this wasn't really a "romance" like I expected since the "couple" doesn't get together until basically the VEEEEERY end and there was a barely there squinty-eyed HEA.

I was honestly super upset about Louise outing Jude before having any conversation with him and it haunted that character for the rest of the book for me with not being able to be as emotionally invested in her as I wanted to be.