I would give this book 5 stars, but the male narrator decreased its worth.
Here me out: I LOVED everything about this book (character portrait, her business, serious topics like ED, father-daughter bonding, age gap, steam, sex scenes) and then I adored the female narrator. But that guy: I can't with his mimicking female voices.

They sounded too childish and spoiled for me.

But, beside that: 10/10. Would get it in paper copy!

Beneath the Hood is the third interconnected standalone in the Sugarlake series. This book follows Jackson. He is a heartthrob who recently moved to LA after he was offered his dream job, restoring classic cars, but it turned out to be keeping an eye on his boss's daughter.

Blakely is a big influencer who feels the pressure to keep up wth appearance. The pressure to be perfect caused her anxiety, but also for her to became obsessed with counting and calories. Blckely works at her father's business and loves to pester Jackson. She was given more opportunities to do that when they started spending time together.

I enjoyed the bantering between the two and watching the transformation of their relationship. At first, Jackson thought Blackely was an annoying, entitled 19-year-old. He later saw beyond the surface and became her main support person.

I enjoyed the narration by Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo. However, I wasn't a fan of when Liam did the feminine voices.

Absolutely LOVED this story. Anything that Emily writes is amazing. The narration for this was so good. I love Liam Dicosimo.

This age gap, forbidden romance was emotional and beautifully written. Jax and Blakely’s story touched on tough topics like mental health and self worth while building a slow burn romance full of tension and growth. Their connection felt deep and real, and I loved watching them help each other heal.
The narration was expressive and brought the characters to life. Jax is sweet and strong, and Blakely is more vulnerable than she seems. Emily McIntire does a great job blending romance with real issues. It’s a heartfelt, swoony listen that makes you root for both characters until the very end.

This one really pulls at the heart. It takes on many different life challenges so definitely look at trigger warnings.
I really loved the MMC. He was always so good and had a big heart. I really enjoyed his chapters.

The healing in this story was incredibly moving to me. Women (in my experience) are told constantly that we aren’t good enough, skinny enough, and pretty enough, so to have a character going through that in the public eye was beautiful. I loved Jackson in the previous 2 books, so I was so glad to get his story and to see him get over what he thought was love. I did find the age-gap a little cringey, but overall I loved the story!

Beneath the Hood is an age gap romance between influencer Blakely and Jackson, who works on classic car restoration in Hollywood. While I ended up enjoying this book, I found it difficult to get into it at first. The narrators did a good job bringing the characters to life. However, I feel like my issues with this story was more on my part than anything. This isn’t my first Emily McIntire novel and it won’t be my last, just like the others I’ve read the story was easy to follow and the characters felt really flushed out l, I just feel like this story just wasn’t for me. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this. Thank you.

A raw, emotionally charged age-gap romance that hits hard—even if it doesn’t quite dethrone my top Emily McIntire favorite.

Emily McIntire’s Beneath the Hood delivers exactly what the Sugarlake series promises: angsty intensity, flawed characters you want to protect, and a love story that skates the edge of “should we or shouldn’t we?” Jackson’s quiet, wounded strength pairs beautifully with Blakely’s outward glamor and hidden fragility, making their push-and-pull feel both combustible and compassionate.

What kept me hooked
Depth beneath the glam: Blakely’s struggle with loneliness, influencer pressure, and disordered eating is handled with empathy rather than melodrama.

Jackson’s gentle steadiness: His protective streak never veers into alpha-overload; instead, he offers the patient acceptance Blakely craves.

Dual narration: Brooke Bloomingdale captures Blakely’s spiraling thoughts with aching sincerity, while Liam DiCosimo’s low-key grit makes Jackson instantly believable. Their chemistry in audio makes every boundary-testing moment crackle.

Found-family threads: Cameos from earlier Sugarlake couples add warmth without stealing the spotlight.

Why it’s four, not five
Pacing hiccups: The middle third lingers on secret longing a bit too long before the relationship really evolves.

Predictable beats: While emotive, the plot follows familiar forbidden-romance checkpoints, so a few twists felt telegraphed.

Verdict
Beneath the Hood isn’t the series installment I’ll replay endlessly, but it’s a gripping, heart-squeezing listen that showcases McIntire’s talent for messy, meaningful love. If you enjoy age-gap tension, nuanced mental-health themes, and stellar dual narration, this audiobook is more than worth the ride—even if it doesn’t slide into “all-time favorite” territory.

5 stars! This was a spicy, unforgettable romance story!

This book had everything I love in a romance and more! The dual POV made it so easy to connect with both Jackson and Blakely. I love dual POV and being able to see inside their minds. This truly made their chemistry even more intense and the emotional depth hit that much harder.

I hate to say it, but I am a sucker for a good age gap romance, and this one absolutely delivered. Add in the opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, forbidden romance, and celebrity/influencer angle? And you have me hooked from page one. And let’s not forget that her dad is his boss. The tension was crazy!!

The spice? SPICYYYYYY. Emily McIntire knows how to write steam that’s both hot and emotionally charged—it was perfection.

This was also one of the very few books where the third act breakup felt needed. It added real growth to the characters and made the ending that much more satisfying.

One thing I really appreciated was how the author portrayed eating disorders and mental health with care. It added a deeper layer to Blakely’s story and made her character more relatable. That said, I recommend checking trigger warnings before diving in.

Also, the audiobook narrators were amazing and brought so much depth to both characters.

This was my first read in the Sugarlake series, but definitely not my last! If the others are anything like this, I’m in for a binge-read.

If you’re into steamy, angsty romance with real emotional weight, this one’s a must-read!

This book perfectly embodies all of the angst, off limits, age gap vibes that I adore in a story. I didn’t think it could get better than the first two books in the series that I have read but this has definitely become a fast favorite. The performance and transitions by these new-to-me narrators in this audiobook are flawless and I would absolutely recommend listening!

Okayyyy so… I read this thinking it was a standalone and THEN realized it was book 3 in a series 😅🙈 But let me just say—I still liked it and didn’t feel lost at all, though now I’m super curious about what I might’ve missed 👀 So yes… I’m absolutely going back to read the first two!!

I loved these two characters so much. The age gap trope is always a favorite plus the banter was great, and the whole opposites attract/enemies-to-lovers vibe is another favorite! 🔥🔥🔥

But what I really loved was Blakely’s individual storyline. Watching her slowly learn to love herself, peel back the layers of her high society life, and speak out about how fake things can be on social media!😭👏 It was very raw and real. I loved how this story gave her space to grow and finally be seen for who she really is.

So now I’m officially on board and heading straight back to Sugarlake to catch up on books 1 & 2 💛… and by headed straight back I mean, adding to the TBR…

I wasn't a big fan of either main character. Blakely is an immature influencer. She's made millions, but works at the front desk of her father's business? She has real issues to work through, and she does, but that felt too rushed. I would have liked to see her explore that more.

I like age gap, but hearing the MMC constantly mention how young the FMC is was weird. Jackson started the book still in love with someone else. He compares them a bit and talks about having feelings for both at the same time. No thanks. I just couldn't connect or like either of them. I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

✨ Slow-burn, age-gap, emotionally raw: This one got to me good!
I went in expecting a grumpy mechanic meets influencer romance (and yes, we got that), but what I didn’t expect was how deeply this book would lean into mental health, loneliness, and the pressure to be perfect in a world that only sees your highlight reel...I can relate to that a little too closely.

Blakely is the kind of character who feels real—flawed, sweet, spiraling—and her journey? It was absolutely gutting at times.
Jackson (swoon, obviously) brings this quiet, protective energy that’s impossible not to love. Their chemistry builds slowly, but when it hits, it hits!

I loved the messy, heartfelt conversations, the LA-meets-Sugarlake tension, and the way this story gave space to healing—without rushing it! That's my kind of pacing!

Why not 5 stars? A few moments teetered on the edge of being a little too much for me; I’m still processing how I feel about the age gap dynamic. But the heart? The message? The writing? All there!

If you're in the mood for a romance that feels—like, really feels—this one’s worth the listen!

While I loved these narrators and audio of this book, I overall struggled to like the FMC which hindered my rating on this. Blakely is struggling with an ED, but the sole focus on it was hard to get her through and her choices were very self centered- leading to really being harmful to those trying to help. Jackson is there, steadfast and ready to walk alongside Blakely no matter what which made it hard to watch her treat hi so poorly. But I can also step back to realize a lot of ED. and struggles do lead us to act this way, which helped me take a step back every so often. Overall I thought the tough topics were handled with a lot of grace & care, the characters were well developed without feeling rushed into things and the plot line really came together in the end, which the author keeps you hanging on until the end to get the answers.

Beneath the Hood by Emily McIntire is an interconnected, standalone love story where opposites attract. Blakely is a rich socialite that is obsessed with counting calories and her follower count. Jackson is a mechanic that works for Blakely’s father who is 9 years older than Blakely and finds her to be shallow and immature. However, when Blakely’s dad asks Jackson to “keep an eye” on her, the two realize they have a lot in common and an undeniable chemistry. I was torn on the rating I wanted to give this book. Overall, I like the idea of the story and how he is able to see Blakely for her true self, and not the fake persona the rest of the world sees. He keeps her calm in her world of chaos. I also thought the insight into mental health and eating disorders was represented well, but almost to the point that it was mentioned excessively and started becoming repetitive. Which was depressing and made me want to take breaks from reading. Which is also the sign of a good author to make me feel that way…. Hence the struggle of whether or not I enjoyed this book. lol. Also, really liked the female narrator, the male not so much. I think she could have carried the book entirely as both characters.

The cover drew me in when I saw it, and though it’s number three in the Sugarlake series, I wanted to dive in anyways after reading the synapses. Thankfully even though there are minor spoilers for books 1 and 2, if you read series out of order, you won’t be lost.

Note this was an audiobook ARC (if there is a name for those, I don’t know?) that was given to me by NetGalley in return for my I leave my thoughts.

Both narrators were easy to listen to and had great range with all the different characters. I was never confused on whose dialog was being said. Jackson had a great southern accent, which I loved. Though I’m a Californian so all accents are cool to me.
Our H Jackson needs to get away from Sugarlake so he moves to California to work on classic cars. He knows our h, Blakely, through her dad, his boss, which on top of he age gap makes her untouchable. Well until thirty some percent…. The steamy scenes were very nsfw, as well as some of the regular dialog. It had me laughing out load at times people may stare. Blakely had some serious issues stemming from her childhood and her job as a social influencer. Jackson seems to be the calm to her storm so watching them fall in love through his compassion was lovely. Panic attacks are awful and he helped tether her. Which is nice of her to find that in someone or something. The journey between them was beautiful, him the caretaker and her being a bit broken. There are some serious food issues our h goes through so be aware if you need.

I will definitely finish this series by going back to books one and two then reading book 4.

*read trigger warnings

This is the third book in the Sugarlake companion series. This book focus’s on Jackson, a mechanic and owner who restores classic cars for movies, and Blakely, an influencer and daughter to a big shot movie director. Jackson is hired to supply cars for Blakely’s father’s upcoming move and pressured into also watching out for Blakely.

This romance was very awkward and the 9 year age gap wasn’t the problem. There didn’t feel like a real relationship outside of thinking one another was attractive. Blakely struggles with serious body dysmorphia and Jackson is quick to notice and be a help to her. Jackson acknowledges how hard it is to be an influencer, but that's about all that he seems to like about her. The relationship felt flat and I was eager to finish this book. It was much too long. So far, my least favorite of the series.

Thank you Netgalley, and Blackstone Publishing- Audiobooks for this advanced audiobook in exchange for a review.

Overall, an enjoyable read! I love age gap romances, though I would've liked her to be a bit older than 19. I admired her strength in overcoming an eating disorder. I didn't like that she was often selfish and didn't treat Jackson well. Blakely needed to grow up more before pursuing a relationship with him. The author handled the heavier topics in this one well. Just like the rest of the series, the spice is heavy!

for me it's a 3.5 it started like I was going to be obsessed because it hits on topics authors dont normally. mental health issues and eating disorders were present and were well done. I feel it made me really care for her character (blakely) because she felt raw. but Jackson was like a bandaid to all her issues. I will love you so have a bite of that burger, you work out too much etc. he didn't approach her issues as someone to help her through it but as a simplified man version of healing... hurts to breath ? well just breath it's easy.
that kinda put a sour note in the book for me.
I will say each book in thsi series suffers from being 100 pages too long. everything is just slowly drawn out for no reason... a slow book with a instalove story? doesn't flow well. good audio narrators tho!

Beneath the Hood is an emotionally rich, slow-burn romance that explores love, identity, and healing. When Jackson, a mechanic chasing his dream in California, is asked to watch over his boss’s influencer daughter, Blakely, an unexpected connection forms.

Blakely’s struggle with mental health and the pressure of perfection is handled with care, and Jackson’s steady support makes their romance both tender and steamy. Emily McIntire’s writing brings depth and vulnerability to both characters, making their journey feel real and engaging.

A heartfelt, chemistry-filled read perfect for fans of emotional contemporary romance.