I usually do my best to separate the narration from the story in my reviews, but I'm struggling on this one. I don't know if it was a mismatch of casting for narration, misdirection from the producer or what, as non of the elements (the narrators, story or productio value) in an of themselves were problematic - they just didn't seem to come together right. The listen became languid and too soothing and honestly turned into a night-night book for me. Not something I'd usually want from a story like this one that incorporates heavier topics like eating disorders, anxiety/panic attacks, and discussions of PTSD.

This is a 2.5 rounded to 3 stars for me.

I did review on Goodreads but will not be posting reviews for this audiobook on my other social media as I do not think it would do the audiobook (and maybe even printed copy) a kindness.

My review for Beneath the Hood by Emily McIntire will be in two parts; the overall story and the audiobook. My rating is similar for both formats so my star rating is consistent.

This is the third book in the Sugarlake Series, and my first book from the series. This is the type of romance novel where you can just jump in, and while there was some character overlap (I learned through other reviews) it isn't make or break to story. Age gap romances can be hit or miss with me because it's hard to get right, and easy to jump the rail. Beneath the Hood was not an age gap book I would recommend. In fact I think making this an age gap romance harmed the story because outside of physical attraction there was no chemistry between the characters. Jackson's life hasn't been easy and he's carrying the burden of parent loss and fulfilling a dream that isn't uniquely his. Blakely is a mess, as are most 19 year olds, but Blakely has been further infantilized by her social media success and controlling father. Struggling with severe OCD and ED, Blakely doesn't know who she is outside of being handled and no foundation formed between her and Jackson could be healthy. Jackson, although being given credit for seeing the real Blakely, really parented her and it made me feel icky. Also, the spice scenes were a little over the top especially for a 19 year old virgin and 28 year old non-virgin. One line that immediately pulled me out was her womb squeezing---that's a contraction, and it's not sexual. A more apt description would be her stomach tightening with anticipation. The scene where she does loose her virginity, again made me feel icky, especially when she switched from this is painful to "f*ck me Jackson" in the span of a page. It was like age gap was used because the book needed a trope, not because it developed the characters. Of course there is also a forbidden romance as Jackson is employed by Blakely mostly absent father.

In cases where the physical book is hard for me to get through I often rely on audiobooks to pull me in and get me invested. To her credit, narrator Brooke Bloomingdale, did a great job at playing Blakely. She sounded like a spoiled, out of touch 19 year old and helped the character feel authentic to what was written. This is where I say I wish the audiobook has been recorded duet style, because I strongly disliked Liam DiCosimo when he attempted to do Blakely's voice; especially during spice scenes when he took a 19 year old teenager and made her sound like an older woman. Any investment was snapped up pretty quickly and I didn't find this to be the audiobook that helped me get through the story.

Overall it's a 2 star read. Again, this is my first in the series and while I'm not inspired to jump and read the others, I haven't written Emily McIntire off just yet; I just ned some time to give her another chance.

Thank you Blackstone Audio for the gifted ALC.

📚 Book Review (Story: 4⭐ Spice: 2.5🌶️)

Emily McIntire always delivers when it comes to emotional depth and beautifully broken characters, and Beneath the Hood is no exception. That said, while I greatly enjoyed the story and thought the narration was fantastic, the storyline itself wasn’t my favorite of hers.

Blakely is a 19-year-old social media influencer whose life is carefully curated, right down to the calorie. From the outside, she’s flawless. Inside, she’s spiraling. Enter Jackson Rhoades. At 28, he’s a mechanic with a haunted past and a heart of gold. Tasked with keeping an eye on Blakely, their connection is instant. It’s intense, emotional, and complicated by the weight of their age gap and personal struggles.

The mental health rep, especially around disordered eating, anxiety, and OCD, was handled with realism and care. Some moments were genuinely hard to listen to—and that’s the point. Blakely’s pain was raw and honest, even when her choices were messy. And Jackson? He’s a patient, steady presence who never tries to fix her—he just holds space while she heals. That quiet kind of love really resonated with me.

The pacing dragged a bit in the middle, and while I appreciate the nuance of taboo elements, the age gap felt a little too emphasized at times. There’s a 9-year difference between them, and if that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t your book. Still, the story is rich with heartache, healing, and hope, and by the end, I was rooting hard for both of them.

🎧 Audiobook Review (Performance: 4.5 ⭐)

I loved listening to this on audio and am so grateful to Blackstone Publishing and the author via NetGalley for the chance to experience it that way.

The audiobook truly elevated the story for me. Even during the slower stretches, the narration kept me grounded in the emotional current of the book. Brooke Bloomingdale brings Blakely’s vulnerability to life with striking nuance, especially during the anxious and emotionally raw moments that might’ve landed softer on the page. Her performance was both grounded and unflinching. I hadn’t listened to her before, but I immediately added more of her work to my TBR after finishing this.

Liam DiCosimo was just as strong, giving Jackson a steady, Southern warmth that made him feel grounded and safe—dare I say it, even 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. His smooth, confident cadence matched the character I’d pictured in my head. I listened in the dark, without distraction, and his narration truly settled me into Jackson’s world.

Together, their voices complemented each other perfectly. The duet narration made it easy to stay anchored in each POV, and I found myself pausing often just to breathe through the emotion. Their performance didn’t just tell the story—it embodied it. The pain, confusion, and tenderness came through crystal clear.

If you're in the mood for a slow-burn, character-driven, emotional age-gap romance that doesn’t shy away from hard truths but still delivers on heat and healing, Beneath the Hood is worth your time. Just… trust the process.

Overall Rating: 4.5⭐
Performance: 4.5⭐
Story: 4⭐
Spice: 2.5🌶️

Ok so age gap romance is not usually my thing and I definitely don't think it was portrayed realistically in this book. But did I still enjoy it? Yes. Blakely was a bit harder to love, but I couldn't help but feel compassion for her character when reading all the stuff she was battling (ED and anxiety disorder namely). Jackson was a great book boyfriend, but I can't for the life of me imagine why he'd fall for Blakely other than lust. Still, even that didn't take me out of the story which is saying something, I think. Finally, I think the narrators did a good job at portraying these two characters. Would I recommend this book individually? I'm not sure, but as part of the Sugarlake series, I think it's good to read it.

This story wasn’t for me,
I didn’t feel the chemistry or the tension between the characters. I did loved the mental health aspect & the glimmers of the other characters from previous books

eally good story overall! Blakely’s journey with her mental health was so powerful and moving—I genuinely felt for her during her moments of insecurity and low points. Jackson’s resentment toward Chase, rooted in old feelings for “Goldie,” added depth, and I’m so glad they finally worked through it.

Now, Alina chasing after Jackson? Yeah, that got a little annoying—like, girl, he asked for space, and you already have a man. Just take a seat! 😂🤣

All in all, I loved this story and the entire series. Can’t wait for more!

This book was very slow to get into. I really want to like it but I didn't contact with the Characters. The audiobook was good but it would have been better in duet. The male narrators female voice drove me nuts it sounded like he didn't even try.

I had to take a pause on this at 50%, even with reading the trigger warnings the disordered eating, body shaming and body issues got to be too much for me. I will try to return to this, I have loved the previous two books in the series!

Ahhh I absolutely love this series so much and this installment is no different. I loved the romance, the setting and storyline. The characters have amazing chemistry, I love how their relationship grows and evolves. Just a beautiful book, absolutely adored it!

I just…. could barely care. I didn’t really find the characters likeable, and had a full on ick on the MMC the entire entire time. His dirty talking was NOT it for me. I was so intrigued by this being a “forbidden age gap” and I was hoping for yearning and slow burn and I felt like it was more insta love with no spark or chemistry. I was not aware at the time of requesting this ARC that it was part of a series, so maybe that’s why? Did I miss some part of their connection in previous books? I also personally don’t like when a male character is so turned on and keeps hammering on about how the FMC is “untouched”. It weirds me out, ESPECIALLY in an age gap, that they’re so turned on by being “the only one to ever touch/have/fuck/kiss/etc” them.

With all that said, I did enjoy the elements of what it’s like to be in the public eye and how much is contrived, and how much is secretly going on that the public never sees. Especially with the FMC having an eating disorder, and how much public commentary fed into it for her, along with her later OCD diagnosis. I feel like this kind of representation is really powerful, and if felt mostly well done.

i did the audio, so I think it may have been the male narrator that contributed to the ick i had for the main character. This is a personal preference - but when you’re already doing the audiobook as a duet *please* just have them read out their own parts regardless of whose POV it is. Nothing pulls me out more than having to listen to a guy put on a weird girl voice, or a woman trying to put on a deep man voice. It’s off putting to me. also, while this does not affect my rating, there were really long silent lags in between chapters and I kept thinking the audio turned off. It didn’t flow super well.

ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sending this ALC for review consideration. All opinions are my own. ༶ .⁺˖

Hello again my new friends!


@blackstonepublishing kindly accepted my request to listen to @itsemilymcintire Beneath the Hood.

I don't know about you but I cannot pick up a book in the middle of a series and have it at. At least not knowingly anyway.

Beneath the Hood is the third in the Sugarlake Series. I confess, I put off reading this series because cutesy covers are not my thing. Emily posted on several platforms that she doesn't do cutesy romance. Sugarlake is filled with stories of growing up, look for love, second chances and emotional damage.

Check your trigger warnings especially on this book. This is an age gap romance. Our MMC, Jackson, has permanently relocated from Sugarlake to Hollywood to carry out his father's dreams of putt cars on the big and get over the hometown girl. Our FMC is hardworking influencer who has made a name for herself by perfecting her outward appearance.

He's 28, and she's 19.

This book is rife with emotional development and it absolutely put my heart through the ringer more so than the two books prior.

It's beautiful love story. Blake Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo in duet narrated audio books. 5 star performance

5 stars for Emily


#netgalley #audiobooksarebooks #bookstagram #reader #readerforlife

TW: eating disorder, OCD, panic attacks
please protect your mental health if these topics are hard for you 🩵

I really enjoyed the book overall. I liked the plot and our MMC a lot. I enjoyed the focus on some heavier topics and was excited to see a heavy character growth in our FMC.

i feel that Emily did an outstanding job at handling a book that heavily revolved around eating disorders. I feel like it was handled with care while also being very blunt and honest at the same time, which i liked. I think it’s important that an author makings the reader slightly to very uncomfortable with these topics because they’re real and are uncomfortable.

I had some issues with how the OCD and panic attacks were handled. While i did like seeing them on page and getting the raw, unfiltered version of them i had an issue with how our FMC acted afterward. I wish we would have seen her inside the rehab more and seen more on page therapy and getting that help more. I feel like there was some spots earlier in the story that were pretty repetitive and slow that could have been cut so we could have had the character growth side of our FMC. When we got to the point where she agreed she needed help it was all within the last 10ish % of the book and felt really rushed.

I loved the narration, these audiobooks have been super enjoyable to read and I do feel like they add to my overall enjoyment of the book.

Vibes:
-Eating Disorder Representation
-OCD Representation
-On page panic attacks
-Age Gap
-Forbidden romance
-third act conflict

As much as i love emily’s writing and her other books, i found this one on the more boring side and i hate to say that . I found the story line to be lacking

Check the trigger warnings on this one (honestly, it’s Emily McIntire, you’ve been warned).

I did a combination of listening and eyeball reading for this one and while I enjoyed a lot about the audiobook, the way the MMC narrator said Princess was… not for me.

Pros: Emily does not right light and airy romcom. She writes grounded, complex characters who are struggling with real world concerns. Because of this, the characters feel lived in - like you could run into one of them on the street or they could be your best friend. I also think this book works as a standalone (seeing as I didn’t read the other books in the series before this one 🤣).

Cons: just one - I REALLY wish the FMC had been in her 20s. The MMC is 28 and the age gap comes up a lot throughout the story.

Do I now want to go back and read the other books in this series? But again, I don’t think that’s a barrier to enjoying this story AT ALL!

I cant get over how much emotion is packed into this series. Each book has some amazing mental health aspects imo and I know book 4 is going to GET ME. This is age gap, bosses daughter. He works on cars on movie sets and she is an influencer trying to make her own way. There is some issues with control and eating in here that really resonated with me 🫶🏻 the audiobook and accents were chefs kiss - this was my first @blackstonepublishing audio and it definitely won’t be my last

Don't let the adorable cover fool you, this book is so much more than a cute little romance (though I also love those too). At its core it's an age gap romance (19-28) between a mechanic and his bosses social media superstar daughter. But it also delves into some pretty serious issues like eating disorders, the loss of parents and panic attacks and it handles these issues well. It also had a good amount of spice. I listened to the audio book and overall I really enjoyed the narration and the story. I will definitely read the other books by this author.

Beneath the Hood by Emily McIntire is a gritty, emotional enemies-to-lovers romance with a swoony age gap twist. Jax and Blakely’s tension is electric, and the mental health representation adds depth and heart. Gritty, raw, and addictive. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a fun read, but I wonder whether I would have connected to the main characters more if I'd read the first 2 books in the series, so entirely my fault for not doing!
The book deals with some serious topics e.g. eating disorders, panic attacks, so it's worth just double checking these if they could be a trigger. I think these were portrayed well though, and the female narrator did a good job of conveying Blakeley's anguish in relation to these. She isn't the most likeable main character, but I did feel for her.
Jackson? I couldn't make my mind up about him. I know the age gap isn't a really bad one, and people read 'age gap romances' for various reasons, but the fact it was mentioned quite a lot that he worked for her dad and had for a while did make me feel a bit icky in parts! However, the way he supports Blakeley and wants to help her through her issues is really sweet.
But if you like a slow burn, spicy age gap romance you might just enjoy this one!

This is book three in the Sugarlake series, and I think it’s the most captivating so far. We follow Jackson and Blakely as they meet and connect in California. Narrators Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo bring these characters to life with such raw emotion, and their performance truly sold the story for me.

Jackson has always dreamed of honoring his dad’s legacy by working on cars for the big screen. What he didn’t expect was to be asked to babysit his boss’s 19-year-old daughter, a rising social media influencer.

Blakely is determined to make a name for herself without relying on her family’s status. Despite her packed schedule and dedication, her dad refuses to acknowledge her hard work.

As Jackson and Blakely spend more time together, they begin to see each other in a new light. Their attraction grows steadily, and eventually, it becomes impossible to ignore. Though complete opposites, their chemistry is undeniable.

This story tackles some heavy themes, and I appreciated how Emily McIntire brought them to the forefront. She didn’t sugarcoat Blakely’s experiences, which made her story feel that much more authentic. Jackson’s patience and support only made me love him more. The mental health representation in this book was honest and impactful.

If you’re looking for an emotional, character-driven story with real depth and chemistry, definitely give Beneath the Hood a listen.

Another brilliant book in the Sugar Lake series, Beneath the Hood is equal parts sweet, spicy, and painfully realistic. An age gap romance between a successful influencer who struggles with the weight of fame on her psyche and a professional fighting to realize his father’s dreams make for a beautiful story that is a joy to experience. Extra kudos to the narrators for bringing this book to life in a way that draws you in deeper into their story.