To be completely honest, this book had no substance to it. Not plot other than I think healing a girl’s eating disorder and anxiety attacks? Both characters were broken in their own way and it made the storyline depressing as hell and boring. Also since this was an audiobook I HATED the guys voice and his version of the girl’s voice. Trigger warning that there is some really deep stuff talked about but does that make this a good book? No it does not. Very bad do not recommend. Also I found out that it’s a series??? Cannot believe that. Stunned. What else is there to write about??

First of all, big thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC!!

I gotta say, there were a few things that I didn’t love, and that’s the reason I gave this book three stars. The main issue was that my first interaction with this book was through the audiobook, and the voice the male narrator used, specifically when doing female characters, just wasn’t it for me. I *adore* audiobooks and consume them frequently, so that’s important for me. On the bright side: dual narration! That was really nice.

Going into the story itself, I had trouble connecting with the main characters. While I empathize with her struggles (and I believe we got a pretty decent ED representation), sometimes she gave off that “not like the other girls” energy. And some lines, from both MCs, made me cringe.

I usually have no problem whatsoever with age gaps in fiction (keeping it legal, please lol), but something that bothered me here is that he’s a 28-year-old dating a 19-year-old and gets surprised when she acts immature? Why? She’s supposed to be immature in comparison.

Listen, I’m a slow-burn sucker, so this felt way too insta-love for me. He was obsessed with his best friend from home in one chapter, and like a couple of weeks later, he’s telling our FMC that he loves her? It felt rushed, and repetitive at times. Also, I could see where this book was going from the beginning (even though I gotta admit, I was waiting for the unexpected pregnancy bomb).

The whole idea was fun and I did enjoy listening to this audiobook, but I gotta say, I wouldn’t really want to dive into the rest of this universe. I didn’t love it, but I do believe it’s a matter of personal preference—and I probably picked the wrong book to review.

Like all Emily McIntire, i devoured this book! I love love loved it!

Im so grateful to Blackstone publishing for providing me a copy of the audiobook via netgalley! TYSM!

Blakely is a 19 year old influencer, shes always in the spotlight with every minute of her day planned to perfection. But behind the social media persona, she is an anxious mess with a ton of issues from keeping up the perfect princess appearance.

Jackson is 28 and has a dream of fixing up cars for the big screen but when his boss asks him to babysit his social media influencers daughter Jackson is less than happy, she annoys him more than anyone he has ever met and the thought of spending time with this woman is his worst nightmare. Until it isnt…

The way Blakely’s struggles are written felt so authentic and done with extreme care. It was hard not to feel deeply for her and to then feel relieved when Jackson stepped in as her rock. It was all beautifully done.

I loved them as a couple, there was an age gap but not as big as some of the others so didnt make it feel seedy in any way. They just felt perfect for each other even when they wernt.

Cant wait to read the next

This age gap, dad’s employee romance was so sweet and spicy I could not put it down! Blakely and Jackson were perfect and I cannot wait to read more of this series!

This is not a book for me. I love an age gap romance, but Blakely felt entirely too immature for a relationship with anyone- especially not a full-grown man. And I have almost no triggers, but unfortunately, I now know that disordered eating is one of them.

I am rating this book two stars. I’ll give the author another try, but not this series.

#contemporaryromance #bookreview

Overall I did enjoy this book, I was just hoping I would like it more. I haven’t read many age gap books but I just prefer that Blakely was a little older than 19 years old. I’m currently 28 years old and I could never imagine being with someone 19 years old. I did like the characters and the plot. However, the previous book I read had me constantly thinking about it while I wasn’t reading and I didn’t really have that with this book. I want a book to completely take over my mind and make me want to read continuously until it’s done. While I liked this book I didn’t feel the desire to read it constantly. All that said, I did enjoy this book and would rate this book a 3/5 stars.

This book has the age gap trope, along with the forbidden trope making it an enjoyable concoction of the romance genre. This author never disappoints and always leaves you thinking about the characters after you finish the book.

Jackson Rhodes thought leaving Sugarlake for Hollywood would help him outrun heartbreak, but instead he finds himself knee-deep in emotions—and engine grease. His dream of fixing cars for blockbuster films is finally real, but so is his new assignment: babysit the boss’ daughter. Blakely is everything Jax hates on sight—rich, pampered, and polished for the cameras. But underneath her influencer gloss is a girl drowning in expectations, mental health struggles, and a desperate need to be seen.

What begins as a favor quickly shifts into a slow-burning, forbidden romance that’s both tender and gut-wrenching. Their connection feels like healing wrapped in horsepower, with chemistry that simmers and a power dynamic that’s as risky as it is irresistible. McIntire doesn't shy away from the raw—Beneath the Hood deals with eating disorders, OCD, and anxiety with honesty and compassion.

Jax and Blakely are beautifully broken, and watching them piece themselves back together—together—is an emotional ride worth taking.

Beneath the Hood is book #3 of The Sugarlake series, a small town romance series of 4 interconnected standalones by Emily McIntire.

Jackson Rhodes moved from his hometown of Sugarlake, TN and moved to California for 2 reasons: 1. To fulfill the dream he and his father had of fixing up cars for the big screen and 2. To get over the love of his life and best friend, Lee.

Blakely is a 19 year old pampered socialite and social media influencer. Her dad is a big-shot Hollywood producer...and Jackson’s boss. One day he asks Jax to keep an eye on Blakely and accompany her to some of her appearances. The more time Jax spends with Blakely, he starts to realize that no one around her truly sees who she really is. They either see her as he first did - a snobby socialite who appears to have a perfect life - or as their meal ticket. This makes Jax want to tear down her walls to get to the woman underneath.

When reading Beneath the Hood, you can expect:
- Forbidden romance
- Boss’ daughter
- Workplace romance
- Age gap
- Mental health rep (OCD, eating disorder, anxiety)
- Trauma & healing

Just like with Beneath the Stars, this seemingly innocent contemporary romance, tackles some really deep subject matter around mental health, specifically eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD, so check your triggers.

Emily McIntire really writes such beautifully flawed characters who end up growing through their relationships with others and I'm here for it! I fell in love with the Never After series (especially Wretched and Hexed), but the Sugarlake series has made her an auto-buy author for me.

I love love love that Jax finally got his love story! It was hard to see how purely he cared for Lee in book one and know that he was doomed for heartache during her story but I think for his book his journey was really sweet. He took the time he needed away to make sure he could heal and through his journey he was able to help Blakely heal too. The handling of sensitive topics (grief, eating disorder, etc.) worked really well and seemed like they were drawn from first hand experience. This whole series really exceeded my expectations since the only book by Emily McIntire I had read prior to the Sugarlake series was Hooked which, while enjoyable, was lacking the emotional depth I’ve found in every book in this standalone interconnected series. So glad I got the audio book ARCs so I could be introduced to this small town universe.

As my ARC was audio book specific, I’ll touch on that as well. All I can say is thank goodness someone managed to get the male narrator to tone down his “feminine voice” for when the female characters were speaking in his POV chapter. While still far from my favorite narration, it was an improvement from the nails on a chalkboard for Beneath the Stands.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ALC. We should all be worshipping Queen Emily McIntire!!!

Brooke Bloomingdale & Liam DiCosimo were a perfect duo for Blakely and Jacks.

I wanted to dislike Blakely. Instead, I ended up really liking her and wanting to adopt her as a little sister. Her health struggles had me taking stock of a few things for myself and that is a big deal. (Just some small things that need adjusting, nothing too serious)

Beneath the Hood audiobook #review

Huge thanks to Netgally and Blackstone publishing for the ALC of this book to review ❤️

Going to start off with that I had to take a star off for the *specific* age gap in this book and how hard that was hammered into the storyline. The book was great. I really liked it. But the amount that it was emphasized that Blakely was nineTEEN was almost enough to give me the ick.

As someone who is 29 myself, Jackson being 28 and dating anyone with a teen in the age number, then not caring who saw them together gave me a slight cringe. It’s hypocritical of me, I know, but if Blakelys age was 20 I don’t think I would’ve had a single problem with it. Even if Jackson was double her age 🤷🏼‍♀️. So I don’t believe it was the year age gap in general, as it was the gap plus an age that was technically still in their teen years. I also feel like it’s something I could’ve looked past if it wasn’t brought up almost every other chapter.

I LOVE Emily McIntire, and the writing is always phenomenal, and I’ve never had a problem with an age gap before. This one just gave me a little bit of an off vibe so I just pretended Blakely was 20 😂.

This book can be very triggering for someone with severe OCD and an ED so please use caution before starting this book, but I really enjoyed their story and how they’ve fought to be together in the only ways they knew how. I was also super appreciative as to how Emily went about having the two characters help each other to heal and not just bandaiding their issues. I also LOVED the tie ins to the other books too.

Overall rating- 4✨

Such a cute story!! I really liked this book and loved that it was dual POV.

I did read this as a standalone, but after reading Jax and Blakely’s story, I want to go back and read the others in the series! Blakely, a 19 year old influencer who showed the world her happy smile and hid behind cameras, falls for Jax, the older broody car mechanic who is following his fathers dream by hoping to get his cars in the Hollywood spotlight. The two couldn’t be any more total opposites. I did not like Blakely at first, but as the story went on and we got to know the real Blakely, I liked her. My heart went out to her and all the things she was going through. I could relate to Blakely, I suffer from panic attacks too and having that support system changes everything and even though you’re surrounded by people, you can still feel so alone.

I loved how supportive Jax was to Blakely and how he was her calm in the storm. He took care of her when she needed a shoulder to cry on, or for someone to be there to help calm her nerves during her panic attacks.

The emotions in this book, from both Jax and Blakely are real, both have baggage they needed to work through and needed each other to see that! I loved seeing the character growth and their story play out!

There are some trigger warnings for this book so definitely take a look at those before reading! If you’re looking for a cute age gap romance that’s angsty and spicy, check this out.

I listened to the audiobook, the narrators played each character perfectly and really showed their true emotion. Thank you @netgalley and Blackstone Publishing the ALC

This book was well written with relatable characters and quick moving plot. The new release cover is delightful.

✨️💚✨️Audio Book Review✨️💚✨️

Book: Beneath The Hood
Author: Emily Mcintire
Rating: 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

YESSSS! THIS BOOK!

I had a feeling Jackson's story was going to be my fav ... and it sure was.

I found myself relating to the FMC so much on this one, and Jackson's inner turmoil between his feelings for the FMC, the age gap, and the forbidden love aspect .. was phenomenal.

I'm just so happy Jackson got his happy ending.

You get:
• Contemporary Romance
• Spicy
• Forced Proximity
• Age Gap
• Mental Health Representation
• Celebrity/Influencer
• Forbidden Love

I can't wait for the last one in this series! Available on KU, ebook, paperback, and audiobook.

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

This was okay. Not my favorite of the series, but not bad. I like age gap romances, but this one felt a little too young. The FMC very much felt like a teenager while the MMC felt like an adult. I would have enjoyed it more if the FMC was a little bit older and didn’t seem so young.

Beneath the Hood is an intriguing read, blending romance . The characters have potential, but at times, the plot feels a bit slow, and some of the twists are predictable. While it has its moments of tension and emotional depth, it didn’t fully capture me.

After reading all of Emily McIntire’s Never After series, I was really excited for this series of hers. I haven’t read them yet, even though this is a rerelease. The narrators do a great job, the male narrators accent was a little awkward but you get used to it. I enjoyed the age gap trope and the story line but I did have some issues.

There was a lot of repetitive internal dialogue from our FMC. I understand we were supposed to be in her anxiety with her but it was really difficult to listen to her constantly berating herself. I loved how he stood for her and helped her through her anxieties. The mental health rep was fantastic even if it was a little to heavy.

A good read, but not a favorite.

Emily McIntire's "Beneath the Hood" continues to cement its place as a standout in the series for its remarkable balance of lighthearted romance and deeply significant topics like mental health. The thoughtful approach to heavy themes adds a layer of authenticity to the narrative, making it both engaging and emotionally resonant. A word of caution: readers should familiarize themselves with the trigger warnings to ensure they're prepared for the story's challenges.

The characters in this installment feel incredibly real and relatable. Jackson, in particular, stands out as he navigates his journey—his moments of joy feel especially rewarding after seeing his struggles in previous parts of the series. The author’s ability to make the characters' experiences feel genuine is a testament to her skillful storytelling.

For fans of the series, this book is a must-read. It perfectly blends emotional depth with moments of levity, and it’s no wonder why it’s quickly becoming a favorite for so many. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a poignant, yet uplifting tale.