A fashion influencer meets her unlikely match in Amy Lea’s delightful new rom-com.

On this week’s Fully Booked podcast, internationally bestselling romance author Amy Lea discusses The Catch (Berkley, Feb. 13). Set primarily in a remote Canadian fishing village, this clever romcom is the third and final book in Lea’s popular Influencer series, chronicling the lives and loves of a trio of social media-savvy friends: Set on You, focused on fitness influencer Crystal Chen; Exes and Oh’stold the love story of her sister, Tara Chen, a romance Bookstagrammer. The Catch centers on fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen, whose earnest attempt at a brand refresh leads her on an ill-starred journey from Boston to Nova Scotia.

Here’s a bit from our starred review of The Catch:

“Melanie Karlsen’s brand is in desperate need of rescuing. Although she’d initially carved out a social identity for herself as a fashion influencer, she’s becoming disillusioned with the perfectly edited facade she projects to the world. Accepting an all-expenses-paid spa vacation seems like the perfect reset for both herself and her job, but a mix-up strands her in what may be the least likely place: a remote fishing village in Nova Scotia. The B&B where she manages to book a last-minute stay could barely be described as rustic, and its owner, fisherman Evan Whaler, is even less hospitable. While Melanie resigns herself to counting the days until she can leave, an accident at sea finds her tangled up in an inadvertent lie.…Lea’s talent for writing complicated but ultimately likable characters is on full display as things between Melanie and Evan become more and more comically disastrous before they start to get better, and her expert knack for comedy makes this story a standout.”

Lea, who lives in Ottawa, is also the author of Woke Up Like This, a YA romance that was a finalist for CBC’s Canada Reads 2023 and has been optioned for development by Mindy’s Book Studio. When not writing novels, she can be founding dishing on romance @amyleabooks.

She and I begin by discussing the ties that bind Crystal, Tara, and Melanie together before pivoting to focus on Mel, and the plot of The Catch. We talk about the grumpy lobster fisherman Mel meets after a mix-up; the elder millennial rom-com canon (with a special shout-out to Sandra Bullock vehicles While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal); how romance is distinct from rom-com; the expectations placed on particular romance tropes; and injecting romance with humor. Lea shares how Canadians pronounce poutine; whether or not the Influencer series could support spinoffs; the excitement of having Woke Up Like This optioned by Mindy Kaling; deciding where to put the steam (i.e., sex) in a romance novel; and much more.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

EDITORS’ PICKS:

Pigeons at War: How Avian Heroes Changed History by Connie Goldsmith (Twenty-First Century/Lerner)

Soren’s Seventh Song by Dave Eggers, illus. by Mark Hoffmann (Cameron Kids)

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Knopf)

ALSO MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE:

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting To Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco

The Complicities by Stacey D’Erasmo

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Here, Where Death Delights by Mary Jumbelic, M.D.

Unredeemable and Other Stories by Glen Heefner

Simply Produce: A Practical Guide to Selecting, Storing, and Preparing Common Vegetables and Fruits by Diana McInnes

Parallel Secrets by ML Barrs

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.