A wonderful romance with a neurodivergent female main character. Amara was written with such precision I felt like I knew her so well very quickly. The relationship with her mother I found very trying, as it should be, it was never treated flippantly or as too comedic. I enjoyed Nicholas but mostly because he liked Amara so much!

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Review for 'Caught Out' by Ann Butler

This may be the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely will not be my last!

I will start by saying that this isn't my usual chosen genre but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books and I wanted to give it a try. I must say that if you are the same as me and this what not be your usual type of book do not let that put you off, expand your reading genres and give this book a try!! I must admit that I had no idea quite what to expect when I started reading this but I am very pleased that I did. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the lives of Amara Allen and Nicholas Lewis who had different personalities and were completely different people. Amara is a socially awkward introvert whose Mum is a famous super model and business woman and whose sister is a media star. Nicholas is a high flying business man who is determined to get what he wants when it comes to business deals. When Amara's Mum Trinity pushes them together, without Amara realising, Nicholas is not happy about it but when sparks genuinely start to fly and the heat is turned up can Nicholas keep his dealings to himself? This book is ram packed with family, fame, romance, lust, spice, blackmail and glamour and I ended up devouring it in just two sittings. I must admit that I did see the ending coming and I am not entirely sure how believable this storyline actually is but nevertheless I really got stuck in and enjoyed it. I love the fact that Amara in neurodivergent, although it is not specifically stated in the book, as it is not usual to discover neurodivergent main protagonists in books, especially romance. There was drama, steam, family drama and so much more to keep the reader invested in the storyline. I was completely invested in all of the characters and I like the fact that Trinity plays such a big part although the book focuses on Amara and Nicholas. My heart went out to Amara who just wanted to be left alone but was constantly being trolled and haunted by the media and journalists due to the fact that all her family were famous. I wasn't sure what to think of Nicholas although I definitely thought he was hot headed and quick to jump to conclusions. Ann does a wonderful job of weaving the storyline through the perspectives of the multiple protagonist perspectives of Nicholas and Amar ensuring we get to see what each of them are doing and what they are feeling at just the right times. This book does a brilliant job of highlighting the fact that when it comes to fame how much it affects the lives of not just the famous but those around them. It is a light, easy to read contemporary romance and I would definitely read more books by this author! Each of the characters have their own unique characters with different strengths, weaknesses, flaws and personalities and I found myself rooting for Amara from beginning to the end. I found myself constantly turning the pages until I ended up devouring it in two sittings.

The authors evocative writing skills brings each of the characters to life and leaves you feeling that you are standing next to them as their story unfolds and lives start to tumble around them. Each of the characters were realistic, well rounded and strong characters which makes it a realistic read. All the characters were strong and realistic as well as most of them hiding their own secrets. I was completely invested in each and every one of them. Although many were flawed as well as unlikeable this made them all the more realistic!!! I don't want to risk saying more about how I felt about the characters as I don't want to give anything away to future readers!! Regardless of whether you love them or hate them they each of the characters played their parts perfectly to create this drama and action packed storyline!!!

Overall an action and drama packed storyline.

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Thank you Ann Butler and Netgalley for this ARC!

The story follows Amara Allen, a woman living in the shadows of her supermodel mother and her socialite sister.
Just when Amara thinks she's found a good relationship, it unfolds in so many different ways due to her not knowing that her mother is the puppet master behind closed doors.

There's always that one family member that can't help but meddle.

It's such a cute, witty, romantic novel
All I can say is wow!
This was such a great story, I devoured it in one sitting.

I loved this book! It was fun, and I loved the fiction elements! I loved the main character! It was such a fun read!

(eARC provided via Netgalley, 2025)

The story's about Amara and her crush on/interest in Nicholas Lewis, a furniture brand mogul. It's not explicitly stated in the book that she is ND so as a reader, you're wondering it, without any confirmation. I wish the author had explicitly stated it so everything fir in better.

Trinity, Amara's mother, gets Nicholas/Lewis (I wish the author had decided what to call him and then stuck with it) to date Amara for 6 months in exchange for a social media campaign. This means the story is a blackmail/extortion trope.

The problem is that you get the clash first. The book starts with Amara finding out so it colors all their interactions negatively (for me). The lack of verbal communication (makes sense in the instance of MFC being ND) makes this an awkward read for at least the first half of the book. The story could have had more visual cues to make up for it, but that's neither here nor there.

Now, a lot of people may have issues with Trinity (the mom) interfering with her child's love life, but it is pretty cultural, I think. SE Asians have their parents arrange their marriages so for us, meh, it's ok.

It's not explicitly stated how old Amara and Nicholas are (as far as I remember) so that aspect would have helped contextualize their interactions as well.

Open door explicit.

In Caught Out, Amara's mother Trinity threatens Nicholas into dating her daughter. She catches on that Amara is interested in Nicholas and decides to use her celebrity and influence to her advantage. She threatens to post a negative blog about Nicholas' business if he doesn't date Amara for six months. Nicholas is, of course, resentful. Amara is neurodivergent and the press will frequently go after her for not being as beautiful and charming as her mother and sister. Her nickname is "Bad Press." But underneath the armor that she wears, she's more observant than she seems. As Nicholas gets to know her, he learns how to communicate with her to understand and give her space to get her thoughts across. The chemistry they share is electric! As the press becomes involved again and Amara's guard has started to come down, it all comes crashing down around her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It is told from both Amara's and Nicholas' POVs. While I didn't find Amara's subconscious voice to be highly articulate either, her character was nicely developed. She and Nicholas were (obviously) not being totally honest with each other so there were plenty of frustrating moments when neither fully understood what was going on. I was also annoyed by how much the press was going after the daughter of a supermodel - I didn't really feel like much emphasis was on her sister's stardom - but people feel the right to have opinions on others' lives so I was able to accept it and move on. I was really rooting for Nicholas and Amara, especially as he came to thinking of ways to pay attention to her to tease out more communication from her. I found the reason that Trinity felt she needed to meddle in Amara's life disappointing and was hoping that it would be something that I would be able to forgive easily.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC 💕

I had no clue what to expect going into this book but all I can say is… WOW!

Right from the get go, there’s a layer of intrigue about what the media has said about Amara (our neurodivergent FMC). With her mother being a socialite running a PR business it’s hard for Amara to avoid the lime light which makes having relationships a struggle.

As for our MMC, Nicholas was such a sweetie pie even with his slip ups. He realises early on that he will have to be patient with Amara and learn how she communicates to have the best relationship with her which I found very heartwarming.

And the most prominent side character has to be Trinity, Amara’s mother. Trinity had big Miranda Priestley vibes (from the devil wears Prada) and definitely brings the drama to the story. She is so agitating but because we see her POV occasionally, it’s easy to see why she acts the way she does, which is an amazing addition to the complex layers of the plot.

This is a spicy romance, written in third perspective with an element of character study to explore.

A complicated relationship among people in the spotlight. I enjoyed the pov's in the book of Amara and Nicholas, especially when they are together in scenes. It does highlight their views on each other and their lifestyles. Character-wise wise Amara was a multilayer character from the way she is seen by others and her true self we see in the book. The more you read into this story, the more interesting the characters become. The plot was decent, the premise is of Nicholas being blackmailed by Trinity Amara's mother to date Amara. When they start dating, things gradually change into something genuine.

The one thing about this book, I felt like Nicholas' character could have been more interesting because I felt more invested in the FMC and her pov's compared to Nicholas. Trinity pov as well was not that necessary to me, and I felt like it would have more sense near the end of the books. I did enjoy this book overall, it's a quick, fun contemporary romance read.

Thanks, Netgalley and Independent, for the eARC.

i really liked this book. i loved Amara. she was such a kick ass simply for the way she carried on throughout it all. when many like her, a little different do fair so well again such challenges. and some of the sh*tty ways people were in this book had me wanting to hug her and shake them.
but for me she was just so brilliant. there was a quiet determination in her, a strength. and beneath all that because that seemed to grow from what shed been through, before all that there was someone, a human, someone who we should all respect and care for simply because she is one. the "othering" is really quite prominent in todays society. and this book has lots of parallels to that.
but i love how this character was given her own story, she was the main character. and you are highlighted in others flaws being exactly what is wrong. not her, not the way she does or sees things. no, as is often the way the problem is in others. and that is bound to make this young girl react. it would anyone.
the character building and story line was a good one. it fit together really well and produced a enjoyable read which kept me invested until the end.

This was a quick, fun read from a new author to me! The story focuses on the unlikely romance between Amara, the socially awkward daughter of a high-profile celebrity family, and Nicholas, a handsome, successful CEO. There is a bit of forced proximity, fake dating of sorts, and plenty of cute interactions between the two. I always enjoy seeing character growth, which we get with particularly Amara, as she finds her confidence throughout the book. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Independent and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the cover of this book I knew I had to request it. I just love how cool it is.

This book was fast paced and I was able to finish it quickly! I really liked Amara. I thought she was so sweet. I hate the way she was treated. I couldn’t stand her mother and what she put her through. It’s definitely a tough read at times. There were some things I didn’t see coming. Overall it wasn’t a bad book. Sometime romance can be a hit or miss for me!

I do enjoy Ann’s writing! Looking forward to more books by her.

Rating: ✨✨✨
Publication Date: May 30, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Independent for the eARC!!

#CaughtOut #NetGalley.

I am giving this book a 2.5 for the following reasons. I loved the cover, but it didn't seem to match the character Amara in my mind. The title itself also didn't seem to match what the book was about in totality. I liked the main characters Amara and Lewis, but I felt like maybe they needed more to them than this situation they were in. The book itself was a quick read. It flowed perfectly fine. It just left me with questions and I wanted to know more. I think if the book had maybe developed more and was longer, I might actually love it.

This was a really entertaining and quick read. The book was easy to get through and the pace was really nice.

I absolutely loved the UK wording, since being married to an English man, it sounded more natural to me.

I really felt for Amara. The way she is treated by everyone and the way it influences her behaviour and feelings, was just so sad. And I wished I could just have given her a hug.

The plottwist was heart shattering, although ofcourse I could see it coming, it didn't hurt any less. I felt so bad for everyone involved.

The character building was really good and I felt very invested with both characters.

The communication between Amara and Nicholas was so frustrating sometimes and at times I felt like giving them a good shake to wake them up.

The spicy scenes were very well written. Sometimes when reading spicy scenes I feel really cringy, but that wasn't the case at all this time.

All in all I had a lovely time reading Caught Out!

The plot of the novel didn't seem to match the front cover, but nonetheless this was a sweet and light read. Amara was a lovely FMC to follow and I felt gutted for her to be so swept up in her mother's schemes.
Nicholas was a bit confusing and irritating at times, but overall I enjoyed their relationship.