"Bake a chance on love." A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee was adorable! Mouthwatering dessert descriptions, savory dishes, a slow burn romance, an angsty male lead, I loved it! I listened to the audiobook for the majority of this one and I thought Natalie Naudus did a great job! She played both Aubrey and Landon's voices well. 

The chemistry between Aubrey and Landon was perfect and I thought they were both likeable characters. This book has been optioned already with Daniel Dae Kim to star as the male lead, I can't wait to see it on the big screen!

Aubrey is a small town baker who has quit a reputation with her regulars. Landon is a big time restaurant reviewer. A chance encounter finds the two in each other's orbits, and the two really hit it off. However, without knowing this fascinating girl was a baker,  Landon writes a scathing review of Aubrey's bakery when he accidentally gets a cake meant for a 6 year old's birthday party. Putting Aubrey's bakery at risk she struggles with an expansion among the now dwindling orders. Trying to make things right after realizing his mistake Landon offers Aubrey an opportunity of a life time. She can present two recipes on his friends cooking show helping to promote her bakery while paying her generously for her work to finish her expansion. The two find themselves falling back into each other while both struggling with taking a leap that could ruin their careers. 

The story itself was sweet, but it was also a bit of a mess. The pacing was off, and made it difficult to get into the story. I normally am ok with large time jumps in a story but there were quite a few in a book only 306 pages long. This made the story feel disconnected in a way. Especially because the behavior of these characters was slightly different after each time jump. Although people do grow and change it felt as though I was reading about new characters each jump, and the jumps could have been made more clear with a chapter heading saying "1 month later" so we knew what was coming. The story also seemed to drag out in the middle only to be summed up in a few pages which led to another time jump. These two characters who had trust issues the entire book seemed to get over them in a short conversation which felt unreal and took away from the story. Especially when Aubrey turned to Landon and said "You have much to learn Grasshopper" when it was totally not anything she would ever say. 

Spoilers ahead. I also feel the random pregnancy to push the plot along was unnecessary. Accidental pregnancies do happen of course but this one felt as though it was pushed into the story just so it could have a specific ending.

A Sweet Mess was a cute romance about a pastry chef owning her own bakery and a food critic. In it, you'll follow Aubrey and Landon as they meet, fall in lust, hook up and then discover who they are before falling in love with each other.

The beginning of the book was pretty funny with the cake mix-up and when Landon got a cake full of gummy bears -made specially for a little girl's birthday- instead of the yummy desserts Aubrey usually makes.

Diving into this book, I think I expected a little more of a hate-to-love kind of trope but the hate part with the bad critic was almost non-existent. During the entire book, I found Aubrey a little too passive to my taste. Landon could also be an ass (refusing to make another critic even though an honest mistake was made & the way he made her feel unimportant compared to his career and how he made her a bit of a dirty secret at first). Other than that, it was pretty cute and sweet like its title and the hero redeemed himself in the end.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an arc via Netgalley)

Woah! There is a lot to unpack here. 

Aubrey own a bakery in a small town in California. Landon is a famous food critic. When he stumbles into her bakery, he accidentally buys a cake made for a 6 year old, stuffed with gummy worms. Later that night, he meets Aubrey at a bar. Neither of them knows who the other one is until Landon’s negative review about Aubrey’s bakery comes out, threatening the livelihood of her business.

And that’s all only within the first 20% of the book!

So much happens in this book. It has so many romance novel tropes all rolled into one and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I loved Aubrey. She was strong and independent and determined to make her own way in the world. I also liked Landon, and their chemistry leapt off the page. There was a big pull of will they/won’t they that kept me intrigued from page one. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to them and how they would ultimately end up together. 

If you are a fan of romance novels, I highly recommend checking this one out. There is so much that happens and it kind of breaks the typical pace. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen another surprise was thrown in. It brought a smile to my face every time I picked up this book and I look forward to reading more by Lee in the future.
There were also some side characters, specifically Tara, Aubrey’s best friend, who I really hope get a spin off novel. I would love to read more about the town and Tara. There were also some delicious sounding recipes in this book. I think there was only one that was given in the back, but it definitely had me craving some baked goods.

Sweet Mess is a sweet and steamy romantic comedy. Aubrey and Landon are well-written characters who have obvious chemistry. Aubrey's baking business is taking off when she meets Landon and falls hard. Unfortunately, this slows down her business and a sweet mess ensues.

Read this if only for the food porn! I love a good enemies to lovers romp and this did not disappoint, it did make me very hungry thorough... It felt like the author was trying to cram every trope imaginable in this book, enemies to lovers, one night stand, and coworkers, and one other I won't spoil. It was pretty full-on but still a fun read.

Another lesson in "You are older than you think" reading material wise.  I could not relate to this book and its characters.  I did not finish it and quickly moved on from the casual sex leads to romance plot.

She didn’t come up for air until a new batch was spinning in the ice cream maker—kind of like a puppy chasing its tail. Why are desserts so cute?

“Be a good little blob.” She wagged her index finger at the ice cream machine, her expression stern to match her words . Wait a minute. Being bossy wouldn’t get her anywhere. She was, after all, at the mercy of the tail-chasing blob.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be bossy. I’ll say please. Pretty please.”

A hoot of laughter made her jump and scream long and loud. Landon nearly toppled from the stool, startled by her horror queen performance. Was he watching me the entire time? Aubrey patted her hair to make sure it wasn’t a spiky mess. Because having tidy hair will make Landon forget I was talking to the sorbet like an insane person.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here,” she said.

“It’s not the first time. Being completely ignored by a beautiful woman helps build character.” Landon recovered from his near fall and winked at her.




A Sweet Mess had so many ingredients that I enjoy in a read- baking (give me all things baking and treats- also I need a sample of every treat made in the book STAT because they sound delicious and I was perpetually hungry while reading), a love of all kinds of food, cute contemporary romance, dual perspective with both the love interests, and reality television- as well as a HEA.

The heat level was pretty low, as in fade to black where you know sex happens but there is no description, which I enjoyed. I don't always need/want on page steam, this had enough sexual tension that built, and hot glances and intentions that I could feel the desire between the two characters very easily. The romance started as a one night stand, then enemies, then friends and finally to love and I enjoyed the progression and the pacing.

Overall I found this to be a quick engaging read, the perfect scoop of happy escapism reading. I recommend this to anyone who wants a fast adult contemporary romance and enjoys food eating and creating.

If you love the baking shows, you're going to love this book!  When Aubrey's Bakery Comfort Zone is reviewed by a celebrity food critic - in an unflattering way - she realizes its her one-night-stand who is the author!  As a concession, he offers Aubrey the chance to join a new cooking show and she goes for it to save her bakery.  But of course, one thing leads to another and the romance brews once again...

This was a great, light and fun rom-com. The character development was good and the writing flowed perfectly.

Aubrey is a dutiful daughter – successful and independent –but not yet married, and living her own life (happily) far enough away from her parents to feel confident, but close enough to check in.  Her parents, while not “thrilled’ at her chosen career as a baker are happy that she’s successful, and if she could find a good Korean boy to marry – all the better.   

Landon is a well-known food critic and blogger with a solid following and a bit of a stick up his rear. He’s stubborn and inflexible: he won't revisit decisions, even when he could be wrong. He’s traveling around and planned to review Aubrey’s bakery-but a mix-up in which he got a child’s cake instead of what he ordered means that he’s unhappy and plans to make that clear in the review.   

A chance meet and one-night stand, both thinking about the other and plenty of drama, including a not so positive review, plenty of friend interference and a dash of ‘woe is me’ until he’s forgiven drama and we have it.  Adorable and cute – Landon was one who needed a swift kick and was forgiven a bit too quickly, but he did tick all of Aubrey’s boxes and seemed truly contrite so there was some adjusting for me with the end of the story.  Full of food, wine and some mouth-watering descriptions, this is another to add to the reading list for the summer when you want to get away from it all 

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest” review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.  

Review first appeared at <a href=” http://iam-indeed.com/sweet-mess-jayci-lee/" > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

A Sweet Mess wasn't as sweet as I would have liked it to be. 

The story follows Aubrey and Landon, both driven and career-focused who shared a love for food. Aubrey owns her own bakery, while Landon is a well-known food critic. When a flat tire brings Landon into Aubrey's bakery, he gets a not-so-delicious cake meant for someone else and a one night stand - one of those things turns out better than the other.

Aubrey leaves their one night stand to focus on her bakery, which is on the edge of failure, and Landon cements that failure when he writes a review of her bakery based on the taste of a cake meant for a child who loves gummy worms. He doesn't find out until after that the owner of the bakery he just decimated is in fact the woman who he can't stop thinking about...oops. What ensues is a plot to bring business back to Aubrey's bakery where she conveniently has to spend a lot of time with Landon. No, they definitely won't keep hooking up and fall in love...

I enjoyed the outcome of this story, which was sweet (no pun intended), but I was not a fan of the journey it took to get there. There were so many obstacles that just felt melodramatic when they compounded on each other - failure to communicate, abandonment and daddy issues, pride, and cowardice, coming from both main characters. Add in a couple of other romance tropes (if you can believe it) and it was more than a LOT.

This book just wasn't for me. I'm sure there are others who will love it. I will have to try another of Jayci Lee's books to see if it lands a bit sweeter on my tongue.

This was not only a great read but it was quite original.   I can imagine a food critic stopping by for a quick bite and a coffee as he passed thru town.  But when he took a bite of what looked like a divine chocolate cake and found all sorts of candies and nuts in it, he just had to write a scathing review.  And it didn't matter that the cake he received was the brainchild of a 6-year-old who requested all the candies specifically for his birthday.  

In spite of all the letters from fans of Aubrey's bakery COMFORT ZONE, Landon never gave a second review.  It would spoil his reputation as an honest food critic. But after hearing from Aubrey and understanding the mistake Landon felt as though he had to try and do something.  Plus he was more and more attracted to the feisty baker.

Written with heart and descriptions of the baked goods so well that you could almost taste them along with the sensuality that filled the pages this was a great read, and a lot of fun

This was just kind of average and not what I expected. I really am coming to expect lower quality books when it comes to books with the illustrated covers. I didn't love that the characters don't match what is on the cover either.

Oh my goodness! Sweet Mess by Jaci Lee was such a swoon-worthy read! The main characters have great chemistry, and I loved them together. If you love descriptions of food that will make you want to cook, this one is for you, too. It also has one of my favorite tropes, but I won’t spoil that!

If you’re looking for a great summer weekend read, this is it!

Aubrey Cho is the owner of a bakery and her greatest joy is baking wonderful, yummy pastries.  Everything is going well for her until a food critic writes a horrible review about the bakery.  His review was based on a baking mix up/misunderstanding.  
I enjoyed this cute, sweet story.  I always enjoy a story that has a food theme.  
Overall, Sweet Mess is a enjoyable contemporary romance with a cooking theme.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

I loved all the cooking scenes, although I do wish I would have gotten a little bit more of the cooking show than we did end up getting. Also while I really liked Aubrey’s character and all of Aubrey’s and Landon’s friends, I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of Landon. This book also contains the accidental pregnancy trope which is honestly like my least favorite trope. And I don’t believe that he would have went back to her if he hadn’t discovered she was pregnant. I also didn’t like how Landon just assumed that Aubrey would be ok keeping their whole relationship a secret…made no sense. I also felt like the book progressed a bit slowly for my liking.

A deliciously sweet romance!!! This is my first book by Jayci Lee and I look forward to reading more of her books!!! Will Aubrey and Landon have a happily ever after? Will Landon's cooking show save Aubrey's bakery? Read and find out!!! Enjoy!!!

Her worker served the wrong person. She served it a food critic. After a bad day she had a one night stand. It just happens that she slept with the critic. 

Her co-worker tries to fix it and goes to where he works and give him another desert has him try it but he is not a Critic who re?does a review so he has come up with a plan to put her on a cooking show to fix the issue and he goes to her to tell her.

She takes the opportunity and on the way there her jeep breaks down and he comes to get her. She bakes her way to a win and a romance.

Their romance thickens and she believes she is pregnant before she could even share any sort of news with Landon rumours get out that they may be sleeping together so he tells people that she means nothing and over hears it. 

She is definitely pregnant. So she goes back home cause she knows Landon doesn't feel the same about her. He ends up realizing that he loves her and finds a pregnancy test. 

He then goes back to get her. He buys a house and gets a place for his own restaurant. She does take him back after he grovels a lot. They have their baby girl and end up getting married shortly after. 

I loved this book. It was light and fluffy plus it had food. If you love baking and romance this is the boom for you.

2.5 stars

Food-centric romances always make me hungry! I definitely wish I had a dish of Aubrey’s pretzel bread pudding to eat while reading A Sweet Mess.

While I’m not a stickler for realism in my novels, I had a hard time getting past the initial setup for the book, which involves hero Landon, a restaurant critic, writing a negative review of heroine Aubrey’s bakery—based on a single dessert eaten during his one and only visit to the shop. That just doesn’t happen (critics make repeat visits to check for consistency and taste many different dishes), and Landon specifically tells his editor to fact-check the review … which would have given Aubrey and her staff the chance to explain the mix-up resulting in Landon eating a cake not meant for general consumption. So the initial conflict between the characters was based on a scenario that just doesn’t hold water, and at that point I was tempted to DNF. But I’ve seen positive reviews of the novel elsewhere, so I pressed on.

And I liked A Sweet Mess but didn’t really click with it. Aubrey and Landon seemed strangely uninterested in each other’s histories; they never ask basic questions like “Where did you grow up?”, and a good chunk of the book has passed before Aubrey explains the backstory with her family. The book feels longer than I think it actually is because their relationship moves at a glacially slow pace, and there’s so much push-pull “we should be together/no we shouldn’t.” I always know I’m in trouble when I feel like I’ve been reading forever and then see that my Kindle says I’m only 36% of the way finished.

Nonetheless, I settled in to find out how Aubrey and Landon resolve their differences and the pace does pick up. I liked that the book features two Korean American protagonists, which is still very unusual in romance novels. What I think I really want is a book about Aubrey’s best friend, bar owner Tara, so I hope Jayci Lee writes her story next! And if she includes the recipe for that pretzel bread pudding, I’d really appreciate it.