I loved it! This was a great read! The characters were relatable and the story was just so cute! The author did such a great job with describing the food that it literally left me hungry.

A SWEET MESS was SO! FREAKING! CUTE!!!!

A little bit sweet, a little bit messy, this romance title is filled to the brim with love, laughs, and LOTS of yummy treats. (Definitely don't read it on an empty stomach!).

It kicks off with some hijinks: our incredibly stressed MC, Aubrey, accidentally lets her intern/baking assistant do an unintentional "cake swap," passing her (self-proclaimed) disgusting gummy worm cake off to an adult customer. Except, plot twist, that customer is no other than a FOOD CRITIC, who (unsurprisingly) hates the juvenile cake, and his scathing review could ruin Aubrey's business forever!

Cut to that night: moping in a bar, nothing seems like the better release than a mindless one night stand with an incredibly attractive guy. Except... he happens to be that food critic. Yeah, *that* one. The one who ate the swapped cake... and nearly wrecked Aubrey's business forever.

What follows is 250-ish pages of lightness and food-inspired escapism: Food-Network-level cooking show drama, Hallmark-esque relationship hijinks, and enough witty banter and flirtation to bring a smile to your face and a blush to your cheeks.

Is it the best-written novel in the world? Not by a long shot. Is it free of flaws, a perfect read? Definitely not. But it's definitely more "sweet" than it is a "mess" -- the perfect kind of light, careless read we all need in such heavy, unconventional times in the world.

I genuinely loved this title. I lost myself in its characters, and rooted for Aubrey and Landon as their relationship blossomed, hit rock bottom, strengthened, became rocky again... fixed itself... (etc etc etc. It's a romance novel, You know what you're getting into!). But it's fun, it's goofy, and it's the perfect heart-warmer for the cold, dark winter months ahead.

Pour yourself an espresso, whip up a batch of your favourite cupcakes, and give this read a try. I promise -- you're not going to regret it.

3.5 stars. Bakery owner Aubrey Choi is having a very bad day, but she doesn’t know it’s about to get worse. When her assistant mistakenly serves a gummy worm-filled cake to a food critic passing through town, he writes a scathing review and puts her bakery in real danger of closing.

But, twist! Landon Kim is also her anonymous one-night-stand. Neither of them knew who the other was, but they’re both in a pickle now. Landon’s magazine never publishes a second review, but Aubrey’s bakery may not survive. Plus there’s definitely still an attraction between them. So Landon proposes a solution that’s so crazy, it just might work.

This was cute, although I could’ve done without some of the many convolutions in their budding relationship. But Lee clearly knows and loves food!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

"A Sweet Mess" was a fun romantic comedy. The story begins with Aubrey Choi, owner and baker of Comfort Zone, facing a disaster. Her part-time employee, Lily, had accidentally sold a special order birthday cake; in her defense, the cake looked exactly like the chocolate Bundt cake that was the special of the week. However, inside the cake was gummy worms, peanut butter, and cream cheese. The creative concoction of a six-year-old girl, but not what an unexpecting customer wanted to find inside his or her cake. To make things worse, Lily has no idea to whom she sold the cake.

After making a replacement cake, delivering it to the birthday girl just in the nick of time, and closing up the bakery, Aubrey heads to Weldon Brewery, where the head brewer, Tara, is Aubrey's best friend. As they are talking, a man asks Tara which beer is her pride and joy, to which she responds, "Spank Me" (the name of the brewery's gold-medal IPA). That is one of many funny moments at the brewery and in the book. When Aubrey turns to match a face to the voice, she is surprised to see an Asian American man standing there; the small town of Weldon, CA has exactly six Asian-American residents -- Aubrey, Tara, and Tara's parents and brothers. Aubrey and Landon hit it off and spend a rather enjoyable night together. It is only the next day, when being grilled for details by Tara, that Aubrey learns that Landon is actually Landon Kim, celebrity food critic and blogger.

Aubrey discovers who received the surprise birthday cake in the worst possible way, when she reads a review in California Coast Monthly called "The Pitfalls of Brilliance." While the review had many complementary things to say about the restaurant/bakery itself, the portrayal of the chef was very unflattering. Landon returns from a month-long trip to Asia to find that Aubrey Choi, owner and baker of Comfort Zones, has written an e-mail requesting a second chance and explaining the mix-up. It is only then that he realizes that the Aubrey with whom he enjoyed a romantic night (and cannot stop thinking about) is the owner of the business he tore about in his review. However, he cannot give her a second review, as it would risk his reputation, and it would harm both of them if anyone ever found out that they slept together, creating an impression that a favorable review could be "bought."

The negative review is killing Comfort Zone, which relied heavily on out-of-town visitors and online orders, which had essentially ceased following the review. Landon learns this when Lily travels to the magazine's office to plead for a second chance for Aubrey and the restaurant. Landon knows he needs to do something to make things right without risking either his reputation or Aubrey's reputation. The book follows his efforts to make amends (segment on cooking show with a celebrity chef where Aubrey can share her talent and recipes with the world), as well as Aubrey and Landon's efforts to resist the feelings they have for each other and what happens when that fails.

The overall story is great. Aubrey, Landon, and their friends are characters that you want to become invested in. The author has created wonderful dialogue between Aubrey and Landon, ranging from flirtatious, to humorous, to heartfelt, to passionate, to anxious or irate. The reader will laugh, sigh, and cringe at various points in the story. Both Aubrey and Landon have been shaped by the bad behavior of their fathers, which is a central element in how they react to the world around them and how they view their respective selves, and will heavily influence the decisions they eventually have to make. With the two main characters being of Korean heritage, the author includes Korean dishes and aspects of Korean culture in the story. I found this interesting and it is something that helps set this book apart from other romantic comedies. "A Sweet Mess" is a tasty read (pun intended).

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

A Sweet Mess is a great fast-paced book that is a nice escape from current events and life. I was not familiar with Jayci Lee but her book has a main character who is relatable and lovable.

This is your typical rom-com. A good portion of the story is set in a bakery/ food TV set. The description of the food alone will draw you in to the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Cute read about love, second chances and food! Definitely drooling at all of the tastiness described in the book, perpetually snacking haha! I got a little frustrated with Landon at times but still enjoyed the book. Wish there had been more about the families.

This book had a really cute premise, and a lot of good ideas, but I think that the narrative tried to accomplish too much in too little time. The plot just felt so jumbled, it was hard to take the time to connect with the characters. I also really don't like one of the tropes contained here, and it knocked the book down an entire star for me. I'd be willing to try more from this author, but this one didn't really work for me.

I wish the cover was a better representation of the characters in the book. I liked the descriptions (especially of food!) but the POV changes were too abrupt and really interrupted the flow for me. This would have been a higher rated read if it had some better editing (like alternating POV by chapter or some sort of notice that the viewpoint is changing!) and a better cover.

Mini Review: This was a good, enjoyable Adult Romance book! Aubrey and Landon were good main characters, and I liked all the supporting characters, too. And isn't the cover so cute?! I read that a movie is in the works based on this book, and I know I will be watching it!

Wit, sexual tension, tortured pasts, and destiny come together is this comedic romance that kept me turning pages until I was done.

I have made a point of reading more books written by and involving POCs and this book did not disappoint. I marathoned this book in one night before I even realized it. The story progressed in such a natural fashion that I found myself completely drawn into the world in only a few pages. The first encounter between Aubrey and Landon was like something out of my past before I settled down, and I honestly think that is what hooked me so early on. Well that and the burning hot sexual tension combined with so much wit and humor that I found myself smiling and laughing at times.

This was my first Jayci Lee read and I enjoyed it. The characters were great and I love how hard they fought their connection. The end was a bit discombobulated, but it worked for an ending. This was a good story.

A Sweet Mess
By Jayci Lee

A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee is a romp full of fun, sexiness and deliciousness all in one fantastic read. The writing was completely engaging, funny, cute and with a lot of heart too. It's everything I want to read in a romcom. The setting is in my hometown of California and with Korean American cast of characters, this was a joy to read.

The chemistry betwen Aubrey and Landon is unmistakable and truly is a delight to see the characters in what eventually is a poignant story. I had fun reading this, this was a great escape read, I could not stop turning those pages, and the romance was definitely swoon worthy.

I want to read more of Jayci Lee's writing I just could not get enough of it.

I loved this!

Such an incredibly sweet book. This book centers around Aubrey who is the owner and baker of an adorable bakery whose life gets turned upside down when celebrity food critic and her one night stand, writes a scathing article about her bakery due to a misunderstanding.. What follows is a dreamy love story, a few solid friendships and of course, a few HEA's! An adorable book which I would recommend anyone who needs some sweetness in their life.

Aubrey Choi loves living in her small town nestled in the foothills of California, running her highly successful bakery away from the watch of her strict Korean parents. When a cake mix-up and a harsh review threaten all of her hard work and her livelihood, she never thought the jaded food critic would turn out to be her one-night stand.

Lots of heat between these two characters and I was down with it. I was cheering for Aubrey and Landon the whole way through and couldn't wait until they realized they loved each other and just suck it up. The ending was a bit thrown together and was the only reason it didn't get a full five stars but overall a great read.

This probably would have been a awesome enemies to lovers story. Things started off okay but my interest wasn’t held for much long. Sorry to say I did not finish this one.

Also, this cover is very deceptive. The protagonists are both Asian and the cover should reflect that.

I’ve been excited about reading this book since it landed on my doorstep because a) the cover is great, b) the blurb sounded fun and c) I’m a sucker for foodie romances!

A SWEET MESS delivered on the foodie vibes I was looking for. In fact, it made me extremely hungry! And that’s the mark of a good foodie romance if you ask me. I also really liked the heroine. She’s determined, passionate and focused on achieving her goals and that certainly made me like her a lot. And even forgive some of her preconceived ideas about love and relationships that she made based on her parents marriage. Then there’s the hero. They can’t act on their attraction because he wrote a bad review of her bakery and now he’s trying to make amends but if people find out they’re together it would look terribly for both work-wise. With all that, and the fact he’s also a caring type of guy, he certainly made plenty of mistakes and was saying the wrong thing ALL THE TIME. So I couldn’t quite fall in love with him. But I do think he’s a good match for our heroine.

I wasn’t expecting the fade to black intimate scenes. There was one moment in particular where they were about to have sex and they stop to ask questions about family and their past. It gave me whiplash and it didn’t feel like it made sense for the flow of the story at that point and more like a forced conversation because the characters needed to know facts. I would’ve loved to see more actual development in both of their family backgrounds because I do think they played an integral part in who they were as people now and those aspects were just on the periphery of the story.

Overall though, this was a bit sweeter than I was expecting. That’s a good thing and a perfect trait for summery romances so if you’re looking for that kind of light hearted and sweet romance to read by the pool then this will be great. Make sure you have snacks and drinks handy.

Such a fun little rom/com that highlights exactly how important communication is in a relationship. The story itself was good, had good pacing and loved the bakery setting.

Oddly enough and as much as I love a good third person POV, this one fell kind of flat. I think I would of liked it better as a first person POV. I just couldn't connect with the characters as much as I 'd like when it's a contemporary story.

DNF at 22%

While I was extremely excited for this title, I unfortunately did not finish it. There were many elements that I found promising, such as the food-centric plot and the wonderful representation given the background and heritage of the protagonist and love interest, however I didn't find there to be chemistry between Aubrey and Landon and his behavior in particular didn't sit well with me.

Thank you again for your time and efforts in approving me for this ARC, I hope to fare better with future titles by the author!

This was such a fun book. I love books that have chef/baker characters and settings. They just really make me happy. This was a great book that I breezed through.