This was a delightful, delectable romance, perfect for anyone looking for something to make them smile. I loved watching Aubrey and Landon's relationship slowly shift and transform, all in a fun, new world of food and competition and wine.

I loved the chemistry between Landon and Aubrey. This one is full of the intense gazes and overheated bodies! And since they aren’t supposed to date to protect each other’s careers, it made the tension even more intense. Obviously, we know how it’s going to end but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

I loved the #OwnVoices Asian-American representation in this. Landon and Aubrey are both Korean-American It's rare to see a romance between two Asian characters. And as a Korean-American myself, I'm so happy this book exists. 

My favorite parts of the story other than the excellent chemistry were all the food! Oh my.. if you have a sweet tooth or a love of wine you have been forewarned. All the descriptions of yummy warm gooey desserts paired with wine sounded so delicious. The characters are staying at a villa and it added a wonderful vacation feel to it.

My least favorite parts of the story were how the author wrapped up years of familial conflict and hurt. Both Landon and Aubrey hold a lot of pain and resentment towards their families. But in both cases, it only takes one phone call with their perspective mothers to resolve this part of the story. And both of the conversations happen soon after the other which made everything feel so rushed.

Also, some of the dialogue between Landon and Aubrey when they were being romantic sounded super cheesy to me. I much preferred the dialogue when they were flirting or fighting. For some reason, the romantic scenes sounded a bit overdramatic soap opera-ish to me.

There are several sexy moments in the book but I wouldn’t say they are really detailed/graphic. They are definitely still sexy just not intimately detailed.

* Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an arc to review.

This was such a cute rom com! Baker Aubrey Choi and food critic Landon Kim have a whirlwind night together before they realize the other's profession. Now the two are at odds when Landon writes a bad review for her bakery! It was a simple mix up, it just happened to the wrong person. Now his review could ruin her future. Once Landon realizes the mix up he tries to make it up to Aubrey, but at what cost? They both have a lot on the line and their attraction to each other could only cause problems. Right?
These two drove me crazy with their back and forth, and it could be cheesy at times-what rom com isn't?However, the idea of a baking+romance story is such a good one!

Aubrey Choi loves her bakery and creating whatever her customers desire. That's what causes her to make a rich chocolate bundt cake filled with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and gummy worms. What a six-year-old girl desires is her goal, but the cake ends up in the wrong hands. The food critic that gets it leaves a less than pleasing review and it threatens to ruin Aubrey's business. Worse, she had a one-night stand with him.



Landon Kim never goes back on his reviews. The gummy worms in the cake were hideous, and he won't give Comfort Zone a second chance. Not even if the owner is a woman he found himself falling for. What he can do is make it up to her by getting her to appear on his best friend's cooking show. He's the producer, and he hopes the exposure is all that's needed to save her bakery.



Working side by side with a woman who is not at the top of his list is hard enough. Realizing he's falling head over heels for her is worse. If they go public with a relationship at this point, her business and his reputation are doomed.



Sometimes, I read a romance and wonder what the characters are thinking. So much of this story could have been fixed by just a moment of honesty with readers. Those who chose to think otherwise could simply be ignored. For that reason, Landon's insistence on ignoring his feelings and doing what he thought the public would expect of him drove me nuts.



I loved the food descriptions. The blurb says "Delicious Dessert Recipes Included." I did have one recipe in my advanced copy from Netgalley, but it was for Bulgogi and not a dessert. I wish there had been a recipe for the chocolate bundt cake and peanut butter cream cheese frosting as it sounded amazing.

This is a book that, once you start reading, you cannot put it down. Funny, a little sad, a little sassy, it's a wonderful summer read.

After a mistaken cake is served to esteemed food critic, Landon Kim, Aubrey Choi's bakery is in ruins. His review is less than stellar after receiving (mistakenly) a cake made specifically for a child, complete with hidden gummy worms.

Landon Kim prides himself on never reviewing a place twice. Nor will he admit any mistakes. But he and Aubrey hook up before they realize each other's true identities.

Enter a food competition. Since Landon is now in lust with Aubrey, he still cannot provide a second review. But if she's a part of a TV baking competition, she can rebuild her reputation. Only Landon is an executive producer and he can't seem to stay away from Aubrey. Especially after he offers her to share his lodgings. 

This story is a case of too much male pride, not enough communication, and lots of physical attraction and lust. The story is cute but I was hoping for more. More chemistry. More depth in characters. And more time being swept up in their love affair. There are moments of squee-ness, but I wasn't enraptured. But there's potential. And I love how the leads are Korean Americans. It's awesome to see a story where or main characters are diverse.

A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee is a romance based on the interaction of a food critic and a pastry chef. After having a one-night stand, giving a terrible and unfair review and refusing to re-do his visit to Comfort Zone Landon comes up with a new idea to overcome the bad review. Aubrey will be a guest on his friend’s cooking show. Aubrey agrees as it will give her the needed financing to move Comfort Zone to a bigger location as well as salvaging her reputation. Upon arrival she learns she will be sharing a villa with Landon. What else will be shared?
I liked this book. It is a quick read, I personally thought there was too much thinking about or jumping into bed that distracted from the story, but that’s just me. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this novel, Korean-American pairing and sweets, but it just didn’t work for me.  Audrey and Landon were a little too immature with terrible communication skills to make me truly believe in their HEA.

I found this to be a really cute, food-based, hungry-making-me, romance. The premise is that small-town baker, Aubrey, accidentally serves a gross, special order cake to big time food critic, Landon, and he drags her bakery for filth in a big-time lifestyle journal, only to find out later that he was served a special order by mistake. But Landon doesn’t do takesy-backsies for the sake of his credibility and he has to find another way to make things up to Aubrey, with whom he also had the most memorable one night stand before the poop hit the fan with the review.

I liked this a lot. Yes, I felt that the conflict between Landon and Aubrey  vis-a-vis the review was a bit contrived and overly dramatic and that the reality show device used to solve the conflict was kind of doing the most, HOWEVER, if you suspend that disbelief (which isn’t difficult to do because the writing is good), this is a rather good, pretty modern-angst romance. I’ve rarely read a romance where both the hero and heroine are Asian-American (in this case, specifically Korean-American) and so that was nice to see. In addition, I liked that this was patently a good-based book with lots of food talk and discussion. Aubrey for example, is a proper foodie (and I don’t just mean in the now overplayed way that everyone who has a mouth is), and her sensual experience of food was visceral to the reader. This author also did my favourite thing with the ending. A lot of romances get to an “it ends well” stopping point and end there, but this author got really indulgent with the ending and let us dwell in it for a while and it was enjoyable to be surrounded by the glow for an extended period at the end. I liked this and I do recommend this if you’re looking for a cute, food-based romance novel.

I really enjoyed this one! Romance mixed with baking is a perfect combo for me. I liked the chemistry (albeit forbidden romance?) between Aubrey and Landon. I was a little unsure about the ending, but I ended up really liking it. And loved the side characters of Aria and Tara!

They met and had a one night stand. He wrote an unfavorable review of her bakery and things go downhill from there. After Landon realizes the bakery belongs to Aubrey he tries all he can to make amends. They both felt something more in that one night together than they had with anyone else in their life. With both of their jobs on the line because of this review, they have to decide which is more important, what people think of them or a future together.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is a book you don't want to read on an empty stomach. Not because there is anything gross in it, but because there is so much food in it, you will instantly be hungry. Aubrey is the owner of a bakery in a small town in California. Landon is a food critic. They have an instant attraction to each other, but once they find out who the other is, their feelings really change. Aubrey and her entire town now hates him Landon, and Landon can't help but try to make things better for her.
Will they be able to find a common ground or will they be at odds forever?
I really enjoyed this book and I think all romance lovers will enjoy it as well.

This may be my favorite read of the Summer yet! A perfect blend of slow-burn romance, angst, and swoony moments everywhere you look... with gorgeous setting to let it all soak in too. A Sweet Mess brings together a pastry chef and a food critic... sparks fly from the moment they meet and then sparks fly the moment said food critic practically ruins the bakery with a harsh review.

This book took me by surprise as this is a new to me author and I had no idea what to expect. What I got from Jayci Lee was a beautifully written story about two people who were destined to meet and fall in love. Aubrey Choi and Landon Kim couldn't have been more perfect for each other... their chemistry was insane, their likes and interests were so similar, and their time spent together in a villa left smile after smile on my face. Aubrey's character was strong, driven, yet funny, sweet, and compassionate. Landon's character was the the perfect jerk on the outside, sweet on the inside, gorgeous, leading man who you couldn't help but fall for. Together they brought out the best in each other and you are rooting for them from the get go.

The story, the main characters, the friends, the setting... ALL of it, worked perfectly! A Sweet Mess is meet-cute, contemporary romance at its best. So if you are looking for a fun escape, this is it. I can't wait to read more from this author. Definitely recommend!

Completely delightful read! I am so guilty of judging this book by its cover! I thought the cover is adorable, but I have been burned by new authors with cute covers and I was so hesitant to read. This story is so much more than the blurb describes. First off I loved that both the main characters are Asian Americans of Korean Descent. Lack of diversity is so prevalent in romance (The Ripped Bodice actually does a survey of all the new books with people of color in them each year) and when you do have a lead character who is not white, their romantic partner often is. Needless to say this was immensely refreshing and the addition of Korean food and culture woven into the storyline added to the richness of the story. 

This is the story of Aubrey a baker and Landon a food critic/producer. My favorite thing about Aubrey is that she is an adult. A sensible, independent female, runs her own business, goes out for drinks on her own makes mature decisions. It seems like a little thing but it can make or break a book for me. 

I thought this was going to be your basic enemies to lovers trope over some competing viewpoints. Nope, nope, nope, nope.com this is an unfortunate turn of events that almost costs Aubrey her bakery and Landon's attempt to be a true hero in every sense of the word. The chemistry and electricity between these two is off the charts. The author Jayci Lee used food almost as a 3rd main character in this story and let me tell you I was drooling! The description of each dessert had me resisting digging through my cabinets. Every meal sounded better than the last. I am 100% craving Thai food now and I know it won't live up to what was described because that was just mouthwatering. 

For a while I thought this book was going to avoid some of the typical event that lead to drama and Climax in the story. And while some of the things you think will happen do, Jayci Lee still manages to surprise me with some of the characters' decisions at the end.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley and voluntarily give my review.

Aubrey Choi has been successful staying in her Comfort Zone and baking for her small town in California. Comfort Zone is her bakery, the one she built herself with love and the recipes of her grandmother. And it’s done well. In fact, she’s thinking about finding a bigger space for her pastries. But when a misplaced birthday cake almost turns disastrous, Aubrey has to bake fast to save the day, and save the birthday party from failure. 

Later that day, she joins her best friend for a beer at the local brew pub, where a handsome stranger catches her eye. Aubrey enjoys her evening blowing off some steam with the handsome stranger, and ends up staying far longer than she had originally intended. She ends up sneaking out of his room early the next morning, her morning baking calling to her. 

Restaurant critic Landon Kim was passing through a small town when the smells of a bakery beckoned to him. His car had broken down on his way to the restaurant he was going to review, and Comfort Zone called to him with the daily special, a chocolate cake. Landon was enjoying the cake until he hit the gummy worm. He was immediately disappointed in the pastry chef who would put such a thing in her cake without warning the customer. Since he couldn’t make it to the restaurant he was supposed to review, he wrote a scathing review of the bakery instead. 

And then he found out that the pastry chef he skewered with his review was his one-night stand. 

Landon doesn’t review places twice, and he refuses to retract his review. But he feels bad about reviewing the bakery only on the one dish, and after a barrage of emails from Aubrey’s customers, he now understands that what he had been accidentally given was a special order birthday cake, which is why it had gummy worms. He does want to make it up to Aubrey, so he gets her a guest spot on his friend’s cooking show. 

Since Landon’s scathing review put Aubrey and Comfort Zone on the brink of bankruptcy, she agrees to doing the show. But when she finds out that it will be several weeks of living in a romantic villa with Landon, memories of their night together turn her thoughts form baking to something else entirely. And the look in Landon’s eyes tells her that he feels the same. They both know need to keep things professional to stay focused on the show and to protect their reputations, but will that be enough for them to keep their hands off each other? 

Jayci Lee has written a spicy and sweet romance set in the food world and starring two of the most determined, stubborn characters you can imagine. A Sweet Mess is as comforting as sweet buns right out of the oven and as intense as the darkest of chocolate. This charming story combines a powerful love story with soul-searching personal growth, lubricated liberally with wine, laughter, and moonstones. 

I really liked A Sweet Mess. I thought these characters were great together, and I loved following along as they made decisions that had long lasting consequences for their relationship and for their lives. I was expecting a light- to mid-weight rom com, but this had some genuine substance as the story moved along. But I genuinely loved these characters and rooted for them from the first page through to the last. A Sweet Mess is like a great meal where you eat dessert first—it starts off light and sweet and then as you keep eating, you find your bites getting richer and more substantive until you’ve cleaned your plate. 

Egalleys for A Sweet Mess were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I really enjoyed this refreshing romantic comedy. The story was really good, it was well written and the pace was perfect, it was slow when it needed to be slow, and fast moving when it needed to be fast moving. It was quite a simple, cute story but beautifully told and reminiscent of a genre I love : Korean drama, “kdrama”. The way the story is presented is a breath of fresh air, it never got boring and never dragged. I was also thoroughly invested in this story until the last moment.

The story is tied together nicely. It actually focused around food and careers, but didn't stray away from the romance. What is interesting is the character development of the main characters that comes across as very realistic. Even if you don't like some of the characters at the beginning, the author does a wonderful job of not suddenly, but consistently integrating the backstories and character growth in a timely fashion. The romance between the leads was great. They had great chemistry, which made the development of their relationship feel organic. The characters' personalities also meshed pretty well, allowing them both to be equally active in the development of their relationship, rather than have one character pursuing the other. In a way, it felt like they were both walking towards one another and met right in the middle. This is still a very lighthearted story, with some angsty moments. There are plenty of palpably cute and swoon-worthy moments between Aubrey and Landon.

Landon was smart, mature and respected Aubrey's opinions and decisions, yet he appeared self-centered at times and things went downhill for Landon and Aubrey very quickly. Aubrey was intelligent, spunky and desperate to save her business from the consequences of Landon’s actions. To say that Landon and Aubrey started their relationship on the wrong foot is an understatement, but Landon was able to make up for his mistakes. Yet, I wanted to see him grovel more.

Y'all know I love me some cute culinary romances! This gem from St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin via Netgalley was such a cute summer read!! Although the communication in the romance was a bit frustrating at times, I really enjoyed their chemistry together. It may have started a little too insta lovey for my taste, their relationship faces trials and develops over time. The food described in this book will make you drool! And the settings and scenery are gorgeously described as well. It did suffer from a tiny bit of drag in the middle, but it picked up again in the end.

Aubrey and Landon's story serves readers the perfect blend of comic nuttiness, frienemy saltiness, and happily ever after fluff. With the most exquisite gastronomically centered tale of two chefs that one could imagine sandwiched oh so perfectly in-between.

One can't help falling in love with both the spunky "never say die" persona of leading lady and bakery owner, Aubrey Choi. Especially when paired with the class, polish, and heart of leading man, Landon Kim.
Even though in most cases, one is never quite sure where loyalties or blames lie. Due to the comedy of errors that ensues after Aubrey's assistant, Lily, accidentally sells celebrity food critic, Landon, a gummy worm infested bundt cake. About which he then writes and is forced to publish; an unfavorable review. Which sends Aubrey's once booming business into an unchecked nosedive.
A fate which Landon is determined correct. Because he and she, each unaware of just who the other was.

Shared a hot and passionate night that neither of the two can seem to forget.
But don't exactly have the time to remember.
Because his plan has is them joining forces in a race against the ravages of time and bad press. To save her bakery, his reputation and both of their hearts.

Jayci Lee's expressively descriptive writing style is perfect for both the emotional and culinary adventures that one becomes a party to when reading this book. She literally brings the story to life through the sights, smells, tastes, and feelings that her audience is allowed to sample like so many "tasting plates".
Just when one thinks that they have mastered the nuance of a particular scene or scenario. There is yet another character, plot twist, or turn of phrase, that completely changes the bitterest of beginnings into the sweetest of endings.
With each discovery that Aubrey and Landon make about themselves and each other; adding just the right amount of emotional depth along the way.
Bravo Miss Lee!!!!
This reviewer thanks you for a Michelin Star worthy romantic masterpiece. That one just can't help raving about.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for proving the digital review copy on which my unbiased and unsolicited critique is based.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

A Sweet Mess is certainly sweet, indeed!

I love a good foodie romance, and A Sweet Mess delivers!  I am so happy to have been introduced to Jayci Lee through this wonderful book.  There is a great ease to her writing and a lightheartedness to this story that I enjoy in contemporary romance.  I’m not sure I’d call this a true “enemies to lovers” story, but there are definitely elements of the trope here.

Aubrey is a go-getter!  I love her passion for baking and drive to make it on her own.  Landon seems a little stiff at times, but as his layers are peeled away, I grew to really like him too.  The steam level is lower, in my opinion, but you can still sense the chemistry they have — I had so many warm & fuzzies for Aubrey and Landon!

A few issues I had:  1) The pacing towards the end didn’t quite sit right with me, and 2) I thought things wrapped up a bit too quickly and too neatly.

Overall, A Sweet Mess is adorable and fun and worth a read!  I saw the news that Daniel Dae Kim is going to produce and star in a movie adaptation of this book, so read it before you have the chance to watch it because this book has all the makings of a fantastic on-screen rom com!

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

Thanks to St.Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my review. 

This was such a cute book! I thought it was funny and loved the cooking aspect of it!

A Sweet Mess was definitely a sweet read. This one was super cute and definitely made me crave sweets. I will be on the lookout for more from this author!