Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

My last book was a quick little baking-based romance that ended well, so I thought I'd stick with the theme and give this a try. It had a strong start, good main character, a sexy encounter, unfortunate circumstance/misunderstanding--it was going well. Then, things started to get shaky. The plan to rectify the misunderstanding was far-fetched, the character development stalled, the "oh-no-I-shouldn't" was dialled up, and other arbitrary elements were tossed in. Frankly, it fell apart. By the end, I was just skimming to finish. Tighter editing and revision could have saved this.

Landon and Aubrey meet by chance. She owns and runs a bakery. He is a food critic who just happened to get the wrong cake. When they meet, they don’t realize who the other is. When he writes a bad review of her bakery, after trying only that one cake, it hits her who he is.
A few months pass as Landon travels for work. When he returns home to find that Aubrey was that baker, he feels awful. He refuses to change his review because that would put his professionalism in question. He does however want to find a way to help her bakery begin to turn a profit again.
Along with his solution comes another problem. During the time apart, both their minds kept drifting back to the other. They both felt a strong connection. She’s still mad at him for what he did but Aubrey’s feelings for Landon are strong. Landon tries to keep his professionalism but his feelings are also strong.
Opinion
A sweet mess is a perfect title. This book was so sweet. I absolutely loved it.
Their meet cute was perfect. They met at her friend, Tara’s bar and had a great night together. Knowing he was leaving town, she snuck out the next morning.
The animosity towards each other heightened the stress of loving each other. They were constantly put into different positions where their professionalism could possibly be at stake. Both of them, though, were so wrapped up in the other and refused to be the one to say it. They were afraid of hearts being broken and that only added to the stress.
The climax was heartbreaking itself. I couldn’t help but want to give Aubrey a big hug and tell her it would be okay. She ended up dealing with it well. She is a strong character, much like the Korean American women I know. She doesn’t take slack from anyone and she picked herself right up and returned to her life.
Landon goes through an epiphany with his emotions. He has something in his past holding him back and throughout the book he comes to realize that it shouldn’t. That situation is not him; it was another person close to him. This helped him to understand what he truly wanted,
Overall, I think this book is wonderful. The characters are developed well and grow as the book progresses. There are plenty of problems that need solutions throughout the book without it taking on the feeling of “another problem?”
One question though. Will we be seeing another book about Tara? A scene towards the end hinted at the possibility.

My favorite romance genre is haters to lovers so I was really excited to read A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee. The premise of the storyline is perfect for a romcom and really interesting with a bakery and winery involved. I appreciate how Aubrey and Landon both are realistic characters with complicated histories. This book reminded me a lot of my recent read The Coincidence of Coconut Cake.

At times, dialogue felt uncomfortable and a little awkward between the two main characters. I wish I felt a stronger connection between the two potential lovers, but it wasn’t as strong as I would prefer for a romantic comedy. It’s hard to root for the couple when you don’t feel the connection between them. It’s like when you watch a movie and the actors they chose just don’t feel right. Still, it was pretty entertaining and enjoyable to read.

Confession time first; a couple months ago I discovered K-dramas and now I am addicted to them and if you haven't started watching them, please go, go and start watching them so I'm it's not only me spending countless hours of my day on them. And if you have been watching them, aren't they amazing?

Now back to this book, when I saw that this story was about Koren-American characters, I mean I had to read about it; first because of my obsession with kdramas and because the story line just sounded just too cute to pass up; and it mention food and who doesn't like to read about FOOD?

Aubrey Choi has small but successful bakery in California and she is saving up to expand and open a bigger location and everything is going well until she gets a bad review and everything goes down the drain. What's worse is that the review came from the man she had a one-night stand, a perfect one-night stand. He is one of the most popular food critics in California, Landon Kim.

When Landon shows up at her bakery with a plan to save her business, Aubrey knows that she shouldn't accept it but saving her business is what her life is all about so she goes along with it and along with Landon she goes.

Spending three weeks with Landon didn't seem that bad of a deal with Aubrey said yes, but the more time they spend together the more they realize their feelings are more than they realized. But will they act on it or deny how they feel.

Let's talk about much I loved the food mention in this book, loved it. The love story was just a sweet too, even though it was a little too quick at times but it was still cute, I loved Aubrey, she was funny and wasn't afraid to just go out of her way and say what she wanted. Landon was hottie, and loved to get his POV so we could understand him a little better.

Overall, such a cute love story and I totally recommend it.

Got an early eARC from Netgalley.

4 out 5 stars!

A Sweet Mess
By: Jayci Lee
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off Thank You to Netgalley, the author Jayci Lee, and publisher for this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

DESCRIPTION
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. And she sure as hell never thought she’d see the gorgeous Korean hunk again. But when Landon Kim waltzes into her bakery trying to clean up the mess he had a huge hand in making, Aubrey is torn between throwing and hearing him out.

This was a cute fast paced read that would be perfect for the beach or a rainy day indoors. The author did a great job with the characters, very relatable and real. The book is full of food and wine references so that was a big plus! The storyline was a bit predictable but still a fun to read. If you like Rom Coms, food(pastries), and wine I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

A Sweet Mess comes out July 14, 2020. Be sure to grab yourself a copy!

Aubrey Choi has the misfortune of having a food critic get a dessert which was meant for one of her clients kids Birthday day. Let's say she gets a bad review and she didn't realize that the reviewer was her one night stand. Landon realizes that he needs to fix the mess he made and approaches Aubrey with a solution to their problem. When they find themselves getting closer together Aubrey will have to decide what she is willing to risk and if Landon is willing to risk his career as well.

I enjoyed reading this baking romance. It was fun and a quick read. Would recommend if you want to add some romance and drama in your life.

Such a cute romcom! Really enjoyed it and breezed right through it. Would recommend for a weekend read or beach read.

Cute story about a pastry chef Aubrey, and a chef, Landon who's a famous food critic! 4 stars for this one.
So we meet Aubrey, she took over the bakery from her grandmother and business is booming, she's ready to expand it. She's always struggled for acceptance in her Korean family, always coming up short in her father's eyes, but she's finally making her way. So when Landon comes in to the bakery, gets the wrong cake and writes a scathing review of it, business all but drops for Aubrey, putting her future in jeopardy. Can she convince Landon to retract his review, something he's never done, so her business will pick up again? Can she also fight her attraction to Landon while trying to save her bakery? Grab this one and find out!

*Review will be posted on my blog on June 29, 2020**

My Sweet Mess is a foodie romance – meaning if you like romance and stories with cooking in it, especially baked goods, then this will be up your alley.

Aubrey is a pastry chef and owns a small bakery in a very small town. A one-night stand with Landon, a well known food critic (except not known to Aubrey), ruins her business when he does an article on her bakery.

To make amends Landon has a plan. Now it’s strictly business between them but their attraction between them is undeniable and gets in the way.

What I Liked:

*Food! I love a romance story with food in it, most especially when it centers around baked goods – since that is my weakness. So I loved all the cooking references.

*It’s a light-hearted romance and a very quick read. The story comes with its share of timely drama and resolves easily into a happy ever after. It’s a cute ending.

*I like that it’s main characters are Asian because it’s nice to see more diversity in the romance genre.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*The story is very predictable. One-night stand, woman’s life is ruined by a man, man comes into save her business, attraction is still there, conflict, resolution – HEA. So…it’s got all the elements but nothing really stood out to make it wow me.

*I didn’t connect to the characters. Their attraction happens in an instant, which is fine, but when things become a problem and they are back together, things almost fall easily into place. There is no real tension between them, I think I wanted more tension.

*And this might be the fault of it being a digital arc but some paragraphs were running into each other and I would get thrown off wondering if it was supposed to be a new chapter. So that might just be formatting because it being a digital copy.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was a light hearted romance novel with love of food present throughout the story. For me I wish I could connect to the characters more but ff you like a love story about food and falling in love then you will enjoy this one.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were amazing and so relatable. The location and endless food descriptions had me dreaming of a future vacation. I just didn’t want this book to end. Thank you NetGalley for another wonderful read.

DNF - I did not love this book... at all. I only made it a few chapters before giving up. I generally enjoy romance but I just did not click with this author's writing style.

Thank you NetGalley for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Sweet Mess
By: Jayci Lee

REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
A Sweet Mess is a delightful read with everything you would expect from a good romcom. Aubrey has a bakery, and I love this aspect. I always wanted a bakery, but I can't bake! Landon is a food critic. From the start, they get their wires crossed and have misunderstandings. It's cute and sweet to see the journey these two are on to straighten out everything and come to realize their true feelings. The story is fairly predictable, but that doesn't diminish its charm or ability to offer a pick me up, which everyone needs right now. I liked it very much, and the characters were adorable together. This story is perfect for a light and easy read, and romcom fans will love it!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Sweet Mess was a cute little romcom kind of book. Definitely needed to switch things up genre wise and I feel like I zoomed through this one. In it, you will meet Aubrey and Landon. She is a pastry chef and has her own bakery. She just loves everything that has to deal with baking and making her customers happy. Until the day that Landon walks into her life.

Honestly, it was kind of funny on what happened before they met but once they did - sparks flew. Of course, these two had their fair share of drama as well. It kind of reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians is a way. Or even any sort of romcom on hallmark or lifetime channel. I could also see it being a movie as well .. and I would definitely watch it just to laugh at the funny scenes.

The only thing I loved, and super jealous of, is her freaking visit to the wine country! UGH, a three week dream vacation for me.. and she got to go. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and this couple. It was very cute and something that I just needed without knowing it.

A Sweet Mess was a delicious contemporary rom-com. Jayci Lee does a great job of making her characters seem real and likeable. I also like that the characters were Asian-American. The plot was pretty predictable except for a few twists. However, this "feel good" story was a real treat that I would recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read by Jayci Lee, but I will be looking out for more of her works in the future.

This book is about a celebrity food critic, Landon, and his unsuspecting subject of a bad review, Aubrey. Landon was supposed to go to a Michelin star restaurant for a dinner review one night, but the truck he was driving blew a tire and he had to unexpectedly spend the night in a small town in California while waiting on the truck to be repaired. As he was wandering around the town, he decided to enter a bakery and try their cake because the aroma was mouth watering. Unfortunately, he was given the wrong cake (one for a 6 year old's birthday party that was filled with gummy worms inside instead) and it ticked him off so bad that the pastry chef would think it is okay to create such a horrid cake that he decided to feature a negative review for this bakery in his column. However, he didn't know that the pastry chef was the same one night stand from that night that he couldn't get out of his mind. He was obsessed with Aubrey and he was disappointed to find her gone from his hotel room the next morning. But he had a month long trip to Asia so he swept away his worries and left - even though he thought about her every day he was gone.

When he returned, he discovered that his one night stand and the pastry chef were the same person. Did she know who he was before she slept with him and she was using that night to coerce a good review out of him? What did he do when he realized that she had written letters to his magazine no less than 20 times during his absence to explain what had happened and to ask for another shot at a review? What did he do when he realized his bad review was going to run her out of business (even though he now knew she was a very talented pastry chef that had only tried to make a 6 year old's birthday party complete).

This book is full of delicious descriptions about wine and food. It is also a really cute story and I loved all the side characters that were introduced in the book. I hope she decides to make a sequel with some of the other characters' stories.

I was provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title A Sweet Mess

Author Jayci Lee

Description from Amazon

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. And she sure as hell never thought she’d see the gorgeous Korean hunk again. But when Landon Kim waltzes into her bakery trying to clean up the mess he had a huge hand in making, Aubrey is torn between throwing and hearing him out.

When she hears his plan to help save her business, Aubrey knows that spending three weeks in California wine country working with Landon is a sure recipe for disaster. Her head is telling her to take the chance to save her bakery while her heart—and her hormones—are at war on whether to give him a second chance. And it just so happens that Landon’s meddling friends want them to spend those three weeks as close as possible…by sharing a villa.

When things start heating up, both in and out of the kitchen, Aubrey will have to make a choice—to stick it out or risk her heart.

Release Date July 14, 2020

Initial Thoughts

This book was recommended to me on GoodReads from several of the other rom-coms I read recently. I was looking it up on Amazon and discovered that it was actually on NetGalley. I was excited to be able to read it early.

Some Things I Liked

Cooking show. I’ve been watching ever episode of Top Chef during this quarantine so I was super into the idea of a rom-com that incorporated a cooking show.
A perfectionist and a screw-up. I loved the contrast between Aubrey’s lifestyle and the way she built her business up as compared to the way Landon’s perfectionist ways led him down a road where he gave up on his dreams. I thought they made a great pair with excellent balance.
Banter and sass. This rom-com had top notch dialogue. I loved the characters, especially Tara. I hope Jayci Lee writes a spin off about her.

Series Value

I liked this book. I can see the author continuing with this series in the form of spin-offs. I’d like to see more of Landon’s brother and more backstory on both Aubrey and Landon’s moms. I’d definitely keep reading and I’d read any other books that Jayci Lee writes.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a fun rom-com with a sub plot (the cooking show), that I hadn’t seen before. It was a smidge predictable but most HEA rom-coms are that way so I didn’t mind that. I would continue with this if it becomes a series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai – if you liked the cultural references and the idea of living up to family expectations that A Sweet Mess explores, try this new release by Sara Desai.
Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras – if you liked the themes of a character who felt like she was not living up to her family’s expectations but managed to build a business for herself, try this new release by Priscilla Oliveras.

This is a wonderful book. Aubrey runs a bakery. Landon, a renowned food critic, goes into Aubrey’s bakery while his car is being repaired. He orders the cake of the day. The delicious chocolate Bundt cake he gets is the special cake made with peanut butter filling and gummy worms; a 6-year-old’s special birthday order. Not at all what he expected or appreciated. Landon meets Aubrey in a cozy bar and they quickly establish a connection. She is not aware he is a food critic, and he has no idea she owns the bakery. The one-night stand becomes unforgettable to them both and when Landon’s critique of the bakery is published, Aubrey comes close to losing her store. To make it up to her, he arranges a guest television spot. The setting transports the reader to a quaint small town, and the breath-taking wine country. What goes on in producing a food show is insightful. The characters are special, and the families are as complicated as Aubrey and Landon’s relationship.

A Sweet Mess is such a great rainy day read. I admire the characters and their passion for their work, family and in the end eachother. I felt like a carrot was dangling in front of me as I read almost half the book waiting for Aubrey and Landon to stop hiding from their feelings and just get physical again. It was so worth the wait though, Jayci Lee did not disapoint!

A Sweet Mess is a phenomenal contemporary romance by Jayci Lee. This is my first book by this author, already I can't wait to read another. Ms. Lee has provided readers with a well-written book furnished with a spectacular collection of characters. Kudos to Ms. Lee for snappy, snarky, fun dialog. Aubrey is the owner of Comfort Zone, her own little bakery. Landon, a famous food critic, is on his way to a restaurant when the tire blows and he has to be towed to the nearest town. Landon and Aubrey's story is packed with drama, laugh-out-loud humor and sizzle. I enjoyed every word of this book and look forward to reading more from Jayci Lee soon. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When a mix-up at Aubrey Choi's bakery sends a 6-year-old's custom birthday cake home with a food critic, the fall-out nearly shuts down her bakery. Landon Kim's scathing review of her baking scares away all of her out-of-town business. Can she hang in there long enough to keep her shop open?

Landon was only looking to kill some time while his car was being fixed. He wasn't looking to kill himself! The cake he bought was beyond delicious, until he got to the filling and almost choked on a gummy worm. Deciding he was justified in warning unsuspecting customers of the baker's odd choice, he writes his review. Then, he goes out for a drink and meets a woman named Aubrey who rocks his world. Their one-night stand sets more than the sheets ablaze. Not until Landon leaves town does he realize that "his" Aubrey is the baker whose livelihood he trashed.

Scrambling for her business, Aubrey also is stunned when she finds out that the hot guy she slept with was none other than food critic, Landon Kim. How could that fantastic guy be such a slimeball? When he waltzes back into her life - not offering to apologize, or re-do his review - but offering her a way to get her bakery and her expansion plans back on track, she is understandably skeptical. Can she survive three weeks in California wine country, sharing a villa with Landon when he lights up her hormones like a 4th of July sparkler?

The more time they spend together, the more sure Landon is that Aubrey is his "missing piece". Can he convince her to give them a chance?

This is my first Jayci Lee book, but I enjoyed the lighthearted humor throughout, and the story was unusual enough that it sparked my interest. Aubrey and Landon light up the page from the beginning. I would definitely recommend to romance readers who like some heat in their stories.