Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and audio ARC of this!

I love a good friends to lovers and this one was so cute! There was a lot of character growth and general figuring out life alongside the romance that was fun to read about, especially all the bookstore content. Recommend for fans of So We Meet Again, second chance romances, and books in books!

I’ve picked the book up a handful of times but only ever manage to read a few pages before my interest waned and I found my mind wandering. Not sure if it’s the editing, or just the characters aren’t appealing to me but unfortunately I’m not finding the book gripping enough to continue and have decided to DNF at the 18% mark.

Booked on a Feeling by Author: Jayci Lee

Pub Date 26 Jul 2022 | St. Martin's Press

Multicultural Interest | Romance

Thoughts: when I first read the description of this book. I was sold! It's a cute romcom, friends to lovers trope. If you read romcoms, then it's exactly what you'd think it is. The characters were cute and in love but it read more like a YA? Which isn't a problem but it was a softer read.

Low steam 🔥🔥
Booklovers 📚📚📚📚
Cute 💕💕

I have not read the first two in this series, but maybe I will. You don't need to have read the first 2.

Also, I loved all the Korean food mentioned! Good representation for a romcom.

All in all, a good read tho 💕

Thank you to @netgalley and @St.MartinsPress for this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Lizzy "Overachiever" Chung, Esq. has her life mapped out neatly:
* Become a lawyer. Check.
* Join a prestigious law firm. Check.
* Make partner. In progress.

If all goes to plan, she will check off that last box in a couple years, make her parents proud, and live a successful, fulfilled life in L.A. What was not in her plans was passing out from a panic attack during a pivotal moment in her career. A few deep breaths and a four hour drive later, Lizzy is in Weldon for three weeks to shed the burnout and figure out what went wrong. And what better place to recharge than the small CA town where she spent her childhood summers with her best friend, Jack Park. They end up spending time together and fix up a bookstore. The more time they spend together the more they fall for each other.

This was a sweet romance with lovely characters that warmed the heart! It’s a great example of feel good reading!

I think Lizzy and Jack may be the sweetest characters the author gave life. Especially Jack: caring, supportive, gentle, lovable book boyfriend you want to give millions of hugs!

The author’s genuine approach to anxiety issues, family problems, self growth, discovering yourself was quite satisfying.

Let’s take a quick look to the plot: Lizzy Chung, aspiring lawyer who’s destined to be partner of the law firm she’s been working for, decides to take a break after sudden meltdown at the court ( even though after the recession, she returned back to court and kicked asses).

She rents a studio apartment in Weldon: a small town in California, nestled in the outer edges of Sierra Nevada where her best/ childhood friend Jack lives, working his family’s brewery as bookkeeper.

Jack is in love with her since they’re ten but he keeps his feelings to himself and seeing Lizzy in his town for holiday break rekindles the feelings he’s restrained! When they team up for saving the Sparrow Bookstore: a struggling local store that is needed to be brought back, they start spending more time and their mutual attraction slowly makes things more complicated.

Jack is not happy to work in family brewery business because he’s not into brewery just like his twin brother Alex and his sister Tara did. He applies a job at LA even though it’s is entry level for chasing his dreams as Lizzy is not sure what she wants to do with her life.

They have to find themselves at first to give their happiness a chance! Will they succeed to do that?

Well, these guys were so lovely! If I didn’t like them so much, I could scream at their faces for being stubborn to admit how they feel for each other. Those angsty parts and their insecurities, second thoughts about themselves truly irritated me!

Overall: it was still soft, sweet, easy to read, beautiful romance with very likable characters earned my bookish, second chances four stars!

Than you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

take me to a town like weldon where there’s a cozy bookstore and delicious bakery in close range to each other! “booked on a feeling” is such a light romantic read that had me feeling super happy! i love lizzy and jack’s dynamic and how much they care for one another. i found that unlike other tropes, childhood friends-to-lovers starts with the characters already knowing each other and you don’t need to go through the “introductory” part of the relationship. i really enjoyed how everything jumps right in and how their romance gradually develops over time.

the trajectory of the novel was a bit predictable to me and i found myself getting frustrated at lizzy and jack’s communication. they’re able to share everything that’s happened to them for the last decade but come short in expressing their feelings to each other! and i wished they each had the confidence to pursue their own dreams without assuming they wouldn’t have support from those around them. nevertheless, i couldn’t be happier with how things turned out in the end. i read “a sweet mess” by jayci lee, which was the first in her series. it was such a surprise seeing aubrey and landon from that novel make an appearance in “booked on a feeling.” with that being said, you don’t need to have read books one and two in order to jump right into this novel.

What started out looking like a standard but still cute friends to more quickly devolved into something that just wasn't for me.

I had a few issues with this. In the first half of the book, the mutual pining dragged on way too long and became too repetitive for me. After that, Lizzy and Jack's relationship became mostly lust-fueled, which is not something I personally enjoy reading.

I really liked the idea behind Lizzy and Jack's career changes, but it felt like a bit more development was needed throughout the story to what their career aspirations actually were. Jack's internal dialogue for his motivation in getting a job in LA was always 99% about being close to Lizzy, while Lizzy didn't have nearly enough introspection on what she actually liked doing or where she liked living. As a result, the third-act conflict felt disjoint, out-of-character, and way too rushed.

Overall, not for me, though I did enjoy parts of it. I definitely could see others loving this, but it wasn't for me.

A very charming and sweet beach read.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Small town romance in a bookstore! Unfortunately...this was a DNF for me. I tried multiple times getting into the book but I just could not connect with either character. Something about the main character made me very annoyed. Maybe in the future I'll start reading it again. If you enjoy romance you may like this book better than me. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.

I would like to thank netgalley for this ARC. I was given the opportunity to read this book for an honest review, all opinions are of my own.

If you like friends to lovers then you definitely need to give this one a try!Jack and Lizzy are fantastic characters .Generally it was a fast paced, fun and cute read that kept me hooked.I had a smile on my face most of the time!Jack is in love with Lizzy but he keeps his feelings to himself .I loved how their story developed through the story.Definitely the perfect read with the trope of friends to lovers!

Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me. I only made it a few chapters in, but I just could not connect with the characters and the story. Perhaps another time I will pick this one back up and enjoy it, but it didn’t catch my attention like I hoped it would. Reading other reviews, it seems like people who like friends-to-lovers and small town romance tropes would like this one, so I would still encourage others to give it a shot!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Childhood friends to lovers, but IN a bookstore! It’s a book lover’s dream. You have found your new comfort read with lovable characters, sweet banter, and a feel-good plot.

📖Book: Booked on a Feeling
⭐️Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️rounded to 4
✍🏼Author: Jayci Lee
📚Genre: Romance
🗏 Pages: 310
💕Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Life Change, He falls first
⚠️Warnings: Panic Attacks, Mental Illness, Toxic Relationship
🔖Readability: 3.5/5 italic font is used
🥇First Line: The slumbering city held no answers for Lizzy Chung, but she nevertheless stared out her office window as she sipped her black coffee,

Things to expect:
✨Handy Man with a toolbelt who falls first
💞Running a Bookstore
🔥Spice
💛Anxiety Repersation
🪴Personal Growth

I adore Jayci Lee and her writing, but for some reason, this book just missed it for me. It could be the timing of reading it, but I just couldn't get into it for some reason. It took a while to get through, but I felt like I was more into the story towards the end. The overworked Lawyer that ends up in a bookstore felt like I had read it somewhere before, and maybe that is why I just couldn't get through it as fast as I wanted. The novel is excellent and well written, but I didn't connect with the characters as much as I did in the first two. She moves home and helps a struggling bookstore, and the handy guy who is helping is her childhood best friend. It felt very predictable which is usually what I love. I have no clue why I struggled to read this. I will be picking it up again and rereading it. I was given a copy to review and have purchased my own copy since so I do want to like this book. I just didn't connect with it during the time I read it. I will update in a couple of months when I read it again.

Thank you so much to Netgalley & St. Martins Press for the advance reader copy of Booked on a feeling. All opinions are my own. I have purchased a paperback copy with my own money as well.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

I loved it. I will be reading more by this author asap.

I have always enjoyed Jayci Lee’s stories and I found myself liking this one too. The fact that it’s a romance and we have a bookstore setting as well was really enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to romcom lovers.

This book was almost a DNF (did not finish) for me. It was hard for me to get into the book especially since you are just thrown into these characters lives without getting much backstory. I also had a hard time understanding why the FMC (female main character) Lizzy had to escape her life in LA all of a sudden and head home. For me her whole story line was hard to believe. It also took a long time to get to the romance which made it feel like it dragged on and on.

I would like to mention that just because I didn't particularly care for this book doesn't mean someone else wouldn't enjoy it.

Anyone else looking to order Korean food once they finished this read? Because I am here for all the galbi, japchae and kimchi one can eat.

I appreciate and adore any opportunity I can have to diversify my reading experience and thoroughly enjoyed Jayci Lee's "Booked on a Feeling" with Korean MCs, friends-to-lovers, bookish themes, and small town vibes. I did not read the previous books in the series but I do not think that took away from my enjoyment of this book. And now that I know I enjoy Lee's writing, I will likely add them to my never-ending TBR.

Lizzy is living the lonely, anxiety-riddled life of a high power attorney in the big city. She's successful but feeling unfulfilled and burnt out. She has been focused on this goal for the better part of her life, particularly due to family pressure, and is realizing that, perhaps, something is missing.

Her best friend, Jack Park, is working in the family brewery, living at home, in his small hometown, feeling like he has outgrown his usefulness and needs to challenge himself and make some changes.

When Lizzy takes some time to deal with her mental health, she runs to her best friend. Jack, who has been in love with Lizzy since they were 10, is there to be the soft place she needs to land when managing her anxiety. I am always here for unrequited love and a pining hero - give me more of that, please.

Lizzy spends her time off helping to revamp the local bookstore, with Jack's help and with the help of his tool belt and woodworking skills, she's realizing that Jack is so much more than her best friend - he's hot as all get out too! Jack is terrified of acting on his long-time feelings for fear of damaging their friendship but also does not want to miss the opportunity to potentially have it all.

This is a delightfully sweet read that handles mental health, family obligations, and realizing yourself and your dreams in a quick, easy read. I do wish that the storyline with Lizzy's mom and her family obligations were resolved better - it did feel abruptly ended - but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Also, I'm always here for an indie bookstore in a small town - it's included in all my dream vacations!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this eARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

A wonderful second chance romance! I love that she’s the breadwinner and he’s perfectly okay with that! This book is the definition of cozy. Falling in love with your best friend seems perfect!

Booked On A Feeling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars
by: Jayci Lee
Genre: Romance/Fiction/Contemporary Fiction
Thank you for the arc copy @netgalley and @stmartinspress

The fact that most of this book was set in a bookstore, instantly boosted my interest. I'm so jealous of Lizzy for being able to redo a bookstore on her vacay! 🙂

Lizzy Chung takes a three week leave from her job at a Los Angeles law firm due to feeling "burnt out." She decides to visit her childhood best friend, Jack Park, in his hometown. Both of them have always carried a spark for one another but are both too nervous to act on it. The friendship is too valuable to potentially ruin if feelings aren't mutual.

For three weeks, Lizzy and Jack revitalize the local shop, "Sparrow Bookstore." As they work on this project together they start to open up to the possibility of more but of course a miscommunication pushes them apart.

I loved this slow burn 🔥, friends to lovers book! ❤️

Published on July 26th, 2022

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Ok I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. The pining, oh mercy the pining! Loved so much. Spicy, book centered, friends to lovers check check CHECK!

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it was only average. When there doesn't seem to be much happening in a book, it can be difficult to get into it. We hardly ever learn anything about the characters' pasts. The "friends to lovers" trope doesn't really work in this novel because they already had a strong attraction to one another and there isn't much of a build-up to that.