Booked on a Feeling is a cute he-falls-first, friends-to-lovers story, with some mild spice.

Lizzy is an overachieving LA attorney, who feels pressure from her family to climb the ladder, but she's overwhelmed with anxiety, to the point that she actually passes out from a panic attack just before delivering her opening statements in her first solo trial. After the trial, she realizes she's not actually happy, so she takes three weeks off to visit her best friend Jack. Jack, who has loved Lizzy for twenty years, and his family welcome her to town with open arms. Except Jack isn't used to having her so close. Can he keep his feelings to himself for three weeks, or will he finally tell her how he feels?

While Jack and Lizzy are relatable, well-rounded characters, I found their inner dialogue to be superfluous and repetitive. Their insecurities were mentioned a few too many times. They also have some major communication issues, which didn't sit well with me. But this was a cute, quick read and I enjoyed it!

I'm a sucker for a book where the character loves books, or there's a bookstore setting... But this just seemed slow to me, and a bit cheesy. I just couldn't get into it.

I haven't read the first two books in the series, but this book reads well as a standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing any history or anything.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to receive this book! It features some of my favorite tropes like childhood best friends to lovers and the small town romance one.

Lizzy is an overachieving attorney working in L.A. After passing out at an important trial, she returns to Weldon, the small town where she spent her summers at with her childhood best friend, Jack. Jack has always had a crush on Lizzy and is thrilled to spend the week with her. As they restore an old bookstore together, sparks fly and their friendship turns into a little something more.

This was the third book in the A Sweet Mess series. You don’t need to read the first two to read this one. It was really nice seeing the other characters make cameos and tie their world together.

I thought Jack and Lizzy were very cute together and their romance had me blushing. Both of them had such sweet personas and I was rooting for them the whole time! The anxiety representation was also really well done and I found myself being able to relate.

Overall, it was a sweet rom-com and worth the read!

My Instagram (@starsbookishhollow) review will be going up publishing date on July 26.

This is the perfect summer romance that is sweet and fills that romance craving we all have! I really related to this character due to my law background, and I kept getting swept up in daydreaming about these characters. It was easy to get caught up in the journey. This summer and a collection of books, including this one, have made me change my mind about friends to lovers trope. I absolutely LOVE it now. These characters and their journey let you go through your own little journey, and that's hard to do with cute romances.

I really thought I was going to enjoy this book but had to DNF. The characters seemed very immature to me and the writing was a little more cheese than I can handle. It's unfortunate because I was looking forward to reading it,

I will have to come back to this book at a later time when life isn't busy. I did want to read it though and will sometime in the future. I'm sorry work is busy with deadlines.

For now it's a will come back to later.

What a sweet, heart-warming rom com!

Booked on a Feeling was the perfect summer read, filled with love, friendship, and BOOKS. I devoured this book in 24 hrs.

I really enjoyed the "friends-to-lovers" and "second chance romance" tropes in this book and loved seeing Lizzy and Jack's relationship blossom. I also appreciated how this book tackled more serious topics, like parental expectations, anxiety, and finding our joy in life.

and again, I LOVED the bookstore settings!!!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the #gifted copy!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I had to stop at only 10% in. I didn't believe that Lizzy would continue to just give her opening statement without the partner n charge of the case not taking it out from under her. I also couldn't believe Jack, in this day and age, doesn't have a website and other things set up in order to grow beyond where he decided to land. When I can't dispend my disbelief, it's not a good sign for me or the book. It was best to put this one down.

DNFed at 10%.

"Sleep is overrated...reading is everything."

That's how this book felt to me at times. I admit I am not usually one for a cheesy romance novel. But I was rooting for Jack and Lizzy. And more than that, I enjoyed the sub-plot of them being in their early adulthood and not having their whole lives figured out. Because let's face it, who does?

Jack has been pining for Lizzy for twenty years, but has been trapped in the friend-zone. His feelings of inadequacy and insecurity have kept him living with his parents and holding on to a job in the family business that he doesn't absolutely love. They have also kept him from pursuing Lizzy as anything more than a friend. So when she comes to visit, he promises himself he will spend the time trying to fall out of love with her.

Lizzy has been best friends with Jack since they were 10 years old. There is no one in the world who knows her better than him. When she wins her first trial, the only person to make her genuinely smile is Jack. Even four hours away, he makes her feel less alone. So when she starts feeling overly anxious at her job as an attorney in the fast paced city of Los Angeles, she runs away to spend 3 weeks vacationing in his hometown.

Will Lizzy find a cure for her anxiety and learn to stop living life on everyone else's terms? Will Jack realize what his true calling in life is? Will Jack fall out of love with Lizzy while she falls into love with him? So much can change in a short three weeks...


Thank you Netgalley for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion!

I did not enjoy this book whatsoever. From the synopsis, I thought it would be right up my alley. It wasn’t whatsoever. The writing felt very juvenile and both main characters felt immature. Sadly this book just wasn’t for me.

This was a cute romance. I found myself getting frustrated at some of the silliness of the back and forth before they got together. I didn’t fall in love with either character so I felt disconnected. It was cute though!

Ah, the anxious urge to escape to a small town, work in a bookstore, and fall in love with your childhood friend. This was a perfect summer read, would be great for a day at the beach. I flew through. The characters are so cute.

This book is super cute. It’s a lovely friends to lovers story, with both Lizzy and Jack getting their time to develop. I found Lee’s writing about anxiety to be particularly compelling. I think it added a lot of depth to Lizzy’s character.

I was drawn to this book because the title and cover were adorable. The story was pretty much the same! I really have a soft spot for the friends to lovers trope. Add the male character pining and I'm definitely invested. I found the romance and character development to be border-line YA, but overall this was a really cute book that is perfect for the summer!

Very cute own voices romance featuring friends to lovers and second chance tropes. Added bonus that there is a bookstore component!

Lizzy and Jack have been best friends since they were ten years old. When Lizzy takes a break from her high-powered lawyer life to spend some time in her hometown, the feelings Jack has been trying to hide from all this time get the best of him. But could she possibly return his love? And how are they supposed to get past this long-distance obstacle? They both think they’ve got it all figured out…

I enjoyed the dual POV and the quaint bookstore vibes. I wish Lizzy’s character had been more settled; it was hard to see her clearly all of the time. I also missed her early bookstore dreams which ended up being really important to the plot, but it wasn’t integrated enough in the exposition. So there were a couple of development issues, but otherwise it was a fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

After having a panic attack during her first trial on her own, Lizzy takes a vacation. She decides to go to Weldon, where her best friend, Jack, lives. There for three weeks, she needs to find something to keep herself busy while Jack works. Fortunately for her, she has rented a place over a bookstore that needs a lot of help. Lizzy offers that help so that she can have something to do.
Jack, having been in love with Lizzy forever, has to decide what he is going to do. Will he finally fess up and try for something more? Is his friendship more important? When he offers to help Lizzy on his off time, he has a hard time staying away but is afraid of what will happen in three weeks when she leaves. He is also trying to figure out what to do with his life instead of just working at the family brewery.
Opinion
This is a sweet best friends romance. The slow build is enough to keep the reader intrigued. The minor plots offer up some of the small town life that Lizzy is missing in a way that adds so much to the overall plot.
Since Jayci Lee jumped into more contemporary romance, I simply cannot get enough of her books. She is one of my "instant purchase" authors. If her name is on the book, I pick it up. This book follows with the two before (A Sweet Mess and The Dating Dare) in this series in that it is a lovable, behind the scenes, sweet romance. I would feel comfortable putting this book in the hands of my teenage daughter and confident that she would like it.
Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The following review was posted on my blog today, Sunday, July 24th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the publication date, as well. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.




“Reality could wait for a few minutes. She was busy living her dream with her love… her best friend… her forever.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3.5 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Describes panic attacks.

“Booked on a Feeling” follows Lizzy Chung, a burnt out LA lawyer, and Jack Park, her childhood best friend. After a bad panic attack in the middle of a court case, Lizzy decides to take a long vacation in a small town called Weldon, where Jack lives. What Lizzy doesn’t know is that Jack has had a crush on her ever since they met. In their close proximity they grow closer still and feelings begin to blossom. But what will happen once Lizzy is set to go back to LA? Will they fight for their love or will they let external things get in the way?

This book is the third book in a series I have not read, so I think I’m safe to say it works perfectly like a stand alone novel. Jayci Lee did a great job in showing you the lovely small town of Weldon, with all it’s quirks and unique details.

But here’s the thing about this book: it’s nothing new. In no moment was a surprised or excited for something to happen. It’s a simple, feel-good, friends-to-lovers romance. And there’s a charm to that. It’s predictable and sweet, so if you’re looking for that then this book is for you.

I loved the friendship and love there was between the main characters. I loved the running scenes. I loved the book store theme. There were many things I loved about this book…but the spicy scenes were not it. Their intimacy was awkward and intense only to be shut down cold. It was really weird. But this is a good romance book anyways.

I would recommend “Booked on a Feeling” to anyone looking for a fast-paced, light read. This book is easy-going and short, so if you’ve just had a very heavy read, it could serve like a nice pallet cleanser.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Honestly adorable, loved every minute! Great mental health rep, character development for hero and heroine, fun side characters. Would’ve liked to get to know a few of those side characters a bit more, and get a bit more backstory on some elements, but that didn’t diminish the overall experience. I love a rom com centered somehow around books too, so I knew I’d enjoy this, and it delivered.

Booked on a Feeling was a pleasant surprise. I was a little hesitant when it was full of issues and anxiety right out of the first chapter, but as we watched Lizzy and Jack navigate their own personal struggles while balancing their friendship was just right for an easy romance.

Jack and Lizzy have been best friends for most of their lives. When she decides to take a break and spend three weeks in his hometown, sparks fly and tensions get high. The push and pull of friends to lovers makes for a slower burn, but a sweeter pay off. I enjoyed so much seeing characters from Lee's previous books and the community that we have already grown to enjoy.

This was just right to listen to while cooking and then finish on my kindle when I just needed to see that HEA happen. If you are ready for low angst, but very bookish and easy, pick this book up.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jayci Lee’s newest book entitled Booked on a Feeling is part of A Sweet Mess series.

Lizzy Chung is on the right track in becoming a successful lawyer. Unfortunately, she suffers a panic attack and passes out during an important trial. She did win the case but needs a break to figure out why she is not as happy as she should when everything is falling into place. In order to figure things out, Lizzy decides to stay in a small town where her childhood best friend, Jack Park, lives.

Jack Park works for his family’s brewery but is looking for a job in L.A. Since Lizzy is staying a while, he wants to use this perfect opportunity to develop something more than friendship with her – finally! He has had feelings for her for a while.

The romance between Lizzy and Jack is sweet. Also, the events throughout the book are fun and light.

A recommended read for readers who like contemporary romance. More specifically, the friends to lovers theme. Furthermore, it delves into a common problem people have with which is the pressure they face to become what their parents want them to be versus their own wishes.