I couldn’t get into it which is likely my problem but, it’ll be a cute romance lots of people will love for years to come

This was a really good friends to lovers story. It was sweet and heartfelt. The chemistry between the two best friends was lowkey there but it’s not really in your face so when the story unfolds, it does so nicely. Jack is the perfect best friend, always doing little things to make Lizzy happy. This makes him the perfect boyfriend too. You can see how much he values Lizzy and his friendship. We also get to see his insecurities and honestly i just wanted to hug him. I felt so bad and I think that it’s important that we talk about men’s insecurities.

Overall this was a great read. Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Griffin for the ARC.

3.5 stars.

I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so here goes!

I enjoyed this book! It didn’t move very quickly, most of the time, for me but that was okay because there were so many components to the story I enjoyed. I loved the bookstore(s), I loved the side characters, I loved the character growth, and the desire not only to be a happier and more fulfilled person individually, but also to grow within their relationship. I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope and the addition of the bakery. Something’s I didn’t care for as much were how repetitive the main characters were about the length of their friendship, Lizzie’s rather toddler-ish immediate reactions to things, and Jacks absolute fascination with her (it was just a bit over the top at times for me). But this was a sweet, happy, and lovely summer read for me. Brava!

Another friends-to-lovers moment is on the way!

Lizzy Chung and Jack Park have been friends since childhood, keeping in touch even when living in different neighborhoods. When Lizzy passes out from a panic attack during her first big trial, she decides to take an extended break in Weldon and revive the town’s local bookstore- with the help of Jack, of course.

But while this is a delight for Lizzy, Jack is trying to hide his huge crush on his best friend! After all, she lives in L.A. while he’s helping run his family’s brewery four hours away, so it would never work… right?

Reading this book felt like watching a Hallmark film- well, with some risqué additions! It was a treat to see the masculine lead pining for his best friend instead of being the one who’s hard to get. However, Lizzy fell for Jack too suddenly after decades of only being besties, and the discovery of her feelings needed to be showcased more in order to be believable. The conflict of the novel was also on the lighter side, so it’s more geared towards a reader who prefers enjoyable characters than a book with twists and turns.

Booked on a Feeling will be in bookstores near you on July 26th. Be sure to pick up a copy for your longtime crush!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

My first book from Jayci Lee!

At first I wasn’t sure about the writing style and I usually like dual pov storylines but this one I felt like the personalities were written too similarly. I shouldn’t have been worried though- the further I read the more I grew to like both characters on their on and their struggles/journey to find their true happiness while trying not to disappoint their families.

Lizzy is an attorney working in LA, and feeling a little burnt out. So, she goes to spend three weeks a few hours away in Weldon, where her childhood and best friend Jack lives. He’s there running his family brewery with them, but also feels that this is not want truly makes him happy. Lizzy and Jack navigate their relationship as it changes from just friends to something more, but all the while tries to find what their true dream is. Enjoyed this read and can’t wait to read her other books 🥳

Bestfriend to Lovers Trope
I love Lizzy and Jack's friendship.
I love how Lizzy knows there's a problem inside her. I love women who knows to rest when needed.
Books about books is always a chef's kiss for me as librarian.
Overall I will recommend the book because I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a cute, friends to lovers romance between Lizzy Chung and Jack Park, best friends since they were ten years old. He has loved her for almost as long. He's never made a move, because he's afraid to be ruin their friendship if it didn't work out.

After having a panic attack on her first big trial, Lizzy decides to take a vacation -- three weeks out of Los Angeles and into the small town of Weldon, where Jack lives. Her feelings for Jack start to appear while she is there. She wants to take a chance on them, but he is holding back. Too scared of ruining things. They also need to communicate more, especially since they are supposed to be best friends. If she had told Jack some of the things she was feeling and vice versa there wouldn't have been issues between them at all.

Where this book really doesn't work for me as believable was Lizzy's feelings for Jack. We know he has had feelings for her for a very long time, but hers seems to just appear all of a sudden. It just didn't seem realistic to me.

Overall, this was a good read and I liked the bookstore aspect included in this story.

Lizzy is so close to making partner in her law firm and finally fulfilling the dream her parents had for her life in L.A. She may have won her first trial, but the panic attack that caused her to pass out at the start of it was definitely not in her trial prep routine. Acknowledging her burnout, Lizzy decides to head to Weldon for a three-week vacation to get her head on straight and spend some time with her best friend since childhood, Jack Park.

Jack is surprised to see overachieving Lizzy in his small town, but he’s eager to spend as much time as possible with her over the next three weeks. He just has to make sure she doesn’t find out that he sees her as much more than a friend. He knows he’s not good enough for her and doesn’t want to risk their friendship on the unlikely chance that she would reciprocate his feelings.

When Lizzy decides to devote her vacation to giving the local bookstore an overhaul, Jack helps so he can spend time with her. But the more time these two spend together, the clearer it becomes that there is far more between them than a mere friendship.

This was a really cute friends to lovers romance. I’m a sucker for the ‘I’ve loved you for years’ pining and I really liked the narration. Lizzy’s tendency toward anxiety and living for the expectations of others was painfully relatable, as were Jack’s feelings of inadequacy. I loved that these two decided to take the jump together, but I do wish they’d had a more open discussion of their feelings sooner. They both had excellent finding themselves character arcs, but I would’ve loved it so much more if they’d undergone at least some of that growth and discovery together rather than apart. I found it very interesting that it was the male lead’s insecurities that wound up derailing the relationship, rather than the female’s; I think it’s nice to see a man humanized, to show that men struggle with self-esteem sometimes just as much as women do. We don’t see that too often in the alpha hero dominated world of romance, so I thought it was worth noting here. I think Jack and Lizzy brought out the best in each other and I found it very satisfying when they realized this too. I think they made an adorable couple and I especially loved that this book read like a love letter to romance books in general.

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

A thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for the ARC!

“They stood on the precipice of something neither of them fully understood, but it was achingly beautiful.”

3.5 / 3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

This was a really cute read, and Jack and Lizzy are SO adorable, but i think overall it was just an okay-ish read. It’s cute, but maybe not a favorite of mine.

Similar to the last two books in this series, this was a sweet romance with not a lot else going on. I liked the characters, particularly Lizzy. I myself am an attorney who chose to take my career in another direction away from pure law practice so I identified strongly with Lizzy’s struggles with her career and thought the depictions of law practice rang true (no surprise there since the author is an attorney herself). I felt like this was missing some conflict/plot/stakes - the typical “friends-to-lovers” trope device of “I don’t want to mess up our friendship” didn’t carry enough weight. Later in the book they each had some career and life decisions to make, but it also didn’t feel like enough. I enjoyed it but thought it could be more compelling.

Thank you Jayci Lee, St Martin's and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Lizzy Chung is a lawyer on her way to becoming a partner of a law firm in L.A. After passing out from a panic attack during a very important case, Lizzy decides to take a three week break from work. What better place to go than to Weldon, where her best friend Jack lives?

Jack and Lizzy have been best friends since they were 10 and he's had a crush on her for almost that same amount of time. Lizzy has no idea about his crush and Jack plans on keeping it a secret because he doesn't want to ruin their friendship. When Lizzy decides to volunteer to revitalize an independent bookstore in Weldon, she asks Jack to help her. Jack agrees to help, but working so close together only makes Jack and Lizzy realize that they may have feelings that run deeper than just friendship.

This friends to lovers book is such a cute, fun read. Lizzy and Jack make the perfect couple. Jack is super sweet and the perfect book boyfriend. Lizzy is a goal-oriented workaholic who never slows down. These two have incredible chemistry. Aside from the romance aspect, the book addresses mental health issues as Lizzy suffers from anxiety. She's trying to find something that truly makes her happy. Booked on a Feeling emphasizes the importance of having the courage to follow your dreams and not being afraid tell the person you love that you love them.

Such a sweet feel-good romance. Love the way it deals with anxiety but also avoidance LOL. Loved the friends to lover troupe. I'm excited for more from this author!

Booked on a. Feeling is a fun romantic read about LIzzy and Jack long time friends. Lizzy is trying to find her way to a full life and Jack's feelings of friendship have turned to love. You know where it's going but the ride is fun and the author's writing has an energy about it that keeps you engaged. I also enjoyed the backdrop of bookstores. All in all a fun summer beach read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute book, they are both so sweet my biggest issue is that I am not sure two people who are supposed to be best friends for 20 years would literally know so little about each other. I feel like they really didn’t know anything about the others life or feelings and if they had just discussed their lives and feelings there would have been no conflict!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

“I’ve always felt so at home in bookstores, especially the small, cozy ones.”

Lizzy Chung, a practicing lawyer in L.A., is working hard to make partner at her prestigious firm. And she’s on her way…until she passes out from anxiety during her opening statement. Although she ultimately wins her case, her confidence is shaken. Realizing she needs a break she takes a three week leave and travels to the small California town where she summered as a child. And it doesn’t hurt that her bff Jack is still living there, working as a bookkeeper at his family’s brewery. When a local bookstore needs some life infused into it, Lizzy takes on the task. With Jack’s help, they plan to bring it back to life.

Two and a half stars rounded up to three for this cute story.. The friends to lovers trope was done simply but without a lot of depth. The characters were lacking in their backstory so I found it difficult to get invested in them. I loved the mental health representation, but a high powered attorney in the making running away for a vacation after a single panic attack during the trial seemed a bit of a stretch.

The best part of the book was the time they spent in the bookstore trying to breathe new life into it! I can spend endless hours in an indie store and I appreciate how unique each one is.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzy is feeling fed up with her life as a high powered attorney in LA. After a panic attack in court she takes a leave of absence and goes to see her best friend Jack (who secretly loves her) in a small town not to far away for three weeks to recoup and try to figure out what she wants out of life. But she doesn't find herself relaxing too much when she starts helping a bookstore owner (of where she is staying above) get the bookstore back to its former glory. And not only is she helping this woman, but she get's Jack involved too. Soon enough they're spending too much time together and their secret feelings for each other evolve. Both are hesitant to break up a friendship as strong as theirs, but are willing to give it a try. That is, until both of them drop bombshell news affecting their relationship status and their careers. Can Jack and Lizzy figure out their futures together? Or will their futures fall in opposite directions, tearing their relationship and friendship apart.

I'm not gonna lie, the first part was kind of dry and hard to get into. I almost DNF'd this book, but I'm glad I was was stubborn and I stuck it out, because it ended up being a cute story. We've got a friends to lovers trope with a big heaping side of figuring yourself out, and not just following the path your parents planned for you. I enjoyed getting the perspective of both Lizzy and Jack. I loved the supporting cast of characters and the Asian American representation on both sides of the main characters. Overall I'd give this a 3.5 but Rounded up.

Thanks To the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/26

Lizzy Chung had her entire life planned out. She was going to make her parents proud, be successful, and live happily ever after. At least that was the plan. But plans go awry, and after a panic attack in court, she jumps in her car and heads to Weldon where she spent her childhood summers with her best friend, Jack Park.

Jack Park has had a crush on Lizzy for so long and is happy that he gets to spend three weeks with her. When Lizzy needs his help saving the local bookstore, he agrees and the sparks fly!

This was an enjoyable read with a sweet romance. It's all about the journey with romance books and this one was a sweet one. When you have feelings for a friend do you take the chance and risk the friendship? The struggle is real!

This is a very nice book for summer!


#BookedonaFeeling #NetGalley

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lizzy is a high powered attorney who isn't finding happiness in her big-city coporate job.

Jack is her best friend, who has secretly been in love with her since he was ten but has accepted his long term stay in the friend zone.

When Lizzy decides to take a three week break from her career to reset, she decides to spend it in Jack's small town north of LA, which just so happens to have a indie bookstore in need of Lizzy's help. Armed with a checklist and a best friend she's having some not so platonic thoughts about, Lizzy takes on the project of fixing up The Sparrow Bookstore.

This book was so freaking cozy, just good vibes, good spice, and good characters. Lizzy and Jack were very cute together and the friends to lovers trope is such a fun classic. I did wish that there had been a little bit more development, the friendship wasn't super fleshed out and the side characters, although lovable, were just kind of present not really affecting the story in anyway.

Overall I thought this book was so cute and I think had great representation. Absolutely recommend cozying up with this on a beach for a quick fun read!

I really wanted to enjoy this one. The book cover looked so promising. But, I couldn't get through it. There was not a lot of excitement, the characters lacked chemistry, it was just blah. I felt like there was just too much writing and not enough dialogue. I do give props for the detail of the writing, but it was just a tad too much for me.

Lee does it again! Although there were certainly moments in the novel when Lizzy and Jack's romance seemed untenable, overall this was an engaging read that had moments of drama, a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, and many delightful bookish puns along the way. I also appreciated that both protagonists did not need to hide their Korean heritage - while I'm not Korean-American myself, I enjoyed getting to learn about another aspect of American culture while also being absorbed into a rom-com.