Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book comes out July 26th.

First off, there's a publication day shindig in Los Angeles for this wonderful book as well as the one I reviewed just previously, For Butter Or Worse, and I am experiencing a massive case of FOMO.

Now, to get to this book, I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore friends to lovers. I love watching one of the pair struggling with their pining emotions and wondering if they should ever voice them and risk losing the relationship or being able to bring them to the next level. I especially love when the guy is the first to be dealing with these emotions and, oh my heck, did I love watching Jack dealing with the fact that he has loved Lizzy for most of their lives. Add in small town vibes AND a bookstore?? I'm done.

I am so glad that this was my first Jayci Lee book as this is the third in this series and now I get to go back and read a couple more beautiful love stories set in Weldon, a town I never want to leave.

5 resounding stars for this beaut!!! Can't wait to sell it to my customers!!!

Lizzy’s entire life was planned to a T. That is until she has a panic attack in the middle of a huge moment for her career.
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She returns home and comes face to face with Jack Park. It’s the age old story of a high powered LA Attorney returning home, meanwhile he never left his hometown and works for his family’s brewery. He doesn’t have a shot with her, or does he? Not a surprise here when these two fall for each other and fix the business along the way.
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This has a cute epilogue and a cute premise. Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Booked on a Feeling did not disappoint! I was enamored with Lizzy and Jack from the beginning. Will be purchasing a hard copy!

What a fun, feel-good story! This one had me grinning pretty much the entire way. I just loved these two so much! The way Jack looks at Lizzy, the way he thinks her quirks are so adorable, the way he is always there for her, the way he understands and appreciates her love of books... Is it any wonder I fell for him as hard as Lizzy does?

Friends-to-Lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and one this author does very well. Jack and Lizzy have been best friends for twenty years, since the age of ten. It's evident in the comfort level they share, the freedom to tease and joke around, their rock-solid support and belief in one another, the deep affection, and the openness and honesty that is the foundation of their relationship. Well, except for that one little thing: the fact that Jack Park has been in love with Lizzy Chung for almost his entire life.

Lee guides Jack and Lizzy through this journey with almost flawless execution. Their unexpected, gradual transition from friends to lovers occurs alongside their individual journeys of personal growth in a way that feels real and authentic. Each of them is at a professional crossroads, with looming decisions that will impact family expectations as well as personal relationships. Lee allows the gravity of those decisions to play out with necessary emotional introspection, giving it the gravity it deserves while also balancing it with the lightness, humor, and sweetness of the ever-deepening dynamic between Lizzy and Jack.

As with her previous books, Lee also immerses the reader in the Korean-American culture of her main characters. I enjoy the inside view of these families; their traditions, expectations, food (yes, I drooled), and differences. The dichotomy between Jack's parents and Lizzy's is quite striking.

I also appreciate the approach the author takes with Lizzy's anxiety and Jack's feelings of unworthiness, issues so many people deal with. It makes these characters even more relatable and it makes their growth, as evidenced by their eventual life-changing decisions, and ultimate HEA, even more satisfying.

I'm already excited to discover what Jayci Lee has in store for readers next. In the meantime, I enthusiastically recommend adding Booked on a Feeling to your summer reading list.

4.5 Stars
ARC received for fair and unbiased review

📚Booked on a Feeling📚

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Jayci Lee and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While friends to lovers isn’t my favorite trope this book was so good! I loved this sweet romance between two childhood friends. It was so heartwarming and it had some amazing characters.

Lizzy is a lawyer who is on her way to making partner when she realizes that she needs a break. She struggles with anxiety and family problems. Jack works at his family’s brewery but wants a more challenging job. He’s caring, lovable, supportive, a handyman and a lover of books! Also he’s loved Lizzy since they were 10.

One thing I wish I did different was to read the other two books in the series before this one. I didn’t realize it was apart of a series when I started the book. This would have let me connect more with the side characters.

They have a trial run of a relationship to test and see if they could be more than friends. But when both of them need to discover who they are and what they need to be happy, will they be able to work it out?

The first half of this book didn’t do it for me. The chapters were soo repetitive and I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters at all. Sadly a miss for me.

I was really pushing myself to finish this book. Sadly I had to DNF at 30% kind of. I always look forward to reading my books, but this was really hard. The beginning was really slow, I usually get hooked into the story at 10% and that’s when I know I’m enjoying the book, but this one is not one of those for me and that make me really sad because I was hopping to enjoy it! I really hope more people can enjoy it! Thank you NetGalley y St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC! Truly grateful.

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

I love a good Romance novel. This one seemed odd. We start off with Lucy winning her first trial. Her firm is thrilled with her work but to her it doesn't feel as it should so she takes 3 weeks off. As an adult with a job, I wouldn't just up and peace out for 3 weeks. That was the first odd part. Then, she goes to a town called Weldon where her best friend, Jack, lives.

I liked the characters overall. I liked that they both were charismatic. However, we get that they both are in love with each other, but the internal monologues were a bit much.

I really had to power through this one because I just don't have it in me to DNF a book. It read more of a YA which I wasn't expecting and didn't care for.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked. This book is adorable. Lizzy our main character needs a break from her job as a lawyer after winning a big case. She realizes she needs to step back because she doesn't feel accomplishment after winning her clients case. Lizzy decided to leave L.A and go to where she spent her childhood. She reunites with an old friend, and watching their relationship develop into more was so sweet and romantic, Lizzy also decides to help a bookstore owner restore her bookstore. This book was a great summer read and I highly recommend it. I really enjoyed this book.

4⭐️ First i would like thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins for the earc! This book is for my friends to lover and second chance lovers!! I absolutely adored this book and it was such a quick read. Lizzy and Jack had so much to them that i was engrossed by their story. Lizzy was trying to figure out what it is she wants to do with her life while having expectations she believed she needed to meet. Jack trying to find that courage to go after what he wants and achieve a dream of his. Throughout the whole read you could feel the tension between the two characters. You are left feeling satisfied at the end because both of their character arcs felt complete. I definitely recommend this for as a heartwarming read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If I could give this a 4 1/2 stars I would! I love this book so much! I'm usually not a big fan of the "friends to lovers" trope, but I will simp hard for this book and Jayci!

Elizabeth "Lizzy" is a hard working lawyer with big dreams of becoming a partner at the firm in LA. But is that really her dream? After fainting before giving her opening statement during her first big trial, Lizzy knew something was off. It was not until she won the case and didn't feel any sort of elation or jubilation, that she decided to take 3 weeks off work to find herself and stop the burnout that was building in her life. Her one constant and best friend for 20 years, Jack was the only thing good in her life. Therefore, she packed her bags and headed to their old stomping ground of Weldon.

Jack thought he was living his dream. He was a valued member of his family's brewery that was absolutely thriving. His sister and twin brother were masters at their craft but what did Jack have to show for it? He was a glorified bookkeeper and server. He wanted so much more out of life. Something to challenge him. Something that made him want to be worthy of Lizzy. Oh, that little detail? Jack has been in love with Lizzy since they were 10. He would never say anything to Lizzy in fear of losing their friendship. But the time has come and Jack decided to apply for jobs in LA to be close to Lizzy so that he could try and win her over. A wrench was thrown in his plans when Lizzy mysteriously ran into him on his morning jog. He's given himself three options: Option 1: Maintain the status quo; Option 2: Move on from Lizzy; Option 3: Make Lizzy fall hopelessly in love with him.

The spark that these two denied for so long was undeniable. Lizzy said it best when they both admitted their feelings to each other,
"I was too young and foolish to see what I was missing out on."

Yes, Lizzy you were. I'd marry Jack in a heartbeat even though he can't cook but he freaking learned how to make chili for her! I was so frustrated reading each one of their perspectives and them thinking the exact same thing but no one doing anything about it! But at the same time, I could completely relate to this. How often have you not said what was on your mind or how you were feeling and come to find out that person or situation had felt the same way about you? One too many times for me to count.

I enjoyed how this book done a great job representing anxiety attacks and how things as simple as a change of scenery or even a person can help alleviate all of those fears and frustrations. How you aren't truly happy until you find your niche. You can go years thinking that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life because society tells you or your family tells you. You are burdened down by the weight of their judgements until you break.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQwVKr8rCYw

That's the best way to explain it. I could relate to Lizzy so much. I try to be a positive person. I work hard to make money and be someone my parents want me to be. But is that where I am really happy? This book really makes your reflect on your own life and situation and asks yourself, am I really happy or am I faking it?

The pop culture references and sometimes the minor breaking of the third wall was beautiful. I'll be honest, I did not have high hopes for this book when I first started it. But as I continued to read and fell in love with these two characters, I could not put it down. Also now I want to try flaming hot cheetos and turkey chili... Also don't read this book hungry. Just a word of advice!

Let me preface this review by saying, I normally hate friends to lovers tropes. Like hate them. This book changed my mind. I absolutely loved this book. It was so sweet and adorable and just everything that other friends to lovers books had been missing. Highly recommend reading this the next time you're in a friends to lovers mood [especially if you're in a bookish mood]

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

This was not my cup of tea. I felt like nothing happened in the first 30% and I just got bored and uninterested. It felt hard to connect to characters and generic. I *think* I could’ve loved it- it had the makings for a good read. Unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me today.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book will be published July 26, 2022.

Very Serious Disclaimer: This version of my review is missing all the italics, so I will be including a link to my Goodreads review, where you can see all the italicized words in all their glory.

Y’all, I wrote down so many thoughts about this book as I was reading it, and I will now attempt to represent these in a sensical, rational way. To be very honest, I’m not a huge friends-to-lovers fan to start with, especially with straight characters. Queer characters? Yes please, because we get all the tension with them. But this book had no LGBTQ+ rep or tension.

To put it simply, I found it boring. The storyline follows Lizzy Chung, an attorney who realizes she’s not happy after winning a trial. So she goes to her best friend’s town to visit him for a few weeks, which is when we meet Jack (AKA The Best Friend). And surprise, surprise! Jack has been in love with her for twenty years. The problem is, these can be cute, but that’s about it. I kept looking for the chemistry and coming up empty-handed.

Another thing that disappointed me was their lack of memories. These two have been best friends for at least twenty years and we don’t even get a little insight into their friendship? How did they meet? What did they do together as kids? When did Jack first fall in love with her? All of these things are crucial when setting up your characters, so that we can believe they have chemistry. In the end, Jack and Lizzy come across as half-baked characters who can be really immature.

I didn’t love the writing style, but again, that could just be me. I felt that even while the plot moved along at a normal pace, the author wrote things in a way that felt like we were moving too fast. Something would happen, and as the reader, you would want to savour the moment. But then bam, something else happens and you’re suddenly redirected. Not very fun.

Okay, now there were some parts that I found funny. It wasn’t like the book was all bad and just unbearable. But when I look at my list of notes and annotations, the bad things definitely outweigh the good. However, I didn’t end up hating the characters. (It was more like… I just didn’t care about them at all.) So that’s a good thing?

I could list out other things that I didn’t jam with in this book, but what’s the point? This is already turning into a mellow rant, so let’s stop before it turns into a raging one, yeah? (Although if you ask, I’ll definitely be able to rage.) At the end of the day, this is simply one person’s opinion. If this book sounds right up your alley, I say go for it! You may just love it as much as I… did not.

3 stars ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had high expectations going into this book and it fell sort of flat for me. The concept was good, but the execution wasn’t where I needed it to be.

I enjoyed watching Lizzy and Jack discover their passions and seeing Lizzy deal with her anxiety about work.
The romance was nice but I didn’t feel the connection between them. I found myself not really caring if they ended up together. Also the conflict felt superficial especially if Lizzy and Jack just TALKED and communicated with each other. They both seemed childish to me.

I'm absolutely sorry that I couldn't love this book more. 😔 Overall, I enjoyed the book, I just wanted more.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media, for my complimentary copies of Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were great. I would recommend it!

Lizzy decides she needs to take a break from her big lawyer job after experiencing a panic attack in the courtroom. She returns to Weldon, where she spent summers with her best friend, Jack. I appreciated Lizzy and her “overachiever” mindset and needing to check off all the items on her to-do list. I am the same way.

Jack and Lizzy are lovely characters, and I didn’t want their story to end. Jack and Lizzy have been friends for so long, and both try and push down their feelings. They decide to work together to help a local bookstore with some necessary revamping and remodeling while Lizzy is in town. Sparks start to ignite between the two once they realize they have the same feelings.

Super cute! Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this did not disappoint. I loved how the author allowed her characters to experience life and grow. People are allowed to change their minds, even with something as daunting as a career. Pretty decent level of spiciness, too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book was perfectly fine and sweet. The conflict felt contrived to me, or overdone (I'm so tired of miscommunication tearing relationships apart) but the characters were lovable enough to merit 3 stars.

I think this is a really great romance. I personally really love romance books have multi-point of view and you get to see the story from both romantic interests. Because we got to see the story from both main characters it makes you a lot more invested in the story and their love.
The romance and tension in the story is amazing. You can steal them being attracted and falling for each other. I also like Violet isn't the main point of the story, the friends to lovers is a wonderful trope and I really like the execution of it here.
There is still a lot going on besides romance. They touch on mental health, family, and immigration.

Lizzy is working her way to her lifelong dream - partner at a prestigious law firm. But when she has a panic attack and passes out during opening statements she falls right into the arms of Jack, her BFF for the past 20 years. Lizzy decides to take a break to re-evaluate and falls in love with small town life....and a certain buff, handyman, best friend. Also unsatisfied with the life he has built, Jack is working towards making a name for himself, but it isn't easy to hide his 20 year crush on his best friend. As they work together to transform a small town bookstore, it is impossible to ignore the growing feelings between the two. But how will it work when their lives continue to change?

Friends to lovers romance will always be a favorite of mine. I loved that we got to see both POVs through the narration so we were just as invested in the feelings of both parties. This book was so sweet, even though the conflict and solution were glaringly obvious from the beginning (but it is romance - so duh! We read it anyway!) I liked how the characters' Korean culture was brought into the story through the use of food and family - even the family drama and disappointment trauma.

The only reason this book isn't 5 stars is because I feel like Jack's character arrived at his "aha" moment in a way that wasn't fully fleshed out. He struggled with his issues the whole book and then all of the sudden one conversation with his family helps him overcome all of that? I don't buy it. My personal friends to lovers romance story has a character with some of those issues and a decade later is still taking very proactive work and therapy to deal with.

Overall, this book was so sweet. I love books about books and bookstores so this one ranked high on the ones I wanted to read. There was palpable heat between the characters but wasn't super spicy. Great anytime book!