Lizzy is in dire need of a break from her all-encompassing job as a lawyer. And what better place to take her three week vacation than in the home town of her best friend of 20 years with him by her side. Jack can't believe Lizzy has chosen Wilden for the place to recover from her burnout, but he is certainly not complaining! Jack has had a crush on Lizzy for the past 20 years, but wouldn't dare do anything about it because their friendship means too much to him to lose. However, as they spend day in and day out together, that line between friends and something more begins to blur. Can they become something more without ruining their friendship or will feelings of inadequacy become too much to bring into this new relationship?...

Booked on a Feeling is the 3rd in the series "A Sweet Mess" by Jayci Lee. This time it follows Lizzy Chung and Jack Park. Jack is the brother to Tara from the previous book, but none of that overly makes a difference in the story. Each book could be read as a stand-alone. Except for one spot in the novel, I never had an issue following along with who was who and what relation they had to each other.

My biggest complaint with this novel was that it was rather slow paced, but at that the same time very fast paced. For example, I felt the book dragging out details of exactly what went where in this book store, but then when something interesting actually happens, its done and over within two or three paragraphs. In all honesty, I just wanted it to be over so I could move on, which is disappointing because I remember rather enjoying the previous novel in the series. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me and I couldn't really get into the story or the characters.

Rated 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3/5 stars

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and description of this one and was really excited to start it. Unfortunately, it really fell flat for me. There were some things I liked (the bookstore setting, how Lizzy’s mental health was treated, the finding your own path element), but the things that I didn’t like outweighed those.

I found the middle really dragged and was quite repetitive, it felt like there was no real build up/burn to the romance and the miscommunication made my eyes roll. One of my biggest pet peeves with multi-perspective rom coms is when the two leads are way too similar and hard to tell apart. Unfortunately that happened here, and I would have to stop to remind myself who’s head I was in during different chapters.

I love bookish books! Cute friends to lovers story and a quick, heartfelt read. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Adorable characters, a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, with a side of figuring out your passion/purpose in life. I enjoyed this one very much!

I really liked both Jack and Lizzy and loved how their relationship developed alongside them each exploring what makes them happy in their professional lives.

Jack and Lizzy both feel pressure from their parents and families to be successful and are trying to live up to expectations but are deeply unfulfilled in their careers. They don't want to disappoint their loved ones but their hearts just aren't in it. I think the issues Lizzy has, specifically, with pursuing a career a parent has chosen for her is all too relatable. It highlights the importance of doing what you love and doing it for you.

During the book, Lizzy rediscovers her love of books and bookstores. I loved this aspect of the book. There are some great moments where Lizzy talks about her love of bookstores and romance novels. It's very meta and self-aware at times and just really fun. Lizzy even mentions the romance tropes that apply to her own situation at one point.

Another great feature of the book is the cultural rep. Like the characters in the series' previous two books, Jack and Lizzy are both of Korean descent. I enjoyed the scenes where Jack's Korean culture is shown as he spends time with his family.

Definitely recommend!!

This book follows Lizzy and Jack, childhood friends who are now adults and trying to figure out their lives. Lizzy is determined to make partner at her law firm, and Jack is struggling to find purpose outside of his family's business. When Lizzy takes 3 weeks off work due to extreme stress/burn out, the pair find themselves living in the same city for the first time in a long time, and romantic feelings spring to the surface that are hard to ignore.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The plot was slow and reading became boring. We learn very little about the characters and their backgrounds-the reader is simply pushed into the story. This made it hard to connect with or care about the characters.

"He loved her. He needed her. Was he trying to convince himself to kiss her or let her go? He could lose his best friend. Or he could gain someone who meant infinitely more."

If you enjoyed Book Lovers , then Booked on a Feeling might be your next bookstore-themed romance! It’s the story of high-powered LA attorney, Lizzy, and her small-town best friend, Jack, who realize, during Lizzy’s 3-week vacation to Jack’s hometown, that they’re in love with each other… but their lifestyles might not be as compatible as their chemistry.

The dialogue felt a little stiff and unnatural at times, and the pacing was off—everything between Lizzy and Jack was smooth-sailing for the first 85% of the book, and then all of the conflict / tension / resolution was crammed into the final 15% which made the ending feel super rushed. But overall, it was a cute story with likeable characters and great chemistry. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4!

——

A huge thank you to Jayci Lee, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A rom-com with a bookish title and setting is always something I'm game to check out. This one has the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, which I enjoy for how well the characters know each other's history and hopes and dreams, but there's a lot of angst about ruining a friendship that can get a bit tiresome to me. In this particular one I enjoyed the banter of the old friends + the checklist-loving protagonist and her project to help out a struggling indie bookstore while she's on leave from her law firm for a mental health break, and I also enjoyed all of the food and cooking references, particularly to all of the delicious-sounding Korean food their families make. An enjoyable read for entertainment, but not one that particularly stands out to me among the rom-coms I've read lately. E-copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ★★★

This is seriously the cutest childhood friends to lovers romance!

LA attorney Lizzy takes a much needed vacation to her childhood small town after a panic attack at work. She spends her time catching up with her childhood bestie Jack, and together they volunteer revamping the towns library!

This gave so many adorable k-drama vibes!! I loved the friendship between Lizzy and Jack and watching their relationship blossom was so fun. I also appreciated the self discovery journey Lizzy went on and how both characters searched for what would make them happy, and not what would make others happy.

Love, love, love!

This book was literally a Hallmark movie with a little spice, and oh how I enjoy a cozy Hallmark movie! It's got friends-to-lovers, big city girl saves dying small town business, and insta-love (kind of). I enjoyed watching Lizzy and Jack's relationship blossom. I really enjoyed the sprinkling of Korean culture throughout as well. I did get a little bored with Jack's "she'll never love me/I'm not good enough for her" narrative, but overall it was a very cute romance and I give it a 3.5 stars and would definitely recommend for romance and rom-com fans. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are a huge fan of friends to lovers romance then there is a good chance you will enjoy this book! Jack has been pining for his best friend Lizzy for 20 years since they were both 10 years old. Sadly, I am not a fan of friends to lovers so this one didn’t work great for me. Jack was sweet and supportive and just a great guy. My problem is always the other friend that just happens to notice how hot their best friend is. I felt like all this book was about was Lizzy’s lust for Jack’s hotness. It felt almost like she was very superficial and I didn’t love it.
There were many sweet moments but in short it just wasn’t a favorite for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I just couldn't get into it. The prose was wordy and forgettable. The characters were so one-note and boring. And their relationship never made sense to me.

I have a hard time with book characters where the source of conflict comes from an unrequited crush. Jack has spent 20 years in love with Lizzy, and he just accepts that she's it for him and doesn't talk to her about his feelings or anything. There's a childhood friends to lovers trope and then there's this: 20 years of pining is absolutely ridiculous, and he should have gotten over her the second she made it clear that she wasn't interested.

Jack is the worst communicator. I can't take him seriously. He's been lying to Lizzy for most of his life, and then he gets everything he wants just because he held out for so long. None of these screams romance to me. It just feels like he wasted part of his life in love with someone who, realistically, was never going to return his affections.

Not a fan of this book. It felt sloppy and rushed, and the character's decisions were nebulous at best.

While a cute rendition of the friends to lovers trope, Booked On a Feeling lacks any element of surprise. The book will be enjoyable for romance readers and book lovers, but is ultimately predictable without much commentary on social issues or dynamic plot twists. The writing is concise, simple, and elegant enough that it makes the story easy to read, yet not overwhelmingly paced. The greatest strength of the novel is the setting and lovable characters, which will likely be the greatest draw for non-trope seeking readers. Overall a solid romance that will likely be a joyful comfort read to many.

Booked on a Feeling was a sweet read but ultimately, I wanted a little more from it. Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Cusp of a Life Change
✔️ RomCom
✔️ He Fell First
✔️ Running a Bookstore
✔️ He is Handy and Wears a Tool Belt

In every book I enjoy, there's a lot of putting myself in the situation. So the premise of running a bookstore (which is a pretty unrealistic dream of mine) was my favorite part about this book. The scenes where Lizzy is renovating the bookstore and making decisions about decor and displays were fun and made me appreciate the thought and care that indie booksellers put into their shops.

I wish I was more invested in the characters. Lizzy fell a little flat for me - I wasn't really rooting for her and I didn't particularly care about her trying to figure out her life. I liked Jack more - I think seeing him with his family and seeing him being handy and helpful at DIY home things helped.

I appreciated the mental health rep and the characters trying to figure out what was going to make them happy. Overall, this was a sweet story though i wonder if i would have read the first two books in the series. 3⭐️.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣
Swoon 💕

Booked on a feeling is a friends to lovers romance that takes place in a book store, so naturally I’m all about it! Overachiever lawyer Lizzy is tired of her job and the everyday anxiety of it, so she escapes to her best friend Jack’s hometown and becomes enamored with the town bookstore and renovating it, but she needs Jack’s help. Only he’s been hiding a crush on her since they were 10, and this vacation of Lizzy’s us about to change everything for them. This romance is very sweet, although I will say at times the writing felt a little predictable and redundant and it relied heavy on the telling and not showing, so some of it made Lizzy and Jack feel a touch immature. But even so, I thought they were so endearing and adorable. It’s a slow burn and I loved Jack’s love for his best friend and the struggle he had to accepting her feelings. I think Lizzy’s feelings changed a little abruptly but as she was looking for passions and dreams, I think it did fit her. While I loved the friends to lovers of this closed door romance, I really loved the individual character growth—these two both are chasing their dreams, and they don’t back down for them, and their journeys felt so genuine. Plus their chemistry together was just lovely and fun, and I loved how natural their friendship read. And the bookstore was wonderful! I loved the love for books this story had, especially for romance novels. As a romance reader, I felt seen there, and I just adored that. Booked on a Feeling is light and fun, and it’s a great, relaxing read about love and finding your dream!

The third book in the Sweet Mess series, Booked on a Feeling follows Lizzy and Jack, childhood friends who are both feeling unfulfilled by their careers. However unexpected, their mutual discontent gifts them a few weeks to spend together in their hometown. Ready or not, their relationship as they know it will never be the same.

As they work to save a struggling business, Jack and Lizzy begin to discover each other in new and confusing ways. After decades of friendship, Lizzy's sudden awareness of Jack's body and his many, many muscles has her feeling both puzzled and horny. Ironically, just as the woman he's harbored a decades-long crush for begins to view Jack as more than a friend, he's left wonder if it might finally be time to move on.

Overall, Booked on a Feeling was a nice read. It felt like a love letter to the beauty of friendship and those of us who maybe don't have it all figured out just yet! The writing is top notch and the romance was especially sweet. As Jack and Lizzy's connection evolved, I definitely had butterflies in my stomach a few times. In particular, I loved Jack's perspective. His love for Lizzy, his devotion to her, all of it gave me warm and fuzzy feelings.

I think my main complaint was that it took some time for the plot to get going and I didn't necessarily connect to the romance like I anticipated. Though there were moments I loved, I struggled to feel invested overall. Considering how much was made of Lizzy and Jack's long-lasting friendship, I kept waiting for them to communicated more, potentially avoiding some of the conflict they later faced.

→ Thank you to NetGalley, Jayci Lee and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (Really Liked It)

This novel was very heartwarming, and soul soothing. I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, and I enjoyed the pace at which Lizzie and Jack's relationship developed into more. Especially since this is written in dual POV!

Lizzie and Jack are both relatable characters with real world problems and internal struggles. They don't want to disappoint their parents, but want to follow their dreams. All while heating up their friendship of 20 years. It was wonderful reading a heartwarming story that was believable enough to make you root for the couple.

I only wish we saw more of why Lizzie and Jack are friends before their relationship went to the next level. I want to see why they like each other after 20 years, not just take their friendship for granted because I've been told to.

This is the 3rd book in the A Sweet Mess series, which contains standalone books. I'll be reading the 2nd book in this series, next.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Jayci Lee for the ARC of this book.

This book was charming, the main characters were likable, they had clear chemistry, and their own separate lives were well fleshed out, but this book still fell prey to the typical things that I dislike about romance books. I knew exactly what Lizzy wanted to do with her life the moment I started reading, and it was frustrating to see her struggle and to deal with all of the miscommunication and the lack of openness. Still, this book was enjoyable!

This romcom is about two lifelong friends Lizzy and Jack. Lizzy working as an attorney. She is on track to make partner after winning her first case as a lead attorney. Suddenly she realizes that being an attorney isn't all that it is cracked up to be and she decides to move back to Weldon where her friend Jack lives. She rents an apartment above a bookstore and decides to help the owner of the bookstore out. She loves books and has nothing but spare time. She convinces Jack to use his handyman skills to help fix the bookstore.

As they start to work on the bookstore, Lizzy realizes that she may like Jack more than a friend. Will she act on her feelings? Will Jack reciprocate?

The story was cute, I enjoyed taking the journey through the changes in Lizzy's life. Jack seemed to lack depth and was just there doing whatever Lizzy wanted. This really kept me from enjoying this book more than I did. Yes, it was fun to read at times, but it didn’t wow me.

I loved the idea of this book, an overwhelmed lawyer heads to her best friend's town and helps to fix up a bookshop while figuring out her own life. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, but unfortunately the execution of this one just didn't work for me. At times the dialogue and actions of the main characters felt more YA than 30 year old adults. Some things were also overly explained that didn't seem to contribute much to the story line, while important information such as the background of their friendship seemed a bit lacking. I did enjoy the love for books that flowed through the pages, Lizzy's love of a good to do list, as well as the Korean representation. The epilogue was also pretty cute! Overall, there are many that would enjoy this one, but it just wasn't the one for me.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A woman finds a dead man in her new house. She and her fiancé are baffled but work with the police to find out who killed him.