Cute story about two friends who realize their feelings are more than that! Love that the main characters are Korean and that some of their cultures are shared with readers. Quick, fast read.

Super cute, but a slow start. I had a hard time emphasizing with Lizzie. This isn't really a second chance romance, it's more friends to lovers--cute though. The characterization sometimes felt inconsistent. A decent beach read!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins for this ARC.

At first, it was hard for me to get into this book but then I stuck it out and it actually turned out great. Lizzy and Jack's relationship were adorable throughout this novel. It was a childhood friends-to-lovers trope and the little nerdy details about them made me love it even more. I could definitely relate to Lizzy's problem with not wanting to disappoint her parents but also not putting herself first. This was a very cute and relatable book but nothing really stood out from the other romance books.

Booked on a Feeling
Pub Date: 7/26/22

Lizzy and Jack are adorable. Best friends since they were ten, Lizzy has always loved and appreciated Jack as a friend while Jack has always had a crush on Lizzie but was too scared to act on it.

Lizzy is a successful attorney on track to make partner in two years. But is that her dream? Or her mother’s? After a panic attack during a trial, she begins to reevaluate her priorities.

Jack had a huge part in the success of his family’s business but now feels out of place and like he doesn’t have a purpose.

Both Lizzie and Jack are avid readers and books and bookstores play a huge part in this story which makes my bookstore loving heart happy. If you have ever dreamed of quitting your job and fixing it up and living your dreams this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this arc.

Thank you to Jayci Lee, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Stars: 3.75

Synopsis: Lizzy Chung is more committed to her job than anything else in the world. Which is why it's shocking that she finds she's not fulfilled. She needs a break. She books three weeks away and surprises her best friend, Jack Park, when she shows up in his small town. During this holiday, Lizzy finds more than rest as she works to find love, fulfillment, and maybe a few more surprises along the way.

Review:

As always, a huge accomplishment to anyone--and everyone--who writes and publishes multiple books!

Here's my two stars and a wish...

Star 1: Historically, romances have been all about the protagonist finding herself, but I'm loving the shift to more complex characters all around. This book is no exception. Jack is also built up (though maybe a little too lovesick for me) to explore what he wants in his life.

Star 2: I do love the genuine relationship between the characters. Not just Jack and Lizzy have a connection, but the side characters too. Love it.

Star 3: This book has been categorized under the second chances trope, but I didn't really feel like it got there. Friends-to-lovers? For sure. Big city/small town vibes? Yep. Second chances trope? Ehhhhh, possibly not.

Overall, a fun summer read!

Wow, this one really didn't work for me. I found the writing style here very immature, and I found the storyline stilted and awkward, and unfortunately, with nothing that held my attention. The characters are unrealistic and the story is painfully cringey.



eARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.

This one was cute! I really enjoyed the childhood crush turned real life best friend turned can't resist crush. There's a common theme in books right now about achieving what you thought was your dream and finding out it wasn't all you thought. I love this perspective and I think this book did a good job of it even if it was unrealistic.

Overall, I loved this book! Friends to lovers but he's been in love with her the entire time is my favorite trope, by far. Them working on the bookshop together was such a fun basis to the story, and the epilogue was absolutely perfect. I am absolutely going to read A Sweet Mess and The Dating Dare! Tara was such a great character so I am so excited she has her own book.

I love how careers were handled in this book too. Way too often in romance novels, one of them moves away to be with the other dropping their entire career and it drives me insane. I understand sometimes a couple has to make hard decisions like that, but no reasonable person would drop their entire life to be with someone a week after getting into a relationship with them. I love how they went their own way for a minute until Lizzie was able to figure out exactly what she wanted in her life, and how Jack didn't change his plans to move to LA. He wasn't only moving there to be with Lizzie, he was moving their because he needed something different career-wise and he couldn't stay at the brewery or in that small town anymore.

My only issue with the book is this all feels very impulsive on Lizzie's side, and she does not seem like the type of person to be so impulsive. It may be stereotypical, but I feel like the big city lawyer who has busted her ass and done everything right (so to speak) would be more reserved and not impulsive by nature. Once again, I understand she's going through a bit of a quarter-life crisis and finding herself, but the amount of impulsiveness in terms of her relationship with Jack and her career feels inauthentic at times.

(I really give this 4.5/5 stars, Netgalley doesn't allow for half stars)

Jack is the sweetest golden retriever book boyfriend. I love when the guy falls first in a friends-to-lovers trope. This slow burn kicked up the sexual tension to a 10 from the first few chapters, and I loved how they were both in denial of their feelings in the beginning. I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication tropes, but I also under the need for tension only to be reconciled for an HEA. I really enjoyed learning a little bit about Korean culture while reading this book.

This was such a feel good, friends to lovers read! I love a friends to lovers and this one exceeded all expectations. Lizzy has been friends with Jack for 20 years and their friendship and chemistry continued to build. Ultimately, long distance was going to be an issue in their newly formed romantic relationship, yet neither would express what they were willing to sacrifice. This is a great story about finding yourself and making your dreams happen versus the dreams others have for you. I also loved how there was a mental health, medication, and therapy highlight!

I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars!!
This was my first Jayci Lee novel and I absolutely adored Lizzy and Jack and their friends to lovers journey. Jack has been in love with Lizzy since they were kids and Lizzy’s feelings blossom when she visits for a few weeks to get a break from her high stress - anxiety inducing job as a corporate lawyer. I really appreciated how Jayci wrote about Lizzy’s anxiety from her high pressure work and trying to mold herself into a career she doesn’t love. The touches of Korean culture and bookish references were really lovely. I absolutely teared up at the happy ending.

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee is a super sweet, adorably named, romance novel. The main characters are Jack and Lizzy, who are childhood best friends. Lizzy is an overworked, overachieving corporate lawyer. Jack works as a bookkeeper for his family’s brewery. Jack has also been secretly in love with Lizzy since he was ten years-old. Both characters are very likable, and, clearly, destined to fall in love. And, although the story was pretty darn predictable, I still really enjoyed it. The fact that not one, but two, independent bookstores featured prominently in the book was an added bonus. Lord knows, I am a sucker for a cute bookstore!

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Jayci Lee's books are always winners. I really love this series of just barely connected characters with the town playing a big part. The characters are amazing and Booked on a Feeling is no different. I want to be friends with Lizzy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pick this up when you might need a break from heavier reads.

This was such a cute read! I loved Lizzy and Jacks story. I also enjoyed seeing cameos of characters from the previous books!

Booked on a Feeling is my favorite of the series so far!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
AHHHHHH, this was soooo cute! I absolutely adored this. The writing, the characters, the cover are literally all perfection. I can't boost about this book enough. All my closest friends can't wait to get a hold of their own copies.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC! This book was the epitome of a light-hearted friends-to-lovers novel which I adored. The story follows Jack and Lizzy who have been best friends since they were 10 years old. Lizzy is an attorney who lives in LA while Jack is the bookkeeper for his family’s brewery in small town Weldon. Upon winning her first trial, Lizzy realizes that she’s not happy with her life in LA so she takes a 3 week break to surprise Jack in Weldon. Upon her arrival, she meets the owner of Sparrow Bookstore, Shannon, whom Lizzy rents the apartment above the store from. Over the course of her vacation she helps Shannon spruce up the bookstore with help from Jack too, and she realizes that there may be more to life and to Jack than she initially planned. It’s to be noted that Lizzy deals with anxiety and I felt like that’s the one part of this book that fell flat. All of Lizzy’s issues with anxiety seemed to disappear when she arrived in Weldon, which is not very realistic. Anxiety simply doesn’t go away when one is taking a relaxing break or vacation from life’s everyday routine. While falling in love can feel magical, anxiety doesn’t magically go away when things are starting to look up and one becomes happier. As for Lizzy and Jack’s love story: A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! I found myself rooting for them to end up together throughout the entirety of the book and thought they made a great pair for each other. Jack balances out Lizzy in a way that makes you want a Jack in your life: he’s caring, thoughtful, and is always looking out for Lizzy and wants the best for her. I also loved the multicultural Korean representation from both Lizzy and Jack’s family! There was definitely a feel of authenticity without it being shoved in your face and I thought that was another aspect well done by Jayci Lee! If you’re looking for a somewhat cliche, best friends to lovers novel, give this one a try! It becomes available on July 26, 2022!

This was a super cute friend to lovers, second chance romance. I was rooting for Lizzy and Jack the whole time. I loved all the pining and character development. Who doesn’t love a book store romance? I want to go to a beer and dessert pairing!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s and the author, Jayci Lee, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying this is a classic slow burn friends to lovers trope, which has always been a favorite genre of mine. It’s the story of Jack and Lizzy, who have been friends for years. Jack has lusted over Lizzy for a while and Lizzy is just discovering that she’s into Jack. What annoyed me about the situation is if Jack was so into Lizzy, why did he act like a 15-year old boy about it when she started to want to explore the notion of them being together? And why was he so resistant to getting everything he wanted when she was throwing herself at him and like “let’s do this!!” So many parts of this book were choppy, cringey and written like it was for high school English class. One of the worst parts was her friendship with Shannon. It came out of nowhere and suddenly they’re besties, Lizzy is helping her run her bookstore and after three minutes of conversation they’re best friends and hugging? No realism there. Also, 30-years old and has to tell her parents in Korea everything that’s going on when she knows she’ll face their ire and disappointment? If she’s been living in America for any amount of time (she’s been there for years), I think she would have left that behind. I’m from middle eastern culture and respect for parents is taught in the same way and I must admit I am not wholly familiar with Korean culture, so maybe that’s a legit thing?? But still, it didn’t feel like it fit. And all the “growling like a feral animal.” Stahp.

I knew I hated this book about 27% in. I finished it because I made an agreement with NetGalley to give an honest review. I can’t even articulate properly how disjointed, unreal and cringtastic this book was. I’m not sure if it’s the author’s first attempt. If it’s her debut, okay I’ll give her second one a try. If this isn’t her first book, I know we will never get along.

1 star because I can’t give zero and it made order Korean food one night which was amazing.

Cringe. That is all.

Sadly, I don't think Jayci Lee's writing is for me. Her characters seem very well off, act very childish, and I never quite buy into her romances. I love the concept, the cover is gorgeous, and I really do love the representation in her books. Thanks for the ARC, but I'll pass on this one.

This book was a super cute friends to lovers goodie. If you hate the miscommunication trope, this one might not be for you. It had lots of cute elements, an anxious lawyer turned bookstore fixer-upper. A small town with fun local businesses, and really lovely banter and light humor. I struggled to connect with the characters enough to keep coming back but I’m glad I finished it and I did really enjoy.