Booked on a Feeling follows Lizzy, an overachieving lawyer, who has accomplished two out of the three major goals in her life: become a lawyer & join a prestigious law firm. The last major career goal she would like to accomplish is to make partner at her firm. But after she passes out from a panic attack during a trial, she puts a pause on this life plan for three weeks to recharge and recover from being burnt out. She takes this time to head to Weldon, a small town in California where she spent her summers growing up where her best friend Jack lives.

Jack has been secretly in love with Lizzy for two decades, a secret he is determined to never let Lizzy uncover to protect their friendship. But when Lizzy decides to help revamp the local bookstore, it becomes harder for them both to ignore that what they feel for each other goes beyond friendship.

This book was overall such a cute childhood best friends to lovers book! It was a fun, easy read that I think many romance book lovers will also enjoy!

Booked on a Feeling by
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/5

Available July 26th

This book...really is adorable.
I am not a rom-com girl. Hallmark is the bane of my existence. But this book was simply precious.

Blurb:
It follows the story of Lizzy, a very successful lawyer living in LA and Jack, her handsome, best friend who has been in love with her since they were ten years old.
After, winning her first court care, Lizzy suffers an anxiety attack that leads her to take an extended vacation in the one place she feels most at home, in Jack’s hometown of Weldon,
As a three-way partner in his family’s brewery company, Jack finds himself wanting more. A chance to prove that he can venture out on his own and be a man worthy of Lizzy, But when she comes to his hometown for three weeks, romantic chaos ensues. Over the course of their time together, they help a local restore a doomed used bookstore and grow closer and closer with each day that passes. As Jack fights his love for Lizzy, afraid to lose what they have, she begins to realize that perhaps Jack doesn’t belong in the friend zone anymore.

This is the perfect recipe of friends to lovers, second chance loves, and miscommunication tropes all rolled into one very sweet summer read that is perfect for anyone who finds solace in the shelves of a bookstore.

Written by Jayci Lee, this novel follows Lizzie, a high-profile lawyer so, so close to making partner, and Jack her best friend who has helped turn the family business around but… has run out of work that needs to be done. Oh, and Jack has loved Lizzie for 20 years but never told her his feelings. And now she is in town for 3 weeks, taking a much-needed break, and he isn’t sure how to handle that.

This novel is for those who are:

stuck in a rut and want a good pick-me-up kind of book
“friend-zone” story lovers
People who feel like they are in the wrong career
This was a fun, satisfying read, though the first couple of chapters were slow they are necessary to build up Lizzie and Jack as characters.

I enjoyed the easy read this novel is. The two perspectives, Lizzie and Jack, really lent well to telling this story. If you don’t like stories from more than one perspective, this novel might not be for you. It ends up highlighting the comm8unication between the two and the missed opportunities.

This novel is just the right amount of contemporary, and tells the story very well. The only thing is that, while the side characters are interesting, I wanted to see a bit more of them and the ending felt very rushed. But, we got to see a bit more of their lives down the road, and that was nice.

This is a sweet modern romance that was a lovely read.

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this was a sweet, lighthearted & fluffy childhood-friends-to-lovers read with great food and a bookish smalltown vibe!

i was instantly drawn to this book because of the title and cover, and while overall it was an enjoyable read, i cant say i loved it as much as i expected to. it started off super slow, and i was confused and personally had no clue what was going on in the first chapters because of all the legal jargon. while this book had a lot of potential to be an amazing read, it fell flat for me. i found myself bored a lot during this book, and while it was cute, it wasnt very exciting. it was predictable, and didnt hold my interest.

the charachters and storyline just felt very one dimensional, and while there was tension, i feel like there was no real build up or growth. i wish we knew more about jack and lizzy’s friendship. we know theyre childhood best friends, and that jack has a long standing crush on lizzie, but i think i would have connected more with these characters if there was more background on said friendship.

while this book wasnt exactly for me, if youre a fan of the friends to lovers trope, and like cute romcoms, i would definitely recommend checking this one out when it’s released.


thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

release date july 26th, 2022

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for providing an ARC to review.

Jayci Lee's romcom Booked on a Feeling features an overachieving lawyer. A failing bookstore. A childhood friend. And the chance of a lifetime.

I'm really excited to see more representation coming to romance novels. I was especially excited to read a romance novel where two Korean Americans were the OTP (One True Pairing). Book on a Feeling brought all the swoony feels wrapped in a strong narrative. It was the perfect combo of adults finding a new direction in work and a new shift from friends to romance. The two changes in our lead's lives worked seamlessly to bring us a fun and romantic story. Booked on a Feeling was my first book by this author, but hopefully, it will not be my last.

This was the definition of a feel good book! There is not such more to say other than feel good with the sweetest characters! I feel like I just got a hug in the best way possible. I thought it was so comforting and amazing. Everyone needs a book like this in their lives. Loved it.

I am genuinely in love with this book. Everything about it was completely perfect. The characters had such amazing chemistry and the balance of supporting characters to main characters was fantastic. I was cheering the entire time for Lizzy and Jack and was so happy that their story reflected that of two 30-year olds. They felt like real mature characters who had their live together and had just been waiting for each other the entire time. I loved how they both came into their feelings for each other and how they had their own struggles. It was perfection and I literally did not put it down.

On a side note - the transition into chapter 24 was weak and could use work. It felt disjoined and I had to reread it to make sure I was following correctly.

This one just wasn't for me. . I started losing interest around 40% in, but I kept reading because I wanted to see how things turned out. I also struggled with the fact that both Lizzy and Jack had the whole "this isn't my dream, it's yours" conversations... I couldn't really find a way to connect with the characters. Aside from Lizzy's love of book and making list, I just felt kind of meh towards the characters. The writing was good, The story itself just wasn't my cup of tea.

This was a great romance read - friends to lovers, bookstore romance, and great food. Lizzy, a lawyer in LA, needs a break and spends time in the small town (renting a studio above a bookstore!) where her best friend Jack lives. Jack, who has loved her for 20 years but hasn't told her. I appreciated the dual-POVs here to get some insight into each of their thoughts and feelings as their friendship evolved. Some family dynamics, late 20s/early 30s angst of figuring out your life, and more. Good Korean food, sweets, and local beer also - do not read on an empty stomach! I also appreciated the realistic description of anxiety and it not being the headline of who Lizzy is. Thank you to netgalley for access to this eARC.

I didn’t finish Booked on a Feeling. The writing style wasn’t for me, and I was unable to connect with the characters and the story. It all felt very one dimensional with no real growth or complexity from any of the characters. I was hopeful going into it, and I’m sure other readers will love it. It just wasn’t for me.

Overall Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
Spice - 🌶️🌶️
Character Development - Steady through out, big developments in last 20% ish.
Tropes - Friends to Lovers, Third Act Breakup, Pregnancy Epilogue
Representation - Asian (Korean), Anxiety disorder

Plot; The plot of this book is simple and sweet. Two childhood friends, one goes on vacation where the other is, and they spend their time getting a bookstore back on its feet. It is really cute all the way through, and while it doesn't deviate from that plot line a lot, aside from a few dates, it isn't boring or repetitive. The bookstore setting has a lot of energy and feeling at every turn. The plot is definitely romance driven. I like how the progression of the relationship and the bookstore side by side, it's almost like they reflect each other.

Characters; There's only about three characters that have any real umpth to them, but all the characters including the side characters are all very different. You don't get to really see much about Jack's family, and the other people are all kind of in and out, but because of how focused this plot is on the romance, you don't really notice too much. Now the two love interests are very well done, albeit obsessed. Jack specifically is basically driven exclusively by his love for Lizzy for a good chunk of this book. I am really happy he eventually has some growth and does stuff for himself too. I much prefered reading the parts in Lizzy's POV, because she felt like she had more on the line for more of the book than just the romance, and therefore slightly less obsessive. Either way, both eventually had amazing character growth, and I think the conflict and resolution are very reflective of how actual relationships turn out sometimes.

Romance; The romance was nice. It was kind of cute with both of them thinking the other wasn't ready and and , while you the reader know they're having the same thoughts. That happens pretty often, but not enough for me to be annoyed by it. In terms of the spice, very yes. I like that the characters experience a lot of sexual tension and feeling outside of just sex itself. This book doesn't shy away from characters having visual turn ons (toolbelt 😉), and these don't go away after they have sex, which makes them more realistic and makes them easier to identify with. The sex is not quite fade to black, but it does stop being descriptive right before penetration. I do think it's a good tease book.

Writing; The writing for this book felt different to me than other romance books. This one felt a lot more personal, and it was written more about feeling than action. Most of the writing that isn't dialog describes events, foods, etc by how the character feels about them. A lot of the non dialog is also thoughts generally. It felt like being really in the characters heads instead of just watching their story. I also love that the author didn't shy away from words and phrases that some people might not understand, like Korean food names, lawyer jargon, and the like. I really enjoyed the writing in this book.

Extra Thoughts; I enjoyed this book a lot! It feels like a much more person romance book than most typical ones to me, and that was a nice change of pace. I LOVED the writing about food in this book. You can tell the author has a great relationship with their food based on how they talk about it in this book, and food is a love language in this book and I am here for it. I'm giving it a 3 because it didn't wow me, or make me feel the need to read it all in one go, but I did really enjoy it and would likely recommend it to someone if they were looking for a cozy romance read.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this story! It had the classic big city lawyer and small town vacation/time-off dynamic, but added on top of the fact that it was a friends to lovers story really was the icing on the cake here because Lizzy and Jack had amazing chemistry and I loved reading about them falling in love. And with everything sort of centered around a bookstore? It was a great read

Booked on a Feeling, overall, is a cute story. I like that Lizzy and Jack are such good friends and have an amazing relationship. However, the story was very predicatible. In addition to that, there were times that the characters seemed very immature.
The descriptions of the book stores were wonderful. The food descriptions...wow! The book made me hungry!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

this book is the reason i live for friends to lovers. the mutual pining, the tension, all of it was *chef's kiss*

lizzy and jack are such faves. i see myself a lot in lizzy, and i think i still have to do some of the soul-searching that lizzy had to do as well. i just want to give jack a hug,, i'm so proud of him. both of them have very complete character arcs, lizzy trying to find herself & what she wanted from her career and her life rather than simply living for her mother's expectations and jack finally going after what he wanted and his own dreams.

and the two of them together...SWOON. so much chemistry. they fit together so well. no one loves lizzy like jack does and no one loves jack like lizzy does! they win!

heartwarming book <33 perfect for a book lover w the amount of time they spend in a bookstore lol

I am a sucker for a bookstore romance. Throw in a childhood friends to lovers trope and I am totally on board. The relationship of the main couple was sweet and realistic. Their friendship was true, while their romance seemed a bit rushed, it wasn’t distracting. The author wrote burnout and moments of insecurity in your own path in a way that was incredibly relatable. I appreciated how these characters wanted to be together but didn’t want all their choices to be based on the other person. The trusted in themselves and their friendship that they would find their way to each other. And it was nice to see that relationship unfold and grow in a way that felt mostly natural.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
This was my first Jayci Lee book, and I have to say that while I wasn't blown away, it met my expectations and I was very satisfied with it. There are no major twists or turns, and you can pretty much figure out the entire endgame from the first few chapters, but it's still mostly an enjoyable read.
BEWARE: they spend pages and pages talking about delicious food, so if you're reading it on an empty stomach...you will regret it.

This book was not what I wanted it to be. The main female character doesn’t work. She’s a workaholic lawyer who, on a whim, decides to take a month off and stay in the same town as her best friend without telling him. Then you have the best friend who only thinks about the fact that he loves Lizzy but needs to get over her to save their friendship. The internal monologue of both characters was weak and ultimately childish. They both agree (at one point) to give a romantic relationship a chance and then spend the entire time not allowing themselves to actually have an adult relationship. If I had a nickel for everytime Jack talked about getting over Lizzy I’d be rich. Very repetitive and immature. You’ve got childhood best friends turned lovers with the communication trope woven throughout. I really did have high hopes but was ultimately let down.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

I first want to thank the publishers and Netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

5/5 stars all the way. I absolutely loved this wholesome friends to lovers book. Lizzy is an LA attorney that needs to go back to her home town at a panic attack to relax and in the process connects with her childhood best friend Jack.

Their goofy, but extremely loving relationship was by far my favorite part of this book. I also really enjoyed the discussion of mental health, following your dreams, and having passion in the workplace.

If you want a sweet romance that will make you laugh out louche this book is perfect for you! Please make sure you pre-order this book as it comes out soon and I promise you won’t want to miss it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I’m being honest, about 30% of the way through the book, Booked on a Feeling, I considered not finishing. I felt like it was starting too slow and I wasn’t finding the connection to the characters I was hoping for. With that being said, I’m glad I continued on. I loved the ending, and I love a good friends to lovers storyline. The relationship between Lizzy and Jack is adorable and playful. Both of the characters grew on me! It was a very cute and quick read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! I was super excited about the premise - a workaholic lawyer takes a break to recharge in this cute town, revamping a bookstore in the process. However, it just did not land. Before I get into the main reasons I didn't like this, there was this one moment that was just so strange to me. The main character Lizzy is eating a PB&J, and she for some reason thinks it a good idea to describe the snack with really flowery language. It was so weird. Now, my main gripe is that there was absolutely zero chemistry between Lizzy and love interest Jack, despite the fact he's supposed to have been in love with her for twenty years. I felt like they were horny for each other the whole first half of the book, while acting like the other would never feel the same way. And then they just are having sex for the rest of the book. Not a win.