3 1/2.

This is a story of best friends turned lovers.

Lizzie and Jack have been best friends since they were 10. Jack has a major crush on Lizzie but she doesn't know. Since they live four hours apart, he's able to hide his feelings for her.
When she comes on vacation for three weeks to his town, the more time they spend together, the more they find out there's more to their friendship.

Sexual content and language.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

After Lizzy faints during the opening statement of her current trial as an attorney striving to make partner at her big, Los Angeles law firm, she decides to squash her burnout by visiting her platonic best friend, Jack, in his hometown for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Jack is pining in his unrequited love for Lizzy and decides to apply for a job in LA to be closer to her after he comes face to face with his dissatisfaction working for his family’s brewery.

During Lizzy’s vacation, she pops into the local bookstore to check it out and strikes up a friendship with the owner. Feeling listless as a recovering workaholic, Lizzy volunteers to help transform the bookstore from a cold, disorganized mess into a cozy, book lover’s haven. And she enlists Jack’s help.

In this dual POV novel, they spend time together & both are trying to sort their feelings for each other independently. Lizzy’s mother has always pushed her to work hard & has never been satisfied with her accomplishments. I thought this showcased the unique perspective of Korean-American family dynamics.
Jack feels lost, like he doesn’t have a place in his family’s business. His brother and sister are the ones who brew the beer & Jack feels like his contributions as a bookkeeper and part-time server are unfulfilling. And they both discover that they may be interested in each other beyond their platonic friendship of 20 years.

Unfortunately, once I got about 50% through this book, it got incredibly descriptive of every single interaction Jack and Lizzy had. After several non-starts, Jack and Lizzy finally tell each other how they feel and then this is where the book really drops off for me
Every chapter just becomes a lusty, raunchy laundry list of details about their sexual encounters & they somehow manage to make every single glance, touch & interaction… sexual?
I found myself completely suspending disbelief due to the “friends to lovers” trope feeling entirely forced as they go from barely able to look at each other to hot & bothered all the time. Because of this, I found it lacking in substance during the last half of the book. I mean I can only read their internal monologues about how they want to jump each other’s bones every 5 minutes so many times before I’m bored… and cringing a little.

I’m disappointed because I was very excited to read this book based off of the story premise & multi-cultural representation.
I would have loved to see more of the dynamics between Jacks family members to understand why he felt so empty & useless working at his family’s business. I thought the way they were so supportive of his career change, in contrast to Lizzy’s mothers disappointment, could have been explored a little deeper.

Overall, I loved the idea of this book. I love a plot or protagonist who is a book lover, but I think the over abundance of spice in this book really lended to the plot lacking dimension in the second half of the book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I really wanted to like this book, I feel like it had great bones! But, it didn't deliver. I didn't feel connected to either of the characters. I also felt like they both acted a little immature for their age. He was still living with his parents at 30, kept calling Lizzy adorable and had no confidence. This was written in 3rd person, and I didn't love that either.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

Between the adorable cover and heroine who struggles with anxiety/panic attacks, I really really wanted to enjoy this book but it completely missed the mark for me. I contemplated giving it 2⭐️ but the sweet friendship between Lizzy And Jack is what brought this up to 3⭐️. There were a lot of characters mentioned once or twice which was weird to me but that was before I realized this was the third in a series 🤦🏻‍♀️. Other than that, I had a hard time just focusing on the story. Too many coincidences for me to really dive into the story. I mean, a bookstore owner just lets a stranger re-do their whole store, and watch it for them, all for free? I want to say this is a mostly a closed door romance. I gave it 1 🌶 because you get all the fun details leading up to “it” but nothing during. There is no doubt that I think many of you will enjoy this book but it’s a one and done for me.

A perfect execution of childhood friends to lovers 👌 I loved that the MCs were Korean (steamy Kdrama, anyone?) and their relationship was so fun!

A little predictable, but a quick read and I was hooked!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An absolutely adorable best friends to more story and I was so excited to discover there is even more from Jayci Lee out there! Overworked, overanxious, and in serious need of a break, Lizzy nearly blows her first big case by having an anxiety attack just before opening statements. Thankfully she pulled it together and even better she realized she needs a break. Lizzy decides there's no place like "home" which in this case is anywhere near her best friend Jack.

The story here is a bit of a slow burn in the best way.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exhange for an honest review.

This has a lot of potential, however I found it very cheesy/cringy. The chemistry between the main characters was off and on. Sometimes I found their dynamic really well written, and others I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes at how silly they sounded when talking. I also don’t believe their relationship as well described. I didn’t get the vibe that they were good friends, I was just told they were good friends. This was lacking solid writing.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a e-book I won through NetGalley. I like the storyline straight out of the door. It focused on Lizzy and Jack. Jack was the awesome best friend always there for her. They were best friends but he had a 20 year crush on her. It follows them through their careers, friendship, Jack's love for Lizzy. I found Lizzy to be a bold character often speaking her mind. Jack was more reserved and quiet often internalizing his emotions or thoughts. I don't want to give too much away but I really liked the book. The storyline seemed very slow at the beginning and it took me several days to really get to a place where I couldn't set it down. At about 30% into the book, it really took off and I couldn't set it down. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting. The author did a great job of expressions the emotions of Lizzy and Jack and you could feel them as if you were the characters. This book focused on finding yourself, finding what you want to do in life, about taking chances, about failure, self doubt, and lastly communication. I felt as though sometimes the characters were too caught up in their own heads instead of talking about what was going on.

What a cute little romance read. Booked on a Feeling is the perfect hallmark romance. Not too spicy, set (for the most part) in a bookstore, and it's predictable in the best way. This was a super sweet, quick, and easy read about two childhood friends who bring their little relationship right out of the friend-zone. You get a bit of second-chance romance mixed in as well. Overall, this story was great. I did feel like it dragged just a tiny bit in the middle of the book, but nothing that was too unbearable. I loved the writing and the multicultural representation!

Lizzie, a big law attorney in LA, wins her first jury trial and realizes she doesn't feel as fulfilled as she thought she would. She decides to take some time off and go surprise her childhood friend, Jack, in his small town a few hours away. Lizzie rents an apartment for the 3-week vacation, which happens to be right above a bookstore. Lizzie befriends the owner, Shannon, and helps revitalize the bookstore with the help of Jack.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzy Chung is BURNT OUT. As a successful lawyer, her life has been dedicated to hard-work to achieve a singular goal: partner. After a panic attack at a trial, Lizzy decides to take a vacation in the hometown of her best friend, Jack Park.

Jack has been hopelessly in love with Lizzy since he was ten. Her surprise appearance in his hometown forces him into three options on how to handle his feelings: maintain status quo, move on, convince her to fall in love, He tries to move on, but Lizzy is seeing him as more than just a friend and ready for a trial run on a relationship.

Problem is, free trials always come to an end.

**

K I LOVE Lizzy and Jack! Huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope. They are so pure and Lizzy is completely relatable. Who hasn't forced themselves into a job they thought was their passion only to find a new one? Her life at the bookstore was swoon-worthy and any book lovers dream.

Jack is also so sweet. All he wants is to keep Lizzy in his life. He wants to take things slow which results in a slow burn. I also appreciated that they both pursue their own interests before finding their way to each other. Nobody is giving up a piece of themselves to be together.

This was a sweet and lighthearted novel focused on childhood friends turning to lovers.

Lizzie Chung is an overachiever lawyer with a life focused on one thing, making partner at her law firm. She is crippled by constant anxiety, and trying to live up to her parents expectations. Her only escape is her love of books and her friendship of over twenty years to her best friend Jack Park.

Jack Park has always been in love with his best friend Lizzy, but he would never tell her because he doesn't want to lose the friendship. He is adrift in life, not feeling like he is truly living any of his dreams. He works at the family business, a brewery, but is struggling to find anything there to keep himself engaged.

After a big trial win, Lizzie decides she needs a long break from work and heads to the town of Weldon (where Jack lives) to visit with her best friend and destress from her life. Feeling develop between the two as they help a local bookstore upgrade and become successful.

I think the backbone of the story was great, but it lacked some development. I would have loved to hear more about the friendship between Jack and Lizzie and how that developed. I did love the infusion of Korean culture, all the food and sayings that I got to learn about was really great. It's part of a series, but I didn't read any of the others and it was fine as a standalone novel.

It was a light, easy read, so if you are looking for a book like that then it holds up well!

I read book two in this series on a whim last summer and really enjoyed it. This book is a slow burn and friends-to-lovers which are two of my favourite things in a novel; however, I did find the miscommunication trope to be annoying but overall, definitely great. I think people may find themselves bored if this doesn't pique their interest right away as the plot is rather predictable, and the pacing is a bit off, but it didn't personally impact my read.

If you love a good slow burn romance story then this is the book for you. This story is one with such a wholesome relationship between the characters that you cannot help but root for them. The main characters Lizzy and Jack are absolutely precious.

Lizzy is someone who believes she is following her dream in life, but with a life time away to take care of her self she realizes the life she is living may not be the life she really wants. Then there is her best friend Jack who has always had been in love with Lizzy but was too afraid to act on those feelings. Like Lizzy, Jack realizes working for his family is not what he wants to do anymore and wants to better himself so he sets out to find what the more is that he wants.

Throughout the story these two wonderful characters are finding themselves and what makes them feel happy and fulfilled. You must read to find out what their happiness is.

Overall this story was a wonderful and very wholesome read with loveable characters. I would give this story 4 stars and cannot wait to buy a physical copy when it comes out July 26, 2022.

A very special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital review in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my feedback.

3.5 stars
Lizzy and Jack were over the moon sweet. This was very adorable rom com. I loved the premise of falling in love among all those books and I’m a sucker for a friends to lovers story.

Lizzy is a bad ass lawyer and Jack is her childhood best friend. They’re both such enjoyable and lovable characters.

This is a very slow build though. I like a slow burn, but it was about a third of the way into the book before the burn even started.

*E-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Lizzy is a successful attorney in Los Angeles, who is just a couple years away from making partner at her firm. She just can't seem to be excited about her first trial victory. She decides to take a few weeks off in hopes of curing her burnout by returning to the town her childhood best friend lives in. Jack works for his family's booming brewery, but doesn't feel like this job or this town quite fit him. When he reunites with Lizzy, he's reminded of his childhood crush on her that never quite went away. The two spend the next three weeks helping the owner of a local bookstore spruce up her shop to bring in more business - and falling in love.

This one just wasn't for me. I wanted to like it so much (hello who wouldn't love falling in love while renovating a bookstore??) but I couldn't get into it. We get very little info on the basis of Jack and Lizzy's friendship other than they've been best friends for 20 years. I would have loved to see some type of backstory into their friendship, especially how they have previously handled conflict. I simply refuse to believe that best friends of 20 years would allow one argument to turn as nasty as it did for the 3rd act breakup.

I'm still giving it 3 stars because I think it is a decent romance. I loved watching these two characters individually find their own passions and life goals, which just so happen to include being together.

This is my first Jayci Lee book and most certainly not the last. The way she writes is amazing, and I fell in love with her words. The way she can describe feelings is exactly what I want in a book.
This was a sweet and heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance. And a bit of a second chance in there too.
I absolutely loved Lizzy and Jack. They are great characters. Individually and together. The way they were written was great, and you got a good understanding of their personalities and who they are. Even though they were both still trying to figure out who they were themselves. Their slow-growing but intense romance is a thrill to read. It can go from being sweet and romantic to hot and steamy in seconds.
This book shows the reality of not everyone knowing who they are and that life isn't always planned perfectly. Sometimes you have a career and then end up leaving for something completely different that is more true to who you are, or sometimes you kind of have no clue where your life is going for a while, and yes, sometimes it all falls into place the way you wanted from the beginning. A good lesson to take away from this book is that it's okay to take risks and to truly follow your dreams; yes, it's scary, but that's okay!
Booked on a Feeling was almost a perfect read; the only negative thing was the predictability. Most of the big things that happened I had easily predicted earlier in the book. I obviously won't go into details so I won't spoil anything for anyone, but I did find it rather unsurprising.
My overall thoughts are that this book is a great and cozy read, and if you are a book lover, romance (friends to lovers) lover, love cozy bookstores, or are still trying to figure your life out, then I think this book is perfect for you.

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