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!

Okay to start off, this book was very cute. It was in general good and a basic romance book with most things a romance book should have. But I don’t think there was anything in this book that revolutionized the romance genre, or that made an impact on me… it was at times boring and there wasn’t anything happening a lot of the time. There was never really a solid reason for them not to get together and i didnt like the fact that miscommunication and assumptions about what the other person was thinking was the whole basis of this book.

That being said, the parts where the characters did let themselves go and do romantic things with each other were so cute. I loved the setting and the representation of burnout. Of course, I also loved the fact that the author included books/bookstores as a huge aspect!!!!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

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.

This book was super cute and had everything that I normally look for in a contemporary romance book - loveable characters, an adorable setting, and a dual POV so I could see both Jack and Lizzy's thoughts and feelings. Which was a great way of seeing the mutual pining that they were going through and that I loved so much.

One thing that I wish there was more of was talk about Jack's family; I really enjoyed the small interactions that I could see, and I liked the idea that they ran a family business and were very family oriented, but I just wish that some of them were more dynamic or that there was a little bit more of them.

I also found the act three break up to be frustrating; I know that it's a staple of the genre, but if Jack and Lizzy had simply communicated even a little bit about their feelings, that wouldn't have happened. Their lack of communication in that sense made me question their emotional maturity and readiness for a real relationship.

Overall, it was a very cute read and I had an enjoyable time reading this book! Definitely recommend it to anyone who loves books and the romance genre!

(3.5 stars rounded up)

This book was so good and cute. I had not read the two previous books as this is the third one in the Sweet Mess series. I don't feel like I needed to read the first two books in this series to enjoy and understand this book. Each of the books in this series follows a different couple, and while it would have been nice to understand the stories of the other couples, I don't feel like I was missing too much.

This book follows two childhood best friends, Lizzy and Jack. Lizzy is the serious one of the two, she has had a plan her whole life, and she is doing everything she can to accomplish her goals in the timeframe she wants. Unfortunately, the stress gets to Lizzy, and she passes out while working due to burnout. Jack has stayed living in his hometown, working at his family's business feeling very underwhelmed with what he has accomplished. Lizzy decides that she needs a break; she takes three weeks off work and rents an apartment in the town Jack lives in but doesn't tell him. One day while on his morning run, Jack runs into Lizzy and learns that she is staying for three weeks, and they make plans to spend time together. Lizzy doesn't know that Jack has been in love with her since they were kids and has never said anything. As the two spend more time together, their relationship grows, and they each determine what they want in life.

I thought this book was adorable; I loved the banter with Jack and Lizzy; you could tell that they had been friends for years. I loved seeing how their feelings started to grow, but neither wanted to say anything and risk ending their friendship. Jack and Lizzy are exactly what I would want from a friends-to-lovers rom-com. If that is a trope you enjoy, I would highly recommend picking this book up.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read and review this book before publishing.

I had high hopes for this book, and I wasn’t disappointed! This book is a super cute friends to lovers rom-com that takes place in sunny California! Lizzy is a very type A attorney in Los Angeles, but, after she passes out during her opening statement of her first real trial, she realizes just how burned out she is. Enter Jack, her best friend of two decades who lives in small town Weldon. Lizzy decides to take a three week vacation, traveling to Weldon to get away from the city and surprise Jack. Jack is similarly unhappy with his quaint life helping run the family brewery. When Lizzy shows up unexpectedly, he has to try to hide the feelings he’s had for her for two decades.

Lizzy and Jack were SO cute! I loved how they described each other - Jack observing the girl he’d been in love with since he was a child, and Lizzy seeing Jack in a completely new light. This was an absolute delight to read. I will say that the ending seemed a little dramatic for what it was - if they had just expressed their emotions a little more it would have been fine, but then the book wouldn’t have been as exciting, haha. I really loved the way they came back together in the end though!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars all around! Romance, independent bookstores, finding your dream and purpose in life while falling in love, friends to lovers and a Doctor Who reference to boot? A perfect feel good rom-com. I loved how we got to go on a journey with Lizzy and Jack while keeping up with Tara and Seth & Aubrey and Landon from the previous books in the series. I fell in love with Waldon and it’s residents in The Dating Dare and have loved every book since. The closeness of the Park family, their partners and friends is amazing and I hope we get to read more about this world that Jayci Lee has created in the future!
*Thank you so much NetGalley, Jayci Lee and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve rated this book 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - rounded up here because the writing is so well done!

Booked on a Feeling is such a relatable story, a romance within self-discovery. Lizzy and Jack are both struggling with the decision to live a life that’s expected of them, rather than one they really want. Their relationship is written beautifully with natural banter and chemistry. The steam was great!

The plot may have been a little predictable, but in a good way. They were characters and relationships you wanted to root for, and I was happy to read how it played out for them. I also loved the significance of culture in this story, and the way it (and their families) were woven in the main characters’ lives. It felt very genuine and home-y.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Booked on a Feeling is a great representation of one of my favorite tropes-friends to lovers. I loved the relationship between Lizzy and Jack. They both had to figure out who they were individually in order to grow their happiness together. Both of them were unhappy in their current careers and have to figure what they want to change to feel complete.

This book was a light, sweet, easy read. The characters were adorable, and I love the bookstore setting in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a so cute! I love reading about a man obsessed. My only issue with the book was that I had a hard time believing that Jack and Lizzy had managed to go through 20 years of friendship without crossing the line. Jack was down so bad to the point where he said he was would die if their relationship didn’t work out. And although Lizzy didn’t express feeling the same way for the full 20 years of their friendship, it’s hard to believe she didn’t feel that way with how much she wanted to take their friendship to the next level almost immediately upon seeing him. I think this storyline could’ve worked better in the context of a historical romance because of how dramatic it was at times, but it was still super cute!

I also liked that neither character sacrificed their dreams and ambition for the sake of their relationship. They both did what they wanted and figured their lives out on their own, and we still got a happy ending.

Booked on a Feeling was such a fun read! We follow Lizzy who works as an attorney and he best friend Jack who turns into more than a best friend. Lizzy is overwhelmed with work and starts helping out in a bookstore on her break from work. It’s a great story of self reflection and finding your self while also having a great friends to lovers story line!