This was such an adorable and sweet romance. A friends to lovers, guy falls first story taking place in a bookstore!! The characters were so relatable and I enjoyed seeing their character development throughout the story. My only problem is that I hate miscommunication trope in romance books. But this was still a super cute and easy read.

Childhood friends to lovers? Say no more… except I will. Lizzy is on her way to become partner in a successful law firm. Jack feels stuck in the family business and is desperate for a change. When Lizzy shows up in town Jack has to decide what to do with a 20-year long crush on his best friend. What mess will the inevitably make of their friendship? Let’s find out!

Read if you like: friends to lovers, second chance, following your dreams, falling in love in a bookstore, the guy falls first, clueless yet driven leading lady.

Lizzy’s life is going according to plan. She’s on track to live the dream her family has helped build for her, but something is off. So, she turns to her most reliable source of comfort, her best friend Jack. Jack has been in the same town for what feels like his whole life. He’s been vital in launching his family’s brewery and putting them on the map. But now, he’s an unessential part of the team and he needs a change. Just as he’s contemplating his next step his best friend and long-time crush shows up for an extended vacation. The next 3 weeks will change everything.
Good thing the local bookstore needs remodeling and our duo both need to be productive to feel fulfilled.

I really wanted to love Booked on a Feeling. But I’m just in like with it. The second half of the book was better than the first so it ended on a high note but, unfortunately, a lot the writing fell flat.

The first half felt a little perfunctory. Phrases were repeated too often. Basic side characters were plugged in for plot. And our leading duo’s personalities didn’t shine through. Heck, we have a friends-to-lovers plot and NOT A SINGLE CHARACTER commented on their chemistry until they were at least realizing there was a page for them both to be on… and that was over halfway through the book. And there were ample opportunities: friends, family members, and even a random dude in a park… nothing. Where’s the lead up? There was none. It’s just Lizzy and Jack against the plot.

The way it felt to me was the plot from 60% to the end was what she knew wanted to write but then had to figure out how to get to that point in the story. The beginning was a bit bland to be honest. I was gearing up for a total Halmark-esque no spice, maybe some steam, romance until about 30-40% through and Jack finally felt alive on the page and made me think otherwise. I’m giving it a 2 on the 5-point pepper scale. It probably has too much spice for the non-spicy folks, but spicy folks will scoff at the setup and fade to black. Basically, you get spice prologue and spice epilogue but no spicy chapters.

However, after 60%, there were times I was laughing out loud and I never stopped rooting for our duo. It just seemed that everything else was basic. Family. Basic. Background. Basic. Actually, I never did understand how these two met. Was it a prep school? Their families knew each other, but other than that it was very unclear. I did appreciate Jack; he maintained a great mindset through the whole story when he’d been pining for so long. Poor clueless Lizzy.

I’m hoping that the editing team will make this gem shine because, like the bookstore, this story has potential.

Well this book was absolutely adorable! Such a sweet and fun read! It had me smiling and I loved the two main characters Lizzy and Jack. They had such a sweet relationship! I also loved the authors approach about anxiety and self growth. It made this book that much more relatable. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jayci Lee!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc.!

Very predictable but, cute. I love a friends to lovers romance. Also love when a bookstore is involved. Jack and Lizzy were superficially cute but, not a lot of depth to them.

Sadly this was a DNF at 30%.
30% and nothing pertinent had happened, reading was very boring, and I kept skimming trying to get to the good stuff which I, unfortunately, didn't find. No background on the characters—it just pushes you into a story (which works sometimes), but in this ensemble, it lacked. This made it hard to connect to the characters, especially when this is supposed to be a 'friends to lovers' trope... already incredibly hot and bothered about each other gave me nothing to work with or grow upon. I'm disappointed because the story premise and multicultural representation are things I always look for in my reading. This just didn't work for me.

Such a heartfelt, sweet romance with lovely characters warming your heart! It’s a great example of feel good reading!

I think Lizzy and Jack may be the sweetest characters the author gave life. Especially Jack: caring, supportive, gentle, lovable book boyfriend you want to give millions of hugs!

The author’s genuine approach to anxiety issues, family problems, self growth, discovering yourself was quite satisfying.

Let’s take a quick look to the plot: Lizzy Chung, aspiring lawyer who’s destined to be partner of the law firm she’s been working for, decides to take a break after sudden meltdown at the court ( even though after the recession, she returned back to court and kicked asses).

She rents a studio apartment in Weldon: a small town in California, nestled in the outer edges of Sierra Nevada where her best/ childhood friend Jack lives, working his family’s brewery as bookkeeper.

Jack is in love with her since they’re ten but he keeps his feelings to himself and seeing Lizzy in his town for holiday break rekindles the feelings he’s restrained! When they team up for saving the Sparrow Bookstore: a struggling local store that is needed to be brought back, they start spending more time and their mutual attraction slowly makes things more complicated.

Jack is not happy to work in family brewery business because he’s not into brewery just like his twin brother Alex and his sister Tara did. He applies a job at LA even though it’s is entry level for chasing his dreams as Lizzy is not sure what she wants to do with her life.

They have to find themselves at first to give their happiness a chance! Will they succeed to do that?

Well, these guys were so lovely! If I didn’t like them so much, I could scream at their faces for being stubborn to admit how they feel for each other. Those angsty parts and their insecurities, second thoughts about themselves truly irritated me!

Overall: it was still soft, sweet, easy to read, beautiful romance with very likable characters earned my bookish, second chances four stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This was such a cute romance story! I was in a bit of a mini-reading slump when I started this book, and it totally pulled me out of it. Booked on a Feeling is a cute, fun romance novel that follows Lizzy Chung as she moves to her best friend Jack Park's small town as a hiatus from her job as an attorney in LA. Crushed by the anxiety and loneliness of her job, Lizzy sought out a temporary change and found herself working in the cutest small bookstore above the apartment she rented. In a quest to revitalize the bookstore, Lizzy finds herself navigating a new relationship with her longtime friend and all the complications that would entail. I found the story to be really fun and easy to consume despite normally leaning away from the friends-to-lovers trope. Lizzy was such a gem of a character to follow, and her journey of career introspection felt relatable yet exciting. I really enjoyed this book despite not having read Lee's other related books, and I was happy to give this 4 stars. I took away a star only because I don't like the style of conflict featured towards the end of the book, and it felt a little rushed to resolve. Nonetheless, I still greatly enjoyed this story and will be excited to follow its release in July. What can I say, I'm a sucker for book-ish books!

I read Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee as a digital ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Booked on a Feeling is a fun and easy read about a Lizzy and Jack, childhood friends who end up spending three weeks together after years of day trips and phone calls. Despite the fact that both of them try to deny what’s between them (Jack with that Option Two foolishness) these two friends allow themselves a chance at love. And in the middle of it, they’re helping in a bookshop, balancing family expectations, and running around town giving each other heart attacks because he’s wearing a tool belt and she’s showing a few inches (or more than a few, thanks Shannon) of skin.

The chemistry between them is fantastic, and I loved how they egged each other on to be more themselves as the novel progressed. I was expecting the spice to be a little spicier, given the genre and inner monologues of both characters, but there’s still enough action that the fade to black scenes work.

I loved that while the ending was kind of predictable, it wasn’t a straight path -to- the ending. There were complications and new takes. I also loved the emphasis on finding your own life rather than living one built by the expectations of those around you. Lizzy and Jack are great together, but they were willing to risk all of it in order to be true to themselves and what they wanted and I think that’s a great takeaway from this novel.

Cute story but wasn't my favorite.

Lizzy is a Type-A overachieving lawyer in an LA big-wig firm. After winning her first trial case, she realizes she doesn't feel the sense of pride and accomplishment she ought to after her success. She decides to go to the small town for some relaxation, self-reflection, and much-needed quality time with her best friend, Jack.

Lizzy is a sympathetic character if only because she represents the average female, struggling to find her place in the world and working herself to the bone to do so. She has anxiety and panic attacks, which is noted she copes with through medication and therapy. For that fact alone, I applaud.
Jack, as her best friend, is adorable. I really loved the relationship between the two. However, Jack became a bit annoying with the constant references to how Lizzy is way too good for him, she would NEVER be attracted to him as anything other than a friend, and he would never say anything because he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. Got it. Once, or twice, was enough but his inner dialogue was almost a repeat of these thoughts. Insecurity I understand, but when reading it, it just felt like repetitive page-filler.

Thank you Jaycee Lee, and NetGalley for the ARC!

i dont know why i keep reading adult contemporary romance, i know i dont like it! this one was super cute, it was a case of 'its not you, its me'. i just couldnt relate to the characters at all.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Jayci Lee, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publishing in return for an honest review!

This is a book about a woman burnt out on her career who uses books and bookstores as her escape. I feel absolutely seen.

Friends to lovers? ✔️
Second chance? ✔️
Book about books? ✔️

This was a great feel good romance. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I just know people will love this book when it comes out!

This book was... okay, I guess. I wish I could go more in depth, but I'm afraid all I can say is that it really wasn't my thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of “Booked on a Feeling.” This book was so fun! Friends to lovers has never really been my favorite trope but this book did it SO well. I loved the family dynamic Lizzy and Jack had in Weldon, and it definitely made me feel more connected to the story. Such a good book!!!

3
I mean you can never NEVER go wrong with the friends to lover trope and this book just proves that. Though I do wish the miscommunication did not exist because it was so clear they both loved each other so much like just say it and get it over with. It was such a cute and easy read with just minor issues I found such as: miscommunication, the middle of the book fell flat but wasn’t too awful, and I wish we got to see how they became friends in the first place.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

Looking for something swoon-worthy? Well this is it. Booked on a feeling was absolutely adorable and had me gushing. I’m not usually a fan of friends to lovers but this had my heart in a chokehold.

The main characters are utterly adorkable. Lizzy, the main female character, is an intelligent and driven attorney living in LA. She thrives to achieve her goals at becoming partner at her law firm, Nelson Peters, and will soon reach that goal if she can just get her anxiety under control. But wait why is she having anxiety and is this really her dream?

Jack, our main man in this book, is the book keeper for his family’s brewery in small town Weldon. Although he loves his family, his part in their pride and joy business doesn’t necessarily feel like his dream.

Lizzy and Jack, have been best friends for twenty years. They know everything about each other, from favorite foods, books, to even what the other is thinking. We are talking close as close and connected two can get without romantic feelings involved… right? When Lizzy takes a break after a bumpy first major success at her job she decides to spend it in Weldon with her best friend Jack for three weeks. She volunteers to revamp a local bookstore that is in need of some serious help. Jack being Jack, decides to volunteer along with her. The close proximity makes it hard for feelings to be ignored. Can they make it work or will whatever is brewing (beer pun intended) ruin their decades long friendship?

Lizzy was extremely relatable with her love for romance novels and cozy bookshops. Jack was a huge cinnamon roll and I found myself eating up every moment between the two. Speaking of eating, I just adore how all of Jayci Lee’s characters share a love for good food and dessert. Uh hello, same here.

This was a cute and heartwarming happily ever after. I loved The Dating Dare with Tara and I’m happy we are getting her brother Jack’s story. This can be read as a stand-alone but I highly recommend reading the first two in the “A Sweet Mess” series.

DNF at 38% because it was sadly just… boring. I love a good rom-com and especially a friends-to-lovers, but this one was lackluster.

Things I didn’t like:

• No background info on Lizzy and Jack’s friendship. When did they become friends? Why did they become friends? It felt like I was missing something.

• There was really strange legal jargon at the very opening part of the book that made it a boring start.

• Their mutual crush on each other was very juvenile. The moments of Jack getting “hot and bothered” or Lizzy being confused as to her feelings of how good Jack looks were just so cheesy, in a bad way.

• At 38% into the book, nothing significant happened yet. What is there to make me keep reading?

All in all, I loved the concept: burnt our lawyer goes back to hometown and ends up saving a dying bookstore with her best friend/crush. Lizzy seemed like an adorable character with her love of books, bookstores, and romance (she loves Pride & Prejudice!!!), there was also some quirkiness to her, but not enough to make her an interesting character beyond that. Same with Jack, ok so he’s a bookkeeper for his family’s business and feels a bit stuck in life, ok… what else though?

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an e-book of this to read and review!

This book is full of awwwwwwwww!

The story features two highly relatable characters that you would have to have a heart of stone not to root for.

Lizzy is a high-powered attorney in Los Angeles, one of those on-track-to-make-partner-before-30 types. Except she really isn’t – she suffers from acute anxiety, doubts of being ‘good enough,’ and is fearful that no matter she does her mother will never be proud of her. So she takes a 3 week break to go back to the small town she grew up in (even though both her parents have moved back to Korea) to recharge and tells herself she is going to get passionate about her career again.

Meanwhile, Jack has stayed in their small town, but has his eye on maybe moving to Los Angles because he has done absolutely everything possible as an accountant and business analyst and bookkeeper for the family now-highly-well-run brewery and has nowhere to go, career wise, if he stays. But he has no idea what he wants from life, and worries he is wasting time, being so unsure about everything at almost 30 – expect that he is sure he has a crush on his oldest friend Lizzy.

Lizzy realizes quickly she can’t do nothing for 3 weeks, so volunteers herself to help the woman who runs the bookshop in the building where she is renting an apartment. Jack lets himself be pulled into the project, and the two of them start a full-blown business renovation project. Much to the overwhelmed owner’s relief.

And as they worked together the chemistry between them heats up. The bookstore owner at one time gleefully tells Lizzie she has to make a move because:

“Oh my God. The sexual tension between you two is so heavy that I have to wade through it with a machete to get around the store.”

And I LOVE how this book normalizes proper treatment of mental health. Lizzy doesn’t think she is “weak” or that she doesn’t have enough will power to “just get over it” when suffering anxiety. She has consulted doctors on proper prescription medications and has developed coping mechanisms of breathing exercises and visual exercises. She sees herself burning out at work – so she takes a break.

Mental health needs care, just like physical health. Physically, you need to consume the proper amount of vitamins and proteins daily, and you need to see your doctor for proper treatment of bacteria and viruses. Its no different to have to pursue proper daily habits for your mental health and to see a doctor to help your mental health when things aren’t working correctly.

Huzzah for Lee helping to destigmatize proper care of mental health!

There is an incredibly wonderful ending where the series wraps up on a great note for everyone.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC! I love a friends to lovers trope, so this was a win from me! Definitely recommend I overall enjoyed reading this book.

I will acknowledge I am not a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope. In order for the story to have a premise, a friends-to-lovers arc necessitates that at least one person lies about their true feelings for the other. That lying hits too close to the miscommunication trope, which has its own set of issues, like immaturity.

For Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee, I had hopes the friends-to-lovers issue would be well-balanced by bookstores, beer, and brains (a high-power female attorney, our MC, Liz Chung). Throw in cutie pie sweetheart Jack Park? Cmon!

The aspects of Liz and Jack’s more-than-friends relationship were extremely well written. I could see and appreciate the respect, consideration, and love the two had for one another. The romance did not disappoint, whether I was reading about Liz and Jack doing karaoke, or their physical chemistry.

However, everything else fell flat and/or left too many questions unanswered. How did Liz and Jack meet, and how did they become such good friends over time? How did their families become close? Why was their friendship so precious to Jack that it caused him to keep silent about his crush for decades? I understand the typical premise of friends-to-lovers is the fear of ruining a friendship, but that didn’t feel like enough reason here. The fact that their first disagreement during their coupledom caused them both to go into a tailspin was similarly disconcerting. I feel like their entire relationship—chemistry, dating, argument, make up— would have been more believable if Liz and Jack were two strangers who happened to meet and be attracted to one another. The friendship aspect lent no credence to anything that came after.

So many other issues prevented from me from fully enjoying: Liz’s undeveloped family dynamics; Liz’s sudden detachment from a job that seemed to be her entire life (as a fellow attorney I was screaming WTF?! at my kindle); the lack of friends for either Liz or Jack; Liz’s emotional reliance on Shannon and Sparrow… hm. Maybe I just really didn’t like Liz after all.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this advanced copy of #BookedOnAFeeling

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the premise of this book, but the embodiment of it just didn’t work for me. I DNF’d and give it a 1.5/5. The chemistry between the main characters seems forced, and some of the major life choices seem like quick transitions… though I learned this is the 3rd book in a series and maybe I am missing some context from other books?
The writing style is not one that I often read- it seems to describe and tell instead of showing the reader. (For example, there is actually a paragraph early on that explains that the lead male character was hot and sweaty and needed a cold shower, not because he was turned on, but because he was hot.) It just over-explains for my preferences.
I absolutely love that this is an AAPI book- the multicultural representation is fantastic. I really wanted to love this book. I might come back and try to read again before the copy expires, but wanted to share my honest opinions. I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review.