This book was a wonderful remake of Persuasion. The author modernized the story in a unique way that fit perfectly. She captured the essence of Persuasion but the characters still had their own voice. The book had a couple of continuity errors but they didn’t impact the plot so it wasn’t a big deal it just made a couple of chapters not flow well. Overall, I loved the story and would definitely read more by the author.

Honestly, this is my most disappointing arc of 2025.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a tension-filled and heart-wrenching modern adaptation of my favorite Austen novel, Persuasion, and I had such a terrible time with the first few chapters that I had to dnf (heartbreaking).

This book lacked all the subtlety that makes Persuasion a masterpiece. From the beginning, we know exactly what this Anne and Frederick are thinking, and it's so obvious that it's painful. Also, this book is dual POV, which I think wildly misses the point of the source material. We're not supposed to know everything that Wentworth is thinking, that is what adds to the tension and agony of Anne's narrative in the original novel.

This book was just weak and terrible and doesn't make the Netflix movie look good (nothing could do that), but it's still not great.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premisse of this sounded really lovely, with so many elements that I tend to love in books. While reading though, I kept zoning out and getting bored by the story, making it harder and harder to keep paying attention. I felt myself checking out so much and losing interest so much that I figured it would be better to DNF.

I had to dnf from the start and I was so excited to enjoy this book because the cover is really cool and sounded amazing but somehow I just couldn’t get into the story at all. Some people may enjoy it but it’s not for me right now

3 ⭐️

First off, I wanted to thank the author, Jayci Lee, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this e-arc!
This book gave me the same kind of longing and yearning that k dramas have and I LOVED that about it; it felt like true fan service to people who love k dramas (also, the reference to Crash Landing on You made me giggle). There’s this scene where the mmc is like following around the fmc to see her reaction to the wine she’s drinking and omg that did something for me haha. He was also soooo possessive, esp when a new character is introduced later in the book and I loved that about him. That kinda gets me into what I didn’t like about this book though. THE MISCOMMUNICATION. The two main characters have their feelings pretty figured out in their head, but every opportunity to express that to the other person just doesn’t happen for one reason or another. Their inner monologues were like listening to the two biggest over thinkers you’ve ever met thinking about each other. The concept of this was good but I think it could’ve been better executed in first person pov instead of third person. To me, there wasn’t necessarily anything bad about this book, but nothing that really blew me away either.

What a great story! It was impossible not to root for Frederick & Anne! The secondary characters were lots of fun too! I highly recommend!

Such a cute second chance romance book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading their story and seeing how the pull of each other couldn’t be stopped. When they are able to get out of their heads and move on from the past… then they can both find happiness. I love the sneaking looks and smiles. I love his moments where he can’t help himself and fight himself with all his might to not act when he should have no reason. The love that was never gone but just lost. I loved the characters and found family. I love the dual POV and the letters. I love who they are for each other. Definitely loved this book and need more like it.

i loved booked on a feeling so when i found out jayci lee was writing a modern retelling of jane austen’s persuasion between a kdrama actress and a firefighter i knew i had to read it !!😩😩

i loved this second chance romance w plenty of mutual pining, miscommunication, angst, and veererry slow burn🥵 and my favorite parts definitely were the letters that frederick wrote anne over the years when they were apart and just frederick’s POV in general (we love a yearning man)- where do guys with such emotional depth exist irl!?

as someone who’s an eldest sister often in a mentorship/leadership role, i share so many characteristics with anne - although she's the middle child, she definitely was forced to become a parental figure for her siblings (and her ignorant father) and become the eldest daughter. she always put others first and was a leader and quiet strength for everyone- her younger sister and cousins. it was incredible to watch her grow throughout the book, while still remaining true to herself as she started doing things on her own terms, learned to accept help, and take up space. and that’s why it was even more special when she regained the courage to let frederick back in and take care of her🥺 last but not least, i loved all the side characters/found family and their own love stories - they added so much depth to the story !

thank you to netgalley and publishers for providing me with this eARC!💛

ARC Review: ⭐️⭐️

The cover art is gorgeous and set high expectations for an adorable k-drama.

The beginning of this was cute. Introducing the family dynamics, characters, and life style. I loved the group dynamics of the fire department. At about 50% I started to get restless. This is a slow book and it started to drag. It picked up (60%) and I was hopeful, but it hit the brakes again without ever really getting going.

I can see the k-drama bones in this book. I believe this was going for huge tension, pinning, and inevitable pull to each other. However, it spent most of the time in slice of life scenes without adding to the plot, hiding their feelings, and assuming things about each other from their memories.

The spice in this book felt misplaced with the tone and speed of the story. It didn't add to the relationship or being the right kind of tension or drama. I felt a kiss at the end would have been more impactful.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

Give Me a Reason was so charming !

The tension, banter, unresolved issues between Anne and Frederick made me feel all of the things .... second Chance Romance. close proximity. Having to combat your past self and reveal your true heart's desire I felt was a core lesson in this story.

Okay, so thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin's press, and of course Jayci Lee for the ARC!

I enjoyed the story and like reading the dual perspectives of Anne and Frederick. They were so obviously meant for each other, even after 10 years apart and all the mess that happened. Like, I kept screaming at how obvious it was. Sooo much pinning for one another that at one point I was getting frustrated with the two of them. But I guess it worked because with each chapter I just got much more excited that they were finally realizing they’re meant for one another.

I’ll be honest, though, I was a bit of a slow read up until halfway through the book. However, once that first half was done it picked up more, and you get a better feel for both the main MCs. The whole joint bachelor/bachelorette trip was so needed to add some more of that intense pinning that Anne Frederick had for each other. And that grand gesture at the end had me on the edge of my seat! Honestly, that was just so perfect and I just cheered so hard for them. I watch too many KDramas to not fall for a grand gesture, and that was just the best and cheesiest way for them to finally express their feelings.

Overall, such a good read.

If you're looking for a modern reimagining of Persuassion (one of my personal faves by Jane Austen) then this is one I recommend picking up! It's charming, sweet and made my heart grow like the grinch.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for my ARC!

4/5

1 ⭐️

thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

the cover and the premise of this book being a persuasion retelling + second chance romance was super interesting , however the story fell flat for me pretty quickly. there was a lot of ~telling not showing~ and miscommunication, i can’t stand those things in romance bc it just drags the plot on for no reason. i think the dual pov in third person didn’t help for me either; a lot of the text was the main characters talking about how much they loved / missed the other.. but they didn’t do anything about it for a long time.. ://

As an Austen adaptation, I think Give Me a Reason pulled it off well. I was interested in Lee's characters and their lives as Lee presented them, rather than as stand-ins for Austen's characters. Most of the characters felt well-developed and the central relationships felt like they earned their ending. In fact, Lee wrote her story well enough that I am embarrassed to have only recognized I was reading a version of Austen's Persuasion when Bethany gave herself a head injury (which at least took place before the author gave her readers the broader hint of Austen's name being thrown around).

In my defense, Persuasion is the Austen novel I am least familiar with, I kept being reminded of a passingly similar Cdrama called Fireworks of My Heart, and I was distracted by the perpetual plight of being a book Bethany. (Bethanys in books never get the guy. He either leaves them for the FMC or she crushes unrequitedly on him while he goes after the FMC. Always.)

Two quibbles (beyond the Bethany thing, which isn't worth quibbling over):
1. The cover art, while absolutely great, makes this look like a YA romance, which it is not.
2. I could have done without the occasional letters from Frederick to Anne though. They didn't really add anything, I feel.

Really, I am happy to recommend this book. It has a lot to enjoy.

First thing i saw when i clicked on this one was that it was a Persuasion retelling, instant yes for me. Now that i have read it i will say this is the most wonderful story i have ever read and i was so invested in Anne and Fredericks story.

Loved it!

This is an abomination, an absolute insult to Austen’s Persuasion. The writing is repetitive. The majority of the text is just the inner monologues of the main characters pining for each other, questioning their self-worth, guessing (incorrectly) what the other must be thinking or feeling. There’s no story here. There’s no romance. It’s maddening and so tedious I literally fell asleep while trying to read it. If this hadn’t been an ARC from NetGalley, I’d have bailed a third of the way in. I kept hoping it would get better. I loved the idea of modernizing Persuasion and making Anne a k-drama actress. It’s a shame the execution was so poor.

spoiler free: I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this book, and I truly enjoyed reading it! The cover and the plot summary immediately drew me in. If you love K-dramas or webtoons, this is definitely the book for you. This book has a little bit of everything that kept me completely satisfied from start to finish.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book at the 5% mark. I always try to give books a fair chance, but the writing style in the first two chapters just didn’t connect with me. It felt a bit disjointed and hard to follow, which made it difficult to stay engaged or interested in what was happening. I had high hopes for this one based on the synopsis, so it was disappointing to put it down so early. I know every reader has different tastes, and this one just wasn’t the right fit for me at this time.

i really wanted to like this.
i feel like i’m betraying my ancestors for not liking so many books with asian representation but it’s not my fault 😭
it was okay, but nothing memorable 🫤

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee.

I was really drawn in by the beautiful cover. That said, I ended up doing a soft DNF at 40%. I kept going back and forth with this book. The third person narration made it hard for me to connect with the story, and I felt like parts of it fell flat. I may give the audiobook a try in the future, as that sometimes helps me engage differently with the story.
I might change rating once I listen to the audiobook.