“Give Me A Reason” was a very enjoyable romantic comedy. Ten years ago, Anne’s sense of family obligation and her own insecurities led her to end her relationship with her boyfriend, Frederick. Frederick was devastated by this decision, and it took years of therapy for him to recover. Their paths unexpectedly cross again, which does not go well, as Anne’s appearance fuels Frederick’s anger about her leaving him ten years ago. Unfortunately, or fortunately, they are going to be spending a lot of time together, as Frederick is the boss of Joe, who is marrying Coraline, Anne’s cousin, and both Frederick and Anne are in the wedding party.

To make things more difficult, and humorous, Anne and Frederick still have feelings for each other, but both are afraid to say anything, not realizing their feelings are reciprocated. Anne does not want to hurt Frederick again, and Frederick cannot handle being rejected again. Their insecurities will lead to humorous moments, as Anne’s cousin, Bethany, is interested in Frederick, and Joe and Coraline are trying to play matchmaker. Anne’s younger sister, Tessa, is also flirting with Frederick at times. Add to that a father and older sister who are self-absorbed and readily take advantage of Anne, as well as other family who rely on her kindness and competence, appreciating her but not realizing that she might need someone to take care of her at times. There is also Frederick’s best friend and coworker Pete and his wife Katie, who are fiercely protective of Frederick but are also big K-drama fans, which presents a conundrum when they realize that Anna Lee, one of their favorite K-drama actresses is the same Anna Lee that crushed their friend’s heart ten years ago. If that was not enough drama, Joe and Coraline have decided they want a joint bachelor and bachelorette party.

4.0 stars
I do enjoy a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and if you like Jane Austen you might like this too. I was definitely pulled in with the captivating cover, (there’s so much pinning in this book from the main leads). This story is a second chance romance between Anne Lee and Captain Fredrick Nam (He’s a captain because he’s a firefighter hehe), who were so in love in their 20s only to break up and reunite 10 years later. I liked the concept of this story being centered around an approaching wedding as well as the fresh take on old cast characters in this modern setting <3

thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eBook arc in exchange for an honest review

I am completely disappointed with this reinterpretation. It was reckless to do so and comparing it to Miss Austen is so despicable. Unfortunately, I was excited to read this.

Set in Southern California, Anne Lee has returned to the LA area after spending ten years acting in Korea to save her family from bankruptcy. Her one regret? Breaking up with the love of her life, Frederick Nam, ten years prior. Since Anne left him, Frederick worked on Wall Street but found his passion as a firefighter in Culver City. His life is turned upside down when Anne returns to start acting in Hollywood. Thrown together as her cousin is marrying his good friend, Anne and Frederick battle a variety of emotions and miscommunications on their way back to each other.

Modernizing Jane Austen's work is hard, but the author did a great job honoring the original while keeping it grounded in the present. Nods like making Frederick a firefighter captain were great. Plus the letters!! Also, the angst is real with these two! But the failures to communicate seemed to fit for me even when I was frustrated. The best was when Anne started to choose herself, which naturally flowed into her relationship with Frederick. And a fantastic epilogue!

Read this romance for:
💚 Second Chance
💚 Firefighter MMC x K-Drama star FMC
💚 Slow burn with all the angst and tension
💚 Forced proximity
💚 Found family
💚 Jane Austen inspired - Persuasion retelling with mentions of Pride & Prejudice
💚 Beautiful book cover

Open door / spicy - two scenes

4.25 / 5 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC!

Let’s start with the cover! It was the first thing that caught my eye — absolutely stunning. But don’t be fooled by it; this isn’t YA romance. Anne Lee is now a successful Korean drama actress who gets a second chance at love with the man she left behind ten years ago to save her family’s finances. Her past actions had a deeper impact on Frederick than she realized. Can she win him back? Will he give her another chance?

The book was truly enjoyable! I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. Even after a decade apart, their feelings for each other are still so strong. My favorite scene was when Anne comforts Frederick after an intervention (he's a firefighter captain!). There’s no hidden agenda — just genuine care. You’ll want to hug him too! He’s so kind and thoughtful, always putting others first. It’s heartwarming and makes him an even bigger green flag!

There were two things I wish had been different. I would have liked to see Anne show more backbone, especially when dealing with her family. And I felt there could have been more moments that allowed the characters to rediscover and connect with who they’ve become over the years.
That said, this story still captured my heart. It's a heartfelt, second-chance romance full of warmth and emotion. If you're in the mood for a swoony, tender story with characters you can root for, I definitely recommend giving it a chance when it comes out on July 19.

You will find in this book:
👨‍🚒Firefighter X K-drama Actress🎬
🥈Second chance romance
🔥Hot brooding MMC
🖋️He writes her letters
🏛️Persuasion retelling
🪢Forced Proximity

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Thank you to the publisher for this e-arc. I have enjoyed other titles from Jayci Lee, but this one didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it's my mood or what, but this story didn't work for me. I didn't connect with either character or the overall plot. I will try more books from Jacyci.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this arc of Give Me a Reason.

This one, I wasn’t able to get through and I’m not sure if it was because of it being in third person or if it was just a bit overwhelming for me. The writing is great, the plot seemed to be going in a great direction, but I just couldn’t keep myself interested.

But I do believe many people will enjoy this new take on Persuasion and its modern setting. This is one I think I’ll definitely return to in the future. Thank you, again!

3/5 ⭐️

Modern adaptations and re-tellings of the classics are some of my favorite stories and this one was no exception. The story was truly as captivating as binge watching my favorite Netflix k-drama. The pure emotion of the characters made me feel so immersed in their lives -- it was amazingly bingable storytelling. I adore the Asian representation in this story and I loved reading a Jane Austen classic from the point of view of someone like me. Definitely a book I could recommend to any of my friends and family!

Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book was not for me, unfortunately. I did finish it but only because I didn’t want to review it without having read it entirely. I will start by saying that the idea of the book was good. The first few chapters were good. The characters were sweet at first, too. But it all just went downhill for me and the content became too much to bear. Sorry, but the Jane Austen fanatic in me is absolutely scandalized that this is labeled a Jane Austen/Persuasion retelling. Persuasion is one of my all time favorite stories ever and I’m so insulted by the graphic sexual content and language that this book was infused with (while still daring to use character names and themes from the original work of art).

I also had trouble with the constant up in your head pining monologues. The characters didn’t seem to have much depth, and we are led to believe that though our main characters are/were deeply in love, Frederick had never met Anne’s father? And it’s hinted that they didn’t talk about these things because their relationship was mainly physical… which does not seem like romance to me.

All in all, I think this author is a good writer, but the content really is not my cup of tea, and if this is the content that the author wishes to write about, then I pray that they stay away from Jane Austen retellings in the future.

I had to download it again because of some formatting issues and thought would give it a try again. But I JUST COULDNT.

This book is a Jane Austen retelling and as someone who hasn't read Jane Austen it was a great take on it. there were all the feels. but for me in the inner monologue felt way too heavy and there were fewer actual conversations and dialogues.

This is a wonderful adaptation of one of Jane Austen's most romantic stories. With a healthy amount of references to the original, this novel tells its own story that doesn't feel traped by the original.

This is sure to be a hit.

This was just delightful; I thoroughly enjoyed every page. So much angst. Pinning and yearning was taken up to the highest level here. Second-chance romance but without constant flashbacks, which I rarely come across for this trope. (That is an observation but also an upside for me.) Jayci Lee’s writing style was divine, dare I say I even liked the third-person POV in this. She narrates in a way that has you feeling compassion and empathy for both MCs.

Some notes: I did not think Frederick’s old love letters fit in here, only because it felt so out of character and not in his voice. The romance was also borderline too slow-burn for me, but I do think that added to their tension, since they took their time getting to know each other again and overall, not rushing into anything. Very refreshing to see two characters with self-awareness about their attraction and insecurities. I’d say it’s hard to be all that mature and rational when dealing with any kind of facing-your-ex in a forced proximity situation, but this was executed quite well. I’d highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jayci Lee for the chance to read this ARC.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I wanted to love this book, both the premise and the cover were really intriguing, but I think this book is just not for me. There are a lot of great aspects, I think the concept is fun—retellings always are. Jayci Lee is great at writing chemistry between her characters and heartbreak that feels very real. I think she does a good job at showing the complex feelings and beliefs that linger from their break-up, especially one where both parties have good intentions and still care about each other. I love yearning, and I think that's something that Lee captures very well from Austen's novel.

That being said, there was just too much I didn't enjoy—and that's okay! This book is just not for me, but I'm sure plenty of other people would enjoy it. For starters, I should have realized that the miscommunication trope would be a big part of the story and conflict. Miscommunication is my least favorite trope and honestly ruins the story for me. I think it can be done well, but that's very rare. Additionally I felt like the story was very rushed, even from the first chapter. In chapter one, we're immediately thrust into the main characters' reunion with hardly any backstory or build up. We barely even know the Anne before we see her overcome with emotions from the past. I know some people will love how fast it moves, but it just left me feeling disconnected from the characters.

A Korean-American retelling of Persuasion set in modern Los Angeles as the two main characters meet up again after ten years apart.

Its a good premise, given Persuasion is the original Second Chance Romance, but the third person style holds the reader at arms length, never really getting in the main characters' heads or hearts.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This was written to be a modern retelling of Jane Austen's book Persuasion. The feeling of regret of having to move on from a love that could neve blossom was something so painful it tugged at your heartstrings. There's always this seesaw of emotions where one has to put effort into their inner turmoil while the other pushes away, that just makes you glues to the pages. I loved the dynamic all the characters had, even the background characters were fleshed out. I just wished there was less of a focus on flashbacks and more of them communicating instead of thinking and not acting on them along with there being less miscommunication. But overall is a read I would recommend giving a shot.

I really loved this cover and the premise for the book!
All the tropes and then kurb really pulled me in,
But I felt like I was missing half the story , either I needed more flashbacks or more details because they way it was written, it was as if I was supposed to already know these characters
I felt like I was thrust into the middle of a story and it just kept going with zero explanation.

I think if you're a fan of the slow burn then this is a great book for you!

I loved the premise but the execution felt flat. I could sense the good chemistry buildup between the two main characters but it needed a little more. Love the author and her work in increasing AAPI rep in books. Thank you for the ARC.

If the cover doesn’t suck you in, then the story will definitely win you over. The intense pining and tension was perfect and the character growth through the story helped set the plot up for a perfect ending. I shed a few tears and fell in love with the MC’s more than I expected too. Absolutely perfect!

I like this book just fine!
It’s been years since I read Persuasion, but this felt fairly beat by beat in its retelling. Large cast of characters, miscommunication, etc etc. however, because of this, I felt like if I didn’t know anything about Persuasion going in, I would’ve been very, very confused. Austen’s work, while having some themes that remain timeless, don’t always translate to modernizations, and there was a lot in this book that seemed to me to only be written in because it was in Persuasion: Bethany’s injury, a father and older sister who kind of suck, a “rival” for Anne’s affections. These things just didn’t hit the same as they would have if I’d not known, they felt underdeveloped and relied on prior knowledge of the story, in my opinion. And the addition of Andrew to the story was at 80% of the way through, which just felt too late! It didn’t add to the stakes, and I never once believed Anne was comfortable with his attention.
I understand that miscommunication is a big aspect to the original story, but every single chapter was Anne and Frederick making assumptions about the other based ONLY on their break up, not at ALL their actions toward each other in the present. Honestly, it made me not want to root for them. They are adults! A miscommunication trope CAN be done well, but the inner monologues full of yearning every single page made it repetitive and tiring. And I LOVE a good yearn, so this was even too much for me.
Plus, I think Anne being cast in a P&P remake missed the mark? It was tongue in cheek but I think it could’ve gone full meta and done a Persuasion remake. At least it could’ve given Anne the clarity of her situation!
I liked the read but there wasn’t enough in this book that was fresh or reworked to make me excited to pick it up. I loved the other book I read from this author, but this one was a bit of a miss for me.

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

this book is a modernized retelling of jane austen’s persuasion. ten years ago anne and frederick dated while they were in college, but due to her father’s financial problems, anne dropped out of college and left frederick to become a kdrama actress. cue to present day, anne is back home in los angeles and she crosses paths with frederick when they find themselves involved in the same wedding party. told in dual pov, this book is a second chance romance with a lot of drama.

i liked the cover and most of the characters.

the premise piqued my interest, but sadly the story felt flat. the biggest downfall of the book for me was the miscommunication trope, it dragged on for way too long. both main characters had more conversations with the voice in their heads than with each other… they were stuck in their past and didn’t get to know the new version of one another. i also wished the fmc would’ve spoken up more, she prioritized her family’s feelings over her own happiness.