This is a semi-miss for me. I liked Anne’s career, the Korean cultural touches, and the Persuasion inspiration—but I struggled with the pacing. The miscommunication dragged on far too long, and I never felt like the characters truly fell back in love with who they are now. It felt like they were chasing a memory rather than building something new. Cute in concept, but the execution didn’t quite land for me.

Modern day retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion featuring a K-drama actress who gets a second chance at romance with the firefighter who's heart she broke 10 years ago...that is if she can persuade him to fall for her again and not her cousin. Anne Lee broke up with Frederick Nam 10 years ago, she did it to save her dad from bankruptcy, to care for her siblings, and to fulfill her mother's last wish as well as the fact that her aunt convinced her that Frederick would be better off without her.... and now 10 years later she has left Korea and her acting to return to make it in Hollywood and attend her cousin's wedding... where Fred is also a groomsman. Fred is beyond hurt when the love of his life dumped him and ghosted him. He spent years trying to forget her, he's focused on his career and dating other women (Not seriously) and he's happy to focus on his friends... but everything is turned upside down when he runs into Anne again and now he's fighting his urge to stop loving her and feeling angry at her for the pain she's caused. Anne is convinced Fred is falling for her cousin... while wrestling with finally standing up for what or rather who she wants and chasing her heart... but is it too late for both of them? I adore the original Persuasion because the angst and yearning is so great but this modern adaptation had me wanting to bang my head against a wall. What do you meant two 29/30 year old people are acting like children and using zero communication. It just felt so odd and frustrating to read from their perspectives, and yes it might work for some others, it just made me want to give up reading this. It's a unique twist on the classic for sure... but honestly this might have to be my last Jayci Lee book because i've tried one too many times to make it work but her books just don't do it for me sadly. So while this is a miss for me, I do think fans of the original should give it a go.

Release Date: July 29, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Don't worry if you haven't read Persuasion, In fact, this might be a better read if you haven't because then you won't find yourself comparing and contrasting the two. Here, this second chance romance sees actress Anne and firefighter Frederick work through their miscommunication. They were a couple and then they weren't after she left for Korea. Now she's back in Los Angeles and they've found themselves together at every turn. To be honest, Persuasion is the better book but this adds interesting cultural and topical issues to the mix. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I received this as an ARC on NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful piece of work early before release.

This is my first time reading Jayci Lee’s work. She’s a wonderful writer and very descriptive and has a way with making you really feel the heightened emotions of the characters. I was happy, sad, angry, anxious and overjoyed throughout it all. There was plenty of flirting and achingly sweet memories. I loved Fredrick’s letters to her from the past. It was really nice to see a male character feel and be so in touch with his feelings (though loathe to admit them to her) in a not so “macho” way.

While the end of the book got nearer and the climax so close to the end the suspense was heart constricting and I almost feared there wasn’t going to be a HEA. 😬 Fear not, there was but it was a little short and didn’t feel… it didn’t feel like the rest of the book? Like it almost lacked the luster everything else had and we didn’t get to see the details of Anne and Fredrick finally being apart of each others happily ever after. Overall I loved it though and any book at gets a laugh from me, my heart racing or a giddy little kick and smile on the couch is worth reading and recommending. ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one early.

I both listened to and read this one in parts so I can say that I enjoyed the narrators voices. I also really enjoyed reading the ebook as well so I can’t really say which I enjoyed more. This one didn’t have a clear winner as far as medium goes so I’d recommend whichever you prefer as a reader because I liked both equally.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ll be honest and admit that the miscommunication trope is not my favorite and it was sprinkled all throughout the plot of this story but there were a lot of elements that I loved.

I thought the modernization of Persuasion as well as the Korean / Korean American themes woven into this version were really well done. The author does a great job of translating regency era problems to modern times through cultural expectations that are still present in modern day.

I hope that this is the beginning of a series and that some of the other characters will get Austen retellings as well because I’d also really love to see that.

Overall, a really solid romance that Jane Austen fans will be sure to enjoy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a 🌶️ retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion

I didn't know just how much I needed this modernised but faithful retelling of Persuasion with Asian characters and very hot sparks.

From the very first page, the anguish and yearning were 100% agonising but oh goodness me, I absolutely loved it!! I adore Frederick & Anne and having Frederick's POV was just so dreamy! I mean, Darcy and the wet shirt scene was great but Frederick's letters will totally wrung you dry. ALL the Big Feels 💖💔❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥

Also, I'm wondering if there was a dream come true in this book referencing that BBC North & South scene where Margaret was being driven away... I need someone who knows their Austen & BBC adaptation to read this and DM me! I managed to convince a friend to read this with me but while she loved it, she obviously hasn't a clue just *HOW* good a *retelling* this is! Definitely a Top Read of 2025 for me.

My thanks to St Martins Press for ecopy of book via NetGalley

Oh the EXQUISITE AGONY of locking eyes in a second-grade classroom after a decade apart— Give Me More had me HOOKED from the moment this Anne and Frederick had their painful, pining-filled reunion that captured the vibes of the original Persuasion perfectly, while still holding up as a fabulous second-chance romance in its own right.

Anne is a gentle heroine with a spine of steel that she's grown into after being advised to break up with Frederick so she could pursue a career as a K-drama star all those years ago. She really is that one friend we all have who is unfailingly kind and goes out of their way to help, to their own detriment at times. And that's why for all the resentment Frederick harbors towards her, he's not purely angry at her, per say... more disappointed she couldn't stick up for their love ten years ago. Also, can we talk about Frederick?? I thought it was INSPIRED of Jayci Lee to translate the naval hero and self-made status from the og into a HOT JACKED FIRE CAPTAIN, like COME ON. Genius!

The forced proximity of it all is ensured by Anne being a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding, while Frederick is the groom's boss and best friend. The tension is palpable from the start (no seriously, did you know changing a tire could involve so much sexual tension? I DO NOW). They may have broken things off pretty badly, but there's no outright hate or bickering between them. Still, it takes a while for their interactions to stop being so... stilted even though their feelings, as you learn, have been pretty damn constant all these years. Anne and Frederick still need to learn the fully-grown adult versions of each other, adults who have had lives and careers of their own. And they do! It just takes time... definitely a slow-burn in that sense, but the pay-off is lovely.


The sex:

Look... I mean it's impossible for Anne and Frederick to not fuck without feelings but the level of self-gaslighting happening when they do hook-up is kind of hilarious. It's hot, it's desperate because they're so convinced it's a one-time thing. It isn't, to be clear lol.

Overall:

What I loved about this book is that for all the *intense* pining vibes, it's a second-chance romance that doesn't take itself too seriously, and never allows two characters who made romantic mistakes to brood excessively or wallow in self-pity. I'd absolutely recommend Give Me a Reason to literally any contemporary romance reader.

Also, can we talk about the cover?? It's stunning, so romantic, a cartoon cover DONE RIGHT.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Rating: 4.25/5
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Pub Date: July 29th

This is a second chance romance where both parties never moved on. The forced proximity of both being in their friend’s wedding forces them to face their past. I love Fredrick and Anne they have such deep feelings that are overwhelming and with the constant miscommunication and interruptions the tension is palpable. I loved the Pride and Prejudice aspect of both story and underlying tones. This is a swoon worthy romance that got me right in the feels. This is my second book from Jayci and I have loved both.

Retellings are hard. Persuasions the classic second chance romance this was inspired by. is particularly hard. I thought some of the choices were a little too literal for a modern adaptation. I was also really hoping for some K-drama and a look into Anne's career. The action is a little slow, at least 50% of it is Fredrick and Anne staring longingly at each other and not talking.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC for Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee!

I thought this was a warm and touching second chance story of two people who were torn apart by love and brought back together again by fate. Even after their 10 year separation, I thought the interactions between Frederick and Anne were sweet and innocent and although it was marred by the terms of their parting it was evident that they truly did care about each other.

I think the motives of the elder Asians were relatable to me as an Asian American, but may not be as relatable to non-Asian audiences, and may need more elaboration.

First, I would just like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me a chance to read this story before it’s publication.

I personally felt like this story wasn’t bad for a Jane Austen retelling. I do think that it did a good job and captured the original Anne and Fredrick’s emotions in this version even though the setting and characters were slightly different. I also found it nice that not a lot of character names had been changed so it was easy to identify who the characters were which I think, in some retellings, is not done well and it’s hard to see the original inside the new version.

However, I do feel like there were a couple times in the story where it felt a little out of place or like it didn’t follow the original story (maybe it’s also just been too long since I read Persuasion) but I think because it followed so well in other areas – those moments were just so jarring. On the other hand, there were some aspects where it followed the original story too closely such as the pacing. The story was a little slow at parts, in part I think because the original story would have been slow at those parts, however, it just made the story put-down-able. The spicy level was also a level 5.

Overall, I would rate this story a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. Not a bad story at all! Perhaps a bit slow in the pacing but very well done as a retelling overall.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A passionate retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, this novel had me kicking my feet with its chemistry and yearning. Most of the plot relies on a lack of communication between our main characters and I think that it’s frustrating without the social confines of Austen’s England, but Jayci Lee did well to sow doubt and well-intentioned nonsensical excuses from her protagonists. Overall a very fun read and a nice surprise!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee is a third person dual-POV contemporary romance retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Ten years ago, Anne left behind her family in America, and her boyfriend Frederick, to become a K-drama actor. Now, she’s back in the US to pivot her career towards Hollywood and catch up with her family. But Frederick lives in her hometown and has become a firefighter who works at the same firehouse as Anne’s cousin’s fiancee. And the feelings between Anne and Frederick are just as strong as ever.

This is a lot more about the yearning than it is about grand revelations or epic plot twists. Anne and Frederick know that they want each other and Frederick knows Anne still wants him, but the idea of starting a relationship again is something the both of them are struggling to process and actually take that leap into. We get a lot of moments of Frederick wanting to touch Anne’s skin and remembering how soft it was while Anne is deep in feelings about how she hurt him the last time and she doesn’t want to do it again.

I would say this is higher on the internal rather than the external and much of the angst is pushed along by internal feelings followed by small external revelations that are then followed by more interiority. As such, there isn’t a ton of banter or broader dialogue. Frederick and Anne are well-acquainted with each other’s body language and their own wants and needs on top of the both of them being more quiet characters who tend to keep to themselves. The sparse dialogue feels accurate to the characters.

Roughly every seven chapters, we get a short letter from Frederick to Anne during and after their relationship ten years ago. These snippets help show just how in love Frederick was with Anne and how happy they were, which adds even more depth and tragedy to the fact that they broke-up because of pressure from Anne’s aunt and other factors in Anne’s family life and how blindsided Frederick really was by Anne telling him to find someone else.

I would recommend this to fans of second chance romances that are looking for a K-drama vibe and readers of Jane Austen retellings who like more interiority

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.
I was really intrigued by the blurb but once I was reading it felt flat. It’s a second chance romance and I did like that the main characters (Anne and Frederick) are older (29-30 years old). However, not much was happening in the story, it was pretty slow. I’m still not sure why they even liked each other to the point we’re they’re still so infatuated with each other 10 years later, that’s really dedication. I feel like that a weak point in the plot because we didn’t get much of their past to really root for them to get back together. I’m really picky with second chance trope and I just found not caring for their romance. There was a lot of miscommunication and the story could’ve ended a lot faster if they just spoke truthfully to each other, ugh. The idea was nice, but it missed something to make it good for me.

This was an interesting modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, with all the misunderstandings and missed opportunities that lead to unnecessary heartache. (Note - if you aren't a fan of the miscommunication trope, this is probably not for you.) I liked that this had Anne as a K-drama actress, it was fun to read from that perspective.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

The synopsis of this one caught my eye as I love a good second chance romance! Anne and Fredrick were compelling characters, and I loved that their story was told in dual POV. I enjoyed watching things unfold through both of their eyes. Anne was the consummate giver and never seemed to think of herself. Fredrick was brave and kind. He saw Anne in a way no one else did! Their past history, hurt, and love for each other built the tension between them beautifully. That tension was resolved perfectly by the spice. However, they both were poor communicators and spent way too much time doubting the other without talking to each other. All of their inner, self deprecating monologues got exhausting after a while. Both of these aspects stalled the plot for me. The ending wrapped things up nicely, but it did seem to come rather abruptly after all the pinning and will they/won’t they vibes. The epilogue was sweet and gave a good picture of what life would be like for them after the plot resolution.

P.I.N.I.N.G. A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Persuasion is 99% Anne Elliot full of regret over breaking up with the Captain, still yearning for his handsome face when they meet again and believing it could never work out. This is a little harder to navigate in a contemporary novel when it’s dual POV and the reader knows these two dummies are pining over each other and in AGONY. JUST TALK TO EACH OVER FOR FUCKS SAKE. But both are so full of doubt and not wanting to put themselves out there they decide it’s better to suffer in silence than to maybe call the other to say “hey, how about we go on a date?”

So, if an entire book of mutual pining isn’t your thing, maybe this isn’t for you. I thought it was a really well done retelling that stuck to the premise of Austen.

Anne is a kdrama star, returning to LA after 10 years. Her cousin is getting married and her ex boyfriend is in the wedding party, Fredrick Nam is Captain of his fire department and his best friend is getting married. He’s crushed to see Anne again. She dumped him 10 years ago and it wrecked him. In the 9ish months leading up to the wedding these 2 are stuck seeing each other and slowly healing from what happened 10 years ago.

I’m going with 5 stars because I think this accomplished a good retelling. But I was super frustrated with Anne and her constant agonizing and imagining Fredrick doesn’t care about her. I don’t want to spoil anything here but Anne is definitely a crash out person when it comes to thinking the worst. Also, TELL ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS WHAT IS GOING ON AND GET SOME FUCKING ADVICE. But that’s Anne for you, true to character.

This books cover art is A+++, gorgeous

Sign me tf up for any and all Jane Austen adaptions -- behind Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book. The pining is ELITE and the story actually sets itself up quite well for a modern retelling. I really enjoyed this book as a retelling; I loved spotting the plot beats and seeing how things unfolded. Having Frederick being a captain of a fire department was SO clever.

I'm not sure this book entirely works as a standalone book, and I think the best retellings can standalone from their source material. Frederick's letters interspersed throughout the book were nice but didn't feel like a 19 year old boy wrote them and didn't make sense until much too late in the book.

That said, the pining is really the core of the Persuasion story and Jayci Lee NAILED that. This is definitely one for fellow Austen fans!

Give Me a Reason is a cute new take on Persuasion, so if you know the story, you'll know where this is ultimately going. Our main players are Anne, a former K-Drama actress back in the states for a break while she decides what's next and Fredrick, Anne's former boyfriend who is a fire fighter now. The characters were well flushed out and I felt I knew them quite well but that is part of the problem. The story is incredibly repetitive. We get it. They have been separated for 10 years and still aren't over each other. For a good while, the story felt stuck and in the whirlwind of just repeating the same thing in a different way. We understand their feelings for each other during the first half of the book. All in all, it's a fun quick read. There were some things I didn't like, mainly the repetitiveness, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early edition in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC.

To say this book captivated me from start to finish would be an understatement. I could not put it down and read it in a day. The beginning starts off with so much angst and takes off on a roller coaster of emotions. The tension between Anne and Frederick was gut-wrenching and the yearning? The entire book is an agonizing slow burn of mutual yearning and pining. I could not get enough.

This book captures “I am half agony, half hope” from Persuasion and blends it perfectly with the magic of K-dramas in a contemporary setting.