Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow. This was amazing. This was so dramatic and messy but so romantic. I could not put this book down. I'm literally obsessed with this book. First of all, our leading man, Frederick, is a hot, kind, and strong fireman. Need I say more? I don't think I need to but I will anyway. Frederick Nam is the kindest, most loving man I've ever read about in a book. The way he pines and yearns for Anne is enough to make your heart burst. He literally worships the ground she walks on. As for our leading lady, Anne Lee captures your heart from page one. Her quiet, selfless ways make her shine through the pages. This K-drama actress may be stunning and famous, but she has a heart of gold, a heart that's also been yearning for her ex, Frederick Nam, for ten years. Anne and Frederick's separation shattered both their hearts. But when Anne comes back to America, she's determined to set things right with Frederick, as she was the one to end their relationship. It starts very very rocky. Frederick finds it almost impossible to forgive her for the grief he's been living with for the past decade. Anne is convinced Frederick hates her guts when really, he's still in love with her. He just doesn't know how to deal with those feelings, having already made up his mind to hate her for all eternity. But a wedding between Anne's cousin and Frederick's best friend forces them to be tossed together again. Throughout all the wedding planning, Anne and Frederick grow close again. They both realize that the love they shared never went away but they fear another heartbreak, one neither of them could handle. This book takes you through so many ups and downs. There is a ton of miscommunication, missed chances, and yearning that will make your heart ache. I became totally immersed in Anne and Frederick's world, rooting for them to get it together and confess their love for each other. But the drama makes the ending that much more satisfying. Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee really takes you on a journey, but it's a journey I would happily take again.

“I have to become stronger so I can hold you in my heart. I have to become strong enough to love you with everything in me. Strong enough to deserve you.”

Anne left Frederick 10 years ago and suddenly she comes back to America after pursuing her acting career, accidentally meeting him at her cousin’s school. Frederick is faced with complicated feelings after seeing Anne and will their relationship evolve?

Anne - i love her personality. She is very gentle, genuine, and just very kind 😩 but her kindness may be taken for granted by her family because she is the glue that helps prevents her family from falling apart.

Frederick - lowkey so grumpy but humorous. As the captain of the firefighter team, he often feels like he is the one who has to bear the burden of his team’s mistake which is understandable because he is the captain.

I feel like the pacing was pretty slow because throughout the entire book, Anne and Frederick kept on trying to mend their relationship. It was probably because I felt like the writing was too much like so compact, too descriptive for some reason and the dialogue felt lowkey unnatural and exaggerated.

Frederick and Anne already opened up about what actually happened 10 years ago, that Anne left him not just because of her aunt’s encouragement, but due to the fact that she was also scared about the future of Frederick halfway through the book. The rest is how they will go from friendship to lovers again. I wish they will include how Anne also mend her relationship with her father or something because I absolutely love the family bonding and friendship here, it was so tight knit.

But the yearning was CRAZYYY. Secretly talking to eqch other, only finding one and another in a crowd, and the jealousy was on fire 🔥

I felt bad for Bethany but glad that she also found her love even though I thought Aiden was going to be with Tessa 🤣
And also Andrew who actually had an attraction towards Anne suddenly helped Frederick to confess his love? I wish that wad also seen in the book yaknow.

Overall, if you’re looking for intense yearning and slow burn couple forced to meet because of their situation. This is the perfect book.

This is a well-written, entertaining, steamy, second chance, contemporary romance novel. It has likable and sympathetic characters, family and relationship drama, beautiful settings, engaging banter, firehouse camaraderie, and a satisfying conclusion. Thank you to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin, Ms. Lee, and NetGalley, who provided me with an advanced reader copy of this wonderful novel. This is my honest opinion.

2.5 stars (had it ended MUCH earlier, probably could've been 4 stars)

This one was tough because for a good portion of this book, at least 2/3rds of it, I was enjoying the story despite some odd things from time to time like a 29 year old man using the word potty or the dialogue sounding more like 22 year olds and not people close to or in their 30s. And honestly that first 2/3 felt like its own story separate from the Austen inspiration. But the last 1/3 was...a mess. The MCs going back and forth about their feelings became repetitive and exhausting. A second bloody accident felt absurd. The random love triangle attempt with the director was incredibly forced and not at all addressed appropriately especially since he kept talking over Anne. Also, I was thoroughly confuse dabout Aiden because i was sure he was about to end up with Anne's sister but instead he is engaged to the cousin within like...a month? And somehow in this period, Anne STILL thinks her cousin and Frederick are together despite absolutely no proof?? This last 1/3 felt like "oh dang we forgot this was an Austen retelling so let's through all the things that make sense in that time period and shove it here where it is just pure insanity." Like why is everyone getting engaged within weeks of getting together?

Also, the letter Frederick wrote randomly in the book were weird and barely explained right at the very end. I do not think they were necessary beyond the letter he wrote at the end. But waiting weeks for a grand gesure and just going radio silence is childish. YOU ARE ADULTS, ACT LIKE IT! Had this book ended right at/after the weekend trip, I think it would've been 4 stars for me. The last 1/3 was so long and convuluted it made me hate the MCs by the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Wow! Where do I begin. This book was utterly sexy in the best way. The way the characters are written is amazingly simple yet beautifully executed. She does a great job in immersing the reader in Korean-American culture. I enjoyed reading the missed conversations between the characters, and would have like to see a little more spontaneity with the dialogue. There is not a lot of endearing moments between the main characters but there is between the side characters. I hope to read a follow up book with some of those characters. Anne’s character was quiet yet fierce and yet lacked a little confidence wich I think readers will resonate with. Overall I think this is her best work yet.

I really, REALLY enjoyed this Persuasion retelling that has two Asian American college lovers getting a second chance when Anne Lee returns to Los Angeles from her K-drama life and is reunited with her hot firefighter ex, Captain Frederick Nam. This was full of mutual pining, misunderstandings galore (which I did find mildly frustrating though true to the original story) and some unexpectedly delicious steamy open door scenes. Give me all the Jane Austen adaptations, I am here for them all. Highly recommended for fans of books like Once persuaded, twice shy or Recipe for persuasion. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Ten years ago, she let him go to protect his future. Now he’s the one who’s moved on…or has he?

In this swoony, slow-burn Persuasion retelling, K-drama star Anne Lee has everything—fame, success, and regret. A decade after breaking the heart of the only man she ever loved, she returns to Los Angeles for a family wedding…and comes face to face with Frederick Nam, the man she left behind to save her father and his crumbling finances.

Frederick is no longer the lovesick college student she once knew. Now a devoted firefighter with a close-knit found family, he’s cool, composed—and absolutely uninterested in rekindling anything with Anne. But the spark that once ignited between them never really went out, and when fate throws them into each other’s orbit again and again, old feelings begin to resurface.

Told with emotional precision and brimming with longing, this is a tender second-chance romance about the one that got away…and what happens when love is brave enough to ask for a do-over. Perfect for fans of Book Lovers, Crash Landing on You, and anyone who believes that true love is worth the wait.

I want to say thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy.

The cover art is absolutely stunning, and it is what led me to read this novel in the first place. I am obsessed with it.

I enjoyed a few aspects of the book. I love that Anne was a kdrama actress, and I LOVED how they reunited after 10 years apart. Second Chance Romances are one of my favorite tropes. I think the emotions from the FMC and MMC at the beginning of the book were portrayed accurately.

I wanted to feel like I was reading a kdrama, but that is not what it felt like to me. The miscommunication in the book was driving me crazy. I absolutely love pining in books, but I was over it halfway through this book. I feel there were opportunities for the miscommunication to end, but it continued through the majority of the book. My biggest complaint is I don't think the characters gave themselves time to discover their feelings for their present selves and focused on their feelings from the past. People changed, and I felt this was a bit unrealistic. I think it would have been more realistic for them to see if they were actually in love with each other instead of just assuming they were still in love.

Unfortunately this just never worked for me.
I loved the cultural references and nod to all things Korea. I wanted to love the romance, but it just felt so slow and never clicked into gear for me.

This book was definitely different than I thought it was going to be but in the end I enjoyed the book once I got past the first 40% of the book.

As a huge fan of Austen’s Persuasion, I was very excited to request this ARC from St. Martin’s Press. I found many parts I enjoyed in this book but there were areas that I felt needed something more. I loved the promise of it being between K-drama actress and a fireman. I loved how it was set in California, featured Asian characters, and how the story paralleled Persuasion quite a bit. For example, instead of a formal dinner/ball we have a Thanksgiving Dinner. I also enjoyed the dual POV aspect. I loved the angst. So much yearning and so many possessive “she’s mine!” moments.

However, I think many would not like how much the characters spiraled in their minds. I mean, it was crazy how much they over analyzed everything and then did very little about it. I enjoyed the overanalyzing a bit as that is my brain but there were times I wanted to shake them very hard. It was taking forever for them to just text each other and in this instance I think the author could have moved away from the older story. The letters were lovely but in this modern age they could have texted or called at any point in addition. They could have talked about their worries more. I also wish we could have seen closure with her father and sister. They used poor Anne for her money and she did nothing about it. The story had her slowly stepping into her worth but it didn’t flesh it out as much as I wanted. I would have loved a scene where she stood up to her dad. I also wanted Frederick to show how he was going to step in to be her support. There were brief scenes with his attentiveness but I think we could have sped the story up slightly and spent more with them together. The story was primarily in their minds and not as much with them together. I wanted more of them in the same space. I did have fun. I was addicted and read it in a day. I only took brief breaks as I didn’t want to stop. I was glad to have read it as second chance romance are my favorite thing.

Give Me a Reason is such a lovely second chance romance with a K-drama actress, Anne, who has never moved on from her first love, Frederick, now the firefighter captain. A decade ago, she broke his heart, and Frederick has never forgotten Anne. Now, Anne has returned home, and they are both in the same wedding party.

When Anne gets hurt, Frederick is the first person to rush to her side immediately. He just can't stay away. Those feelings Frederick buried resurface. Anne finally finds the courage to tell Frederick the reason she broke up with him.

Love the glimpses of Frederick's letters he wrote to Anne in the past. The friendships Anne has with her cousins, Coraline and Bethany, are very genuine. The miscommunication trope does drag on, especially after the joint bachelor/bachelorette party. Frederick is so sweet when he surprises Anne with matching magnet souvenirs.

The pining and yearning they have for each other is written well, and I love how Frederick wins Anne back. *swoon* I rooted for them the whole time, and the happily ever after is absolutely worth the wait.

This was a very cute romance! One of my favorite things about Jayci Lee is her inclusion of Korean main characters and Korean culture into all of her books. Her love for her culture really shines through and it’s amazing to see that love come to life in her stories. She’s also clearly an Austen girlie so it was fun to see her take on Persuasion. I’m never a huge fan of a second chance romance but I liked what Jayci did with it and how the characters ultimately came back together. The side characters were fun as well, though there were a lot of them! I think my biggest issue is there were a number of plot points touched on superficially instead of a couple done well. There was so much potential and I’m not sure this book got to where it could have if there had been less going on. There was so much to unpack for the characters and it just didn’t feel like that happened in a way that then made sense for them to get back together. But overall, very cute and I love Jayci’s willingness to share her incredible culture through her stories!

Anne and Frederick get a second chance at love when life throws them back together a decade after they last saw each other.

A firefighter and actress intertwine their worlds in this heartfelt and captivating love story. I was so emotional while reading this story, it absolutely melted my heart. The moments of tenderness, but also the heated moments where tensions were high, drove this story home for me. I loved reading their love evolving and sparking again, from lovers to strangers to friends to lovers again.

This love story is a whirlwind of emotions, but I was pulled in by the raw feeling and characters at every turn! Definitely recommend if you're looking to giggle and cry at the same time.

Second chance romance- need I say more? No, but I will! This book had me intrigued from the beginning, the characters' clear need to just be NEAR each other created the perfect tension the entire story. I will say- the miscommunication in this story was VERY frustrating though. It was kind of necessary because without it there wouldn't be a story, buuuuuuuut it was really dragged out to the point I was very frustrated. Maybe that was the author's intention? Either way- it kept me reading! The spice is there, and it's great as well. But this author was FANTASTIC at creating tension. That was probably my favorite part of reading this book and what made it impossible to put down.

If I’m being honest it’s a bit boring for me and I just can’t get into it. I’m about 9% in to the book and just can’t get into it. I’ll defiantly try and get back into it at some point!

4.75⭐️ (rounded up)

I loved this book! I confess, I’ve never read Persuasion, but I have watched a few K-Dramas and this felt very much like watching one. I’m not sure how, but I had a bit of a synesthesia moment where the prose felt like the soft lighting I’ve saw used in Boys Over Flowers.

The style of writing is not typical contemporary romance, which might throw you for a minute. I imagine the writing style is in line with Jane Austen’s to pull from the inspiration. Sometimes it can make conversation between characters a bit clunky but it absolutely benefits our protagonists’ internal struggles and YEARNING! God, I love yearning and Frederick may be the king of it. I also enjoyed the even duel 3rd person POV and reading a second chance romance without a duel timeline. You’ll know immediately where they went wrong the first time and can just fully enjoy the journey back to each other.

The only readers who should avoid this book are those who really can’t stand a miscommunication trope. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this to all hopeless romantics out there!

I loved this. Giving it 4.5 stars rounded up. It's a modern Persuasion retelling, where she is a K-drama actress and he is the Captain of a fire station. I love a good second chance romance, and this delivered. Persuasion is one very long miscommunication trope, so if you're not a fan of that trope, you might not enjoy this, because it does drag through until the very end. That said, the pining was absolutely immaculate. Once I got into it, I was drawn back to the page by the characters. It was very easy to read and come back to. This book has a wide cast of characters to love. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the author incorporated echoes of Persuasion while making this story her own.
The way that the pining dragged on for so long did not bother me or lessen my enjoyment. The only thing that really bothered me was that around the last quarter of the book, something happens between the main characters that I'm just like. . . how are you guys still having a miscommunication after THAT?? Hence the 4.5 stars.
I loved Anne as a character. Someone who will put others' needs before her own to a fault? Who has to learn to take up space? I wanted to read more about her, and she kept me coming back. I'm so excited to get my hands on a physical copy.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you want a contemporary Persuasion retelling with lots of pining, I recommend giving this book a shot!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked pieces of this. All of the pining, watching one another, caring deeply about how one another was feeling, reminded me of the K-Dramas I love to watch. This story was completely character driven (like.. literally no plot to speak of) and I liked that for a time; however, after page 200, I was ready for more than just pining and miscommunication. I also didn’t realize this was a retelling of Persuasion. Once I realized that, I liked all of the callbacks, but the letters the MMC wrote were super juvenile and felt out of place. I didn’t like those being sprinkled in. All in all, not bad, but not a new fav.

This book caught my attention with the beautiful cover and the description. I am a huge kdrama fan! The two main characters are Anne (kdrama actress) and Fredrick (firefighter captain) and how their relationship changed over time. If you like second chance romance books with a bit of spice this is the book for you. I loved the self reflection in this book and how the characters worked to better themselves. And how doing what’s best for someone else might not always be the best for you. Read to find out what happens in this five star read.