Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC for an honest review.

In most cases, when you get the wrong item at a bakery, it's not a big issue. However, when a renowned food critic is stranded in your small town, and buys the featured item of the day, expecting a chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache, and ends up with the special order "frankencake" - chocolate bundt cake with a peanut butter cream cheese filling, with <b> gummy worms </b>, it has the ability to sink your business. Even better? Turns out he was the stranger you met at the bar, and had a one night stand with.

With some delightful miscommunication, the two main characters go from strangers that have a one night stand to enemies to lovers.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but I felt the emotional connection between the characters was not there. The physical chemistry was fine. Bonus points for both characters being Asian (in this case Korean). As the heroine is a baker, and the hero is a food critic, be prepared for some food descriptions that will have you craving sweets, Thai food, and possibly go wine tasting.

For those that have issues with the illustrated cover believing that it's whitewashing the characters - (1) illustrated covers seem to be the current trend among trade romances and (2) I for one think that the illustrated cover is more representative of the book.

This is the second Jayci Lee romance I've read and I'm relishing how delightfully and unapologetically Korean American her characters are. She subverts almost every literary stereotype aimed at Asians in romance: her characters are too busying baking, blogging, having one night stands, laughing, bantering, bickering, and flirting outrageously.

I wish, however, that the cover of A Sweet Mess lived up to the delicious story - WTF is this weird whitewashed graphic of a couple sitting/stranded in a frosted bundt cake? The two people look bewildered and affronted, and I don't blame them.

Also, as much as there was much deliciousness of the culinary kind in Landon and Aubrey's story, I wish there was maybe a little less cake and a little bit more chemistry between them. It was as if the author was so intent on cramming in details of Aubrey's cooking and her travels that there wasn't always the same attention given to the lovers themselves. There were times the moments between them was a tad stilted and the food references a bit forced.

She stopped at his parted lip, softened by slumber. Aubrey swallowed, fixating on his mouth. He looked tastier than a chocolate lava cake. What's the lovers' protocol for situations like this?

Little quibbles aside, I had fun on Aubrey and Landon's adventures on the road and in the food and tv worlds. I laughed and worked up a massive appetite, two things which have been hard to do while reading during this pandemic. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me join the fun.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for a copy of this to read and review! Aubrey Choi has a successful bakery in the foothills of CA. One day there is a mixup where food critic Landon Kim accidentally gets a 6 year olds birthday cake filled with gummy worms and other candy! He ends up leaving a harsh review and It comes as even more of a surprise when he turns out to be her one night stand. Aubrey’s business starts to struggle but then Landon has an idea to help her out! This was such a cute story. It had glimmers of a Hallmark movie (which I love 🥰). If you are in the mood for a romance, I recommend this!

3.5/4 stars

I really like this book, it's was a really cute second chance romance. One that is full of angst and drama but it totally still managed to make me laugh. There were scenarios that really had me mad but I can assure you I did forgive them, even when I didn't think I would.

This books cover a multitude of troupes, one night stand, enemies to lovers and co-workers to name a few, that won't be spoiling anything. Landon and Aubrey did have some chemistry but I found it a little shaky in some parts. Although it isn't a 5 star read for me. It is a good read that will keep you entertained.

This book is recommend by me but I still have some mixed emotions in regards to the whole story.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on July 14, 2020

A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee was such a good book, it was able to rip out my heart and then mend it back all in the same storyline. I loved the chemistry between Audrey and Landon, they were amazing together. I most definitely would recommend this book to all my friends.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my fair and honest review of the book.

A Sweet Mess is, as expected based on the title, a sweet rom-com. It is set in California and the lead characters are a pastry chef and a celebrity food blogger. Aubrey Choi loves baking and is proud of her bakery Comfort Zone in a small, charming town in the California hills. She bakes from her heart and loves dreaming up new treats. One day, Landon Kim shows up in town after his car breaks down. He meets Aubrey at the local brewery and the two immediately have sparks. Of course, some misunderstanding is thrown into the mix. Landon inadvertently posts a bad review of Comfort Zone, not realizing it was Aubrey's bakery and Aubrey's business takes a serious financial nose dive. Landon becomes determined to make things better.

Aubrey was a likable character but I had a few issues with Landon. (who wants a perfect characters, anyway?) I liked that this was a Korean-American spin on a rom-com. I loved all the mentions and descriptions of food. It made me want to do a ton of baking...not that my family would mind that. :) This was a fun, cute, quick read.

Great story. I gave it only four stars because I struggled a bit with some of transitioning between POV, not sure if it was the way it was written or how it was downloaded. This was a great story about getting out of your comfort zone, I can relate to completely. The beginning of the book pulled me in and then I hit a point where I struggled to keep reading. But then it was like a switch was flipped and I didn’t want to put it down. Even with that the spot that dragged I would still recommend this book to my family and friends.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

How much you like this fluffy novel will depend on how much you like rom-coms- because that's really what it is. Aubrey and Landon have what they think will be a one night stand but then....he appears at her bakery. Unfortunately he's an influential food critic and unfortunately, he got the wrong cake (seems to me, btw, that even a cake with gummy worms in the middle should be good-just different). His review is devastating. However, he feels guilty and takes her to Napa (oh Napa) where they bond and so on. It's standard fare in some ways but for one big difference- the characters are of Korean heritage. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's light, it's funny, it would make a cute movie. In other words, it was a good read on a really hot afternoon (but would be fine any other time as well).

Aubrey impressed me with her passion and determination to live her dream. She loves to make people happy with the food she creates. This was a bold move for her to leave her family and venture out on her own. Just as she is expanding her business, she becomes the ire to a food critic after he is served a special-order cake that didn’t impress him. What makes this even crazier, the food critic in question is the same man she had the most amazing one-night stand with, Landon. Landon is surprised to learn that Aubrey, the woman that won’t leave his thoughts, is the same baker of that crazy Bundt cake he had. He has a problem, he never reviews a restaurant twice and now, he’s had a personal relationship with her. He isn’t a complete ogre, which made me happy, he wants to help save her business so he gets her a spot on cooking show where she gets to showcase two new recipes. The fun really begins when they end up sharing a villa in preparation of filming. To protect both of their careers, they need to keep their relationship strictly professional. But Landon hasn’t tasted Aubrey’s sweet buns yet. Will they be able to resist their magnetic chemistry? Landon surprised me, he is so successful as a food critic but as he opens up to Aubrey, we learn that this isn’t his true dream or passion. She is a bright light in his world, but will he be willing to embrace what Aubrey is offering? Or will he be afraid to change? This story surprised me so many times. So glad I took a chance on a new author to me. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

I loved this book! Not only is it brilliantly written but the story is engaging and lovely. Our heroine has a successful bakery and a handsome fiancé. Then after one horrible day, she has neither. Now can the man who was just supposed to be a one night stand save her failing life? Can he help her find happiness? And can she help him?
A wonderful romance with two people who love to cook and lots of misunderstandings. .

I really enjoyed this book! It is the perfect quick read that I like to read in the summer! Reader beware: there is a bit of swearing in the book, that might be offensive to some. So if that isn't your thing, then maybe don't read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book!

This is a fun, quick read that kept me entertained throughout. Jayci Lee's characters Landon and Aubrey are a well matched pair in this book that has you drooling at the food mentioned throughout. The thought of the food just jumps out at you and I had myself googling one of the items mentioned...olallieberries as I had never heard of them!

My only criticism is the language - Landon swears throughout and to me it's not an attractive quality. If the bad language wasn't there I'd give it a higher rating but if you can disregard or don't mind 4 letter words this book is very enjoyable and perfect to read for summer!

Tank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. The receipt of the ARC did not influence my review in any way.

A Sweet Mess is an adorable love story about Landon Kim a workaholic food critic and Audrey Choi a successful bakery owner. The two meet and have a one night stand thinking they will never see each other again.

But when Landon writes a scathing review of Audrey’s bakery Comfort Zone, not realizing she is the shop owner, disaster looms. Audrey’s business begins to fail just as she has signed a contract to expand. Audrey confronts Landon but unfortunately he has a never retract policy and refuses to write another review.

Landon feels terrible and decides to make it up to Audrey. He offers her a paid spot on a TV cooking show which his best friend hosts. Audrey is to design three new dishes and debut each on the show. Audrey, who is desperate to save her business agrees to the arrangement.

There is only one catch. They must share lodging for the duration of her stay which both of them are afraid will go terribly wrong. But they agree and of course sparks begin to fly. But something deeper begins to happen.

This story goes beyond your regular boy meets girl and they fall in love. Added to the plot are values such as the importance of family and how even though there can be disputes the love of one’s family never dies. Family can pick up where they left off any time. It also delves into how the trust you learn from your family at an early age can mold how you accept yourself and others later in life.

Entwined in the story are beautiful descriptions of wineries, villas and food. And of course who can resist a happy ending?

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin #JayciLee #ASweetMess for the advanced copy. The book will be out on July 14.

When celebrity food critic Landon Kim is accidentally given a “Frankencake” that was custom made for a child with eclectic tastes, his review of the bakery it came from is less than kind. In fact, it nearly ruins Aubrey Choi's business right when she’s posed to expand. Landon has a policy of never reviewing a place twice, but when he learns of the mix-up wants to make an exception… Except he can’t because before his review came out Aubrey was his one-night stand. It’s a messy situation, but Landon tries to help by having Aubrey featured on a cooking show he’s producing. The problem is, once they’re in wine country they learn they’re sharing a villa. Aubrey and Landon need to keep things professional in order to keep their credibility. But close quarters and a fierce attraction have a way of wreaking havoc with even the best of intentions…

A Sweet Mess is aptly-titled (and I mean that in a good way). It’s a sweet but sometimes messy romance with two likeable characters.

Aubrey is a delightful heroine. She’s fun, independent, and a seriously talented baker. I loved watching her creations come to life (the food in this book is guaranteed to make anyone salivate) and even more I loved her determination to succeed. She’s been hurt in the past by her family but has struck out on her own and built a successful business from scratch, which I admired. Landon once dreamed of being a chef, but in putting his family first he had to give up what he wanted to help his mother and brother. Both Landon and Aubrey have good hearts, but they aren’t perfect, which was nice. And though their romance is “forbidden” because giving into their attraction would risk both of their professional reputations, their slide into love is fairly inevitable when they’re in such close quarters.

Where A Sweet Mess fell apart for me was in the last quarter of the book. The story took a turn and became a bit melodramatic and then syrupy sweet. It didn’t feel organic to the story and though the characters’ reactions weren’t wholly out of character, everything felt rushed and stilted. It’s such a disappointment because up until that point A Sweet Mess was a truly fun, fluffy read. Still, I enjoyed the book overall and I hope author Jayci Lee returns to the town of Weldon because I’d love to see Tara, Aubrey’s best friend, get a book of her own.

If you're looking for a quick read featuring some delicious descriptions of food and plenty of sexual tension than a Sweet Mess is the book for you.

Aubrey Choi is running a bakery and desperate to prove she can thrive on her own without her father's money. However a special order cake is mistaken for the daily special and eaten by a cocky food critic who gives the bakery a scathing review. Even worse the food critic turns out to be the mysterious tourist she recently had a one night stand with! A couple of months after the review she's really feeling it's negative effects and may have to close her businesses' doors. But then the food critic, Landon Kim shows up at her door with a business proposal determined to help set things right and Aubrey finds herself agreeing to a cooking show.

The reality show part was a little underutilized for me. And I would've loved to delve more into Landon's life. We did get some brief talk about his parents and why he became the person he is but I felt we got more from Aubrey. Much of the story is centered around them fighting against their mutual attraction for each other and what it could do for Landon's professional reputation.

Thank you to St Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was granted a copy of this book as part of it's blog tour.

Although, I REALLY wanted to love this as the plot for A Sweet Mess sounded so promising, I decided to DNF after about 30% of the book. It is a rare occurance for me (10 books out of 465 per Goodreads).

The main reasons as to why I am chosing to DNF is REPETITION. A writer needs to give a reader the benefit of the doubt that the reader understands the plot. Example 1: There is a lot of repetition of the circumstances that got Aubrey and Landon into the mess that they were in. I felt like I kept reading the situation over and over again - how they slept together, how he wrote a bad review, how it killed her career, etc. The reader basically witnesses it by reading it and then various characters repeat it as if the reader wasn't there. Another example is Landon's personality. Although I enjoyed Aubrey's character,Landon is portrayed as OVERLY arrogant and obnoxious. He is not likeable at all. As a reader, I understood that clearly. I did not need Aubrey and others to points out on numerous occasions that he is a jerk.

This is where I am going to stop. Not every book is for every one and this one is just not for me.

Will definitely satisfy your craving for a rom-com with an added dash of emotion and drama!

After Aubrey and Landon have a one night stand he writes a scathing review of her bakery based on an innocent mistake. Upon learning of her error he sees an opportunity to fix his mistake, without actually apologizing for it, and spend more time with the woman he can’t get out of his head. Aubrey knows spring more time with him could help her business but will break her heart?

Jayci Lee did a really good job of building the sexual tension and giving us just enough but not too much. The “will they or won’t they” kept me turning the pages until the twist/surprise - which was something I totally saw coming and absolutely loved, but then I have a weakness for any element of that particular trope!

I also really loved the exploration of food as a language of love and representation of the characters’ Korean and Korean-American heritage, but beware some of these descriptions will have you craving a taste of the real thing! Tara, Aria, Lucien, and Linda were an excellent supporting cast that helped flesh out the world as well as Landon and Aubrey.

This was my first Jayci Lee book but it won’t be my last!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

A laugh out loud story. Who knew gummy worms could bring two people together to find love? Landon has strict plans for his life and it does not call for settling down. Aubrey is having a crazy day and just wants to wind down with a drink. A disastrous mistake sees these two spending time together to make things right. Trying to stay out of each other’s beds become a challenge in hilarity. The characters are fun and will keep you delighted as you turn the pages.

This was really cute! It had great banter, some great initial steam, and a really cute premise (all the baking talk also had me making a cake). I really enjoyed both Audrey and Landon as characters, and their friends were awesome I wish this was a series that would see them paired off as well. I really loved watching them try to fight their attraction to each other, and it was a quality read for me. It also took a different avenue 2/3rds of the way through than most contemporaries I read, but it was a solid change of pace. I'd highly recommend this as a standalone contemporary romance, but just be warned it will make you hungry!

I had a lot of issues with this book, most of which were because of how this book has been edited... or not edited! I really really hope the final book doesn't resemble the ARC when it comes to structure! The POV's just randomly changed without a page break, which is annoying although I got used to it after a while. And time seemed to not be taken into consideration at all! Landon is in his editor's office at one point then the next line he's returning from a trip overseas... where did that come from!

I liked the chemistry between Aubrey and Landon and the dialogue for me was fine. Although as a couple of others pointed out a few of the Britishisms randomly thrown in were weird!

I wanted to love this because I think Own Voice stories are super important and I have a genuine soft spot in my heart for Korean's, having spent 3 years living in South Korea! I was excited to read a book featuring Korean's as the main characters rather than the best friends! I'd definitely be willing to take another look at the final book to see if the above issues were resolved but as is this one just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.