Super cute!

I’ve been in a bit of a funk...especially in the romance genre these days.

This was a nice surprise and a change of pace!

This book was cute and a quick read! It is full of angst, drama, humor and steam. The description of all the food had my mouth watering. I think it was a perfect “palate cleanser” and I definitely recommend reading it!

A Sweet Mess is everything I want a romcom to be! Full of juice, drama, love and hate the road of Aubrey and Landon was a fun ride!

Aubrey owns the bakery of her dreams but when a slight cake mix up ends up in the mouth of a successful food critic, Landon Kim, her business starts to crumble. What she doesn’t realize at first is that Landon was also her recent one night stand! After realizing his giant mistake Landon try’s to come up with a plan to fix the giant mess he has created but Aubrey can’t decide wether she wants to kill him or go along with his plan!

This book left me hungry from the delicious food talk and wine tastings. While there were some definite steamy moments the sexiness was not overbearing which I really appreciate!

DNF @ 30%. The POV flips from hero to heroine from paragraph to paragraph and it’s really hard to track that. In the space of two back to back paragraphs, the hero is about to leave town for a month and then returns from his overseas trip in very next paragraph, which is a very strange pacing choice. I had high hopes because the blurb sounded cute and I thought the premise had potential. But there was too much that was off for me. Also, WTH is up with the illustrated cover - it’s two Korean American characters and the cover really does not seem to portray that. If you’re going to go to the trouble of having an illustrated cover, at the very least, be accurate in terms of representing the characters - and I realize that’s more the fault of the publisher and not necessarily the author. I’m just disappointed - I was hoping to love it and couldn’t even force myself to finish it.

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

I read a book by Jayci Lee back in January/February I think? And I absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful and refreshing seeing an asian couple on a book cover. And the story was compelling, sexy and definitely up my alley. So of course I had to request this title.

It worked.. but also not.
1) I'm very not happy about this cover, it definitely hides the ethnicity of the characters - which are korean - and from this cover you can't really see it. I don't agree with the publisher's choice for this one and I'm a bit disappointed and sad about this.

2)The beginning of this book was absolutely incredible, i loved their chemistry and banter was really funny and sweet. Their built up was well done and the writing was as beautiful as I remembered. I really did like it until probably 70% in so this is why it's a 3 stars and not a 2.

3) now to my issue. I don't mind miscommunication most of the time in romances, which is an unpopular opinion, but let me just say as a person with issue with communicating my feelings I get it.
But here it literally made me exhausted. It was just stupid. I don't get it why this choice was made. My rating dropped like a meteorite after this.

The ending was cute but I couldn't get over my feelings for that particular scene, so the book went from great to average.

This started out as a sweet rom-com story, that I did enjoy for the most part.

There are a few things that I didn’t like.

-The constant POV change of Aubrey and Landon without a break made it sometimes confusing on who’s turn it was.
-the story/plot started out great, until the review and then denying a second review, as Landon “didn’t work that way” and didn’t want his readers to find out he had a one-night-stand with the reviewed Baker Aubrey. Choi....BUT then suddenly offering a spot on a tv show so he could compensate (as she was almost financially ruined by his review) and hopefully spend some more time with her
-the constant “yes-wait-no, we shouldn’t, but the attraction is so strong, argh, maybe...NOPE” was really over the top
-the plot twist
-the last 20% of the book that kind of dragged on, then went over the top and then finally turned into another story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Sweet Mess is a cute, quick to read rom-com. Not sure if it’s the pandemic or my upcoming wedding but I’ve been reading romcoms like crazy lately. I’ve enjoyed most and this was no exception.

This book stars Aubrey and Landon who have a one night stand and think they’ll never see each other again. Aubrey is running a successful bakery that gets an unfortunate review due to a mix up with a speciality cake. The review goes viral and business quickly drops. The reviewer turns out to be none other than Landon, who turns out he is a restaurant reviewer. Landon never retracts his reviews, even though he admits he was wrong, and comes up with a scheme to help Aubrey and save her business by having her costar on a cooking show.

I was expecting the cooking show to be a large portion of this book but it wasn’t, rather much of the story focuses on the week leading up to filming. Aubrey and Landons connection is undeniable and they fall quick and hard. I didn’t care as much for the way the story ended, or rather parts of the ending. There were also abrupt changes of voice but I’m sure that is due to the ARC and the changes will be more defined in the published copy.

Overall I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and recommend if you want a quick fun read.

This is a cute and adorable story of Aubrey and Landon in which a one night stand is followed by a comedy of errors. As Landon tries to fix the mistake that he made with Aubrey, they both are thrown together and their chemistry just burns through the pages. I really enjoyed this book and found difficult to put it down and read through the entire night. A word of warning, the book talks about so many delicious recipes that I was really hungry by the time I finished this book so start reading on a full stomach. All jokes aside, it is a sexy and beautifully written story that I just want to read forever. I love both Aubrey and Landon and their angst filled relationship and complicated characters gave me all the feels. The other thing I also enjoyed in this book were all the well written secondary characters. I would highly recommend this book and remember to read on a full stomach.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This book is super cute! I love baking and baking shows so this hit a definite sweet spot for me. Plus I really the setting, the pacing and the story. Aubrey and Landon were great leads in this book and very well developed characters. Definitely add this one to your summer reading list!

A Sweet Mess comes out next month on July 14, 2020, and you can purchase HERE. If you love baking, I would highly recommend this one!

The birthday girl's chocolate Bundt cake looked exactly like the bakery's special of the week. On the outside. The surprise lay inside—gummy worms, cream cheese and peanut butter. The six year old's logic was if you mix something tasty with something else tasty, it would be twice as tasty. In this case, thrice as tasty. An unfortunate and erroneous hypothesis.

The syrupy sweet rom-com was chef's kiss! Filled with wine tastings, delicious food, and dreamy atmospheres, A
Sweet Mess was a delectable mix of of sweet and sour. We follow Aubrey Choi, who is a pastry chef and owner of her own bakery called Comfort Zone, and Landon Kim, a food blogger with a reputation for making or breaking restaurants. Landon breaks down while going through Aubrey's town and as fate would have it he not only had an unfortunate run in at Comfort Zone with a franken-cake that was a special order for a 6 year old's birthday party, but he also meets and subsequently has a one-night stand with the unsuspecting Aubrey after meeting her at her friend, Tara's brewery. Whew. What a start, right?

Aubrey leaves Landon's bed without saying goodbye and that is where their fateful meeting would end, except that Landon decides to give Aubrey's bakery a one-star review that ends up all but ruining sweet Aubrey's bakery. Landon eventually realizes (thanks to some very upset fans of Comfort Zone) that Aubrey was the owner of the bakery, but he doesn't do second reviews or retractions. Especially for someone that he slept with since that would cause the rumors to fly. But Landon thinks he has the answer by inviting Aubrey to be on his best friend's cooking show. Aubrey agrees since it seems to the be the only way to save her beloved bakery.

Aubrey is soon whisked away with Landon where she meets Aria and Lucien, who are both great friends to Landon and also amazing side characters. The chemistry between our two main characters was evident from the start and I found myself rooting for them even though they seemed star-crossed at times.

Overall, A Sweet Mess was fun and sweet with just the right amount of angst.

DNF'd at 20%. Chemistry lacking, plot lackluster, just wasn't feeling it. I tried.
Also--formatting was HORRIBLE. Do better, publisher.

This was a really sweet romance! I enjoyed the descriptions of the food and the beautiful scenery, so much that I was hungry most of the time and I could vividly picture the lush wine farms.

A Sweet Mess is essentially a romance story about two characters, Aubrey and Landon, who both have their walls up - hesitant to fall in love. Due to Landon’s critical review, Aubrey’s bakery is now in financial ruin, and Landon, desperate to make reparations decide to feature Aubrey on a show he’s producing. Whilst all of this is happening, Aubrey and Landon must resist their attraction for each other. Now that’s a recipe for disaster!

I have never been a fan of the insta-lust/love trope, so this took away some of my enjoyment. The plot progression was a bit weird because it felt like there were too many things happening at once. Especially in the last half of the novel. Otherwise, I enjoyed the plot and the slow build-up of Aubrey and Landon’s romance.

I liked Aubrey as a character and related to her. She was determined and ambitious - traits that I really admire. However, I had hoped Lee would have delved deeper into Aubrey’s past. Random information about her past was brought up once and never again. I would love to have learned more about her.

Landon was a difficult character to like. He is kind of a jerk and had that weird alpha thing going on, which kind of put me off him. I’m generally not a fan of overly possessive love interests. Again, I would have loved Lee to delve deeper into his past and the reasons why he acted the way he did.

In terms of Aubrey and Landon’s romance, they lacked chemistry. They had the physical attraction down to the T, but they did not have the emotional connection. The novel starts off with our two lovebirds having a one-night stand but we don’t really get further information into why they felt the way they felt. Because of this, it was difficult for me to invest in their relationship and root for them.

Overall, this was a solid read - sweet and sensual. I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars
Can a cake mix up lead to true love? Aubrey is the owner and baker of Comfort Zone. Landon is a food critic and blogger. When he is accidently served a custom order cake instead of the weekly special, he writes a scathing review. To salvage her baking reputation, Aubrey guest stars on a cooking show that Landon is producing. Aubrey, Landon and their friends are very likeable and Aubrey and Landon have great chemistry. The food descriptions will make you hungry!
I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this ebook from Netgalley for review. I enjoyed Jayci Lee's debut A Temporary Wife Temptation and eagerly requested this book. Unfortunately, It didn't work for me, however I will offer a short review.
The premise is promising and extremely attractive-beleaguered pastry chef with stars in her eyes happens to meet and have a one night stand with a man that could make or break her career. He just so happens to do that, not knowing that he's stuck a knife in her self made business. Instead of immediately making things right, he offers to her by inviting her to participate in a project he's developing. From here, certain situations seem oddly coincidental and seem to work out for no reason other than the author wanted them to end up together.
The tension between Landon and Aubrey was delicious at first and then tiresome, as was the come-here-now-go-away, I-want-you-but-I-can't-have-you-but-we-sleep-together-and-I-wake-up- in-your-bed-and-come-my-senses-but-we-keep.doing.this.
Then, of course at 65% I gave up and started skimming because there is a very predictable plot device and I am just tired of reading that.
I wanted to read something different because the main character is Asian and I wanted some insight into her family structure. We got hints throughout that she didn't get along with her wealthy, connected father and she wasn't close to her mother but she and her sister were the best of friends. I did feel the tension and stress due to pressure from her father, who wants to push her back into tradition, even trying to force her back home. He actually made me see red and I wanted Aubrey to win for no other reason than to push him out of her life.
I felt the book had serious potential but in the end it was a tropey, head hopping jumble that I couldn't wrap my brain around.
I hopped through most of the plot (because I pretty much knew what would happen) to the satisfying, happy ending that I knew would be there waiting for me.
By the time this is released, I hope the errors and kinks have been ironed out.

Did not finish this title. It just wasn't for me. When the first sex scene was fade to black, I marked it as DNF.

I love baking and I love anything that has a baking plotline throughout. A SWEET MESS was delightful and I cannot wait for the second book. The romance was the perfect match, the setting was to die for, and I really appreciated how much Landon had to earn Aubrey's trust again and again and how he made amends in the end. I will definitely be reading whatever Jacyi Lee writes next!

This will post in July at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/

A SWEET MESS – Jayci Lee
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250621108
July 14, 2020
Romantic Comedy

California – Present Day

Aubrey Choi loves running her bakery in the small town nestled against the Sierra Mountains, and even has plans started to expand her business. One night while in a local bar, she runs into Landon Kim, who is spending the night in town. They end up having sex at his hotel, though she leaves early in the morning before he awakens. Several days later, Aubrey discovers that Landon is a restaurant critic and he’s just given her bakery a bad review—a kiss of death for any business. Never mind that the cake he bought and tried was actually a special order meant for a small child’s birthday. Her business begins to suffer, and she tries to contact Landon to explain what happened to get him to retract his story. After a couple of months, she is finally face-to-face with him and explains. But he has a no second chance policy and refuses.

Landon does believe Aubrey is telling the truth that he got the wrong cake. But he can’t change his policy because it would ruin his reputation. To help make amends, Landon offers Aubrey a job co-hosting a cooking show that will give her a nice monetary advance. She needs the money to put toward her expansion, so she accepts. However, the job requires that she travel to a town many miles away, and when she arrives, she discovers she’s living under the same roof as Landon…the man she once slept with. The attraction between them is still there. How long before they find themselves between the sheets together?

Aubrey and Landon’s relationship starts off with a hot hookup and soon morphs into a battle of wills in A SWEET MESS. They were instantly attracted to each other but felt they were like two ships passing in the night, so didn’t bother to try and continue things afterward. Landon didn’t know Aubrey owned the bakery he had stopped at and she didn’t realize—at first—that he was a restaurant critic. After his bad review of her shop hits the stands, she frantically tries to contact him through the magazine he works for, but he’s out of the country. Once they reconnect, Landon feels bad, but he’s in a tough spot with his reputation on the line. So, why not help her out in another way?

Their chemistry sizzles in A SWEET MESS, but like life, love doesn’t always go smoothly. Mistakes happen, so does love. Aubrey tries to ignore their attraction, yet it can’t be denied. Landon figures a fling while they’re working together will take the edge off the lust, but even he begins to wonder if they can continue things afterward. Minor characters who help move the plot along include Aubrey’s best friend, Tara, who is ready to give her advice whether it’s asked for or not. The cooking show is headed by Aria, who is Landon’s friend and one who is ready to tell him that he’s an idiot when he continually ignores his true feelings for Aubrey.

Readers who enjoy a cute and funny romantic tale set around cooking and baking in the lush beauty of California will surely love A SWEET MESS. The prose and pace of the story is brisk and fun, while the angst Landon and Aubrey experience are real. Don’t miss the fun in A SWEET MESS.

Patti Fischer

This was the second book I read from this author. The author of Temporary wife Temptation brings a fun, sexy contemporary about a bakery and the critic that burned her. I loved the heroine from the very first page, she loved her job and she was great at it. A misunderstanding brings two unlikely people together and I loved it

Sometimes a moment can change everything- an accidental cake sale, a snarky review…. a night of passion that meant more than either party can confess.
Aubrey Choi is her sleepy town’s favorite baker- Comfort Zone has made quite the name for itself- enough that she can think about expanding. Life is perfect- that is until a six-year-old’s dream cake (and any adult’s nightmare) is handed over to food critic Landon Kim instead of the birthday girl. Justifiably upset at almost dying on a gummy worm hidden in a chocolate bunt cake, Landon is in a foul mood. If his car hadn’t broken down, he wouldn’t even be in this town! The only saving grace is the charming woman he meets at the bar. Aubrey is gorgeous, sexy, funny and they share a perfect night. In the morning, Aubrey’s gone and Landon has to get back to his life. Pressured to write a review, he decides to throw a punch at the little bakery, never knowing the owner is his mysterious Aubrey.
But the die is cast- Comfort Zone is getting less and less patronage due to one magazine review. If things don’t change soon, she could loose everything. Landon knows he was wrong, but he never does a second review or retraction; doing so now-especially since he now knows who owns the shop- could tarnish his name and that of the magazine. A friend offers a solution- have Aubrey come onto her cooking show. Can the two work together to salvage their careers while keeping the attraction they feel for each other at bay?

This book was a fantastic! I loved the main characters, though sometimes their pride ticked me off (talking about you, Landon). The characters, including side characters, were well developed and I loved their interactions. The romance between Landon and Aubrey was sweet and believable- there was some great chemistry there. I also loved the nod to all things culinary- there was some great food descriptions here. All in all, this was a charming, quick read… will it set the world on fire? No; but a good book doesn’t always have to. This was funny, sweet, and sometimes sad. I was drawn in completely and it proved to be a good escape. For me, this was a four star book.
On the adult content scale there’s some language and fairly racy sexual content. It’s not the most explicit scene I have ever read, but it is definitely not geared toward mid-teens. I would give it a seven.
I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the price of an honest review. My thanks!

4 Star review A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee

Jayci Lee is a new author to me and I am surprised I have not come across her before. This was an entertaining read that I enjoyed. I love books set in a small town which is where Aubrey Choi runs her bakery. When her recent one night stand, Landon Kim, turns out to be a food critic whose review has virtually destroyed her business she is furious.

When Landon realizes his mistake, he sets out to help Aubrey save her business. This was a fun story, I loved the banter that flowed between Aubrey and Landon. There were times that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hug him or smack him but he turned out to be awesome in the end.

The writing was descriptive and I could almost feel myself tasting and drinking the food and wine. There was humour, a little angst, miss communication and some great secondary characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.