"A Sweet Mess" is a romantic comedy with some hard hitting flavor. Both Landon and Aubrey have been burned by their fathers and want to make sure not to repeat the mistakes they grew up seeing. It starts by protecting their hearts at all costs, but when a one night fling turns into so much more, they each need to decide how they're going to handle the danger to their hearts. Both Aubrey and Landon have plenty of pride and trouble accepting help when things go wrong, but fortunately they have some excellent friends willing to give them the kicks they sometimes need. I loved Aubrey- she's sweet and caring, and takes joy in baking and making her customers happy. She may be a little slow on realizing her emotions, but she is willing to face the terror of professing her love and putting herself out there. And "A Sweet Mess" definitely reminds us that sometimes love can be terrifying because it means being open, honest, and vulnerable to someone else. It can also make you completely stupid around the other person- which totally happens here a lot. My only issue with the book was Jayci Lee's tendency to use too many similes for her descriptions: "dough like a puppy chasing its tail". "like a Saint Bernard but without the mini-keg of whiskey" . . . It's a writing style that works for some people, it's just not a personal favorite of mine when there's so much of it on each page.

Overall a fun, lighthearted romantic comedy, but with some heavy hitting emotional moments. Beautiful descriptions of food that will have the reader running to the kitchen to bake, or calling the nearest restaurant for take out. And plenty of well formed, fun secondary characters who have me wondering who I'll be reading about in the next book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was an adorable romance set in the culinary world. So many things about this book reminded me of a Hallmark movie, but I was here for it! This book also had a lot of forced proximity which is a romance trope that I love! The romance was very sweet fun to read. This was a super quick, easy read that I flew through. I wish the ending had been developed just a tiny bit more though. There was the conflict and I liked the solution, but I just felt like once everything was good again it wrapped up incredibly fast.

4 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

The title kind of says it all for me with this book. Landon Kim and Aubrey Choi have worked hard to become successful food industry professionals. An impulsive one-night-stand kicks off a relationship that complicates Landon’s integrity as a restaurant reviewer.

First of all, I found it hard to believe that the H&H risked everything they had worked for with an impulsive one-night-stand, that they then went on to compound with a sneak relationship that they had to hide from their colleagues, family and friends. They are both so angst ridden about their relationship, and their vulnerabilities that it was exhausting!

The best part of this book was the food descriptions. Jayci Lee does a great job describing Aubrey’s creations, and throws in a Korean bulgogi recipe for good measure.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Sweet Mess was a fun ride - I loved the premise of a small business pastry chef going toe to toe with a food critic over a simple misunderstanding. Aubrey was a real gem - a hardworking, passionate pastry chef who gave everything in her life 110% (except for herself) while Landon was fantastically complex. The pressure he put on himself to take care of his family, and feeling torn between duty and living your dream, made him incredibly relatable.

The real fun is when Landon tries to correct his wrong by helping Aubrey get some positive press. Their chemistry is amazing and their predicament creates some tension as they try to navigate the murky waters of a fling without damaging their reputations.

As fun as it was there were a few drawbacks for me. Part of it was the writing style - I love dual POV, even if it's third person, but we switch between both POVs with no warning in the middle of the page often. The flip-flopping of POVs gave me pause many times as I adjusted to being in the characters head.

I loved the characters and the focus on familial relationships, but I also felt that Aubrey and Landon weren't developed as a unit. I obviously wanted an HEA, but I wasn't particularly rooting for them specifically - as characters - to be together. I think a lot of that has to do with them changing at dizzying speed - from wanting to fight to giving up to wanting to fight again all within the same paragraph with almost no external force behind the change. They whip back and forth between extremes with almost no prompting, and the change is also a flip, never a gradual change that makes sense. I felt no power behind their convictions or stances because they changed at the drop of a hat and the scene continued on with no acknowledgement of it.

I really wish I'd enjoyed this more? It hits a lot of classic romance buttons - one night stand ends up important to your career! stuck staying in close quarters together! miscommunications! somewhat contrived premise! - which might have been enjoyable in the fun, cliche romance way, except for the fairly large stumbling block: I didn't really care about the main couple. Individually they were...fine, though I certainly liked Aubrey more than Landon (like other reviewers, I wished the POV didn't switch mid-page without warning or much of a tonal shift). Still, I didn't feel the connection that the text kept trying to insist was between them. Based on the one conversation they had before the one night stand, which wasn't exactly full of sparkling zingers, I had no idea why they would be thinking of each other later. What was meant to be the falling in love period, where the two of them spent time together at wineries and restaurants, just seemed to be the two of them spending time together at wineries and restaurants. (The food descriptions actually seemed to bring the most light and joy to the page. They weren't really what I came there for, but they were a lot of fun!) The sharing of painful parts of their histories seemed more like a shortcut to try to push them closer, rather than a milestone reached through a buildup of trust and bonding. It's definitely a sweet story, and there are plenty of rom-com elements there, but the chemistry didn't strike a chord with me at all.

Might try recommending to those who enjoyed The City Baker's Guide to Country Living, which has a similar focus on food and a similar plot twist, though this is certainly lighter fare.

After reading some intense books, I was looking for a breather with this romcom about a food critic and a bakery owner. I loved that the two characters were Korean and that the reader is given a glimpse into Korean culture/food. However, as I read this book it didn't deliver as much as I hoped it would.

With all that is going on in the world today, Jayci Lee gave me what I didn’t even know I needed. Her book, A Sweet Mess, was a breath of fresh air and nonstop laughs. Expertly written, deliciously funny, and hotter than the kitchen.

I started A Sweet Mess without reading the synopsis, so I truly had no idea what to expect. This was also the first of Ms. Lee’s books for me. For some, going in completely blind is scary. For me, it helps me form my own opinions without any bias. What I found was an amazing and hilarious love story. What I got was a much needed break from reality and a new author to follow closely.

Jayci Lee takes all the Korean stereotypes and blows them away. In the wake of that, she gives us Aubrey Choi, who is strong minded, straight shooting, confident, and knows what she wants in life. Landon Kim is sexy, smart, and trying to right a wrong he didn't mean to commit. Ms. Lee crafts a world that brings you real people. You can see them as the pages turn. You root for them as you would your friends.

A Sweet Mess is a great romcom that will wash away all your cares and worries and let you drift away. The plot flows perfectly and will make you laugh and fall in love with the fiery hot connection between Aubrey and Landon. Will a one night stand ruin two lives? Or will they find a way to salvage their careers and find their way to one another? Be sure to read A Sweet Mess to find out. Add Jayci Lee to your one click list.

This was kind of cute but just okay for me. The characters weren’t very surface level and didn’t have a lot of depth. DNF’d at about 60% but did skim the rest. 2.5 stars.

As a major rom-com fan, this book was right up my alley!

A Sweet mess is an emotional, funny, steamy read that has so many laugh-out-loud moments that it keeps you entertained. The main characters, Aubrey and Landon, and tremendous chemistry that leaps off the page, with just enough steam before a fade-to-black in the romance department.

I really was able to connect to the characters because it was well-written and there is a lot of character and plot development. You can tell that Jayci Lee really invested in the development of this book, and the reward is a fun, engaging romcom.

One of my goals this year is to read more diverse stories, with characters that are culturally different. I picked up this book after receiving it through Net Galley and was enamored since the get go.

The story narrates the blooming romance of our Korean - American protagonists after their whirlwind one night stand. Aubrey Choi, a respected baker in her small hometown desires to make it big. However, after famous food critic Landon Kin destroys her shop due to a mistaken order, her dreams start to dwindle that. To make matters worse that whirling one night stand she had? Well, that's our famous Landon Kin.

One of my favorite things about the book is the writing, I found it very interesting and easy to read. As soon as you begin, you really don't want to stop due to Lee's captivating wording. The recipes and descriptions of delicious food had me salivating and wishing I could eat at one of these marvelous locations. The blooming romance and friendship between Landon and Aubrey was amazing. It was slow burn and it burned so bright and yummy that it allowed you to desire their relationship to work more than anything in the world.

The only "issue" I see is maybe the problems of their past mingling with the present not being developed enough. For example, Landon is closed off due to his father but the reasons for this (although explained) are not really shown. He wanted to date Aubrey in the beginning, he had mixed feelings because of everything, but he was never closed off. However, during the middle he decides to keep it a secret and not out their relationship. The difference in character wasn't explored much and maybe that's where I can knock off a star.

However, I was very very incredibly surprised and in love with Lee's writing. She really was able to set me right there with the lovely settings and wonderful food.

*I received this book through net galley in exchange for an honest review*

-- 4 stars --

This book fell flat for me, partly because there didn’t seem to be anything other than a sexual bond between the main characters. While that’s okay for the short term, it doesn’t seem as though they’ve built enough of a non-sexual relationship to be sustainable.
Also I hate a surprise pregnancy as a deus ex machina; realizing you love somebody after you find out a baby’s on the way seems cheap and unrealistic.
I will say, however, the food descriptions are very good.

2.5 Stars

Baker Audrey Choi works hard keeping every customer happy with gourmet treats from her bakery called Comfort Zone. She is trying to expand her business in a small Pacific Northwest town when a careless mistake by her teen-aged helper sends Audrey’s reputation crashing and burning. She had the bad luck to have a weird cake for a child’s birthday party, which was requested by said little girl, to be served to a premier food critic. Landon Kim’s scathing review all but ruins Audrey’s dream business. To make matters even worse, he was her hookup adding another layer to the catastrophe.
Landon Kim’s reputation as an honest food critic means all to him so even though he realizes an egregious mistake was made, magazine policy states no second reviews or retractions. Landon knows the devastation he has wrought on Audrey’s life so he offers her a spot on a famous chef’s television show. Since the show is in the rural California wine country, they must live and work together all the while resisting their intense attraction.

Audrey and Landon both have a lot of emotional baggage from family issues adding to their high angsty relationship. Most of the story centers around their intense desire to be together versus a constant resistance because of the integrity of the celebrity cooking show. If folks find out they are involved, everyone will lose credibility. For Aubrey and Landon, living together in the same villa for three weeks is a torturous and frustrating.

The set up for the story seemed a bit incongruous as well because most folks don’t order a whole cake planning to eat it right then plus a food critic should have some idea that something was amiss. This story has a lot of anguish, longing, and general frustrations all around. Landon was at times hard to take as he did more than one thing to Aubrey causing her great pain and heartbreak. It is well written for the most part; however, there is too much drama with too little fun and romance to be a pleasurable read.

I was trying so hard to give this book the benefit of the doubt, but my heart wasn’t in it. The formatting of the digital ARC was very confusing and had some issues.

My biggest problem with the book might be the POV. I think this book could’ve been better if the two characters POVs were chapters. Switching views in third person during each chapter was just confusing. I always had to double read a page to catch who’s view I was reading.

There was also the issue that the author would skip months or days in one chapter without being very obvious about it.

I really liked the premise of the story but sadly, I just couldn’t get through the writing. I would love to give this book another chance if some of these issues were fixed.

I could not get into this book. Yes, it is an ARC and it could be improved before it gets published but I have never read such an incomplete ARC. I was so excited to read about an Asian couple too! The author skips scenes, jumps from one day to another without a page break and the writing could be better. The sex happens right away and is glossed over quickly, the plot is thin at best. I don't know much about the the food critic world, but I think you have to taste more than one dish to make a review and you can't just breeze in and out of town and write a review like that. A normal person who found a gummy worm inside a cake would be curious, not flippin mad and storm out of the place and immediately write a negative review. I got about a third of the way in. I couldn't take it anymore.

This book was exactly what I thought it would be based on the title and cover. I enjoyed the main storyline, although I have to admit that every other book seems to revolve around a cupcake store. I liked both characters and was very happy to see more diversity in romance.

What an awesome journey. More on the lighter side, it still had its share of drama.
The one night stand romance was longer than one night, intense and hot. Some people don't know how to play that game very well at all lol.
Aubrey's dream was fixing to crash and burn all bc a food critic had a bad day, got served a little kid's birthday cake by mistake, and Landon had hurriedly penned a scathing review.
These two's own ingredients were combustible around each other, but they didn't want the public to know, as it could jeopardize their careers. What to do?
Loved the way it was written with a lot of emotion, and heart put into it.
Aubrey and Landon were fighting a losing battle, so there were ups and downs.
The meals and desserts that were created sounded so good.
This is a stand alone and well written.

first time reading this author and it was such a great read, flowing throughout the novel, upkeep pace that was sweet as the name, definitely recommend this book to my girlfriends!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the eARC of A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee.

This was an interesting read for me because I loved it and then I didn’t love it. I thought the author did well with detail to characters and the events happening throughout the book;however, I felt that it was hard to follow the story. I think the story needs some fine tuning, but overall I think it is a cute quick read!

A very cute novel centered around a cooking show and and two chefs at different points in their careers. The writing was fast and quick paced with a few speed bumps I wasn't expecting and didn't really enjoy. Overall this was a cute read and I will look forward to reading more by Jayci Lee in the future.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

The light-hearted romance between master chefs, a food critic, and baker. I enjoyed A Sweet Mess. It was a quick easy and entertaining read.

I received this ARC copy of A Sweet Mess from St. Martin's Press - St. Martin's Griffin. This is my honest and voluntary review.