Perfect for a foodie who loves romance. The food descriptions were fun. The conflict/relationship seemed a little repetitive at times which made those parts a bit slow at times. Still, likable characters and checks off the boxes of what you’d expect from a rom-com.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review

Full review posted at Reader's Edyn on 03/05/20

Aubrey is a ridiculously talented baker. Making it through a fairly rough childhood, she has finally broken free and opened her own bakery. Taught by her grandmother, at times she both uses and adapts coveted family recipes, which have helped her become a huge success at both storefront and online sales. Always dedicated and up at the crack of dawn to begin each morning at her shop, she decides to let loose one night at her best friend’s brewery/restaurant and unexpectedly meets Landon. Sparks fly and they immediately hit it off, ending in a night of scorching passion. But fate takes an astonishing turn when Landon ends up reviewing Aubrey’s bakery and gives it a scathing review – well, part praise, part horror. She never even knew he was there, or who he actually was; a renowned food critic. Of all the bad luck! With her business in shambles and Landon refusing to write another review, he extends an olive branch in a surprising form. If things work out as planned, she will be able to scream redemption from the rooftops. But their one-night stand must remain secret and they cannot succumb to their still smoldering desire for the sake of keeping their reputations intact. With the amount of heat both in and out of the kitchen between these two, “hands off” will be their biggest challenge yet.

Landon, like Aubrey, has huge Daddy issues. Because of the events of his childhood, he has always been extremely careful and steadfast in how he operates, which has grown into a thriving reputation as a food critic. But everything about Aubrey threw him off. Never one to review an establishment based on one single dish, he is basically forced into the review and then promptly heads out of town for a several month-long food tour. Upon his return, he realizes the gravity of the mistake he has made. He absolutely cannot write another review and after realizing Aubrey is the one he’s unknowingly hurt, he calls in a favor to try and rectify his colossal blunder in the best way he can. But he’s also made another miscalculation. Working in such close proximity to Aubrey is going to be the death of him. He wants her like no other and he knows she feels the same. Try as they might, there is no way to douse the burning passion flaming between them. When Aubrey comes to him ready to give up pretenses for a chance at love, he stubbornly refuses, remaining adamant that such a move would be career suicide. When Aubrey leaves, he refuses to listen, so she heads back home with a revelation that could change everything. If Landon doesn’t stop acting like a pompous jerk, he’ll ruin any chance with Aubrey and cost himself more than he could have ever bargained for.

I had a super fun time with this story. It was quite predictable but still amusing and entertaining. I very much love cooking, with baking at the top of the list. The food in this book was a serious highlight. The way each dish was described, I could almost taste everything – and you can bet I definitely wanted to. This is where smell-o-vision would have been ridiculously helpful. Although I found myself hungry quite frequently so perhaps something like smell-o-vision would have been not so great after all. As the main characters, Aubrey and Landon go through a few emotional modifications throughout this book. At first they are carefree and fun, really enjoying each other’s company, just out for a bit of fun. Following the disaster, they switch to angry, hurt, betrayed, wary, and distrustful. Neither knows exactly where the other stands any longer and each has the power to hurt the other. However, as they begin to work with each other, they slowly dismantle the shields they desperately erected in an effort to protect themselves from their greatest weakness; themselves. But in weakness strength can be found … it just takes an inordinate amount of time for both of them to realize it. The passion they share on their first night together hasn’t dulled in the slightest and the “partnership” they have forged of necessity only continues to feed those desires. Eventually, they succumb which wasn’t hard to guess at. However, they did make a good show of resistance. The lower the shields fall, the more vulnerable each becomes yet again and ultimately Aubrey decides that love and happiness is worth the risk if they take the leap together. But Landon is stuck in his stubborn ways and makes decisions for them both without really even allowing himself to glimpse a possibility of a future. The road back isn’t pretty, and it ultimately takes sound advice from friends and family to enlighten the big jerk.

There were, at times, unclear transitions from one person’s view to the next and a bit of editing that needs to occur, but this is an ARC and it is January. This book does not release until July, so there is plenty of time to polish this story up just a bit. Also helpful, would be a bit more of a firm distinction in the time lapses. They weren’t over much, but when they transpired, I became confused a couple of times and had to go back to see what I had missed – if in fact I had missed something. One complaint is that I felt like Landon took a bit longer coming around than he should have, but once he did, he went big! Aubrey capitulates fairly easily, but she knew what she wanted so I suppose that wasn’t all that hard to believe. This book is an HEA after all, so the ending won’t be a surprise. I found Aria to be a vibrant addition to the cast of characters and enjoyed her immensely. What confused me about her and Lucien’s relationship is that they seemed to have one heck of a back story. I have never read anything from Ms. Lee before, so I have no idea if these characters are newly introduced or came from another book. But let me tell you, there is a book’s worth of content woven throughout these pages. They didn’t overshadow Landon and Aubrey at all, but their own dilemma helped guide Landon and Aubrey along the way. One thing is for sure, this amazing couple shares an obsession for food, which is ultimately what continues to bring them back to one another. I could easily see this book made into a Hallmark movie and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened in the future – with a bit of toning down on sexual content and language, of course. Probably my biggest issue within this book is that Aubrey is really the strong one of the couple. She knows what she wants and goes after it and if it doesn’t go her way, she finds another way to make it happen. She has help along the way, but she never wastes her resources or takes anyone for granted. This is in stark contrast to Landon who starts out as amazing, then turns out to be a real asshat. He just keeps making error after error and continues to do so until he pulls his head out of his rear-end. And finally, I both loved and disliked that we were treated to a delicious recipe at the conclusion of the book. And I will be using that recipe! What is disliked was that there was only one. I mean come on! There were so many amazing dishes in these pages. I wouldn’t have been the least bit upset with another recipe or two added on.

Overall, this book is enjoyable. The plot, while predictable, kept me engaged throughout. I am willing to bet that changes will be made between this Arc and the final release, making it that much more delightful. Think of this as a Food Network Romance. There will be a lot of time in the kitchen – not all of it baking. The language is a bit rough. A lot of F-bombs. I can see some of them as appropriate I suppose, but a few getting cut out would be nice. With as quirky as Aubrey can be, she could almost have her own swear word – something she blurted out and created in the throes of a baking disaster. The sexual scenes aren’t all that descriptive. I wouldn’t describe this as erotic in the least. Most is glossed over, and those that are not aren’t anything over the top by any means. I should also mention that both main characters are Korean, so there is a lot of reference to tradition that I found fascinating. My family is rather boring and at times I crave having a strong heritage to draw from. For me, I loved the addition of the Korean elements to the book. I don’t know that I have ever come across a Korean couple before and hope that I do again in the future. If you like strong women and thick-headed males who need several nudges along the way (perhaps a skillet to the back of the head), then I am certain you will find this “strangers to lovers to inconveniences to co-workers to lovers” book enjoyable. Ha! What a mouthful!

Personal Addendum:
While this book is not perfect and did contain errors in editing, character development, and formatting (which could simply be the eReader itself), I did want to take a moment to say a couple of things. I generally never read others reviews until after I have written my own, but I fell behind a bit and when I was gathering information for the top portion of my review, one of the reviews caught my eye, so I started to peruse. What I noticed in several reviews were the reader admitting that they don’t even care for baking. I’m not even sure why anyone would pick a book up knowing they hold that bias and then think the book will magically become compatible in reading preferences. Another thing that annoyed me was that several others knocked the rating due to the editing errors. Now I agree this should be mentioned, but as an ARC, we are to have a clear understanding that errors will more than likely be present. I have never knocked an ARC based on editing with the exception of one single book in which the editing flaws were so horrific, I could not even complete the book. In that case, I would understand. But that was definitely not the case here. So as I stand on my soapbox for a brief moment, please be aware of the reviews you choose to read and those you provide. You should take them seriously as they often times help form a decision as to whether someone will read the book or not. You are, in effect, making or breaking an author’s career. Never will everyone agree and it would be foolish to assume they could. However, given the time frame between now and the publishing date, I have no doubt my rating of 3 can easily become a 4 between now and then with a few slight adjustments applied to this advanced copy. At the end of the day, this book is much more sweet than mess. 😊

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/St. Martin’s in exchange for an honest review.

I read this following a very dark novel and it was perfect for lifting my mood. I was immediately a fan of Aubrey and Landon. I enjoyed their chemistry and the development of their relationship. I do wish that the effect of their relationship on their careers (or lack of effect), would have been addressed since this was the big hurdle for them throughout the book.

A Sweet Mess was such a fun and sweet read. Loved the chemistry between the Aubrey and Landon. I look forward to more books by this author.

This book was adorable. I loved the descriptions of baked goods, and the romance between Aubrey and Landon was too sweet for words. My only critique was that the romance and tension between the main characters was not given a long time to blossom or evolve, it was pretty much lust at first sight and then a swift descent back into love once they were reunited. I wish that the tension between them in regard to the negative review was allowed a bit more time to breathe and that we got to see each of the characters on their own in the world (just a little bit) before we saw them together. All that being said however, I really did enjoy this book and it was a quick fun read, with lots of delicious food descriptions.

Aubrey Choi’s bakery is doing well until she receives a bad review from food critic, Landon Kim. Who just happens to have been her one-night stand. Landon tries to help Aubrey’s reputation and her failing bakery by offering her a guest chef spot on a new cooking show he’s producing. Of course, that just happens to mean that the two of them will share a gorgeous villa in California wine country.

I liked Aubrey and Landon, really enjoyed the delicious food descriptions but I found the reasons for Landon not retracting his review and for them to not go public with their relationship very frustrating.

Sweet and funny. I really liked the two leads and the progression of their love story. Wrap in descriptions of food and it made it that much sweeter.

There was some family drama that I wish was fleshed out better/I wish both of them didn't have Daddy issues, but that's just my opinion.

Totally enjoyed this book. It was just so romantic all the way through. well, except for the bumpy road.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book was a wonderful twist on a classic romance. Starring a baker who is enjoying some amazing business growth, she meets a guy who she immediately falls for. Sparks are Flying! It’s a wonderful beautiful connection even though it was just one night.

But then things become real and her business grinds to a screeching slow down. The worst thing is it’s because of him. And when she finds out she has the ability to get some money to get her business back on track, it also involves him. And what a sweet mess it is!

The one thing that struck me about this story is not only are the characters real and humorous, but their connection is literally on fire. The story is one long foreplay session.

Filled with romantic and sensual heat, these two can fire up your kindle. The author writes, with intense passion, a story that will capture your attention and light up your soul.

With typical ups and downs, these two weather many storms, but they are true to their feelings and the happily ever after is sweet and just so romantic.

A delightful story you will fall in love with. I can’t wait for more from Lee.

I just loved these two.. I could not get enough of this story and did not want to put this book down.. I love how both characters have a love of baking which brought these two together..
A mistaken dessert, a wrongful review, and a cooking show correction...
These two have tried to fight the attraction as long as they could but true love wins out..
Great book, page Turner, must read.

I enjoyed this book but I think that it was just middle of the pack for the other things I have read recently.

This is a first time read for me by author Jayci Lee. An avid lover of Korean dramas, this book was just a fun and enjoyable read. The main characters were adorable and their romance developing into a HEA was lovely. Although it started off a bit slow and dull, I was glad that it developed into what I was expecting. A lovely and comfy read.

I would like to thank the St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3-Stars

This was a good book and as I usually love food descriptions in the books I read, I particularly loved that part of the story. Food represents so much of the culture and I thought that shows brilliantly throughout the narrative. However, the kind of enemies to lovers trope along with the forced proximity trope got a bit boring and repetitive after a while. Aubrey and Landon are cute together but I guess I just never felt invested in their story because most of their issues could have been resolved pretty easily.

Overall still a good read and would love to read whatever the author writes next.

A Sweet Mess was a cute book. I enjoyed the story but I think the very best part was the description of the food. The repeat over and over again about the why they couldn’t be tougher just took over the book and was frustrating to read.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book that I have read with Asian characters. Maybe I was just looking at or choosing wrong titles before, but it was very refreshing to read not only the description of the characters but also included were genuine tidbits of what was important to them and the facet of Asian American culture.

In the end it seems like photographer brother is checking Tara out. Will the author be writing THAT story as a sequel?

This was such a cute book! I absolutely adored it and recommend it so so much. All of the food aspects were the best, plus the bakery/baking show setting was amazing. Go buy it!

A Sweet Mess is the story of Aubrey Choi and Landon Kim. Like another book, The Dish/The Foodie’s Guide to Falling in Love (also recommended) their initial meet-cute and hot romance is interrupted by a bad review Landon gives of Aubrey’s bakery when he gets a cake intended for a little girl featuring surprise gummy worms.

I liked Aubrey and Landon but it was frustrating how they kept getting ‘stuck’ together - they have to share a tent, then a villa etc for reasons that are over-explained and underdeveloped. Also he has to refuse to retract the review otherwise there would be no story but it means the heroine continuing to obsess over him after he’s endangered her business.

I expected a fun and sweet romance and got exactly that in A Sweet Mess!

The main characters were likeable enough, though their dialogue about the main problem in the story became frustrating to read; the same few lines were repeated over and over at different points.

The author included food as a minor character in the book and I honestly wanted to visit a Korean restaurant by the end to try some new dishes!

A nice read for a chilled beach day.

I love the idea of the baking stars and the fact there was sweet stuff involved but other than that I really couldn't get into this book. I got lost after I realized into this book i got lost after the fact they slept together there should've been more heat to this story That doesn't mean others shouldn't read it.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book but I really enjoyed it! I am baker so I was excited to see a romance centered around a bakery and a food critic (I was originally trained as a chef specializing in Italian cuisine). This book is right up my alley. I really liked Aubrey and her friendship with Tara. I liked Landon okay, he wasn't my favourite male lead but I didn't dislike him either, I am very picky with my male peads and it's hard to crack into my favourites so don't hold that against him. I loved when Aubrey spent time with his friends and the relationship she built with them. I loved the baking part though. As Aubrey tested her new recipes trying to get them perfect and that joy when it finally works. I don't want to say too much about the trope at the end so it doesn't give away anything but it's one of my favourites and I was so happy to see it! I really enjoyed this book and it's a great book for summer and I think you'll like it.

A cute and sweet romance novel with some yummy baked goods thrown in there. Aubrey is running a small town bakery that is the talk of the town. At least until hot shot food critic gives it a bad review based on some bad information. Of course Aubrey and Landon begin their relationship before finding out who each other are in the bad review. And thus begins the tension of being together or being angry with each other.

I really liked Aubrey's character and personality, and while Landon was a whole lot more cocky, he still came across as a fairly likable guy who was clearly smitten with Aubrey. I also like the passion between the two that the author brought out without needing to describe every little detail of their romantic encounters.

However, I didn't understand how the proposed solution to the bad review was supposed to help. The plot was a bit vague in that area of writing and not super satisfying. In addition, the novel's end was very quickly wrapped up neatly and I found it a bit unbelievable that all was made right so quickly.

However, it is clearly supposed to be a light romcom novel and I expect to be entertained without having to invest much in the story. So for that, the book is hits the mark.