This is a delicious, tasty romance, a real treat for anyone with a sweet tooth or a desire for a sweet romance. As with many culinary tales, however, there will be a few spoilt offerings and obstacles along the way before this romance can reach its own HEA ending!

When the child designed birthday cake was accidentally sold, complete with gummy bear filling, to a food critic, the harsh review is enough to threaten the solvency of this previously upcoming bakery. However, when the bakery owner, Aubrey Choi, discovers the author of that review is the man she slept with she’s even more livid. More than a month later, her returns. He’s not offering to review her bakery again but is offering her the opportunity to appear in a prestigious cookery show with a reknowned chef . . . . The attraction between them is still magnetic but he convinces her to make the most of this opportunity to regain her catering reputation . . . but will the temperature be raised too much as they endeavour to prove too hot for each other to handle?

This is a contemporary romance with a theme of delectable food dishes running throughout it. There’s even a recipe to try out for yourself after the story ends! It is an easy read to escape into with well developed characters, plenty of family dramas and lots of love. There’s more than one romance involved and it is a scrumptious read to whet your appetite and escape into.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Aubrey Choi is a workaholic pastry chef in a small town in California. When a mysterious...and very handsome... stranger gets stranded there for a night, Aubrey sees the perfect opportunity to let loose. But her anonymous one night stands turns out to be none other than Landon Kim, the infamous food critic, who also happens to lampoon her bakery in his next review. Once he finds out who she is, Landon feels extremely guilty for ruining Aubrey's business, and not just because he finds himself inexplicably drawn to the talented baker. He hatches a plan that will help save her dying bakery, and luckily it involves spending an awful lot of time together.

This book is Hallmark movie lover catnip. Every cozy and predictable story line is here, but isn't that why we love romcoms?! This will make a great movie, whenever Daniel Dae Kim releases it!

My overarching complaint is that I felt like the work situation in the background was not fleshed out enough to provide any meaningful conflict or drama. But I really think the cooking show could have been so fun to read about! Instead the story relied on a very repetitive description of how much Aubrey and Landon want each other but can't have each other. (steam note side bar - the sexy times are often referred to but never explicitly described.) Luckily this sort of narration will likely be left out in the movie production, and the story provides enough of an awesome setting that I am excited to see what happens on screen!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's for an eARC in exchange for my review.

4.5 stars

This is a new-to-me author and I’m am definitely going to be seeking out more of her books. Not only did this story hit me in the feels, it was also a lot of fun. To me, that’s a great combination.

The connection between Aubrey and Landon is instant and obvious. When they first meet, I think everyone in the bar must have seen the sparks flying. They both are quick witted, curious, and intelligent. It makes it all the more intense when, as the reader, you know things are going to go downhill fast instead of their relationship building.

Connection or no, Aubrey knows Landon is just passing through. While she doesn’t necessarily have any issues with one-night stands (and neither does Landon), she can’t help but regret they can’t be more. And Landon cannot stop thinking about the woman he picked up in a bar in the town he was stranded in for the night. And then fate makes sure they are thrown back together in the most uncomfortable of ways.

The progression of the relationship between Landon and Aubrey is so well plotted out and rings true. The will they/won’t they. Both trying to convince themselves they can be just friends. The intrusion of thoughts that aren’t so pure becoming more and more invasive in their interactions. I’m telling you, butterflies to the max in so many scenes.

No matter if Aubrey and Landon are in a “hands off” phase or “all in” phase of their relationship, through it all they are so very sweet with each other. Not in a cloying way, but you can really see they are both compassionate people and they pay so much attention to one another they pick up on when something is off. Both want to make the other happy and content, even if it disrupts their own narrative.

This story can seem like a roller coaster at times, but the author never lets it feel out of control. She knows exactly what she’s doing with Aubrey, Landon, and their relationship and knows when to speed the train up and when to slow things down. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

3.5⭐ - this was a quick and fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between the MCs, and loved all the food/wine/baking talk. I just wish it had been a little less predictable/formulaic in terms of the obstacles to the HEA.

The story was kind of fun--I like a good "will they/won't they" type of story. It had me wishing the characters would have communicated with each other better--would have saved them some heartache! But I was pleased with a nice happy ending. However, the writing was distracting--awkward phrasing, clunky wording, etc. It was to the point where it regularly distracted me from the story itself.

If you like romantic comedies with an enemies to lovers trope this book is for you. If you like stories about baking, this is also for you.

A Sweet Mess took me on a roller coaster and I loved the characters and the unique storyline. I liked the predicaments the two main characters got into also and I loved the ending. This is the type of book to read if you need to curl up by the fire on a cold winter night or to escape the real world.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. My thoughts are my own.

This was a four star rating and I definitely recommend it.

WARNING -- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE HUNGRY

A Sweet Mess is a romance between a baker and the food critic who published a review trashing her baking skills. In all fairness, he was given the wrong cake and it was filled with gummy bears, but he refused to give her a second review. In an attempt to redeem himself, he gets the baker on a reality tv show. The descriptions of food are to die for! Come for the romance, stay for the bulgogi recipe (it is at the end). Can’t wait to watch the RomCom with Daniel Dae Kim.

Sweet and sticky is right! Fun if not groundbreaking. The writing was a little bit rough, but easy to overlook with all the foodie descriptions.

This was a quick & enjoyable read. I love a sweet romance, & this book delivered. Aubrey is a great down to earth heroine & Landon is a great sexy counterpart. Their relationship, & it’s ups & downs, makes for a great love story. Highly recommend reading this book.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book and a few things I didn’t. Overall, I found A Sweet Mess to be a fun, flirty, entertaining read, but I have to admit that the things I wasn’t a fan of almost overpowered what I enjoyed about the book, which is why, even now, I’m not completely certain of my rating.

What I liked: I thought it was a cute setup and you could feel the attraction between the two main characters. I genuinely liked Aubrey’s character and found her to be charming and relatable. Landon, on the other hand, was a bit harder for me to like. The more I read, I realized it was because we didn’t get much of his backstory until much later in the book and didn’t get a clear idea as to why he made certain frustrating decisions throughout the narrative.

What I didn’t like: the slow burn romance was way too slow. I didn’t mind the teasing and the buildup but if it wasn’t one putting on the breaks, it was the other. Over and over and over again. It took over half the book for anything to happen and then, after just a few chapters, everything falls apart. I’m not a huge fan of the accidental pregnancy trope in general and I really didn’t love how it was justified that Aubrey didn’t tell Landon she was pregnant. Yes, he was awful, but still... And his awfulness was another thing that really bummed me out. He treated Aubrey like garbage and she barely blinked before she took him back. I wanted to scream at her. I thought he would grovel rather than just say sorry a few times and then forget anything bad even happened. But I couldn’t forget, which made the ending not as enjoyable.

I wanted to love this and, while I did like most of the book, it wasn’t my favorite.

This book is just as sweet as its cover!

Aubrey and Landon meet, out of nowhere at Tara's bar, they have a one night stand and we would think thats the end of it all. But something happens and he comes back to haunt her, literally, in a form of a review that sends her business almost down the drain.

Landon is a food critic, and while almost stranded in Weldon, California, he decides to stop by and get some sweets, unfortunately it didn't end well. Little did he know that this review will bring him face to face with the woman who has been haunting his dreams since their first night.

Landon wanted to make things right with Aubrey and how he goes about everything is too good to be true, but those are the types of romance novels I LOVE!

Their love story, their dreams and aspirations, their family and friends are AWESOME.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing read.

I will not be publicly reviewing this book as I made a decision not to finish it. I was half through the book and had a fair amount of issue with the dynamic between the two main characters. I don’t think I can give an honest review of a book I’ve opted to DNF. Thank you for the chance to read it.

I was excited to read this book because I rarely see Asian authors writing romance novels. I am glad I read this book though. I swear I gained weight just by reading about the "Frankencake." Gummy worms and peanut butter in a cake? Sugar overload alert! Also be warned, spoilers abound! Aubrey Choi is a hardworking, small business owner with a steady flow of customers who love her creative and decadent creations. That is until disaster (or fate?) struck. After a hard day of work, Aubrey is having a drink at her friend's bar when she meets the hot (and I mean hot) stranger who checks all of Aubrey's boxes. Landon Kim, a celebrity food critic, is stuck in Weldon, CA after his car breaks down. Constantly hounded by paparazzi who want some dirt on his personal life, Landon takes the opportunity for some TLC with an attractive stranger he meets at a bar. After a misunderstanding and mix-up with a piece of cake, Landon writes a scathing review of Comfort Zone and business plummets for Aubrey. All of her dreams of expanding her business are destroyed.

After realizing the consequences of his actions, Landon tries to make it up Aubrey but offering her a spot on his friend's cooking competition that would be filmed. Think of Master Chef having a baby with The Great British Bake Off, and you get the sense of what kind of show Aubrey would be participating in. Seizing the chance to improve her bakery's reputation, Aubrey agrees. Landon does his best to get back into Aubrey's good graces and damn if he doesn't and then promptly he's back out. Damn, dude. Get your priorities in check. I genuinely like Jayci's writing and the authenticity of the characters is what I appreciate most. I love a good rom-com, but a K-drama with rom-com elements? SIGN ME UP!

The main leads, Aubrey and Landon, while coming from different backgrounds, have the same family values and issues that I can see in my own life. Aubrey wants to make it on her own, but the support from her dad is practically non-existent. I love the relationship between Aubrey and her mom. Asian parents and kids rarely have an emotional connection that goes beyond parental and societal expectations. I know that sounds cold, but it's what I see reflected in my own Asian community. Feelings of love are implied or not as important as financial stability and family legacy. This book expresses an even amount of Asian family values, generational divide/expectations, and romance with a K-drama touch. I enjoyed this book very much. I look forward to Jayci's next novel.

I really enjoyed this book. Offering up a blend of food, fun and romance, this cute story is well worth the read. I loved Aubrey and Landon I grew to like. I thought the chemistry was great and there were plenty of sparks flying. Wish I could have given it five stars but my own preferences and a few pet peeves got in the way of that. Still overall, I thought this was a very good read.

Ms. Lee is fast becoming a must-read for me. First, can we talk about Daniel Dae Kim as Landon? Because Holy Hotness, Batman. That's who was in my brain during this entire read as Landon (and the actor is signed on to produce/star in this, fingers crossed) so let me tell you, that was no hardship on my lizard brain. Add to that Aubrey and Landon's fuego-kind of chemistry from the very beginning and I was in heaven. Their Firsts are believably drawn and really help to get the reader to connect with them and root for their HEA. There's angst and longing in spades, which I appreciate because it gives that tension that can drive the story and kept me invested in the outcome.

The backdrop of the bulk of the story is pretty small town romance, and that is so rare to see non-white leading characters that I was thrilled. So often, the Korean small town baker would be a supporting character, never the lead, but Ms. Lee populates her stories with diverse characters while giving the reader the gloriously angsty romance they came for. That's how it's done. The angst and obstacles can frustrate, and it gets a little flowery in prose towards the end, but honestly I was enjoying the ride so much that I didn't even mind.

If you're looking for a small town/baker romance, I encourage you to give this a shot. I'm very happy I did.

4.5 stars. I loved this one. It has a Hallmark movie feel to it with the original conflict and the moment when it all falls apart. I loved the characters - their personal stories, their chemistry together, and the cultural pieces here and there, especially around food. The fall-apart moment was fairly predictable, but the way things played out after that was fantastic. Includes one recipe. (Language, sex)

"Her jaws went slack, and her tummy dipped and swerved at the appreciative gleam in his eyes."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I really wanted to like A Sweet Mess, and thought the idea of two Korean-American foodies sounded adorable, but it was sooo cheesy and unromantic. I honestly thought this was the author's first book until I talked to Karen (from For What It's Worth). We'd unknowingly been trying to read it at the same time, but both struggled with the story. It was after messaging her that I realized the author has been published previously.

I'm also not a fan of telling over showing. I should be able to see and understand the humor without someone screaming, "LOOK! RIGHT HERE! THIS IS FUNNY! LAUGH!" I really struggled with the dialogue as well, since their conversations made them seem like teenagers in high school, and not adults with their own businesses and careers.

The formatting was atrocious. I'm already not a fan of POV changes in the middle of a chapter, but this book gives you absolutely no warning before dropping you into someone else's head. I would be reading thinking I was one person, but a few pages later realize that I'd been someone else all along. I would have to backtrack and start over, but even that was hard to do since there were no page breaks or any indication that there'd been a switch. Additionally, the story skips ahead a month without making that abundantly clear, and there wasn't a confirmed chapter until CHAPTER 4. How does that work?

The relationship between Aubrey and Landon wasn't all that believable either. Yes, people have one-night stands, but it felt like they rushed through everything at the start. I wanted there to be more build up before they banged. Basically, they meet at a bar, start to drink together while enjoying some light conversation, then abruptly jump up to act on their "uncontrollable" urges. I wish they'd deepened their conversation, explored their connection, and then left to go boink their brains out.

Finally, I cannot stand it when someone is attracted to a person that has screwed them over, like it's completely out of their control. Landon did something that was truly terrible, and other than "feeling bad" about it, doesn't really give a shit. He doesn't want to risk his reputation to do right by someone else. His "reasons" for staying out of it were crap, and I hated that Aubrey still wanted to hump his leg whenever she saw him again.

"Standing on the brink of losing her dream, she still wanted the man."

"She was determined to hate him , but the thought of him naked on her bed stalled her brain."

"She mentally slapped herself, annoyed as hell at her body’s reaction to him. He was the bringer of destruction. The pusher of her rage buttons."

Aubrey was a smart, successful woman, but the thought of this jerk naked made her act like a hormonal teenager. She should have had more respect for herself and the dream she'd worked so hard for. He could have easily remedied his mistake, but his pride was nearly as large as his ego. It also felt like the author was trying to justify her interest in Landon, despite him clearly being an asshole.

The parts of the book that I think were meant to be funny (like Darth Dimple) ended up making me cringe instead because of the context. She's justifiably mad at him, but mentally making excuses for his behavior. Nope. Sorry, bucko. You don't get any v-candy after being an asshat. His "roving eyes" should have made her angry, not horny. Instead of writing to him and his employer, she should have complained publicly and shared her story with the world. His review of her business was done unfairly, and she shouldn't have sulked around waiting for him to fix things for her. DNF at 20% (★★☆☆☆)

Picture in your mind movie action hero Lee Byung-hun, more popularly known as the character Han Cho Bai in Reds 2, and his real life wife Lee Min Jung as the stars of a sweet Hollywood rom-com. When I started reading this book I wanted some authentic Korean faces to visualize. I’m sorry to say none came immediately to mind so I did an image search for “famous Korean actors“ and had one of those Oh, yeah! IMDB moments. How did we win dinner table arguments over who was in that movie before IMDB?

I digress… everyone in the romance publishing world knows that most ethnic groups are hugely underrepresented. Unfortunately, too often Asian nationalities seem to get lumped together, maybe it’s Hollywood’s fault (1961’s Flower Drum Song anyone?) I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I get upset just being associated with southern California stereotypes. Jayci Lee is uniquely qualified to write about Korean characters as a Korean-American herself. In an interview with 2020debuts.com she said, “When I wrote Temporary Wife Temptation in 2015, I didn’t think I had a chance of traditionally publishing a book with Korean-American main characters. So I originally wrote the book with white main characters with the intent to add Korean-American leads in the next book. But as I revised my book for over two years, I realized that it wasn’t truly the story I wanted to tell. I took a leap of faith and rewrote it with the characters of my heart, a Korean-American hero and heroine.”

Lee absolutely succeeds and brings her unique perspective to her characters in Sweet Mess. Aubrey Choi is Korean-American. Her parents, and especially her father, are very Korean, holding so tight to cultural traditions that Aubrey walked away from an affluent life and any relationship with her parents at eighteen to make her own way in the world. Truthfully, her father was an abusive bully justifying his actions with tradition and Aubrey decided not to take it anymore. All on her own she managed pastry school and opening her own bakery, The Comfort Zone, in the little town of Weldon, Nevada. It is widely popular with the locals, but its still a little town. The Comfort Zone makes most of its money on internet sales. Aubrey works hard, long hours with few breaks, no vacations, and only the help of an often incompetent but earnest high school student running the register.

Enter hunky celebrity food critic Landon Kim. In town only because of a car breakdown, he and Aubrey have a steamy one night stand. Unknown to either character, Landon had eaten at Aubrey’s bakery earlier in the day and received, on accident, the nasty custom concoction of a four year old’s birthday cake with peanut butter and gummy worms instead of the amazing chocolate bundt cake which was the daily special. Needing to fill a spot for publication after returning home, Landon reviews Aubrey’s bakery as an epic failure. Predictably, Aubrey’s bakery free falls into serious financial trouble and may have to close its doors. This is not something even great chemistry can salvage, but Landon is going to give it a shot and that is fun to watch.

Landon is a playboy, always traveling, with a girl in every port. He has never wanted to put the work into a longterm relationship until he meets Aubrey, but then he messes it up so badly, there’s just no way to come back from that. He knows it’s not enough to just say, “Sorry.” Actions are the only thing that will fix this mess, but his conundrum is that he never reviews the same place twice. Instead he calls upon a friend, a famous friend, with a cooking show to feature Aubrey and get her back on the map bigger and better than one poor, albeit notable, review. Aubrey needs the money so she agrees. We knew they had great chemistry in the beginning, but with Landon as the cooking show’s producer, we now get to see them fall in love during a couple weeks of recipe research and taping in California’s wine country.

Aubrey, thankfully, is not a pushover to his charms. She is smart, educated, and pushes Landon hard to measure up. I entirely enjoyed their banter, Lee’s writing style, and the eventual resolution of the book.

Sweet Mess is not part of a series at present, but there is plenty of characters and material in the wonderful little town of Weldon, Nevada. Aubrey’s best friend Tara who owns the local tavern is the most obvious next choice. *fingerscrossed* we get more from Jayci Lee and her small town charmers.

As is expected (and appreciated) in a book about someone who produces food for a living, there is a recipe included in the back of the book. In this case it’s not for a baked good, but for Bulgogi, probably the best-known Korean dish in the United States. It’s paper-thin sliced ribeye in a soy sauce marinade, most often serviced with rice or noodles. I give the author’s recipe *two thumbs up!* Definitely put this one in your to-be-read summer pile.

My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot

Aubrey Choi runs a successful bakery outside of her parents' watchful eye. A scathing review puts that in jeopardy, and it turns out to have been written by food critic Landon Kim, her one nightstand. He feels sorry for the mess he made of her business and wants to help her save it. That involves spending three weeks in a California wine country villa together.

This is the trope of "oh my god, they were roommates" in action, and a great rom-com starring Asian characters. At the same time, we do have serious emotions that they're dealing with: hurts from their families of origin, pushing themselves to be successful, a relationship in spite of themselves, and an unplanned pregnancy. There's work to be done before they get to the happily ever after, and it isn't the pregnancy that forces the reconciliation. They're stubborn, first in their perceptions of each other, then in how they try to push away the attraction and feelings that had developed.

Aubrey is a tough and resourceful woman with a lot of strong qualities, and that helps her to run her own business as well as stand up for herself and demand a fully engaged relationship. As much as it hurts to avoid the emotions that she has, she knows what's best for her and isn't afraid of walking away when she doesn't get it. Landon is more distant from his own emotions, so it takes him a while to realize what's truly important in his life. They do make a great couple when they're on the same wavelength, and not just in the bedroom. All in all, A Sweet Mess is another fun romance from Jayci Lee, and a solid Harlequin novel.

Asian-American main characters, lots of hunger-inducing food descriptions, and classic romance tropes. How can I turn that down? That’s essentially what I write too.

I like the choice of having the Korean leads be beautiful people in successful occupations–an influential food critic in Landon and a talented baker in Aubrey. I like that this story is light, focusing on the travails of a romantic relationship instead of societal struggles that minorities face in the US. We have too many of those stories and not enough of this kind. The angst comes from the yearning, the risking of professional reputation versus personal desires.

While there’s instalust, the sex scenes are sweet and not explicit. The food scenes are sumptuous, so don’t read this hungry. Friendships are tight and mothers are honored. Overall, Ms. Lee’s storytelling is enjoyable. She handled one of my most disliked tropes quite well and the push-and-pull was just enough to cause tension but not too much to make me give up on the couple.

As the title suggests, this book is both sweet and a little bit of a mess. In the early copy I read, there were several times when the transitions between Aubrey’s and Landon’s points of view weren’t smooth and the time jumps weren’t clear. Also, the dual daddy issues were too much and the cover, while cute, didn’t reflect the ethnicity of the lead characters. These are minor issues and don’t stop me from recommending A Sweet Mess to Romance readers who are looking for books that reflect the diversity of the society we live in today