BOOKED ON A FEELING – Jayci Lee
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250621146
July 26, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Weldon, California – Present Day

High-powered Los Angeles attorney Lizzy Chung appears to have it all. She has worked hard to achieve her proudest goal, being named a partner in the firm where she works. But a panic attack while in a courtroom has her decide to take a month off and return to her hometown of Weldon, where her best friend, Jack Park, lives with his family. Lizzy rents an apartment above a bookstore, which intrigues her because she’s a big romance reader. She’s soon helping the owner, Shannon, in sprucing up the bookstore to help bring in business. She even enlists Jack’s help, which means that she gets to spend more time with her best friend.

Jack has had a crush on Lizzy since they were ten years old, but she’s never looked his way. He’s glad that she’s in town visiting and they are getting to do things together, but he’s hoping their friendship develops into something more. Jack is well aware that Lizzy’s life is in Los Angeles, while he’s stuck as the bookkeeper of his family’s brewery. However, he’s hopeful he can change his address by getting a job in Lizzy’s neck of the woods. But as they spend more time together, and start a romantic relationship, Lizzy begins to wonder if Los Angeles is really home for her.

It's a romance for best friends in BOOKED ON A FEELING, the latest by Jayci Lee. Friends since childhood, Lizzy and Jack can just about tell each other whatever they’re thinking, but he hasn’t told her that he’s in love with her. Lizzy thought being an attorney was what she wanted, but it turns out that it’s what her parents wanted for her. Lizzy is content spending time reading a romance and hanging out with friends. She can’t do things like this in her current high-stress job. After passing out during a panic attack in court, Lizzy finally reassesses her life and decides to step away for a month.

Jack feels like the third wheel at the brewery. Anyone can do the bookkeeping, so he’s looking for a change in scenery, all the way to Los Angeles. Of course, Lizzy being there was the big allure but now she’s in Weldon and he’s enjoying their time together. The chemistry between Lizzy and Jack starts off with them bantering, and soon, their feelings for each other turn romantic. Jack will do whatever Lizzy asks him to do, but if she turns her back on him after their fling is over, how will he react? Jack and Lizzy make a nice couple, but readers will wonder what will happen if their romance goes off the rails. Meanwhile, Lizzy is enjoying her temporary job at the bookstore. Are career changes in store for both?

BOOKED ON A FEELING is an enjoyably breezy tale with loads of fun and plenty of sexy banter. Will Jack get the job and the woman he wants with them living happily ever after in Los Angeles? Or will Jack and Lizzy both find their plans turned upside down? Enjoy the fun and pick up a copy of BOOKED ON A FEELING.

Patti Fischer

This was a cute childhood friends to lovers romance. And most of it takes place in a bookstore so what’s not to love?

Lizzie Chung is on the partner track at her LA law firm. But when she has a panic attack in the middle of her first trial, she takes a leave of absence to focus on her health. She heads back to her hometown where she starts spending more time with her best friend Jack Park who is working at his family’s brewery.

Lizzie and Jack had great chemistry and I appreciated Jack’s pining. I struggled a bit with the middle of the book where it felt like nothing was really happening. And then the conflict is entirely miscommunication which isn’t my favorite. I just wanted these two adults to talk to each other! Overall I’d give this 3.5 stars.

Content warnings: Panic attacks and anxiety; challenging parents for the FMC.

Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

"She didn't have much time to read for fun, but when she did, she always turned to her favorite genre- romance. Sure, it was a nice escape, but it was more than that. Those stories healed something inside her and made her feel less alone.”

Ugh, this quote is exactly why I love romance books. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

📚Summary📚
Lizzy is a lawyer in a big firm in LA. She just won her first trial, but feels nothing. Just burned out. She decides to take some time off to recharge and goes to Weldon, the small town where her best friend of 20 years, Jack lives and works at the family brewery. Jack feels like the brewery is his family's dream, not his and wants more for his career.
Jack has had feelings for Lizzy for the duration of their friendship. When she comes to Weldon for 3 weeks, he's worried about hiding his feelings for her. But the more time they spend together, both Lizzy and Jack notice a different vibe in their relationship. Are they willing to risk their friendship for a shot at happiness? And what about their careers?

📚Review📚
This was a cute read. The beginning was setting the background of both Lizzy and Jack, so it started off a bit slow. Once Lizzy got to Weldon and the tension and attraction between Lizzy and Jack came to the forefront, it picked up a bit. Until they got together, their inner monologues were a little repetitive. I appreciated the anxiety representation. I loved Jack's relationship with his family, and I wish there may have been more closure in Lizzy's with her parents, and maybe some more insight into her relationship with her father since her mother's was so tense. Overall, it was a great summer romance and the bookworm in me loves a love story with a heavily featured independent bookshop!

I don't think the author quite understands what makes romance interesting. There is no question of the couple ending up together; they're both POV characters. The solutions to their "problems" are obvious, to both the reader and the characters, and easily achieved. The third act drama is very contrived and relies on the two lying and being wilfully ignorant. The "misunderstanding" could be cleared up with a single text.

Because there is no drama, huge chunks of the book are devoted to describing food, talking about food, thinking about food, eating food. There were more dinner scenes than romance scenes.

<spoiler>Lizzy is a lawyer who doesn't like being a lawyer. In the second chapter we learn her favorite bookstore is up for sale. Now, one might suspect she'd quit her job and purchase the bookstore, and the story would progress from there. Perhaps that's not the most realistic or responsible thing, but people make reckless decisions all the time, and this is fiction. No, instead of buying the bookstore at the beginning, and maybe meeting someone to rival the main love interest, she takes a trip and spend her vacation time volunteering at another bookstore.

Her and Jack, her childhood best friend who has been in love with her for twenty years, eventually start dating. There is never any question about that outcome. All the sexy scenes fade to black, much like my vision while reading this. Then, in the very last chapter, we are finally told Lizzy buys the bookstore, surprising absolutely no one. We don't get to see her work on it, or grappble with the pressures of being a small business owner. All that potentially interesting and stressful stuff happens off screen. Everything is just swell at the end. </spoiler>

I've been trying to come up with the right word for this book. Boring, uneventful, predictable, sedate. There are plenty of ways to introduce drama (I kept hoping Jack would meet with tragedy), but the author ignores them for blander fare. It's the literary equivalent of taking Ambien. If you want to slip into a coma and can't afford drugs, I'd recommend this.

Oh the pining!

Jack has loved Lizzy for twenty years, but has been resigned to be her best friend. When Lizzy wins her first trial, she realizes how much she dislikes her life and runs to Jack. Staying in his hometown, seeing him everyday, she quickly sees him in a new light.

I love pining. The emotional pining and sexual tension was so good. And it didn't patter out when they got together!

When the eventual third act breakup hits, Lizzy and Jack realize they need to focus on their inner problems and insecurities. By learning about their inner selfs, what they truly want and what they are worth, they can come back together as two complete individuals better with each other.

I'm excited to read the first two books in the series now!

Read for: friends to lovers (omg they were so IN LOVE with each other, Asian representation, anxiety representation, and a sweet romance

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars
1 spicy

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a cute contemporary romantic comedy set in a small town north of Los Angeles. Lizzy Chung is an overachiever. She's an attorney at a high powered law firm on the partner track. But when she faints during her opening statement, she realizes she needs a break. She goes back to the small town where she spent her summers with her best friend Jack to unwind and figure out what went wrong.

Jack Park works as a bookkeeper for his family business, but he's got ambitions of his own. He is excited to see his life-long crush Lizzy back in town, although he doesn't know how he'll keep his crush a secret for the three weeks she'll be in town. When she decides to help the local bookstore owner revamp her shop, Jack volunteers to help. And of course, in true rom-com fashion, sparks fly.

I liked the chemistry between Lizzy and Park, although it was a long time coming. The book had a much slower pace than I care for and could have been shorter without missing any of the story. Neither character had much growth until the last couple of chapters so it felt rushed. I'm also not a big fan of the "miscommunication" trope, and although it was minor here compared to other books, I just didn't care for it. However, I did enjoy the "boy falls in love first" and "friends to lovers" tropes that center the book. The book is very chaste, with a couple mentions of sex but not much more. Overall, it's a cute book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

This was a sweet book. It was not my favorite. This is the first book of this Author I’ve read. I liked it enough.

"Booked on a Feeling" by Jayci Lee was a wonderful read! One I love a good friends to lovers book and this one was just what I was looking to read. Lizzy's experience with anxiety/panic attacks was very well painted and it is something I have experienced in my own life. It was well detailed and very accurate from my experience. I loved Jacks love for Lizzy. When the MMC is down bad, it is so great to read. I also appreciated the details of the Korean culture that was put in this book. When I came across the food they ate in this book I would immediately google and look at the recipes so I could in-vision it while reading. I also appreciated the the family dynamic/relationships for both main characters and how they the writer went about discussing them. This is definitely a book I would recommend and this book makes me want to read Jayci Lee's back list. I can't wait to listen to this on audible.

I've definitely enjoyed this author's other books, but this one just didn't quite work for me. Friends to lovers is a great trope, but there was just not a ton of conflict or tension in the story in my opinion.

Definitely enjoyed the banter and characters just without the development that I had expected.

Would recommend if you're looking for a light romance palette cleanser!

This was the perfect quick read for summer! This book gives you the quirky and relatable characters you need in your life. The quintessential story of a boy who loves the girl and the girl doesn’t know he loves her until the girl loves boy.

Lizzy and Jack’s story is a hometown romance there sparks erupt. Plus add in a struggling bookstore and it’s a recipe for LOVE.

Take a chance with Jack as he and Lizzy fall in love among the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

As having previously read the Dating Dare from Jayci Lee, I absolutely loved this book! The characters and love story were entertaining and captivating. Highly recommend!!

Cute book, great addition to the Sweet Mess family! Tbh, not sure if any of the books will top book 1, but I’m loving the follow up on the family. I cannot wait for Alex’s story next.

I was really hoping to like this book, but it just didn't happen.
Lizzy is a lawyer in Los Angeles and is doing pretty well for herself. But after a panic attack during a huge moment in her career, she decides that she needs to take some time for herself. She ends up heading to the hometown of her childhood best friend, Jack, for three weeks. While she's there, she rents an apartment over a bookstore and even makes friends with the owner. She also starts to develop feelings for Jack.
On the other hand, Jack has loved Lizzy for as long as he can remember. When she ends up in his hometown for three weeks, he is ecstatic. Although, he is determined to fall out of love with her so that their friendship doesn't get ruined.
By just reading this, you can see how predictable this story turns out to be. Lizzy quits her job and becomes the owner of a bookstore back in Los Angeles, Lizzy and Jack become a thing for like a total of a week, and then they have a huge fight. But like all good romance stories, they get back together in the last 5%.
This book was all description and limited dialogue. It was really hard to get through because so much of the information was repetitive. I ended up skimming the last few chapters and still was able to understand the ending. This book definitely was not for me, but if you love friends-to-lovers and are more of a description person than dialogue, you may really like it.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I went into this book not really knowing much about it. This is my first Jayci Lee book, and it is the 3rd book in the series. At the beginning of this book, it feels like you’ve been dropped in the middle of a story that has already begun. We have 2 characters, Lizzie and Jack, who have been best friends for 20 years. There wasn’t much of an introduction to these 2 characters, but as I got further into the book I got more comfortable with their story.

The book opens with Lizzie, who is trying her first trial case as a lawyer. She has worked very hard to get where she is, but she suffers from pretty crippling anxiety. She is in the middle of her opening statement when she has a panic attack and passes out. She does recover from it and go on to win her case, but she is not content with her life afterwards like she thought she would be.

Enter Jack, who has been in love with Lizzie for pretty much the entire time they have known each other. He came to her first trial and was there to catch her when she passed out. After the trial ends and Lizzie is questioning her entire life and career, he is the person she goes to for support and to wind down. Jack works at his family’s brewery as their bookkeeper and as a waiter, but feels like he is not living up to his whole potential. He has secretly been applying for corporate jobs in LA, which has the added benefit of being closer to Lizzie.

Basically the set up has Lizzie and Jack on opposite sides in regards to their careers. Lizzie has been pushing hard (and is being pushed by her mother) to further her career and to make partner in her law firm, but she is faltering under the weight of such a high-pressure career. Jack has been working with his family and coasting along, but feels like he is spinning his wheels and not really making any progress in his life. Lizzie wants to slow down and Jack wants to speed up.

This dynamic sets us up for a pretty effective 3rd act break up, and it feels inevitable and genuine as a conflict. It’s one of those issues that you see coming from pretty much page 1, but you just can’t help but watch play out. There are some other elements of the story that are also telegraphed pretty early on, but do not take away from the overall effectiveness of the plot.

I really like the friendship between Lizzie and Jack, and how they eventually turn into a romance. I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers anyway, but Lizzie and Jack felt genuine. Their banter was great, and the “oh no I can’t possibly be attracted to my best friend…or can I??” part did not get dragged out too long. Lizzie has a moment of “oh no he’s hot” that lasts for like a chapter, and then she is all in, 100% ready to ride the Jack train into the sunset. Jack is a little less trusting – he has been in love with Lizzie for so long and is so used to being “friend-zoned” (vomit, I hate that phrase so much) that he has trouble believing that Lizzie is genuine in her attraction to him and is afraid that it will ruin their friendship in the long term.

Basically, this book is super cute and has a trope that I love, so it was perfectly set up for me to enjoy.

3.5 stars.

“She didn’t have much time to read for fun, but when she did, she always turned to her favorite genre—romance. Sure, it was a nice escape, but it was more than that. Those stories healed something inside her and made her feel less alone.”


This one was really cute. There were slow burn elements.... lots of JUST KISS ALREADY moments. Lots of cheesiness. And the conflict was indeed a conflict (and not just a tiny miscommunication). The resolution didn’t fully give me everything I wanted, but I did really enjoy the entire process of getting there.


Thank you so much to Jayci Lee, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


#BookedonaFeelingJayciLee #NetGalley

I loved this book so much.
It gave me all the Hallmark vibe with a small town and a couple that fall in love when least expected.
Their reunion is not a planned one and the road to that happily ever after is definitely not easy especially since she had to take a huge decision that will change her life forever but it’s so worth it.
Loved the interaction and the romance so much.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

This book was cute, but fell flat in many places for me.

First of all, the two main characters, Jack and Lizzy, aren’t even the same city until almost 20% through the book (not including Jack’s brief appearance in court). This can work sometimes, but the characters are barely even communicating and the book up to this point is mainly them both just being upset about where they are in life.

Then when there is some interaction, the attraction and sexual tension is almost immediate. This makes sense for Jack, who has been pining over Lizzy for decades, but Lizzy is acting like she has never seen this man before even though they are supposed to be best friends. It just seemed like a lot at once to me.

The tension and chemistry is so scrumptious for the middle chunk of this book, especially if you’re looking for a lighthearted, slightly steamy small town romance. But once the conflict happens, it is suddenly all gone all at once. All of a sudden you are back to basically reading two different stories about two people who suck at understanding themselves and even worse: NEITHER OF THEM ARE MAD AT THE OTHER PERSON AND THEY WANT TO BE TOGETHER. BUT THEY JUST DON’T TALK. AT ALL. As a reader, you literally just have to read about them pining for each other and hating their lives, once again. It was very dull to me.

Overall, this book was not bad. There is a lot of mundane, mildly depressing content in the beginning and towards the end, but the middle is so cute. I think in order to pull off the promised bookish romance, a lot of this stuff should have been condensed so the book could focus more on the actual romance. It was not my cup of tea, but I can see it’s redeeming qualities.

2.5 stars ☆ Friends to lovers and guy falls first are always a superior trope to me but I think this book isn’t for me.

I’ve tried to like this book as much as I’ve wanted to but in the end, it was okay. I'm not going to lie that I’ve probably skimmed most parts from this book since I’m having a hard time enjoying it where there isn’t much going on and I felt like there is just something missing to it. I still recommend it, it's just this one wasn't for me that's all.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC !!

✨ ARC Review ✨
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Thank you to Netgalley and Jayci Lee for the ARC to review.
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I needed a sweet and romantic read and Jayci Lee delivered. I absolutely loved Booked on a Feeling. The writing was amazing and the characters were 😍. I love Jack!!!! He was everything. Sweet, perfect, caring, funny, sexy, and just perfection. He stoled my heart in the first chapter. Lizzy was amazing and a great MC. Together, those two lit my heart on fire. I loved their banter, their friendship, and their chemistry. The story was so sweet and had just the right amount for spice. I loved the ending and the choices Lizzy made. I want to be her when I grow up!!!! This story left me smiling and feeling flutters in my heart.
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