I hadn’t read the first two in this series but in the beginning I liked that it kind of just started without a lot of extreme backstory/story building. Unfortunately it did not last the old friends to lovers trope just doesn’t always work and it really didn’t for me in this case. I don’t get her reasoning or leaving a job that she dedicated so much time too. This was a cute story but I just could not get into it in the end.

Booked on a Feeling was a very sweet, friends to lovers story. Definitely worth a good 4 star rating - I’m very surprised by many of the extreme low ratings I’m seeing out there! They are totally unwarranted and unfair. This story is excellent, with Lee’s usual great writing, and everyone should give it a chance.

Lizzy is a lawyer and extreme overachiever, pushed by her parents. She’s in court trying her first case as lead, and passes out during a panic attack. After winning, she decides this is her time to take a break, and with a 3 week leave, goes to visit her best friend Jack in his small-town a few hours away, renting an Airbnb over a bookstore. She’s always wanted to run a bookstore (childhood dream), so helps the bookstore owner during her downtime, along with Jack, who’s also going through a bit of a job crisis. Spending all their time together brings them even closer…

I highly recommend this great friends to lovers, book lovers, escape from a high-stress and unloved work situation book to absolutely everyone! It’s very sweet and cute and has just the right steam level. It’s a solid 4-star, trending towards a 4.5 but not quite all the way there.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin. This is my honest feedback - thank you all so much!

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

DNF'd at 35%. Honestly, the book is boring and quite cringe-worthy at times.
I'll start by saying that I love that Jayci incorporates her Korean culture in her writing. Two stars simply for the wiring style.

Lizzy is a lawyer and she won her first trial. She's on the fast track to making partner at her firm, but she's burnt out. I get it, I'm in a demanding field... burn out sucks. But the thing that I have never done is take a three-week trip. And to not feel even the slightest bit of joy after her win? I don't buy it.

Jack works at his family brewery but he's also over it and he is looking for a career change. He wants to move to L.A. to be closer to his best friend, Lizzy, who he has been pining over for the last 20 years.

The weird flirtation and "noticing" each other's bodies for the first time feel forced and out of place. I think the line "He grinned and tapped her on the nose, and she... blushed." was an attempt to remind readers that there is supposed to be romance in this book. The line doesn't work. It is weird and out of place and frankly a weird thing for a grown man to do. Thus far, we've had very little exposure.

I found myself skimming the book, and skipping large paragraphs because I was bored. The thought of continuing on with the book made me turn to household chores just to avoid reading it.

Lizzy suffers from panic attacks. She escapes to bucolic Weldon and volunteers at a bookstore. She also ropes her best friend Jack to help. Jack has hopelessly been in love with Lizzy since they were kids. As they explore a tentative love match, will it strain their friendship?
I liked Lizzy’s love for books and lists. I liked that Jack had pined for Lizzy for years.
It’s a cute, schmaltzy, story about finding what realky makes you happy in life and really listen to what your moods and body are telling you.

I enjoyed this friend-to-lovers rom-com!

Lizzy and Jack have been friends since they were 10..,.and Jack has loved her since then. After an ill-timed panic attack has Lizzy passing out during a trial, she decides it’s time to take a break. That’s how she ends up spending 3 weeks in Weldon and realizing her feelings for Jack might be more than friendship.

I loved Lizzy and her bookworm loving heart! Jack was so sweet to her and I thought they made a fantastic couple. I always enjoy Lee’s own experiences are scattered throughout her stories. The events and outcomes in the story are predictable and it took me a bit to get into the story, but I’m glad I got to see Lizzy and Jack find themselves and each other in the end!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

What a feel-good fun to read rom-com. I really enjoyed reading this. It gave me the mid-week distraction from life I needed.

I loved the character of Lizzie. She is brave, and I felt like I could relate to the character struggling to find the courage to change her life and find one she is truly happy with. She is so happy and positive like a ray of sunshine, but still grumpy and sarcastic. I loved the development of her friendship with Shannon.

And Jack- he is book boyfriend goals! The only thing I didn’t like is that he was so in love with her from the very first chapter. So it felt like a verrrrrry slow burn. I loved his relationship with his family.

I loved the multicultural aspect- I love learning new things about different cultures. I loved the portrayal of the importance of family and the different expectations Korean families have for their children. I would have found a pronunciation guide helpful- there were lots of Korean terms used throughout the book just in regular context. The author did a good job of explaining what each one meant though.

I also loved the very subtle dual POV- how it just used stars to break up the chapters but it was very easy to tell the POV’s were changing. And I loved seeing their thoughts and worries about each other and their developing relationship run parallel- it really showed what a great pair they make together.

Things I didn’t care for- the timeline. I felt like the love match happened too early on, like we hit the climax in the first 30% of the book and then the rest was just going through the motions of that. I also found the author picked and chose what she went into a lot of detail on, and the points she went into a lot of detail on weren’t always super relevant to the story. I also would have enjoyed more of a backstory and flashbacks to their friendship the past 20 years.

Overall- I loved this book! It was cute, it was predictable and everything I love in a romance read.

super cute cover that drew me in! interesting choices from time to time coming from the characters but it was interesting getting to know them and sort of understand them as people.

Lizzy is a burned out lawyer who is feeling empty after a big work win. Jack, feeling stuck in his job at his family’s brewery, pines after his best friend Lizzy from a distance. But when Lizzy comes to town and starts fixing up a local bookstore, will these two follow their hearts and get their bookworthy happily ever after?

I liked this book! (3 stars is a liked in my book). I loved the sweetness of the romance between Lizzy and Jack. A good friends to lovers and second chance romance book! And while it was largely closed door (everything but sex was described), the chemistry between Lizzy and Jack was undeniable and felt authentic.

I also appreciated the talk about anxiety and how living up to your parents expectations isn’t how you should live your life. Plus, a good deal of the book takes place in cozy bookstores (swoon).

If you’re looking for a happy romance with minimal (but good) steam and spicy chemistry, this is for you!

I couldn’t get into it which is likely my problem but, it’ll be a cute romance lots of people will love for years to come

This was a really good friends to lovers story. It was sweet and heartfelt. The chemistry between the two best friends was lowkey there but it’s not really in your face so when the story unfolds, it does so nicely. Jack is the perfect best friend, always doing little things to make Lizzy happy. This makes him the perfect boyfriend too. You can see how much he values Lizzy and his friendship. We also get to see his insecurities and honestly i just wanted to hug him. I felt so bad and I think that it’s important that we talk about men’s insecurities.

Overall this was a great read. Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Griffin for the ARC.

3.5 stars.

I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so here goes!

I enjoyed this book! It didn’t move very quickly, most of the time, for me but that was okay because there were so many components to the story I enjoyed. I loved the bookstore(s), I loved the side characters, I loved the character growth, and the desire not only to be a happier and more fulfilled person individually, but also to grow within their relationship. I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope and the addition of the bakery. Something’s I didn’t care for as much were how repetitive the main characters were about the length of their friendship, Lizzie’s rather toddler-ish immediate reactions to things, and Jacks absolute fascination with her (it was just a bit over the top at times for me). But this was a sweet, happy, and lovely summer read for me. Brava!

Another friends-to-lovers moment is on the way!

Lizzy Chung and Jack Park have been friends since childhood, keeping in touch even when living in different neighborhoods. When Lizzy passes out from a panic attack during her first big trial, she decides to take an extended break in Weldon and revive the town’s local bookstore- with the help of Jack, of course.

But while this is a delight for Lizzy, Jack is trying to hide his huge crush on his best friend! After all, she lives in L.A. while he’s helping run his family’s brewery four hours away, so it would never work… right?

Reading this book felt like watching a Hallmark film- well, with some risqué additions! It was a treat to see the masculine lead pining for his best friend instead of being the one who’s hard to get. However, Lizzy fell for Jack too suddenly after decades of only being besties, and the discovery of her feelings needed to be showcased more in order to be believable. The conflict of the novel was also on the lighter side, so it’s more geared towards a reader who prefers enjoyable characters than a book with twists and turns.

Booked on a Feeling will be in bookstores near you on July 26th. Be sure to pick up a copy for your longtime crush!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

My first book from Jayci Lee!

At first I wasn’t sure about the writing style and I usually like dual pov storylines but this one I felt like the personalities were written too similarly. I shouldn’t have been worried though- the further I read the more I grew to like both characters on their on and their struggles/journey to find their true happiness while trying not to disappoint their families.

Lizzy is an attorney working in LA, and feeling a little burnt out. So, she goes to spend three weeks a few hours away in Weldon, where her childhood and best friend Jack lives. He’s there running his family brewery with them, but also feels that this is not want truly makes him happy. Lizzy and Jack navigate their relationship as it changes from just friends to something more, but all the while tries to find what their true dream is. Enjoyed this read and can’t wait to read her other books 🥳

Bestfriend to Lovers Trope
I love Lizzy and Jack's friendship.
I love how Lizzy knows there's a problem inside her. I love women who knows to rest when needed.
Books about books is always a chef's kiss for me as librarian.
Overall I will recommend the book because I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a cute, friends to lovers romance between Lizzy Chung and Jack Park, best friends since they were ten years old. He has loved her for almost as long. He's never made a move, because he's afraid to be ruin their friendship if it didn't work out.

After having a panic attack on her first big trial, Lizzy decides to take a vacation -- three weeks out of Los Angeles and into the small town of Weldon, where Jack lives. Her feelings for Jack start to appear while she is there. She wants to take a chance on them, but he is holding back. Too scared of ruining things. They also need to communicate more, especially since they are supposed to be best friends. If she had told Jack some of the things she was feeling and vice versa there wouldn't have been issues between them at all.

Where this book really doesn't work for me as believable was Lizzy's feelings for Jack. We know he has had feelings for her for a very long time, but hers seems to just appear all of a sudden. It just didn't seem realistic to me.

Overall, this was a good read and I liked the bookstore aspect included in this story.

Lizzy is so close to making partner in her law firm and finally fulfilling the dream her parents had for her life in L.A. She may have won her first trial, but the panic attack that caused her to pass out at the start of it was definitely not in her trial prep routine. Acknowledging her burnout, Lizzy decides to head to Weldon for a three-week vacation to get her head on straight and spend some time with her best friend since childhood, Jack Park.

Jack is surprised to see overachieving Lizzy in his small town, but he’s eager to spend as much time as possible with her over the next three weeks. He just has to make sure she doesn’t find out that he sees her as much more than a friend. He knows he’s not good enough for her and doesn’t want to risk their friendship on the unlikely chance that she would reciprocate his feelings.

When Lizzy decides to devote her vacation to giving the local bookstore an overhaul, Jack helps so he can spend time with her. But the more time these two spend together, the clearer it becomes that there is far more between them than a mere friendship.

This was a really cute friends to lovers romance. I’m a sucker for the ‘I’ve loved you for years’ pining and I really liked the narration. Lizzy’s tendency toward anxiety and living for the expectations of others was painfully relatable, as were Jack’s feelings of inadequacy. I loved that these two decided to take the jump together, but I do wish they’d had a more open discussion of their feelings sooner. They both had excellent finding themselves character arcs, but I would’ve loved it so much more if they’d undergone at least some of that growth and discovery together rather than apart. I found it very interesting that it was the male lead’s insecurities that wound up derailing the relationship, rather than the female’s; I think it’s nice to see a man humanized, to show that men struggle with self-esteem sometimes just as much as women do. We don’t see that too often in the alpha hero dominated world of romance, so I thought it was worth noting here. I think Jack and Lizzy brought out the best in each other and I found it very satisfying when they realized this too. I think they made an adorable couple and I especially loved that this book read like a love letter to romance books in general.

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

A thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for the ARC!

“They stood on the precipice of something neither of them fully understood, but it was achingly beautiful.”

3.5 / 3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

This was a really cute read, and Jack and Lizzy are SO adorable, but i think overall it was just an okay-ish read. It’s cute, but maybe not a favorite of mine.

Similar to the last two books in this series, this was a sweet romance with not a lot else going on. I liked the characters, particularly Lizzy. I myself am an attorney who chose to take my career in another direction away from pure law practice so I identified strongly with Lizzy’s struggles with her career and thought the depictions of law practice rang true (no surprise there since the author is an attorney herself). I felt like this was missing some conflict/plot/stakes - the typical “friends-to-lovers” trope device of “I don’t want to mess up our friendship” didn’t carry enough weight. Later in the book they each had some career and life decisions to make, but it also didn’t feel like enough. I enjoyed it but thought it could be more compelling.

Thank you Jayci Lee, St Martin's and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Lizzy Chung is a lawyer on her way to becoming a partner of a law firm in L.A. After passing out from a panic attack during a very important case, Lizzy decides to take a three week break from work. What better place to go than to Weldon, where her best friend Jack lives?

Jack and Lizzy have been best friends since they were 10 and he's had a crush on her for almost that same amount of time. Lizzy has no idea about his crush and Jack plans on keeping it a secret because he doesn't want to ruin their friendship. When Lizzy decides to volunteer to revitalize an independent bookstore in Weldon, she asks Jack to help her. Jack agrees to help, but working so close together only makes Jack and Lizzy realize that they may have feelings that run deeper than just friendship.

This friends to lovers book is such a cute, fun read. Lizzy and Jack make the perfect couple. Jack is super sweet and the perfect book boyfriend. Lizzy is a goal-oriented workaholic who never slows down. These two have incredible chemistry. Aside from the romance aspect, the book addresses mental health issues as Lizzy suffers from anxiety. She's trying to find something that truly makes her happy. Booked on a Feeling emphasizes the importance of having the courage to follow your dreams and not being afraid tell the person you love that you love them.

Such a sweet feel-good romance. Love the way it deals with anxiety but also avoidance LOL. Loved the friends to lover troupe. I'm excited for more from this author!