Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee follows Lizzy, an attorney who is on the brink of burn out, as she takes three weeks off of work and head's to the town she grew up in giving her the chance to spend time with her best friend, Jack. While in town, Jack is faced with the feelings he has always felt for Lizzy. Does he risk their friendship by telling her or keep everything wrapped up - he can survive for three weeks right? While on her sabbatical, Lizzy meets the owner of the bookstore below the rental she is staying at. She offers her help to freshen up the store and ropes Jack into helping too.

Overall concept of this book is cute; who doesn't love a book written about bookstores?! One of the best parts of this book was the transformation that took place in the small town bookstore. Overall I felt like Jack's view of his place in his family was negative and on the whiny side. I also felt like the story was missing the history of the friendship between Jack and Lizzy and their chemistry was a little dry and awkward at times. I did find myself skimming sections to move the story along.

One of my least favorite things happened - the "let's not talk about this thing even thought it's a big thing" trope. I admit that the outcome of the unspoken was necessary to the story line, it simple frustrates this reader. 😂

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It fell a bit short of the mark for me, but perhaps you'd like to give it a go if you enjoy:

Romance books with a side of spice
Childhood friends to lovers
Korean-American characters
Main characters find their true passions
Transformations of spaces
Third person POV
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy for my honest opinion.

A warm and fuzzy love story with all the right elements.

Childhood friends, Lizzy and Jack, reconnect in Jack's small town during Lizzy's 3 week hiatus from her busy job as a lawyer in L.A. Things get a little confusing when they realize there is more to their relationship than being "just friends". Jack starts to secretly plan out a life for himself in L.A. to be closer to Lizzy, while Lizzy is secretly planning a much simpler life in Welden to be closer to Jack. They certainly know a lot about each other since they've been best friends since age 10, but during the 3 weeks together they learn so much more about themselves, what they want out of life and to follow their own dreams and not the ones their family's have dreamt for them. But, what happens when they find themselves in opposite cities?

Sweet, heartwarming, easy to love characters in search of self discovery. I was totally living vicariously through Lizzy and her dream of owning a bookstore, while her mother was adamant about her becoming a lawyer and making partner. I also had all the googly eyes for Jack who was the most loving and supportive friend turned lover, wanting more for himself than a bookkeeper for his family's brewery business. I loved the small town vibe of Weldon and the book lovers trope. A book about books? Yes, please! I simply didn't want their story to end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for a free E-ARC in exchange for my honest review

Booked On A Feeling is a cute, friends to lovers rom-com. Typically rom-coms are right up my alley, but I struggled to really get into this one. The concept is cute and I did enjoy it, but it didn't ever really suck me into the story. It wasn't a book I felt I couldn't put down. I struggled to relate to the characters and at times I struggled to feel the connection between the,

Like I said I did enjoy the book, it just wasn't something I would recommend to everyone. I think if you like cutesy rom-coms and friends to lovers it might be worth a shot, it just didn't hit the mark as I was expecting it to given the story line of the book.

Thank you St Martins Press & NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for a honest review

Sadly, I DNFed this book at 15%.
First off, there was no background for the characters mentioned in the book. I don’t even remember the characters names. Also, there were so many character names, but no explanation of who they were. I got very bored with the book because nothing interesting was happening.

The cover is cute, but I just couldn’t get into the story.

Pros: light and fluffy romance book that goes by pretty quick

Cons: this really wasn’t a well written book. It didn’t feel like the main character had any depth to her, she was supposedly best friends with the other main character but they act very uncomfortable and professional around each other which is not how best friends act, there were some parts that’s just did not make sense (her parents basically shit on the fact that his family business was a brewery yet they are best friends with his parents and her mom didn’t think he was good enough for her because he worked at a brewery), there is basically no background about their friendship or flashbacks of their friendship from the past 20 years and it was mentioned that she moved here when she was eight and then her parents moved back to Korea when she was in high school but left her to finish out her American education but never said who she was staying with or where - the book also made it sound like it was her first time visiting his hometown which really doesn’t make sense if they were supposedly best friends their entire lives. I also didn’t like the anxiety representation in this book. It did not seem like the author had an understanding on anxiety and panic attacks, and if she did this plays into the not well written aspect because at the very beginning she has a panic attack but you only really know that because she says she has a panic attack and the author only sprinkles in that she is getting dizzy and has tunnel vision and then she faints.

I think that about sums it up but I would not recommend this book to anybody. I love Hallmark movies myself and cheesy romance books but there are so many better cheesy books out there than this one.

I want to thank St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Unfortunately, this was DNF for me. I got about halfway through, giving it a go. But I didn’t really like the story. I had trouble with connecting with the characters as well.

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee is a must read! It was like a holiday movie and a meet-cute joined forces and wrote a book.

Burned out lawyer, Lizzy Chung, takes an extended vacation after being overcome with anxiety in her first trial. Lizzy is on track to make partner at her law firm but the anxiety she has started feeling has her questioning everything. She heads to a small California town where she spent summers growing up with her best friend, Jack Park. Jack is thrilled to spend 3 weeks with Lizzy, the woman of his dreams. Jack works at his family brewery but can't help but wonder if there is a life waiting for him outside his small town... and closer to Lizzy in LA.

Worried to risk everything to possibly find their wildest dreams coming true, Lizzy and Jack work together to help revitalize a small town bookstore, while finding out who they are as individuals and who they could be together.

Read this if you are looking for an easy read with a sweet plot, loveable characters, books, or if you have ever wanted to take a vacation to a small town and help a bookstore while falling in love.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Publishing for this free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, Booked on a Feeling was a cute, pretty predictable rom-com that we book lovers are especially drawn to because it takes place in a bookstore, which is secretly a dream for all of us. Lizzy and Jack are clearly drawn to each other—and you get the POV from both sides so you know that they are both heading in the direction of romance, though it takes a long time to get there.

Though the story was sweet, nothing really happened with the plot. I found myself skimming through sections of it to find some sort of action or conflict and never really got too much of anything. The plot is slow and I felt that I didn’t really understand why Lizzy and Jack were friends or how their relationship worked before this point in the story. Childhood best friends usually have more inside jokes and quirks that only they know about each other, and I really didn’t see that here.

Without giving too much away, though, I did like the ending and I liked that neither of them had to change to be together—they were already friends, so it wouldn’t have made sense if someone had to give up part of who they wanted to be to make it work. Also, the secondary characters in the book were really great, especially the bookstore owner and Jack’s sister.

If you’re a lover of the friends-to-lovers trope and have an affinity for rom-coms and bookstores, you’ll want to grab a copy to breeze through it. You’ll get exactly what you’re looking for!

3 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you're looking for warm fuzzies and happily ever afters, look no further than Booked on a Feeling!

While this is the third book set in Walden, you don't need to have read Jayci Lee's earlier novels to enjoy this one - it reads like a standalone. Lizzy and Jack's friends to lovers romance is so perfectly written; the way they feel about each other is so sweet, but the sparks between them are definitely not lacking in spice.

I really appreciated that they both took the time to figure out their dreams and to pursue their goals before fully committing to each other. I loved cheering Lizzy on as she overcame the immense pressures her family put on her to walk away from her high-stress legal career to pursue her dreams. The way her anxiety and professional burnout was handled felt so true-to-life and will definitely resonate with readers!

If you love a (best) friends to lovers trope, this book is for you! Booked on a Feeling gave me Book Lovers by Emily Henry vibes - in such a good way. While I did feel like the story line was predictable and certain parts of the book felt rushed, it did leave me with a smile on my face. It's a cute rom com set in between LA and a small town. Lizzy is a lawyer chasing ambition while Jack helps his family run their brewery, but he's desperate for more. They're two best friends who lean on each other when things get hard, however, Jack has always yearned for more. When Lizzy escapes to Weldon to help her anxiety, she will learn a lot of truths about herself and Jack.

I loved how the author handled anxiety and societal pressures in this book. The slow burn is quickly paid off and I loved the dynamic between Jack and Lizzy. This book is a quick, easy page turner that will warm your heart.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5. Cute story! I loved Lizzy and Jack together. I loved the Korean culture woven in.

For me, the pacing was slow to get going but once it was going it was a sweet & spicy read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance copy.

This was a really sweet friends to lovers romance. I loved the whole small town aspect! When Lizzie decides that she needs a break from her lawyer career she goes on a spontaneous 3 week trip to Wheldon where her best friend, Park, lives. I love how she finds a bookstore in the small town that needs help and decides to fix it up. It was a book lovers dream! One thing that I really liked was how Park has been pining for Lizzie since he was ten years old. I love how much her cares for her and goes along with all her shenanigans. I swooned at all the times that Park thinks Lizzie is cute. Awwwww!

Read if you like:
3rd person dual POVs
Friends to lovers
Small town romance
Bookstore renovation
Open door romance

thank you to netgallery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this was such a cute and lighthearted read. it felt like a hug.
lizzy is an aspiring lawyer who, after a breakdown, decides to take a break in a small town in california where coincidentally, her childhood best friend, jack works.
although jack has spent years convincing himself that his relationship with lizzy is strictly platonic, her return has sparked feelings again.
this book is filled with passion and cute moments that made me smile like an idiot.

however, the characters were also extremely stubborn and suffered in miscommunication.
this will be published on july 26th, 2022

This book follows a lawyer named Lizzy who needs a break. She ends up visiting her best friend Jack who works in his family’s brewery. The story follows the two of the as they navigate work and relationships.

This book was cute in concept, but I felt the connection wasn’t completely there. I wanted more from the characters. If you like friends to lovers, you may find this story enjoyable.

Booked on a Feeling is a really cute, fun romance book. I didn't realize until I was midway through that it's the third in a series, but it works well as a stand alone book. But now I must read the first two! Lizzy is a workaholic lawyer, and her best friend Jack lives four hours away, but the sparks fly between them. Lizzy and Jack are both Korean-American, and there are a lot of good descriptions of food and family. The series reminds me of Jasmine Guillory's books, in that each book is about a loosely connected character from the earlier books. It's a fairly formulaic romance, and makes comments about that in the book, and like Jasmine Guillory's books, it's really well written and keeps you sucked into the characters' lives, even though you know up front they'll end up together.

This is your classic friends-to-lover romance. Lizzy is having a come to Jesus moment. she doesn't want to be a lawyer. she is suffering from anxiety when working at her law firm in New York and enough is enough. She's taking some time off so she can figure out what she wants to do.

Jack has been in love with Lizzy since he's known her. He has a brilliant idea to take things further but now Lizzy is in town for three whole wee.

This was a cute and spicy friend to a lover - I was really into the journey of these two and the clear misunderstanding waiting to happen
I enjoyed the culture embedded into the storyline

Booked on a Feeling is Jayci Lee’s newest romantic comedy. Lizzy Chung is a 30-year-old overachieving lawyer who is conflict-averse and has serious anxiety issues. She is five years into her seven-year partner-track at a Los Angeles law firm and is serving as the Lead Counsel in a trial for the first time. After having an anxiety attack while delivering her Opening Statement, Lizzy questions if she is really cut out to be an attorney. She decides to take three weeks off and visit her hometown and lifelong best friend, Jack Park, to decide what she wants out of life.

Jack Park is a 30-year-old mathematician who works as a bookkeeper at his family’s microbrewery in small-town Weldon, California. He has been secretly in love with Lizzy since they were 10 years old and is plotting to move to LA to be closer to Lizzy. When Lizzy decides that the Weldon bookstore needs a little revamp, Jack helps her bring it back to life. They finally both admit that they have romantic feelings for each other.

I did not enjoy this book because I didn’t find any humor in it. Neither Lizzy nor Jack acted like 30-year-olds; their thoughts and behaviors were more like teen-agers. Lizzy’s anxiety issues were mentioned often, so this story was more realistic fiction than comedy. If Lizzy was ill-suited as a trial attorney, there were other types of law that she could practice instead of leaving law altogether. Financially it didn’t make sense for her to buy a bookstore in LA.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book had all the makings of being a wonderful read, but it fell short with major disappointments. I was immediately drawn into Lizzie's story. She felt realistic and relatable as a main character overworked during the long weeks leading up to a big trial. The writing was engaging and the details of lawyer-life were accurate and realistic, and I loved the overall premise. I also loved her the short moments we got to see of her relationships with her colleagues (I wish we had gotten even more from her relationships with her colleague, Ashley) and her boss - it's nice to see a male boss written to be a pretty good person, and I appreciated it!

Where this felt like a miss for me was the development of the love story in Weldon. When Lizzie found herself in Weldon, it was as though on her quest toward reconnecting with herself, she literally regressed from being that mature and capable woman to ... getting WAY too excited over checklists and llama notebooks? No thank you...

I wanted to fall in love with her and Jack's relationship, but it never quite clicked into place for me. Jack, at times, felt like he had a little bit of the stereotypical male "learned helplessness" (I.e. wanting to help in the kitchen but "just being unable to"!) that turned me off. Together, Lizzie and Jack's budding romance felt more like two eighteen-year-olds falling in love (that closed-door romance 70% in absolutely broke my HEART! They're 30 - we can handle some steam!), rather than a "second-chance-romance-friends-to-lovers" trope show. Which really encapsulates the last issue that I had with the read: it felt as though it was written (a little too blatantly obviously) for the quintessential quirky bookish girl. It didn't give me that organic feeling of familiarity, but rather like it was a little too forced.

I wanted to love this read, but it just fell short for me in so many ways. A swing and a miss...

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee. This is a contemporary romance, friends to lovers book that is absolutely adorable. I really feel in love with the characters in this book while the main characters found themselves.

Unfortunately I ended up DNF at 40%. It took two weeks to get to this point in the book. I really wanted to like it, the cover is adorable, but it just didn’t do it for me, Thank you for the opportunity for the eArc.