This book dragged and it caused me to stop reading. DNF 1.5 stars


*********I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley ******

Lizzy is doing everything right with her career. She’s won her first trial and should feel on top of the world, but she feels like something is missing. Jack had had feelings for his best friend for most of his life, but is feeling like he needs to get over it. However, when she shows up in town to take a break from her career and refresh, he thinks it might finally be time to figure out how he feels and whether or not he should just put his feelings behind him for good.

This book was a very cute friends-to-lovers story that involved fixing up a book store. It took me a bit to get into it, but once it picked up, I was hooked. I loved the attention to detail with the town and it made Weldon feel like a small town you’d find anywhere. The people and places were really brought to life and given character. I didn’t realize that there were other connected books but I really felt like reading those would only add to the book, but everything was explained very well.

I love seeing Lizzy’s confidence build throughout the book. She takes risks she wouldn’t have taken at the beginning and stands up to her mom. She realizes what she needs to be happy isn’t found in a particular place. Jack works to overcome his insecurities that he isn’t good enough for Lizzy. He is such a sweet guy and I’m very glad they got the HEA. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

My final thought for this book is that the food in this book makes me hungry. Every time Jack and Lizzy would go eat, I’d have to put the book down to go grab a snack. This book made me crave a PB&J.


*I was provided with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

When Lizzy’s first trial doesn’t go exactly to plan, she decided to take a small break from work. She is burned out and decides to head to Weldon, knowing her best friend Jack is there. Unknowingly to Lizzy, Jack is head over heels for her, and trying to keep himself in the fired headspace. He is also interviewing for a job in LA where she is taking a break from. When the two decide to help fix up the local bookstore, sparks begin to fly, but can they get past the friend zone?

3.5 stars. A main character working in a bookstore? A hunky man that I head over heels for her? Should be the recipe for perfection right? While I did enjoy this book, it wasn’t my favorite rom com. I felt like things moved a little quickly in some cases, leaving out stuff that would make the story make more sense. I enjoyed the connection between Lizzy and Jack but again felt they went from zero to 100 in like one page. Overall, this was a fun and cute story..

Lizzy Chung is diligently working towards partnership in her high power law firm. After winning a major case but suffering a panic attack she decides to take a much needed three week vacation. She goes to the small town where she spent summers and rents an apartment above a small books store. Her long time best friend Jack Park and his family run a microbrewery in town.

Both Lizzy and Jack have feelings for each other and while Lizzy is willing to explore the attraction he is more hesitant fearing it will forever change their friendship. In the meantime Lizzy spends all her free time helping organize the bookstore. She loves books and loves checking things off her lists as the store comes together. The store can’t pay her but she becomes friends with the woman who owns it. She ropes Jack into helping as well giving them time to spend together.

This book is a cute friends to lovers trope but it takes a while to move beyond friendship. It felt longer than three weeks should. Also I can’t quite imagine spending so much of a vacation doing work projects for something you’re not involved with. Besides Jack there didn’t seem to be anyone Lizzy wants to reconnect with. I didn’t love that there were some very big life changing work decisions made in very one sided ways. It was sad to me that Jack felt so replaceable when his family didn’t see him that way.

This is the third in A Sweet Mess series but can be read as a stand alone. (I’ve read the second which I liked a bit more.) High praise for Korean-American representation. And for adding mental health into the mix of cultural expectations and family dynamics. Low to middle for heat. The first time is limited description and afterwards they are fade to black. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

After getting burn out from working as a lawyer, Lizzy decides to take some time off and move to where her best friend Jack is. But little does Lizzy know that Jack has had a huge crush on her for years! So now it’s up to Jack to figure out if he’s going to get over her or tell her he’s in love with her.


This was a cute romance book. It’s everything you think it is when you fall in love with your best friend. I love how it takes place mostly in a bookstore.

If you love romance and books, I highly suggest this read!

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Booked on a Feeling publishes July 26.

I am so sad to be writing this, but this book was a DNF for me. I wanted to love it so much because this is a book about books and to top it, its a romance, but I just couldn't bring myself to. It seemed like we spent a little too much time in Jack and Lizzy's head and the info dump sort of feeling took over after a while and I started skipping whole pages because I got bored.

At one point it felt like I was reading a teenage love story on wattpad and while those are great, that's not the expectation I had from this. I couldn't really bring myself to root for the characters, mostly because it seemed like they were taking all these huge decisions with a click of their fingers? I wanted to see more conflict, but I couldn't find it, and it really made me question the characters.

I really wish I could have liked it more because I'm a fan of Jayci Lee's work and have loved her stuff so far, but this one was a miss for me.

There is no doubt that Jack is my new book boyfriend. Despite the fact that he's been in love with Lizzy all his life, he harbor's a secret love for her that I found heartwarming. My favorite reads are book-themed romances. It was amazing how friends to lovers and second chance romance was woven into the story. And there was alot of sexy steam there too.

As a character Lizzy works on understanding her anxiety and what causes it. She tries to meet parental expectations or personal goals, which was to own her own book store and not be a lawyer. Throughout their struggles, I was rooting for them both. My favorite part of this book was the diversity! It took us through two vastly different Korean families. I loved that representation. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

2 stars

The main reason I am DNFing Booked on a Feeling at 44% is because I literally could not care less about this couple. To me, this is the epitome of telling and not showing as I barely believe this couple are best friends, let alone have romantic chemistry. On top of that, I find it incredibly ironic that this book made such a point to talk about how romance is not formulaic and yet presented a story that was the epitome of formulaic. The bookstore aspect was cute, but honestly it was not enough to keep me going.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Get ready to meet your new cozy summer romance. The story follows the adorable book loving Lizzy taking a break from her high stress job in the hometown of her best friend. Who happens to be in love with her. What could go wrong right? As lizzy continues to recruit Jack to help her fix up the local bookstore the two keep getting closer and closer. This is definitely one for romance lovers as it feels like hanging out with your friends page after page.

Best friends Lizzy and Jack both have their own problems and insecurities. Lizzy is an over-achieving, hard-working lawyer, but she doesn't enjoy her job and is suffering terrible panic attacks. She’s left her high-pressure job in L.A. to go back to a small California town where her best friend Jack works as the business manager for his family’s micro brewery. He also is dissatisfied with his job and has higher ambitions. He’s also been in love with Lizzy since they were 10 years old. But he’s never said anything to her. Now they are working together to help renovate a local bookstore. Of course, they’re going to wake up to how deeply they are attracted to each other and start moving from friends to lovers.

I didn’t really warm up to either of these characters. The plot moves from a will-they-or-won’t-they sort of theme to then facing the problem of two people who have different ambitions and places where they want to work. Just as Lizzy is ready to settle down in the little town, Jack decides he wants a new job in L.A. It’s all going to work out, but I found myself just skimming through portions of the book waiting for them to resolve their problems rather than enjoying the journey of finding out how they would work things out.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

3.75 ✨ 1.5 🌶

Lizzy who is an overachiever has had her life mapped out for her, becoming a lawyer ✅, join a prestigious law firm ✅, make partner *in progress*! Hoping to check of the last in a few years && make her parent proud. But passing out from a panic attack during her first trial was not on the list. So she finds herself in the small city of Weldon for 3 weeks for vacation to figure out what went wrong. What better place to recharge than a beautiful small California town with her best friend Jack who had a decade long crush on her. He gets three weeks with the girl of his dreams! He’s a bookkeeper at his family’s brewery. He can’t risk their friendship, can he? When Lizzy decides to help the local bookstore revamp with Jack’s help of course. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to ignore there might be more than just friendship between them!

This was a sweet, heartfelt romance with sweet characters. I love the friends to lovers vibe. Jack was truly amazing but doubted himself way too much. Lizzy of course was the overworked attorney trying to make partner. I like how the story gave an inside to having anxiety and gave techniques to help calm it down! I love when they finally got together.

I definitely enjoyed this book but there was a lot of redundancy in it. Like they keep pointing out that they’re just friends and nothing more. I also wish there was a back story on how they met and little more about how they grew up together. All we know is that they been best friends since age ten. Also, there’s not much spice. The spice that we do get ends before it get started! Like the scene just ends. Plus the story really doesn’t pick up until you’re almost half way through. I also wish we got to see them together a lot more before it ended. But I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Pick up your copy on July 26, 2022…

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!**

I’d love to interview Jayci for pop-culturalist. I actually found out about this book on tik tok!!Booked on a feeling is such a catchy title and the romance is swoon-worthy!

This book is #3 in A Sweet Mess series, but can be read as a standalone.

Here, we are introduced to Lizzy Chung, a corporate lawyer in Los Angeles who takes a mental health break in Weston, a small town she used to visit in the summers growing up, after having a panic attack at her first trial. Weston is home to her best friend, Jack Park, who works at his family brewery but longs for more in life - including her (not that she knows).

Told in alternating POVs we follow Lizzy and Jack as they come to terms with their own insecurities, finding their own way, all the while grappling with the growing feelings between the two of them - can they risk their friendship for a chance at something more? Is it love or attraction? What will happen when Lizzy has to go back to Los Angeles?

This was a sweet, swoony read! Kind of like a kdrama written down with the references to the food and traditions. We also get a glimpse of the Asian family dynamics - siblings living with their parents even though they're grown up, the parents' high expectations, the children's fear of disappointing their family. I especially liked the banter of the Park siblings.

I found that there was a great representation of anxiety disorders, with tips on how to cope, recognizing signs of a panic attack and burnout, not letting it take control of your life, and taking back control by cutting off triggers.

Jack's so cute with his feelings for Lizzy. It was so refreshing to see a romance hero pine for the heroine. I also liked Lizzy's (short) denial stage - but she was all out when she decided to cannonball into a relationship with Jack. The scenes after they got together were sexy without feeling vulgar.

Especially loved Jack figuring out his insecurities were all his own and not at all how people around him saw him and Lizzy standing up to her mother and fighting for a life she wants to live. I liked that they found themselves first before pursuing their relationship.

Notables quotes:
"Because I know you."
"He had to be good enough for himself before he could be free of his fears and insecurities."

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will post on instagram.com/readsbynaia and goodreads.com/readsbynaia by July 9.

DNF at 22% - I absolutely cannot finish this book. I am not even a quarter of the way through but it is mind-numbing how redundant the writing is with the concept that the main character , Lizzy, and her best friend, Jack, are only friends and nothing more. The mere thought of them being more than friends is simply ridiculous. Yet the only person they want to spend time with is each other.

It was starting to feel childish how every time they looked at each other it was again stated that they were only friends. Additionally, there is excessive dialogue with side characters that do not seem to be necessary or very relevant. The final straw for me was in Jack’s point of view where he was on a jog with Lizzy (and it is stated repeatedly that she is too busy as an emerging attorney to work out) and while she is bent over panting from the jog his narrative actually says “He’d be happier if she took better care of herself and made time to exercise, but she was still cute as hell”.

In conclusion, I found their conversations awkward, the writing redundant, and I will not be finishing this book. However, I would like to thank the publisher for generously providing the opportunity to read an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A friends-to-lovers romance with a strong theme of self-discovery. Lizzy should be on a high after a huge professional milestone, instead she feels empty and adrift. To regroup, she abandons the big city for a quiet vacation in the small town her best friend, Jack, lives in. While there, Lizzy finds herself helping a struggling bookstore find new footing with Jack’s help.

The humor was fun and I couldn’t help cheering for a successful HEA. All the Korean food descriptions had my mouth watering. I love the idea of finding one's purpose in a bookstore.

I received this as an ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzy has been working hard to advance her career and finally make partner at her top tier L.A. law firm. When she passes out at an important moment in her trial, she chooses to take some vacation at the small town where she spent her childhood summers.

Jack has been doing the bookkeeping and helping out where he can at his family's brewery in Weldon. He is surprised to find out that his best friend, and the girl he has been crushing on since childhood, will be spending three weeks in Weldon.

This is a cute friends to lovers rom-com that also has my favorite "books about books" trope. Lizzy and Jack are wonderful characters that have great chemistry and we get to read from both POVs. This is my favorite book in the series so far. All of the books in this series have been fun and quick to read.

Seeing all of the side characters from the previous books in the series made me very happy. I like to get little updates on where they are now.

I wanted to like this, but the two main characters were too cheesy. In particular, Lizzy’s quirkiness was too over the too. This would be a great read for someone looking for a very lighthearted romance, but wasn’t for me.

Booked on a Feeling has all of the makings of a perfect romance novel. An overachieving heroine, the hero who has loved her his whole life, and a smalltown bookstore that needs a makeover. It will make you crave Korean food like it's your full time job.

3.5 Stars - Booked on a Feeling

Booked on a Feeling follows Lizzy Chung, a high achieving attorney who struggles with anxiety. After having a panic attack during a pivotal moment in her career, she heads back to a small town called Weldon where she spent her summers with her childhood best friend, Jack Park.

This book is a cute story. It's romantic, it's fluffy and very bookish. I appreciated that the main character, Lizzy, loves bookstores and has a strong appreciation for literature! I also liked that this book feels very relatable in this time period as a lot of people, myself included, are going through major career changes. Lizzy has to work through this herself. Her mother expects the absolute best from her and has put pressure on her for her entire life.

The miscommunication aspect between Jack and Lizzy was frustrating for me. Both Lizzy and Jack are going through career changes but it's almost like a silent battle up until the very end. I think we could have gotten more out of the story if we got to see the characters support each other through that process. But I do think that Jayci did a really great job of writing Lizzy's fears and frustrations about her life transition.

For me the overall message in the book was about finding what makes you happy, pushing through your fears and of course, love. This book has friends to lovers, major bookish vibes and a small town romance that will remind you of a cute Hallmark movie!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5

Lizzy and Jack are best friends! They’ve known each other for decades so when Lizzie needs solace from her anxiety and job she turns to her best friend!

The more time they spend together the more they feel. What has been a lifelong friendship is now more but both have to decide what their future holds.

I can’t say whom I loved more. Lizzy is lost but she is not someone who just sits around. She fights for her passions and loves hard. She loves books and most importantly her best friend.

Jack loves his family! He helps with the family business but it’s not everything. He has dreams and goals and he wants a future with his best friend.

I loved the foundation that these two have and that they allowed each other to grow. They were so dang cute and funny and I just loved every second of it.