3.5 stars for me. The story line was cute - although I definitely didn’t realize until about 70% through that it’s the third in a series - but there was something about the writing that really detracted from my enjoyment of the book overall. The writing feels immature and overdone at the same time. I do love a good friends-to-lovers though and as a lover of books I was jealous of the bookstore makeover that happened.

Booked on a Feeling is the third book in the sweet mess series by Jayci Lee. A friends-to-lovers, second chance romance trope, and small-town vibes.

The cover and having read the first two books by the author are what had drawn me to the book. I wanted to love this book; a book about books is perfect for me. While I had high hopes for it, the story fell flat. It started very slow, and with all the legal stuff at the start of the book, I was confused about what had happened and how a bookstore would fit into the plot. I hate to say this because I loved the first two books so much, but I found myself bored during the story. It was cute, but it wasn't exciting enough to hold my interest.

I think had the readers known more about their friendship; it would have helped me to connect with Lizzie or Jack better. All I knew was Jack had been in love with Lizzie since she was 10. Other than that, I couldn't tell you how they became best friends. This book didn't do it for me, but others might not feel that way.

Thank you, netgalley and St. Martins press, for this ARC

Arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Publishing in exchange for honest review.

Booked on a Feeling was an easy friends to lovers, second-chance at live book. I will admit the first couple of chapters took a little bit or me to get into but once I was in I didn't want to stop reading about how their childhood friendship could turn into something much more. I loved Jack & Lizzy’s friendship & relationship. The last chapter really got me!

I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars!

Loved this! Such a happy feel good book. I have only recently gotten into rom-com type of books and this one made the cut for one of my favorites!

First of all, I’d like to extend a big thank you to St. Martin’s press for allowing me to read this Arc of Booked on a Feeling.

Lizzy Chung is your classic overachiever who ends up working herself too hard and needs to take a break. She takes a 3 week vacation to Weldon, where her childhood best friend Jack Park resides. Lizzy and Jack both feel the tension between them as they are working in such close quarters, helping to bring some life back to their local bookstore. The question becomes; are they going to be able to keep their feelings for themselves a secret?

After reading this book, I decided to give it 3.5 stars. It was a really cute story, easy to read, and I thought that Jack and Lizzy’s journey was sweet. As I was reading, most of the story seemed very predictable. I am not a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope in the first place, but I figured I would give it a try. However I felt like the way the two of them acted was very immature, especially for how old they are supposed to be. The way they described their feelings for each other made me feel like I was reading a story about two teenagers, not two young adults. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t as much of a build up to Lizzy and Jack’s relationship. There was tension, but like I said the tension made me feel like I was reading about two teenagers who didn’t know how to communicate their feelings. Maybe that is just part of the friends to lovers trope.

The story was cute, and if you’re looking for an easy read with predictable chapters, I would recommend.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the eARC of Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee in exchange for my honest review.

If you're looking for that small town, friends to lovers, fluffy read -- this is it.

You immediately feel attached to both Lizzy, an overachieving lawyer, and Jack, the long time best friend. You want to see them succeed and finally piece it all together.

For me -- I found the miscommunication trope to be almost painful to read. I wanted to shake both characters and make them TALK to each other.

Overall, if you're looking for a book to spend the afternoon with, this one will do the job.

3/5 stars.

Booked on a Feeling is the perfect lazy day rom-com for anyone who loves a friends to lovers trope. Lizzy, the overachiever lawyer living in L.A. and Jack, the homebody numbers lover living in small town Weldon have been best friends since grade school. Jack has laughed Lizzy for just as long. He never has shared his feelings with her, but once she takes a hiatus from her firm and seeks stay in Weldon, Jack can no longer keep his feelings inside. They both decide to volunteer their time at the local bookstore where feelings start to show themselves more and more. Both must make a choice on where they want their lives to go from there.

Overall, Booked on a Feeling was a fun lighthearted read. I did find myself getting frustrated with both characters, since they both were horrible communicators. I would read another book by Jayci Lee again.

a cute and light rom-com very enjoyable read. i enjoyed the various characters. i was so happy to find this is part of a series. I’m new to this author but not for long. i’m going to go check out some of the others.

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

Lizzy Chung is an overachiever and aspiring lawyer working towards being a partner in her current firm. But after a panic episode at such a pivotal moment in her career, Lizzy has had no choice but to take inventory of her life.

Listen, I rarely, if ever love the best friends/childhood-friends-to-lovers trope but this was deliciously done. The chemistry between Lizzy and Jack was palpable from the very beginning and I rooted for them immediately. The pining and the angst were done so very well that I could not put this book down. I needed to know if they’ll make it even if I know they would. For someone very smart, they were ridiculously dense when it came to love, but I for one appreciated the push and pull - it made for a very compelling story.

Booked on a Feeling is a cute and light rom-com about paving one's own path and pursuing that thing that sparks joy in us. Jayci delved into hard-hitting topics such as family problems/expectations and accurately portrayed what it is like to be incredibly goal-driven and yet struggle with anxiety and finding where one fits.

I saw myself in Lizzy and there were a lot of aspects in this story that hit home. I related to her a whole lot especially her struggle with wanting to please her family and discovering her own path even if it goes against their wishes and even our own beliefs about ourselves.

I also was not aware that this is part of a series until I finished it and I am absolutely delighted to find out that it is. There were so many wonderful characters in this book that I wanted to learn more about and you can be sure that I will be reading the others. I’m really curious if we are getting an Alex book because his humor and wit stole my heart and I want him to have a HEA as well. Please Jayci, let me have this.

This also happens to be my first book from Jayci Lee and I am HOOKED! I adore her writing and the tension/chemistry of her characters. I’m hoping this will be the case for the rest of her books. I can’t wait to find out!


Asian MCs
Friends/childhood friends to lovers
Miscommunication Trope
Second Chance Romance

Arc review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Friends to lovers.
Overachieving lawyer FMC and swoon worthy MMC.
Korean-American MCs.

A bit heavy on the law lingo, can make it hard to follow. POV can also be hard to follow especially at the beginning because it switches mid chapter not at each chapter break. FMC is very relatable. Found the MMC’s whole “I’m hot but could never score the girl of my dreams who is clearly into me.” thing kind of annoying but in an endearing way. Took me until about 18% of the way through to get into it but once I got into it I was INTO IT.

This is sort of a fade to black but it does have some pre-spice mixed in and I definitely wouldn’t say it’s clean.

I haven’t read the first two books in this series, and after reading this one, I now NEED to go back and read them! This was just the loveliest friends to lovers story about discovering what you want from life and going after it.

I LOVED Jack and Lizzy, and they KILLED me with the pining! Jack is just the sweetest little golden retriever, and I adored how he cared for Lizzy. It was awesome to watch him fight his insecurities and go after his dreams! Lizzy is such a bad ass, and it was awesome to see the her discover what (and who) made her happy and fulfilled and to stand up to her mom. I loved the anxiety representation in the story, and it was really unique to show someone dealing with anxiety by changing their environment.

This story was swoony and steamy and just overall a delight. I really enjoyed it!

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

This was such a gentle read. The low stakes really hit the spot.

Attorney Lizzie Chung lives the over-achievers dream - lawyer on track for a partnership, the fast pace of big city LA, and completely unhappy. When she has a panic attack in court, she bolts for the small town where she spent childhood summers with her best friend, Jack Park.

Jack, now helping his family's brewery, is surprised to see his friend (and secret crush) in town. Now, he's hanging out with her all the time and gets pulled into her project to help revive a local bookshop. With each passing day, they grow closer together. As Lizzie's time ticks down, they have to confront what truly makes them happy and pursue it, even if it pulls them apart.

I imagine there are many people who'd love nothing more than to take an emergency 3 weeks off from their job to spend it in a book store. Bonus points for falling in love with a man that can rock a tool belt. Lizzie and Jack were such a great pair and I truly enjoyed their journey. The book starts a little slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I loved the ending where both Lizzie and Jack pursued what they thought they wanted, and then still had to adjust to get their happy-ever-afters.

Lizzy and Jack, best friends for 20 years, are both unhappy. Lizzy is coming to realize that the legal career in LA she's worked towards for years isn't satisfying. Jack is unmotivated working at his family business in small-town California. But when Lizzy takes a break from her job and visits Jack, they realize that maybe they were meant to be more than best friends.

This book is full of "will they/won't they" moments, breakups and hookups, and self-discovery, with a satisfying epilogue. However, the book on the whole just didn't grab me. Long paragraphs of self-help book style exposition, some big plot holes (am I the only one wondering how Lizzy is going to pay her student loans?), and a dose of vocational awe for bookstore owners turned me off. I liked the characters, but somehow couldn't believe this was their story.

The cover and title of this book immediately caught my eye and after reading it, I'm glad my instincts were right! What a fun romantic story of friends to lovers, with an extra appeal to fans of bookstores, reading, and all things bookish. It is far from perfect, but certainly a fun summer / travel / beach / type read.

The two main characters, Lizzy and Jack, are likeable and easy to relate to. Lizzy is the high octane lawyer in LA climbing the corporate ladder to make partner at her firm, but struggling with anxiety and questions about whether her life plan is what she really wants. Jack does the books for his family brewery in a small California town, but wants more - and has been in love with his best friend Lizzy since childhood. A panic attack leads Lizzy to take a vacation to Jack's small town where they reexamine their relationship and all kinds of delightful romance story tropes ensue...

The backdrop of fixing up an independent bookstore works very well. I liked Jack's family and siblings, and bookstore owner Shannon.

The final probably 15% of the book felt disparate from the rest though. The writing style changed to too much of just telling the reader what the characters were doing separately, instead of how it flowed nicely in the beginning and middle. Then the very ending came together so abruptly that it felt like whiplash. The epilogue felt more substantive than the actual ending of the book.

Lizzy Chung has achieved nearly everything in her career that she's been working toward for years but it doesn't feel like she thought it would. She takes a break to fight the burnout and disillusionment, and the first place that jumps to mind is the same little town where her best friend Jack lives.

There were lots of things I loved about this, and a few I didn't. The pacing felt off for me at times. It started off really slowly, and after Lizzy and Jack give a relationship a try, it felt like it slowed down again. I also wish that I knew more about Lizzy's mental health and anxiety journey. That didn't feel fully fleshed out, and with so many things missing from her understanding of herself and what she wanted, having her anxiety mostly under control and figured out felt unlikely.

What I loved: The descriptions of Korean food, the chemistry between Lizzy and Jack, the respect Jack showed for Lizzy and her journey, and of course, the enthusiasm for Romance at the bookstores involved.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin.

This a sweet and happy RomCom book. Loved the characters and I’ll take a bookstore setting anyway. I also love when authors name issues ( anxiety, stress, social awkward, neurodivergent…. Etc) just makes the character seem like real people walking around us every day.

This was overall very good, easy to get lost in, and quick to finish. I now have to find her first 2 books. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lizzy is a independent women who is rising up in as a lawyer to try and make her parents proud. Jack is Lizzys best friend who works with his family at their own local business. What happens if line start crossing when lizzy goes and visits jack on vacation. What happens when best friends start having deeper feelings for each other?

A super sweet friends to lovers romance. I loved watching them fall in love with each other all while helping in the bookstore. I thought it was so well done. The chemistry between Lizzy and Jack was so well done. I couldn't put it down once i started it. I would highly recommend it to anyone! Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Paperback for an eARC of this book

Booked on a feeling is a super sweet friends to lovers romance. The best part is that it’s all centered in bookstores. Unlike a lot of novels that have books in the title it doesn’t disappoint because it spends a lot of time in the bookstores.

I also really liked the chemistry and relationship between Lizzy and Jack. It took a little bit for me to get into the book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St . Martin’s Griffin Paperback for an eARC of this book

4/5 stars

I really wanted to like this one but it ended up being a DNF for me. I usually try to make it at least halfway and I did, but even then there was something lacking.