I'm forever obsessed with Jayci Lee's books. I've loved every single one of her previous works, from the Heirs of Hansol series to her latest series, the Hana Trio, to the previous two books in the A Sweet Mess Series. It was so cute seeing being reunited with Aubrey and Landon, as well as Seth and Tara from A Sweet Mess and The Dating Dare and seeing these characters thriving in the months after their own HEA's.

Jayci Lee is also a true champion for AAPI readers--I love how almost all of her previous works features a Korean romance with a different trope in each novel. In Booked on a Feeling, we have best friends to lovers, and of course, it delivers on all the angst, pining, yearning, and tension that best friends to lovers romances have. This novel is also a love letter to bookstores and independent bookshops everywhere, and I adored this aspect of the story. I also really loved the anxiety representation in this book, and how Lizzie's struggle dealing with her anxiety surrounding her career while also trying to meet the expectations of her family was portrayed.

I think the main thing why I ultimately rated this 3.5 stars was because of the pace of the novel, and the character's inner monologue. Most of the books in the A Sweet Mess series are written in a much more fun, youthful, way while the books in the Heirs of Hansol or Hana Trio series are written with a more somber tone, which I didn't really mind beforehand. The inner monologues of Lizzie and Jack in Booked with a Feeling, however, felt a little more childish than those of Aubrey, Landon, Seth, and Tara's, especially when considering that these characters are almost, if not already, 30 years old. As for the pacing, I wish there was more action in the plot as it felt a little repetitive in the middle of the novel. A good chunk of the novel was just a repetition of Lizzie and Jack hanging out in the bookstore or going on dates with Jack trying to suppress his feelings for Lizzie with Lizzie trying to "seduce" him.

Overall, I still definitely recommend Booked on a Feeling, as well as all of Jayci Lee's previous novels to romance fans--especially Korean-American readers!

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee was … okay, which is remarkably underwhelming praise for a book I expected to love. It has all sorts of squishy goodness: friends to lovers, a love interest who hugs, lovely pining, delicious food descriptions.

So, why haven’t I tattooed this novel up and down my arms? Besides the facts that tattooing is both painful and (sort of) permanent? I’ve been puzzling over that very issue for several days. These are the problems that have been circling around in my cranium:

The story starts slowly. Very slowly. So slowly that I actually put it down twice before forcing myself to push through the first couple chapters. There’s a whole trial scene, pre-trial prep and all, that is completely unnecessary and, for me, far too jargon-filled to be enjoyable.

The story puts the shotgun on the wall, then shows us the shotgun, and tells us that it might be loaded and, thus, important later. We already know that the HEA involves a bookstore. I mean, come on. This book literally has BOOK in the title. The author did not need to work so hard to emphasize that Lizzie, the female protagonist, loves bookstores.

There’s a weird conflict between Lizzie and a colleague that plays absolutely no role in the story arc but requires a whole bunch of backstory and then an argument scene and then some wrap-up discussion at the end of the book. That whole thing was mildly toxic and should have been cut during the first set of edits. (The author is a former attorney and maybe, possibly is writing real-life here.)

This leads into another complaint, the extraordinary number of tertiary characters whose names we’re expected to remember even though they make like two appearances in the whole story. I believe in filling out the story with characters who help us get to know our protagonists but … Peter, Katie, Carol, Michael, Ashley, Gloria, Maria, Beverly. I could go on but you’ll meet and try to remember them all if you decide to read the book.

The biggest problem is that miscommunication – or complete lack of communication – is the trope on which this whole story hangs. I hate that. If the lovers aren’t together because they can’t communicate with each other, their relationship isn’t going to be fixed by an end-of-story kissing scene. It’s not believable.

And this communication failure is a doozy – Lizzie is planning to move to be near her best friend Jack and Jack is, you guessed it, taking a job near his best friend Lizzie. Seriously? This isn’t Gift of the Magi. They are making major, major life decisions without discussion. This is relationship ending stuff for real. And it should be.

Then, because neither character experiences ANY growth, the author piles on this communication failure with another equally major one. I’d have thrown the book but I was reading a digital arc on my phone and I’m obviously not throwing tech worth hundreds of dollars over a terrible trope.

The first half of this book was pretty good. I would give it a four stars. The characters were super cute together, and I loved Lizzy. I enjoyed the plot, however I would have liked each character to have separate chapters. Made the POVs confusing at times. I would have also liked to see more backstory and the friendship between the two grow. We didn’t really see anything of how they met, or how Jack fell in love with Lizzy.

I did not love the second half of the book. I didn’t enjoy the third act conflict, and felt like there could have been some other way to throw in some sort of other conflict (maybe Lizzy’s mom???) I also felt the ending was a bit rushed, would have liked to see more character development for Lizzy. Didn’t love the epilogue either.

***Rounded up from 2.5*** Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hm. I have conflicted feelings about this one… I was so excited for it. For the diverse MC, for the BFFs-to-Lovers trope— and, don’t get me wrong, the writing is there and… it’s cute. But that just about sums up my feelings for it: “just” cute. This took me longer to read than I thought it would, despite it being a pretty breezy & low-stakes RomCom. I loved how descriptive the trial setting was in the first chapter. As someone who currently works in the legal field, I’ve always felt really grateful to be able to learn from some of the best mentors & see how things works both on- & behind-the-scenes. Lizzy’s panic attack in the courtroom was written really well by the author imo. It definitely took me back to my own first few years as a paralegal which, while rewarding, also held a lot of those exact same panic attacks & patterns of complete burnout.

Outside of that though, I felt like this novel just fell a little flat for me. Despite having so much potential, all of it felt way too predictable, which I think is what bothered the most: while I liked it just fine, I was also quite… bored. I knew exactly where things were going by about a quarter way in (and was mostly right by the end). Jack & Lizzy are cute, but again, I wish I knew more about them? Especially Jack. For how descriptive certain parts of this book is (re: scenery or items or food), there is a surprising lack of depth at times when it comes to the characters’ & their feelings/motivations. Also, for characters that were my age/in their 30s, some of the conflict felt weirdly juvenile & awkward to me…. Or maybe just overly cheesy?? Idk idk.

While this one didn’t necessarily work for me, I wouldn’t say I hated it. The story is cute & cozily simple enough, and I think some satisfaction can def still be found in that…. I personally just wish there was a lot more to it.

It was an awesome book i really enjoyed the story the characters were very interesting and kept my attention i was able to finish the book in 3 days

The mutual pining in this book was great, and the love the characters have for books made this story so easy and fun to read. There were so many great little scenarios, and honestly the characters were fun to get to know. If you’re a fan of friends to lovers check this book out!

Hmm honestly I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I was excited to read it the moment the pretty cover attracted my eye. It also helped that this book was marketed as a romcom, which is one of my favourite genres to read. However, I still don’t know if I truly enjoyed this book or it was a slog for me to read.

As someone who’s a huge friend of the “best friends to lovers” trope, I was instantly hooked to the premise of this story. It follows two characters who have been best friends for a long time, one who has a crush on the other for years. Best friends! Secret pining! A bookstore owner! What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, I did end up having something to dislike and that was the writing. I’m quite picky when it comes to writing, no matter if the book contains a trope I enjoy. The author’s writing felt a little juvenile and I felt that the characters were not given enough depth and development. You know how sometimes a book is heavily marketed as such but there is a bare minimum given? Yes, that was how I felt unfortunately.

All in all, I truly wanted to love this book because it ticked all of my check boxes. To my dismay, it ended up being a so-so read for me. Maybe I’ll pick it up again and it may be better when I reread but for now, I sorely wish I could give this a better rating. Thank you for the arc nonetheless!

Booked on a feeling

I was given a free ebook arc from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

How I rate books:
1 star- dnf or will never read again or recommend
2 stars- the book was very disappointing but had potential
3 stars - it was entertaining and enjoyable, probably won’t reread though I would possibly recommend
4 stars - I liked it a lot and will probably reread and will recommend
5 stars - loved this book, will reread and recommend to everyone.


*Booked on a feeling is the third installment of a series written by Jayci Lee. Those series seems to consist of standalone stories with reoccurring characters from book to book. You do not need to read in order. But there may be tiny spoilers if you read out of order. I have not read the previous 2 books and was able to enjoy this one just fine.

Booked on A Feeling introduces us to Lizzy, a list making, book loving, overachieving lawyer on her first solo trial. Lizzy also deals with anxiety and passes out during her opening statement. This prompts Lizzy to realize she is burned out and so she takes a three week vacation and goes back to Weldon, a place she spent her summers as a child. This is also the home of her best friend Jack Park, who has carried a torch for Lizzy since forever.

I rated this book 3 stars. It’s a cute, formulaic romance. It’s cozy and predictable, especially if you read romances. There are sex scenes but in my opinion the spice is minimal and I ended up skimming through these scenes- especially because the phrase “their teeth clacked” was used twice and that pulled me out of the scene quickly. Just, no.

Despite the meh spice, the story itself is cute. I’m a sucker for a book lover and a list maker as that speaks to me. I enjoyed the look into Korean culture and definitely enjoyed all the food mentioned. This book made me hungry.

The book tries to deal with a lot while being a romance. Anxiety, burnout, family expectations, self fulfillment, are all throughout the book. As someone diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder, there were times where I felt that the way anxiety and burnout were handled in the book almost bordered on trivializing but overall I still was able to enjoy the book.

Overall, it’s a cute, fun read and I’ll be going back to find the other two in the series to read.

Lizzy Chung’s life has been perfectly on track, up until the day she passes out from a panic attack during her first trial as lead lawyer. She decides to take a leave from work to visit her best friend Jack Chung in small town Weldon, California to destress. Jack has had a crush on Lizzy since they were 10, but he has never acted on it because he is afraid of losing her as a friend. When Lizzy offers her help to revamp the local bookshop, Jack helps, too, and soon, Lizzy is looking at Jack in a new light.

This book is the third in the <i>A Sweet Mess</i> series but can be easily read as a standalone. I completely related to Lizzy’s anxiety; this book came to me at a perfect time. I absolutely love that the book features not one but two independent bookstores; they both sounded as wonderful as my local indie bookstores are! The friends to lovers trope is one of my favorites, though I wish we could have seen some flashbacks to their friendship over the years to get a better feel for their background. If you want a cozy romance guaranteed to send a shot of dopamine coursing through your body, I recommend checking out <i>Booked on a Feeling</i>.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!


This book was just as adorable as the cute cover! (The cover is what drew me in) I am a huge fan of AAPI main characters. I love seeing that representation! I will probably always mention that. But seriously it is an awesome feeling to have that representation. ☺️

This romance was so heart warming, and felt real. I enjoyed their journey to figure out themselves. Even though they have been friends for years, it was enjoyable to see their relationship blossom and develop. This was such an easy and enjoyable read. Not once did I get bored.

What I loved:
-Lizzy is relatable as heck for me.
-I enjoyed the different cultural references! This really helped bring the characters to life! They were well rounded and very likable
-the romance was SO fluffing adorable!
-friendship to lovers 💞


Overall this book is perfect for any romance fan! I found it super enjoyable, and really cute. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This was a really cute romance and I liked most of it. I just felt like Lizzy wasn’t really into Jack for a lot of the book and she just he was hot while he was like obsessed with her. But this was really cute, I loved all the bookstore moments, a fun, fast romance. :)

I loved A Sweet Mess and was excited to check out another one of Jayci Lee's romances. However, It had some plot points/topics that triggered me, anxiety/panic attacks I am in treatment for that and do not want to read about it. Not being I didn't like it but because of that issue. Thank you publisher for the copy!

This book was just about perfect for me. I adored the characters, the plot line, the way the romance developed… everything. The story centers on Lizzy and Jack who have been best friends since childhood but live in different cities. When Lizzy’s career as a corporate attorney causes a panic attack, she takes a three week break from work and rents a place in Jack’s small town. To add to the charm, the apartment she rents is above a bookstore and she gets to live out her childhood dream of helping to revamp it in her spare time. While Lizzy is in town, there is a slow and flirtatious build where they are both nervously realizing the depth of their feelings. The reader gets to see both of their perspectives which adds to the cuteness.

The romance itself was written so well I could picture their facial expressions and the town they lived in (please make this a movie). Their families and friends were lovable side characters (please please make a book for each sibling) and the bookstore setting was just too much for this book lover – I was smitten. I sincerely hope that there is more to come for these characters.

This is the first book by Jayci Lee I’ve read and I was super excited to read it. You didn’t have to read the earlier books in the series to understand this one, which is always something I look for when reading a series.

One of my favorite parts about the book is how both main characters were Korean and that it wasn’t something mentioned once and that was it. Little nuances of their culture and food preferences were throughout the book and the author didn’t take the time to explain what everything was—as she shouldn’t have to! I loved the representation it provided.

The relationship between Lizzy and Jack was cute but I did find it lacking some. Despite them being best friends for 20 years, I felt like we didn’t get enough of the buildup to them moving to something more. When the did get together, it felt like we got a lot of repetitive things that didn’t really carry the story anywhere. That being said, I still enjoyed the story enough to say I would read another book by Jayci!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a solid 4 star read for me. I'm a big fan of friends-to-lovers stories; throw in a struggling bookshop and you're ticking all the right boxes. It felt like a fun, breezy read and I connected with Lizzy and Jake. Also super refreshing to read a book featuring Asian-American leads, more of this!

When thinking of Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee, my first thought is that you could cut the sexual tension with a KNIFE.

This was such a fun book to read. I enjoyed the plot, the banter, the sexual tension between the two, and that two lifelong best friends fell in love with each other. If you’re looking for a Rom-Com that makes you have butterflies while reading it, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. I can’t wait to see everyone else’s thoughts when it’s released.

Obsessed is the only word I can say about this. Absolutely loved the plot, the characters, and the banter. A perfect rom com romance.

I enjoyed reading this book - Lizzy and Jack are best friends that become more & go through the pains of not initially not wanting ruin their friendship if one didn’t feel the same. I didn’t realize this was part of a series, but it did seem like it could be a standalone novel. I liked the pace of the book and the dialogue between the MCs. All in all, it was a fun novel to read.

I enjoyed this book! It was super cute and definitely played into typical romance novel tropes and was the right amount of cheesy. I’m obsessed with bookstores so I really liked where a lot of the story took place and shared a lot of feelings with the main character. Definitely recommend if you need a light read!

This looked so cute, and I was looking forward to it but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. The premise was super promising- I love a grumpy female MC with a sunshiney male MC but I found the writing clunky and the dialogue seemed forced and unnatural. I also found things were overly explained instead of woven into the storyline- for example breaking the flow of the storyline to explain certain legal terms, which I found unncessary.