This was a cute friends to lovers book! But I did not love it, I felt kind of disconnected from the characters. I feel like there wasn’t much of a backstory for them.

Besides that, this was super well written and a good contemporary romance for when you are in the mood for that!

Thank you Netgalley, Jayci Lee, and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced readers copy!

This one just wasn't for me. My biggest problem was just that the story was predictable. I guessed the ending, almost completely correctly, within the first 2 or 3 chapters. That's not to say that I've never read a book where I've predicted what was going to happen early on, but in most cases, I still find the book interesting and, unfortunately, in this case I didn't find it interesting. I started losing interest around 40% in, but I kept reading because I wanted to see how things turned out.

I feel like I didn't know anything about these characters - main characters and side characters. There were moments and aspects that I could relate to (Lizzy's love of books and making lists and organizing things), but in general, I wasn't able to connect with either Lizzy or Jack, I just didn't care about what was happening.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just fell really flat for me.

Lizzy and Jack have known one another forever. But neither has ever wanted to risk how great their friendship is to see if there's something more there. At least, neither has until now.

I just wish that the desire to change things had more to do with recognizing what they want in a life partner instead of acknowledging things like Lizzy having "never seen Jack as a man before" and other objectifying statements like that.

There were some really good elements to this story and I liked them both as individuals. But as a love story, it missed the mark a bit for me.

Thanks to Jayci Lee, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Lizzy and Jack were such a cute pairing in this story. Lizzy is trying to figure out where to take her career as a litigator with the pressure of her moms expectations and Jack is trying to follow his path without hurting the family he loves. They are best friends who try to fight the pull and the way it happens just felt so real to me. I literally read this in a day. Such a lovely story

I obviously relate to the overachieving dorky lawyer who loves and finds her escape through books. So I don’t know why the story / dialogue felt so clearly not based in reality. Maybe it was just too cheesy (and I love a predictable romcom)? Or maybe it’s that I can’t believe she never once thought of Jack romantically when less than 1% into the book he is described with words sparking obvious lust / attraction (especially when she is obviously a sexual person). The big fight was the most grounded part of the book—those kinds of things happen and I could feel the anxiety and insecurities manifesting in that way. The romantic relationship building needed fewer manufactured obstacles (like ignoring obvious feelings) because that fight was all that was necessary.

But to end on a really positive note: I am happy with friends-to-lovers, bookstore setting, and cultural representation (especially the food descriptions). And it was a very quick read.

This was cute! and such a quick read, I loved the characters a lot and it was super fun overall!! We love a good friends to lovers plot!

Lizzy is a stressed out, badass lawyer who’s a little overwhelmed trying to meet her families expectations (relatable). While Jack feels stuck (also relatable). Don’t forget they are childhood BESTIES!!

I did feel like the pacing was a bit off at times. The resolution seemed to skip some steps? I do wish it was paced in a way that would have made the tension stronger throughout!

This was an ARC given to me through Netgalley from St. Martin’s Press, and reflects my honest opinion!

A quick, fun read. The characters were overall pretty delightful, and the descriptions of the setting and locales really made me feel as if I could picture the bookstores and the homes. My biggest grip was that the conflict between the two main characters seemed so forced. Each had their own personal demons that they wrestled with, but how these two would end up was never seriously in question. An enjoyable read, just not quite enough suspense for my taste.

Booked on a Feeling is a great representation of the friends to lovers’ trope. The banter between Lizzy & Jack is natural, fun and steamy. I was blushing HARD throughout the entire book. While this book isn’t about food in any way, Lee’s description of foods throughout the novel had my stomach growling. Lee’s writing style is incredabily easy to consume. Overall, a light enjoyable read.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This friends to lovers read was so sweet I may have a cavity now. I could not get enough of Jack and Lizzy. Between making Lizzy's career and personal struggles so relatable, and sharing Jack's insecurities and unease you can't help but fall for the characters and root for them.

A bit about the book: Lizzy is a big time corporate lawyer well on her way to making partner. After her first big win she starts to realize that anxiety and tension is eating her alive, so she decides to head to her best friends small town to spend some time staying near him and relaxing.

Jack works for his family brewery but knows that there is something else out there for him. The brewery just isn't his dream. Plus he has a huge secret he's been harboring about his feelings for his best friend so he is dying to live closer to her.

Once Lizzy shows up in Weldon this romance really takes off.

Overall I would totally recommend this one as a feel good romance read.

Lizzy and jack are absolutely on of my favourite couples. The book was heartfelt and it was a cute little read! I am a sucker for any book that revolves are puns bookstores and bookworms and this did the job perfectly! I would rate this book 4.5 stars only because it felt just a little slow at times

Booked On A Feeling was the cutest romance book I've ever read! The character development was so thorough and informative. Lizzy and Jack's life long relationship was incredible, who would want a man to show up for you like Jack shows up for Lizzy? The fact that this story includes a bookstore is the icing on the cake! Lizzy turning and surprising Jack like he did for her was a great turn in the plot and makes you want to keep turning the page. It feels like 3 weeks goes by so fast! Watching Lizzy and Jack overcome their fears, and lifelong anxieties while spending much needed time together is so beautiful. No spoilers here! Would definitely recommend reading!

After reading “A Sweet Mess”, I was very excited to read this story (especially with the involvement of books)! I loved the small cameos and mentions of characters from the previous books; the familiar setting of Weldon set the tone well for Jack and Lizzy’s story.

Although the beginning of the story felt out of place considering what was to follow, I appreciated the light shed onto individuals like Lizzy and Jack who feel trapped by standards, and are afraid of stepping outside of their boundaries to find their full potential. I’m always up for two characters who are genuinely good human beings with real ambitions, and these two did exactly that. The moment they finally became a couple, the real chemistry settled in and made me fully invested. However, the major conflict that had been building up resulted in an argument between the two that didn’t feel completely right. They were suffering from the same internal struggles, but couldn’t see eye to eye on that one fact — this trope is nothing new, but it did feel frustrating considering how mature Jack and Lizzy were in other aspects.

Overall, it’s a sweet romance that I would recommend to anyone looking for an adorable couple to invest themselves in! Thank you to NetGalley, Jayci Lee, and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC of this book for an honest review!

This story started as a five starred read ans stayed until end, I was wooed by the characters, heartfelt, genuine dialogues. I enjoyed the conclusion of the story.
It filled my eyes with tears and healed my soul.

Lizzy and Jack ’s beautifully heartwarming journey stole my heart!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for the opportunity to read my first ARC, "Booked on a Feeling" by Jayci Lee. Overall, I rated it a 3.75/5 stars!

What it was about: This novel told the story of Elizabeth "Lizzy" Chung who is an overwhelmed lawyer that just won her first big case, and her best friend Jack, who has been secretly pining for Lizzy since the two of them were 10 years old (they're 30 throughout the duration of the book) There is a twist towards the last 20% of the book, but ultimately, we find out if Jack & Lizzy are going to make it as a romantic couple in the end - if Jack is capable of getting himself out of that "friend zone".

What I liked: I loved that this novel talked a lot about the main characters "finding themselves". so to speak. They each discovered the reasons why they were unhappy at current job placements and worked to better each of their lives. I also liked that the characters were Korean, because I got to learn some new language/culture from this book. And lastly, I liked how mental health and panic/anxiety attacks were represented. The importance of self-care was clearly depicted through the author's words. And what better self-care than to surround yourself with a bunch of books? (in my opinion!)

What took points off: Some of the language was a bit too wordy/Hallmark'y. I enjoyed the romance between Lizzy and Jack very much, but the level of cheesiness was a bit too much at times.

However, the storyline was very engaging and kept me occupied the entire time. If I had the time, this is a book that I would have read straight-through, in one sitting. And it is also a book that I wouldn't mind doing a reread of in the future, either!

This book was cute and I loved the idea of a bookish themed book. The characters are super sweet and easy to fall in love with. I loved all the small bookstores included and has a super long tbr (very relatable.)

The fact that Jack has been in love with Lizzy since they were kids is just amazing. They fit together so well and I love how well they compliment each other.

The plot, the character development, the smoothness and satisfaction I felt while reading this book was spectacular and I'm definitely buying a physical copy of this book when it comes out!!

As an Asian-American book-lover, this fun romance was as comforting as a cup of warm tea. I don't normally read friends-to-lovers romance, so I felt like this was actually kind of refreshing too. Very relatable characters, just enough tension to give the story some drama, lots of references to food (and books of course)!

“Sometimes the path to the rest of your life has been in front of you all along.”

“Booked on a Feeling” is a super cute, multicultural romcom about Lizzy and Jack, two longtime best friends who are both trying to find their true passions in life.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the multicultural aspect of this book, specifically Asian culture. It also addressed other important aspects such as anxiety, overachievement due to fear of disappointing family and self exploration. I think this made Lizzy very relatable in the sense that most of us experience many, if not all, of those aspects at some point in our lives.

I wish there had been more details given about their friendship rather than, here are two friends who are afraid to tell each other their feelings. I also thought it was somewhat odd that Jack had feelings for her for a very long time and she fell in love with him in a matter of days. It all felt a little rushed.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It is an adorable, quick PG-13 love story. If you’re into the “friends to lovers” trope, you will enjoy this one.

I got an arc of this book on netgalley and absolutely loved it. The characters are slightly older [30s] which is where i am in my life so they felt every familiar and comfortable. They were real and they story seemed plausible which was wonderful. They felt like real people with actual anxieties and relationship problems. Not just the same old non-communicating problem so many books go through.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Booked on a Feeling: the combination of a magnificent earworm and a story about books?! AND with Asian-American leads? Sign me the eff up.

This was a perfectly enjoyable, fluffy little rom com. While I didn't necessarily love either Lizzy or Jack, I found that their characters were developed in ways where their thoughts and actions felt uniquely them. Their quips were entertaining, and chemistry believable. It at times felt maybe a little bit juvenile in the development of their relationship with one another.

I was 100% here for the descriptions of Korean dishes, and would happily read a book with those all day long.

I felt that the ending was a little too obvious for me to rate this book any higher. I knew from the first couple chapters how Lizzy's story would end, which made a lot of the middle & "surprise" at the end feel a bit lackluster.

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee stirred up many emotions over the process deep reflection and self-discovery and I loved every second of it. It is not often that a book does justice the true nature of how hard and painful it is to recognize that the dreams we think will bring us true happiness and satisfaction won’t bring us such things, but this story does so, twofold. Wrapped up in a little bow is this story of love, passion, pain, beauty in the small things, and color brought to life by an individual having the courage to live a life they want to, instead of the life they think they have to live. Deeper meaning aside, the love that Jack and Lizzy share evoked excitement, giddiness, lust, relief, and many other emotions. The subtle sub-plot of the bookstore and the way books/stories play a role for Lizzy and Jack spoke truth to the many readers who use stories to widen one’s imagination, live in another person’s shoes, or escape reality for even the smallest of moments. The final thing I will note about this book that I personally loved was the way this story depicted asian community, culture, and generational expectations. This book gives a perspective, a voice, and first hand emotions to what it is like to have other people’s expectations, assumptions, and thoughts pushed on to you. In reading, I hope some who have not been subjected to such experiences gain some empathy to situations like these and recognize that it’s not always as easy as it sounds to just “do what you want.”