3.5/5 ⭐️

As a fellow (almost) lawyer I understand Lizzy’s pain all too well. I appreciated the accurate legal references and the realisticness of how hard a career in big law is. I think some readers might be inclined to skip the first chapter, while the legalese was understandable, it’s still boring.

I wish there was more about Lizzy and Jack’s friendship instead of just “here are two best friends with no background.” While Jack pined for Lizzy for years, she seemed to fall head over heels in a matter of two days?

Their relationship is cute, I will give them that. The sex scenes were surprisingly spicy, but the author seemed to pull back in the middle of each scene. I took it as not being sure whether this was supposed a YA or a NA book, so it tried to bridge the two worlds. Overall, the characters are likeable and I was rooting for them to be together and achieve their dreams.

Note: my original rating is a 4.5⭐️

I’ve never been one to really read books with the friends to lovers trope…but this book has completely changed my view of that and now I want to read more! Lizzy and Jack were seriously so cute and I adored their relationship so much. Also, the tension between them was 🔥🔥 Sometimes it was a bit too much because it seemed like every time they had a “moment” it turned steamy instead of sometimes being just romantic/sweet. It’s perfectly fine though because I know some relationships are like that, for me personally it was just a lot.

I really enjoyed the storyline as well. Lizzy is a lawyer from a big city, and Jack runs the accounting part of his family’s brewery business. They live about 4 hours apart, but she takes a 3 week vacation to visit him there. She starts to find out things about herself, and realizes that she doesn’t have to do what makes others happy. It’s not all about making money, following your parents wishes, etc. She decided to do what makes her happy, and I love what she ended up doing with her life. I really enjoyed that aspect because I feel like that’s such an important message to do what makes YOU happy.

Something that I wasn’t a fan of — the miscommunication trope. They both were not telling each other something (and it was a big something) because they didn’t want the other one to get their hopes up/move too fast/they didn’t think the other one felt the same. And I’m just sitting here like 😑

Overall I’m super glad that I got to read this book! It was such a lovely read and I will definitely be buying a physical copy of it when it comes out in July🥰

4.5 rounded down

I LOVED this book!

Friends to lovers??? Falling in love while volunteering at a book store together?? Say no more!

Jack and Lizzy are PERFECT in every way, I loved them individually as characters and together as a couple. I related to both of them on so many levels and even when I was frustrated with them toward the end, their decisions and thought processes always made sense to me.

Lizzy is such a special character to me because at times it felt like looking in a mirror. A lawyer with anxiety?? Who hates billable hours?? Who would rather be in a bookstore/curled up with a book?? I was rooting for her this entire book and seeing her journey and seeing her find herself and what she really wants out of her life made me so happy. The same goes for Jack, he’s a very loyal, witty, and hardworking man and I loved seeing his dynamic not only with Lizzy, but with his family. I loved that while Lizzy was on her journey, Jack was on one of his own, trying to make sure that his dreams came true and that he was fulfilled by the life he’s living. That’s also something that I loved about their relationship. They made sure that they were not only happy with each other, but happy in their own lives. Instead of one of them having to make some sacrifice for the other, they figured things out and found a way to make it work while maintaining their dreams.

Outside of our main characters, I loved the setting of Weldon and especially the Sparrow. I think fixing up a local bookstore was such a cute idea for a romance novel! I also loved the side characters and think they really helped round out the book and made everything feel more fully realized.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I thought the author did an amazing job with the anxiety representation. Lizzy’s anxiety and how it presents and the way she works through it was very realistic and accurate and I really appreciated seeing that portrayed properly in a book. I also appreciated that the legal terms used in the book were correct. It’s a minor thing but that’s a pet peeve of mine when legal concepts are thrown into a book and aren’t properly used and that wasn’t an issue here at all!! Everything mentioned made complete sense and that kept me immersed in the experience!

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend reading this when it comes out in July!

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC!

The characters were a little flat to me, and although I'm a big fan of almost any friends-to-lovers book, I'm almost never a fan of the miscommunication trope, unfortunately.
I thought this book was written really well, and would love to read some of the author's past work, but I don't think that this was the book for me, which was a little disappointing!
This book had everything that I normally love. Who wouldn't want to read about two best friends who revamp a little bookstore together?
This book had cozy vibes, and great characters that just- fell a little bit too flat. I know that this is a standalone in a series, but we never get a lot of background on them. If a book is a standalone, I wish they would at least recap the friendship. Additionally, I thought that their relationship was simply... juvenile? It's a classic hallmark-y book that's great for a light read when you're not wanting anything too heavy, but just know that the miscommunication *will* drive you insane.

Maybe I would have liked this book more if I had not read it straight after Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club, and I might have been saturated with the "Asian parents are unreasonable and we cant be happy because we need to fill parental expectations" storyline. However, even without that its just an ok book. It was, in my hallmark channel ranking, what I would call a predictable and naughty. I knew exactly how it would end up from chapter 2 and the buildup to it was not as fun. There was too much chemistry and too little backstory for my taste. I want to know more about their background, why were they friends, why did jack never say a thing for 20 years. Also the mom, really what is up with asian mothers in literature (or at least my literature this month) Are they really this stereotypically bad? The big positive: I loved all the book talk and kind of want a bookstore to sit down and read in now.

This is a delightful book about a man and woman that have been best friends since they were little. . Both are having doubts about their careers and where their life is heading. Taking some time off ends up becoming a full time job helping a woman get her bookshop into shape. Things start to get quite hot and steamy as the story unfolds. The typical storyline that most romance novels have but the inclusion of a bookstore gives it a fun twist for anybody that loves to read. A fun and Quick read. Thanks to St Martin’s Press for the chance to read the arc.

I enjoyed this next story in the series and getting more writing from this author! This was just what I needed and I enjoyed the characters. I can’t wait to discuss more with others once it is released!

I’m embarrassed to say that out of the hundreds of romance novels I’ve read, I haven’t actually read a friends to lovers romance. I tend to enjoy enemies to lovers so I thought friends to lovers might be boring. I was very wrong...

After a panic attack hits at a time when Lizzy should be thrilled with her accomplishments, she decides to go out of town taking a 3 week vacation close to Jack, her best friend of twenty years. After only a few days there, she starts becoming a little too aware of him and they have to figure out how their friendship will move forward while they also work to discover what they individually really want out of life.

I struggled with Jack’s point of view being realistic. For the first quarter of the book, I felt like all he was thinking was how much he loved Lizzy and couldn’t stop thinking about her but needed to stop thinking about her. It was maddening but not in a sweet way. Second, I don’t know of any straight man that says “cute“ or “adorable“. Many times he talks about different habits or traits of Lizzy’s being cute. I asked my husband what a man would actually call an endearing trait in his head and he couldn’t even articulate it. He just usually chuckles, gives me a look or just knows that’s what I do but he’s not actively thinking “that list-making she does is so cute”.

I did enjoy the spicy buildup of their romance though! I loved the development of the little book store and their growth as they found their paths and each other. I give this 3.5 stars.

A sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Lizzy is an associate at a big firm gunning for partnership. Jack is her childhood best friend who lives in a small town four hours away. They try dating. Plot ensues. Lee has a knack for capturing her character’s fears. They don’t say the right thing or act perfectly because they’re human and flawed and that’s why you’re drawn to them. Booked on a Feeling is a quiet, slow book. You root for these kids to figure it out but you’re not going to lose sleep or sob over it. And that’s okay! Sometimes you’re in the mood for a low-angst friends-to-lovers.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this book may have had a slow start but the rest was very enjoyable! i'm not always the biggest fan of friends to lovers but this book was really sweet and Jack was a great boy best friend turned boyfriend! i loved Jack's mom and the talk about Korean food really made me wanna go out and get some. the miscommunication trope was kinda annoying but we'll look past that.

overall this is perfect if you're looking for a sweet, friends to lover rom-com, and it's not very long so you can definitely read it in one sitting.

This was such an adorable and sweet romance. A friends to lovers, guy falls first story taking place in a bookstore!! The characters were so relatable and I enjoyed seeing their character development throughout the story. My only problem is that I hate miscommunication trope in romance books. But this was still a super cute and easy read.

Childhood friends to lovers? Say no more… except I will. Lizzy is on her way to become partner in a successful law firm. Jack feels stuck in the family business and is desperate for a change. When Lizzy shows up in town Jack has to decide what to do with a 20-year long crush on his best friend. What mess will the inevitably make of their friendship? Let’s find out!

Read if you like: friends to lovers, second chance, following your dreams, falling in love in a bookstore, the guy falls first, clueless yet driven leading lady.

Lizzy’s life is going according to plan. She’s on track to live the dream her family has helped build for her, but something is off. So, she turns to her most reliable source of comfort, her best friend Jack. Jack has been in the same town for what feels like his whole life. He’s been vital in launching his family’s brewery and putting them on the map. But now, he’s an unessential part of the team and he needs a change. Just as he’s contemplating his next step his best friend and long-time crush shows up for an extended vacation. The next 3 weeks will change everything.
Good thing the local bookstore needs remodeling and our duo both need to be productive to feel fulfilled.

I really wanted to love Booked on a Feeling. But I’m just in like with it. The second half of the book was better than the first so it ended on a high note but, unfortunately, a lot the writing fell flat.

The first half felt a little perfunctory. Phrases were repeated too often. Basic side characters were plugged in for plot. And our leading duo’s personalities didn’t shine through. Heck, we have a friends-to-lovers plot and NOT A SINGLE CHARACTER commented on their chemistry until they were at least realizing there was a page for them both to be on… and that was over halfway through the book. And there were ample opportunities: friends, family members, and even a random dude in a park… nothing. Where’s the lead up? There was none. It’s just Lizzy and Jack against the plot.

The way it felt to me was the plot from 60% to the end was what she knew wanted to write but then had to figure out how to get to that point in the story. The beginning was a bit bland to be honest. I was gearing up for a total Halmark-esque no spice, maybe some steam, romance until about 30-40% through and Jack finally felt alive on the page and made me think otherwise. I’m giving it a 2 on the 5-point pepper scale. It probably has too much spice for the non-spicy folks, but spicy folks will scoff at the setup and fade to black. Basically, you get spice prologue and spice epilogue but no spicy chapters.

However, after 60%, there were times I was laughing out loud and I never stopped rooting for our duo. It just seemed that everything else was basic. Family. Basic. Background. Basic. Actually, I never did understand how these two met. Was it a prep school? Their families knew each other, but other than that it was very unclear. I did appreciate Jack; he maintained a great mindset through the whole story when he’d been pining for so long. Poor clueless Lizzy.

I’m hoping that the editing team will make this gem shine because, like the bookstore, this story has potential.

Well this book was absolutely adorable! Such a sweet and fun read! It had me smiling and I loved the two main characters Lizzy and Jack. They had such a sweet relationship! I also loved the authors approach about anxiety and self growth. It made this book that much more relatable. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jayci Lee!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc.!

Very predictable but, cute. I love a friends to lovers romance. Also love when a bookstore is involved. Jack and Lizzy were superficially cute but, not a lot of depth to them.

Sadly this was a DNF at 30%.
30% and nothing pertinent had happened, reading was very boring, and I kept skimming trying to get to the good stuff which I, unfortunately, didn't find. No background on the characters—it just pushes you into a story (which works sometimes), but in this ensemble, it lacked. This made it hard to connect to the characters, especially when this is supposed to be a 'friends to lovers' trope... already incredibly hot and bothered about each other gave me nothing to work with or grow upon. I'm disappointed because the story premise and multicultural representation are things I always look for in my reading. This just didn't work for me.

Such a heartfelt, sweet romance with lovely characters warming your heart! It’s a great example of feel good reading!

I think Lizzy and Jack may be the sweetest characters the author gave life. Especially Jack: caring, supportive, gentle, lovable book boyfriend you want to give millions of hugs!

The author’s genuine approach to anxiety issues, family problems, self growth, discovering yourself was quite satisfying.

Let’s take a quick look to the plot: Lizzy Chung, aspiring lawyer who’s destined to be partner of the law firm she’s been working for, decides to take a break after sudden meltdown at the court ( even though after the recession, she returned back to court and kicked asses).

She rents a studio apartment in Weldon: a small town in California, nestled in the outer edges of Sierra Nevada where her best/ childhood friend Jack lives, working his family’s brewery as bookkeeper.

Jack is in love with her since they’re ten but he keeps his feelings to himself and seeing Lizzy in his town for holiday break rekindles the feelings he’s restrained! When they team up for saving the Sparrow Bookstore: a struggling local store that is needed to be brought back, they start spending more time and their mutual attraction slowly makes things more complicated.

Jack is not happy to work in family brewery business because he’s not into brewery just like his twin brother Alex and his sister Tara did. He applies a job at LA even though it’s is entry level for chasing his dreams as Lizzy is not sure what she wants to do with her life.

They have to find themselves at first to give their happiness a chance! Will they succeed to do that?

Well, these guys were so lovely! If I didn’t like them so much, I could scream at their faces for being stubborn to admit how they feel for each other. Those angsty parts and their insecurities, second thoughts about themselves truly irritated me!

Overall: it was still soft, sweet, easy to read, beautiful romance with very likable characters earned my bookish, second chances four stars!

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

This was such a cute romance story! I was in a bit of a mini-reading slump when I started this book, and it totally pulled me out of it. Booked on a Feeling is a cute, fun romance novel that follows Lizzy Chung as she moves to her best friend Jack Park's small town as a hiatus from her job as an attorney in LA. Crushed by the anxiety and loneliness of her job, Lizzy sought out a temporary change and found herself working in the cutest small bookstore above the apartment she rented. In a quest to revitalize the bookstore, Lizzy finds herself navigating a new relationship with her longtime friend and all the complications that would entail. I found the story to be really fun and easy to consume despite normally leaning away from the friends-to-lovers trope. Lizzy was such a gem of a character to follow, and her journey of career introspection felt relatable yet exciting. I really enjoyed this book despite not having read Lee's other related books, and I was happy to give this 4 stars. I took away a star only because I don't like the style of conflict featured towards the end of the book, and it felt a little rushed to resolve. Nonetheless, I still greatly enjoyed this story and will be excited to follow its release in July. What can I say, I'm a sucker for book-ish books!

I read Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee as a digital ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Booked on a Feeling is a fun and easy read about a Lizzy and Jack, childhood friends who end up spending three weeks together after years of day trips and phone calls. Despite the fact that both of them try to deny what’s between them (Jack with that Option Two foolishness) these two friends allow themselves a chance at love. And in the middle of it, they’re helping in a bookshop, balancing family expectations, and running around town giving each other heart attacks because he’s wearing a tool belt and she’s showing a few inches (or more than a few, thanks Shannon) of skin.

The chemistry between them is fantastic, and I loved how they egged each other on to be more themselves as the novel progressed. I was expecting the spice to be a little spicier, given the genre and inner monologues of both characters, but there’s still enough action that the fade to black scenes work.

I loved that while the ending was kind of predictable, it wasn’t a straight path -to- the ending. There were complications and new takes. I also loved the emphasis on finding your own life rather than living one built by the expectations of those around you. Lizzy and Jack are great together, but they were willing to risk all of it in order to be true to themselves and what they wanted and I think that’s a great takeaway from this novel.

Cute story but wasn't my favorite.

Lizzy is a Type-A overachieving lawyer in an LA big-wig firm. After winning her first trial case, she realizes she doesn't feel the sense of pride and accomplishment she ought to after her success. She decides to go to the small town for some relaxation, self-reflection, and much-needed quality time with her best friend, Jack.

Lizzy is a sympathetic character if only because she represents the average female, struggling to find her place in the world and working herself to the bone to do so. She has anxiety and panic attacks, which is noted she copes with through medication and therapy. For that fact alone, I applaud.
Jack, as her best friend, is adorable. I really loved the relationship between the two. However, Jack became a bit annoying with the constant references to how Lizzy is way too good for him, she would NEVER be attracted to him as anything other than a friend, and he would never say anything because he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. Got it. Once, or twice, was enough but his inner dialogue was almost a repeat of these thoughts. Insecurity I understand, but when reading it, it just felt like repetitive page-filler.

Thank you Jaycee Lee, and NetGalley for the ARC!

i dont know why i keep reading adult contemporary romance, i know i dont like it! this one was super cute, it was a case of 'its not you, its me'. i just couldnt relate to the characters at all.