Thank you NetGallery for this ARC audiobook.

This book was everything it said it would be. I absolutely loved the story line of getting a struggling book store to its feet. Lizzy and Jack, lifelong friends, both working jobs they feel like they don't belong in. This leads them to some extended time together. I wish there was more of a history given on Lizzy and Jack from all the years of being friends. If this book would have started with that instead of multiple chapters of the legal background that we got.

Read if you enjoy:
small town love
bookish theme
friends to lovers
family issues
anxiety rep

I really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t love it or hate it.

As an audiobook, It’s hard for me to jump back and forth between two characters without multiple narrators or at least saying that the narrative is switching characters.

I just wanted a little more from this story. A little more depth? A little more chemistry? A lot more communication?

This was just a little too predictable for me and just didn’t hit the mark for me. I almost wanted a prologue with more background of their friendship to make it feel more real and the epilogue fell flat for me.

As I always say, this didn’t work for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you!

Lizzy Chung has spent her life pleasing the people around her and working nonstop in pursuit of a partnership position at a prestigious law firm in LA. When a mid-opening statement panic attack forces her to take a step back and evaluate what she really wants, she decides to take some time off and books herself a VRBO four hours away in small town Weldon so she can reconnect with her best friend Jack Park.

Jack, who is struggling to figure out his own next steps professionally, didn't expect to see Lizzy back in Weldon, but now he's got three weeks to spend with the girl of his dreams. She's blind to his crush and he doesn't want to risk their friendship by admitting his feelings for her but when Lizzy decides to take on revamping a local bookstore as a 'vacation project,' Jack quickly steps up to help: hello forced proximity! The more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny their sparks, but what will happen when their time is up?

What I liked: This book was a super sweet friends to lovers story. Lizzy's adoration for independently owned bookstores is something any book lover can relate to and I loved the AAPI representation (both Lizzy and Jack are Korean-American). I also appreciated that the characters each took time to really find themselves before committing fully to a relationship and found the 'love thyself before loving others' theme to be powerful.

What I didn't: While the characters were really sweet, I found the writing to be redundant. The same sentiments about Lizzy being unhappy with her job, Jack pining for Lizzie and being afraid to admit his feelings to her and him feeling unfulfilled in his work were repeated over and over again. The plot was predictable and a significant portion of the book was dedicated to the main characters pining for each other without a whole lot of action. I will note that I listed to the audio version of Booked and the narration seemed slightly awkward, so that may have contributed to my overall rating.

Overall, not my favorite but still a cute read with some great representation.

Read if you love:
*friends to lovers
*AAPI representation
*defying family expectations

See also: Book Lovers, The Cheat Sheet, Meet Me in the Margins

Thank you to @netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this ARC! All thoughts in this review are my own.

#bookedonafeeling #jaycilee #aapiromancebooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #netgalley #netgalleyarc

Fun romance, nothing particularly unique but you don't always need that in romance. Wasn't a fan about what happened in the last act but the HEA was satisfactory.

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee

Lizzy Chung is a lawyer in a high end law firm in Los Angeles. She is working on her first case to go in front of a judge. During opening statements she has a panic attack and passes out. Then at the end of the trial she wins. Lizzy is on the upward trend to become partner in a couple of years. This should be all good news for Lizzy but it isn't she is burned out, tired and has been stressed from her mothers expectations. She decides to take a 3 week vacation and spend it with her best friend Jack.

Lizzy and Jack friendship begins to blossom into something more will it work out for them? How will Lizzy's mom react to her taking a vacation and the changes she is making for herself? Will Lizzy find happiness in all aspects of her life? You will need to read this heart warming sweet romance to find out what happens to Lizzy.

Even Jack had issues with his current life situation and wanted changes. He works for his family brewery business doing all the accounting. He is bored and wants more to do. He has also had a long time crush on Lizzy.

I really enjoyed this story for many reasons one it shows the struggles women have in sacrificing so much to move up in the legal field in big law firms. Burnout happens because of the long hours that are put in to win cases. Lizzy had no life other than her job and that is not sustainable for no human being. If you like a sweet, clean, easy to read romance this book is for you.

Cindy Kay did a fantastic job giving life to each character give each their own voice.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a free audio copy of this book for an honest review.

Overworked but driven young lawyer and her charming, easygoing brewery accounting childhood best friend get an unexpected gift when a work vacation brings their relationship front and center.

Booked on A Feeling is an easy instant favorite for romance readers. It has humor, love, flirting, sexual tension, an adorable back and forth exploration of friends to lovers.

I really liked Jack’s character. He’s attentive, sweet, charming and kind. Not full of himself or anything but kinda lost/aimless beyond his commitment to his family’s brewery business and his love for Lizzie. I want to see him blossom, especially since he’s lacking self esteem and worth in comparison to Lizzie.

Completely oblivious to his deep affections, Lizzie’s work a holic but I can relate to that because I’m the same. (Including the high anxiety and panic tendencies.)

But both of them are clearly lacking elements in their lives; unaware that some of those missing pieces are closer to them than they even realize.

Another element I liked about this book is the fact that both Lizzie and Jack had external challenges in terms of family life and their careers the author explores within Booked on a Feeling. I felt this helped to make their characters more dimensional and the ending more satisfying.

This is the second book I’ve read by Jayci Lee and I can’t wait to read more.

BOOKED ON A FEELING follows Lizzy, an overachiever practicing law in LA, as she finally takes some time away from work and is convinced by best friend Jack in his hometown of Weldon. Jack is adamant to help Lizzy rediscover passions that she had pre-law in order to get her back on the right track.

As Lizzy begins working at a local bookstore, her childhood friendship with Jack begins to deepen. Through karaoke nights, to hardware store errands for the store, and family dinners, both Lizzy and Jack begin to fall for each other.

BOOKED ON A FEELING falls into the friends to lovers and second chance lovers romance tropes, but explores deeper angles of discovering what makes one truly happy. I enjoyed that the novel had this larger emphasis and connection to the real world that other romance novels don’t always include!

This is such an adorable romcom! I love the best friends to lovers trope and this one definitely delivers! Plus I loved the coziness of the bookstore setting!

Lizzy and Jack have been friends since kindergarten. After winning her first law case, Lizzy decides to take a vacation to where Jack lives and she had grown up. Being around Jack, whom she felt was her best friend, made her realize she had stronger feelings for him. Jack loved Lizzy since he was 10 but never told her how he felt. I loved this book and watching Jack and Lizzy’s relationship deepen. It is a great testimony about how important it is to be a friend as well as a lover. Both Jack and Lizzy had jobs to please their parents. I loved the strength they had to try to find their own paths. Great characters and love story.

This romance didn’t quite hit for me. Perhaps too many difficulties or just not the chemistry I’m looking for.

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this sweet little rom-com. It’s the third book in a series, apparently, but I haven’t read the others, and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I liked the main characters, for the most part. I especially liked that the female protagonist is a smart, educated, conventionally-successful woman who still loves some traditionally feminine things (in this case, romance novels); that was fun to see. I liked the way the story was put together, and even though it felt like there were still a couple of loose ends that weren’t really resolved, I liked the conclusion, and I suppose that just makes it more realistic. This was my first book from the writer, but I might have to go back and read the first two from the series as well.

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee is a perfect summer read. This romance features classic tropes like friends to lovers, second chances, and miscommunication…. It’s sweet, easy to digest, and though a bit steamy - it fades to black before the spice. Essentially, this is the perfect book to read and then pass along to mom without any embarrassment.

Diving in a bit deeper, the book felt authentic, though at times, I felt like it didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. The title and cover clearly give us the impression that this is a rom-com with a book-lovers feel. And though that’s true for much of the book, at times, it like it could have been given a food-pun title and been a rom-com about foodies. I love the food attention and descriptions (especially the Korean dishes), but it was at times, a bit much. I will say, this author is fantastic when it comes to descriptors. I truly felt like I was in the bookstore or enjoying the meals along side the characters. She really builds the world well.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and one I’d recommend for those looking for a light romance.

More than just a cute rom com, this is a tale of finding yourself and your true passion in life at any age as well as having the confidence to go for what you want. While it is a fun, witty rom com, this story has more depth than that. Great narration really brings the characters to life and adds realism to bring the story to life. This was my first audiobook by this author and I have to say that it won't be my last as I quite enjoyed it! If you are looking for a fun listen, this is definitely one to put on your list!

I was so excited to listen to this book - after all with books front and center why not right? However, this one just wasn't for me. The story was predictable so much that the ending was an easy guess. It was okay but I lost interested about 50% of the way through, and while I did finish it, it wasn't not a book id recommend.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to the digital ARC Dreamscape Media

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed reading Booked on a Feeling! I always have to give a shout out to books that avoid a love triangle. So right up front, thank you for creating a fun, contemporary romance without a love triangle!

This book is different because it highlights the beauty, love, and trust in a long lasting friendship and just how scary it can be when faced with the opportunity to change that. This story follows Lizzy and Jack, friends for decades and living hours away from each other before Lizzy decides to take a well earned 3 week vacation and surprise Jack in his small town. Lizzy is about to discover more about herself than ever before and it comes with some unexpected realizations about her best friend.

This book highlights, friendship, workaholism, perfectionism, striving for parental approval, and self-esteem issues in a relatable and page turning manner.

If I had any criticism, it was that some of the redundancies in the characters inner monologue went on a little too long before anything came to fruition. By the third or fourth time, I found myself wanting to move on already and get to the meat and potatoes of the problem. Overall, this was a minor distraction and I really enjoyed discovering the fate of Lizzy and Jack.

More like 3 and ½ Stars ✨.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my advanced audio copy of Booked on a Feeling.

Things I Enjoyed-

* The Audio- Booked on a Feeling is narrated by Cindy Kay. She did an amazing job. As a listener she kept me engaged in the story.

* The Characters- Very Enjoyable to read and easy to root for.

* The Romance- Very Sweet with some added spice. The perfect balance. I wanted Jack and Lizzy to be together in the end- that to me means the author had me invested in the couple.

* The Feels- Not only was this a sweet romance but it was a comforting read. The setting felt cozy. There was a bookshop involved. Almost like a Hallmark Movie.

Why This Wasn't a 5 Star-

It was a tad bit predictable and nothing really stood out for me that made me go- man this is different and I must tell everyone about it.

Overall- Really glad I listened to this. I look forward to reading more by this author.

3.5 ⭐️

LA attorney Lizzy spends 3 weeks in her hometown Weldon, and reconnecting with her longtime best friend Jack could be the best or worst thing for them. Jack has been nursing a crush on Lizzy since they were kids, fast forward two decades later, could this be his chance to act on his feelings? Or, will he finally move on and follow his own dreams?

What a sweet best friends to lovers with similar PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION vibes. Family was thrown into the mix, and the romantic leap Jack and Lizzy took was both big and small. Conflicting feelings, the risk of losing friendship if a relationship didn’t pan out like they hoped, and the distance. Well, I was happy when they decided to pursue their own dreams, and do what’s right for them. Not my fave Jayci Lee, but could resist the super cute cover!

This book was cute overall, but it fell kinda flat for me. I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I love this feel-good genre, especially the best friend to lover trope. I wish there were more depth to the characters. Their narrative just repeats—there’s no growth. Jack just wants to be useful and he loves Lizzy. Lizzy is just stressed by the need to be perfect and fit her mother’s perception of a respectable daughter…but they never move from those narratives. It got tedious and I almost didn’t finish the book. But, I made it to the end, and I wasn’t mad about it. But, I certainly wasn’t left yearning for more.

Lizzy and Jack have been best friends since they were children but on their journey to self-exploration and bucking family expectations, it seems like there may just be more to their relationship than there once was.

This is a good read for fans of second-chance romance and friends to lovers (as even Lizzy points out) and it steps from that friendship to relationship storyline in a more realistic way than a lot of books. However, I will say that as friends for so long, it does seem like our main characters have some lackluster communication skills and that did throw me off. Overall, the story was enjoyable and I was able to like all of the characters individually and within whatever relationship structure they played with Lizzy and Jack. I especially enjoyed Shannon and her son Elliot and would love to see more of their characters.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I liked the relationship between the two characters. It realistically portrayed the hesitancy associated with upgrading from friends to lovers. I related to the female protagonist and her struggle to admit to herself that her current career provides her no satisfaction. It takes a strong individual to go against the status quo and choose happiness over what society characterized as successful.

I recommend this book to anyone. It was a quick listen for me in between hospital cases. I finished it in one day! Thanks for the opportunity to get an advanced copy of this audiobook!