Title: A Sweet Mess
Author(s): Jayci Lee
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on July 14, 2020
Pages: 315
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
Format: ARC, eBook
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Heat Level:
Korean-American author Jayci Lee delights with this delicious and light-hearted romantic comedy that readers will devour and ask for more.
Bake a chance on love.
Aubrey Choi loves living in her small town nestled in the foothills of California, running her highly successful bakery away from the watch of her strict Korean parents. When a cake mix-up and a harsh review threaten all of her hard work and her livelihood, she never thought the jaded food critic would turn out to be her one-night stand. And she sure as hell never thought she’d see her gorgeous Korean unicorn again. But when Landon Kim waltzes into her bakery trying to clean up the mess he had a huge hand in making, Aubrey is torn between throwing and hearing him out.
When she hears his plan to help save her business, Aubrey knows that spending three weeks in California wine country working with Landon is a sure recipe for disaster. Her head is telling her to take the chance to save her bakery while her heart—and her hormones—are at war on whether to give him a second chance. And it just so happens that Landon’s meddling friends want them to spend those three weeks as close as possible...by sharing a villa.
When things start heating up, both in and out of the kitchen, Aubrey will have to make a choice—to stick it out or risk her heart.
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A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee highlighted how important communication was in any relationship. If only the characters featured in this book had communicated with each other, they could have avoided half the problems encountered in this story. With that being said, this proved to be a sweet story involving food (I am sure I packed on some pounds just reading about all those baked goodies) and romance.
The story introduces Aubrey and Landon, two driven, ambitious and compassionate characters who shared a love for food. Aubrey specialised in baking, while Landon was a well-known food critic.
The banter between the main and secondary characters was fun and cute. I especially enjoyed Aubrey’s interaction with her best friend, Tara. Tara was what one would call the life of the party.
I am on the fence as it relates to the romance. I loved the outcome which I found sweet and adorable, but I was not a fan of the journey it took to get there. The many obstacles in the form of abandonment and daddy issues, failure to communicate, pride and cowardice proved to be the major hindrances in their journey to a happily ever after. Landon did something that had me fuming, and frankly I thought Aubrey should have made him grovel a lot more. I never felt the connection between them. I believe that the fact that the reader was told of the chemistry between the characters instead of it being showed was a contributing factor.
The story featured the POVs of both main characters, which I had no issue with. However, what I found frustrating was the there was no warning when a change in the POVs occurred, therefore it took me awhile to figure out which of the character’s POV I was reading. The fact that this was an ARC may have been a contributing factor to the confusion surrounding the change in POVs. I sure hope that is the case.
Conclusion/Recommendation
I had hope to love this book, but unfortunately I have to settle for liking it. Would I read more from this author, maybe?
- Good as Gold by Sarina Bowen - June 2, 2023
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- 🎧Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall - May 30, 2023
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Netgalley and Edelweiss
- New Release
I enjoyed this book and just grabbed a new one of hers for review.
I enjoyed this book and just grabbed a new one of hers for review.
That is a pet peeve of mine when suddenly you are pulled from the story to figure out whose POV it is. Cute cover.
I know so confusing. I agree with you on the cover.
Sounds like a good story but I don’t like my books to be a little confusing.
The story had potential, but there were quite a few misses.
Just read one where the issues with the couple could have been fixed by a good conversation and swapping POVs would be very distracting. The foodie background for both does sound great. I’ve got the second book in another series by the author for review and it’s in the business world.
Sorry it wasn’t perfect for you. Lack of communication, especially due to characters not getting over their senses or pride, can bother me too.
I liked this more than other people. I will admit, I wasn’t a fan of the initial conflict, but I enjoyed their time filming and I loved the ending.
I am a foodie, so this sounds appealing. I love great banter and that the ending delivered. However, I get really frustrated when most of the characters problems stem from a lack of communication. I’m glad you enjoyed it overall Nadene 🙂
Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
Too bad it missed the mark for you, I hope your next read is on fire
This is the issue I have with a lot of dual or multiple POV books. You think you are reading the thoughts of one character when actually there has been a switch with no notice and the book becomes confusing, or a switch at a random time. Great review.
I am new to this author and have a book to read for a blog tour.
Non communication and not enough groveling are two issues that are definitely frustrating. Glad to hear you enjoyed the story overall. Hope you love your next read, Nadene! 🙂
Great cover and blurb but it sounds like it fell a bit short for you Nadene
I always enjoy books where you get both POVs. It makes me feel special to know what’s going on before the characters do LOL 🙂
This one is on my TBR! Enjoyed your review!
i know i wanted to read this but not sure if i added it to my list.. loved the cover.. and sorry it did not fully meet your expectations