I didn't buy this romance or the author's knowledge of working in a kitchen or how to bake cupcakes. Legitimately you can read the back of a Betty Crocker box and know that cupcakes won't burn in 20 minutes. Like, not even a little bit. and HEELS in a kitchen? Are you trying to slip and die? Every restaurant I've worked in (which is decidedly different than a bakery but you're still using similar equipment and procedures) required anti-slip soled shoes. Basically so you can't sue them for your injuries from slipping and falling. It's a whole thing.

And that timeline? Who is she? I really struggled with this one.

This was a cute and sexy enemies to lovers arc set in a charmingly absurd plot. I'd recommend for any fans of the Bromance series, although this definitely has the right ingredients to stand on its own without comparison. Witty banter and sweet encounters blended for a perfectly decadent read.

I love romance books and I love baking so this book was perfect for me. Despite it involving football which isn't my go to sport I still really enjoyed this book. As someone who deals with social media for a living I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh a few times because I understood Jada. Also my heart bled for the poor woman. As a fan of reality tv I love seeing the pain that it can cause in a book. And while I'm not the biggest fan of football I'll watch Donovan play any day. Can't wait to read more from Jaime!

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book! Apologies for the delay in the review.

I thought this was a cute and fun book. The heroine was a little much for me at first, as she is very into fashion/influencing/appearances, but you grow to appreciate her and see beneath the surface. The hero is charming and swoony, and the cupcake shop is a delightful setting. I enjoyed the characters and setting, but found the "fake dating" plot and ultimate conflict pretty strained and wished it had been more of just enemies to lovers without the fuss over public perception.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-galley of Fake It Till You Bake It.

What a charming enemies to lovers rom-com. The writing style of this book was so descriptive, it made me hungry for cupcakes the whole time. I loved the burgeoning relationship between Jada and Donovan.

Wonderful book from start to finish.

Okkkk so first of all Donovan, August and Nicholas immediately reminded me of the Bromance bookclub guys, and I am here for it. Just swap out the book club for a bakery, and other sports for all football and you got this great group of friends. There is def a set for up a second novel (August) and I cannot wait. Plus I see a story line with Donovan’s sister and Nicholas as well, or at least a little more to that story.

This was such a fun strangers to friends, to fake dating, to real dating story line. Donovan and Jada rolled from one right into the next without skipping a beat. I liked the progression of the story, although predicable I loved seeing how it all played out. My favorite characters though was definitely a tie between Donovan’s sisters and Jada’s grandmother. They added that extra element of fun to the story.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for this eARC copy to read and review.

Fake It Till You Bake It was a sweetly satisfying treat. Probably as good as the cupcakes from Sugar Blitz. I enjoyed all the characters and the relationships between Donavan and his partners at the shop. It was just a low angst love story with all the ingredients to leave you smiling and happily satisfied at the end. Now I need to know how August ended up going viral!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Fake It Till You Bake It! There is an incredible lack of POC centered romance novels and it's criminal. I immediately pick Black and Brown romance books and they always end up being placed among my favorites. This sweet story will have you smiling, laughing, and kicking your feet from start to finish. I feel so lucky to have gotten this ARC and would recommend to anyone.

Donovan is a pro-football player turned baker in the off-season. Donovan and 2 of his teammates own a cupcake shop/bakery. Jada is a "spoiled" rich-girl whose grandmother owns the football team that Donovan plays form. In an attempt to teach Jada responsibility and get her to "grow-up" her grandmother asks Donovan to give Jada a job a the shop. What ensues is a enemies to lovers romance with a side of fake dating and laughs.

I enjoyed the dynamic of the characters and the back-and-forth between Jada and Donovan. It was a quick read and I found myself laughing quite a bit. The characters were relatable and the relationships between Donovan and his teammates/business partners as well as the premise of the story was relatable.

This was such a cute read! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. I'm pretty sure they would be considered grumpy/ sunshine pairing as well! Plus add in good chemistry AND baking?! Yes. Highly recommend, this was such an enjoyable read! Donovan and Jada were wonderful characters. I liked their banter and teasing, and also how their relationship developed. This one was cute.

3.5 rounded up.

This was super cute!! From the cover to the romance, everything about this book was a treat. Thank you for the copy! I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

When an influencer and a football palyer get caught up in life. THey never realize their lives are interconnected. THis was a great book. I enjoyed this book it had humor, angst and romance.

This was definitely a quick fun read! Jada and Donovan definitely had a lot of chemistry in their interactions, but I also appreciated how much they supported each another. It was refreshing for Jada to have an already established best friend, and I wish we were able to see more of Olivia. You can tell she’s going to bat for Jada no matter what. I totally expected her to also join the book club? But she also never really showed back up at the cupcake shop either. She usually just ended up back at Jada’s place, which is fine. I just expected her to be constantly in the bake shop since she is the one who dragged Jada there in the first place. Speaking of friends, I adore Kendra, the book club host. She’s pushy and bossy but in a fun, charismatic way, and I hope we see more of her. I think this is supposed to be a series. The epilogue makes it seem like it’s going to be.
Donovan’s besties Nicholas and August are also a lot of fun in their own ways. They all balance each other out: Donovan is the micromanager, type-A, driven and focused friend; Nicholas is the Devil may care, charismatic, fun loving, player friend; and August is quiet, stoic, loyal, and wise friend. To me, August is the stabilizer.
The plot was an interesting one to me. I did guess where it was going quite a few times, but the journey to the plot points was fun. I enjoyed the antics, but I also enjoyed the more serious discussions around dyslexia and gambling addictions and difficult family relationships.
Where the book lost me a bit was very near the end when something happens that just didn’t need to happen? The story could have ended up in the same place without it, and it was just kind of irritating. I am being intentionally vague here.
However, I am interested to see what comes next in this (possible) series!

While this book was very much up my alley- being a black girl and a baker myself- I quickly realized this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the copy of this book.

The concept was really cute and I love a good fake dating story, but it was really quite sloooooow burn and the fact they didn’t actually get together basically until the end just didn’t do it for me.
I also found it really wordy and just missing a little something extra.

I liked the leads separately, Jada is nice and sassy, and it felt realistic and modern to me, but overall I felt it’s just an ok read. 3 stars for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a good read! FAKE DATING TROPE?! The best. I loved Jada and Donovan so much and I always enjoy the banter and tension that comes with fake dating along with the cuteness of it all. Overall very glad I read this! I wonder if they’ll be a 2nd book?

This book follows a reality star and a cupcake baking football player wrapped up in a fake dating scheme. This was definitely a cute, lighthearted and easy read. I really loved Jada and Donovan as characters and they were really fun to read about. Unfortunately, this isn’t a romcom that I see really standing out to me in the long run. I found it a bit predictable at times and a bit too cheesy for me. This is not the day I didn’t enjoy my time though and I can see how this would totally work for someone else. I’m interested to check out more from this author however and I think if you’re interested in this book, you should for sure give it a try!

I have some mixed feelings about this book. I liked the premise of seeing the other side of the story of a reality TV villain. I liked that it was the man who had the stereotypical romance novel job at the cupcake shop.

But the conversations between Jada and Donovan felt stiff and stilted like they were play acting banter without it feeling real. I also found it hard to feel bad for the "sad little rich girl" who doesn't have access to her trust fund and needs to *gasp* get a job to pay her bills.

I wanted to love this book but it didn't do it for me. 2.5 stars. I didn't hate it but I also didn't particularly care for it.

I loved the idea of this and the synopsis. The whole story fell a bit short for me. I think I am just over baking romance books. There are too many centered around food competitions and baking shops.

Cute ROM Com! Quick easy read. Great for a rainy day or poolside. Predictable, as are most books in this classification. A little racy a couple of times, (most of us don't need instructions) and some potty mouth, but I've seen worse. The characters were colorful with some good dialogue and situations. A fun book to read. I was provided an advanced copy of the book at my request and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, St. Martin's press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.