Dnf ~10%

I really wanted to get into this one as I enjoy fake dating romances so much, but unfortunately this was not for me. Also not the FMC being blatantly rude while in the bakery not knowing the owner (her future love interest) was standing right there.

The synopsis of this sounded great which is why I requested it. However after reading reviews from friends, I realized this one isn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy to read.

Totally caught up in the Swift/Kelce romance?

Looking for a blacklist with a sweet touch?

Look no further than Fake it Till You Bake It.

What is better than a baker and football player? I'll wait. This is the first time I've read from this author and I've added Wesley to my new authors to buy. This story was delicious and sweet all at once. I fell for the characters and had some "feet kicking" moments. Swoons and sweets? Yes, please.

Well-done!

I am a sucker for a good baking show, and I love baking, so seeing this book it was a no brainer, I had to request it.

And I was definitely not let down. What a fun/cute book. Definitely something lighthearted to read after reading some of the darker romance.thats on the market. Well done, and I cannot wait to read more from this Author.

This was a cute book! I liked the premise of the misunderstood reality TV star rebooting her image. Having a man teach her how to bake was a plus. I like that Jada and Donovan both had a bit of grumpiness to them. They bumped heads but in a way that only intensified their connection to one another. This is a good book for getting cozy with a cupcake and drink.

This book was an enjoyable read. I liked the cute romance and the plot. The bakery setting was also delicious to read about. I typically don't like the fake relationship trope, but it was so well executed in this book that I liked reading it. I felt that it was a little slow at times, like the plot was stalling, but overall I liked it.

The descriptions of all the cupcakes made me hungry while I was reading it. Jada Townsend-Matthews finds herself working a cupcake store owned by football player Donovan Dell after fleeing home to San Diego after finding herself reviled for turning down a proposal on a reality dating show.

I really enjoyed how the book followed the fake dating trope in way that felt like a comedy of errors but was still super fun. I do like that there wasn't as much drama in between the couple once they got together, and I really love the subversion of "fixing your partner" in the book. Their relationship together felt very steady in their support of each other, even when it was largely still for the cameras. And the way that they worked together on problems as a couple? Amazing.

I do like that our characters grew separately from the relationship from their own pasts, and I love Mrs. T and Mrs. Dell as parental figures that are both firm and supportive. I loved the supporting cast as well - Mrs. T, Olivia, Nick and August, Ella, all the regulars at Sugar Blitz were so great in their interactions with our main characters.

Something that was small but really shined for me was Jada's dyslexia and how it was treated in the book - how she viewed it versus how Donovan viewed it versus how her parents viewed it, the way she brought it up in a large public setting that had positive results.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Fake dating trope that was super cute. I love that it also explored internet toxicity/vitriol and cyberbullying culture. Well written and well executed.

Spoiled trust fund reality tv star meets down-to-earth football star. The premise was there but the execution was dull and didn’t hit the mark. It was cheesy with no plot and okay banter. Conflict was unbelievable.

Jada Townsend-Matthews, fresh off a public heartbreak, has to find a job. Since the season finale of My One and Only aired, and it became public that she turned down the bachelor and his diamond ring in the end, she’s been universally hated. And since she turned down her parents’ offer of working for them, they’re going to cut her off financially. Jada has a trust fund that will come to her when she turns 26, but that’s still a year away. Her dyslexia had made college difficult, and while she graduated, it had made her miserable.

But her grandmother steps in to help give her some direction. And she gives Jada six months. If Jada can hold a job for six months, then she can get her trust fund early. She even has an opportunity in mind for Jada—a job at Sugar Blitz.

Donovan Dell plays football professionally for the San Diego Knights. But as he was getting closer to 30, he knew that his time on the field wouldn’t last forever. So he and two of his friends from the team—guys he’d played ball with since their freshman college days—decided to open a cupcake shop. They worked relentlessly on the recipes, and when they opened Sugar Blitz, they were ready to make the shop a success. But somehow, the store itself lacks warmth. Which is something that Jada had pointed out the day before, when her best friend had brought her there for her favorite cupcake.

So when Jada had found out that her grandmother’s job for her was at Sugar Blitz, Jade wanted to say no. She tried to say no. But as her grandmother pointed out, Jada had nothing else. And it was only for six months. And it was cupcakes. That should be fun, right?

But Jada isn’t a baker. And when Donovan tries to teach her how to make the cupcakes anyway, she almost burns down the kitchen. But slowly, she gets some confidence at the cash register and enjoys talking to the customers. Things start to look up for her. And she loosens up, even switching her designed shoes for a pair of Crocs. She finds that things start to loosen between her and Donovan also.

But the lie she told to get out marrying the doctor on the reality show comes back to bite her. She had said that there was someone at home that she couldn’t stop thinking about. And when reality show viewers figure out that she’s at Sugar Blitz and start taking photos and posting them, her chemistry with Donovan starts rumors that he was the guy from home she’d been pining for. But when the doctor shows up at the cupcake shop himself, trying for a second chance, Jada is worried that her lie will be exposed. Will she lose everything—her job, her growing feelings for Donovan, the trust she’d been working so hard to restore—just because of a stupid lie she’d told weeks ago? Or will she find a way to win the heart of the bachelor after all?

Romance writer Jamie Wesley brings cupcakes, a reality star, and a football player together in this romantic comedy filled with flavor and fun. Told from the perspectives of both Jada and Donovan in alternating chapters, Fake It Till You Bake It comes together like a well-crafted cupcake, the sweetness balanced with fresh fruit for tartness and some streusel for crunch.

I listened to the audio book of this book, read by Kassiopia DeVora, and I’m sorry to say that I thought the narration was not as good as I’d hoped. There were places in the writing that were a little bumpy, and the narration seemed to emphasize the awkwardness instead of smoothing it out. However, it’s hard to knock her for what is really a problem with the writing. I do wish the writing had been stronger, or the editing of the manuscript, had ben more deft because I love the concept for the book. I just felt a little let down by the execution of it.

Egalleys for Fake It Till You Bake It were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio myself through Chirpbooks.

the writing wasn't very engaging and the characters felt 2 dimensional. the premise was cute, but not enough to keep me entertained.

When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada (who is hated for turning down a reality TV proposal) and Donovan (a NFL player and cupcake bakery owner) are dating, the two fake date until they have real feelings.

This is was fine. To be honest, I listened to the audiobook so long ago that I don’t have strong feelings about it. So it was fine.

Loved this book!!!!! Loved that Jada was open and honest about her dyslexia. Who doesn’t love a good fake dating turned real dating story. I was so heartbroken when Jada ended things with Donovan but was so happy she wanted to final go on a journey to discover herself. My only wish on her journey of self love and discovery for her to finally stand up to her parents for the way they treated her. Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to hopefully read more by this author will we get 2 additional books to find out what happens to Donovan’s two best friends? I truly hope so

I gave this book a chance. It was not for me. I will not be reviewing it on my bookstagram account or goodread page. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

This was the first book I've ready by Jamie Wesley and I really enjoyed it. This book was funny, entertaining, steamy, and so swoony. I couldn't put Fake It Till You Bake It down once I started reading!

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley is a really fun fake-dating romance book about a reality star, Jada, and a cupcake-baking football player, Donovan. They pretend to be dating because the cupcake store is not performing as well as Donovan would like, and Jada is trying to win back the public's love. This was such a cute story, and I really enjoyed all the characters. Definitely recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I don't know why this made me think of The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. Maybe because I read them close together or because of similar vibes/structure.... not sure.

I feel like, besides that familiarity, I've read this before. This is no fault of the author because some similar stories are out there. They did great with the miscommunication trope, which I finally liked because it started because of mutual bad days, and that's realistic. We had some good spicy & sweet scenes, and it was a good story. Just not incredible.

This book was so good and the tension was immaculate! This was the first book that I physically annotated and it made the experience that much more fun! Also who doesn’t love the idea of the baker teaching the nfl player some things in the kitchen!

Spoiled trust fund reality tv star meets down-to-earth football star. I’ll start with what I enjoyed. The bakery setting was fun. The trio of football buddies owning a cupcake shop was a refreshing twist. I found each of them compelling in their own way. Unfortunately I found this story as a whole to be painfully dull. It’s hard to explain why this fell flat for me. It was cheesy and didn’t stand out from the hundreds of other mediocre romcoms on the market. The characters weren’t distinct or memorable. The banter was fine, but the plot was weak and formulaic. There was a third act breakup that made no sense at all. I felt that there was no realistic or believable conflict or tension. Overall, a very bland book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC of this phenomenal novel! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This delightful enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a lot of heart stars Donovan, a football player hoping to make his cupcake bakery more profitable and Jada, a reality star the world now hates for turning down a proposal on a dating show. After a not so sweet first meeting, Jada winds up working at Donovan’s bakery where a reporter mistakes them for a couple. The two take advantage of the situation in order to boost Donovan’s cupcake sales and to explain Jada’s decision to turn down the reality show proposal: she was already in love with someone else. Things heat up in and out of the kitchen as the two get to know each other more, but will that be enough to bake an authentic loving relationship? Do these two even want that with each other? Find out by reading Jamie Wesley’s Fake It Till You Bake It!

This story is wonderful and reading about Jada and Donovan falling for each other is delightful. Mix that with a host of fun characters and we have all the ingredients for a delicious romance novel!

5 out of 5 cupcakes–I mean stars.