3.5 Stars**

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun read! There were a lot of cupcake references that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the fact that Donovan was the one who owned the bakery. I also really enjoyed the banter between Donovan and Jada and how she would rile him up in order for him to not be so serious all the time.

My favorite scene would have to be the affirmation scene where Donovan helps Jada feel more assured of herself after being torn down. Both of the characters really helped to better the other and that was really nice to see.

Overall, this was a sweet romance with a little bit of bachelor vibes and some drama to match. Good if you’re looking for a quick read to activate your sweet tooth.

Light and easy, this fake relationship romance is low angst fun. It plays up the tropes for a lighthearted, laidback read, and I loved the hero. He's a cinnamon roll sweetheart who knows his pro football career will end at some point, so he's opened a bakery with his two best friends. This certainly felt like the start of a series revolving around the bakery, and I'd be interested in checking out more from this new-to-me author. Not only is the representation great, but the book has a pretty solid vibe once you get past the info dump at the start. It was perhaps a little too slow moving for me at times and the ending was kinda lame, but I enjoyed it overall. There's nothing like a sweet hero who isn't afraid of a relationship, and it was easy to see the chemistry between this couple.

The story follows Jada, a fashion-obsessed woman who is really hoping her inheritance will come through soon. While Jada is confident in most aspects of her life, she lives with dyslexia, and that has made finding a career that works for her a struggle. After a disastrous Bachelor-style reality show left her internet infamous, Jada is struggling more than ever. So when her friend takes her to a new bakery, Jada is... not the nicest. Turns out, the stern yet sexy guy she gets into an argument with is not only the bakery's owner, but also one of the star football players on the team her grandmother owns. And in a troubling turn of events, Jada will now need to work for Donovan if she has any hope of getting her inheritance. As the two bicker and banter - and somehow fall into a fake relationship - they soon realize that opposites really do attract.

It's my first time reading something from the author, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. That adorable cover gave me high hopes, and the story mostly lived up to that. I wasn't a fan of the third person writing style at the start, but it became much easier to settle in once the many characters and somewhat complicated storyline was introduced. After that, we get a lot of Jada and Donovan falling for each other, which was a lot more fun to read. I never fully related to Jada, but Donovan was easy to love - such a great guy. And while the story tackles a few subjects that could've weighed it down, it remained low angst and easygoing the whole way through. There's also a touch of steam and some playfulness, which made for a light read. I'm looking forward to checking out more from the series, Donovan's friends have tons of potential. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this fake relationship romance.

(3.5/5 rounded up)

This was a delightful, sweet and entertaining romantic-comedy. The storyline was enjoyable, a little bit slow to start but it made up for it in the end. It was a bit predictable but this was different from other romances I've read. There was a steamy part in there but wasn't overdone. And the characters were very likable. Now I'm wondering if there will be another book as a follow-up to this one as the ending was a bit confusing and what I think might be a cliffhanger. ?? I'm hoping there will be a Book Two here.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

In this fake dating romance, Jada, fresh off rejecting the eligible bachelor on a Bachelor-type show, takes a job at cupcake shop owned by Donovan, a professional football player. A gossip blogger catches Jada at the shop and Jada kisses Donovan to get the blogger to leave her alone. The pair begin a fake relationship which leads to real feelings.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I am really tired of the fake dating trope. Yes, there are times when it really really works, but this one didn’t bring anything new to the table. I was especially annoyed that this book also heavily relied on miscommunication, which is probably my least favorite trope. I really wanted to like the book more than it was. I was excited to read a book with Black leads, especially one with a football playing baker, but it fell flat for me. It was by no means bad, but just didn’t do anything for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been excited by the storyline of this book since I first heard the pitch and I’m VERY happy to say it did not disappoint. I loved Jada and Donovan and their supportive relationship. The black moment is mildly gray and makes total sense for their relationship. This is the first novel I’ve read by Wesley, but it won’t be the last. There is a big tease at the end, so I’m hoping we see more of Sugar Blitz soon.
4.5 stars

🧁🧁🧁🧁.5 rounded up

Gah ~ hot football players that bake! yes please!

Donovan plays for the San Diego Knights and also owns the cupcake shop Sugar Blitz with two of his teammates. Business isn't as great as he'd like it to be, so he sets up a meeting with the witty and knowledgeable owner of his team, Mrs. T. It turns out Mrs. T has a plan of her own that will not only help Donovan, but her granddaughter, Jada, too.

Jada is currently the most hated woman in America for saying no to a proposal on one of the most popular reality dating shows. Her parents are cutting her off, so she has no choice but to go along with Grams's plan and start working at the bakery that she just called 'stale' the previous day. I love her honesty and how she interacts with people. She's dyslexic and I thought that was well written.

Donovan is a logical man who likes order and stability. He's always calm, cool and collected. He isn't expecting to be thrown into a fake relationship in order to drum up sales, but he goes with the flow and soon realizes it's the best decision of his life.

As always I loved that it goes back and forth between their perspectives. I liked that Jada went after what she wanted, but I didn't care for the inevitable breakup we always get in this trope.
Grams is great! I really loved every character. Donovan, Nicholas and August have a great friendship ~ do I smell a book for each of them too???

A fun, fake dating, slow burn quick read. I can't call this a sports romance because it's the off season, so there is no football playing going on. I enjoyed their banter and sweetness. There was a little too much talk about social media for me. I could have went for a recipe or two for some on the delicious sounding cupcakes.

I have mixed feelings about the epilogue, was it too rushed? ~ (view spoiler) But it seems it might be setting us up for another book ~ yay!!
This is my first time with this author and I've got my eyes peeled for her next book!

Fake dating, hot athletes, and baking! This book has it all.

Jada is off from reality TV and is hated for turning down a proposal while Donovan is a NFL player with bakery dreams. when a misunderstanding leads to the media assuming they are dating, sparks fly!

Jada and Donovan are an adorable couple with an amazing chemistry. Both have family expectations and there is a lot of potential with the side characters for future books.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

This was the definition of a sweet and easy summer romance. The characters were both engaging and had a bit of depth. I love their chemistry and was really rooting for them. This book is a 3.5, but I will round it up to a 4 simply on the strength of Nicholas and August who are Donovan’s best friends, teammates, and business partners.

There were parts of the story that felt like glaring stereotypical romance novels plot points resulting in a jolting thrust into the next act rather than a bit more fluidity in its progression. However, the overall story was engaging, and I thought the pacing worked despite these points.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just off the cover alone, I was in for this book! This was such a fun read, but now I want cupcakes so bad! This is your typical fake dating / workplace romance trope, except with celebrity-esq main characters. Jada was on a bachelor type show who ends up being portrayed as the villain, while Donovan is a pro football player entertaining her passions in baking. Their meet cute is hilarious, and the chemistry was wonderful. While this book could easily come off as a cute brainless romance novel, the plot added a lot of substance about finding your passions and fighting for what you want. Definitely don't pass on this one!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/21!

Loads of fun in this cute romance!

I love the sparkling wit, the delightful humor, and the charming characters. Donovan is a football star from a working-class family who, with a couple of his teammates, also runs a local cupcake shop. Jada is a trust-fund baby whose down-to-earth grandmother (the football team's owner) wants her to learn about life. Grams puts these two together and lets the sparks fly!

There is a lot of fun in this story, though the writing could have been a bit tighter. Some situations are left to descend into chaos without explaining why the characters didn't take reasonable action to stop it, and a few slang words were a bit overused. Aside from those minor issues, the story had a terrific flow and I really liked the way the characters interacted with each other.

I hope future books will focus on Donovan's partners, as I'd love to read those stories. Donovan and Jada's HEA was very sweet and sincere, after a heartwarming reunion scene. Sports fans might be a bit disappointed, since this appears to be set in the off-season without a single football scene. If you're looking for a satisfyingly cute rom-com, this book was written for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

My review will be posted to Goodreads and instagram (@centralparkreader)

“He wanted more of her. He wanted her to be his. He wanted to be hers.”

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
Pub Date: 6/21/2022 - Available Now!
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
Spice: 🌶🌶 (2/5)

Jada is a former contestant given a bad edit on a reality dating show. Donovan plays football for the local NFL team and owns a cupcake shop with his 2 besties Nicholas and August. Sales are down in the bake shop and Jadas struggling with her private and public image. Together they fake date to overcome their struggles while trying to ignore the real sparks.

Overall this book is such fast paced. I love the twists and turns. The meet cute is SO GOOD it made me gasp. I love a male lead who seems like he’s got a hard exterior and interior but actually is a total softy and that’s what Jamie Wesley gives us.

If you like:
- Black Love
- Fake Dating
- Cute Nicknames
- Reality show drama

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Donovan and his teammates opened Sugar Blitz, a cupcake shop, as an investment for when their football playing ends. Jada comes into the store and isn't complimentary. Sparks fly!

This book is such fun. It made me want to eat all the cupcakes. I loved seeing Jada grow and move on from her distressing reality TV times. And I really enjoyed how the book talked about her having dyslexia. Her chemistry with Donovan was excellent.

I especially loved Donovan, Nicholas, and August. They're all so unique and also such great characters. So I loved seeing that the ending includes a set-up for a sequel with August.

And I really enjoyed the Hamilton references throughout.

Overall very cute concept. Loved the fake dating and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Extra points for representation!! My only critique is that it dragged a bit especially in the first 50-60%. However, it’s a quick, cute read. Perfect palate cleanser and perfect for getting out of a reading slump.

This book was delectable in more ways than one!
You have an NFL player that is a baker, passionate about pastry life, owns a cupcake shop! Like how swoony is this premise already?
He meets the vivacious lead while she is at his bakery talking smack and he catches her, dares her to try a cupcake and she leaves on such a sassy note.
Which sets up for some more hilarious and addictive banter between them two for the rest of the book.
The banter between them is probably my most favorite part, and the supporting cast is my second fav part. I know this is setting up for more books in the series so you can color me invested and ready for the next.
This has all the elements I love in Rom Coms plus lots of yummy cupcake talk! Def recommend to all!

This was a sweet romance, the fake dating trope is always fun and I liked how this was introduced into the story felt believeable.
Jada has been villified on social media for refusing a proposal on a reality dating show and has returned to her home town to lie low and figure out her life. Donovan is a pro football player who likes order and control and plans in advance. And as such he knows football wont last forever and has invested in a cupcakery (adorable! first time Ive heard this term, I know, I live under a rock!) That is not doing great. Through a misunderstanding they enter a mutually benificial fake dating situation. Her to improve her image and him to drum up business for his cupcakery.
I loved how Jada owned the situation she was in (though I didnt think she was at fault at all!) and was determined to brazen it out. They both have past issues with parents that they were working through and I loved that they were slowly learning to lean on each other. And that Jada was finally able to figure out what she really wanted to do with her life. Donovan was swoony and I loved the relationship he had with his two sisters. The plot was uncomplicated and just allowed the characters to shine and I fell in love with them. This was a fun, quick (at times spicy) romance read and I think its a perfect one to get you out of a slump.

Thanks to St. Martin's for an advanced copy of Fake It Till You Bake It.

This has everything I love in a book:
-Football player
-Bakery
-Fake Dating
-Workplace Romance

But unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two and Jada seemed a little too immature for me.

Fake dating is one of those tropes that never feels old to me. It's intriguing to see a pair/group of people land up on faking a date as the best viable solution to their problem, especially when it's because the characters panic.

In the case of this book, fake <i>anything</i> can lead to a storm that obliterates everything in its path.

Jada Townsend-Matthews is a social media pariah. Everyone hates her for rejecting the fan favourite bachelor publicly, on a reality TV show, and she can't turn two steps without being recognized for it. San Diego seems like a good bet to lie low for a while, but as usual, she has no idea how wrong she is.

Baking and football are the two things Donovan Dell invests his energy in. He's no-nonsense, likes to have a plan for everything, and has a ten step idea of what his future is going to look like. Unfortunately, that future is put into jeopardy when his cupcake business starts to decline in sales and popularity, and further so when Jada crashes into his life.

She comes into Sugar Blitz as a critic of his cupcakes, but stays as the newest employee...and later, his very public, very fake girlfriend.

Jada's desperate to give some backing to the story she spun with the showrunners about why she, who was top contender for marrying the most sought-after bachelor, rejected him - she told them that she had someone at home.

When faced with her lies, she's more than a little desperate, and one impulsive move on her part sends her and Donovan on a whirlwind of fake dating that ends up benefitting both of them, but also ends up balancing each other out.

That was one of the things I loved most about these protagonists - they were very clearly opposites, but instead of feeling that they're out of each other's leagues, or that they don't even belong in the same circles, you end up seeing a balance struck between them. Jada draws Donovan out of his shell without shoving him alone into the unknown, and Donovan patiently centers her without suffocating her. And I love that you don't end up seeing them leaving the other in the dust - even when they're not obliged to be there, they are!

With the way the whole conflict and antagonist were hyped, I expected the resolution to give us a little more excitement. All the strings were wrapped up, but it felt a little rushed to me. Maybe it's the drama-chasing personality in me, but the ending felt flat to me.

Still, this was a very cute read, and I do think that the author has left just enough strings for another book...perhaps starring a certain stoic side character...?

[Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review!]

Cute, lighthearted romance with likeable characters. Jada starts off as a terrible person but becomes more likeable as the book progresses. I loved the concept of the cupcake shop owned by three athletes and Jada's events were a fun addition to the shop. Great vacation read.

This was an okay example of fake dating, but the book never really flowed well for me and felt more like vignettes with Jada and Donovan. The timeline felt strange with time skips that didn't make sense or even feel like they were at a different point in time. The biggest problem is that I just didn't care about Jada or Donovan. Nothing made them interesting or likable, and I felt like facts were thrown at me about both of them while never knowing either of them. This might be due to having both points of view in the book because everything felt repetitive.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free book.
I binged this book in a day, and it was so much fun. I loved Jada and Donovan. There's fake dating, lots and lots of yummy cupcakes, and so much drama in this book. The characters were relatable and flawed. I enjoyed how they complemented each other, which added chemistry to the fake dating scene. The friend side characters were lots of fun. I also enjoyed Jada's character arc. She had to work through so many difficult problems yet kept moving forward - which looked different as she grew in the story. These characters were heartwarming and fun to read about. If you're looking for a fun romance with depth with memorable characters, check this one out.