Fake It Till You Bake It was my first book by Jamie Wesley and was a nice little palate cleanser between my thrillers. It was cute and light and had some great characters that I'm assuming we are going to see more of in future books (but this is still a complete standalone).

Jada is fresh off of a reality show and needs to straighten out her life. Her grandma arranges a temporary job at the upscale cupcake shop owned by Donovan, a NFL player that is making sure he has a life after the NFL. But when Jade enters his shop, it's the second time in as many days that he has set eyes on the beautiful woman that presses all his buttons and turns his world upside down.

Jada, Donovan and the crew of Sugar Blitz are sweet and fun and made this story enjoyable. I liked the fake dating approach these two were forced to take, but it obvious even before they made that commitment that they had chemistry. Even though the story was predictable, I enjoyed the lighthearted fun, the attraction these two had and how they grew as people.

For some Black love, fake dating, office romance, with a side of reality show rom-com, pick this one up. It's flirty, fun, a little steamy and not overly dramatic with some great characters that you'll want to see more of in future books.

Football and cupcakes is a winning combination in this book! I loved Donovan and Jada and how their story moved.
I highly recommend this book

This was a cute quick read! I really enjoyed it! There was definitely chemistry between Jada and Donovan and it did get steamy! I highly recommend this book! You will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: Parent with gambling addiction, parental neglect, ableism, online bullying

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f workplace romance
-fake dating
-frenemies to lovers
-close-proximity
-love at a cupcake shop
-mutual pining and a lot of denial

Sil raved about this one so of course I moved it up my TBR and it did not disappoint. The right mix of fun, a bit of reality drama, and a cringe of a meet cute. I loved Jada, knew what she wanted, refused to settle and trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted in the face of all of her family's expectations.

Sweet gentle giant Donovan, football player and bakery owner galore. How much he respected Jada, how much they both wanted the other to succeed. I loved their banter as they butted heads and tried not to be too annoyed with themselves over how attracted to the other they were. Have snacks ready because there's a lot of mentions of yummy cupcakes as it builds to a delicious payoff. I adored watching these two fake date and accidentally fall for each other, and i hope the rest of the owners of the bakery get their own HEA.

Steam: 3

Another case of a it's not you, it's me. I think I'm just over the whole show ordeal. Much less foodie inspired ones. The writing and story was great! I just wasn't 100 percent attached.

This was very fun and cute! Fake dating, football players running a cupcake shop, and reality TV drama all come together in Fake It Til You Bake It.

Fans of a reality dating show hate Jada for turning down a proposal and breaking the lead's heart. Jada is hunkering down and trying to find direction in life when her grandmother (a badass lady who owns a professional football team) ends up pushing her to work at a cupcake shop run by three of the players on her team. Jada and Donovan butt heads, but end up faking a relationship to help business for the shop. But of course, things start to heat up for real...

I found this to be charming and sometimes pretty funny. Jada is a bit of a mess and Donovan is a bit uptight, but I think they end up being really good for each other. I was hoping this might be a new favorite for me, and I wasn't invested quite enough for that, but I think this is a solid, enjoyable romance that will likely be a crowd pleaser. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Donovan Dell is a very pragmatic professional football player - who also found two teammates willing to open a cupcake shop (Sugar Blitz) with him. Donovan is very much a numbers man who detests surprises. Jada Townsend-Matthews is a lost young woman trying to find her footing during a time when the world hates her, and family is less than supportive of her decisions.

Jada and Donovan are thrust into each others lives when Jada's grandmother, who owns the football team Donovan plays for, asks Donovan to give Jada a job at Sugar Blitz. Jada is currently infamous after a brief run on a dating reality TV show and when forced to confront the show's producer, Jada claims Donovan is her boyfriend. Donovan agrees to the charade once sales start to increase.

As the fake relationship progresses, Donovan and Jada start to develop real feelings with real implications. Jada still strives to find her one footing, and learns some things about herself on the way. Donovan also learns a few things from her, and the story is very enjoyable.

I didn't love or hate this book. But I don't think it left a last impression on me either. It was just okay. A bit flat.

This story is so sweet! The cover is absolutely adorable, and combined two of my favorite things: a fake dating trope and a bakery! This is a sweet rom-com for a relaxing summer day.

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“You two are the perfect couple.” -From Fake it Till You Bake It

2.5 stars

Despite almost every side character telling our couple this, I just didn’t feel it. I wanted to love this book so much. Cute cover, and at a bakery! This book, the characters, and the writing was so bland though. Even the cupcakes were bland. They constantly are serving up just vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. But waaaait there is a secret ingredient that makes the vanilla so special! (Spoiler alert: it’s just some cinnamon. I know, crazy.) I’m usually a sucker for a fake dating trope, but the banter and chemistry just didn’t work for me. I love some of the representation, and Donovan’s mom. Some things didn’t make sense logistically, like her burning cupcakes after a few minutes longer in the oven; and somehow being able to serve wine at the book club event (I’m guessing Donovan didn’t she’ll out for a liquor license). The pace was off, and the time jumps not always discernible. It picks up a little at the 60% mark so, and you finally get a more in depth look into our two main characters, but I’m guessing that might be too late for some readers.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fake it Till You Bake It:
3.5 stars (rounded up)

A romcom that includes two of my favorite things - football and cupcakes?! What's not to love! This book follows Jada as she works to try to figure her life out. She ends up in a (fake) relationship with football star/cupcake shop owner Donovan after her very public breakup comes back to haunt her. I found myself cheering for the two of them and their relationship but also Jada as she works to figure out who she is and what she wants next in life.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5 rounding to 4

A lot of the elements of this romance had strong appeal, beginning with a cupcake shop. Yum. I loved the grandmother. She was a 21st century fairy godmother, right down to her billions.

I liked Jada, and I liked Donovan, but I had some trouble following the arc of the romance. It felt like insta-love, which can be okay if the friendship/getting to know one another quotient balances out. But instead Donovan got very possessive, which even in fiction raises alarm flags for me. That might be life experience distorting the read, so take that with a grain of salt.

I wanted to like their various friends, but they tended to read a bit more like types rather than feeling fleshed out. Some of the dialogue exchanges were nifty, though, making me think this author has promise, but might need a more engaged editorial hand.

Anyway, short answer: there was a lot of promise here, and a lot of heart, though it was a bit of a bumpy ride in places.

Thank you NETGALLEY and ST. MARTIN’S GRIFFIN for the ARC
→2.5 stars

I had high hopes when I picked up this book. There was just so much potential, but it didn’t live up to it. The writing bothered me and was often “cringey” at times. All of the characters were stiff and stereotypical.

The idea of this book is adorable; meet-ugly with a pro football player who runs a cupcake shop and a rich, determined girl who the internet hates due to her turning down a proposal on a dating show. This book had fake-dating, shop romance, and internet fame. After hearing this about the book, it sounds very promising.

Donovan and Jada are our two main characters. They both have good traits, but there’s no more to them besides a bit of family trauma.

Besides this, Fake It Till You Bake It had lots of representation for poc. So, kudos for that.

Now, “if this book had nothing, why are you giving it 2 stars?” is what you’re probably asking. This is because if the cringey dialogue wasn’t there, the pacing was better, and the characters were more 3D, I would have eaten it UP. (I almost always round my rating up, and I really appreciate the author's bravery in getting this book out there, but it took me a MONTH to read this.) The beginning of the book is the hardest to get through, mainly because I just couldn’t get used to the corny dialogue and descriptions.

I got an ARC and this was the perfect easy, romance read! Jada and Donovan have great chemistry. The fake dating trope can be hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this and thought their progression was really natural. I loved the reality TV plot line. I didn't realize that majority of the book takes place over two weeks, which seemed a little rushed given everything that happened. But overall it was an enjoyable read!

This was a fun and easy read.

Jada is hiding after being cast as the villain in the finale of a reality show while Donovan, a football player is trying to save his cupcake shop.

Due to a set of events beyond their control, the two end up "fake dating" until real feelings creep in.

This was really adorable. It's going to be the perfect beach read this summer.

Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

"Fake It Till You Bake It" by Jamie Wesley
FUN Easy Reading Romance
I really did enjoy my time in the Sugar Blitz cupcake bakery with Donovan Dell, Jada, Nicholas, & August, too !! A fun light easy reading story with lots of bumps in the road which keep you turning the pages. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review expresses my honest opinion.

Fake dating? Sign me up ... I'm full in!

I really enjoed this book. Jada and Donovan are bringing sweet love story, with fake dating trope, and I can tell You, it is my jam. I loved how author created their characters, how she lead their story thru the pages. Jada and Donopvan are very likable characters, but IF I could choose one - my vote goest to Donnovan! I won't lie, I like my heroes a little dirty and grumpy... From the begining, I felt like Donnovan was totally opposite to this descripciotn, but In romances there are not many male characters , who have such a sadorable attitude for heroine, rught? Because of that I loved Donnovan with all my heart. Seeing, how Jada managed her life, and things that happen to her- I can't imagine more perfect companion, for her, than Donnovan. I loved them being honest for each other, how they respected themselves. All the things above created amazing love story line, without too much drama in the background . It was very refreshing, and made this book more special.

Fake It Till You Break It was my first book from this author, and I had lot of fun. Must Read Title.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Here are all of the reasons you should read this book: fake dating, reality dating tv show redemption arc, cupcakes, BIPOC characters, grumpy/sunshine, CUPCAKES.

It is a really cute book and it was fun to read. I loved the character growth throughout the book and it was nice to see the different characters come into their own personalities more throughout the book. I think it was a really realistic plotline and I would love to read companion books about the other men of this bakery/football team. Definitely check it out when it is released!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC! This book was a quick, fun read. It was an interesting take on the character's backgrounds as well as how they met one another. I enjoyed that it was told from both character's POV. Despite everything that happened, Jada stood by her decisions and who she was. Along with the romance, it was nice to see Jada find herself and put herself first, not just immediately jump into a relationship. It'd be fun to see future books focusing on Donovan's teammates and cowowners! This book was a lot of fun, a lovely summer read.

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley was a fantastic read. To begin, Jada is on of my main characters this year. She is tough and is honest about how she feels and sees things. It is refreshing that she isn't trying to placate Donovan. Donovan is a loving main character. He cares a lot about his business and his family and friends. The chemistry and the banter between the two main characters was fire. I loved their conversations together and how honest they were to each other. I really appreciated all the other side characters. Her grandmother was kind and loving as was Donovans family members were. There are so many scenes in this story that made me laugh and that I look a back on. Especially when Donovan is watching the reality show. I hope we get to read more about the friend group and see more about this couple in future books!