Fake It Till You Bake It is an almost enemies to lovers fake dating rom com that skirts the line between being a light and fluffy read and making you feel all the feels. After a little bit of a slow start in which I wasn't sure how I was going to feel, the story picked up and Jada and Donovan's chemistry started to sizzle a bit more. For the second half of the book I was totally engaged and invested and didn't want to put it down. If you're looking for a diverse romance by a female POC author, look no further and pick this one up!

(3.5) This fast paced read is for lovers of the fake dating trope. In this romantic comedy, Jada, a “bougie” former reality tv contestant who can’t seem to hold a job and Donovan, a level headed NFL player who also happens to own a cupcake shop, begin their relationship through a mutually beneficial ruse. The premise of this book is something unlike anything I have read. This unlikely pair charmed me early on, leaving me eager to see their story unfold.

This book demonstrates a healthy relationship, something many contemporary romances struggle to demonstrate. The miscommunication trope is nowhere to be found with these two! This was ultimately a very refreshing read in that sense.

Although my attention waned as I read, I found the characters worth the investment. I believe this book would be best consumed in one sitting, as it was easy to become detached from the plot. However, I was impressed with Jamie Wesley’s ability to surprise me as a reader. Although the book follows a similar formula to other fake dating romances, Wesley finds a way to create scenarios that are new and fresh. Overall, this is a solid romance novel. I am excited to see what the next instalment of this series entails.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Format: Ebook

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC – Net Galley and St. Martin's Press provided this Advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fake it Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley is a romance that gives pretty much everything I could want in a story. There are enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, slow burn, different levels of family relationships, and the banter between the two was nothing short of incredible. It also felt like a slow burn to me too. With that, you must be wondering what this book is about!

Fake it Til You Bake It tells us the story of Jada Townsend-Matthews, a reality star who America has turned their backs on. Turning down the viewers favorite bachelor didn't win her any prizes. Donovan Dell is a football player who owns a cupcake shop. Their chance encounter and less than ideal first impressions sent them on the track of enemy territory, but little did they know they had a connection.

Jada's grandmother owns the football team Donovan plays for. Jada, impulsive and, as Donovan calls her, bougie, has to work for the logical, cautious and organized Donovan at the shop. Tensions run high between the two as she's a storm to Donovan's calm. Both of them turn each other's lives upside down in this sweet tale of love and baking.

I don't think I could even pick a favorite character because Donovan has my heart and so does Jada. They each compliment each other in such a perfect way, and they're both incredibly stubborn to a fault, but I couldn't bear to choose a favorite. I enjoyed all of their banter, back and forth. They challenged one another and complimented their lives in ways they didn't even realize. Much like the story, I'm definitely a #JaDon shipper myself!

This was definitely a five star read for me! I can't wait for this release expected on June 21, 2022.

A light-heart sweet romance with characters that are not white (which we need more of) . The book is steamy and the chemistry between the two characters and it was predictable. It is still worth the read! I will say it is a slow burn! there is mention of gambling and social media harrassment.

Fake It Till You Bake It was my first time reading Jamie Wesley. After seeing it on NetGalley and reading the description I was really excited to check it out.

It is a quick and light-hearted read that follows Jada, who recently was on a reality dating show that painted her as a villain, and Donovan, sexy NFL player with a side-hustle owning a cupcake shop. I loved their witty banter together and they had great chemistry which helped make it a quick read. I only gave it 3.5 stars, because I had hoped for a little bit more romance and steaminess from it. Overall it was a good book and I will likely check out the author again in the future. Other reviewers have mentioned it, but it would seem that this will be a series of books and the next one will seemingly be about one of the other characters, August. Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Yes, at times it is a little cheesy but overall I was entertained by the characters and they had great chemistry on the page. There was a little bit of every trope in here: enemies to fake dating to friends to lovers. It was definitely interesting. I have a feeling we are going to see Nicholas (Olivia?) and August (Sloane!) again and I’m totally here for it. I’m invested now and will definitely be reading the next books in the series.

Premise: so cute!
Writing: tell not show, lackluster. This seems to be a trend with rom coms. I need wit, crackling off the page, and character development off the bat in order to be hooked. Didn't find it here.

Despite being extremely busy with school and work, I finally got the chance to finish this book. I really enjoyed this book; it was predictable at times, but I didn't really mind it. This rom-com is about a famous football player whose bakery is not doing so well and a reality TV star who is trying to regroup and find herself after breaking off an engagement on national television. I really liked the dynamic Jada and Donovan had with each other. The one thing I loved the most about this book was that it was a black romance; black romances are really hard to come around, and this story captured black love in a beautiful way. This book will make you laugh, swoon, and get you in your feels. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I will get a physical copy when it is released to the public. Fake it Till you Bake It comes out June 22, 2022!

The premise of Fake It Till You Bake It was really cute. The first chapter had a great hook. I struggled to like the main characters. I understand Jada had a lot of people judging her, but she was very harsh and hard to like. Donovan was so-so.
I expected a cupcake shop to be a bit brighter and warmer. I’d say 3.5 stars

First off, thank you too St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for allowing to me read this Digital ARC of Fake it Till You Bake It.

The total caught my attention and so did the cover - being that I love a good rom-com and this one was probably centered around baking LOL (which I love to do!)

This book is so cute! Matter of fact it's SWEET and leaves you feeling good! our MCs Jada and Donovan have an honest and truthful relationship (wow thats hard to come by). I love that its a little roll revsersal from traditional - he's the baker! plus if you're into dating shows, which I'm not but still cute part of the story, it will scratch that itch too! Super fun read, really enjoyed it!

Unfortunatley this sweet treat felt a bit salty and over baked for my taste.

I just couldn't connect with our main character. She felt too much, too insta-hungry for me and I rolled my eyes a lot.

The story had a ton of potential and seemed so cute, but unfortunately for me it never clicked.

This is a super sweet *pun intended* romance. I loved the characters and it was so fun to see a different side of the reality tv stars that we all think we know.
I thought the romance was cute but was wishing for more banter and a little more detail.
Super fun romcom for summer!

So much potential. Fake dating trope with a NFL player who is passionate about baking. I mean in what scenario is a cupcake shop not a perfect backdrop for a romcom?

Buuuut that’s as far as it got. Unfortunately the main gal Jada was so materialistic and superficial. She ruined the read for me, honestly. The characters seemed off. Something just didn’t click for me.

That said the cupcakes were the best part of this book. We love a sweet treat! 🧁

Overall, conceptually. Yes. Love it. But it didn’t play out well for me. Ty St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. 💖

Okay. Here's the thing, I was IN LOVE with this book up until I hit the 92% completion mark. At that point I feel like the author just killed all the momentum she had built. If I ignore the small (but very annoying) storytelling decision... I will say I was obsessed with this book. I loved the main characters and how multi-dimensional they were. The enemies-to-lovers plus fake-dating trope combo was gold for me.

I would for sure recommend it because I would bet that the twist at the end will not bother other people as much as it did me, which is why I give it a solid four stars (but 3.5 if I focus on that twist too much). Read it!!!

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this awesome book!

Opposites. Enemies to lovers. Baking. Fake dating? You have it all here but did it work? I think so! It's humorous and cute. I have been waiting to post this one! I hope you pick it up and enjoy it.

This was a cute read. It had some of my favourite tropes (grumpy/sunshine and fake dating), and I loved how Donovan and Jada balanced each other in terms of their personalities.
The evolution of Jada and Donovan's relationship from chilly to hot was fun to engage with, and their characters were very relatable. Jada's character especially, because there are many people in their mid to late twenties who struggle with what they are supposed to do with their life and do not have it all figured out. I really liked that Donovan's character was driven and willing to make changes in order to change and grow (maturity! We love to see it).
The supporting characters were a nice mix and they brought some humor to the story. There was also the contrast between the family units, with Donovan's being really supportive and chill and Jada's being judgemental and not supportive at all.

Jada and Donavan start out as two people with totally different views. As they work together they soon change how each other looks at life and how they want it to be.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this was a really cute rom-com with a fake dating trope and the main setting is in a cupcake shop. It was a fun fast read, but the chemistry between Jada and Donovan fell a bit flat for me. I really loved the author's note and acknowledgments at the end, and appreciated that she brought more light to dyslexia in Jada's character.

I really Liked how this book was paced out. The characters had me hooked along with the banter. Easily will recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

(3.5 rounded up to 4)

An enemies to lovers, fake relationship, opposites attract story that follows Jada (recently turned down a The Bachelor-esque tv proposal) and Donovan (NFL player who also owns a cupcake shop). The book has good chemistry between the two leads, some excellent banter and good steam. I found it to be an incredibly easy comfort read, that was a little slow at times and a tad predicatable, but for the most part was an enjoyable experience.

I would recommend this to readers who love authors like Jasmine Guillory and Penny Reid, and/'or are craving a nice lighthearted romance to delve into.