While on a reality dating show, Jada turned down the proposal that she was offered and America is in an uproar!
She's got nowhere to go but home, where she starts working in a bakery called Sugar Blitz.
Jada has a trust fund from her grandmother with specific terms laid out, she's got to work at the bakery for 4 months.
The owner, Donovan, is a former football player.
Jada and Donovan don't immediately like each other but close proximity works wonders and they start falling for each other..

I just reviewed Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley. #FakeItTillYouBakeIt #NetGalley

This was a cute read, and I loved the cupcake shop. I don’t always love the fake dating trope, but it worked in this story. The author did a great job bringing the story to life and making me crave cupcakes! This was equal parts sweet and spicy and a quick romantic read, however it was a bit cheesy at times.

This was a solid read! I flew through it and enjoyed my time reading it!

I loved that the main character- Jada- has dyslexia, and how it was handled in the book! And I also enjoyed how Donovan subverted expectations by being a successful businessman and baker, not just a football player. And I loved how he talked about how others usually perceive him when they find out he's a football player.

The one thing I didn't like about this was how these two characters ended up fake dating. There was a nonconsensual kiss involved and it made me a bit uncomfortable knowing that that was the beginning of their relationship.

Overall, I think this is a solid book and one that's worth checking out if it sounds like something you'd enjoy!

I really had high hopes for this book, but it just didn't do it for me. This felt like your average, basic romance story. I needed more between the characters. It wasn't a bad read, I just wanted to feel more while reading this one.

Loved this one! Felt like a rom com in book form. I loved the chemistry between jada and Donovan and thought the character development, especially for Jada was great. Final rating 4.5/5

Title: Fake it Till You Bake It
Author: Jamie Wesley

Release Date: June 21, 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

POV: 3rd Person

Jada has just become the most hated person by turning down Dr. John’s proposal on a Bachelor-esque dating show. Little did she know that a cupcake shop would be the solution to all her questions.

This book has football, masculine men who love to bake, fake dating, paparazzi and more.

I really enjoyed this book and I am kind of sad it took me so long to finish it.

Enemies to fake dating yes please. I loved the synopsis of this book so of course I had to read it. This book worked amazingly, the characters were well developed, the tension and chemistry were on point. I loved the story. At times I will admit, felt a little dragged out but when the story got back on track I was living for it.

A massive thank you to the author and publishers for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing cover and a cute plot! This romance was really entertaining and while I was not really rooting for them as a couple as I never saw the chemistry between them, I do have to say they had some heartfelt intimate scenes. Overall, it was cute and entertaining but nothing that wowed me

Nothing really stood out to me as amazing or extremely unique about this book but I loved it. It was very cute and I loved the characters and their struggles. Their personalities were a lot of fun and I loved their chemistry. It was honestly really fun and cute. Perfect romcom material, now we just need a cute movie.

A super sweet, easy read with a unique plot and loveable characters. Started out a bit slow and quiet, but I think it made the relationship between our MCs that much more authentic. It's a fake dating romance, so if you can't suspend your disbelief a bit, this might not be the book for you, but if you're willing to indulge in a little fantastical romance, this will be a very pleasant read. You will also find great banter, interesting family dynamics and thorough representation of a diversity of viewpoints.

this was super fun! my first by jamie wesley but i’m interested to see what else she’ll come up with

This book surprised me so much. I know the set up was a bit wild and I wasn't sure if I would love it, but I left this book swooning.

Jada and Don are such a wonderful couple. I adored them so much and how their realization that they liked each other more than the "fake dating" required. I absolutely adored their relationsihp and how it progressed.

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was cute, but also not super memorable. I loved this concept of a pro-football playing owning a bakery and the added in trope of fake dating. But a lot of this story felt like we were stopping and starting concepts/plot points. It lacked the depth that there was opportunity for…and felt both rushed and too slow at the same time.

There was not the typical 3rd act breakup, which could be a plus for some, Mrs. T was a gem, and I did like the side characters. It did really make me want to bake cupcakes and share them with friends asap.

a sweet little romance especially if you have a food fetish. the cover is also stunning!If you love enemies to lovers tropes, then this is definitely for you

Ok this book was just the cutest!!! The fake dating trope, all the baking, the steaminess! It was filled with so many heartfelt moments that had me swooning. And dialogue that had me giggling. This is rom com gold!

Fake dating and baking has been done well before and I've loved it enough to read it over and over again. But there was something big missing in this book for it to be a favorite of mine. I liked the main characters, especially the MMC, and the meet cute where she was criticizing the cupcakes was adorable and compelling. The FMC is more ditzy seeming than maybe necessary, but she is the heart of gold woman who has been misjudged by America. All pieces that generally would come together to equal a romance book that I love.

But. I really did not enjoy the conflict at the end. Yes, there is always going to be a conflict before the HEA in romance and I never "like" it because it's negative, right? But this conflict irked my soul and it seemed so far fetched and there were much better options that could have been used. Just my opinion. It somewhat ruined my experience with this book and left it on a less positive note for me.

This is not to say that I won't read this author again, it just means it didn't work 100% for me and that's okay. I hope everyone else who reads this really loves it for the positives (the FMCs grandmother for one).

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

Fake It Till You Bake It has a lovely premise, tons of good types, and some good representation, however it also starts really slow. For almost the first half of the book the plot felt somewhat dragged out and I didn't feel like the characters had a lot of chemistry. The shift near the middle was a bit awkward, but after it I really enjoyed the book. As mentioned, there's a ton of good tropes, and I like the direction the plot went in. The characters had good arcs, the final act wasn't overly predictable (like many rom-coms are), and I liked the theme surrounding how women are treated by the media as opposed to men. Overly, this book took a while to get into, but I think I went into it with unfairly high expectations and for the most part it was really good.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fake It TIll You Bake It is a fantastic romance book. I absolutely adored both Jada and Donovan and their relationship throughout the story. Compared to other romances I have read recently, I found both of the protagonists' actions to be mature and realistic. This would be the perfect book to bring on vacation and just lose yourself in as it is both fun and flirty!

If you’re looking for the perfect read for a day off (either at home or on the beach – or whatever your preferred vacation spot is), Fake it ’til you Bake It is a really good choice. It’s a light, easy read and leaves you with that nice happy feeling that a good romance novel should leave you with.

The main characters, Jada and Donovan, both go through some really great character development in the story, and the side characters are delightful if a little one-dimensional at times. They’re like clever, witty cardboard cutouts, which I didn’t necessarily love about the story, but it didn’t turn me off of it, either.

The pacing in the book felt off for me. A lot of the events of the beginning feel like they drag on forever with little real reason, just a lot of unnecessary information about how Donovan – a pro-football player – runs his cupcake shop. And a lot about how the metaphoric public ‘hates’ Jada, which really isn’t demonstrated as much as it’s talked about and alluded to over and over again. While I was reading it, this information about Jada annoyed me, but thinking back on it now, I guess I sort of understand how a social media perception of hatred can lead to some real-life paranoia about public interactions.

Speaking of Jada, I really didn’t care for her too much at first.

I really didn’t start to dig either of these main characters until they were forced to interact with each other. Once the plot started to gain momentum, my love for both of them, both together and separately, really started to soar.

I’m a sucker for a good ‘fake dating’ plot, and this one was no exception. Jada and Donovan were perfect compliments of each other.

I feel like the pacing was off in the book. All of the action/drama really took place in the last 20% of the book, one event stacking on another on another, instead of introducing these problems throughout the book. Everything ended up working out, and it didn’t make it unreadable or anything, but it would have been nice to see a bit of staggering of plot points, instead of sort of having everything dropped down all at once. This small change — staggering the events instead of slamming the reader with them — would have added a little interest and intrigue to the earlier parts of the plot and might have helped to spur further interactions and tension.

At the end of the day, I’m not mad at the book. It was a quick, light read that was witty and charming and had main characters that I fell in love with. The writing was fresh, too, and the author expertly avoided using anything too ‘typically found’ in romance novels.

If you’re looking for some quick, light, and just a little decadent, I think this book about a little cupcake shop is going to hit the spot.

This was fun! Dragged a little bit for me, but I still enjoyed it…. I felt there could be a little more character development but still cute. I’d rate closer to 3 1/2.