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.

I liked this book - fast moving plot, good characters, and fun to read. The author did a great job with the story, plot, and setting. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

This was a really sweet romance with a very interesting premise. A reality star from a dating show starts working at a bakery owned by a professional football player and they start fake dating. I really loved all the characters and found the story to be very entertaining and enjoyable.

This was a solid 3.5/5 read until the third act break up/resolution which was the dumbest thing ever.

(I am not a third act break up hater, but I need them to make sense and I need a decent resolution. If you show me a couple that breaks up for a dumb reason and then gets back together without doing the work I have a hard time believing the HEA.)

WHAT I LIKED

The concept of this book is so fun and you can tell the author just was having a blast with this. I mean football players who own a cupcake shop? We love to see it.

I loved Donovan’s family and the scene where Jada meets his mom was perfect.

As a note, his mom is named Sandra Dell and Sandra Dee (song) was stuck in my head for like an entire day after reading that scene.

The book club was over the top, but in the best way. I had a blast reading that scene.

The scene where they were talking about dyslexia, which Jada has, and when Donovan’s coaches underestimated his intelligence was great.

I am a sucker for a reality tv show setting and even though this book does not take place on a reality tv show, the plot is moved by the existence of a reality show.

The scene where Donovan and his friends watched the show was excellent.

Fake dating is a trope I really enjoy and it was a fun time here, even if I think the synopsis doesn’t really describe how it goes down.

I loved that Jada’s grandma owned a football team. Like?? An older Black woman owning an NFL team? Legendary.

I listened to a big chunk of this one while doing yard work and it kept me entertained which I appreciated.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Donovan. He was fine? But not my fave.

I was annoyed he didn’t understand social media. I got why he was written this way, but football players have plenty of opportunities for brand deals on social media and it just felt weird he didn’t understand the reach.

This is petty – but Jada’s mom implies that UCLA isn’t a good school when it’s usually ranked one or two in the entire country as the best public university?? Its a very desirable university for scientists too… So it just made her parents seem over the top bad in an inauthentic way.

The third act break up came out of nowhere and then was resolved super quickly. For context – I don’t dislike third act breakups, but I need them to make sense and the author/characters have to do the work to resolve it.
I need to see them have a solid resolution to believe in the HEA and that just wasn’t here.

Literally I was going to give this 3.5 stars and the ending made it a solid 3 star read for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed specific moments of this book, but the book as a whole was just average.

2.5* rounded up

This was a slightly boring romance, to be honest. The premise of Jada being on a reality dating show and Donovan being a football player sounded fun and it could make for a good story. However, Donovan's career as a football player didn't seem to do much for the story. He could have been a normal guy or have some other crazy profession, it felt like the football aspect played such a small role in the story.

Jada and Donovan didn't really do anything for me as a couple either. I wish they had more chemistry, I guess? I don't know, just something about them together didn't really fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute light-hearted romance. It has all your favorite tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, and fake dating. Add in cupcakes and the drama of reality TV and it’s the perfect recipe for a romance!

This books was so fun. The premise is so cute and the writing totally delivered. I want to read more from this author.

I DNF'd this book, I could not get into the characters and was not very interested in the storyline. I also didn't like the fast forwarding in the time line without going over what happened, I felt like I missed a lot when the book skipped ahead.

I love a good fake dating story but this was not it for me. There was no chemistry between the two MCs, I was bored for most of the book.

I also disliked out MC Jada immediately. She was a spoiled rich girl who complained about everything. Can’t relate.
The male MC Donovan started out okay, that is until he called her bougie over and over. I’m surprised I didn’t quit the book for that reason alone.

Unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of the book.