Fake It Till You Bake It is a fake dating romance between Jada, a reality star who turned down a proposal on a popular reality dating show, and Donovan, a football player who recently opened his own cupcake bakery. This was a quick read filled with lots of sweet feels and cupcakes!

Donovan Dell, is a NFL football player who loves to bake. Knowing his football career won’t last forever, Donovan ran the idea of opening a cupcake bakery by 2 of his fellow baking-loving teammates. After the rush of success when Sugar Blitz first opened, in the last couple months business has started to fizzle out for their San Diego-based cupcake bakery. When the beloved owner of the football team asks Donovan for help with her granddaughter, Donovan gladly gives her a job at the bakery. But when he realizes the granddaughter he promised to help is Jada, the woman he met just the day before who insulted his business and cupcakes, things start off rocky. Jada is fresh off turning down a proposal on a popular reality dating show and getting a lot of hate for her decision from social media and the press. Just wanting to lay low, she takes the bakery job her grandmother sets her up with. When a reporter tracks down Jada at the bakery and mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are a couple, they both realize it can help them out…rehabilitate Jada’s image and strum up some business/popularity for the struggling bakery.

This was a cute, sweet, and quick read! While the plot surrounding the drama/fallout from the reality dating show and having some “villainous” characters pop back up wasn’t my favorite part, I did still have fun with this read. Moments I enjoyed: I loved seeing Jada talk about her dyslexia and how that was represented in the book, the co-owners of the bakery/Donovan’s two teammates were great, Jada’s grandmother who also owns the football team that Donovan plays on and sets them up to work together, cute baking in the kitchen moments, all the delicious-sounding cupcakes, Donovan gifts Jada a pair of crocs (since she showed up in heels for work), Jada’s ease with the customers and remembering their “regular” orders, hosting the romance book club at the bakery.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin’s Press, SMP Romance) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Fake It Till You Bake It has a publish date of June 21, 2022.

This book grew on me in the most delicious way! 😉

Simply put, Fake It Till You Bake It is everything I love about romcoms. There is humor, witty banter, the slow burn romance, sexual tension, plot twists, intrigue, and lovable characters.

The story is told from both Donovan and Jada’s perspectives and I really loved Donovan’s pov. I’m a sucker for an emotionally available and intelligent man and it was really sexy getting to be inside Donovan’s head with the slow burn! 🥵🔥

I loved that sports are a central tenant in this book (Donovan plays in the NFL) but he’s so much more than ‘just a jock’!

Finally, I loved the playful banter between Jada and Donovan. They’re dynamic kept me engaged, rooting for them, and wondering if/when everything would fall apart or work out.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

LIKES:
👥 multi-POV (Donovan & Jada)
⚔️ light enemies-to-lovers
🥸 fake dating
❤️ BLACK LOVE
✊🏽 complex Black characters
🧁 cupcakes!
🏈 sports/athletes
🍎 character with a learning disability
👯‍♂️ strong male friendships

Oh my gosh, this book is so cute! Even though it follows a somewhat traditional enemies to lovers trope, it does it in a whole new way. From the setting to the characters, this book is sweet! Donovan Dell is a pro football player who has opened a cupcake shop with two of his friends. He is determined to make sure that everything in his life follows a plan and he has examined all of the angles. That is until Jada Townsend-Matthews crashes herself (and her lips) into his life and shakes everything up. The social media princess has been in hiding since rejecting her reality show husband to be and is impulsive and sometimes reckless. But the two of them together? FIRE!

Can Donovan step outside his carefully constructed box to let Jada in? Can Jada believe in herself enough to believe that she is important to Donovan?

This book was so stinking so close to being perfect. I loved these characters and fake dating is my FAVORITE trope so I was instantly sucked into the story. My only real complaint is I feel like the conflict came out of nowhere and was very out of character for both our leads.

I’ve been in a book slump for a while. I was hoping that a light rom-com would do it. Alas, it didn’t. It was ok. Predictable, light hearted. Characters were likeable.

It was good, just not in the best frame of mind.

A really sweet cute romance between Jada and Donavan and a cupcake bakery.
Love all the characters they add to the humor in the story.
They are mistaken for a couple which adds to the confusion and story. Things get complicated at times.
Enjoyable read. Voluntarily reviewed.

Fake It Till You Bake It follows Jada, the woman who turned down a proposal on a reality dating show, and Donovan, a football player who also owns a cupcake bakery. Jada judges the bakery, Sugar Blitz, and considers it aesthetically boring but then finds herself unexpectedly working at the store in a quest to find a job. When Jada and Donovan are mistakenly called a couple by a reporter, they realize that fake dating could have benefits for them both: help Sugar Blitz gain more success and help Jada's public image recover. But maybe, their relationship doesn't have to be fake.

I loved this book! I was full on cackling at one point because it's so hilarious. Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and cupcake-making football players are a recipe for greatness, and this book delivered. I absolutely adored this book and seeing Jada and Donovan fall in love. Plus Donovan's business partners/fellow football players and Jada's grandmother stole the show. This was a fun world and cast of characters and I would love to see more of them.

This book was absolutely adorable!! I agree that it was a slow start but I read it so quickly I didn’t even notice the fake dating only started at around 40% in so can’t really complain there. I think the one thing that I docked half a star for was just the pace of their actual relationship. I feel that the “85% in breakup” was unprecedented and I still can’t explain what really happened.


All in all, this was such a cute book and I really enjoyed the general happy vibes of it :))

4.5/5 !!

A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery and her reputation, in this sweet and sexy romance. Ladies, grab yourself a cupcake and enjoy! Recommended.
#FakeItTillYouBakeIt #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

This is a fine (meaning lovely, great, captivating) romantic story. Jada Townsend-Matthews’ life is a mess. Donovan Dell’s life is orderly and timed. They meet, they clash, and they give each other what they need. The disasters that ensue only serve to draw them closer together and apart.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A familiar idea -- girl (Jada) is a mess, girl meets successful boy (Donovan) and doesn't like him, they get thrown together on a joint venture and things begin to shift. The characters of Jada and Donovan are likeable, and the interactions between them cannot help but make you smile. However, somewhere along the story, things become a bit unbelievable. While I still wanted to see how the story ended, I wasn't engrossed in the characters once their relationship changed. Regardless, I never stopped wanting them to succeed. Donovan's football team friends and business partners were a nice addition, to bring some different personalities into the mix and I adored Mrs. T, who was there to say the right things to everyone she came into contact with, and to provide love and levity whenever she appeared in the story. Can't beat setting a book in a cupcake store, unless the book comes with some of the delicious sounding cupcakes! Seems unfair that you cannot reach into the book and snag one while you read.... If Jamie Wesley could do that, then the book would be a smashing success for sure.
This one would make for a decent beach read or sick day book.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this e-galley in exchange for my honest review of the book.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I liked this! It was cute. I liked the banter between the characters and I felt it played out well plot-wise. I would read more from this author.

This story starts out with Donovan Dell examining the numbers of his bakery that he co-owns with one of his teammates/best friend. He soon finds himself toe to toe with Jada Townsend-Matthews who always speaks her mind and in this case doesn’t seem to like the atmosphere and thinks the cupcakes are stale upon first glance. Donovan challenges her to give his cupcakes a chance and after a mutual connection soon the profesional football player and tv personality made public enemy number one for turning down a marriage proposal are working together.

Donovan is a stickler for rules and order while Jada is a hurricane of chaos and the story continues with them learning to navigate working together while also trying to figure out the attraction between them. Couple a reporter hungry for a scoop on why Jada turned down the proposal with the need to save a bakery and you have a fun fake dating story that ensues.

I love a fake dating trope especially one that starts out enemies and then with the whole grumpy/sunshine contrast it was a perfect mix of tropes. I enjoyed their banter and relationship a lot.

I also loved how supportive and uplifting they were to each other even though they also knew how to tease and have fun.

While I loved their relationship and the build up I wasn’t able to fully immerse myself and connect with them on a truly deep level and that might have just been due to the fact that this is written in third person. I also felt that parts of the story were slow but that could just be me wanting more drama and action.

I did like the little twist toward the end and overall this was a cute enjoyable book!

And I am looking forward to seeing the stories of the supporting characters if the author decides to go that route!

*Free ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for an arc; here is my honest review.

Fake It Til You Bake It is everything I look for in a romance book. The chemistry between the two leads was believable and I was rooting for them throughout the book. Their banter is the best, and thankfully they didn’t lose it once they got together.

I’m excited for the next book in this series and can’t wait to get my hands on the finale copy of this book!

If you’re looking for a great romance book than this should be your pick.

Fake it Till You Bake It is a quick read. An easy summary is enemies, to fake relationship to real relationship all revolving around a cupcake shop. I can easily see this as a Lifetime or Hallmark movie in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for my advanced review copy of this book.

This was a fun read! I really liked Jada and Donovan's dynamic and seeing Donovan's progression from being super grumpy all the time and "she gets on my nerves all the time (but in the best kind of way)" to being completely obsessed with Jada. Jada's reality TV show storyline was also super interesting, but I honestly found the whole situation of Jada being "forced" to work at a cupcake shop because she had no other job prospects as a an ex-reality TV star a little strange? I also found the whole notion of three NFL players running a cupcake shop during their off season alarmingly funny. Even if it's off season, shouldn't they be training at least somewhat and get their practices in in preparation for the upcoming season? What happens to the cupcake shop when they go back to the NFL? I have so many questions LOL and I think that's why I gave this 4 stars--the whole situation seemed a tiny bit far fetched to me.

Nevertheless, I think this is a still a great fake dating story! I loved the dynamic between Donovan, Nicholas, and August and I can't wait for August's story next after that cliffhanger!!

I love books where the author put the spotlight on dyslexia. It needs to be normalised, not something to be ashamed over. It's not an illness. It just makes learning harder than normal, and has nothing to do with intelligence .

Fake it till you bake it is a little sad, but also funny and sweet.

This is such a delightful series by Jamie Wesley. The fake couple premise was wonderful. I'm hooked! Donovan is a wonderful hero while Jada grows from a bratty reality star into a great heroine. The banter between the "fake couple" as well as their attraction had me rooting for them.

Fake it Till You Bake It is an adorable enemies-to-lovers story with a few twists. After becoming a much-hated superstar thanks to turning down a proposal on a national reality tv show, Jada is back home and hiding out until things blow over. Unfortunately for her, the family has decided it's time for her to grow up and do something else with her life. Thanks to a push (requirement) from her grandmother that she get a job, Jada is forced to work at the cupcake shop of her new rival, Donavan. Donavan has his own life to worry about, keeping the shop afloat is no easy task, but it gets much harder with Jada almost burning it down. Their story is adorable, until the end and then it felt a little strained and rushed, but ultimately the HEA was perfect.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun modern romance! Donovan and Jada are delightful. They each bring baggage to the relationship, but that's ok. That's what real life is all about. While the attraction is instantaneous, the romance builds slowly as they get to know one another. He believes in her and gives her space to make her own decisions and stand on her own 2 feet, while also supporting her every step of the way. She brings brightness and joy into his life at a time when he is consumed with building a new business. The author wrote fully robust characters with interesting backstories, including the sidekicks and family - who each played unique roles in Donovan and Jada's budding relationship. And who doesn't like a romance set in a cupcake shop? Absolutely scrumptious!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.