This was such a great book! I noticed a lot of parallels to Eve Brown in the setup of the book but the writing and characterisations were uniquely their own. I loved the inclusion of the Bachelor inspired reality tv and was thrilled to see the aftermath of a rejected proposal on the page. Something about sports and men cooking really did it for me. Donovan was an incredible love interest throughout the book and Jada was hilarious and intriguing all on her own. Loved this!

This was such a great book! I noticed a lot of parallels to Eve Brown in the setup of the book but the writing and characterisations were uniquely their own. I loved the inclusion of the Bachelor inspired reality tv and was thrilled to see the aftermath of a rejected proposal on the page. Something about sports and men cooking really did it for me. Donovan was an incredible love interest throughout the book and Jada was hilarious and intriguing all on her own. Loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.

This was a new author to me, and I enjoyed the read! While it started so slow for me, I enjoyed the slow burn. If you are looking for a lot of spice, this wouldn’t be the best book for you.

I enjoyed the characters but the plot fell flat for me. I thought the setting was adorable, and made me crave a good cupcake. 🧁 After being on a reality TV show, Donovan’s cupcake shop gets all the attention that he needs, while Jada is working there. Donovan and Jada are total opposites and start fake dating.

The ending wasn’t too predictable, like some rom cons can be. I enjoyed it for the most part and look forward to reading more from Wesley.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy. Fake It Till You Bake It comes out June 21st, 2022.

Fake It Till You Bake It has so many of my favourite romance tropes. I love when the characters are famous and when there is food involved. I especially love the fake dating trope and thought it was handled so well here. I have also realized that I love the bachelor-type trope, so the nod to that was fun!

It wasn't as fast paced as I was expecting and some of the dialogue was clunky, but that didn't overshadow the chemistry between these characters. So much steam and I just love Donovan! There are some memorable side characters as well.

I am so thrilled that this is a series and cannot wait for the next book. I will be buying a physical copy!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of Fake It Till You Bake It.

I wanted to enjoy this book and to be able to leave a rave review as I respect the hard work that goes into writing. However, this story fell flat for me. I found myself just wanting to get to the end. Some of the word usage was over the top and unnecessary as it didn’t add to the story.

The relationship between Jada and Donovan was sweet but seemed forced. I encourage the author to keep writing. There were some good parts of the story like the interaction with Donovan and his teammates. I’m sure there will be readers that absolutely love this story, therefore I encourage everyone to form their own opinion.

My favourite part about this story was the actual premise. I knew I had to read this book after reading the blurb and I'm glad I did. Jada and Donovan were one of those rare main characters who communicated and where honest with each other. We need more of this in the genre!

The thing that I kind of struggled with was the actual logistics of running a cupcake store. As someone who knows no pro athletes and can only imagine how much of their time is spent dedicated to training and prepping for the sport season, I kept wondering if we'd get to see Donovan go back to being an athlete full time. How did him and his friends have the time to run a cupcake store?

I also found that I never felt "settled". Majority of the plot takes place in the store and I never felt a true sense of place, the real world around these two, etc.

This did start off a bit slow for me but I ended up loving it. Jada and Donovan are both perfect for each other. Definitely would have been a fan of One and Only not gonna lie.

I officially have a new fav romcom! I am a sucker for a good sports romance and main character NFL player Donovan is the perfect star in this story. Donovan owns a struggling cupcake business, what better way to show pro athletes can have other hobbies too?! Down with toxic masculinity!!! Jada on the other hand, is a struggling influencer who can’t hold down a job and is sent to work for Donovans cupcake business by her grandmother who also happens to be Donovans teams owner. The two initially don’t get along but soon the Sparks are flying. I absolutely loved their connection, their whitty banter and the diverse representation! I highly recommend this one

So we've got an enemies to lovers, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity situation going on and I am HERE for it. I was hooked from their first meeting. Their interactions were hilarious.

Now there was some language that I found a little weird and awkward. If the author had played around with the phrasing a little more the flow would've been better. I saw the point in the lines, they were setting us up for reveals later, but some of the language seemed very forced and out of place.

Jada and Donovan are adorable for sure. Grade A couple. The chemistry is great and the sexual tension was well matched. What did not match, however, was our first sexual encounter. It was UTTERLY lackluster in comparison to the tension we'd be reading about up until that point. The closet encounter was steamier. This doesn't detract from the book. It is romance not smut, but it was a bit of a let down.

That leaves the third act miscommunication that no one ever wants or asks for. And I didn't ask for it this time. I will give the author points though. It was not an annoying miscommunication issue. I thank the romance gods for this choice and offer the author my eternal gratitude.

Overall, this book was ABSOLUTELY adorable. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will be here for book two. Cause I saw what what you did there 😉

Special thanks to Griffin of St. Martin's Publishing Group for the #NetGalley eARC.

IG: kyetaku_

I thought this was going to be yet another standard chick lit, meet-cute rom com, but it was so much more. Adorable, laugh out loud funny, the kind of book you read with a smile on your face. Sure, you see every plot point coming a mile away, but you don't care, because you're enjoying the ride.

FAKE IT TILL YOU BAKE IT is so much fun. Mix together a strong woman who doesn't shy away from sharing her feelings, a burly guy who finds peace in cupcakes, the cutest title + cover ever, and you get this book. Sprinkle some classic romance tropes in for good measure and you have the recipe for a good rom-com! I would love to see this as a movie.

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.

This was a great book. The characters are great and the storyline kept me engaged. I absolutely loved the dynamic of fake relationship to real relationship. I will recommend this book to my peers.

Fake It Till You Bake It: ★ ★ ★ . 5

Jamie Wesley

After a disastrous and public breakup, Jada is looking to get on her own feet when her grandmother orders her to work in her cupcake shop, owned by a pro football player and his two teammates.

First of all, coming through with this representation, yes please!! I literally will never stop talking about this cover because it is the cutest thing I have ever seen and I will snag the paperback as soon as it is live, no questions asked, baby.

This was such a cute read! It was my first book by Jamie Wesley and I enjoyed it a lot. When you think of cupcake shops, you don't immediately think pro football, which is what I really liked about this book. A surprising twist of events where people assume the main characters are dating is what leads Jada and Donovan to the situation they're in because it's good for business.

Jada and Donovan are really likable characters on their own, but I really loved Donovan because he was just adorable to me. I loved the maturity they both had to be honest with one another and open about what was going in because that can really make me angry and it was so refreshing to see two adults who can actually communicate like said adults. The banter was really cute and I absolutely loved Nicholas because he was such a flirty, fun character who provided all the right comedic relief. Also, this book will seriously make you crave cupcakes so bad so make sure you get a dozen before you start reading.

My only qualm was that sometimes the dialogue wasn't as engaging as it could be and lulled in some places, however it was still enjoyable and cute and sweet!

*ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was pulled in by the cover and diversity in a romance novel.

2.5 stars
1 spice

However, I spent the majority of the book struggling to connect with the characters. The pacing felt off to me and the dual POV was poorly executed. I needed more character building and the romance felt unauthentic to me. I didn't like many of the interactions between Jada and Donovan.

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy this book but I struggled with being pulled in. Fake it till you bake it had great potential but the ultimately fell short for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced review copy!

For more book talks, follow me on instagram @HoesReadToo

Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell.

When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredien- Godoreads

I loved this book. It is adorable. Initially, I thought I would not enjoy Jada; she started off rocky for me because she is privileged and snobby. But like any typical romance novel that isn't the real her. I like how she was written and how she developed.

I want to note that the story is told from Jada's perspective as well as Donovan's. Which is great because Donovan is perfect and he can do no wrong in my book. The pace of the novel was very good. I was able to take my time with the novel. This is not saying that I wasn't invested in the book because I was but when I put it down to go live life, I didn't feel as if I was dying of thirst. Some books be like that.

The chemistry in this novel is not instant, which is exactly how I like it. However, it wasn't exactly a slow burn either. The attraction was there from the beginning but it took a little bit for it to get together. I liked that. The book also takes time for you to get a feel of the other characters, which is great because this is book one to a series (didn't know that until the end of the novel).

I didn't have anything wrong/or anything hard to criticise on this novel but one thing I can say that you may have a eh about is the romance (although the sex scene was perfect for me) and the fact that there isn't a whole lot of drama. There are things that happen but they aren't as earth-shattering as some other romance novels show.

I thought this was well written, thought-out, cute and a good book to read with some tea or coffee.

Overall,

4 Pickles

This was a cute, slow-burn romance that was about overcoming and healing from damage caused by certain family members, personal growth, and discovering what you want out of life.

Personally, I didn’t care much for the last 15% of the book, but I enjoyed the chemistry and banter between Donovan and Jada. I liked that each character (even the side characters) were well defined and unique from each other. I loved the bakery setting. And I loved that dyslexics were represented.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley #FakeItTillYouBakeIt

Jamie Wesley is a new to me author and I really enjoyed Fake It Till You Bake It!
Fake Dating - check! Opposites attract -check! Bachelor-type show and football players - check! What's not to love?

This is a sweet story (pun intended - it takes place in a Cupcake Shop) of two polar opposites finding their way to each other while discovering more about themselves and growing as individuals.

The dual point of view kept the story moving and I really loved the banter between the two main characters: Jada and Donovan.
The author gave just enough of a tease about the other football player supporting characters that I want to know more - and I suspect that this is book one in a new series!

The spice was mild - maybe 2 peppers, but 4 stars for Fake It Till You Bake It; I'd love to go back into this world for more!
Thank you to Jamie Wesley, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟Book Review🌟
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

Release Date: June 2022

Jada, a rich, spoiled 25 year old is forced to work at a cupcake shop to prove she's responsible before her grandmother releases her trust fund to her.

Donovan, the owner of the cupcake shop is a professional athlete and plays for the team that is owned by Jada's grandmother.

The only problem is they've already met when she insulted him and his cupcakes! A spontaneous move on Jada's part one afternoon has them  fake dating in order to save Jada from a recent scandal and to try to increase cupcake sales. While 'pretending' to enjoy eachorher's company, true feelings surface but they try hard to ignore them.

I loved this book. It was cute, fun, and while predictable, a gripping romance story full of tension. I even bought all the ingredients to make cupcakes as I read! I disliked Jada in the first couple chapters. Her bullying and arrogance worried me, but once she showed us her vulnerabilities, she was a much more likeable character. Overall, she had a fantastic character Arc.  I loved her Grandmother's and Donovan's support. GREAT characters!

My only issue that prevented me from giving it 5 stars was the many sudden, unexpected POV shifts within the same paragraph! It pulled me put of the story each time and had me thinking about who's head I was in at that moment. There were a few dialogue scenes that confused me as well. Mainly because it either didn't fit or I wasn't sure who was speaking. Other than those two points, it was spot on and an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would enjoy reading additional works by this author.