Fake It Till You Bake It is an enemies-to-lovers story about Jada, a reality TV star who is being dragged through the mud by the media, and Donovan, a football player and bakery owner (love this combo). A string of coincidences ends up with Jada working at Sugar Blitz, Donovan's store, The two of them suddenly have to figure out how to work together and put their differences aside, while ignoring the CLEAR attraction that is between them.

Things I enjoyed: I LOVED the backstories behind Jada and Donovan. The social media buzz around Jada was a really interesting addition to the plot, and as someone who loves reality TV shows, I was super drawn to that aspect of the story. I also loved all the characters that worked at Sugar Blitz and was really rooting for them to succeed and find happiness.

Things I didn't love: I found it really hard to buy into Donovan and Jada's romance. The dialogue in the novel was a bit cheesy at some times, and the attraction between Jada and Donovan seemed WAY over the top right from the get-go, which really took me out of it.

Overall, this would be a good book for someone looking for a quick, fun, fluffy read - I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's a super harsh romance critic.

First of all, get into this cover. It's absolutely gorgeous. Two beautiful Black characters on the cover of a romance? Oh sign me up and do it QUICKLY. Second, I love a fake dating trope and so that immediately sucked me in as well. Throw in cupcakes and we've hit the trifecta.

Jamie Presley did not disappoint with this wholesome, cute read. Jada is fresh off of a reality dating show nightmare that has turned her into public enemy number one. She's been stuck in her condo for weeks because the other alternative is facing the world, which apparently hates her for breaking their heartthrob Dr. John's heart. And of course there's the fake boyfriend she made up to justify why she turned down Dr. John's proposal. It's under these circumstances that she meets Donovan, a football player/baker/bakery owner. Her best friend drags her into his shop on her first day out in public and of course she, unintentionally, puts her foot in her mouth when she trashes his bakery and his cupcakes right in front of him without knowing he's the owner. To add even more awkwardness to this series of events, Donovan happens to be one of the star football players on the team that her grandmother owns. Of course neither Donovan nor Jada know this until the two meet for a second time right in said grandmother's office. Mrs. T (as she's affectionately called by her players) has a proposition for the two of them. If Jada can work successfully in Donovan's shop for the next few months, then she can have early access to her trust fund. Jada is mortified. Yes, she has trouble figuring out what she wants to do in life, but that doesn't mean she needs her grandmother to find her a job! Still, no one says no to Mrs. T.

This is truly an opposite's attract romance and I love that just as much as I love the fake dating premise. Where Donovan is all logic and order, Jada is all impulse and slight chaos. Both of them balanced one another out and helped them find the pieces of themselves they were missing. Donovan was dealing with left over trauma from having a father addicted to gambling so he craved stability. To him, order without surprises meant that he would never again be placed in a situation where the rug could be snatched out from under him. Jada has been struggling against her parents' expectations of her her whole life. Between her lack of direction and her struggles with dyslexia, she's never felt good enough. Their relationship, which blossoms into something beautiful and real, helps them both realize that sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone is just what the baker ordered.

Besides being completely adorable with one another, I loved watching them getting on each other's nerves. There are a few moments where Donovan is teaching Jada how to bake and when I tell you his patience with her was so sexy! WHEW! Speaking of sexy, if you're expecting a sexy read here, that's not what you're going to get. There is one steamy scene about...65% into the book, but most of the physical moments don't involve anything above kissing. I love a spicy romance, but I didn't mind that this was lacking in this area because the cuteness made up for it.

I also thought the pacing was great, though towards the end it gets a little rushed. Jada will definitely make you want to shake her, especially towards the end, but it's all for a great cause. Other than cute baking scenes and wholesome encounters, this book will also give you some funny side characters (who we'll explore in the next book), cupcake cravings, nosey book club members, a steamy book cover shoot, and an all around cute time. I can't wait to have this book on my physical shelf!

Fake It Till You Bake It manages to include so many of my favorite romance novel tropes - fake dating, food/baking, reality TV, sports, celebrity romance - and, for the most part, it nails these elements. The set-up getting the couple into a fake relationship, so often the most clumsily contrived part of this kind of book, works smoothly, and feels totally in character for both partners. The reality TV + bakery + football elements are pretty well balanced (I would maybe have enjoyed a little more on the sports romance front, but that's fine!), and Jada and Donovan wind up having great chemistry together, though their attraction feels a smidge forced at first. (Their equally strong character development is definitely one of the highlights of the book!) Fake It has a slower start, moving elements into place, but at about the halfway point, it really finds its footing. Most importantly to me, the 80%-or-so conflict, typical of the romance genre but too often shoehorned in, feels organic and earned, and doesn't require inexplicable twists or out-of-character illogic to happen. It's a cute, mildly steamy, and totally romantic read, with a clear set-up for a sequel that got me excited to read it (and disappointed to realize how long it'll be, since this one isn't even out yet)!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A disgraced reality star and a cupcake baking football player fake date in order to save her reputation and his bakery. The relationship isn’t real, but their feelings for each other just might be.
This book was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and it did not disappoint! It’s one of the best romance books I’ve ever read! Jada and Donovan were such amazing characters. I rooted for them in every way. And they had the cutest, most natural banter. They’re one of my favorite fictional couples of all time. The cupcake descriptions made me exceptionally hungry! And I also loved that there was dyslexia representation. I will say that this book had minimal smut, so if you’re looking for a romance with a lot of spice, this one might not be for you. However, that was perfect for me!
I don’t have anything negative to say about this book at all. The characters were lovable. The pacing was perfect. The writing flowed so easily. And the ending was absolutely flawless. I am very impatiently waiting for the sequel and this book isn’t even out yet! If you want an adorable romance with characters to root for and dialogue that will make you crack up, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

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!

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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