2.5 Stars Rounded Up
This book had all the classic aspects of a great RomCom. The setting of the novel was great, I love a good cupcake and the descriptions of the setting made me want to run to my local bakery. The characters were fun and enjoyable and in general, the story made sense. I was really enjoying it, up until about 80% in.

Here were my major qualms with the novel:

The dialogue is incredibly cheesy. I’m here for some corny dialogue, but this was, in my opinion, too much.

The ending was forced for me. While the foil made sense, Jada's response to it, did not. The forced separation between the two main characters didn’t seem realistic or necessary at all. I understand the need for a barrier to overcome in the last few chapters of the novel, but this didn’t seem to jive with the rest of the novel.

Jada, our main character, seems incredibly spoiled in the first few chapters, and while we see some growth, she still never develops the skills she’s looking to develop throughout the novel. For example, she never sticks with anything for more than a few months, and yet that pattern only continues even through the conclusion of the novel. We don’t get to see the character development that was seemingly promised in the beginning of the novel.

I enjoyed the beginning of the novel and can overlook the cheese factor in the dialogue, so I would love to read another novel from the author, but this one didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this review; my thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars!


I love a fake relationship story! This book had all the ingredients of a great romance read: steamy chemistry, fun characters, laughable moments, and lots of love!!! I can’t wait to read more from Jamie Wesley (especially stories continuing this series).

I received a pre published copy of this book via NetGalley. I’m leaving my honest review because I genuinely loved the book!

3 ⭐️

This book was good, I enjoyed it a lot!

The story, similar to the summary was really cute! I mean it was a sport romance, with fake dating trope and baking LOL how could that not be cute?I feel like the only thing is that I had a hard time connecting to the characters and when that happens it tends to drag a book. It was just something about the dialogue that felt a little disconnected for me. However, it was a sweet (some pun intended) and really quick read - consider adding this one to your Valentine’s Day TBR ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bachelor meets baking and sports romance in this utterly perfect book! I loved the characters from the moment I met them, and let’s be real, I love fake relationships especially when there are cupcakes and an athlete thrown into the mix! I can’t wait to read more from this author!
The title, cover, and blurb make this sound way too cute. This is an fake dating trope and I really liked seeing Donovan and Jada falling in love. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the supporting characters!

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book is hilarious it will keep you laughing until the end! Consider that a good warning especially if you are going to read in public. This book has many feels such as drama, romance, mystery. You can't help but cheer on Donovan and Jada. They are opposite in so many ways! But sometimes for some that works. And it helps when you have family and friends that want to help you out! Everyone needs someone in their corner to lift them up and tell them you got this!! This book is for a mature reader and can be ready anywhere!

3.5 A cute easy read. The characters have personality and depth. Fake dating trope. Some steamy scenes. Worth the read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jada is hiding out from a reality dating show disaster when she encounters Donovan. He's a pro football player who recently opened a cupcake shop with two teammates, and business is not great. Jada ends up working for him temporarily, and somehow news gets out that the two are dating (they're not), but they decide to keep up the ruse because it's good for both of their brands. But
things get messy when feelings get involved

I didn't know I needed to read something like this until I read Fake It Till You Bake It. A perfect contemporary novel for fans of the genre. Jamie Wesley's writing is phenomenal, I would definitely like to read more stories from this author

Jada and Donovan are really captivating and they are so cute together that they managed to make me gasp. The secondary characters are not far behind, I loved them so much and I NEED books focused on them.

Thankyou to netgalley for providing me with an
eArc.

Full review will be up on pop-culturalist.com closer to release week. Fake it till you bake it is an adorable rom-com kind of book.

Fake It Till You Bake It is a beautifully written romance book by Jamie Wesley. This book stars Jada Townsend-Matthews and professional football star Donovan Dell. Jada has never really been able to decide on a career path and stick with it, even going so far as to star on a reality TV show that does not end as planned. She finds herself as the new employee of Sugar Blitz, owned by none other than Donovan Dell. Donovan loves to have a plan and think things through before making a decision. Both are suffering, Jada with her wrecked social image and Donovan with his bakery that is falling in the red more often than not. Together they embark on a fake dating scheme to save the other, before they part ways.

I absolutely adored both Jada and Donovan. They are both strong characters in their own right and I loved reading about their relationship development. My poor sweet Jada has not had an easy life despite all the money her family has, as the black sheep she has never felt good enough and like she actually deserves more. She puts on a tough mask, but my goodness, when Donovan takes that mask off and just lets her be who she is! I loved how supportive he was of her, it was positively swoon worthy! I love the way they are able to reassure each other that in their own ways, they are enough and they don't have to *be* more just because society says so.

I thought this book handled Jada's learning disability very well. I found it interesting that her parents, despite being doctors, didn't understand her disability and expected her to be normal because she "had the best tutors money could buy". I loved the way Donovan was able to assure that he thought she was enough even though she wasn't a scientist, same with him being enough and smart despite the fact that he's "just a jock".

Nicholas and August were the perfect best friends with good personalities that didn't overshadow the main characters. I loved getting to know them and can't wait to see if there is another book (or two) that features them. The regular customers of the bakery were a nice change up and I'm glad some were featured, it made the bakery feel more alive knowing about some of the daily patrons.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. The format was good and was easy to read and I think it will sit well with the intended audience. I can't wait to read more by Jamie Wesley.

Tall, dark, and sexy man that owns a bakery? Ex-Reality Star that needs to prove that she’s more than her past? Fake dating trope? The synopsis of Fake it till you Bake it has all the you need to have a sexy rom-com/contemporary romance but I felt it fell quite a bit short. I spent 80% of the book not being able to connect with the characters in anyway aside from really loving buttercream frosting. The MC and FMC switched point of views within the same paragraph while also shadowing in third person in the following sentences. It effected getting into the story of the characters. The MCs didn’t feel authentic - I found that I was told what the characters were feeling without being able to actually see the feelings play out. I wanted so much more from all areas; character building, more scenes outside of the cupcake shop, and more romance as it lacked a bit. That could also be from being told what they’re feeling as well.

The dialogue between them didn’t feel authentic. There were quite a few areas of conversation that I just couldn’t picture a man saying at all. The intimate scene took incredibly long to get to but also felt very rushed and felt out of place. Jada often bullied and chastised Donovan which made the romance seem as if it was a second thought.

2.5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️✨
1.5 Spice 🌶

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy this read but I couldn’t connect with either character. Fake it till you Bake it has such great potential but it just didn’t do it for me.

This book was just delicious! I loved everything about it - football players who own a bakery, broodingly hot hero, sassy strong-willed heroine, pretend dating.... total cat-nip for my soul.

I laughed, I cried, I really wanted cupcakes... this book had it all, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves a funny, but super steamy, romance.

Note - it's the first in a series, so there's a lot of 'getting to know' the secondary characters but they totally fit, and are a joy to read.

The description of this book had all the pieces needed to make me love a romcom. A sweet man who bakes? Someone dealing with the unfortunate aftermath of a reality show? Fake dating? All great! Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. All those things are there, but they didn’t quite fit into place. There wasn’t a ton of chemistry between Jada and Donovan, perhaps due to the amount of “telling” instead of “showing.” The reader is often told how the characters feel without them doing or feeling anything that really makes it believable.

There were also some annoying or unrealistic aspects. For example, Jada searches her closet for a pair of shoes without heels and finds just one old pair of flats. I know there are people who primarily wear heels, but really? She has NO sneakers or other shoes without heels? So this woman who is supposed to be in shape never works out? It wasn’t a matter of “she had some sneakers but refused to wear them outside of the gym.” She just… didn’t have any.

Bits of dialogue also occasionally took me out of the story, such as the usage of the phrase “okay boomer” - this really dated the book since by the time I was reading the ARC, this phrase had already fallen out of common usage. It felt like it was thrown in to sound cool or be a pop culture reference rather than because it felt like natural conversation. It didn’t even make much sense in context. In general, the dialogue just felt stilted and unrealistic.

There was also a plot point in the end of the book that came out of nowhere and felt like it existed just to stretch out the last section of the story. There was also a really unexpected time jump before the last chapter or two, and there wasn’t enough of a passage of time to make me realize it had happened. The book would have made more sense if it just ended a couple chapters earlier and then skipped to the epilogue.

I feel bad leaving such a critical review of this book, especially since I really wanted to like it! The concept was really cute and it seemed like it would have a lot of promise. Ultimately, the awkward dialogue and forced plot points ruined the story for me. While there was some cute parts, it just didn’t work for me as a whole.

Very cute contemporary rom-com! Loved the bakery! Definitely made me want to eat cupcakes. There were some serious topics perfectly interspersed with the romance. I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect escape from the stress of daily life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

So good, so good. I couldn't stop reading (only to sleep and eat!) so I finished this so quickly. The romance Is utter perfection.Donovan and Jada , their chemistry and mutual attraction crackle with sexual tension from the get-go, but the way their relationship develops is an exquisite slow-burn, fuelled by longing looks, flirtatious banter and glancing touches.
I have a really good feeling this book is going to be extremely popular.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I absolutely loved this book. I am now invested in the whole series and will be preparing to read the other as soon as released. I appericated the layers of these characters. They are for sure more than their pretty faces. I appreciated the honesty with a learning disa bility. This is a 5 star for me I can't wait for more

Love to see more diversity in romance novels, for one, it's making the genre so much more inclusive. Told in dual point of views, there's such banter right off the bat that I love. Just hooks and pulls me in to want to keep reading. It's a sweet fake dating read that's fun, cute and a little sexy, however, some of the pacing seems just a tad hurried to me in parts.

“Fake It Till You Bake It” is a contemporary romance novel by Jamie Wesley.

Jada Townsend-Matthews was a contestant on a reality TV show like The Bachelor. In the end, she turned down the proposal - which many fans of the show via social media have expressed their anger at her. Ms. Townsend-Matthews, along with a friend, enters a cupcake store, owned by Donovan Dell, an NFL player, and two of his teammates/friends. She makes a comment - he is offended (but there’s some attraction between the two). Through a series of minor circumstances, Jada ends up working in Donovan’s shop.

Telling much more of the plot basically spoils some of the turns in this book. This book followed the standard romance formula - but in this case, the conflict wasn’t that huge an issue (at least in my opinion). The larger issue was the decision to fake date - and work that out with Donovan mostly wanting to always tell the truth and Jada being willing to bend it a bit.

There’s a lot of things thrown into this book - Jada has dyslexia (which is great for the author to bring up, but it didn’t really add to the plot - but I found some of Jada’s coping mechanisms interesting), Jada’s parents don’t regard the humanities as a real degree and they disapprove of her career choice(s), Jada’s grandmother owns the team that Donovan plays for, and Donovan’s father has a gambling issue. At times it seemed like these were filler things but they didn’t always add to the story (though the grandmother’s team ownership did play a part near the beginning). I did like the fact that the cast of characters seemed to be used enough to create interest in them as individuals. There is one chapter that is definitely “sexy time” heavy.

This was a light and fast read for me - which I rather needed after reading a number of heavier books. This book may be part of a series - as the ending was closed for Jada and Donovan, but left “cliffhanger” like for another character.

Last three days I was so focused on my dark fantasy challenge that made me more exhausted than I expected. I’m so happy to take a break and dive into this sweet, entertaining, feel good romance to heal my hurting little grey cells.

Fake relationship, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, high chemistry, a star football player who can make cupcakes and resilient reality star who turns into unpopular villanelle teaming up to rehabilitate public images and save the cupcake business: Great formula, favorite tropes, entertaining chapters, likable characters with great blend of reality show, football and baking businesses! I’m absolutely in! Jada and Donovan’s smart banters, fiery chemistry absolutely catch you unguarded. You never want to put this book down!

This book definitely is a dream comes true!
Just go blind and have fun!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Fake It Till You Bake it is a solid addition to the romance genre, and my first contemporary romance of 2022. This is a great book to read if you're into baking and/or The Bachelorette. This story weaves both of those elements in smoothly while also giving the main characters their time to develop. The main character, Jada, is the right amount of excitable and cautious while her counterpart Donovan is the right balance of serious and soft. I think the last third of the book was a little weaker, considering that seems to be where the real conflict of the story kicks in. I wish that the conflict of the two characters would have tied in more to Donovan's line of work, where this relationship should seemingly present more sketchy to the public, as it felt like that could have been an interesting way to weave in a final conflict. Regardless, this book was a fun read, and the end definitely draws in the reader for a much anticipate sequel.

A baking/sports/fake-dating romance, sign me up! I loved this book, it had me hooked - I didn't want to put it down. When I did finish it, I realized there is probably going to be a sequel!

I've never watched The Bachelor before, but I understand the concept of the show, and I enjoyed how the author included her own version of the show. Jada is a force, a firecracker, and not afraid to speak her mind - even when it can get her into trouble. Donovan and Jada are the cutest couple and their banter is adorable.

Definitely going to recommend this book to anyone who loves the whole fake-dating trope. So thankful that I had the opportunity to read this e-ARC. I can't wait to see what else this author has in store for the sequel. This book is being released on June 21, 2022. Run, don't walk to pre-order this one!

Rating: 5/5 Stars ★★★★★