Well that was a mixture of emotions! I picked up this story not sure what to think of it and it blew away my expectations.

Maggie is a team photographer for a major league baseball team. A new player, Tommy, who has a reputation for being a playboy catches her eye and at a chance meeting a picture is taken of them by paparazzi that could ruin his image for his new team, an image he has painstakingly tried to make better. Maggie agrees to fake date for his sake but both catch feelings for the other. Maggie needs to let go of guilt associated with her ex fiances death and Tommy needs to believe in himself, that he is deserving of love and good things in life.

This story is about second chances, coming to terms with life's tragic moments and moving on from them, learning about yourself in the process. Both characters were created and developed so well that I felt like I knew them by the end of the book. A little spice but not much makes for a super sweet quick romance read; definitely recommend! Would give 4.5 stars if I could!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Weigand, and 8th Note press for allowing me to review this ARC!

Tropes: fake dating, sports romance, almost clean, only one bed, forced proximity, he falls first, insta love, third act breakup, miscommunication, grand gesture

I was excited to see a new baseball romance on NetGalley (I'm in my sports romance era), but this one was a strikeout. (you see what I did there?)

There was so much potential in this book: mental health rep, healing from grief, complicated parental relationships, redemption. But the execution was lacking. I loved the different characters and I always enjoy a peek into the backstage of the baseball world, but really struggled with the pacing, some of the character choices, and, to be honest, the plot dynamics. The timeline was all over the place. They met, went to the club, met with their bosses and signed the contract, went on two dates, flew to California for a series of games, met his parents, attended a black-tie Gala in California and it's only been a week?! The math isn't mathing here.

Both main characters struggle with mental health and their public image in different ways: Maggie's anxiety and grief and Tommy's struggle with his image, past decisions, and father issues. However, I wish the author had spent more time having the characters explore their emotions more. Maggie's anxiety felt very one-dimensional and stereotypical. She would be in the middle of a panic attack, but photographs of her would come out the most beautiful she'd ever looked. As someone with anxiety, I can tell you that's not how it works at all, at least for me.

I wish the author had let us into Tommy's world more often and more substantially. As readers, we only get a little peak into his mind and motives occasionally and the story suffers for that. For a sports romance, there was only a little sports and gameplay included. I wanted the rise and fall of a game, the stress of losing, and the highs from a win. I wanted more sports!

There were many sweet moments, but the chemistry of the characters seemed.......off. I can't put my finger on it, but they didn't really seem like they worked together. Maybe it was the consistent telling, rather than showing, but I just didn't believe them as a couple.

"I was beginning to realize that I enjoyed hanging out with Tommy. He was the first person I'd been willing to leave my apartment for besides Olivia in a long time. I didn't dread not being able to watch movies on my couch or in my hotel room because I had to do something else. What I still couldn't reconcile was that Tommy acted like he really wanted to hang out with me too."

Let's be honest, the set-up for fake dating was an HR nightmare. Their employer is demanding they date or be fired? They are required to kiss?! I wanted to shake them. I couldn't focus on the story because every time the higher-ups emailed them asking for more or spread rumors about them in the press to sell the "relationship," I wanted to scream.

One thing that really shone, however, was the city of Chicago. The author really highlighted the city's best features.

Overall, this book didn't really land with me. However, it is a debut and I'll give this author another shot with their follow up book, out this fall (also based in Chicago).

This was a quick, fun read. I couldn't really get super into it and I'm not sure why. Maybe the characters just didn't fit with me? Either way, it was cute.

I enjoyed the plot of this book, but the writing was a little lackluster for me. I also thought it was a bit too fast paced for my liking, but overall i did think it was really cute. This was insta love which i am not the biggest fan of but once i got past that i think their relationship was cute. It had really cute and funny moments. I also liked the side characters! BTW this is fade to black! I would definitely read other books in this series!

Thank you NetGalley, 8th Note Press and Ally Wiegand for this ARC!

I wasn’t too impressed by this book, to be honest. It had a lot of great moments and I did see the potential. It had good scenes but they did not come together in a cohesive way in the end. I also felt like the pacing of the relationship was very odd. They would kiss once and then not kiss again for so long. They would open up to each other emotionally and then the FMC would negate that by not trusting or believing what the MMC would say to her.

The FMC kept denying that she could see the MMC actually liking her. She was so insecure the whole book even until the end. That really bothered me. I thought she was amazing and had so much going for her and the MMC obviously thought the same. She just would be in disbelief every time he said something nice to her or another person suggested he might actually care for her. She was jealous of his ex without much of a reason to be. It was just insecurity that clouded her judgement.

I really liked how the MMC would challenge the FMC to be better and to overcome her fears. He always was there to provide her with comfort, stability and words of affirmation. When she was disconnecting from the world, he would be there to bring her back. He also showed character growth and had moments of rediscovery. The FMC also worked through some things in her life that were plaguing her. She also encouraged the MMC in his career and his relationship with his dad. I appreciated those moments as well.

Overall, this book was a miss for me. I do not think it is a bad book but it just didn’t work out for me.

this was kinda cute actually!!
who doesn't love a fake dating sports romance? Tommy and Maggie each had their own backstories and depth that were more developed as the story progressed. Though I struggled with the insta love...

It was cute read, and I did have some moments that left me smiling, but it won’t leave a lasting impression

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an ARC copy via NetGalley to read and review.

3.5 stars

CWs: death of a loved one (historical), car accident (historical, minor details), grief, mentions of drunk driving

I enjoyed this one. It was a sweet romance, but I don’t think the story will stick with me for too long. I liked the characters and the plot, and the writing style was easy to read, but ultimately it was a story that was similar to many others that I’ve read.

I liked Maggie, and I thought she was a good character. I thought her conflicting thoughts about the contract and the money made her relatable. She was a bit annoying when she was trying to convince herself and everyone that she didn’t have feelings for Tommy. Her grief was well written, and I liked how she struggled with her feelings for Tommy because she hadn’t resolved her feelings about her past.

I liked Tommy a lot. I liked how he wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn’t that guy with the bad reputation. He never once acted like we were told his reputation was. He was sweet, attentive, adoring, and so caring. He cared about not just Maggie, but his parents, his teammates, and the kids he donated money to.

I think that Maggie and Tommy were sweet and the characters meshed really well together. I also think that they lacked a bit of spark or chemistry. Their relationship was lust at first sight, but then it felt more like friendship where they were already alluding to big feelings of love towards each other. I felt that I was told more about them falling for each other more than showed the moments where they really fell. For a fake dating romance, there was never any real faking, and the dating was just going places and talking. It was a very sweet romance, and there were a couple of sex scenes but there was no spice.

I liked the pacing and the writing style of the story. The build up towards declarations of love was done well, although the little third act breakup scene annoyed me so much. It was made worse because it was a misunderstanding and then a flat-out refusal to communicate by one of the characters. Thankfully it was very short. The writing was simple, but easy to follow and the story flowed well.

I loved this one!!!!

I didn't knew I would love baseball as much as I ended up loving!

And the love story was really, really enjyable!!

Fast paced and worth it!

First Base by Ally Wiegand is a baseball-centric, fake dating romance novel. It is a book that has a lot of moving parts. The main character, Maggie has a lot of baggage from a past relationship, and Tommy, the male love interest, also has some scars from his wild life in California that he barely escaped. The reason they come together, the fake dating trope, seemed a bit odd. I did not buy it. And Maggie's shy and sweet girl personality seemed a bit too good for Tommy. I guess. I was happy about the character development, but I did not believe it. The conversations did not seem real.

The book itself is a bit short, but I think that the book was a good length, because I didn't know what else could have been added to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review to come.

Love the cover✔️
Interesting description ✔️
New Author to me ✔️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

I am absolutely here for the rise of baseball romances. I feel like it has been an under-represented market sports-related market. First Base was a good intro book for baseball romance readers. There was a good understanding of the sport and as someone who grew up near Chicago, I appreciated the accuracy there.
My main issue was that the story being told could have been great - the characters were set up to be these dynamic people with backstories that made you root for them. Their finding each other could have been amazing. I just felt like our two main characters fell flat and the main "conflict" felt very predictable and not genuine to the characters as we knew them.
The side characters absolutely stole the show, I loved Olivia and Jamil and even Tommy's parents. I would love to hear more about them because they were the ones that sold the story.
I felt that this book was a great middle of the road romance book. I wouldn't read it again but I had a good time whole reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fake dating, sports romance. Reading a sports romance that was baseball related peaked my interest. Overall it was a decent romance. Not a favorite but not terrible

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As one of the photographers for the Chicago Cougars, Maggie Redford is in the perfect place for a baseball lover. She loves her work, and being with her best friend, Olivia, and the team, is a dream come true. However, the new player is none other than heartbreaker Tommy Mikals, whose last chance is in Chicago, and if he does anything to damage his reputation further, he will be dropped like that. So when the paparazzi get a shot of Maggie and Tommy leaving a club together, and claim they are a new couple, the only thing that can be done is for the pair to lean into the idea, and run with it. But will their fake romance be one that they can handle, or will their feelings become less forced, and more real?

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book because I know absolutely nothing about baseball. It's not a sport played in the UK, and all I know about it is that it's a bit like rounders and cricket joined together. Even so, as soon as I started this book, I was hooked. Maggie was such a likeable main character, whose love for her friends and family was so plain to see, and her job was so important too. Even if she was attracted to one of the players, she knew that getting involved would risk her job, and she wasn't going to do that, not when it was the only thing that had kept her going after the death of her late husband. She only went along with the plan to rehabilitate Tommy's reputation as a way to help him, and she tried to put up walls that were strong enough to keep him out. But he was persuasive, and had fallen for her from nearly the first moment. Tommy's past reputation wasn't completely true, but he definitely turned it all around when he was with Maggie, and he worked his butt off to prove he was worthy of her, and that she would be safe with him. Honestly, this was such a beautiful book, and I'm glad it's part of a series, as we need to see more of Maggie and Tommy in the future!

An absolutely amazing romance read from start to finish! I loved the meet cute, to instances between the characters where they fell in love—it was great. I’m so glad I got the chance to read it!

Wonderful first performance by Ally! This one was really cute and I was rather impressed considering that it was the author's debut book! I loved Tommy and Maggie. They both had past traumas that they were trying to get over, and they seemed to have a lot of chemistry and complement each other really well.

Thank you netgalley, the author and 8th note press for this eARC in return for my honest review.

This book was really cute! I like fake dating tropes and loved how the characters played it out in the story line! Both characters are working through some life situations together. I think they are able to build through those. I loved how they started to care for each other through out the story!

Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5 ⭐️

First of all, thank you to Ally Wiegand, 8th Note Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Short and Sweet Opinion: Overall a very cute novel! I am a huge MLB fan, and am happy to see more baseball romances! I was surprised by the inclusion of some heavier topics, but overall liked the story progression, character interaction, and general vibe of the book.

In-Depth Opinion: The book follows sports photographer FMC Maggie and Baseball Star MMC Tommy. After an adorable first meeting, a compromising situation puts both character's jobs on the line. The PR team introduces the fake dating trope, pushing the two characters (who are already feeling the chemistry might I add) together. While personally not the biggest fan of the fake dating trope, I was pleasantly surprised by this situation, and both characters' feelings and internal dialogue surrounding it. Situations ensue throughout the book throwing the two together, testing their boundaries while they both work through emotional baggage and past trauma.

I enjoyed this book, but do feel that the pacing was not quite right. For touching on some heavier topics, and the progression of the characters, I feel that the arc of the story went faster than I would like. I would have loved seeing a little more depth here and allowing less instant love and more of a progression, as well as being able to include more side characters. I do feel that in the time we were allotted, Wiegand did a good job handling sensitive topics and wrapping a very cute baseball sports romance together.

This is where I will put a minor spoiler warning/trigger warning. I want to talk briefly about some of the situations the book touches on, as well as some of the general might want to know things a reader may want.
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One thing I was not expecting at all was a spousal death / spousal grief. Maggie is dealing with a lot of residual grief from the death of her fiance. I often avoid books including this topic because of how this topic can personally affect me. While Wiegand handles the situation well, having some information about this being included may be helpful for the general public. While I was able to push through because of the way it was handled, It did become much more difficult for me personally to continue reading.

Want to know / tropes: ⭐️ Fake Dating ⭐️ Baseball Romance ⭐️ Prior Spousal Death ⭐️ Family Baggage ⭐️ Fade to Black ⭐️ Third Act Miscommunication and Breakup

This was an enjoyable romance set in the world of baseball. When former bad boy Tommy Mikals moves to Chicago to play for the Cougars, the one condition is that he keep his image clean. This all gets jeopardized when the media skews the narrative of him saving Maggie, the team photographer, from an awkward evening out. When the team executives push them to fake date, no one expects it to turn real, much less them. It was an entertaining fake dating turned real romance story.

3 stars

First Base, is the debut novel for Alley Wiegand. This is a sports romance (baseball) with fake dating trope, forced proximity, one bed, and cinnamon roll MMC. This book is a quick read, I loved the baseball reference especially teamed up with maggie and her love of photography and the game had some really great descriptions. Maggie and Tommy made a great team and had each other's back, no judgments. Their relationship really developed fast, no angst or tensions. It was more of the sweet and romantic and there was no spice, it was a fade to black story. I did enjoy this book. It was light and easy to read. There are some trigger warnings for loss of a loved one, substance use. I would recommend this book for someone looking for something sweet, sports romance and a light read.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

I liked this! Such a cute little fake dating rom-com. I enjoyed how the relationship progressed and wasn’t just instant love. Though I don’t know if I’d call it slow burn, the attraction was there from the beginning. This is definitely worth checking out!!