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!!

First Base by Ally Wiegand is a delightful romance that hits it out of the park! Maggie Redford, a talented baseball photographer, is perfectly content to capture the game from behind her lens—until the hotshot, tattooed Tommy Mikals joins the team. With his bad-boy reputation and her cautious heart, their worlds collide in the most unexpected way.

When a viral photo threatens their careers, enter the fake dating trope we all love and want more of! The plot is heartwarming and hilarious, filled with charming moments that kept me eagerly turning pages. Watching Maggie and Tommy navigate their feelings amidst the chaos of baseball season was an absolute joy.

Ally Wiegand's writing is crisp and engaging, capturing the essence of the sport while delivering a swoon-worthy romance. If you're a fan of stories where love sneaks up on you and leaves you cheering for the characters, First Base is a must-read.

Play ball and enjoy the ride—this book is a definite win!

⭐️3.0/5 🌶️0/5
This was an easy read for me. IMO if you’re looking for a good palette cleanser this might be the book for you. That being said, there isn’t really any spice in this but it has pretty good character development.

It’s an intro into a new world. I loved having a FMC with curly hair, which I feel like I rarely see.

Tropes:
He falls first, mental health rep (PTSD, depression, grief), fake dating, sports romance.

Possible Triggers:
Flashbacks of car crash, loss of partner, parental verbal abuse.

I enjoyed reading this debut novel by Ally Wiegand! Throughout the beginning of this novel, Wiegand slowly unveils the reality of how poor choices and life-threatening circumstances impact how both Tommy Mikals and Maggie Redford navigate life, leaving their pasts to continue to haunt them. Tommy is known for his bad reputation, which led him to become part of the Chicago MLB to redeem himself. Maggie refuses to allow love to enter her life and prioritizes her career as a sports photographer. I adored this forced proximity and fake dating trope that challenged and healed the brokenness Tommy and Maggie walked with before meeting one another on the baseball field. The subject of grief also made the progression of Tommy and Maggie's relationship heartwarming and sentimental. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher; the review is my own.*

Despite my lack of interest in sports, I tend to enjoy sports rom-coms. Unfortunately, I found this one a little underwhelming. Was it cute? Yes. Could it make a good movie? Probably. But I just didn't love it. Maybe it has to do with the string of fake-dating books I've unintentionally read consecutively lately. Or maybe I was frustrated by the lack of real communication between the two main characters, while their relationship physically progressed. Or it could have been the heavy reliance on sentences that contained phrases like this one: "the ______ that was _____" (made-up example: "the mess that was her paper-strewn living room"). They got old, and I wish the author had found another way of saying things. Of course, this was ARC, so perhaps some of that (mess that was the writing--haha) was cleaned up before publication. I'll never know.

That said, Maggie and Tommy were good together. It was good that he had cleaned up his life prior to meeting her because it showed that he actually wanted to make those changes for himself rather than someone else. Maggie, however, needed someone to help pull her out of the "I am a rock, I am an island" life she had pushed herself into. Although I liked them, their communication was terrible, and it caused them a lot of problems. First of all, why on earth did either of them think it was a good idea to enter into an intimate physical relationship when each believed the other was still only involved because of the PR contract? For that, I can't help thinking they were both idiots. The book would have been much better without that part of their relationship.

My favorite character was probably Olivia, Maggie's friend. She comforted Maggie in hard times and supported her throughout everything. But she also was there to pull Maggie out of her own head and help her see reason. She provided Maggie with the logic she needed. Rather than cursing Tommy's name when something he did upset Maggie, Olivia helped her to understand that she might be misinterpreting the situation. She was a good friend and exactly the friend that Maggie needed.

I had a hard time believing that a PR department would request (require) two employees to fake date. Wouldn't it have been easier and made more sense to just ignore the photo of Tommy and Maggie altogether? It wasn't even a suggestive photo. But I suppose then the book wouldn't have been written. (Btw, whatever happened to the "no fraternization" clause in Maggie's contract and the "no women" clause in Tommy's?)

Unrelated side note: When making garlic bread from scratch to go with your pasta, you need to start the dough in advance rather than boiling the pasta water when you get started on the bread. Timing is everything.

Note: Language, including f words. Some open-door sex scenes; while they weren't necessarily explicit, they were still more than I was expecting since other reviewers had claimed this book was "wholesome" and had "no smut." Clearly, we have different definitions.

Starting out, I really love the cover of this one. It drew me in immediately, and the blurb sold me on the story. That being said, the writing ended up not being for me. It was very repetitive and the inner monologue of the FMC was basically the same sentiment repeated over and over with slightly different wording, and it was hard to get through at times. I also didn't think there was much of a connection between all of the characters, like it all seemed forced. I also also didn't love the insta-attraction/feelings that were felt within minutes of meeting on both sides. Overall I enjoyed the premise but the writing was not for me and I'm not sure that I'd revisit this author.

I love sports romance, so I was very excited to read this - especially since it dealt with "real life" issues! I'm excited to recommend this to library users and look forward to reading more titles by this author. The ending was so sweet.

Sadly I DNF'd this. I hope other loves of sports romance found it fun and sweet but the writing wasn't for me.

This book was such a fun romance read! I loved the sports romance vibes, and the banter was perfection!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book an exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore sports romances! While I'm typically drawn to all the tropes presented in the story—fake dating, sports, romance—unfortunately, this one fell short of my expectations. The lack of chemistry between the protagonists and the rushed insta-love made the book fall flat for meWhile it may appeal to readers seeking a light, breezy read, those craving substance and complexity may find themselves wanting more.

Another cute, cheesy, emotional, and heartwarming story! In her debut novel, Ally Wiegand writes about loss and grief beautifully, highlighting the struggles of losing someone you love, but also giving advice on how you can continue on but still honor the ones you loved. I found myself teary eyed throughout the book and could feel Maggie's pain and heartache. I also loved the character development throughout the book - watching the bad boy become the good guy and the hurt girl fall in love.
If you enjoy: Slow burn, fake dating, baseball romances, bad boy good girl, or friends to lovers then "First Base" is for you!
Thank you for this amazing copy.

There are things about myself as a reader that I know to be absolutely true- I love baseball romance. I love insta-love. I love a snarky/spunky FMC... but yet this fell really flat for me. The writing was not bad, but there were numerous times were I just had to shake my head at the way the author wrote these characters interacting. It was over the top and rather embarrassing. I ended up DNF'ing because it just wasn't for me.

I recieved an ARC of this so I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this!


Maggie the main character, really spoke to me throughout the story and I could really relate to aspects of her life. She had experienced a great loss that really broke her to pieces (rightfully so), and protected her heart for YEARS. She continued to protect her heart like the badass woman she is throughout the whole story, but you still got the taste of how her past was still digging into the future she was trying to make for herself. Sometimes it can be so hard to trust, especially when you aren’t given all the information and you’re put into a situation where it’s doomed to end. Maggie was an amazing photographer with plenty to gain in her line of work as a baseball social media/event photographer. Where she met the wrecked struggling to keep his head up Tommy Mikals. Tommy Mikals was portrayed as a bad guy to the world. He really gave me hope to that there are good men out there, even if they are being portrayed in a different way online. He truly took care of Maggie throughout the book and gave her the time and space that she needed to get through her own issues. They chemistry between this two had me giggling and aching to read more, and I just loved “watching” them fall in love, even if it was unexpected. It was just too perfect, and of course the big twist at the end had me wanting to throw my kindle. But I loved the way it played out and how Maggie handled herself and really closed some doors that she needed to get through.

This book really captured my heart and I loved the story it told.

I’ll forever be in my sports romance era!

Note—if you’re looking for 🌶️, this is not the one for you.

This book started off shaky for me…Maggie and Tommy had one extremely brief encounter thanks to a foul ball and Maggie immediately went into panic mode and was obsessively thinking about him all night. Thinking about what it might be like in a relationship with him. If I were a team employee, I think the last thing I’d be thinking is that I have a chance with one of the pro athletes. But hey, maybe that’s just me.

I will admit that Maggie’s back story is unique, but there are moments when I find her frustrating because it’s as if she is deliberately misconstruing the things that Tommy is telling her.

Maggie and Tommy are both looking for second chances, so when an opportunity arises for them to enter into a fake relationship, they both take it, but for different reasons. It doesn’t take long, though, before they both start to sense a shift from fake to…NOT fake.

Overall, once I got past the first 50 pages or so, this was a sweet book full of baseball, overcoming the past, and finding love.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I am loving the influx of sports romance books, and this was a fun read. There was banter, popular tropes like enemies to lovers, and enough sports to keep me interested in it as a plot point. A great way to start off the summer.

3.5 stars!! I really loved the enemies to lovers aspect of this book. Both main characters & the side characters were amazing and I loved all of the history and the banter. I will be looking for the next books in the series!! Thank you for letting me read this book in advance!! 🩷