I was provided an advance copy in exchange for review consideration. Special thanks to Ally Wiegand and 8th Note Press.

First of all, love the cover. I don't know why but these types of illustrated covers always draw me in. Plus I can already see that the MMC has sleeve tattoos which are my greatest weakness (besides kittens, beards, and snuggles). And she looks sassy af so buckle up ig. Let's go!

I'm gonna be real honest here. I'm a hockey girlie so I don't know a thing about baseball, but those tight white baseball pants make me wanna be an expert. Just saying.

We have Maggie, the team photographer, who loves romance movies but avoids romance of her own due to ✨t r a u m a✨.

We have Tommy (whose name I wasn't particularly fond of but that's okay I can move past it), the baseball player that was recently traded due to his troubled past image with partying and being a bit of a hoebag. If his career was a cat he'd be on his last life. You get the idea.

An innocent picture prompts a whole scenario that leads into one of my favourite tropes, and that's the fake relationship! Cue the planned dates and paparazzi and the angst about fake affection vs real affection.

I found it a bit difficult to get into initially. I'm not sure if that's a reflection on the book itself or just me, because I am very much a mood reader and can be particular on what I'm in the mood for, so don't take too much stock in that and just give it a try for yourself.

After the first few chapters of a bit of struggling I hit my stride and got into it and didn't put it down until it was done.

If you're looking for a slow burn or something just fluffy and sweet with no angst this might not be for you. There is a lot of dealing with trauma and loss and struggling with personal growth.

My two most hated tropes are the third act breakup and miscommunication, and this had both, so I didn't love that. It wasn't enough to make me throw it away though, and I got through it intact. I wish the end hadn't felt so rushed, but overall I feel fairly satisfied with the outcome.

This was a solid debut from this author and I would be open to checking out future titles.

What you get:
McHottie athlete with sleeve tattoos
Fake dating or else
Living vicariously through 90s romcoms
Cute meddling besties
Not so cute meddling PR
Fanboy father
Emotional healing

Watch out for:
Third act breakup
Miscommunication
Loss and survivor trauma
Unhealthy paternal relationship
Brief mentions of drugs and alcohol
Invasive loss of privacy

thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the arc copy for review! I highly recommend checking out this new release by debut author Ally Wiegand! 💙⚾️

This is a fake dating baseball romance, but it is filled with so much more! Maggie Redford is a team photographer for the Chicago Cougars who is trapped in a fake relationship with bad boy Tommy Mikals after a photo of them together goes viral. Maggie is dealing with grief and Tommy is trying to rebuild his image. They fit perfectly together and are able to open up and both grow as people as their relationship builds naturally. This book was fast paced but so well written. It felt so realistic and I really want to be this author’s #1 fan! I think the slight miscommunication could have been cut from the plot, but otherwise I loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for providing the ARC.

I love romance and I love baseball, and I wanted this book to be a good mix of the two. However, I didn't get that with it.

I don't think the story is particularly bad - I thought it had a good thing going. PR relationships are pretty straightforward for a fake dating scenario and this had all the normal trappings of that particular trope. Normally, I am sucker for all of this will they/won't they pining, but this book didn't sell me on the trope. There was nothing believable about the chemistry between Tommy and Maggie. Their characters felt so flat on the page and I was not able to get invested in their story. I just wanted a bit more from them.

A so-so romance, unfortunately.

A sweet debut! Tommy and Maggie were really sweet characters that you want to root for. Overall the story was cute but it did feel a little forced and insta-love-y for me. Tommy's willingness to change felt so immediate, or maybe that's just how it seemed like for me because of the synopsis. I also feel like Maggie's issues were very deep rooted and rightly so. It felt a little hard to believe that she just was ready to go after so many years of resisting it. I think there definitely was a better way to write it but I was still very into it at its core.

I think it holds a lot of promise for Ally Wiegand and I would be very interested to see what else they'll write in the future.

A 3.5 rounded down.

Cannot go wrong with a baseball romance. I'm in my sports romance era and I am loving it. First Base was a home run and I appreciate being able to read this .

I love sports romance, because it just another take on the celeb/normie trope which is one of my top 5 favorites. But I also got to thank the heavens this was a baseball book and not another hockey story. Wiegand initially pulled into the story with her FMCs opening lines. There's so much unappreciated romance in the things we love. I would highly recommend this for someone who is giving a sport romance a read for the first time. She created thoroughly believable characters. I was impressed by this debut and look forward to revisiting her work in the future.

Thank you to 8th Note Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

For a debut novel, she hit it outta the park! I loved the level of complexity that both characters had and the way that each of their strengths complemented the others flaws. I had so much fun reading this book and cannot wait to see where the series goes!

I received an ARC via NetGalley and 8th Note Press and am voluntarily leaving a review. This is the author's debut novel and I wouldn't mind reading more from her. This is the start of the Chicago Heartbreakers Series and can be read as a standalone. The book's blurb is straightforward, though be aware that loss is a theme of a book. First Base is told through Maggie and Tommy's pov and was a good story about second chances. Though Maggie loves her job as a baseball photographer for the Chicago Cougars, there's a part of her that leaves her in want of more. Meeting Tommy makes those feelings stronger. Because of his playboy reputation, Tommy has a lot to prove not only to the organization that is giving him his last chance but to himself as well. As they are caught in a situation that leads to them fake date, it's easy for Maggie to get to know the side of Tommy that the media doesn't and allows them to open their hearts to each other. Even before entering a fake relationship, their romance was one of insta attraction. They were drawn to each other upon their first meeting and those sparks only grew stronger as they got to know each other. While Tommy had dated around, Maggie hadn't been interested in dating before getting to know Tommy. Not only did she stir those feelings, but his friendship helped her to face past wounds and be more decisive about her future. As for him, Maggie's encouragement gave him the confidence that he needed and the support that he felt lacking. The romance was a cracked door romance, meaning that there were no explicit scenes but there were steamy makeouts and more build up and details given in the fade to black scene. Curse words were used. Overall, this was a decent debut that is worth a try.

I really enjoyed this one! I wanted a more lighthearted read - i didn’t want a lot of smut and i wanted just a sweet love story and i am a SUCKER for a fake dating trope.

There are some heavy off page trigger warnings but def work looking into before you go into it. I really
liked the premise of the team photographer and a team member. i also loved Olivia so much and hope she has a book of her own coming.

It was a fun book and i could have even done with it being longer - things happened quite fast and it kept you entertained nonstop because the book was so quick!

I will definitely be returning to this series and author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and author for granting me the ARC!

Over the past year I’ve become a huge fan of sports romance. I read the blurb for First Base and thought it sounded super cute and the adorable illustrated cover caught my eye.

I really enjoyed the fake dating trope, as it is one of my favorites, but ultimately I feel like the story felt a bit surface level and predictable to me.

I really wanted to like and relate to both Maggie and Tommy, but I never felt fully connected. It didn’t help that Maggie kept bringing up an awful, life changing event that we didn’t learn about until much later into the story. Their relationship was cute, but often times felt rushed which made me feel like a bit of an outsider rather than immersed.

Ultimately it was an ok journey, I enjoyed the trope for what it was, but wished I was a bit more connected to the story and characters.

This was a quick and easy read. I'm a fan of sports romances so this was a good read for me. Since the book is under 300 pages, the plot happens quickly. I enjoyed both of the main characters and their imperfections. When I made it to the third act I was upset about the miscommunication trope but luckily it wasn't long and exhausting. The spice was there, but nothing too wild and crazy. I would recommend this to my friends / followers and if this were to become an interconnected series I would continue reading on.

Maggie lands her dream job managing social media photos for Chicago's baseball teams, enjoying the eye candy without getting involved. But when player Tommy arrives, known for his nightly flings, things change. After a compromising situation, they're forced into a fake relationship to boost Tommy's image. Maggie questions why she's agreeing to this, especially after years of avoiding romance due to past tragedy. Is it all just pretend?

Tommy, aiming to revamp his reputation in a new city, becomes intrigued by Maggie. As they fake their relationship, he wishes it could be real. He starts treating Maggie as if they were truly together, hoping she feels the same. Despite his declarations, will Maggie believe him and open up after so long?

While the story unfolded quickly, it's understandable given the book's length. Miscommunication dominates the third act, but it doesn't drag on too long. The romantic elements felt lacking, but that's subjective. I'm curious to see who's next in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Enjoy!

Thank you so much to netgalley and 8th Note Press for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so much fun to read and see the store progress with Maggie and Tommy.

This was a great sports romance about an ex bad boy shortstop fake dating the team photographer. I definitely would recommend this book looking for a quick sports read about baseball!

4/5 ⭐️ 🌶️

I think that this was a cute debut! I love sports romances and baseball is my favorite sport to watch in real life, so I was excited when I received the ARC of this. My main issue with it was the pacing because it is a bit shorter, so I feel there their were some areas that could have been more developed. At times Maggie and Tommy's relationship felt very rushed and insta-lovey as we were being told more about them hanging out than actually getting to see them grow closer. I think that it could have been helpful to have this be a single POV rather than dual, as Maggie has a lot going on that I feel could have been more developed and Tommy only had a few chapters.

I feel like Maggie was more of a well-rounded and fleshed-out character than Tommy, as I feel like we didn't see much of an arc or development from him throughout because he had done some growing before the events of the novel began.

Overall, it was a sweet and quick read and I think that Wiegand's writing will continue to grow throughout the next books in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the ARC!

I cannot tell you how much I love this book to my core. I don’t even love baseball that much, but I love a sports romance and I was hooked from the first line.

I would count this as one of my favorite reads so far this year and if you love characters that have depth and vulnerbility, even when it is the hardest, this book is for you.

Love them as much as I do!

💕Amazing Debut Novel and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series
💕Fake Dating/Insta Love/Forced Proximity
💕He is a professional Baseball Player and she is the team’s photographer
💕Reformed Bad Boy
💕Based in Chicago
💕Dual POV
💕Trigger Warning: Car Accident Death

Oh my gosh! These two have so much emotional baggage. There really isn’t a lot of drama or angst, but it kind of feels like there is simply because of everything Maggie and Tommy have gone through. Now, I’m almost as big a sucker for a fake relationship as I am for a second chance, so I was heavily invested in seeing these two make it from the moment I cracked open this book. They have their ups and downs, but I loved seeing them support one another and push each other to be their best selves. There are lots of fantastic members of the supporting cast that jumped off the page, and I can’t wait to see some of them get to star in books of their own.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Ultimately, this one just isn’t for me. The blurb sounded cute, and I’m a big fan of celebrity and regular characters together, so thought this could be up my alley. But in reality this was juvenile, underwhelming, and felt like the story had 3-4 planned scenes from “how to write a romance book 101”, with the rest as fluff to just get you to the next “predetermined” scene. It was all predictable and cheesy as hell. And not in a feel good, know what to expect kind of way, but rather roll your eyes because every scene has been done a million times already. We get it.

Maggie isn’t your regular girl, she’s ✨different✨. But she read as juvenile and naive. And Tommy, he was throwing out quotes like this:

‘Maggie was unlike any woman I had ever seen. She was an explosion of energy. Everything about her felt like it was turned all the way up—forcing you to notice her—but what I found even more interesting was that she didn’t seem to know that about herself’

After speaking to her for maybe a minute? Which of course she responded to in one word answers. Because she didn’t know how to speak to a man.

But then we also got this gem (ha) one whole paragraph later.

‘When she looked up at me from her spot on the field, cradling her camera, I struggled to remember to breathe. Her eyes were like bright emeralds, the kind that gem investors would pay millions for. She was all soft curves and feminine lines. Basically, the complete opposite of any other woman I had ever dated before.’

In chapter 2, ladies and gents. Why is this man who is “hotter than any model” and who is used to dating actual models having this full on soliloquy after seeing this girl for two seconds. And of course “she doesn’t know she’s beautiful”. I can’t.

What was a big struggle here as well, more so towards the beginning as well was the lack of dialogue. There would be one sentence, then 3-4 paragraphs of inner thoughts or background information before the next person replied one sentence, and repeat. Why?? It’s so painful to read like that.

But sadly it didn’t get better. I’m not sure where the romance came in because I’m not actually convinced these characters liked each other, or why. It was instalove personified. And I have no idea why Tommy was the one apologizing and making a big gesture when it should have been Maggie. The miscommunication third act is overdone as it is but WOW. I haven’t read one like this in a long time. I actually put the book down and thought “are you kidding me? This women acts like she’s 14 and the world is ending.”

If you could take the cliche idea of a romance book (for this premise anyways) and jot down the most cliche scenes to happen, they would all be in this book. Every. Single. One.

So no, this book wasn’t for me, and I won’t try anything else from this author. But I’m going with 2 stars because I liked Tommy’s mom, and thank goodness for Olivia calling Maggie out on her shit. And the end of the epilogue then relating back to the first few paragraphs was cute.

If you want something quick and easy, you can certainly give this one a go. Just know what you’re getting! While this didn’t work for me, it will certainly be great for others. Happy reading!

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

⭑⭑⭑.75 / 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley & 8th Note Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, I want to say HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

This was such a cute, sport romance book! I love sports romance so much, so if you're looking for one to read this book is definitely one you should get your hands on. ON TOP OF THAT, IT IS UNDER 300 PAGES!! We can for sure agree that's a plus!

PSA: ITS A CLOSED DOOR ROMANCE! Which I needed after reading multiple books with tons of spices!!

An extra plus would be the references to baseball and to photography! I loved them both dearly especially baseball!! I always love when baseball season comes around! Texas Rangers for the win!!!

I did enjoy the characters and how they handled their obstacles, but truthfully I just did not get attached to the characters like I thought I would. It just seems like there was not much chemistry between them even though it's literally telling you on the pages. When it comes to closed door romance, I think the chemistry between the main characters have to be done right. On top of that, there was some MISCOMMUNICATION! No matter how big or small the amount of miscommunication is presented in the book, it really kills a book in my opinion!!

Overall it was a fun read and most definitely would recommend it to any sports loving book besties!
Looking forward to reading more of Ally's work in the future!

I loved Tommy and Maggie from the very beginning. They got along so well and truly cared for one another throughout the book. I loved how they were always lifting each other up.