4 A Cute Read Stars!!

This is my first book by Ms. Wesley and it was cute read. I loved the setting not only in San Diego, where I’m from, but also the cupcake bakery that Donovan, a NFL player owns. This story centers around Donovan and Jada a Reality Star that needs some rehab on her image thanks to turning down a marriage proposal on national television.

There’s definitely a draw between these two upon their meeting at his bakery… this girl throws all sorts of attitude at him, but Donovan is confident not only in himself, but most definitely in his cupcakes… and so begins their “fake” relationship that will help both of them in different ways.

I loved their push and pull and how they both changed as the story progresses. Jada is a woman that doesn’t like to show emotions because she doesn’t like to feel vulnerable, but as her feelings for Donovan we see her heart changing. And while Donovan wasn’t looking for love, only to rescue his cupcake shop, things change and “fake” becomes real!

This is a great summer read and I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Wesley’s writing and story telling!

Very early on I was drawn to this book because that cover? Absolute art! Plus this book is chock-full of some of my favorite things - fake dating, food, and fantastic friendships. This is such a delightful book and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Jada has a tendency to make impulsive decisions but when one of those impulsive decisions led to her being on a reality TV show and then declining the proposal when she was the final contestant, she’s been extra-adrift and feeling like a failure. Donovan is used to keeping everything logical and in control, but Jada disrupts his logical paths by telling him where he can improve his business and bringing new energy to the cupcakery. When Jada gets accosted by a nosy journalist she claims Donovan is her new boyfriend and suddenly they have to keep up the farce both to limit some of the Internet hate Jada has been receiving since she turned down the proposal on TV and to hopefully revive Donovan’s business which has steadily been slowing down.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between Jada and Donovan, and the way their relationship grew over time. They had such a great rapport and so much great banter, plus their attraction was so obvious and sweet. I also loved Donovan’s friendship with August and Nicholas, who he’d opened his business with, and would have loved to see more of Jada with her friends. Everything was so sweet and fun and I just had such a delight reading this book. I cannot wait to see what’s going to happen with August with that ending and hope he and Nicholas have upcoming stories. All around a fun read that I’d absolutely recommend if you’re a fan of fake dating and baking romances!

Mmmmmm...cupcakes!

Super sweet (pun intended) about Donavan Dell, a football star, and Jada Thompson-Matthews, the granddaughter of his team's owner. Jada was recently on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show. At the last minute, she turned down the lead's proposal - sending the producers and all of America into a tailspin! How dare she
reject Dr. John! She heads home to San Diego, bombarded with negativity on social media. When Jada can't seem to get on the track to success, Grams asks Donavan to give Jada a job. How can he say no, especially since his contract is up for extension?

Donavan is all logic and order. Jada? She's pretty much the opposite. Her dyslexia hasn't helped nor has the fallout from the failed proposal. Opposites? Yes, they are! But, like in all good rom-coms, they end up faking a relationship to keep the paparazzi at bay, plus that's going to bring business into the struggling cupcake shop. Needless to say, all's well that ends well.

There's nothing too surprising in the storyline. I did like Jada's ownership of her dyslexia. While her parents treated it as a flaw, she accepted it as part of who she is - even though her parents definitely left psychological scars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the entire premise, it is one of my favorite tropes ever and i just loved the main characters jobs and how it was incorporated. I did however wish, there had been more of the actual fake dating. I feel like it kind of lacked in that area, i wish we could've seen them battle that more, however everything else was really fun and sweet to read about. Very cute beach read.

I thought this was cute- albeit a bit predictable and formulaic. I thought Jada and Donovan were sweet, but I never fully was into it. Could be me reading way too many romances lately.

“Love mixes with sugar and flour.”

Synopsis: 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 struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient.

Personal review: 4 stars

A reality star and a cupcake baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery - with the trope of fake dating - what’s not to love! Main character Donovan is a planner and Jada is just NOT part of his plan, but inserts herself into his life and ruffles his feathers in the best of ways! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Fake it Till You Bake It is a standalone rom-com by author Jamie Wesley. It’s a dual POV with a HEA.
Tropes:
– fake dating
– forced proximity
– enemies to lovers
– big city
– opposites attract
– workplace romance

By the numbers quick review:
★ Character dev.: 👤👤👤👤
★ Plot: 📚📚📚📚
★ World building: 🌎🌎🌎🌎
★ Romance: 💕💕💕💕
★ Sexiness: 🔥🔥
★ Overall Rating: 3.6

Such sweet & lighthearted romance! I enjoyed the humor and banter in this quick fun romance as well as getting to know its cast of delightful characters.

I enjoyed the cute cheesiness that felt perfect for the start of summer.

Such a fun, sweet, tension filled fake dating Black romance between Donovan, a pro football player who owns a struggling cupcake shop, and Jada, a rich young woman who social media made into a reality TV show villain. In a last minute bid to get access to her trust fund, Jada goes to work for Donovan at his cupcake shop. And in a moment of panic in response to paparazzi, Jada ropes Donovan into a fake relationship. There is great banter and chemistry, and unlike some other reviewers, I don't feel like it was insta-love. Insta-attraction, definitely, and the pace does move quickly, but I think that is pretty realistic for someone you have a strong attraction to and basically are spending 24/7 with working together.

This was a fun romance set in a cupcake shop between a football player and a woman who was on the equivalent of The Bachelor. Fake dating leads to real feelings, as it tends to happen. 😊

This was a fun read that was perfectly fine. It was just a little too *shrug* for me. And there were a few smaller nitpicks that dropped it to just below a 3⭐ rating, but if you like the setting and the trope, it's definitely worth checking out.

There were a few things I liked about the book:
I really liked some of the side characters, they were quite fun. Mrs. T the grandmother, Donovan's teammates, his mom, sisters etc. My guess is that if there is a next book, it'll be about one of the teammates (August) and Donovan's sister. I might be checking out that book since I really liked August as a character.

For the main romance of the book, it developed quite well, and I liked their enemies to fake dating to lovers journey. The setting for the romance was great as well. Who wouldn't love a cupcake store! And I loved that Donovan introduced Jada to Crocs. They ARE the most comfy.

Also, I really appreciated that the main character had dyslexia and especially that it wasn't just glossed over, it came up in variance instances and handled well.

But I also had a lot of small issues with the book:

The characters felt a little one-dimensional. Donovan is a hard-ass, Jada is "bougie", they didn't really seem to grow out of that. Their depth came from some backstories but those felt more like telling than showing. Instead of having the characters act with nuance because of their background, those stories were just told over a conversation.

A lot of the side plots seemed to come out of nowhere for me. Especially the villain-like characters just felt like they were added for the sake of drama, and the issues seemed to be resolved almost as soon as they arose. Which made me question their necessity beyond adding more pages to the book.

Similarly, the third act breakup seemed random. I don't know why they broke up, and I don't know how it served the story, they got back together practically right after.

Finally, in general, I don't think I connected to the writing style, which meant I didn't connect as much to the characters or the situation.

Having said all that, it was still a fun read, I didn't dislike it. It was a perfectly fine romance.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐.8, rounded up to 3

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book should come with an advisory label: "WARNING This product is guaranteed to cause extreme hunger and cupcake envy. Read on a full stomach and/or with a batch of sweets close at hand for emergency consumption." A tad rocky in the first and final acts, but everything in between is pure joy, as the leads bicker, banter, and fall hopelessly in love, egged on by their incorrigible friends. I grinned, giggled, sighed, and generally had a marvelous time. Highly recommended for romcom lovers.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew, am I mad I waited so long to read this fantastic book!

This book has it all: a fiery heroine, a outwardly-seeming grump with a huge soft inside as our hero, cupcakes, football players baking cupcakes, fake dating with real feelings, and reality TV shenanigans.

Jada and Donovan definitely get off on the wrong foot when they first meet, and I adored the immediate banter and obvious chemistry that they had. When they end up working together at Donovan's bakery while Jada works on figuring out what she wants to do with her life and prove she's trustworthy enough for her trust fund, sparks and wits fly. Then you throw in the impulsive fake dating scheme and Donovan's perfectly logical, ordered life is thrown into chaos--and of course, he loves it.

I really liked the heart and spirit of these two characters. Jada, despite being a rich "bougie" woman who hasn't figured out what she is going to do with her life after becoming the most hated woman in America by turning down a swoony man on a Bachelor-like show, lives her life out loud and is unapologetically honest and herself. She refuses to be as ashamed of her dyslexia as her parents are, and I loved that she did what she needed to to thrive in the world. Donovan, who clings to logic and reliability due to a less than stable childhood, is still very kind-hearted and generous, even when he is acting a little principal-esque.

The obvious chemistry between the two characters leaped off the page, and when they finally got together it was hot!! I would have read 12 more sexy scenes between these two, but will settle for the ones we got.

My only real quibble with this book was the third-act "conflict" that separated them. I understood what the author was trying to do with it, but it just didn't ring super true to me that they would have just surrendered like that. However, luckily we don't have too much of them being miserable, and I can't wait for what seems to be the next book that was perfectly set up in the epilogue!!

CW: gambling addiction, minor ableism, parental disapproval/shaming

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review - all thoughts are my own. This book was a fun rom-com about a professional football player who also owns a cupcake shop. Jada still reeling from her reality show break up needs a job and Donavon owes Jada's grandmother a favor so Jada starts working at the cupcake shop, there are some misunderstandings and sparks flying - you just can't help but smile with this book. Bravo - can't wait for more from this author!

Faking dating and cupcakes!!

Who could want more than that?? This was a super fun story, and with baking being front and centre, it made to be a sweet story too! You'll definitely enjoy this one with the loveable characters and all of the sweet treats!

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the earc in return for an honest review.

A sweet fake dating romance!

Fake It till You Bake It features lovely flawed characters that have great character development as the story progresses. I thought I wouldn’t like Jada because of the way she acted and spoke in her first meeting with Donovan, but she grew on me and made me root for her. Donovan is a sweetheart who also developed and accepting of changes out of his comfort zone which I like. This book deals with relatable themes like family dynamics, self-love, and hard work. I appreciate the dyslexia rep too. I also must mention that the secondary characters in this story are adorable as well!

This book was such a cute and fun read! I loved the characters and their banter, their character development and the flow of the book! This was a great weekend read that left you feeling light and happy! Jada and Donovan had great heat and chemistry which added up to a delicious romcom! Definitely recommending this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

I loved this book. A little reality TV, a little football, a little baking, what's not to love? Without spoiling anything, I was actively mad at Jada towards the end of the book, lol, but it didn't last long. This would be a great beach read!

I wasn’t a fan of the main character Jada. I felt she was immature. I stopped reading at about 40%. DNF.

**********I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley. ***********

If there's one thing I love more than baking competitions, it's romcoms about baking competitions. This was such a cute romance! I loved the characters and the entire plot of the story was so fun, and I am excited to read more by Jamie Wesley.

In Fake It Till You Bake It, a reviled reality star and a football player, who also owns a cupcake shop, fake a romantic relationship to serve each of their own needs. She is trying to improve her image of the villain and he is trying to save his shop from going under, and they both believe that their fake romance will be the key to solving their problems.

One thing they didn’t take into consideration is the possibility they could actually fall for each other.

I thought the fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes were well done. I was entertained, even if I found it to be a bit predictable. The author did a great job with the chemistry between the two of them, and this definitely has some open door scenes that leave little to the imagination.

Overall this was a quick, enjoyable read.

Fake It Til You Bake It is so much more than an enemies to lovers romance. The representation of Black women and men is what made me fall in love with the story. While I was rooting for Jada and Donovan (#JaDon) from the beginning, I was equally invested in the Black woman billionaire owner of an NFL team, a successful Black STEM family with a trust fund creating generational wealth, and Black business minded pro athletes. The themes of learning disabilities, addiction, and general family pressure were relatable and balanced the storyline. With the way the story ended, I am looking forward to a sequel!