4.5 stars

THIS WAS SO DAMN CUTE. This is what contemporary romance should be!! I absolutely loved this book - I was hooked from the first page. It was witty and funny, and with an ex-NFL MMC who bakes?? What more could you want! If you like contemporary romance in any capacity, READ THIS.

A true light-hearted, contemporary romance that combines all of your favorite troupes: including reality dating and NFL players. As well as the #booktok favorites: fake relationship, enemies to lovers, and opposites attract. The characters are likable and witty - leading to a light and fluffy, yet satisfying romcom.

Grab yourself a cupcake or two as you read this story!

Donovan's career on the field is doing much better than his cupcake shop. Jada's hated because she said no to a proposal on a reality show. Fate, aka her grandmother/his team's owner, throws them together to help Jada find a career and increase sales at Donovan's shop. Win-Win, right? Till they're mistaken for a couple. Faking a relationship leads to real feelings, and then what?

An enjoyable enemies to lovers romance with a pact to work together and fake dating--so much to love!

**received an ARC on netgalley**

I thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ecopy in exchange for honest opinion.

Set up in San Diego,Donovan, a football player who also invested in a bakery, is looking to bring the sales up which dwindled down within a month.
Jada is a notorious reality star who turns down proposal on the tv show.
They both end up together at Donovan's cupcake shop and an unexpected situation makes them wonder if they can take advantage that will bring advantage to them both.
Funny, witty and light hearted, this is an amazing book to read on a lazy weekend.

Thank you to SMP Romance, Jamie Wesley, and Netgalley for this free e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

plot: 5/5
pacing: 5/5
characters: 5/5
writing: 5/5
enjoyment: 5/5

final rating: 5/5 stars

Fake it Till You Bake it is a fake dating romance between the Sugar Blitz Cupcakery co-owner who is also a football star name Donovan Dell and a woman named Jada who is piecing her reputation back together after the final season of dating show My One and Only aired. Jada’s goal is to access her trust fund, but to do so, her Grams says that Jada has to keep a stable job for 6 months. In this time, Jada and Donovan encounter the pressures of social media. After a surprising encounter with a journalist, Jada gets herself and Donovan thrown into the facade of them dating. However, as time passes and Jada and Donovan get to know one another better, their relationship begins to transition from strictly press to possibly something more real.

I really enjoyed the chemistry that both characters had with one another. Donovan and Jada were polar opposites, but their personalities complimented each other so well. I loved how they both supported and defended one another no matter what, and how they both help the other grow.

I loved the writing style, fast paced plot, and how the book took place primarily in Sugar Blitz. Jada and Donovan both had very likable characters and I enjoyed the additional hints of comedy that the side characters Nicholas and August provided as well.

Towards the end, I did question whether or not this book would be one of my top reads of the year, but based on the final chapter and epilogue, I knew that this was by far one of my favorites. I loved the way it ended and I felt like it really reflected both characters’ true personalities and it was a way to show how they both helped the other grow/change.

This book has learning disability rep (dyslexia) and I really loved how Jada wasn't ashamed of it and how Donovan always defended her whenever someone made a comment about it. Over all, this book was amazing, and I really hope that August and/or Nicholas will get their own book as well!

This was such a cute, light hearted read. I love a fake dating troupe and this one was very well done! It’s a fast read that is entertaining and charming. Some parts might be a little over the top, but I loved it:

Fake It Til You Bake It follows Donovan, a pro football player who owns his own cupcake shop and Jada, social media’s enemy #1 for turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. Even though Jada tries to lay low and starts working for Donovan, a reporter is mistaken and thinks they are a couple. They decide to take advantage of the situation and use it to build up Jada’s reputation again. Little did they know that this would lead to them falling in love. This novel was super cute and not at all what I was expecting, but I loved every minute of it.

While hiding out after becoming a national pariah for rejecting the star of a Bachelor-type show, Jada goes with her friend to new cupcake shop. Jada and Donovan, a pro football player and one of the bakery’s owners, clash at first sight. She thinks he’s boring and stodgy. He thinks she’s spoiled and snobby. Then two things happen: Jada’s grandmother convinces Donovan to let Jada work in the shop, to which he reluctantly agrees. Just when matters can’t get worse, a nosey reporter mistakenly believes that Jada and Donovan are a couple and they just…go with it. Donovan needs to increase his shop’s bottom line so could use the visibility and Jada needs the world to be distracted from her failed TV relationship and just move on already.

This is clearly the first in a planned trilogy—two of Donovan’s teammates are the co-owners of the shop. I really liked the fact that Jada was dyslexic and her super-sciencey family just doesn’t know what to do with her. Donovan’s handling of that particular issue was fantastic. Although this book was fun and funny, it did seem to start off slowly. I would say I liked but did not love it. That said, I will definitely return for the series because the writing is good and the characters are compelling. Available today. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC.

Fake It Till You Bake it by Jamie Wesley has all the necessary ingredients for a perfect summer romance novel. Donovan is a super successful NFL player that owns a cupcake bakery with two teammates. Donovan is very active in the store during the off season and that's where he first sees the gorgeous Jada. He is immediately attracted to her. Jada has just turned down a marriage proposal on reality TV and she is having a difficult time dealing with the backlash from pretty much everyone. Her life lacks direction and her wealthy parents are cutting off their financial support. Donovan agrees to let Jada work at the bakery as a favor to her grandmother. Jada's grandmother is also his boss-she is the owner of the NFL team Donovan works for. Donovan is shocked when he meets Jada and realizes he has seen her before. Will frosting filled sparks fly between Donovan and his new employee Jada? Wesley deftly develops a plot that is heavy on romance, but also shows that Donovan and Jada are much more than pretty faces. Don't put off reading this delicious romance. You will definitely eat it up!

Words can not explain how much I liked this book! Give me a fake dating trope anyway but add in a slow burn too….ooooh yes, I love them!

Jada and Donovan were EVERYTHING, there wasn’t one thing I didn’t like about them. I loved the way he stood his ground with her and her attitude and I loved the way she stood her ground with him. I loved their banter and the many ways they made me laugh. I love how strong both characters are, it’s so so great seeing strong females and not those weak ones that drop everything as soon as the man says so. She was a hoot.

I loved the slow burn aspect of the book, I loved that they didn’t jump into everything straight away, I loved that it slowly developed between the two of them.

Oh and the secondary characters, yes I want books from them, they’re so interesting haha.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the ending. For me it seemed a little rushed, it could have been so much more if there was a little added extra to it.

This author is new to me and when I read the description of this book I just HAD to jump at the chance and I am so SO glad that I did.

This is second rom-com that I have had the pleasure of reading this year and I will most definitely be adding them in my reading rotation. This is a fabulous book cover and it caught my attention and had me pulled in from the cover alone. The characters are awesome and I so loved the camaraderie between Jada and Donovan. These two made this and an easy quick entertaining read. One of my most favorite reading tropes is fake relationships. Jada Townsend-Matthews is back home after turning down a reality dating show “My One And Only”. She is revamping her life and finds herself working at Sugar Blitz a new cupcake bakery owned by NFL player Donovan Bell after making remarks that were not good. Jada gets a surprise when her grandmother who is Donovan’s NFL team owner informs her that she will be working at Sugar Blitz. While Donovan and Jada are working together closely at Sugar Blitz they somehow get involved in a fake relationship that actually helps Sugar Blitz. I most certainly am looking for this series to continue in the future. There are many other interesting characters that I would love to see get books.

Can Donovan and Jada turn their fake relationship into the real thing, did Mrs. T. Jada’s grandmother have her working at Sugar Blitz to make a love connection? I am team Donovan and Jada.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and St. Martin Press and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

I was really excited about this premise of this book, it sounded really cute and I loved the cupcake shop setting, but I had a hard time connecting to the story line for some reason. The book was cute and lighthearted, but for some reason I could not feel the chemistry or truly connect. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This was such a sweet romance, adorable meet-cute, the characters were so funny, especially Donovan and Jada with their constant banter and bickers. I loved the fact that Donovan has supportive best friends Nicholas and August, and these men run cupcake business together and they are football players? I just loved!!!! And of course we cant leave the amazing chemistry and romance between Don and Jada, and of course the fake-dating trope.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book! And of course Happy Pub day to the author Jamie Wesley!!!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Fake It Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 336 / Genre: Romance

Happy #PubDay! Fake It Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley just released today and it’s the perfect #beachread for when you’re in the mood for something sexy and delicious.

Jada Townsend-Matthews is a spoiled rich girl who’s life is turned even more sideways when she rejects a proposal on a reality dating show, which makes her the most hated woman on social media. The public blowup forces her parents to take action by threatening to take away her trust fund if she doesn’t prove herself. Yada yada yada… she ends up working in a cupcakery run by hot professional football players who play for the local team, which her grandmother happens to own. Initial dislike creates chaos and misunderstandings which lead to the inevitable hot passionate conclusion.

Ok, so nothing surprising or original here, sure, but if you’re looking for a fun, spicy romcom to get you through a hot summer, then this will do the trick.

Thank you @netgalley and @SMPRomance for the advance copy of this book. I loved it!

This is a fun summer read that tells the story of Jada and Donovan, their coming together, the decisions that they make and the evolution of their relationship. All of the ingredients (bit of a pun) that romance readers eat up (pun again) are in these pages.

Jada had a most unfortunate experience. This led to her return to San Diego where she found a job in a bakery while she licks (yikes, the puns) her wounds. This leads to her meeting Donovan. He is a professional sportsman, a football player. What happens when an assumption is made that these two are a couple? Have fun turning the pages and suspend disbelief as you find out. It will be a pleasure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this story which was also my first read by this author and definitely won't be my last one. It had all the elements of a funny yet romantic story where you'd fall in love with the lead characters but also the side characters who added something more to it. Can't wait to read more in this series.

Jada is more like to be public enemy number one on social media right now as she has ended a relationship on a reality show but it really was something she felt she needed to do. When her grandmother makes her take a job at a cupcake store, she meets Donovan again after a rough encounter but it doesn't deter her from trying to make the best of her new job. Donovan never expected to see Jada so soon again. He's trying to make the best of his cupcake store but nothing really seems to attract a bigger crowd but working with Jada might change it all. When a reporter mistakenly things they are together, it's about to turn both their lives around. But will they be able to keep up appearances... As times goes on, their bond starts to grow and their relationship starts to change. Will love find a way?...

Thank you St. Martins Press and Net Galley for an ARC in return for my honest review

I really enjoyed this read! It was light hearted and the perfect book to read in between series. Gives all the feel good vibes with a little bit of spicy!

The chemistry between Jada and Donovan is unmistakable and I love tension we get between the two characters throughout their story. This was my first book by this author, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one!

Happy Publication Day to @jamiewesleywrites for Fake It Till You Bake It! And thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC.

“A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance from Jamie Wesley, Fake It Till You Bake It.”

This romantic comedy was so much fun! It was the perfect blend of steam and humor and I could not put it down. I love the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes so much and it was all handled perfectly here. And the cupcakes. Oh my gosh! So many great details.

This was such a fun summer read and highly recommend if you want to escape into a wonderful romance with so much heart.

I LOVE a fake dating romance and this one takes the (cup)cake! Jada is a reality tv star with an attitude and a goal of finding her place in life. Donovan is a professional football player trying to keep his cupcakery afloat. When these two collide, sparks fly, and keep flying as Jada and Donovan navigate working together. Their banter kept me on the edge of my seat, and I adore when characters who act all prickly to each other start to unconsciously smooth out each other’s rough edges. Jada settles into her role and elevates it beyond her imagining, and Donovan learns to appreciate the people rather than the numbers side of running a business. While the fake dating scheme started as a way to save Jada’s reputation and keep Sugar Blitz in business, these two realize they stand more to gain from it than they ever could have imagined.
The only thing that could have made this sweet story even sweeter is if I got to taste the deliciously-described cupcakes!

When I finished this book I ate two cupcakes and wished that one of them had been a gluten-free s'mores one. I loved watching Jada grow and help Donovan get out of his shell. Jada's time after being on a reality dating show felt well developed and I appreciated her candor with her struggles due to dyslexia. I enjoyed watching these two knuckleheads get it together.

I can't wait for Nicholas and August's books! They're a great friend group and I think it'll make me want to try even more cupcake recipes!

Thank you to Netgalley and SMP Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.