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.

This is my first book by Jamie Wesley but I really enjoyed it. I seem to be all about the fake relationships lately but the opposite’s attract chemistry really worked between Donovan and Jada, it had me invested in their relationship from the beginning. I think the best thing for me was that they both admitted when their feelings became real, instead of dragging it out to the point of exhaustion! It took some work to make Jada a likable character for me, she seemed too stuck up and shallow at first, not a good match for the serious Donovan… but luckily I was so completely wrong! I loved how their opposite sides really complemented each other and helped them be better versions of themselves!

Jada Townsend-Matthews is at a crossroads. She has come home devastated after being slandered on social media after she turned down a proposal on a reality dating show. Her parents are cutting off her privileges and the only way Jada can access her trust fun is to take a job her grandmother has found her and prove to her family she can carry through with a job and supporting herself. She does not think it will be difficult until she finds out who she is working for.

Donovan Dell is a pro football player and owns a cupcake shop with some of his teammates who are also his best friends. When he is finds out that the woman who shunned his shop just days ago is his newest employee, he is at his wits end. Can Donovan win over this woman who has caught his eye?

This sweet story by Jamie Wesley had me hooked on the very first page. I loved the witty humour of all the characters and how the two main characters Jada and Donovan spar with each other throughout the story. It was light, fun and humorous and I know have a great author to add to my list of must-read novels. I would love to see this become a series and see other romances flourish between Donovan’s teammates. I just do not want to see the fun end. Thank you so much to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy which I reviewed voluntarily. Friends, grab a cupcake, because you will definitely want one when you start reading, curl up and enjoy a fabulous book.

I've got to say that this book really hit the sweet spot with me. Honestly, I'm no reality TV fan but I do love baking, so I thought that this book sounded fun and gave it a try and I'm very glad I did. This book read smoothly and easily and was just the feel good, heart lightener that I needed. Jada and Donovan were very cute together and their chemistry shined brightly. I truly liked them both. The story was quickly paced and sometimes felt a bit OTT but you know what? I liked that and felt it fit beautifully with the story that was being told. This was my first read by this author and it will not be my last.

A sweet, fun read. Great combination of tropes - enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating. I really liked the dyslexia representation and the clarity of consent through the story. Solid chemistry between the love interests. Cute setting and adorable antics. Lots to love!
I struggled a little to draw myself into the story and the characters in the first half, but I still enjoyed the story. 
If you're looking for a sweet, light read, this could be the book for you!
Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book wasn’t for me. And you know what? I don’t think it was supposed to be for me. And that’s okay.


It was a super cute, fun and light book celebrating Black love and alpha men who bake and are kind. It has everything going for it! I didn’t personally connect with it, but I don’t think that means anything considering I’m a white woman and probably not the target audience.

Still, I recommend you give this book a go no matter who you are, because we could all use some sweetness, fierceness, and joy. This book provides it all.

This book had a little bit of everything going on- a celebrity romance, a Bachelor-like reality show, "fake dating," and a tough athlete with unexpected baking skills. The biggest issue is that there was a little bit too much going on at once.

It was a fun, easy summer read, but it felt like there was too much build up before things started happening. I love a book with food references, but there was too much time in the bakery without a ton of action. Overall, an original rom com but a little bit chaotic- still a fun book!

Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up for the way the story develops

I started out this read sure as sure could be that I'd be giving it at least four stars, and that Donovan was in line to be my next <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cinnamon%20Roll" target="_blank">cinnamon roll</a> hero. (Never mind he's a pro athlete! They got troubles too!) Things...did not pan out that way.

I'm a wary old campaigner in matters of the heart. Donovan's assumption of control over Jada, no matter that it imposed structure on the tornado that her life has been for all around her, rang loud alarm bells for me. No, nothing untoward happens...yet. Control is addictive, as is power in general. It doesn't need to be a bad thing IF it's part of the relationship <I>by mutual consent</i> and this was not the case here.

Normally this would've led me to Pearl-Rule the book, and this June...#PrideMonth!...especially I'm aware of relationship role models needing to be on balance positive to earn my accolade of a review. What happened that made me reassess my initial discomfort was seeing how Author Wesley used every chance to lead Jada into growth and greater maturity. Jada went from rudderless, spoiled girl to a focused, other-directed partner. That was a pure pleasure to read.

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley is about a fake relationship.

Donovan Dell, a professional football player, and his teammates own a Sugar Blitz bakery in San Diego, CA.

After turning down a proposal on a reality dating show, Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most renowned woman in America. Who goes home to lick her wounds. Much to her surprise, her family believes she needs to work for a living when she finds herself working for the one man she dismissed.

While the blurb set the intentions and expectations for this book, I felt like it missed the mark.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

The premise of this book is so cute and enticing: three pro-football players open a cupcake shop in San Diego. You’ve got a set-up for three fun romances.

This first one features Donovan, the business mind of the trio, but he also bakes! His heroine is Jada, a disgraced reality star and trust fund-baby. After a less than friendly meeting in the cupcake shop, Jada ends up working there.

I wanted to love this book from the first time I heard about it but it didn’t live up to the promise of the premise. The story was all over the place, the banter seemed artificial and unrealistic, and I thought this book needed some major editing with timeline issues and action scenes. It’s a slow burn romance, and the last-minute relationship wrench was a reach.

I did appreciate the positive Black representation (other than the hero’s gambling addicted father who is mentioned but never seen) and I’d love to see more of it. I hope the next book in this series shows more planning and restraint.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A really wonderful novel.Well written characters that come alive had me involved from the first pages.Perfect summer romcom reading #netgalley#st.Martins.

Fun and flirty, Fake It Till You Bake It is the latest release from Jamie Wesley and will have you swooning over this reality TV star and her fake, football-star, baking boyfriend. This book was so much fun and there is a lot to love about it: fake relationship, enemies-to-lovers, gorgeous football players who also bake cupcakes, POC main characters…I could keep going 😉

Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most hated woman in America at the moment after turning down the proposal in a reality TV show similar to The Bachelor. Jada has lived afraid of this moment since the show finished filming, and now that it has aired her worst dreams have come true. The outgoing, speaks her mind Jada is a force to be reckoned with on most days, but now she has retreated in on herself. She’s reflecting on her failures, and with little support from her family, Jada has to figure out what she wants in her own life.

Donovan Dell is a famous football player in the NFL and also bakery owner with two of his closest friends and teammates. He’s realistic, knowing he can’t play the game forever, and has already devised his fallback. He enjoys what he does, loves numbers and diagrams and order. Then Jada blows into his shop dissing his cupcakes. Something about her pushes all the wrong buttons, but he also secretly hopes she comes back. What he doesn’t suspect is Mrs. T, the team’s owner, asking him to take on her granddaughter who is having a bit of a rough go and said granddaughter turning out to be Jada.

I love both of these characters. Their banter drives the story. The chemistry is off-the-charts. Donovan and Jada couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, and yet common ground is easy to find. What made me fall head over heels though is how Donovan sees the hurt behind Jada’s walls and does what no one except her best friend has done: has her back. He stands up for her, supports her, and even goes along with all her crazy ideas because he believes in and trusts her.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fake It Till You Bake It. I really didn’t want their story to end! Donovan and Jada were easy to root for and provided a lot of laughs along the way. AND based on that ending, it looks like Nicholas and August, Donovan’s friends and business partners, will be getting stories of their own. I cannot wait! If you enjoy steamy, sweet romcoms, I highly recommend this one. Now, don’t mind me. I’m going to go see if I can recreate one of the cupcakes featured in the book *yum*

This really was a cute story with some pretty funny, amazing banter and a bit of steam thrown in. When Jada crashes and burns on a reality/love television show, she becomes the most hated person in America. Her inability to please EVERYONE also means she is unable to please herself as well. She's bougie as heck and isn't afraid to show it--until someone (Donovan) finally calls her on it. Enter a well meaning grandma and some pretty amazing friends and you have a story that will, in the end, make you feel good.

DNF @57%. Unfortunately, I don’t think this book was for me. Donovan and Jada were interesting characters to follow, and I would have really liked their dynamic if they kept their same energy from their first encounter all the way through the book. I felt like the beginning was promising, but it kind of fell off around the 25% mark and was still trying to find its footing by the time I decided to DNF. Also, I really love a good fake dating trope, but the fake dating didn’t actually begin until almost halfway through the book and I just didn’t feel enough tension between the characters as I normally would like in a romance.

I think this could be the book for you if you want a sweet romance with a lot of cupcake/bakery vibes, but unfortunately it just wasn’t my cup of tea!

Fake It Till You Bake It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and it did not disappoint! I loved how this was a genuine, laugh-out-loud RomCom. I love Contemporary Romance as much as the next person, but I do miss the days when this sub-genre of Romance dominated the scene because they're a great form of escapism and entertainment.

Moving onto the cast of characters and the plot, I enjoyed reading more about Jada and Donovan! They were hilarious, relatable, and likeable to me. However, being the character-driven reader I am, I admit that they did feel a bit one-dimensional at times. If we could've had some chapters where we spent some time with them outside of work/the relationship and really explored their past and why that led to them turning out the way they did, that would've allowed me to be even more invested in them.

As for the plot itself, I thought it was solid! I love fake dating, (soft) enemies-to-lovers, and baking tropes included in Romance books, so this checked all the boxes for me.

I also loved the diversity/representation in this book.

Overall, I 100% recommend giving this cute story a try! It'll be more fun for you if you take this for what it is - i.e., a classic RomCom! You'll definitely have to suspend all disbelief and understand that this has that cheesy dialogue/writing that many RomComs have. Still, if you need a wholesome filler read, then this is perfect!

Thanks so much, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for this copy of Fake it Till You Bake It in exchange for my honest review! 💗