I have never read from Jamie Wesley before, so I was excited to read her newest romance book, Fake It Till You Bake It. And this book has fake dating and forced proximity tropes!

I can read any fake dating romance book. They are one of my favorite romance tropes to read. And Fake It Till You Bake It excels in it’s fake dating trope when Jada and Donovan help each other personally and professionally.

Jada has been through the wringer when she declined to be with an American reality show favorite on reality tv. I truly commended her. When you don’t feel the spark or the love, then there's no point in continuing a relationship. I know not all people share the same feeling, but life is short. There is no point in second-guess. When you don’t feel it, then you don’t. Plain and simple. And she knows she has an attraction for Donovan whenever they have witty banter over the bakery or events.

Donovan never has time for himself when he plans out everything in detail. It’s kind of surprising yet kind of scary to read. With his rough childhood, I understand the need for control in his life. Yet he is thrown out of the loop when he enters a fake relationship with Jada. He knows he doesn’t have time for any relationship, but it does not stop him protecting Jada at all costs.

Yes, they will have a few bumps in the road. Any relationship does, nobody's perfect. But I will warn you that the chemistry between each other is more telling than their actions. You will understand once you read the book.

Fake it Till You Back it is a cute read. I enjoyed this one so much. Jada is more then she seems. She may be down and lost but she has so much more to give. Donovan will own your heart with his passion for everything he does. I love Donovan and Jada together. There may be a few clashes but there is just something special about them together that puts a smile on your face. I love how Jada is honest and not afraid to speak her mind when it comes to Donovan's business. I love how she grows so much and stands on her own feet. Donovan is just amazing with everything thrown at him as he helps Jada along the way. You are just going to fall hard for Donovan and Jada once you read this one.

Reviewed on behalf of Verve Romance

As soon as I read the blurb for Fake It Till You Bake It, I knew I needed to read it. A cupcake-shop-owning football player with a reviled reality TV star? So. Much. Potential.

Happily, this book lived up to its potential; it’s a fun, light-hearted, enjoyable journey through banter, misunderstandings, book clubs and bachelorette parties, morning TV show appearances to the ultimate end: *dreamy sigh* true love.

Jada and Donovan are adorable together. Once you get past their antagonistic meet-cute and bumpy first few days, that is. It’s enemies-to-lovers lite—the kind of story that doesn’t rip your heart out with jabs and stabs and cruel comments but showcases how their differences can easily be flipped from sniping to smooching.

And the smooching is a delightful reward after the slow burn of their romance. In fact, sign me up for a lifetime of these two cutely kissing, please and thank you.

Wesley is a new-to-me author, and Fake It Till You Bake It the start of a new series. Suffice to say, I will be back for more of the Sugar Blitz crew, especially after an ending that left me wondering . . . what happened to August?!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This was super fun, I devoured it (pun intended) in like a day. Banter was great, character development of hero and heroine was rather strong for an otherwise fluffy read, and it was both funny and heartwarming. The meet-cute and subsequent set-up actually managed to surprise me a little too.
I got the sense the author was setting up a series here, with August as the focus of the next book. Even so, I wish we’d had more development for side characters like August. There were quite a few and our exposure to them was quite thin, even for supposedly very important people in the characters lives. Often it felt like some of these characters served as little more than a plot device (was August only there to give Nicholas someone to make bets with? What was his role in the bakery even? For all we learned about them, Donovan’s sisters could have been just one person if not for the need to mention grandkids while leaving one sister open to be the focus of a future novel, presumably. I felt like I knew more about regular customers in the bakery than the heroines best friend. And yes, we get it, the heroine’s parents and sister are nerdy robots- is there really nothing else to them?) I could go on, but to sum it up I think there could have been some trimming of the characters and a bit more build out for them, even if we’re meant to get to know them more in a future book.
This was my only big hangup with the book though. Otherwise it was great fun!

If you can suspend disbelief that three hunky football players have pooled their money and efforts to open up a cupcake shop, you can maybe accept the rest of the plot. I just couldn’t buy it. It’s the offseason and these three star players spend all their time at the shop baking cupcakes and worrying about increasing their profits.

Add in Jada, granddaughter of the billionaire owner of the football team that the three hunks play for. She has been leading a rather aimless life and somehow decided to appear on a reality show modeled on The Bachelor. But she ended up turning him down when she was the chosen bride and now all the fans hate her. So of course the solution is for her to go work at the cupcake shop where she’ll find her true self and fall for Donovan, one of the football player/owners.

There are several traditional tropes: enemies-to-lovers and fake-romance-turned-real. I didn’t buy any of the somewhat predictable plot, but I could still enjoy it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Fake It Till You Bake It is a charming light-hearted read. It's enemies to lovers, fake dating, a former contestant of a Bachelor-style show, and an NFL player who can bake. The pacing in the first half was a little slow for me but picked up right around the 50% mark and then the chemistry was so good. I loved Jada's unapologetic nature, and how Donovan didn't back down either. The BIPOC representation is beautiful. The secondary characters are fantastic and I hope to see some of them get their own book!

Rating: 4
Crying Score: 0
Laughing Score: 2

This was my first book by Jamie Wesley and I liked it a lot! I loved the characters in this story, main and side. I loved all of the black excellence in this story AND I loved that three handsome football players owned a cupcake shop. Loved it.

When I started this story, I wasn’t sure how the two MCs were going to meet or cross paths. I liked that because it was semi-unpredictable. I love the fake dating trope and the bits of spice that happened before they got together. I genuinely just enjoyed reading their interactions, and found myself smiling while reading. Overall, it was happy/sweet read.

I’d love for this to become a series. I can see it now, Womanizing Nick finds his true love, and shy and quiet August meets someone who brings him out of his shell.

I’m excited for this book to come out on 6/21. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc of this book, it was such a delight.

DNF at chapter 2

I can't deal with a 25 year old who doesn't deal with their life or equating/ blaming dyslexia for things. Kinda bummed. I had high hopes.

Warning: don't read Fake it Till you Bake It hungry.

This new novel from author Jamie Wesley is as sweet as the cupcakes that play a big role in this enemies to lovers romance. Donovan Dell and Jada are delightful as they slowly work their way towards their happily ever after. Truthfully, the book is laden with cliche moments, but I couldn't help but love it. This is first in a new series from Wesley and I can't wait to read more!

A sweet and entertaining story that made me smile, root for the characters, and have fun.
It's a compelling story with some unexpected twists. The author is a good storyteller and the likeable characters are fleshed out.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I wish I loved this book as much as I love its cover! It was cute but something was a bit off with the romance -- it went from enemies to lovers not too quickly but also not organically. It felt a bit rushed and the cupcake aspect felt off too. Based on other characters in this book as well as the book's ending, I assume there will be more books in this world and I will try to them out with my fingers crossed. Hope you have better luck!

Fake It Till You Bake It comes out next week on June 21, 2022 and you can purchase HERE.

Donovan Dell was a professional football player who loved to bake.

Seriously.

He was used to the quizzical looks people gave him when they learned he, a man who made a living terrorizing quarterbacks, co-owned Sugar Blitz, San Diego's latest and best cupcakery. He didn't care, though.

Baking relaxed him. Running his own business thrilled him. His plans for his post-playing career were starting to take root. Exactly how he'd planned.

I loved Jada and Donovan!

Jada Townsend-Matthews just wants to hide out and get her life together after turning down the proposal on the reality dating show My One and Only so people would stop hating on her. But dissing the décor at Sugar Blitz in front of owner Donovan Dell wasn’t the way to start while she was getting a cupcake.

Football player Donovan Dell had started Sugar Blitz with two other teammates, but he agrees when the owner of the San Diego Knights asks him to give her granddaughter Jada a job. Jada and Donovan don’t get along, but sales go up when people think they are dating.

I loved the cute story with the football playing bakers and Jada who is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5⭐
Loved the fake dating troupe and to combine the mention of sinfully good cupcake premise..the events held around the bakery added a fun element to the story.
I didn't like that there wasn't really any issue in the story..it would hv been a little more dramatic to read.
In all its a perfect light hearted cute rom com esp for this summer.

I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between Jada & Donovan was great. The back & forth between them was a lot of fun to read. I like the concept of dislike at first sight turning into something more. 4.5 stars Now I can’t wait to read August’s story!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

There’s something about enemies to friends to lovers with a dash of fake dating that will never, ever, in my opinion miss. And romance friends, I am so so so happy to tell you Fake It Till You Bake It DOES 👏 NOT 👏 MISS. I am really pleased to be able to share my advance review of Jamie Wesley’s sweet, and fun romantic comedy with y’all today!

As always huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance copy, thoughts below are my own.

From the first moment, I knew I was going to love this book. I love Wesley’s writing style, and the life and humour she writes her characters JUMPS off the page without anyone feeling like a caricature. Donovan Dell NFL defensive end, is currently up to his eye balls cupcakes. The star DE and his fellow teammates started their bakery and he REFUSES to have it fail.

Pretty quickly Donovan has a wonderfully antagonistic meet-cute with our gal Jada. You knew right from the get-go these two were going to be that fighting is foreplay couple, and y’all I was here for it. Jada, coming off a disaster of reality show run, is trying to stop being America’s current villain. Some clever plotting has Jada (rich, directionless party girl) and Donovan (principal Dell) forced together to work at his bakery.

The auxiliary cast of characters (e.g. Donovan’s business partners) really adds to this DELIGHTFUL romance, so much so that I CAN’T wait for August’s book to head our way!!

But back to my babies. I loved the connection and friendship between Donovan and Jada. They connected, yes, but more than that they COMMUNICATED and trusted each other the entire time. Yes, there is a 3rd act break-up (no spoilers) but it has nothing to do with the oft-predictable miscommunication. These two BIG love each other and my lil romance loving heart was eating up every, single, moment.

This low-steam, low-angst, rom-com is the perfect sweet treat that your heart will love! Grab your copy of Fake It Till You Bake It, wherever you get your books when it lands in stores and online June 21st 2022.

Good romance. Thought more could have been done with a triangle to make it more interesting. Would have liked more Grams and football and the reality show.

Jada, after turning down a proposal on a reality TV show, is trying to keep herself out of the spotlight. She finds herself working at Sugar Blitz, a cupcake shop owned by three NFL players. Donovan Dell, one of the owners, is trying to figure out a way for his shop to succeed after the initial influx of customers died down. When a reporter assumes Jada turned down the TV proposal for Donovan, and business starts picking up, the two decide to fake their relationship to help both Jada's image and Donovan's cupcake shop.

I absolutely LOVE fake dating in romance novels (especially when it's enemies to lovers like this), and Fake It Till You Bake It was no exception. This book was delightful and such a quick, fun read. Jada and Donovan have great chemistry, I only wish there was more tension in the build-up! It looks like we might get books for the other two shop owners and I can't wait to read them.

Also, be prepared to crave cupcakes if you read this. I'm seriously about to bake some because of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

It took me a long time to really get invested in this book, but eventually I did. The cupcake store setting was super cute, the overall premise was interesting, and the characters were likeable and pretty well developed by the end. I was definitely rooting for our couple. I liked, also, that this was relatively low drama.

My main issue comes from the writing itself. I felt like a lot of the dialogue was awkward and the spicy scenes had a bit of cringe factor. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I didn’t hate it.

Fake dating combined with a football cupcake baker! Great for fans of The Boyfriend project series by Farrah Rochon. Wasn't my personal favorite, I feel liked it moved slowly and took a while to get into.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read an advanced copy of Fake it till you bake it by Jamie Wesley. This is a cute Rom-Com that is a perfect summer read! What is more appealing than fake dating while baking yummy cupcakes? Jada finds herself heading home to hide after becoming the most hated woman in America after saying no to a proposal on a reality dating show. After being forced by her grandmother to work in Donovan's bakery, a reporter breaks a story they are dating which sets Jada and Donovan up to take advantage of the situation. But things don't always go the way you plan...
This was a quick, and fun read. 3.5 stars rounded up.