Donovan is a football player with a struggling bakery. Jada is an impulsive wanderer who, after becoming reality TV's newest villain and being cut off from her parents, needs a new job to show that she’s serious about life.
This was a slow-read kind of book. I'm typically a fast-paced kind of reader, so this was new to me. This book felt very detail-heavy and it dragged. Donovan's caring and reserved nature and Jada's outgoing nature made for a great pair, and I wish we got to see more of their relationship develop. There were few deep emotional connections, just a general sense of lust and desire. I liked that they knew how to communicate and that there were no misunderstandings in their relationship, and I loved the constant banter and teasing. But the only scene that stood out to me was the affirmation scene. 😍
Overall, I wish there was more depth and connection to the plot for both the characters and the reader.
I tell you, I was craving cupcakes the entire time I was reading the book. Especially the Smores cupcake! I was salivating 🤤
Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley, for this galley for an honest review!

Jada Townsend-Matthews is public enemy #1. Turning down a marriage proposal on a reality dating show will do that. She’s back home trying to put her life back together and pick herself up after the negative social media storm that has been her life for the past months. She’s coerced into working for San Diego’s newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, owned by the mightily attractive professional football player, Donovan Dell. Word gets out and a reporter comes by mistakenly believing Jada and Donovan are a couple. After a rush of positive social media comments and an uptick in cupcake sales, Jada and Donovan decide to keep up the dating façade. Rules are set. Fake dating begins. And good publicity is the result. But no one expected love to grow.

This was an enjoyable read. The beginning was a little slow and I wasn’t sure I would like Jada (she seemed quite the spoiled rich girl at the beginning). But after a while the story picked up and caught my interest. And Jada redeemed herself with her desire to do actual work and not just mooch off her rich relatives. Donovan is a straight-lace hero who doesn’t know how to handle Jada’s chaos. Until he does and realizes he needed some chaos in his life. The fake dating trope was done well and the ease into a real relationship wasn’t filled with miscommunications or annoying angst. Once you get past the slow beginning, the pacing was good. There were fun characters. A great epilogue and teaser to a second book which definitely intrigues me.

If you like a fake dating trope, professional athletes, cupcakes, and a slightly meddling grandma, then pick this book up when it releases on June 21st.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book. All opinions are my own.

Donovan Dell and his two best friends don’t just play professional football, they also bake and own/operate a cupcake bakery called Sugar Blitz. After refusing a proposal on a dating show, shown across the world, Jada Townsend-Matthews can’t escape the anger of the fans. When she starts working at Sugar Blitz, they are mistaken for a couple which they realized could benefit them both professionally speaking; help boost sales at the stop and help improve Jada’s reputation. What could go wrong?



Fake It Till You Bake is a steamy, and hilarious fake dating romantic comedy. Jada and Donovan were great characters, they were so open and raw with each other and just comfortable being themselves. The chemistry was undeniable and believable, and the multiple POVs intensified it. The pace was too all over the place, sometimes it dragged too much and sometimes it went way too quickly and felt rushed which didn’t really do it for me. Overall, it was a good read with great, likeable characters.



Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.



Book hits shelves on June 21, 2022!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This was a sweet romance full of cupcakes and light hearted fun. Jada just finished a Bachelor type of reality show where she publicly refused a marriage proposal. Donovan is a professional football player, who recently opened a cupcake shop. They’re thrown together when Jada’s grandmother, who owns the football team, forces Jada to work for Donovan to help with the shop. Fake dating, chaos, schemes, and romance ensue! This was a little slow paced for me at times and the ending felt rushed, but the relationship between the two main characters were sweet. Overall I recommend this book for fans of fake dating, cupcakes, and contemporary romance.

This book was a quick, cute insta-love romance. I liked the characters and even before that last hint at the end, I was sensing sequels with August and Nicholas as the leads (August and Sloane maybe for book 2) and I hope I’m right - I love the NFL pro/baker bffs dynamic and I’m anxious to read more about these sweet jocks.

The premise of this book was a mashup of old tropes in a kind of new situation. There was one good steamy scene. Some fun banter. What took me out of the story was that sometimes the writing was overly cheesy, even for a rom-com. Also, any romance reader knows the formula and towards the end we are waiting to see what problem will pop up that keeps the characters from being together until they solve it. The made-up problems that aren’t real problems until the characters make them problems get on my damn nerves. I was excited when an ACTUAL problem emerged. But then they solved it in the next chapter and moved onto the fake problem. So that was a disappointment.

I liked this book and I would definitely read more from this author but there were just a few things that kept me from loving it.

Fake It Till You Bake It
Rating: 4 cupcake stars
Series: It is not mentioned that it's in a series, but based on how the book ended I'm sure we're going to see more of these three football players who opened a cupcake shoppe.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I'll start off by saying that I was very close to DNFing this story. Jada, our female lead, is a little too much at the beginning. She read to me as a spoiled brat. She can't hold a job and loves to spend her family's money...but I'm very happy to say that I loved seeing her character grow and became this woman who finally finds her calling and that is able to stand on her two feet without her parents support. (Her billionaire grandmother helps but only as mentor.)
The romance of the story was very sweet and I really enjoyed how opposite their personalities were. Donovan was the quiet, stoic and analytical one and she's the loud, outspoken one. They complimented each other very well. I loved their fake dating plan because it was to help out both of them in the dilemma they were in. Their bantering was very entertaining and when they soon realize that feelings are no longer fake the story became even more entertaining to read.
The reason I gave it a 4 star was because the conflict at the end seemed a little off...also the time jump was a little surprising and I hadn't realized it had happened until actual time passed is mentioned by one of the characters. I understand why Jada made that decision but I hope it was not added just to add a last minute drama to the story because I don't think it was needed.

I look forwards to reading more of these football players and see them fall in love.

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