Reality tv star. Football pro. Cupcakes. Fake dating. BURNT cupcakes. ❤️❤️❤️ All the hearts!

The fake dating trope gets me everytime! After Jada rejects the proposal of the leading man on a Bachelor-esque reality show, she gets a job at 🏈 Donovan Dell’s cupcake shop. They don’t hit it off at first as she not impressed by Donovan’s business so we get a quick dash of enemies to lovers. The two start up a fake dating ruse that quickly turns into the real thing! It was sweet, fun and made me crave more cupcake romance and a big ol cupcake. Lucky for me Donovan Dell has two equally swoonworthy business partners that potentially could have books of their own, and I have a cupcake shop not too far away! But dang I wish it was Donovan Dell who was serving me!

A misunderstanding leads to fake dating in a bid save Donovan’s bakery and repair Jada’s image. When fiction becomes reality, Jada and Donovan find themselves changing in the best ways.

You know what the best part of every fake dating book is? When the couple falls for each other, of course. I absolutely delighted in watching these two fall in love and reveled in the way their growing affection changed them. Because this story was on the low-drama side, I could sit back and fully enjoy the sweetness between Jada and Donovan, and it was a beautiful thing.

Both had some baggage to deal with in order to build a solid connection with each other, and I found so much joy in the fact that they were able to conquer their pasts and fears together. There was one scene where Donovan really stepped up the support that had me applauding because Jada deserved better. She may have had some missteps in her career path, but her heart was huge and the woman was sharp. She just needed to find her place. Donovan understood that and walked alongside her as she sought her path.

I was totally obsessed with the concept for this book, too. Cupcake baking pro football players? Yes, please! And, it seemed like Wesley was planting a seed for a sequel too. I, for one, would love to read books for all three of these bakers and really hope I get the opportunity to return to this world.

Overall, I loved seeing this fauxmauce become real and hope to see each football baker get his HEA.

DNF at 13%

I was excited for this book, but alas it wasn't a book for me. I love a baking romance and this one sounded intriguing with a sexy football player as the bakery owner. The writing of the book, that I read, felt very clunky and flat. I didn't care for Jada, the female protagonist, as she very quickly came off as a spoiled, rich brat and rubbed me the wrong way. I gave it a few chapter to see if the writing and book in general would work for me, but it didn't.

This was a very sweet romance, literally and figuratively. It was the perfect light read with low drama.

Donovan is sweet to Jada’s sassy. They’re opposites, but balance each other out. I love how supportive he is of her when she really doesn’t get a lot from her family and I loved that she brought some impulsivity into his life.
There was a lot of banter, which I love.

Their friends all play a fun role and I love some meddling sisters.

You’ll probably get hungry from all the cupcake talk.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I loved that it took place in San Diego, which is where I’m from. I feel like it may be setting up for more books, maybe with Donovan’s team mates, so that’s something to look forward to.

4 Stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed an early copy of this book.

This book is literally so sweet and delicious! Highly recommend for fans or Jasmine Guillory and romance books.

This book has been absolutely adorable with lots of charm and cute scenes. Although I was not familiar with its technical aspects of the book that didn't stop my enjoyment at all! I 100% recommend because you'll end up shipping these characters together!! I can't wait to be able to buy a physical copy!! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for a review.

Book Review: Fake It Till You Bake It
 
This was my first read from Jamie Wesley, courtesy of @netgalley & @stmartinspress, and I read it almost in one sitting! Though I received an ARC of this book for free, this is my honest review:
 
This reader is 100% a #JaDon fan!
 
This book follows main characters, Jada and Donovan, as they grow into their relationship.

Beginning with the opening meet-cute scene, which is set in downtown San Diego at Donovan’s bakery, Sugar Blitz, and through to the final chapter, Wesley’s protagonists are fun, relatable, and authentic.

Jada comes from a background of wealth and privilege, though it’s never been a supportive or productive space for her. Donovan has wielded the single-minded focus and drive which he learned at a young age into 2 successful careers—football and small-business ownership.

~
‘Jada nodded. “People judging and underestimating you. I totally understand that.” She met his eyes. He did understand what she’d gone through. Warmth spread from her heart through her veins.’
~

Though there are some spicy scenes later in the book, this is a slow-burn romance and a romantic comedy. The dialogue and narrative pace are engaging & Wesley sets up a number of humorous situations in which her protagonists have to quickly adapt to and navigate. Readers watch as Jada learns to become more self-confident, self-reliant, and social-media savvy; while Donovan learns to loosen control a little, become more spontaneous, and welcome the unexpected.

Through it all, the initially ‘fake’ relationship progressively grows into a deep connection between the two and, despite a brief period of separation, they find their way back to one another.

Topics tackled:
- Dyslexia & Neuro-Atypical Learning Styles
- Addiction (Gambling)
- Reality TV / Social Media
- Childhood Trauma

Overall, I enjoyed Fake It Till You Bake It and I look forward to reading more from Jamie Wesley—especially after that cliff-hanger ending!

I’m also now craving cupcakes!🧁

DNF @ 26%.

So far, a cute rom-com with so much potential, but I'm just not getting drawn into this book.

The writing style isn't my favorite; it's casual and can be fun to read, but I feel like there's too much tell-don't-show. The biggest reason I'm choosing to DNF is that I'm getting a sense of something off with the MMC, Donovan. My bully and manipulation sirens and are going off in my brain in Chapter 7 and I'm not about that. I don't relate to Jada and the chemistry/lack-of between her and Donovan doesn't work for me.

I may come back to it one day, but it's not for me at this time.

Some of the Tropes:
-Forced proximity
-Inheritance
-Athlete/Reality tv star
-Kinda grumpy/sunshine
-Fake dating? But I didn't get that far.

I am on a romance kick lately and this read was a very cute, light and overall enjoyable romance read. The whole premise I thought was unique. Jada, our fiery FMC, fresh off a realty dating show, has become enemy #1 when she shocked viewers by refusing the season finale proposal to the very popular Dr. John. When her best friend finally convinces her to venture outside of her sanctuary, she happens to meet a very grumpy and stern cupcake shop worker. Said cupcake shop worker happens to be Donovan Dell, a professional football star and owner of the shop, currently struggling to see his non-sports related dream take off. When Jada is spotted at the shop with Donovan, rumors begin circling of a possible romance. Business begins to soar as more and more curious patrons come to visit the shop in hopes of seeing the infamous heartbreaker and the pro ball player in person. And thus begins the ruse. But is there more chemistry between the two that either would like to admit?

This was very entertaining and would be a great beach read. I loved that this story featured diverse characters and depicts a beautiful and strong POC relationship. The pacing is a bit quick. There are themes I think could be detailed out more and I would have loved just a bit more character development. For example, I loved Jada’s growth and strength discovered within herself, I would have liked to see more of that highlighted but I’m sure we would end up with a 500+ read at that point so it’s a selfish want.

Also, there is a spicy scene but I would not classify this as a spicy book. This book isn’t marketed as a spicy read but sometimes readers can go into romance reads with unmatched expectations. So to be clear, this book has a good plot with a spice scene.

You can expect this book to deliver: Fake Dating, Grumpy Sunshine, diverse characters, Dual POV, opposites attract.

I received an eARC copy from St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was just too cute. I love 💕. I think it’s so nice to read books that have such a nice positive view with black love ! This was such a light and fun rom-com. So what I needed after reading dark romance I loved this. And boy was the writing so good.

Jada was on a reality TV show, Donovan owns a cupcake shop. Two sexy people together. I really like the chemistry they had together
, but the fake dating, enemies to lovers in this book is fantastic . I really enjoyed this book.

this is the type of romance book that you can't put down! i enjoyed all the characters and how the plot shaped out. would recommend this to anyone who wants a cute, fast romance read!

A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
.
This book is only 336 pages long, and yet I somehow dragged it out for eight whole days. Maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace for it, or maybe the pacing dragged, but it wasn't my favorite without me truly being able to tell you why. I should have loved it. Fake dating is an excellent troupe and the circumstances that throw Donovan and Jada together felt earned and honest. Their chemistry is mentioned on every page, though I would have liked to see this more, rather than being continuously told that a zap of energy surged between their hands.
.
August and Nicholas are interesting side characters, and with the ending as it is, I absolutely believe there will be spin off books for at least one of them. I could definitely see myself falling for one of those hard, as there is no doubt that Wesley is a strong writer and I can't wait to read more from her. Perhaps there will be novels about all of the Knights' Football players in the future. That is definitely a series I could get behind! This read in particular isn't the top for me, only because it felt slow and hard to get into, but the final 30% tries to make up for it by streaming by at lightspeed.

A really sweet story! And who can resist a book with a cupcake shop front & center?! Nice, light romance-a perfect escape read. I really can’t wait for August’s story! Please tell me it’s coming soon! This was my first Jamie Wesley book but its definitely not my last!

This was my first Jamie Weasley read, and it was a good introduction. It follows Jada and Donovan, who are both lost and looking for big changes in their life. I feel like the characters came across very 2-dimensional. In the end, I wanted more from the story. I needed the plot issues to be more pronounced like nothing felt super urgent like all the issues were easily dismissed. I enjoyed the book overall, and will likely pick up the next book in the series.

football players & cupcakes - sign me up!✨

*thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked the concept of this book and the tropes throughout it. The slow burn was just a little too slow for me & almost seemed to drag and make the book less engaging.

I liked the second half of the book more than the first half & really enjoyed the ending. I will say… the banter between the two MCs was top-notch!

This book was similar to Donut Fall in Love & just wasn’t a stand out for me. It is a cute fluffy, hallmark style rom-com. If you like cupcakes & football (especially the players), you might really love this book!

A fun, light, easy read that makes you feel good.
Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this as a Netgalley arc from St. Martin's Press. Adorable! This was such a light and fun rom-com. Absolutely what I needed. I loved this. When an author writes a man this well it's hard to want to return to real life!

Jada was on a reality TV show, where she rejected the proposal and now the internet hates her. She stumbles into Donovan's cupcake shop one day with a friend and doesn't realize he is also a football player she should recognize (had she ever paid attention to sports). He plays for the San Diego Knights and used his logic and planning to get the business going so he wouldn't have to rely on football forever.

I won't add too much more so you can experience the fun interwoven moments of these characters, but the fake dating, and slight enemies to lovers that are in this book are SO GOOD. I really enjoyed this book. All black cast, dyslexia rep, and set in my favorite city, San Diego.

Jada Townsend-Matthews is still reeling from her time on the reality dating show, My One and Only. She’s laying low after making it to the final round and turning down the marriage proposal. Unsure what to do, she ends up with a job at a bakery, Sugar Blitz, and working for the no-nonsense and pro footballer owner, Donovan Dell. After a surprise visit by a reporter, Jada realizes the way to get America to stop hating her is to begin a fake relationship with Donovan. The two see the benefits of capitalizing on the power of media and work together to fix Jada’s image and help Sugar Blitz get more customers.

This started out a bit slow for me. I wasn’t sure if I liked Jada or Donovan as characters. They each had their own flaws that couldn’t get me to relate to them. Perhaps it’s the fact that one is a trust-fund child and the other is a professional football player. While these descriptions fueled the media/virality storyline, it definitely made connections with the book a bit harder for me.

As the plot moved on and I got to know Jada and Donavan more, I grew to like them. Seeing their interactions with customers and side characters, Nick and August, brought a warm feeling to the book. Though they did not overpower our main characters, the side characters helped push the character and relationship development and paced the story nicely.

The fake dating trope is one of my favorites and this did a good job. It wasn’t as steamy as I anticipated, but I actually enjoyed that more. It gave depth to the characters as they found confidence and independence. The fake dating trope did make the story a bit predictable, but this wasn’t an issue.

I was a bit disappointed by the resolution. Everything seemed to be wrapped up very quickly without much conflict. There were some plot holes and overall, the story wasn’t very realistic – two very privileged people having the time to run a bakery alongside their other responsibilities… Despite this, it was a light read that was a nice escape.

I loved the representation and the fact that characters of color could be themselves without needing every moment to be educational for audiences. Overall, this was a pretty good romance featuring POC. If you get past the first few chapters when our protagonist is still developing, you’ll enjoy a fun read that has you craving cupcakes all day.

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley is a contemporary romantic comedy. Combining romance and humor, it features 25-year-old Jada Townsend-Matthews and Donovan Dell. Jada has recently experienced social media hate after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. Donovan is a professional football player and co-owner of a cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz. When her parents cut off her credit cards, Jada ends up working for Donovan. A reporter mistakenly believes they’re a couple, and they decide to take advantage of it by faking a relationship. What better way to help the business and improve Jada’s image?

Donovan loves to bake. He establishes goals and works to meet them. He’s driven, calm, and controlled. Jada doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and things don’t seem to be working out well for her. She’s confused, uncertain, and insecure as well as being impulsive. Both characters are relatable and likeable and show growth during the course of the novel.

Reviews seem to be all over the place with this book. While some of the novel was a little over the top and the romance progressed rather quickly, I went with the flow and enjoyed it. The chemistry between Jada and Donovan creates a fun dynamic that also amplifies the story line. Besides romance, there are some deep themes ranging from gambling addiction to the impact of social media on lives to blackmail to teamwork to how parents’ opinions and actions affect their children even as adults.

Overall, this was an entertaining and charming novel with some humor and laugh out-loud moments as well as some pivotal emotional times. It’s well-written with a great setting and extraordinary characters from very different backgrounds.

St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jamie Wesley provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 21, 2022.

Fake it Till you Bake it by Jamie Wesley 🧁

Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 6/21/2022

This was such a cute, delightful story! I adored how charming Donovan was and how truthful and outspoken Jada was.

This story follows Donovan, an NFL player who has a cupcake side gig, and Jada, a reality tv star scorned looking for something new.

•a smidge enemies to lovers
•fake dating
•resilient characters
•funny banter
•spice

Really enjoyed this book! It was so fun! 💞

Thanks to Netgalley, the St. Martin's Press and the author for this ARC!