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!
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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.
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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!

I’m not sure why Fake It Till You Bake It has mixed reviews, because I really enjoyed it. Yes, Jada can be recklessly impulsive, and yes, Donovan seems too good to be true. But I felt like this story was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed seeing a romance where the male protagonist was completely supportive and respective to the women in his life without worrying about how it reflected on his masculinity. In all fairness, when you’re a football player that owns a cupcake store with two of his teammates, you’re already a confident person. Jada is a bit of a brat at the beginning of the book. She’s dissing Donovan’s store, and hoping her grandmother will give her early access to her trust fund because she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. But being forced to work at the store gives her the opportunities to see her strengths, ones that her parents never fostered because it didn’t align with their own personal passions. The social media aspect of the story may be a little over the top, and Jada’s “revenge” on the reality show producer that made her public villain number one is a little silly, but social media having a negative effect on people’s lives when things go viral is a thing, and I’m willing to stretch the truth some for two characters that I really enjoyed seeing fall in love with each other. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fake It Till You Bake It was such a fun and sweet fake-dating romance! Jada, an ex-reality star, and cupcake-baking football star Donovan clash in this enemies to lovers, fake dating romance. After being mistaken as a couple in Donovan’s cupcake store, the two use it to their advantage to both increase sales at the store for Donovan and to help Jada escape the social media hate after her run on a reality dating show. The one part that didn’t click so much to me was Donovan’s football career—it felt disjointed from the story but I have a feeling it was to help set up some future books and it was a fun addition. But outside of that, it was a great and very fun read. Jada is trying to find her footing and I loved her boughie attitude and her spark. She’s never afraid to back down and I loved her reality star background, her relationship with her grandmother, and her journey to finding what she was passionate about. And Donovan was sexy and confident and romantic and a great romantic lead. Their chemistry was wonderful and I just loved their partnership throughout the story. They stood together, even in their fake dating and it was just sweet. And it’s a cupcake shop setting, with a romance book club involved! It has all the ingredients for just a wonderful rom com!

4 stars for a refreshing, sweet, feel-good type of romance~

This was the perfect romance novel to read to get a little escape from reality for a little while.

Jada, freshly known for turning down a suitor on a reality show, is now back at home to sulk for a little while. Meanwhile, she meets Donovan, football star and baker extraordinaire. When worlds collide for these two, they need to come to terms with whether or not the recipe works~

I really enjoyed reading a romance with fresh and fun characters and really loved the dynamic of having two very different worlds come together.

Thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story, Fake it Till You Bake It, was a fast read, with characters you enjoy.

An enemy to lovers, fake relationship, opposites attracts story that follows Jada (turning down a proposal on a reality dating show) and Donovan (an NFL player who also owns a cupcake shop). When they both work together, magic ignites, and so do cupcakes.

First time reading from this author, and I enjoyed it.

What happens when a flighty but bougie miss bumps heads with a stolid mister? Sparks, laughter, some growing up, and love. Of course. This is a book that made me laugh out loud with compelling characters and bad actors galore. An enjoyable romp of a novel. The vitality of the story is reminiscent of the works of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, aka SEP, with its major league football star who contemplates life after sports pitted against a woman struggling to accept her competence and find a place in the world where she feels accepted.

This book ultimately left me with a lot of questions and no answers. The hero of the book, Donovan, is a professional football player who also owns a cupcake bakery. He loves baking cupcakes. The entirety of the book has him either baking, teaching the LI to bake, or doing…something in his office at the bakery. For a second, I thought maybe he was a retired football player but no, because partway through the book, he takes a call from his agent and it’s made clear that the agent is working on his new contract with his team. And yes, it’s the off season but….should he not be doing football player things - working out, practicing, idk. It seems weird that his entire identity is that bakery and yet, he’s a football player.

The heroine, Jada, is a former reality show star and comes from a wealthy family who has always paid her way but has now cut her off because she’s directionless and has no job or purpose. Essentially they want her to grow up. Her grandmother also happens to own the football team that Donovan plays for and talks him into giving Jada a job there. She makes a series of missteps including almost burning down the bakery kitchen but then proves herself indispensable when lying about how she and Donovan are in a relationship proves to be a marketing boon for the bakery.

The concept seemed ok and I get why Donovan needed to be at the bakery or else how else was he and Jada going to get to know each other and spend any time together. But the pacing seemed off and both of these characters kept making choices that left me feeling baffled. It felt a bit rushed and a lot of the writing felt like it was telling me rather than showing me things and ultimately, I couldn’t figure out how Donovan and Jada fell in love so quickly….or why?

The reality show blackmail subplot with the villainous producer and the ex boyfriend seemed way over the top and unnecessarily dramatic and also, the villains were written as caricatures. The only thing I liked about the subplot was that it didn’t drag on endlessly because Jada immediately tells Donovan and they immediately work together to figure out how to deal with the situation. It was a good moment of teamwork and also a good moment for Jada to shine and realize she was more than capable of handling her own problems. But then, she dumps Donovan and honestly, it didn’t seem like the book really needed a third act breakup - it felt hollow and weak and pointless.

Ultimately, the execution just seemed a little weak and there were a lot of plot holes or questions that I had about the plot that seemed to make no sense. I liked the characters ok and I assume this is going to be a trilogy where each of the bakery owners gets their own book (it’s 3 football players who own a bakery and they do all the baking while being professional football players - HOW IS THIS SUSTAINABLE?!?) Sorry, I am really just fixated on this and I need to let it go.

ARC courtesy of publisher, opinions are all mine.

CW: toxic parental relationships, blackmail plot, secondary character has gambling addiction;