This book was a super cute read and the perfect book to spend a day with. Donovan is my new favorite grumpy hero because when he did finally warm up he was so charming. I agree with some of the other reviews that there were times the book dragged a little bit BUT it wasn’t enough to turn me off of finishing it.

I’m hoping the ending means that August is going to get his story told next (and eventually Nicolas) because id love to read more by Wesley!

The first chapter or so of this book was a bit of a struggle. It lit up suddenly and I hated to put it down. I liked the cliffhanger ending which makes me believe we will be following Donovan's teammates/business partners. Jada and Donovan's almost enemies to lovers worked really well and was an absolute joy to read. Despite Jada's family having money, her having dyslexia and struggling to find a job and her place in the world endeared her to me as a character.

.This is my first Jamie Wesley book and I very much enjoyed this authors writing style. I’ve already suggested this to a couple of people. I loved the premise of this book and it just checked all the boxes for me! I love the reality star and the pro athlete aspect of this book. Jada and Donovan are really great characters despite all of the drama and baggage they both bring. This is my first book by this author and I will definitely read another.

This was super easy to read and was just one of those books that doesn’t make you think too hard and you just enjoy the ride of reading it. This is my first Jamie Wesley book and I very much enjoyed this authors writing style. I’ve already suggested this to a couple of people. I loved the premise of this book and it just checked all the boxes for me!

What could go wrong when your powerful family stifles you too much so you decide to go on a reality dating show? Apparently a lot. Jada comes home after declining to marry to handsome bachelor on the show, with all of America hating her. Her grandmother, owner of a football team, decides to have Jada work at a bakery owned by one of the players.

Donovan Dell has a fantastic bakery. It just needs to get more exposure. So when people wrongly assume that he is now dating Jada, it starts to drive business in the door. What could be wrong about faking a relationship to help both of them?

This book was a great read. You are rooting for both Jada and Donovan, even with the baggage they carry. You definitely won't regret reading this!

I enjoyed this book. I really liked the premise of the fallen reality TV star meets pro-athlete with a cupcake shop on the side. I wish there would have been slightly more character development and chemistry development. I think that would have made my rating slightly higher. But I enjoyed it and if there are other books in the series (which it seems like it may have been set up that way???) I would read those as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I won't ever refuse to read a cute love story with baking and I am all for PoC characters. Currently, I am into reality shows, I know they are cheesy and sometimes cringy but we all have guilty pleasures, so anyway.

Jada was a part of a dating reality show, and in the end, she rejected the publics' favorite bachelor. Now she is the target of public hate. Donovan is a famous football star who also runs a bakery with his fellow teammates. Like every other cute book, they both don't know each other as they run in different circles until one day Donovan meets Jada, foul-mouthing his cupcakes and the bakery's interior. With some twists of fate, Jada found herself working in that bakery *cliché*

I really wanted to enjoy it, but the writing style was cringe. It keeps mentioning their weight, muscles, height, complexion, etc in such a cringy way, people are more than that. Plus, both characters felt flat to me and they were definitely not compatible with each other. On the positive side, the author didn't drag the miscommunication which was a relief. I couldn't relate to their chemistry. There were family problems, hardships, friendships, and dyslexia. I think this book could have been better if the writing wasn't treating them like objects.

Fake It Till You Bake It was my first book by Jamie Wesley and was a nice little palate cleanser between my thrillers. It was cute and light and had some great characters that I'm assuming we are going to see more of in future books (but this is still a complete standalone).

Jada is fresh off of a reality show and needs to straighten out her life. Her grandma arranges a temporary job at the upscale cupcake shop owned by Donovan, a NFL player that is making sure he has a life after the NFL. But when Jade enters his shop, it's the second time in as many days that he has set eyes on the beautiful woman that presses all his buttons and turns his world upside down.

Jada, Donovan and the crew of Sugar Blitz are sweet and fun and made this story enjoyable. I liked the fake dating approach these two were forced to take, but it obvious even before they made that commitment that they had chemistry. Even though the story was predictable, I enjoyed the lighthearted fun, the attraction these two had and how they grew as people.

For some Black love, fake dating, office romance, with a side of reality show rom-com, pick this one up. It's flirty, fun, a little steamy and not overly dramatic with some great characters that you'll want to see more of in future books.

Football and cupcakes is a winning combination in this book! I loved Donovan and Jada and how their story moved.
I highly recommend this book

This was a cute quick read! I really enjoyed it! There was definitely chemistry between Jada and Donovan and it did get steamy! I highly recommend this book! You will enjoy it.

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

CW: Parent with gambling addiction, parental neglect, ableism, online bullying

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f workplace romance
-fake dating
-frenemies to lovers
-close-proximity
-love at a cupcake shop
-mutual pining and a lot of denial

Sil raved about this one so of course I moved it up my TBR and it did not disappoint. The right mix of fun, a bit of reality drama, and a cringe of a meet cute. I loved Jada, knew what she wanted, refused to settle and trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted in the face of all of her family's expectations.

Sweet gentle giant Donovan, football player and bakery owner galore. How much he respected Jada, how much they both wanted the other to succeed. I loved their banter as they butted heads and tried not to be too annoyed with themselves over how attracted to the other they were. Have snacks ready because there's a lot of mentions of yummy cupcakes as it builds to a delicious payoff. I adored watching these two fake date and accidentally fall for each other, and i hope the rest of the owners of the bakery get their own HEA.

Steam: 3

Another case of a it's not you, it's me. I think I'm just over the whole show ordeal. Much less foodie inspired ones. The writing and story was great! I just wasn't 100 percent attached.

This was very fun and cute! Fake dating, football players running a cupcake shop, and reality TV drama all come together in Fake It Til You Bake It.

Fans of a reality dating show hate Jada for turning down a proposal and breaking the lead's heart. Jada is hunkering down and trying to find direction in life when her grandmother (a badass lady who owns a professional football team) ends up pushing her to work at a cupcake shop run by three of the players on her team. Jada and Donovan butt heads, but end up faking a relationship to help business for the shop. But of course, things start to heat up for real...

I found this to be charming and sometimes pretty funny. Jada is a bit of a mess and Donovan is a bit uptight, but I think they end up being really good for each other. I was hoping this might be a new favorite for me, and I wasn't invested quite enough for that, but I think this is a solid, enjoyable romance that will likely be a crowd pleaser. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Donovan Dell is a very pragmatic professional football player - who also found two teammates willing to open a cupcake shop (Sugar Blitz) with him. Donovan is very much a numbers man who detests surprises. Jada Townsend-Matthews is a lost young woman trying to find her footing during a time when the world hates her, and family is less than supportive of her decisions.

Jada and Donovan are thrust into each others lives when Jada's grandmother, who owns the football team Donovan plays for, asks Donovan to give Jada a job at Sugar Blitz. Jada is currently infamous after a brief run on a dating reality TV show and when forced to confront the show's producer, Jada claims Donovan is her boyfriend. Donovan agrees to the charade once sales start to increase.

As the fake relationship progresses, Donovan and Jada start to develop real feelings with real implications. Jada still strives to find her one footing, and learns some things about herself on the way. Donovan also learns a few things from her, and the story is very enjoyable.

I didn't love or hate this book. But I don't think it left a last impression on me either. It was just okay. A bit flat.

This story is so sweet! The cover is absolutely adorable, and combined two of my favorite things: a fake dating trope and a bakery! This is a sweet rom-com for a relaxing summer day.

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“You two are the perfect couple.” -From Fake it Till You Bake It

2.5 stars

Despite almost every side character telling our couple this, I just didn’t feel it. I wanted to love this book so much. Cute cover, and at a bakery! This book, the characters, and the writing was so bland though. Even the cupcakes were bland. They constantly are serving up just vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. But waaaait there is a secret ingredient that makes the vanilla so special! (Spoiler alert: it’s just some cinnamon. I know, crazy.) I’m usually a sucker for a fake dating trope, but the banter and chemistry just didn’t work for me. I love some of the representation, and Donovan’s mom. Some things didn’t make sense logistically, like her burning cupcakes after a few minutes longer in the oven; and somehow being able to serve wine at the book club event (I’m guessing Donovan didn’t she’ll out for a liquor license). The pace was off, and the time jumps not always discernible. It picks up a little at the 60% mark so, and you finally get a more in depth look into our two main characters, but I’m guessing that might be too late for some readers.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fake it Till You Bake It:
3.5 stars (rounded up)

A romcom that includes two of my favorite things - football and cupcakes?! What's not to love! This book follows Jada as she works to try to figure her life out. She ends up in a (fake) relationship with football star/cupcake shop owner Donovan after her very public breakup comes back to haunt her. I found myself cheering for the two of them and their relationship but also Jada as she works to figure out who she is and what she wants next in life.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5 rounding to 4

A lot of the elements of this romance had strong appeal, beginning with a cupcake shop. Yum. I loved the grandmother. She was a 21st century fairy godmother, right down to her billions.

I liked Jada, and I liked Donovan, but I had some trouble following the arc of the romance. It felt like insta-love, which can be okay if the friendship/getting to know one another quotient balances out. But instead Donovan got very possessive, which even in fiction raises alarm flags for me. That might be life experience distorting the read, so take that with a grain of salt.

I wanted to like their various friends, but they tended to read a bit more like types rather than feeling fleshed out. Some of the dialogue exchanges were nifty, though, making me think this author has promise, but might need a more engaged editorial hand.

Anyway, short answer: there was a lot of promise here, and a lot of heart, though it was a bit of a bumpy ride in places.

Thank you NETGALLEY and ST. MARTIN’S GRIFFIN for the ARC
→2.5 stars

I had high hopes when I picked up this book. There was just so much potential, but it didn’t live up to it. The writing bothered me and was often “cringey” at times. All of the characters were stiff and stereotypical.

The idea of this book is adorable; meet-ugly with a pro football player who runs a cupcake shop and a rich, determined girl who the internet hates due to her turning down a proposal on a dating show. This book had fake-dating, shop romance, and internet fame. After hearing this about the book, it sounds very promising.

Donovan and Jada are our two main characters. They both have good traits, but there’s no more to them besides a bit of family trauma.

Besides this, Fake It Till You Bake It had lots of representation for poc. So, kudos for that.

Now, “if this book had nothing, why are you giving it 2 stars?” is what you’re probably asking. This is because if the cringey dialogue wasn’t there, the pacing was better, and the characters were more 3D, I would have eaten it UP. (I almost always round my rating up, and I really appreciate the author's bravery in getting this book out there, but it took me a MONTH to read this.) The beginning of the book is the hardest to get through, mainly because I just couldn’t get used to the corny dialogue and descriptions.