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.

I got an ARC and this was the perfect easy, romance read! Jada and Donovan have great chemistry. The fake dating trope can be hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this and thought their progression was really natural. I loved the reality TV plot line. I didn't realize that majority of the book takes place over two weeks, which seemed a little rushed given everything that happened. But overall it was an enjoyable read!

This was a fun and easy read.

Jada is hiding after being cast as the villain in the finale of a reality show while Donovan, a football player is trying to save his cupcake shop.

Due to a set of events beyond their control, the two end up "fake dating" until real feelings creep in.

This was really adorable. It's going to be the perfect beach read this summer.

Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

"Fake It Till You Bake It" by Jamie Wesley
FUN Easy Reading Romance
I really did enjoy my time in the Sugar Blitz cupcake bakery with Donovan Dell, Jada, Nicholas, & August, too !! A fun light easy reading story with lots of bumps in the road which keep you turning the pages. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review expresses my honest opinion.

Fake dating? Sign me up ... I'm full in!

I really enjoed this book. Jada and Donovan are bringing sweet love story, with fake dating trope, and I can tell You, it is my jam. I loved how author created their characters, how she lead their story thru the pages. Jada and Donopvan are very likable characters, but IF I could choose one - my vote goest to Donnovan! I won't lie, I like my heroes a little dirty and grumpy... From the begining, I felt like Donnovan was totally opposite to this descripciotn, but In romances there are not many male characters , who have such a sadorable attitude for heroine, rught? Because of that I loved Donnovan with all my heart. Seeing, how Jada managed her life, and things that happen to her- I can't imagine more perfect companion, for her, than Donnovan. I loved them being honest for each other, how they respected themselves. All the things above created amazing love story line, without too much drama in the background . It was very refreshing, and made this book more special.

Fake It Till You Break It was my first book from this author, and I had lot of fun. Must Read Title.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Here are all of the reasons you should read this book: fake dating, reality dating tv show redemption arc, cupcakes, BIPOC characters, grumpy/sunshine, CUPCAKES.

It is a really cute book and it was fun to read. I loved the character growth throughout the book and it was nice to see the different characters come into their own personalities more throughout the book. I think it was a really realistic plotline and I would love to read companion books about the other men of this bakery/football team. Definitely check it out when it is released!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC! This book was a quick, fun read. It was an interesting take on the character's backgrounds as well as how they met one another. I enjoyed that it was told from both character's POV. Despite everything that happened, Jada stood by her decisions and who she was. Along with the romance, it was nice to see Jada find herself and put herself first, not just immediately jump into a relationship. It'd be fun to see future books focusing on Donovan's teammates and cowowners! This book was a lot of fun, a lovely summer read.

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley was a fantastic read. To begin, Jada is on of my main characters this year. She is tough and is honest about how she feels and sees things. It is refreshing that she isn't trying to placate Donovan. Donovan is a loving main character. He cares a lot about his business and his family and friends. The chemistry and the banter between the two main characters was fire. I loved their conversations together and how honest they were to each other. I really appreciated all the other side characters. Her grandmother was kind and loving as was Donovans family members were. There are so many scenes in this story that made me laugh and that I look a back on. Especially when Donovan is watching the reality show. I hope we get to read more about the friend group and see more about this couple in future books!

A little bit of everything in this one. Romance, Reality television, sports, pretend relationships, and more.

Jada is stinging after turning down a proposal on that show that you are supposed to say yes to. Let’s just say she is now the villain in the tale. Time to go home and hide. Instead, she finds herself working at a cupcake bakery for a pro football player, Donovan.

They are in no way romantically involved. Far from it. But when the press finds her and assumes they are an item, they just go with it. It will help her reputation and promote his bakery.

Faking something has a nasty little habit of becoming reality. Sparks will fly!

NetGalley/ June 21st, 2022 by St. Martin’s Griffin

A light, feel good read with humor sprinkled in. Great beach read. A story of being supported, gaining confidence to make it on your own.

Sometimes you need a story that makes you laugh and let’s you just relax and read it from cover to cover. This is one of those books. I loved how the big bad guy is so worried about the details of his business and how the others all enjoy making him stress over little things. HEA and all that but it’s how you get there that really counts! Loved it and plan to reread it again to make sure I didn’t miss a bit of it!

Before I begin with my review, can we appreciate the perfection that is this cover? I’ve been obsessed with it since I saw it for the first time. I definitely need a physical copy so I can appreciate it in person!

This story is the perfect beach read: light, funny and sweet (literally, I need a chocolate peanut butter cupcake as soon as possible). It was also a very fast read because once they started fake dating, I was super hooked onto the story. Jada was a bit hard to love at first, but I ended up loving her character. Donovan (and Nicholas and August) was totally my type of hero: sensitive, sensible, and a bit grumpy. I think his personality and Jada’s were a really good match.

I was debating between 3 and 4 stars, and the closer I got to the ending, the most certain I was it was going to be 4 stars. However, the third act break up was really forced and it felt anticlimactic. It was clearly included just for the sake of the formula, and it makes me sad because it was directed to a perfect ending.

If August comes next, I am super ready! He was so mysterious, and his interaction with Sloane got my attention…

Rating: 3/5
Steam: 1.5/5

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!

Cupcakes
Fake dating
And an enemies to friends to lovers story line.

SIGN ME UP!

This was an enjoyable read for me. It reminded me of me and my husband, I’m impulsive while he’s calculated and organized.

Characters were well developed, plot threshed out and a lovable ending. I look forward to more from this author!

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 sweet stars!

[My review will be posted on my blog and Goodreads closer to the publication date.]

TL;DR: This was such a delightful romance and while I did have some issues with it at the beginning, I’m so glad that I ended up loving it as much as I thought I would! Jada and Donovan were such a great couple and their romance made me so giddy. If you love fake-dating, great banter, fun playful chemistry between H/h, and A FOODIE ROMANCE, I would recommend picking this up. Also, prepare to get hungry and crave cupcakes while reading this because all the flavours sounded *exquisite*! 🤤

Jada and Donovan were simply too cute for words and their romance had my heart swooning! I’ve been excited about this book ever since the cover was revealed and I was over the moon when I got invited to read an early copy so I’m even more pleased to say that I really enjoyed this book. This was a sweet and delightful romance between two imperfect characters who, it turns out, are simply perfect for each other! 😉

Fake It Till You Bake It admittedly started off on a slightly rough note for me. The writing was a bit choppy and repetitive at times and I found I didn’t particularly care about either Jada or Donovan; if I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure if I was feeling any chemistry between them! I’m glad that I kept reading though because once this took off for me, I found myself quickly falling in love with the romance, the banter, the friendships, and the cupcakes, too. If you find yourself feeling the same way as I did at the start, let me just say hang on because things get exponentially better and I sped through the book in the span of a few hours!

I didn’t find Jada or Donovan particularly likeable characters at the start. I wasn’t hitting it off with Jada’s bougie attitude and even though I know that a lot of it was bluster to cover up her own insecurities, it took a little getting used to her chaotic whirlwind energy. I eventually came to appreciate her for the things that I wasn’t keen about in the beginning. She’s sharp, witty, full of determination, and I have to admire her grit because no matter how many times people put her down, underestimated her or villainised her simply for being a human in the public eye, she never stopped trying. As Donovan loved to say: she had gumption and I really loved that about her character! In contrast to her wild energy, Donovan was a calming force. He might come across as a little stodgy at the start but I related so much to his need for logical processes and orderliness, and I respected his need to feel in control of what was happening around him. He had a playful side that he rarely let show but the more he loosened up around Jada, the more we got to see it and I absolutely loved the resulting banter between the two of them. I will say that I was surprised that although he's a football player there's very little football in this book; it didn't really bother me but if you're expecting a sports romance, you won't find it here.

Their meet-cute was all kinds of meet-awkward and resulted in a strong mutual dislike and distrust which made the fact that they had to work together all the more uncomfortable. Their romance starts off as hate-to-love and starts changing slowly when they start fake-dating and this is really when the fun began for me! The book club and clinch cover recreation that they did was hilarious AND hot. The talk show appearance was incredibly swoony! With each situation that tested their relationship, their undeniable chemistry only grew stronger and I rooted harder for their HEA. Their exchanges were so fun and playful and they were so disgustingly cute with each other that if I didn’t love them so much I’d probably hate them (stealing Rose’s words because accurate)! 😂 Ugh, seriously, their interactions had me feeling ridiculously giddy and I found myself giggling a lot!

I thought we’d make it all the way through without a third-act breakup and I was honestly a little disappointed that there ended up being one because I thought it felt out of character. However, that disappointment was reeled back once I realised just how important it was for them to have that moment for themselves. I loved that they addressed their separation with the same reasons that I thought felt out of character and that to me indicated their growth—it was a little angsty at first but found it made perfect sense in the end! Overall, I had such a fantastic time with this book and I really hope that the epilogue ending means that August is getting a story next because if it is, you’ll find me over here fangirling in excitement cos I know I’m gonna love it!

After turning down the final proposal on a bachelor type show, Jada is a very hated woman. Since her parents have cut her off, she heads to her grandma in hopes of getting her trust fund early. Her grandma has different ideas though. She will work for one of her players, Donovan, at his cupcake shop. The two start off hating each other, but when a reporter stops by and Jada pretends to be dating him, the two are thrown into the spotlight and Donovan decides fake dating might not be so bad for the bottom line of the shop. the chemistry between the two however, is off the charts.

Note: have cupcakes on hand while reading this book! A hate to love, fake dating book, set in a cupcake shop? Yes please! I thought this book was so adorable. Donovan was so uptight, and I loved how Jada started to bring him out of his shell a bit as the book went on. I also really loved watching Jada go from a bougie rich girl to finding herself through her work at the shop and her growing relationship with Donovan. This was a super fun, quick read!

I loved the premise of this book. Fake boyfriend trope plus a bakery owned by three NFL players plus a former Bachelorette-type show contestant. Perfect for vacation reading!

Unfortunately, this story was more of a supermarket vanilla cupcake with American buttercream than a chocolate stout cupcake with whiskey ganache and an Irish cream Italian meringue buttercream.

If you are going to use the fake boyfriend trope, it has to last longer than 1 chapter. The couple pretends they are dating and they fool no one around them because just days later they are in love!

2.5 stars rounded up because if this becomes a trilogy, I'd still love to see how love finds August and Nicholas, Donovan's business partners and teammates.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.