Thanks @smpromance for my ARC of this sweet read!

Pub date: 6/21/22
Genre: rom com, fake dating trope
In one sentence: Jada's infamous after turning down a reality show proposal - her grandmother thinks working at Sugar Blitz will bring her back to earth, but football player Donovan has other plans.

Oh, how I love a bakery-set book! Delicious sugary treats with a side of drama and romance. Here we get a twist on the typical bakery - cupcake bakery Sugar Blitz is run by three football players! Donovan and his friends were so fun to get to know - there are echoes of the Bromance Book Club here. I also loved Jada - her struggles with fitting into her family were very relatable, and I loved how she supported Donovan and worked to make the bakery successful. They're a true power couple - even if they're the last to realize that fake dating may not be so fake after all.

If you like fake dating, I bet you'll enjoy this one. It's not super steamy, but there are a few moments to satisfy steam fans.

Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram 4/16/22.

Professional football player Donovan and two of his teammates have started a cupcake bakery. Their cupcakes are delicious, but the bakery is not thriving. The team owner asks Donovan to employ her granddaughter, Jada, who needs some space to recover from her social-media lambasting after she turned down a reality show proposal. The two have personalities that aren't at all alike, but they seem to each fill the others' weaknesses.

I enjoyed this fake - relationship turning into a real friendship and then love, and I especially liked Jada's feisty personality. I also liked Donovan's steady support. So I was really rooting for them to succeed!

Thanks to Jamie Wesley for the book and to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for letting me read an ARC!

Truthfully, I couldn’t finish this book. I’d only made it about 25% through (because there’s little time until the e-book expiration) but here are few things that I felt could have changed from what I did read.
Cons:
<>I feel that there is not enough world building. It’s difficult for me to picture what is going on in the setting of a few scenes set in Sugary Blitz because (for me, and I imagine most people) cupcake shops are quite rare to find. I’d be great to have little descriptions of the kinds of people Jada sees in the shop, or maybe the weather outside the window to set the scene.
<>“‘It’s okay’, a soft, bougie voice answered. ‘No harm no foul’” (Ch. 4) I’m having trouble imagining this, but what exactly does a “bougie” voice sound like? How can you tell if a voice is not bougie? What makes a voice sound low class? I already knew what the word meant but it’s strange to the ear.
<>There is a strange switch from third to first perspective in Chapter Four “A tension headache pulsed behind his right eye. FML” (Ch. 4) that should be changed. Added, “FML” comes off as not very expressive, and I think there are words more effective like ‘God’ or ‘what the hell’. “FML” is the kind of word seen in messages, tweets, social media bios— not really books.
Pros:
Other than these points, I do think this story is refreshing due to it’s combination of the fake dating trope and baking, which I wouldn’t usually be fond of. I also enjoyed Jada’s flawed character more than Donovan. In the first meeting, she comes off as a determined ice queen yet we begin to see, even early has chapter 6, we learn how stressed and realistically panicked she is at given times.

“Never change Jada. Never change”
I’m sad to say that one of my most anticipated books of the year was honestly quite boring. I wanted to love this so much and received an arc but it was the most predictable, somewhat anticlimactic book I’ve ever read. I love the fake dating trope and I’ve learned that I love books centered around baking/cooking. Plus this was a Black romance, so even better but that didn’t save it for me.

One thing that irritated me the most was the time jumps and not being told it took place days or months later until we’re paragraphs or sentences in. They jumped to three months later and then eight months later in the last chapter and we aren’t told until we’re paragraphs in. They also fall in love two weeks after meeting each other.

I didn’t like nor connected with Jada. I liked her attitude but just not her and Donovan was too robotic. The miscommunication was so ridiculous. There was no need for it. The break up pissed me off. She broke up with him at the 92% mark and they were back together like two pages later. No spoilers but the reasoning was stupid.

An important plot was that her parents cut her off and took her credit cards. Well, her grandmother is a billionaire and already promised she’d give her her trust fund so?? This plot didn’t seem at all important. I liked the grandmother though.

Oh and they didn’t sleep together until 73% in and I prefer smutty books but eh. 2.75 rounded to a 3 star.

When Jada's life has been turned upside down due to a reality dating show and her parents taking away her money she has to figure out quickly what she is going to do. Then there is Donovan hunky football player turned cupcake shop owner whose business is not attracting enough people. Jada and Donovan's path cross and she insults his cupcakes and business. Then by fate when Donovan goes to see the owner of the football team he is asked if he can hire her niece. Of course her niece happens to be Jada. Will these two be able to become friends or more than friends.

It was a funny and cute read. It was a quick read and easy to tell what is going to happen in the story. It also appears from the ending that there will be a second book. If you are looking for a book that will take you away from everyday life then pick this book up. I enjoyed it and thought it was cute.

This book was fun, entertaining, and I enjoyed the banter between Jada and Donovan. For a rom-com, this book was exactly what i was expecting, and the fake dating trope was great. However, the pacing was a bit off for me. The beginning was slow and felt dragged out, and then the end was rushed. The timeline was fuzzy and it did not feel like a cohesive, smooth read for me. It made it hard for me to connect to Jada and Donovan's relationship when I was confused about the timeline.

Overall, this was a fun read and I did enjoy it, the pacing just was not for me.

This was super cute! I enjoyed the story and it was a fun quick read. I enjoyed the idea of the football players opening a bakery. I would have wanted to see more about how that came about. Prequel maybe?

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley contains several tropes, enemies to lovers, fake relationship and forced proximity. And, in the capable hands of Jamie Wesley a story emerges that is so delicately delicious and satisfying that the reader is left not necessarily needing more, but certainly craving more. I can only hope that some of the secondary characters are given their chance to shine, especially Donovan’s partners and Jada’s best friend. Jada Townsend-Matthews is a despised internet villain after turning down a proposal from dreamy Dr. John on a reality dating show. Jada is impulsive and outspoken, traits which are on full display when she makes disparaging comments about the cupcakes and décor of Sugar Blitz in front of owner, regimented and Uber organized Donovan Dell. With sales tanking, the last thing that Donovan needs to hear is some rude (and beautiful) woman criticizing his establishment. Donovan intends for Sugar Blitz to be a large part of his endeavors after him retires from football. Both Donovan and Jada are blindsided when his boss and team owner, who happens to be Jada’s grandmother, asks Donovan to give the rudderless Jada a job. Wow, that should be easy!! As the two are practically forced to work together, they find some truths about each other. Donovan is actually supportive and sensitive, and Jada is hard working and innovative. However, will Jada’s judgmental family, the internet trolls and Jada’s would-be suitor derail her newly minted confidence and cause her to walk away from Donovan? Ms. Wesley’s story is so emotionally rich and loaded with goodness that the reader can taste each morsel. To say I loved this story would be an understatement!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing to me read this ARC for my honest opinion!



Reviewed on Google Play

This was a funny and yummy read! Prepare to be hungry while reading it! I loved the witty banter and the well developed characters. Plus, it was set in San Diego, which is one of my favorite cities. Who doesn't look a good romance book filled with entertaining characters, cupcakes, and sports. Plus, the side characters were a hoot! Great and quick read. Perfect for a relaxing day!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Book received for free through NetGalley

So adorably cute. I absolutely loved this from the beginning till the end. Can’t wait to read more.

I enjoyed Fake It Till You Bake It! Cupcakes, fake dating, football players and food fights – sign me up! What I really loved about this couple was their communication. They talked everything out, and it was clear that they were going to last.

Fake it till you Bake it: I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this read. It was light, fun and who doesn’t like a man baking 👀 (3 well built muscular football players who also on the side own and run a cupcake shop) I enjoyed the beginning I loved both Jada and Donovan‘s characters the chemistry between them slow burn… which I enjoy!When I got to the middle of the book it start getting a little bit long, dragging a bit. Nevertheless it started picking up and I enjoyed it had very good troops I loved that the characters were both POC they’re work ethic & joy for doing their jobs chefs kiss*The banter between them I loved as well as each characters development coming to the end of the book was amazing. I really did enjoy this book I didn’t know what to expect out of it but it really surprised me and I enjoyed it, it was nice easy read. Thank you NetGallery & St.Martins for allowing me to give this book an honest review! Congratulations to Jamie on this novel coming out June 22’ !!!! Also Nicholas & August I loved, would love to see stories for both of them!!!

This was such an adorable contemporary romance. I loved the main characters and their banter that they had with each other. The setting was also a fun part of the story.

This book was a fun rom com! The main characters had great chemistry and this book was a fun easy read. The plot was entertaining but slightly predictable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher a copy to honestly review.

Fake It Till You Bake It features a reality tv star embroiled in scandal and a cupcake baking NFL star in a fake romance.

I devoured it like it was one of those smores cupcakes they kept describing.

Reading this book was lovey. It gave a slow but natural progression to an almost enemies to lovers setting. Football player Donovan and soul-searching Jade couldn’t be more opposite with Donovan’s need for order and structure vs Jada’s impulsive personality. An unexpected dive into fake dating to help Jada’s reputation as well as the reputation of Donovan’s bakery leads to the couple getting to know each other beyond the surface level and unexpectedly falling in love. I love the fake dating trope and would love to have seen even more of their fake dating in public spaces! Their relationship grew naturally and you could see how opposites could actually attract. I also finished the book looking forward to August’s love story and Nicholas’s love story. I would have loved to have seen a little more of Jada’s story but it was mostly balanced and I wasn’t left too wanting. Would definitely recommend to those who love a fake dating story with a small splash of enemies to lovers.

This is an excellent romance story. I really enjoy the stories where the opposites attract.
Jada is hiding from a bad experience with a reality dating show when she meets Donovan. Donovan is a professional football player that recently opened a cupcake shop with two of his teammates. Despite being a professional football player the business is not going well. Jada finds herself working for him, and the next thing she knows people are talking about them dating. But really they're not. But instead of setting the record straight, they decide to keep up the act because it turns out to be good for both of them. It's not a problem until feelings get involved.

I know it's weird to say a book is cute, but this was definitely a cute book. I am very glad that I was able to read this book and I would recommend it to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Edelweiss publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an honest review given for the ARC that was received.
The sugar in this read is sweet and rewarding. Loved that Jada and Donovan wete honest and truthful with each other throughout the entire book with no secrets. The love of family even though certain members set limitations on their love just because hero and heroine chose to be their true selves regardless of the disapprovals that were given.

Fake it Till You Bake It was a light hearted read featuring Donovan, a pro football player / cupcake bakery owner and Jada, a former contestant on a “Bachelor” esque dating show who also happens to be the granddaughter of the San Diego football teams owner. Cue a fake relationship trope with a little dating show drama and The Game tv show and you pretty much have read this book.

Overall the story was cute but the characters could have used a bit more development. Their love story was a little rushed and we didn’t get to fall in love with them and their love story. All in all, love seeing more and more stories featuring BIPOC love but want a little more depth.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was SUCH a fun read! Loved seeing men baking, but also loved the dating show angle. I think the couple's relationship was authentic and well-developed, and I look forward to more books (cause I wanna know the other guys's stories now too)!