Fake dating? Enemies to lovers? Opposites attract? What more could you want from a romance book?

Jada, having just come off of a reality tv show where she rejected a proposal from a handsome doctor has been facing backlash from the whole world on social media AND in public (and you thought your breakups were bad). While trying to find her way in life she ends up working for Donovan- a football player who runs the cupcake shop Sugar Blitz that is doing poorly financially at the moment. They begin to start up a fake relationship as they realize it's the solution to both their problems, but what happens when the lines blur between real and fake?

As someone who is usually not an avid romance reader- this book was adorable! A great read for enjoyers of the romance genre as well as those trying to get into it. Dual points of view is always the key to an amazing romance, in my opinion- what's the fun of not getting both sides? Jada is very easy to connect to, she feels real and relatable- you're always rooting for her while she's trying to figure out life and love. Donovan is also a great character, the absolute definition of a man written by a woman, but it felt harder to connect to him. I feel as though this book did lack in its inability to develop separate voices for these characters, besides the obvious switch in perspective I usually could not differentiate who was narrating. That being said, the characters are really the star of this story, including the many lovable side characters.

The plot and conflicts were surprisingly good, when I read romance I expect those to be an afterthought but it really played well into what was happening in the romantic aspect and made this story feel more real! Tropes we all know and love are included, but they feel fresh and new in this novel. Also, a black love story that was written by a black woman? We absolutely love to see it. Overall, I found this book to be a good read- it has some trouble finding its voice and drags on at some points; however, the characters are great and thoroughly developed as a couple and separately.

This book definitely satisfies your sweet teeth, either because of how cute Jada and Donovan are or because you caved in and went to buy cupcakes while reading!

There were definitely things I liked about this story - the unique premise/hook of a group of football stars owning and operating a bakery, as well as the good writing. But overall, this story fell quite flat for me. I didn't connect with either of the characters because the pacing was off (I think their "fake dating scheme" only started around the 45-50% mark) and there was no real romantic tension that made me believe these two liked, let alone loved, one another.

Basically, it had a great cover/description to pull me in, but the execution fell quite short.

Overall: 4/5
Spice level: 2/5
Tropes: fake dating, boss's daughter, slow burn, opposites attract

This was another new to me author. I'd seen a lot of excitement about the book so I took a chance. While I enjoyed the tropes (minus slow burn because that's definitely not my favorite), I was hoping for more spice. Lots of these illustrated covers reel you in as something fun but tend to be lackluster in the spice department.

Now don't get me wrong, Donovan and Jada had chemistry. The banter was on point. I was actually waiting for them to hate fuck at some point because they knew how to push each other's buttons. He was a methodical and analytical person while she was more spontaneous and free-spirited. But it was pretty tame. And only happened once.

Now other things I loved were the character development and how they supported each other. By the end they'd almost switched places in a sense. Part of Jada's goal was to find her place in life, get her act together, figure out a career. And along the way her impulsive, free nature rubbed off on Donovan. Along the way, fake dating or not, Donovan supported what she wanted to do with his cupcake shop to help host sales, which helped find her calling.

I also loved their closest supporting characters. Her grandmother who also happened to be Donovan's boss of sorts as the team owner along with his friends/business partners/teammates Nicholas and August.

I enjoyed the story overall, just hoped for more spice.

I loved how this story had great representation and cantered on a male character who is portrayed as not conforming to toxic masculinity and doesn’t stop baking despite it being seen as feminine. The plot was well constructed and also addressed diversity when it came to learning disorders such as dyslexia. From start to finish I absolutely gobbled it up!

I can not tell you how excited I was once I read the blurb and saw this gorgeous cover! I immediately dived into this book with a giant smile on my face and although Jada kind of rubbed me the wrong way at first I over looked it.

What I loved, Donovan and Jada's backstories and their development, the setting, the fun banter between Donovan, Nic and August, (teammates and co owners of the bakery) the way Jada spoke about and represented her learning disability.

I had extremely high hopes but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me when an intimate scene doesn't happen until around 70%, the dialogue was lacking and then the end felt rushed.

Fake it till you make it had some cute and funny moments but unfortunately it just didn't hit like I thought it would.

This book was super sweet (in a good way!)

I loved watching Jada find herself after a failed stint on a reality TV show in Donovan's cupcake shop. She used her job as counter girl at the bakery to (1) raise awareness for her learning disability (2) find her passion for event planning (3) realize that she WAS enough as she was, despite the high expectations of her doctor parents. And who doesn't want a Donovan Dell as a partner?? What a cutie.

This was as light and fluffy as a good cupcake. Hoping that we are getting books about the shop's other co-owners, Austin and Nicholas, in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Fake dating? A sports romance? POC? If you said yes to any of this, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up.

Fake It Til You Bake It is a story about a cupcake store. Ok, not really, but it follows Donovan (cupcake store owner and pro footballer) and Jada (ex reality tv star and current manager of previously mentioned cupcake store) as they trick the media into thinking they’re dating to save the cupcake store from its tanking sales and Jade’s social media status.

I found this read to be really sweet! Jada has a learning disability that’s hindered her relationship with her parents from ever truly blossoming while Donovan’s a stoic guy with a soft spot. While the relationship development was great, I found the conflict a bit rushed towards the end, considering it was introduced quite late. Other than that, this was a sweet read and addressed some pretty heavy issues.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

2.5 Stars Rounded Up
This book had all the classic aspects of a great RomCom. The setting of the novel was great, I love a good cupcake and the descriptions of the setting made me want to run to my local bakery. The characters were fun and enjoyable and in general, the story made sense. I was really enjoying it, up until about 80% in.

Here were my major qualms with the novel:

The dialogue is incredibly cheesy. I’m here for some corny dialogue, but this was, in my opinion, too much.

The ending was forced for me. While the foil made sense, Jada's response to it, did not. The forced separation between the two main characters didn’t seem realistic or necessary at all. I understand the need for a barrier to overcome in the last few chapters of the novel, but this didn’t seem to jive with the rest of the novel.

Jada, our main character, seems incredibly spoiled in the first few chapters, and while we see some growth, she still never develops the skills she’s looking to develop throughout the novel. For example, she never sticks with anything for more than a few months, and yet that pattern only continues even through the conclusion of the novel. We don’t get to see the character development that was seemingly promised in the beginning of the novel.

I enjoyed the beginning of the novel and can overlook the cheese factor in the dialogue, so I would love to read another novel from the author, but this one didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this review; my thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars!


I love a fake relationship story! This book had all the ingredients of a great romance read: steamy chemistry, fun characters, laughable moments, and lots of love!!! I can’t wait to read more from Jamie Wesley (especially stories continuing this series).

I received a pre published copy of this book via NetGalley. I’m leaving my honest review because I genuinely loved the book!

3 ⭐️

This book was good, I enjoyed it a lot!

The story, similar to the summary was really cute! I mean it was a sport romance, with fake dating trope and baking LOL how could that not be cute?I feel like the only thing is that I had a hard time connecting to the characters and when that happens it tends to drag a book. It was just something about the dialogue that felt a little disconnected for me. However, it was a sweet (some pun intended) and really quick read - consider adding this one to your Valentine’s Day TBR ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bachelor meets baking and sports romance in this utterly perfect book! I loved the characters from the moment I met them, and let’s be real, I love fake relationships especially when there are cupcakes and an athlete thrown into the mix! I can’t wait to read more from this author!
The title, cover, and blurb make this sound way too cute. This is an fake dating trope and I really liked seeing Donovan and Jada falling in love. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the supporting characters!

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book is hilarious it will keep you laughing until the end! Consider that a good warning especially if you are going to read in public. This book has many feels such as drama, romance, mystery. You can't help but cheer on Donovan and Jada. They are opposite in so many ways! But sometimes for some that works. And it helps when you have family and friends that want to help you out! Everyone needs someone in their corner to lift them up and tell them you got this!! This book is for a mature reader and can be ready anywhere!

3.5 A cute easy read. The characters have personality and depth. Fake dating trope. Some steamy scenes. Worth the read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jada is hiding out from a reality dating show disaster when she encounters Donovan. He's a pro football player who recently opened a cupcake shop with two teammates, and business is not great. Jada ends up working for him temporarily, and somehow news gets out that the two are dating (they're not), but they decide to keep up the ruse because it's good for both of their brands. But
things get messy when feelings get involved

I didn't know I needed to read something like this until I read Fake It Till You Bake It. A perfect contemporary novel for fans of the genre. Jamie Wesley's writing is phenomenal, I would definitely like to read more stories from this author

Jada and Donovan are really captivating and they are so cute together that they managed to make me gasp. The secondary characters are not far behind, I loved them so much and I NEED books focused on them.

Thankyou to netgalley for providing me with an
eArc.

Full review will be up on pop-culturalist.com closer to release week. Fake it till you bake it is an adorable rom-com kind of book.

Tall, dark, and sexy man that owns a bakery? Ex-Reality Star that needs to prove that she’s more than her past? Fake dating trope? The synopsis of Fake it till you Bake it has all the you need to have a sexy rom-com/contemporary romance but I felt it fell quite a bit short. I spent 80% of the book not being able to connect with the characters in anyway aside from really loving buttercream frosting. The MC and FMC switched point of views within the same paragraph while also shadowing in third person in the following sentences. It effected getting into the story of the characters. The MCs didn’t feel authentic - I found that I was told what the characters were feeling without being able to actually see the feelings play out. I wanted so much more from all areas; character building, more scenes outside of the cupcake shop, and more romance as it lacked a bit. That could also be from being told what they’re feeling as well.

The dialogue between them didn’t feel authentic. There were quite a few areas of conversation that I just couldn’t picture a man saying at all. The intimate scene took incredibly long to get to but also felt very rushed and felt out of place. Jada often bullied and chastised Donovan which made the romance seem as if it was a second thought.

2.5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️✨
1.5 Spice 🌶

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy this read but I couldn’t connect with either character. Fake it till you Bake it has such great potential but it just didn’t do it for me.

This book was just delicious! I loved everything about it - football players who own a bakery, broodingly hot hero, sassy strong-willed heroine, pretend dating.... total cat-nip for my soul.

I laughed, I cried, I really wanted cupcakes... this book had it all, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves a funny, but super steamy, romance.

Note - it's the first in a series, so there's a lot of 'getting to know' the secondary characters but they totally fit, and are a joy to read.

Very cute contemporary rom-com! Loved the bakery! Definitely made me want to eat cupcakes. There were some serious topics perfectly interspersed with the romance. I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect escape from the stress of daily life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

So good, so good. I couldn't stop reading (only to sleep and eat!) so I finished this so quickly. The romance Is utter perfection.Donovan and Jada , their chemistry and mutual attraction crackle with sexual tension from the get-go, but the way their relationship develops is an exquisite slow-burn, fuelled by longing looks, flirtatious banter and glancing touches.
I have a really good feeling this book is going to be extremely popular.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I absolutely loved this book. I am now invested in the whole series and will be preparing to read the other as soon as released. I appericated the layers of these characters. They are for sure more than their pretty faces. I appreciated the honesty with a learning disa bility. This is a 5 star for me I can't wait for more