Dual POV, Fake Dating, Baseball Romance, Workplace Romance, He Falls First, Reformed Playboy, Fake Dating

First Base is a fast paced, easy to read romcom. Tommy is down so, so bad for Maggie reading this gave me butterflies the entire time as the will they won't tension is top notch. Maggie is more reserved and timid compared to out going Tommy but they make the perfect pair. This book is the perfect pick me up if you are looking to get out of a reading slump.

First Base
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It was the perfect time to read this book with our @cleguardians making it into October baseball. I wanted to love this book you guys, I really did, and there’s a part of me that did love it, but the issues I had were too big to ignore! It was dual POV, but Maggie really drove the story, I would have liked to hear from Tommy more, his chapters were always shorter! Okay here was my big issue - there was like no dialogue, it was sooooo inner monologue heavy! I swear you can count on one hand the amount of times Maggie and Tommy actually spoke to each other and we got to read the conversation instead of it being brushed aside. Everything faded to black…the spice (closed door), conversations, the special moments, I felt like everything just stopped abruptly. It’s like we would be in the middle of something important, the conversation would stop and all the inner thoughts were happening and it felt like a retelling to me instead of experiencing it first hand. It made things feel a bit rushed and we miss out on so much banter that I love in romances! Also, something happened at the end that I found annoying, but don’t think I can say much without spoilers so I’ll just say to grant people the same grace and understanding that they granted you and don’t be a little b!tch baby about things. Overall I really enjoyed Ally’s writing because even though I felt like we needed way more dialogue, she still wrote in a way that I felt the connection and tension. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Ps. I’m kinda over the bad celebrity trope. Like if it’s a guy he’s always seen as this person who uses women and if it’s a woman she’s always seen as ditzy. I don’t know, maybe we try something else 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also hate when we’re reading about a celebrity and they always use their first and last name when talking about them 😂
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Thank you NetGalley, Ally Wiegand, and Embla Books for giving me this arc ages ago lol First Base is out now!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was just alright. While the character occupations were unique, I feel like I have read this story many times before and nothing really stood out for me. It was just okay

This book was so cute, fun, and lighthearted! It had it's flaws within the writing, but overall, I found myself having a fun time reading it! The plot was incredibly fast paced and didn't require much building/development. I found myself really relating to our main character, Maggie, and her grief patterns throughout the book. I loved watching her grow into a woman capable of trust and love once again!

Final Rating: 3.5

Cute story - so glad I was allowed to read it. One concern I had was how quickly everything moved. I mean it wasn't a deterrent, but it sure gave me a bit of whiplash.

This sports romance hit the right spot for me!!! I loved Tommy and Maggie!! They are opposites in every way but at the same time they're the same. Tommy is a totally golden retriever despite what the media says about him. Maggie is such timid person who has some trauma. Loved this book and can't wait for book 2!

This book sounded like everything I wanted in a book, I love fake dating and sports romances. I don't know why but something in the romance part didn't click for me. I didn't dislike it but also didn't love it, would give the author another try though!

Awwww. That’s how I felt reading this book. It was just comfort in a book.

We have an instant attraction meets love after death with some fake dating and real feelings. Every trope someone could want and more.

I liked the characters and their story.

Thank you 8th Note press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this one. This was the perfect summer sports romance! Loved the tropes and the characters.

Thanks NetGalley and to the publisher for early access to the kindle version of this book. The cover was adorable and I love me a sports romance. It was cute and worth the read.

My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Disclaimer: I received a review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to the author and Netgalley.

General Thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was cute, and a fun, enjoyable read. Fake dating can be a fun trope, even when it's done in the predictable "fake date to repair the playboy athlete's image" but I did feel the author added a fresh way to present that story.

The characters were intriguing and well-written, and I liked seeing their romance develop. It was a cute, fun story that I'm glad I read. If you like sports romance, baseball romance, baseball, or fake dating, then definitely give this one a go.

Spice Meter: 🪵 mostly closed door but some steamy scenes.

Romantic Tropes
-dual POV
-romance
-contemporary realistic
-fake dating
-sports romance
-baseball romance

You can read more of my reviews on Insta @mylastromancenovel.

This book was SOOO good! Had me so entranced! I loved the characters, the character development, the arc of the characters from their backstories, and I loved them falling for each other! I think this was spectacularly written and was a slam dunk sports romance. Also I loved that it wasn’t a baseball book!

↳ 3 stars ◝ ˚

this is a sports, fake dating romance, thats closed door (tho it did get steamy in one scene)

the characters.
i didnt particularly love them. it felt like the author was trying to add depth, but then since this is a pretty short book and romance novels NEED to have happy endings, all the issues in their lives were solved within 0.465 seconds. it was also kind of hard to believe tommy's playboy backstory, because his demeanor and the way he acted did not ressemble that at all. as for the side characters, i liked jamil a lot he reminded me of gibsie from binding 13 and gibsie is probably my fave character in that series so i was very happy <3 i had very mixed feelings towards olivia, but she was a good friend towards the middle of the book until the end so i can appreciate that.


the romance.
unfortunately, the romance was very insta love, which i hate. i need the tension and the things to get the other person to like you. this was the opposite, because after literally 5 minutes of talking to her the mmc was already saying things like “maggie was unlike any woman i had ever seen. she was an explosion of energy.” thats insanity ! how do you know that much about a person just by looking at them 😭 pls tell me how i would love to know your fbi ways. no but seriously it felt so unbelievable. also, at the beginning of the book maggie kept saying things in her pov like oh i shouldnt get close to him ! hes a bad boy 😔 or the feel of his touch on my waist is magnificient ! but i should back away hes a bad boy 😔 like if hes THAT bad get tf away from him?? im just confused because you are a person of free will right?? im glad the main trope was fake dating tho, because i was seriously about to dnf if the whole book kept going like it had in the beginning.


conclusion.
overall, this wasnt bad just average and gave me a bit of second hand embarassement. i would recommend it if u like insta-love, but if u dont pls dont go into this thinking its a slowburn because its definitely not !

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review !

⭐⭐⭐.75 🌶️1.5

I really enjoyed Maggie and Tommy’s fake dating romance and I was really surprised by how emotional I would find it. Maggie is still dealing with the loss of her partner in a tragic accident and Tommy is so patient and steadfast with her. I found their story to still have lots of humour & some great character development. The writing of this debut novel was spectacular and a really easy read!

Although the book is dual POV, most of the story is dominated by Maggie’s perspective and I did find I was wishing for more of Tommy’s thoughts to add to their growing chemistry. The spice between the couple was also low, so I would probably characterize this book as somewhere between YA and NA (with most scenes being closed door).

Overall this is a touching, romantic and entertaining debut novel for any baseball lover!

this was a cute sports romance. I enjoyed the book however felt like it was a bit rushed. however the main characters were relatable and funny. I will say I thought this was going to be an opened door romance, but didn't mind so much it wasn't.

DNF at about 25 percent of the way through

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy for an honest review.


I wanted to love this book - I just tried a few times to read this book and I could not get through it. I wanted more from it and I just got annoyed with the characters.

This book was cute! As a huge sports romance fan, this checked many of my boxes. This book is not spicy, so if that's something you are into this one is for you! I am not the biggest fan of fake dating, but it was done right in this one!

This book turned out to be an easy, quick, and overall enjoyable read.

I loved delving into the lives of Tommy and Maggie. Each character had their own unique backstory and depth, which unfolded more and more as the book advanced. Both were incredibly endearing, to the point where I found Tommy's history of being a playboy a little hard to believe. However. I did struggle with the insta-love aspect. It's a trope that doesn't sit well with me and has to be really well justified, and in this book it made it a little hard to root for them since they fell in love immediately. It doesn't feel practical to me and it was very rushed, there wasn't a lot of build up or tension. That, and the third act break up felt poorly done, with the miscommunication. It didn't really provide a whole lot to the actual story.

overall, I did enjoy the book as it's fun and light, and who doesn't love a good sports romance.

This was a cute sports romance! I love sports romance books, especially baseball and this one did not disappoint. The fake dating trope is one of my favorites as well and the fact that this book had fake dating and baseball made it that much better! I rated it 3.5 stars and would recommend.