Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of “First Base” by Ally Wiegand. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute baseball romance, just in time for spring training season! I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one by this author. Definitely recommend.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Tommy and Maggie are interesting, relatable, intriguing, entertaining, complex, fun characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path that it took to get to their HEA. These are fun characters to spend time with. This story brought out many emotions – laughter, tears, and cheers – not all at the same time. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I hope if Weigand writes more in this world (which I’d love to see Olivia and some of the players get their romances) that we get to see more of Tommy and Maggie.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars!!

As a former Chicago resident, I loved the slight references to real locations (even if I was annoyed it wasn't the cubs and the sox!!). This was a cute, sweet story of fake dating to real relationship with two people trying to put their lives back together after getting their worlds rocked in ways they didn't expect.

Maggie is a team photographer for the Chicago Cougars, and Tommy is the bad boy new player who's there for some image rehab. When the two are very innocently spotted leaving a club, the photos make it look otherwise and the two have to begin fake dating to help keep Tommy's image clean. While it starts out as just a contract, through out of town game days, driving lessons, and lots of piers, those feelings start to become real and Tommy and Maggie are pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves. This was wholesome!!!

Thank you so much to Ally Wiegand and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Book 1 Chicago Heartbreakers Series
Sports romance - baseball
Reformed rake
He fell first and harder
Fake dating
Only one bed
Slow burn

Opening day is around the corner, so no better time to warm up with a baseball romance featuring a shortstop (Tommy) and team photographer (Maggie).

Sucker for sports romance. Sucker for women breaking into male dominated industries. Sucker for female friendships.

Can confirm. There absolutely is crying in baseball.

“She was the Amy Poehler to my Tina Fey. The Thelma to my Louise. The Laverne to my Shirley.” We all need an Olivia to our Maggie.

Shortstop!! Tommy living out the dream as Chicagos newest shortstop following a trade from San Diego. Chicago is the last chance he knows he has to revamp his image, and fall back in love with the game after spiraling out of control.

A previous boyfriend, Luke, comes up frequently around Maggie’s thoughts and feelings around relationships and love. Get ready to have your heartbroken. (But don’t worry, Tommy will put it back together again alongside Maggie).

Maggie’s callout of Graham Simpkins (aka Daddy, Mr. Napkin Head himself: Jude Law in The Holiday) had me wanting to be besties with her based solely on her taste in fictional men.

Now friends, I need to be VERY clear about NYC:
1. no one sits on the curb — especially to eat pizza.
2. NO ONE talks that proper and lives on Staten Island.

The third act breakup dual pov did not line up for me. It was unnecessary. I hated it. And then the 4th act was so rushed as the last <10% of the book. It knocked this book down a bit for me alongside a few other plot holes. A solid 3.25 star read and solid debut!

Thank you NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Hey, BCK.Reads followers, C here. And I have the biggest news ever.

W•O•W! Ally Wiegand’s novel was an absolute GRAND SLAM.

I could not have picked a more perfect book for me to get excited about spring and the start of baseball season.

I love fake dating & celeb/sports romance and this book gave me all the happy feels. Maggie and Tommy’s friendship was sweet and authentic, which led to a fun slow burn.

This book was made for me.
XOXO
-C

A cute fake dating romance! It did feel a bit too “instalove” as some points for me. But the story itself was super sweet and there was barely any third act break up.

Thank you NetGalley and 8th Note Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for fake-dating and am so happy with how things worked out with Tommy and Maggie. I really appreciated how they both had their different issues from past relationships and ended up helping each other work through things.

There were some minor inconsistencies and the transitions weren't always the smoothest. Sometimes I found myself going back and rereading things because I didn't quite get how things were playing out. Also, while I love a dual-POV, this book heavily favored Maggie's POV over Tommy's POV. I would have loved more chapters from his POV.

Overall, such a cute and heartfelt read! A great debut novel. I am excited to read more from Ally Wiegard, especially from this series.

4.25⭐️

As someone who loves sports romances, I can truly say that this was a really good debut for Ally Weigand! Given that "First Base" is based on baseball, I'm incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to read this during spring training season! I enjoyed the fake dating trope that wasn't necessarily the main plot - the main characters had to overcome their own trauma and navigate what was best for their moral integrity! This was a cute slow burn romance and it met all the cozy vibes while touching on some deeper subjects! I also appreciated the fact that our female main character was not willing to compromise her career, which is very common in today's romance novels! I would've loved to have a few extra chapters to touch further on the character development of the fmc, mmc, and their own interpersonal challenges but overall, I enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the next book in the Chicago Heartbreaker series!

Big thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC! #firstbase

I normally stay away from short reads/books simply for the fact that I feel like they are rushed. Like there isn’t enough detail and the author would just try to put as much in a small book. THIS SHORT BOOK HOWEVER, I LOVED IT. With only 230 pages, it doesn’t feel or seem rushed at all! The plot was great and I fell in love with the characters. I was very sad for it to end. The chemistry between both MCs is a slow burn. I kept rooting for them to be like “just share your feelings already” but finally it all aligned. There definitely were parts in the book that had tears in my eyes and a certain part that I won’t lie, I had tears running down my face just to turn around and smile because of what came after. I started and finished this book in the same day because duh, I was INTRIGUED. I didn’t wanna put it down nor did I wanna finish. I definitely recommend this book to read. I hope you fall in love with everyone in it as I have.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

4.5/5 stars <3

I loved this book! I absolutely love baseball romances and this one is being added to my recommendations list. Some of the trope include:
* Dual POV
* Fake dating
* Bad reputation guy/good rep girl

I felt that the writing was strong and immersive for the reader. I also was surprised this was a debut novel due to the strength of the writing. The world building and back story was very strong and thought out. The back story plays a big role in the plot and I felt it was planned very well.

AND THE CHEMISTRYYYYYY was amazing. It felt real and genuine instead of forced. There were really cute moments and do I wish that their were more. It did feel fast between them so I think that would be my only complaint. Though, the moments again that they did have really did a good job of creating the bond between the pair and building on their chemistry.

I really am excited for the rest of this series and to see who's book is next!!

There’s no better time to read a swoon-worthy romance set in Chicago than on a flight to that very same city. I’m impressed that this is a debut novel. The characters were likable and relatable, even though our male MC is a professional sports player. The characters were real and vulnerable which ultimately brought them closer together. For those that like spicy there’s a short scene in here, otherwise it’s more heartwarming which is what I prefer. I believe this is the first in series and can’t wait to get more from this author!


Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC copy!

If you are looking for a baseball sports romance that is based on the Midwest and has a fake dating trope, then look no further! This is cute and witty and heartwarming all wrapped up in this story. Both main characters have a troubled past that they don’t want to look back from. It’s a good read, even for something outside of my comfort zone.

This was super cute and solidified for me that I enjoy sports romance. Even though it is not the typical genre I prefer I enjoyed this immensely and it was a solid debut book from a new author. It’s not a huge book but also one of those books that you know you’ll read in one sitting due to the cuteness and if you like the fake relationship trope this is perfect. Just be warned it does deal with topics of grief so if you’re sensitive to that be careful. It's not the entire story but does play heavy into certain sections.
The story deals with Maggie Redford, a photographer for Chicago's MLB team and a new player on that team Tommy Mikal. Maggie is avoiding her love life where Tommy has no idea but to avoid girls to stay signed on the team and this makes a perfect scenario for the fake dating. Paparazzi snaps photos of them together and the PR team wants them to fake date to avoid any issues for either party. And as someone who loves the fake dating trope this was done PERFECTLY! The fake dating slowly turns into real feelings for both parties and I loved watching how Tommy and Maggie handled it. There is discussions of grief for Maggie but Tommy handles it well and I honestly wish I had a Tommy in person. There wasn’t much spice in the book, and that was okay. Honestly it worked well with little to no spice because of how adorable it was.
I’m excited to read the rest of the books in this series since it looks like there will be more! Thank you to Netgalley and 8th Note Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First Base by Ally Wiegand
285 pages
to be published 4/23/2024
avg 4.0 rating on GoodReads

I’d recommend this to people who enjoy:
🤍sports romance (MLB)
🤍fake dating
🤍misunderstood bad boy

My thoughts:

I adored this sports romance, with its extra doses of celebrity events and a high-stakes season.

Maggie was such a compelling character, and I teared up several times reading about her relatable struggles. Her growth throughout the story was very satisfying!

I did struggle at some points with the writing. I think a few more passes of editing could have made the prose a little cleaner so it reads smoother. But this was also an arc, so it may be fixed by publish date.

Overall, I am excited to see where Ally Wiegand goes next with this series!

Thank you to 8th Note Press and Net Galley for the eARC!

I'm not even into baseball but this book was so cute. I really liked Maggie and Tommy together and I loved that Tommy wasn't afraid to show his love for Maggie. I do think the reason they got together was a bit shady but I'll leave that down to book magic. I totally understand the 3rd act conflict and would have been conflicted myself, but I am happy with the resolution. I think Maggie and Tommy are great for each other.

Wonderfully done, quick romance book from a debut author that will leave you smiling.

Thank you NetGalley. 8th Note Press and Ally Wiegand for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay who knew a baseball romance would make me cry?? This was a great debut!! I got sucked into the story right away.

Solid 3.5 out of 4 stars for this ARC and debut novel.

What I liked:
-both MCs have their own trauma and past to work through
-the MMC's protectiveness and sweetness
-the FMC's family
-fake relationship trope

What I didn't enjoy:
-miscommunication is a trope I almost never like ans this book was not the exception. I do not like when a character misleads a situation and then doesn't stick around to talk about it.

Clearly the pros outweighed the cons and I'm excited to see what this author puts out next.

This book had a lot to love!! It was a heartwarming story with a touch of female friendship, I wish everyone had a bestie like Olivia Thompson!!
This was an advanced copy read on @netgalley and I’m so excited that they approved my request to read it early!! I strongly suggest everyone get their hands on this book when it gets published next month!!

Tommy Mikals is my new hyper fixation until further notice!!

If you like sports romance & fake dating then this one is definitely for you!

read this in one sitting! it was fast-paced and enjoyable, and had lovable characters that had depth to them and were relatable. i loved seeing their relationship progress and while i'm not a huge fan of miscommunication, it was executed simply and well. a fun and romantic read!!! would recommend.

I knew from the start I was going to love this book. The way the author writes about baseball on the opening pages just really grabbed me. I'm a baseball girl at heart, and seeing how I feel about the sport put onto the page really got me.

First Base follow Maggie, the team photographer, and Tommy the new guy on the baseball team. After a misunderstanding, they're thrown into a fake dating situation where a real friendship starts to bloom, among other things. Everything isn't sunshine and roses though, as both characters have issues in their past that they're trying to overcome. This was a really heartfelt story and I found myself getting emotional a few times while reading.

Tommy was a fantastic MMC. He listened to Maggie. He respected her thoughts and her career. He never pushed for more than what she was willing to give when discussing her past. He was open with her as well, sharing his own faults and dreams. He was just really supportive of her and I loved that.

Maggie hasn't had it easy and that comes across with how closed off she could be at times but she still did her best to let Tommy in. I'm glad she had such a solid friend in Olivia. You could tell just how much she loves photography and the sport of baseball. I loved that she really gave Tommy a chance and saw that he wasn't what the press and public thought he was. When Maggie loves you, she really loves you with everything she has.

The pacing was solid, and the plot was good as well. This was a pretty quick read with just a few spicy scenes, but they never over powered the story. I can't believe this book was the authors debut! I've read a number of debut books over the past year and I have to say, this was one of the better ones. I'm really excited to see where she goes from here because her writing can only get even better with time.