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Sugar Blitz #1
Fake It Till You Bake It
A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance from Jamie Wesley, Fake It Till You Bake It.
Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell.
When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient.
Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.
Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell.
When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient.
Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2022
778 people are currently reading
41458 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,804 reviews
June 22, 2022
I read this book a long while back and absolutely adored it. Six-star read! More please! I intended to write and post a full review, but instead, I wrote up notes while reading, then hallucinated posting the review without ever actually posting it.
I went looking for that imaginary review today only to find that it doesn't exist, so here I am finally writing it. Or rather, copy-and-pasting the notes I wrote as I was reading this book, in the hopes that seeing my genuine enthusiasm will convince you of its perfection (assuming that gorgeous cover didn't already do that job). Let's go!
Chaos princess x uptight responsible hero
Enemies/opposites to lovers
Fake dating
Boss employee w layers to the power situation
Bouncy fun voice
Great side characters
Amazing heroine’s journey and swoon-worthy hero
Shania Twain quotes!!!
Social media and reality tv show infamy... original!!!
Hot sex scene and lots of tension building
Super sweet work environment - can’t wait for the rest of the series
Amazing baking together moments and fakery that burns so good
Made me feel and giggle and hope and sit on the edge of my seat
Read in a day
Food fight!
Such a sweet, safe read that never takes the easy or simple way out and a relationship you can believe in wholeheartedly. The world is sometimes unkind to them but they always face it together and never give up on each other. Super mature love
So! That's my opinion! And if you'd like something more coherent here is the blurb I gave:
Fake It ’til You Bake It is like a chili-chocolate cupcake—super sweet with one hell of a kick. Wesley combines delightful characters, delicious tension, and a fascinating setup to create this truly satisfying romance.
READ THIS BOOK
I went looking for that imaginary review today only to find that it doesn't exist, so here I am finally writing it. Or rather, copy-and-pasting the notes I wrote as I was reading this book, in the hopes that seeing my genuine enthusiasm will convince you of its perfection (assuming that gorgeous cover didn't already do that job). Let's go!
Chaos princess x uptight responsible hero
Enemies/opposites to lovers
Fake dating
Boss employee w layers to the power situation
Bouncy fun voice
Great side characters
Amazing heroine’s journey and swoon-worthy hero
Shania Twain quotes!!!
Social media and reality tv show infamy... original!!!
Hot sex scene and lots of tension building
Super sweet work environment - can’t wait for the rest of the series
Amazing baking together moments and fakery that burns so good
Made me feel and giggle and hope and sit on the edge of my seat
Read in a day
Food fight!
Such a sweet, safe read that never takes the easy or simple way out and a relationship you can believe in wholeheartedly. The world is sometimes unkind to them but they always face it together and never give up on each other. Super mature love
So! That's my opinion! And if you'd like something more coherent here is the blurb I gave:
Fake It ’til You Bake It is like a chili-chocolate cupcake—super sweet with one hell of a kick. Wesley combines delightful characters, delicious tension, and a fascinating setup to create this truly satisfying romance.
READ THIS BOOK
Want to read
September 15, 2021BLACK LOVE
FAKING DATING
CUPCAKE BAKING FOOTBALL PLAYER 👀
FAKING DATING
CUPCAKE BAKING FOOTBALL PLAYER 👀
January 25, 2023
Last three days I was so focused on my dark fantasy challenge that made me more exhausted than I expected. I’m so happy to take a break and dive into this sweet, entertaining, feel good romance to heal my hurting little grey cells.
Fake relationship, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, high chemistry, a star football player who can make cupcakes and resilient reality star who turns into unpopular villanelle teaming up to rehabilitate public images and save the cupcake business: Great formula, favorite tropes, entertaining chapters, likable characters with great blend of reality show, football and baking businesses! I’m absolutely in! Jada and Donovan’s smart banters, fiery chemistry absolutely catch you unguarded. You never want to put this book down!
This book definitely is a dream comes true!
Just go blind and have fun!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Fake relationship, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, high chemistry, a star football player who can make cupcakes and resilient reality star who turns into unpopular villanelle teaming up to rehabilitate public images and save the cupcake business: Great formula, favorite tropes, entertaining chapters, likable characters with great blend of reality show, football and baking businesses! I’m absolutely in! Jada and Donovan’s smart banters, fiery chemistry absolutely catch you unguarded. You never want to put this book down!
This book definitely is a dream comes true!
Just go blind and have fun!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
January 12, 2023
It’s the best feeling turning the last page of a book, your heart feeling full and you just talking to yourself (out loud) about how much you enjoyed it.
This story was quiet for the most part and I didn’t know how to feel about that at first. I like my romances to be somewhat intense.
So, if you’re looking for thrills, then this ain’t it.
But because I wasn’t disliking the story, I decided to be patient with it and trust the process and as I read on, I found that I didn’t mind the quiet development at all. It was leading up to something but it took a while to get there, or a while for me to connect to it.
By the end, I was so sold on Jada and Donovan. So sold.
It’s a very light enemies-to fake-dating-to lovers story. Our heroine was on a dating show and made it to the end only to reject the guy. The backlash she received because of her decision wasn’t pretty. Social media is horrendous, we know this. People have the nerve to act far too entitled.
Our hero is a professional football player who owns a cupcake shop - I know, that shits as precious as it sounds 🥹 - and is worried about his business succeeding. He’s also someone that has stepped up for his family when his parents divorced due to his father’s gambling addiction and has carried the weight of that responsibility around.
So these two fake-date in order to create a buzz and sales for the cupcake shop and so that our heroine can be redeemed in the eye of the public.
On this journey of fake-dating, they truly built something wonderful together. It was great to see them flourish and confront their insecurities and deal with challenges that came their way and to find themselves in the process.
I also appreciated how Jada’s dyslexia was handled and how she owned it after having been made to feel ashamed for it by her own family.
Her family are a piece of work, lord!
The side characters were awesome, in particular Donovan’s friends, and I hope we get their story too.
All in all, I loved this!
This story was quiet for the most part and I didn’t know how to feel about that at first. I like my romances to be somewhat intense.
So, if you’re looking for thrills, then this ain’t it.
But because I wasn’t disliking the story, I decided to be patient with it and trust the process and as I read on, I found that I didn’t mind the quiet development at all. It was leading up to something but it took a while to get there, or a while for me to connect to it.
By the end, I was so sold on Jada and Donovan. So sold.
It’s a very light enemies-to fake-dating-to lovers story. Our heroine was on a dating show and made it to the end only to reject the guy. The backlash she received because of her decision wasn’t pretty. Social media is horrendous, we know this. People have the nerve to act far too entitled.
Our hero is a professional football player who owns a cupcake shop - I know, that shits as precious as it sounds 🥹 - and is worried about his business succeeding. He’s also someone that has stepped up for his family when his parents divorced due to his father’s gambling addiction and has carried the weight of that responsibility around.
So these two fake-date in order to create a buzz and sales for the cupcake shop and so that our heroine can be redeemed in the eye of the public.
On this journey of fake-dating, they truly built something wonderful together. It was great to see them flourish and confront their insecurities and deal with challenges that came their way and to find themselves in the process.
I also appreciated how Jada’s dyslexia was handled and how she owned it after having been made to feel ashamed for it by her own family.
Her family are a piece of work, lord!
The side characters were awesome, in particular Donovan’s friends, and I hope we get their story too.
All in all, I loved this!
June 21, 2022
Happy publishing day!!! 🎉
Fake it til you bake it is a cute, light-hearted read. This book centers around a fake dating couple featuring Jada, who is fresh off of a reality dating show, and Donovan, a professional NFL player and cupcake shop owner. I could feel the chemistry between them and the book got steamy at times which I enjoyed. It is a quick read and it’s rather predictable of course, but that’s what makes for an easy, fluffy read. I would guess based on the ending, this is going to be a series and we’re going to see a book on August next! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
Thank you St. Martins Press and Net Galley for an ARC in return for my honest review.
Fake it til you bake it is a cute, light-hearted read. This book centers around a fake dating couple featuring Jada, who is fresh off of a reality dating show, and Donovan, a professional NFL player and cupcake shop owner. I could feel the chemistry between them and the book got steamy at times which I enjoyed. It is a quick read and it’s rather predictable of course, but that’s what makes for an easy, fluffy read. I would guess based on the ending, this is going to be a series and we’re going to see a book on August next! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
Thank you St. Martins Press and Net Galley for an ARC in return for my honest review.
August 1, 2022
That cover made me feel something!!! Not ashamed to admit that it was the motivation to pick this one up.
I found Donovan really interesting. Having a football career and a cupcake shop isn't something you read every day. He is a person who finds financial stability really important and his motivations for this were revealed and actually really made sense. His life, except for the football and cupcake thing, of course, is actually really relatable, especially his childhood.
Now Jada, I couldn’t relate to all that much. I don’t watch reality tv or follow celebrities that much so with Jada’s side of the story I wasn’t sure if a lot was being exaggerated or if this is actually a normal thing people with fame go through. Maybe I should just ignore this since it is a book and I should just bask in the unrealistic nature of stories that come with fiction. I still really liked how the author adds realistic struggles like dyslexia and family disapproval to her plot line. She also did some healthy character growth which we love to see.
The romance was cute but at times, and I have to say this, it really cringed. It was also full of so many cliches, not very original, and quite predictable. And let’s not deny the fact that this was insta love!!! It was!! You can’t convince me otherwise. They were still really cute I promise.
I went into this with expectations of something light and fun and got that with some serious issues here and there. So not terribly disappointed.
I found Donovan really interesting. Having a football career and a cupcake shop isn't something you read every day. He is a person who finds financial stability really important and his motivations for this were revealed and actually really made sense. His life, except for the football and cupcake thing, of course, is actually really relatable, especially his childhood.
Now Jada, I couldn’t relate to all that much. I don’t watch reality tv or follow celebrities that much so with Jada’s side of the story I wasn’t sure if a lot was being exaggerated or if this is actually a normal thing people with fame go through. Maybe I should just ignore this since it is a book and I should just bask in the unrealistic nature of stories that come with fiction. I still really liked how the author adds realistic struggles like dyslexia and family disapproval to her plot line. She also did some healthy character growth which we love to see.
The romance was cute but at times, and I have to say this, it really cringed. It was also full of so many cliches, not very original, and quite predictable. And let’s not deny the fact that this was insta love!!! It was!! You can’t convince me otherwise. They were still really cute I promise.
I went into this with expectations of something light and fun and got that with some serious issues here and there. So not terribly disappointed.
May 26, 2022
Fake It Till You Bake It
by Jamie Wesley is a contemporary romantic comedy. Combining romance and humor, it features 25-year-old Jada Townsend-Matthews and Donovan Dell. Jada has recently experienced social media hate after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. Donovan is a professional football player and co-owner of a cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz. When her parents cut off her credit cards, Jada ends up working for Donovan. A reporter mistakenly believes they’re a couple, and they decide to take advantage of it by faking a relationship. What better way to help the business and improve Jada’s image?
Donovan loves to bake. He establishes goals and works to meet them. He’s driven, calm, and controlled. Jada doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and things don’t seem to be working out well for her. She’s confused, uncertain, and insecure as well as being impulsive. Both characters are relatable and likeable and show growth during the course of the novel.
Reviews seem to be all over the place with this book. While some of the novel was a little over the top and the romance progressed rather quickly, I went with the flow and enjoyed it. The chemistry between Jada and Donovan creates a fun dynamic that also amplifies the story line. Besides romance, there are some deep themes ranging from gambling addiction to the impact of social media on lives to blackmail to teamwork to how parents’ opinions and actions affect their children even as adults.
Overall, this was an entertaining and charming novel with some humor and laugh out-loud moments as well as some pivotal emotional times. It’s well-written with a great setting and extraordinary characters from very different backgrounds.
St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jamie Wesley provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 21, 2022.
Donovan loves to bake. He establishes goals and works to meet them. He’s driven, calm, and controlled. Jada doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and things don’t seem to be working out well for her. She’s confused, uncertain, and insecure as well as being impulsive. Both characters are relatable and likeable and show growth during the course of the novel.
Reviews seem to be all over the place with this book. While some of the novel was a little over the top and the romance progressed rather quickly, I went with the flow and enjoyed it. The chemistry between Jada and Donovan creates a fun dynamic that also amplifies the story line. Besides romance, there are some deep themes ranging from gambling addiction to the impact of social media on lives to blackmail to teamwork to how parents’ opinions and actions affect their children even as adults.
Overall, this was an entertaining and charming novel with some humor and laugh out-loud moments as well as some pivotal emotional times. It’s well-written with a great setting and extraordinary characters from very different backgrounds.
St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jamie Wesley provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 21, 2022.
August 6, 2024
3.5/5
- This felt like a hallmark movie in the best way!! I love how the characters really felt like enemies initially. It made the fake dating even more fun to read. I loved the pacing of the story because there was always something happening to keep me hooked!
- If the story hadn’t been in third person and there had been more dialogue, this could have easily been a 4 or 4.5 read!! The story was so cute and my favorite type of fluffy romance to pick up!
- Really love how the author was able to get the reader to connect with Donovan’s friends. Excited to read the second book in this series that comes out soon!
- This felt like a hallmark movie in the best way!! I love how the characters really felt like enemies initially. It made the fake dating even more fun to read. I loved the pacing of the story because there was always something happening to keep me hooked!
- If the story hadn’t been in third person and there had been more dialogue, this could have easily been a 4 or 4.5 read!! The story was so cute and my favorite type of fluffy romance to pick up!
- Really love how the author was able to get the reader to connect with Donovan’s friends. Excited to read the second book in this series that comes out soon!
May 24, 2022
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Did Not Finish-30 percent.
I cannot read any more fake relationship romances. I am tired of them. It feels like lately all I am reading is fake relationship which turns to lovers. I thought the premise of the book was good (football star running a cupcake bakery meets a social media "star") but I really didn't like Jada and thought her and Donovan didn't work. I initially was going to try to push through and finish this but just got fed up. I can feel a reading slump coming on and I am trying to work my way through it. But books like this make it hard.
"Fake It Til You Bake It" follows NFL star Donovan Dell. Donovan is struggling to keep his cupcake business afloat. A woman comes in and insults his decor and his cupcakes (without eating one) and then he challenges her to eat one. The woman in question is Jada Townsend-Matthews who is "hiding" out after social media users have turned on her after she turned down a proposal on a reality dating show. A reporter thinks that they are together, yadda yadda yadda, fake relationship. Both realize that if the world thinks they are dating, it can help improve their own situations.
So Jada is hard to like. Full stop. She's rude. And I hate it when authors write Black women like we just run around acting like assholes. There's a difference between being strong and just nasty for no reason. When we first meet her she started getting on my nerves. Who rolls into someone's business talking crap?
Donovan being into cupcakes was cute and honestly if it was just him and his friend trying to get their business going I would have enjoyed it more. He and Jada don't make sense and I got tired of reading about them.
The writing didn't work for me and the flow was off so much. I just thought I was reading a very rough draft of a book and not the finished product at all. Also it didn't help that I didn't like the two leads as a couple at all.
Did Not Finish-30 percent.
I cannot read any more fake relationship romances. I am tired of them. It feels like lately all I am reading is fake relationship which turns to lovers. I thought the premise of the book was good (football star running a cupcake bakery meets a social media "star") but I really didn't like Jada and thought her and Donovan didn't work. I initially was going to try to push through and finish this but just got fed up. I can feel a reading slump coming on and I am trying to work my way through it. But books like this make it hard.
"Fake It Til You Bake It" follows NFL star Donovan Dell. Donovan is struggling to keep his cupcake business afloat. A woman comes in and insults his decor and his cupcakes (without eating one) and then he challenges her to eat one. The woman in question is Jada Townsend-Matthews who is "hiding" out after social media users have turned on her after she turned down a proposal on a reality dating show. A reporter thinks that they are together, yadda yadda yadda, fake relationship. Both realize that if the world thinks they are dating, it can help improve their own situations.
So Jada is hard to like. Full stop. She's rude. And I hate it when authors write Black women like we just run around acting like assholes. There's a difference between being strong and just nasty for no reason. When we first meet her she started getting on my nerves. Who rolls into someone's business talking crap?
Donovan being into cupcakes was cute and honestly if it was just him and his friend trying to get their business going I would have enjoyed it more. He and Jada don't make sense and I got tired of reading about them.
The writing didn't work for me and the flow was off so much. I just thought I was reading a very rough draft of a book and not the finished product at all. Also it didn't help that I didn't like the two leads as a couple at all.
August 24, 2022
I had such high hopes for this book, but it ended being boring and just a basic romance. Nothing was special about the characters. The plot was fine, but nothing exciting. I found my brain wondering a lot while I was reading. I didn't love the characters. It wasn't a bad book, but I just didn't love it was much as I wanted to.
June 19, 2022
Read if you like:
☕︎ Fake dating
☕︎ Enemies to friends to lovers
☕︎ Hallmark movies
☕︎ Open door romance
Summary: Disgraced reality TV star Jada Townsend-Matthews is having a rough go of it. After turning down an on-air proposal from the most eligible bachelor, she is both cut off from her parent’s lucrative checking account and at the wrong end of a social media blitz.
When her Football team owning grandmother make a deal with one of her star players to find her a job at his Cupcake shop, she reluctantly agrees. The problem is, she’s already met Donovan Dell, and is not a fan of him or his cupcakes. Soon however, they decide on an arrangement that might help get them both what it is they want in life.
Thoughts: Equal parts sweet, salty and spicy, this book is a quick, fun romantic read perfect to throw in your beach bag or pack for a summer vacation.
First and foremost, the author’s descriptive language is so good, I felt I was watching a movie while reading, that kept me engaged the entire time. I also really enjoyed the setting of this story (except that now I am low key craving cupcakes non-stop) and getting to know not just the main characters, but the utterly charming supporting characters like Nicholas, August, and Olivia.
Speaking of August, I felt hints of a sequel to come and I am hoping it fills in the blanks between August and a certain sister (wink wink). I had so much fun reading about their fabulous book club featuring baked goods and wine galore, basically the book club of my dreams.
I have seen some criticism that this book is too cheesy. Is it cheesy at times, definitely. Are most rom coms cheesy, heck yes. I feel that occurs in most romance novels I read, so I generally don’t judge that too harshly unless it was unreadable. Given that I demolished this book in a day, I would say that is not the case with this one.
My only criticism is that it is dual points of view, but both are told in third person narration which always keeps the characters at arms length for me. With a romance like this, I prefer to really experience it through their eyes and third person keeps me from being able to do that.
Overall though, this is a super cute and fast read, and I recommend checking it out. I am excited to read more from this author soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
qotd: What is your favorite cupcake flavor?
☕︎ Fake dating
☕︎ Enemies to friends to lovers
☕︎ Hallmark movies
☕︎ Open door romance
Summary: Disgraced reality TV star Jada Townsend-Matthews is having a rough go of it. After turning down an on-air proposal from the most eligible bachelor, she is both cut off from her parent’s lucrative checking account and at the wrong end of a social media blitz.
When her Football team owning grandmother make a deal with one of her star players to find her a job at his Cupcake shop, she reluctantly agrees. The problem is, she’s already met Donovan Dell, and is not a fan of him or his cupcakes. Soon however, they decide on an arrangement that might help get them both what it is they want in life.
Thoughts: Equal parts sweet, salty and spicy, this book is a quick, fun romantic read perfect to throw in your beach bag or pack for a summer vacation.
First and foremost, the author’s descriptive language is so good, I felt I was watching a movie while reading, that kept me engaged the entire time. I also really enjoyed the setting of this story (except that now I am low key craving cupcakes non-stop) and getting to know not just the main characters, but the utterly charming supporting characters like Nicholas, August, and Olivia.
Speaking of August, I felt hints of a sequel to come and I am hoping it fills in the blanks between August and a certain sister (wink wink). I had so much fun reading about their fabulous book club featuring baked goods and wine galore, basically the book club of my dreams.
I have seen some criticism that this book is too cheesy. Is it cheesy at times, definitely. Are most rom coms cheesy, heck yes. I feel that occurs in most romance novels I read, so I generally don’t judge that too harshly unless it was unreadable. Given that I demolished this book in a day, I would say that is not the case with this one.
My only criticism is that it is dual points of view, but both are told in third person narration which always keeps the characters at arms length for me. With a romance like this, I prefer to really experience it through their eyes and third person keeps me from being able to do that.
Overall though, this is a super cute and fast read, and I recommend checking it out. I am excited to read more from this author soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
qotd: What is your favorite cupcake flavor?
March 1, 2022
2.5 rounded down (I originally rounded up, but after writing this review, I found myself struggling to find pros with the book... oof sorry.)
tws: social media harassment, mention of gambling addiction
This was just an exceptionally mediocre book. It was overwhelmingly okay at best. The book didn't really flow or feel super cohesive to me, but rather like a collection of vignettes about Jada/Donovan. We jumped around and fast-forwarded through time without a clear timeline. Towards the end of the book, there was a 3-month time skip, but I genuinely thought that that scene was a day later than the previous one. The timeline felt off and it wasn't easily understood what was happening when. The epilogue takes place 8 months after the final chapter, and this wasn't clear to me until halfway through the epilogue. I still thought things were happening that same month.
This then brings me to my next point: this book was full of insta-love (maybe? IDK about this timeline, tbh, it just felt really fast). Jada and Donovan met, and then met again like a day later, and then maybe two days later they were fake dating and then like... a week? later Donovan was like wow I'm in love with you and I'm going to fistfight anyone who even talks to you. That said, no matter how fast this romance was, the first 50% of the book dragged on. It felt like nothing was happening.
My third point - Donovan's possessiveness. IDK if it's just because I'm a lesbian that the idea of a man being possessive gave me the worst ick imaginable, but I literally was getting uncomfortable with how possessive this man was. He knew Jada for literal days and was like growling at men who would try to talk to her. (This isn't an exaggeration, this man literally growled multiple times in this book.)
I truly didn't care about Jada or Donovan, which makes this book a big miss for me. Jada and Donovan were both so truly flawed and unlikable that it made me struggle to read about their whirlwind romance. I also felt like I was inundated with facts about them. Too much telling and not enough showing. I definitely do not think we needed both POVs in this book. It felt repetitive and redundant, and getting to hear both sides of their story left little to the imagination.
I'm normally such a sucker for fake dating AND mutual pining, but we had so much information about this relationship that it didn't feel like mutual pining, rather just two coworkers being annoyingly horny for each other on main and then refusing to do anything about it.
Also - the side characters felt so underwhelmingly flat. I could not tell you a single thing about them besides the fact that they existed. Also the drama was very flat. None of the struggles (/the "villain"'s actions) felt realistic or relatable. Maybe I just cannot relate to the granddaughter of a billionaire who was on a reality-TV show and is then blackmailed (albeit, really weakly blackmailed). Who is to say?
One of the major plot points in this book is that Jada's parents don't approve of anything she does- and they cut her off! But don't worry, because she has a trust fund that she can access in one year's time AND her parents own her condo, so she doesn't even have to pay rent! Also, Grams is still a billionaire. IDK if you can tell but I hated this plot point. It felt so facetious to me and honestly disrespectful.
One more thing, just as a note: there were a lot of little factual issues in the book. Jada baked cupcakes for 20 minutes, set like three alarms for them, and then missed the alarms going off by like a minute (maximum). At this point, we were supposed to understand that she burnt the cupcakes. Ma'am, respectfully, those cupcakes are still raw. Put them back in the oven. Also, Jada's event-planning adventure brought a book-club to the cupcake shop, where she then served the book clubbers wine. Does this cupcake shop have a liquor license or are we calling the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control?
Also - as is standard in romance books, there was in fact a third-act breakup that was caused by literally nothing and then resolved in like two pages!!!
Because this entire review makes me look like a bitch - I'll write some positives of the book now. I enjoyed Jada's Grandma (even if she was a billionaire). I think August has a sick name. I enjoy cupcakes and this book made me want to go experiment with some cupcake flavors. I enjoy the fake-dating trope. I would like to live on the beach and learn to surf.
Unfortunately, this just was not the book for me. If you like contemporary romance, fake dating, and cupcakes (with a really healthy side of rich people being annoying), this is the book for you!
tws: social media harassment, mention of gambling addiction
This was just an exceptionally mediocre book. It was overwhelmingly okay at best. The book didn't really flow or feel super cohesive to me, but rather like a collection of vignettes about Jada/Donovan. We jumped around and fast-forwarded through time without a clear timeline. Towards the end of the book, there was a 3-month time skip, but I genuinely thought that that scene was a day later than the previous one. The timeline felt off and it wasn't easily understood what was happening when. The epilogue takes place 8 months after the final chapter, and this wasn't clear to me until halfway through the epilogue. I still thought things were happening that same month.
This then brings me to my next point: this book was full of insta-love (maybe? IDK about this timeline, tbh, it just felt really fast). Jada and Donovan met, and then met again like a day later, and then maybe two days later they were fake dating and then like... a week? later Donovan was like wow I'm in love with you and I'm going to fistfight anyone who even talks to you. That said, no matter how fast this romance was, the first 50% of the book dragged on. It felt like nothing was happening.
My third point - Donovan's possessiveness. IDK if it's just because I'm a lesbian that the idea of a man being possessive gave me the worst ick imaginable, but I literally was getting uncomfortable with how possessive this man was. He knew Jada for literal days and was like growling at men who would try to talk to her. (This isn't an exaggeration, this man literally growled multiple times in this book.)
I truly didn't care about Jada or Donovan, which makes this book a big miss for me. Jada and Donovan were both so truly flawed and unlikable that it made me struggle to read about their whirlwind romance. I also felt like I was inundated with facts about them. Too much telling and not enough showing. I definitely do not think we needed both POVs in this book. It felt repetitive and redundant, and getting to hear both sides of their story left little to the imagination.
I'm normally such a sucker for fake dating AND mutual pining, but we had so much information about this relationship that it didn't feel like mutual pining, rather just two coworkers being annoyingly horny for each other on main and then refusing to do anything about it.
Also - the side characters felt so underwhelmingly flat. I could not tell you a single thing about them besides the fact that they existed. Also the drama was very flat. None of the struggles (/the "villain"'s actions) felt realistic or relatable. Maybe I just cannot relate to the granddaughter of a billionaire who was on a reality-TV show and is then blackmailed (albeit, really weakly blackmailed). Who is to say?
One of the major plot points in this book is that Jada's parents don't approve of anything she does- and they cut her off! But don't worry, because she has a trust fund that she can access in one year's time AND her parents own her condo, so she doesn't even have to pay rent! Also, Grams is still a billionaire. IDK if you can tell but I hated this plot point. It felt so facetious to me and honestly disrespectful.
One more thing, just as a note: there were a lot of little factual issues in the book. Jada baked cupcakes for 20 minutes, set like three alarms for them, and then missed the alarms going off by like a minute (maximum). At this point, we were supposed to understand that she burnt the cupcakes. Ma'am, respectfully, those cupcakes are still raw. Put them back in the oven. Also, Jada's event-planning adventure brought a book-club to the cupcake shop, where she then served the book clubbers wine. Does this cupcake shop have a liquor license or are we calling the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control?
Also - as is standard in romance books, there was in fact a third-act breakup that was caused by literally nothing and then resolved in like two pages!!!
Because this entire review makes me look like a bitch - I'll write some positives of the book now. I enjoyed Jada's Grandma (even if she was a billionaire). I think August has a sick name. I enjoy cupcakes and this book made me want to go experiment with some cupcake flavors. I enjoy the fake-dating trope. I would like to live on the beach and learn to surf.
Unfortunately, this just was not the book for me. If you like contemporary romance, fake dating, and cupcakes (with a really healthy side of rich people being annoying), this is the book for you!
April 3, 2024
3.75 rounded up. Super cute. I love baking in a romance and this made me want cupcakes so damn bad. I wasn’t suuuuper invested in the couple and they had chemistry, it just wasn’t off the charts. Still a good time and I liked listening to the audio. Interested in reading the next one.
June 23, 2022
Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up for the way the story develops
I started out this read sure as sure could be that I'd be giving it at least four stars, and that Donovan was in line to be my next cinnamon roll hero. (Never mind he's a pro athlete! They got troubles too!) Things...did not pan out that way.
I'm a wary old campaigner in matters of the heart. Donovan's assumption of control over Jada, no matter that it imposed structure on the tornado that her life has been for all around her, rang loud alarm bells for me. No, nothing untoward happens...yet. Control is addictive, as is power in general. It doesn't need to be a bad thing IF it's part of the relationship by mutual consent and this was not the case here.
Normally this would've led me to Pearl-Rule the book, and this June...#PrideMonth!...especially I'm aware of relationship role models needing to be on balance positive to earn my accolade of a review. What happened that made me reassess my initial discomfort was seeing how Author Wesley used every chance to lead Jada into growth and greater maturity. Jada went from rudderless, spoiled girl to a focused, other-directed partner. That was a pure pleasure to read.
I started out this read sure as sure could be that I'd be giving it at least four stars, and that Donovan was in line to be my next cinnamon roll hero. (Never mind he's a pro athlete! They got troubles too!) Things...did not pan out that way.
I'm a wary old campaigner in matters of the heart. Donovan's assumption of control over Jada, no matter that it imposed structure on the tornado that her life has been for all around her, rang loud alarm bells for me. No, nothing untoward happens...yet. Control is addictive, as is power in general. It doesn't need to be a bad thing IF it's part of the relationship by mutual consent and this was not the case here.
Normally this would've led me to Pearl-Rule the book, and this June...#PrideMonth!...especially I'm aware of relationship role models needing to be on balance positive to earn my accolade of a review. What happened that made me reassess my initial discomfort was seeing how Author Wesley used every chance to lead Jada into growth and greater maturity. Jada went from rudderless, spoiled girl to a focused, other-directed partner. That was a pure pleasure to read.
February 4, 2022
Fake It Till You Bake It has a lovely premise, tons of good types, and some good representation, however it also starts really slow. For almost the first half of the book the plot felt somewhat dragged out and I didn't feel like the characters had a lot of chemistry. The shift near the middle was a bit awkward, but after it I really enjoyed the book. As mentioned, there's a ton of good tropes, and I like the direction the plot went in. The characters had good arcs, the final act wasn't overly predictable (like many rom-coms are), and I liked the theme surrounding how women are treated by the media as opposed to men. Overly, this book took a while to get into, but I think I went into it with unfairly high expectations and for the most part it was really good.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2022
If you're going to write a book that is in a bakery, please consult an actual professional baker. Holy hot fucking mess.
Buckle up, this is gonna be a freaking rant. Also I dictated this review so I just want you to imagine me sitting here ranting into my phone like I am spilling all the drama to my friend, because that's the vibe that I'm going for.
All right so I legitimately have a list of things about factual inaccuracies regarding the baking and kitchen elements of this story and I'm going to put those at the end.
Let's start with a brief summary of the book. We have Jada, who is intensely unlikable. She is judgy and rude for absolutely no reason, is a spoiled rich kid in her mid-twenties who has the audacity to complain about her parents cutting off her credit cards and not paying her bills. (Don't forget that she doesn't pay rent because she lives in a condo her parents own) She just left a reality television show where she turned down a marriage proposal and boohoo she's getting some shit online for it. She goes into this cupcake shop, this random cupcake shop she's never been into before, and has the fucking balls to stand in line and complain about how awful it is without having eaten a cupcake or been there before. Then her billionaire grandma comes to the rescue and ends up finding her a job at this very same cupcake shop because guess what? Grandma owns the football team that the bakery owner is a part of. Yeah wrap your head around that.
Then we have Donovan. Donovan who I expected to be a little bit of a cinnamon roll but he's actually kind of a possessive problematic jerk. Not only does he outright confront Jada when she criticizes the bakery, which I can almost get behind as a baker, but he is it super irresponsible. He ends up hiring her basically as a favor to the grandma who owns the football team he's part of, and on Jada's first day he leaves her alone in a kitchen. He also has absolutely no sense of what health code means or safety procedures which is dangerous. He is super super possessive. There are multiple moments in this book where he literally growls at other men just talking to Jada. At one point he's watching the television show that she was on and getting all up in arms about her talking to another man when she didn't even know him! I mean nothing happens on page but that is a red freaking flag bro.
Okay so basically these two hot messes end up fake dating and I don't even understand what the timeline was for this book. It was a day and then it was a week later than it was the next day but then it was a month later and then the epilogue is 8 months later but then it's actually the day it's very confusing. There is a lot of unnecessary drama that is kind of half fleshed out and never fully dealt with.
I can truly say the only thing I liked about this book was the fact that we got dyslexia representation. That's literally it.
Okay now for the baking. For the record I'm a professional baker and have been for 10 years. Most of these things that I'm about to list are things that could have been easily googled or just consult an actual professional baker. Commercial baking is not the same as baking cupcakes once at home because that's the vibe I get from the author. It feels like she maybe made one or two things one time at home and then googled fancy cupcake flavors and figured that was good enough.
• No kitchen would ever allow anyone to work in the kitchen with heels on. This is unrealistic and a safety issue. This happens on Jada's first day at work she wears " appropriate " 3-in wedge sandal heels and he just lets it go.
• find me a kitchen that has their recipes on a tablet and not an actual recipe book. I dare you. Not only is this not functional for an actual kitchen but it also is not sanitary and the health department would absolutely shut that shit down.
•baking is a science and professional bakers will always weigh their ingredients versus using volume measurements. This is almost one of the main things I notice in baking books where you can tell an author did not do any research.
• Cupcakes are not going to be burned after 20 minutes in an oven. Not even if your oven was set to 500°. Basically on Jada's first day they make vanilla cupcakes, a stupidly small batch and they crack the eggs wrong, and Donovan leaves her alone in the kitchen, which is a whole other ballpark, and she decides to put them in the oven and set multiple timers yet somehow there's a smoke alarm and black coals in the oven where the cupcakes should have been. No cupcake will be burned after 20 minutes unless they're minis but even then they're not going to be burned there's going to be over baked. I feel like this is super super basic and that even someone who does not professionally bake would know this. Who the hell edited this?
• crack your eggs on a flat surface folks. Not only will it prevent shells getting in your eggs but it's also better for bacteria and reducing the spread of bacteria. Pro tip.
• If you work in a cupcakery, your batches of cake batter are going to be more than just a two egg batch.
• follow up, if you work in a cupcakery, that only sells cupcakes, you're going to sell more than 150 cupcakes a day. This absolutely boggled my mind that it sounds like they just came up with a random number and ran with it. For reference, I work at a bakery that is in a small Midwestern town and is about a half an hour away from any city, and I had a par level of almost 600 items today. You're telling me that this bakery in San Diego California, that has a bunch of seating and three full-time bakers, makes 150 cupcakes a day? For real? Not to mention that they also talk about having dozens of flavors and also selling cupcakes by the half dozen dozen. Do you not understand how math works friend?
• liquor licenses are a thing. Jada hosts a book club at the bakery and starts to serve these people wine but I don't think that the bakery has a liquor license and you can't just serve alcohol because you want to. That is not how that shit works.
• there's another scene where they're baking at home and they talk about putting multiple pans of cupcakes in the oven yet they were only making six cupcakes. What kind of cupcake pans do you have? Did you put three cupcakes in each pan? In what world?
• Oh I almost forgot about this one It's a doozy. So Jada wears heels for like the first hour and a half of her first day right before she runs away crying because she burned cupcakes, anyway the next day, when Jada and Donovan are still virtually strangers, he pulls her into the office and shuts the door then proceeds to KNEEL DOWN at her feet and take her shoe off without any prior discussion or consent. Then he pulls out these new shoes that he bought for her because "he could tell that she was in pain." So not only do we have a sexual harassment suit in the making, we also are still glossing over the fact that you can't wear sandals high heels in a kitchen. Not just because it's uncomfortable but because it is unsafe. Then he proceeds to give her a demerit while still on his knees. I listen to this part with my mouth hanging open because I cannot fathom how the author or the editor or the beta readers or LITERALLY ANYONE decided that this scene was okay. I mean I know it's a romance book but they are still strangers and they have a power dynamic of employee and boss and that is not sexy I don't care what you say.
• This is another one of my favorites. They go on this talk show and they of course do a cupcake demonstration because why not? They make vanilla cupcakes. Guess what's not in the cupcakes? Fucking vanilla. Like they literally put that recipe on the page and there's no vanilla. There's also no leavening so not only are they going to have cupcakes that don't taste like vanilla but they're going to have cupcakes that aren't going to rise. And you're telling me that your hand whipping butter and sugar and it's becoming frothy? Do you know how ingredients work? Even if your butter was melted, it's not going to be frothy. The disaster that was the scene is too much for me.
• So then in that same television segment, they make a comment about how decorating the cupcakes is the easiest part? Have you ever picked up a piping bag? I don't think this author has or this editor. One of my biggest pet peeves about being a professional baker and showing people what I do for a living is that people will turn around and expect that they can do the things that I have trained specifically for and pick it up in a day. Like decorating cakes and cupcakes is not something that you just know how to do. It takes practice and skill and it sure as fuck is not the easiest part of cupcakes.
• Oh also don't put cold water on a burn. That's not how science works.
Well I think that that's it. Yeah this book was a disaster. Not only was it not interesting but you had unlikable problematic main characters and absolutely atrocious baking elements.
In the acknowledgments this author talks about sports a lot and maybe they should stick to sports. If you're going to have a football main character, write a freaking sports romance. If you're going to choose to write about something that you don't know anything about or even enjoy it sounds like, maybe just don't. There is no reason why this book needed to have a bakery element. There are so many other avenues that could have been taken, and to choose one where you blatantly just say fuck it, ruins the book. It really felt like the baking aspect of this book was used as a catchy title and a cutesy profession for this big jock football player to have and not something that tens of thousands of people do professionally as a respectable career and skill set everyday. The lack of any sort of research was almost disrespectful. Do freaking better.
Buckle up, this is gonna be a freaking rant. Also I dictated this review so I just want you to imagine me sitting here ranting into my phone like I am spilling all the drama to my friend, because that's the vibe that I'm going for.
All right so I legitimately have a list of things about factual inaccuracies regarding the baking and kitchen elements of this story and I'm going to put those at the end.
Let's start with a brief summary of the book. We have Jada, who is intensely unlikable. She is judgy and rude for absolutely no reason, is a spoiled rich kid in her mid-twenties who has the audacity to complain about her parents cutting off her credit cards and not paying her bills. (Don't forget that she doesn't pay rent because she lives in a condo her parents own) She just left a reality television show where she turned down a marriage proposal and boohoo she's getting some shit online for it. She goes into this cupcake shop, this random cupcake shop she's never been into before, and has the fucking balls to stand in line and complain about how awful it is without having eaten a cupcake or been there before. Then her billionaire grandma comes to the rescue and ends up finding her a job at this very same cupcake shop because guess what? Grandma owns the football team that the bakery owner is a part of. Yeah wrap your head around that.
Then we have Donovan. Donovan who I expected to be a little bit of a cinnamon roll but he's actually kind of a possessive problematic jerk. Not only does he outright confront Jada when she criticizes the bakery, which I can almost get behind as a baker, but he is it super irresponsible. He ends up hiring her basically as a favor to the grandma who owns the football team he's part of, and on Jada's first day he leaves her alone in a kitchen. He also has absolutely no sense of what health code means or safety procedures which is dangerous. He is super super possessive. There are multiple moments in this book where he literally growls at other men just talking to Jada. At one point he's watching the television show that she was on and getting all up in arms about her talking to another man when she didn't even know him! I mean nothing happens on page but that is a red freaking flag bro.
Okay so basically these two hot messes end up fake dating and I don't even understand what the timeline was for this book. It was a day and then it was a week later than it was the next day but then it was a month later and then the epilogue is 8 months later but then it's actually the day it's very confusing. There is a lot of unnecessary drama that is kind of half fleshed out and never fully dealt with.
I can truly say the only thing I liked about this book was the fact that we got dyslexia representation. That's literally it.
Okay now for the baking. For the record I'm a professional baker and have been for 10 years. Most of these things that I'm about to list are things that could have been easily googled or just consult an actual professional baker. Commercial baking is not the same as baking cupcakes once at home because that's the vibe I get from the author. It feels like she maybe made one or two things one time at home and then googled fancy cupcake flavors and figured that was good enough.
• No kitchen would ever allow anyone to work in the kitchen with heels on. This is unrealistic and a safety issue. This happens on Jada's first day at work she wears " appropriate " 3-in wedge sandal heels and he just lets it go.
• find me a kitchen that has their recipes on a tablet and not an actual recipe book. I dare you. Not only is this not functional for an actual kitchen but it also is not sanitary and the health department would absolutely shut that shit down.
•baking is a science and professional bakers will always weigh their ingredients versus using volume measurements. This is almost one of the main things I notice in baking books where you can tell an author did not do any research.
• Cupcakes are not going to be burned after 20 minutes in an oven. Not even if your oven was set to 500°. Basically on Jada's first day they make vanilla cupcakes, a stupidly small batch and they crack the eggs wrong, and Donovan leaves her alone in the kitchen, which is a whole other ballpark, and she decides to put them in the oven and set multiple timers yet somehow there's a smoke alarm and black coals in the oven where the cupcakes should have been. No cupcake will be burned after 20 minutes unless they're minis but even then they're not going to be burned there's going to be over baked. I feel like this is super super basic and that even someone who does not professionally bake would know this. Who the hell edited this?
• crack your eggs on a flat surface folks. Not only will it prevent shells getting in your eggs but it's also better for bacteria and reducing the spread of bacteria. Pro tip.
• If you work in a cupcakery, your batches of cake batter are going to be more than just a two egg batch.
• follow up, if you work in a cupcakery, that only sells cupcakes, you're going to sell more than 150 cupcakes a day. This absolutely boggled my mind that it sounds like they just came up with a random number and ran with it. For reference, I work at a bakery that is in a small Midwestern town and is about a half an hour away from any city, and I had a par level of almost 600 items today. You're telling me that this bakery in San Diego California, that has a bunch of seating and three full-time bakers, makes 150 cupcakes a day? For real? Not to mention that they also talk about having dozens of flavors and also selling cupcakes by the half dozen dozen. Do you not understand how math works friend?
• liquor licenses are a thing. Jada hosts a book club at the bakery and starts to serve these people wine but I don't think that the bakery has a liquor license and you can't just serve alcohol because you want to. That is not how that shit works.
• there's another scene where they're baking at home and they talk about putting multiple pans of cupcakes in the oven yet they were only making six cupcakes. What kind of cupcake pans do you have? Did you put three cupcakes in each pan? In what world?
• Oh I almost forgot about this one It's a doozy. So Jada wears heels for like the first hour and a half of her first day right before she runs away crying because she burned cupcakes, anyway the next day, when Jada and Donovan are still virtually strangers, he pulls her into the office and shuts the door then proceeds to KNEEL DOWN at her feet and take her shoe off without any prior discussion or consent. Then he pulls out these new shoes that he bought for her because "he could tell that she was in pain." So not only do we have a sexual harassment suit in the making, we also are still glossing over the fact that you can't wear sandals high heels in a kitchen. Not just because it's uncomfortable but because it is unsafe. Then he proceeds to give her a demerit while still on his knees. I listen to this part with my mouth hanging open because I cannot fathom how the author or the editor or the beta readers or LITERALLY ANYONE decided that this scene was okay. I mean I know it's a romance book but they are still strangers and they have a power dynamic of employee and boss and that is not sexy I don't care what you say.
• This is another one of my favorites. They go on this talk show and they of course do a cupcake demonstration because why not? They make vanilla cupcakes. Guess what's not in the cupcakes? Fucking vanilla. Like they literally put that recipe on the page and there's no vanilla. There's also no leavening so not only are they going to have cupcakes that don't taste like vanilla but they're going to have cupcakes that aren't going to rise. And you're telling me that your hand whipping butter and sugar and it's becoming frothy? Do you know how ingredients work? Even if your butter was melted, it's not going to be frothy. The disaster that was the scene is too much for me.
• So then in that same television segment, they make a comment about how decorating the cupcakes is the easiest part? Have you ever picked up a piping bag? I don't think this author has or this editor. One of my biggest pet peeves about being a professional baker and showing people what I do for a living is that people will turn around and expect that they can do the things that I have trained specifically for and pick it up in a day. Like decorating cakes and cupcakes is not something that you just know how to do. It takes practice and skill and it sure as fuck is not the easiest part of cupcakes.
• Oh also don't put cold water on a burn. That's not how science works.
Well I think that that's it. Yeah this book was a disaster. Not only was it not interesting but you had unlikable problematic main characters and absolutely atrocious baking elements.
In the acknowledgments this author talks about sports a lot and maybe they should stick to sports. If you're going to have a football main character, write a freaking sports romance. If you're going to choose to write about something that you don't know anything about or even enjoy it sounds like, maybe just don't. There is no reason why this book needed to have a bakery element. There are so many other avenues that could have been taken, and to choose one where you blatantly just say fuck it, ruins the book. It really felt like the baking aspect of this book was used as a catchy title and a cutesy profession for this big jock football player to have and not something that tens of thousands of people do professionally as a respectable career and skill set everyday. The lack of any sort of research was almost disrespectful. Do freaking better.
April 17, 2022
Let me first start off with saying, I so badly wanted to love this. And although there were incredibly humorous moments, this book did not deliver.
The romance: was extremely lack-luster and a bit confusing. Jada and Donovan have a not so meet cute in Donovan’s bakery one day…(after having been on a dating show where Jada’s reputation went down the drain, she decided to set up a ploy to fake date Donovan).It should’ve been cute because not only are they slightly nemeses, Jada also works for Donovan because she’s been cut off from her rich parents and has to hold down a job for 6 months in order for her grandmother to release her trust fund to her. So, here’s the thing. I feel like the timeline of this relationship made zero sense. The book, minus the epilogue, felt like it took place over 1 week. And by the end of that week, they were in love. There was literally no emotional connection nor physical connection that I felt drawn to. I can’t even say these characters were sexy because even that just fell incredibly flat. So this was definitely insta-love done in a way that I don’t like.
Characters: I mean, Donovan and Jada as individual characters were just okay. I appreciated the inclusion of Jada’s dyslexia and Donovans very rigid behavior. I felt like the two characters were very human in the sense that they were relatable on some levels. BUT, Donovan at times was always described as this possessive guy, over a woman he barely knew which made no sense to me. I don’t usually mind a bit of protectiveness but it has to make sense and here it didn’t. He rarely had moments of softness which sucks because I love to see Black men with layers. Jada…was kind of, idk. 😂 I liked her in the beginning but her character quickly became annoying. Mostly because her “banter” with Donovan felt mostly like insults wrapped in insults? And not actually playful banter lol. Like dang girl do you even really like this man? The side characters, barely had any type of distinct characteristics and added not much to the story.
Overall: I was sadly disappointed because I love fake dating and I LOVE Black love. Unfortunately, this one just did not do it for me. Again, I didn’t hate it and it had some enjoyable moments but all in all, it didn’t make the mark for me.
The romance: was extremely lack-luster and a bit confusing. Jada and Donovan have a not so meet cute in Donovan’s bakery one day…(after having been on a dating show where Jada’s reputation went down the drain, she decided to set up a ploy to fake date Donovan).It should’ve been cute because not only are they slightly nemeses, Jada also works for Donovan because she’s been cut off from her rich parents and has to hold down a job for 6 months in order for her grandmother to release her trust fund to her. So, here’s the thing. I feel like the timeline of this relationship made zero sense. The book, minus the epilogue, felt like it took place over 1 week. And by the end of that week, they were in love. There was literally no emotional connection nor physical connection that I felt drawn to. I can’t even say these characters were sexy because even that just fell incredibly flat. So this was definitely insta-love done in a way that I don’t like.
Characters: I mean, Donovan and Jada as individual characters were just okay. I appreciated the inclusion of Jada’s dyslexia and Donovans very rigid behavior. I felt like the two characters were very human in the sense that they were relatable on some levels. BUT, Donovan at times was always described as this possessive guy, over a woman he barely knew which made no sense to me. I don’t usually mind a bit of protectiveness but it has to make sense and here it didn’t. He rarely had moments of softness which sucks because I love to see Black men with layers. Jada…was kind of, idk. 😂 I liked her in the beginning but her character quickly became annoying. Mostly because her “banter” with Donovan felt mostly like insults wrapped in insults? And not actually playful banter lol. Like dang girl do you even really like this man? The side characters, barely had any type of distinct characteristics and added not much to the story.
Overall: I was sadly disappointed because I love fake dating and I LOVE Black love. Unfortunately, this one just did not do it for me. Again, I didn’t hate it and it had some enjoyable moments but all in all, it didn’t make the mark for me.
October 16, 2024
4.5⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Fake It Till You Bake It, #1
Others in the series ~ A Legend in the Baking
Setting ~ California
Publication date ~ June 21, 2022
Page Count ~ 336 (26 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 56 minutes
Narrator ~ Kassiopia DeVora
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ fake dating, slow burn, some steamage
Gah ~ hot football players that bake! yes please!
Donovan plays for the San Diego Knights and also owns the cupcake shop Sugar Blitz with two of his teammates. Business isn't as great as he'd like it to be, so he sets up a meeting with the witty and knowledgeable owner of his team, Mrs. T. It turns out Mrs. T has a plan of her own that will not only help Donovan, but her granddaughter, Jada, too.
Jada is currently the most hated woman in America for saying no to a proposal on one of the most popular reality dating shows. Her parents are cutting her off, so she has no choice but to go along with Grams's plan and start working at the bakery that she just called 'stale' the previous day. I love her honesty and how she interacts with people. She's dyslexic and I thought that was well written.
Donovan is a logical man who likes order and stability. He's always calm, cool and collected. He isn't expecting to be thrown into a fake relationship in order to drum up sales, but he goes with the flow and soon realizes it's the best decision of his life.
As always I loved that it goes back and forth between their perspectives. I liked that Jada went after what she wanted, but I didn't care for the inevitable breakup we always get in this trope.
Grams is great! I really loved every character. Donovan, Nicholas and August have a great friendship ~ do I smell a book for each of them too??? ETA ~ yay, book 2 following August comes out 11/24 ➡ my review
A fun, fake dating, slow burn quick read. I can't call this a sports romance because it's the off season, so there is no football playing going on. I enjoyed their banter and sweetness. There was a little too much talk about social media for me. I could have went for a recipe or two for some on the delicious sounding cupcakes.
I have mixed feelings about the epilogue, was it too rushed? ~ But it seems it might be setting us up for another book ~ yay!!
This is my first time with this author and I've got my eyes peeled for her next book!
*Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Jamie Wesley and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Fake It Till You Bake It, #1
Others in the series ~ A Legend in the Baking
Setting ~ California
Publication date ~ June 21, 2022
Page Count ~ 336 (26 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 56 minutes
Narrator ~ Kassiopia DeVora
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ fake dating, slow burn, some steamage
Gah ~ hot football players that bake! yes please!
Donovan plays for the San Diego Knights and also owns the cupcake shop Sugar Blitz with two of his teammates. Business isn't as great as he'd like it to be, so he sets up a meeting with the witty and knowledgeable owner of his team, Mrs. T. It turns out Mrs. T has a plan of her own that will not only help Donovan, but her granddaughter, Jada, too.
Jada is currently the most hated woman in America for saying no to a proposal on one of the most popular reality dating shows. Her parents are cutting her off, so she has no choice but to go along with Grams's plan and start working at the bakery that she just called 'stale' the previous day. I love her honesty and how she interacts with people. She's dyslexic and I thought that was well written.
Donovan is a logical man who likes order and stability. He's always calm, cool and collected. He isn't expecting to be thrown into a fake relationship in order to drum up sales, but he goes with the flow and soon realizes it's the best decision of his life.
As always I loved that it goes back and forth between their perspectives. I liked that Jada went after what she wanted, but I didn't care for the inevitable breakup we always get in this trope.
Grams is great! I really loved every character. Donovan, Nicholas and August have a great friendship ~ do I smell a book for each of them too??? ETA ~ yay, book 2 following August comes out 11/24 ➡ my review
A fun, fake dating, slow burn quick read. I can't call this a sports romance because it's the off season, so there is no football playing going on. I enjoyed their banter and sweetness. There was a little too much talk about social media for me. I could have went for a recipe or two for some on the delicious sounding cupcakes.
I have mixed feelings about the epilogue, was it too rushed? ~ But it seems it might be setting us up for another book ~ yay!!
This is my first time with this author and I've got my eyes peeled for her next book!
*Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Jamie Wesley and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
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May 4, 2022
Jamie Wesley knocked it out of the park! Fake It Till You Bake It is the perfect start to a new series of football players who open a cupcake bakery together. This first book has comedic moments, swoony scenes, and two characters who I wanted to befriend so badly! You also fall easily for the community surrounding them. This book was so much fun, I literally couldn't stop reading them. Perfect as a beach read me thinks.
Reality TV star villain meets cupcake shop owner in this magnificent rom-com. Jada is the most villify woman in America; she just turned down the proposal of America's hottest bachelor in this hit dating show she appeared in. She's also a heiress!!! Her grandma is owner of this billionaire football team. Before she hands Jada her trust fund, she talks to one of her players, Donovan, to let Jada work for him for a few months in order for grandma to see she is commited to something.
They don't really start in the right way because when they first meet, Jada is saying his cupcake shop is boring and he's listening to her lmao he confronts her and they get on it, bickering non-stop! She's such a fashionista, wearing pumps at every moment, Gucci suits and so. I love Jada so very much. She also feels like she is never enough, mainly because of her upbringing, her parents always letting her know she was a disappointment to them because she wasn't a scientist or working in STEM like them. She also has a learning disability, dyslexia, so her parents also made her feel bad about it throughout her whole life.
On the other side you have Donovan, who needs a little bit of help with his cupcake shop. It's suffering! He isn't getting as many costumers as he thought he would, so he needs a plan and PRONTO. Good thing he starts fake dating Jada, because the free publicity they create? By just being together? OOOF. Now they have to appear on talk shows, create viral moments, to help Donovan's bakery. They work together so well and I love that they constantly bicker around like that never disappears. Jada is always teasing him and right back Donovan lmao. I loved their dynamic so much and I didn't want to stop reading.
Two scenes I loved:
1) Donovan and Jada have to recreate a clinch romance cover for the book club they invited to the shop! There's a photo shoot and *screams* they've been dating for 2 days at that point but THERE'S SO MUCH CHEMISTRY IT'S INSANE
2) Donovan inviting his two football-playing best friends to watch Jada's season of the dating show lmao AND THEN getting angry and growling whenever the bachelor came on screen!!! He's so cute and hilarious. They are commited to the show at one point and cannot stop watching YES DATING TV SHOWS ARE SO ENTERTAINING THAT'S RIGHT.
I'm excited about the next book? It hasn't been announced BUT I HOPE THERE'S A NEXT BOOK AND POSSIBLY A THIRD BOOK? That ending left me wanting so much more for the future couples omg. I'm ready!
Reality TV star villain meets cupcake shop owner in this magnificent rom-com. Jada is the most villify woman in America; she just turned down the proposal of America's hottest bachelor in this hit dating show she appeared in. She's also a heiress!!! Her grandma is owner of this billionaire football team. Before she hands Jada her trust fund, she talks to one of her players, Donovan, to let Jada work for him for a few months in order for grandma to see she is commited to something.
They don't really start in the right way because when they first meet, Jada is saying his cupcake shop is boring and he's listening to her lmao he confronts her and they get on it, bickering non-stop! She's such a fashionista, wearing pumps at every moment, Gucci suits and so. I love Jada so very much. She also feels like she is never enough, mainly because of her upbringing, her parents always letting her know she was a disappointment to them because she wasn't a scientist or working in STEM like them. She also has a learning disability, dyslexia, so her parents also made her feel bad about it throughout her whole life.
On the other side you have Donovan, who needs a little bit of help with his cupcake shop. It's suffering! He isn't getting as many costumers as he thought he would, so he needs a plan and PRONTO. Good thing he starts fake dating Jada, because the free publicity they create? By just being together? OOOF. Now they have to appear on talk shows, create viral moments, to help Donovan's bakery. They work together so well and I love that they constantly bicker around like that never disappears. Jada is always teasing him and right back Donovan lmao. I loved their dynamic so much and I didn't want to stop reading.
Two scenes I loved:
1) Donovan and Jada have to recreate a clinch romance cover for the book club they invited to the shop! There's a photo shoot and *screams* they've been dating for 2 days at that point but THERE'S SO MUCH CHEMISTRY IT'S INSANE
2) Donovan inviting his two football-playing best friends to watch Jada's season of the dating show lmao AND THEN getting angry and growling whenever the bachelor came on screen!!! He's so cute and hilarious. They are commited to the show at one point and cannot stop watching YES DATING TV SHOWS ARE SO ENTERTAINING THAT'S RIGHT.
I'm excited about the next book? It hasn't been announced BUT I HOPE THERE'S A NEXT BOOK AND POSSIBLY A THIRD BOOK? That ending left me wanting so much more for the future couples omg. I'm ready!
January 25, 2023
3.75*
This was a tasteh read – man the descriptions of some of those 🧁 triggered some serious cravings 🤤 🤤 🤤
I really hope this will be the start of a series for the other two Baking Bros & maybe a book for Olivia, another for Jada’s sis and one for Ella plz – Ok ok so I’m greedy … but honestly what’s new?! 😈
This started a little slow for me and I did not love the ending as it felt rushed– but the middle was good fun.
Seriously tho authors a 3rd act breakup is not needed for a successful romcom, can we pretty please move away from this trope?! It is way more interesting to read about potential hiccups between couples and how they work overcome whatever issue(s) may arise.
The MCs grew on me as they bonded. At first, I did not love the materialistic brand names dropping & Donovan came across a little stuffy, but as we learn more about his background, see him interact with his friends and Jada as they overcome their initial not-meet-cute 🤭 helped warm me to them and start rooting for them.
Ms Wesley gave depth to Jada by revealing her layers to us and the H in an organic way. Her Grams is in the running for MVP if only for her unwavering support of Jada in the face of the blatant disrespect from her immediate fam – wth is up with them?!
Sensitivity is obvs a characteristic they seriously lack, #booksmart vs #streetsmart – altho we don’t get much from the sister, besides one interaction which hints at the possibility of perhaps a bit more than meets the eye. I’ll reserve judgment if she gets her own book…otherwise she can get in the sea with their 🤬 parents tho
Now where do I sign a petition for books for all those mentioned at the start of this “review”? 😇
This was a tasteh read – man the descriptions of some of those 🧁 triggered some serious cravings 🤤 🤤 🤤
I really hope this will be the start of a series for the other two Baking Bros & maybe a book for Olivia, another for Jada’s sis and one for Ella plz – Ok ok so I’m greedy … but honestly what’s new?! 😈
This started a little slow for me and I did not love the ending as it felt rushed– but the middle was good fun.
Seriously tho authors a 3rd act breakup is not needed for a successful romcom, can we pretty please move away from this trope?! It is way more interesting to read about potential hiccups between couples and how they work overcome whatever issue(s) may arise.
The MCs grew on me as they bonded. At first, I did not love the materialistic brand names dropping & Donovan came across a little stuffy, but as we learn more about his background, see him interact with his friends and Jada as they overcome their initial not-meet-cute 🤭 helped warm me to them and start rooting for them.
Ms Wesley gave depth to Jada by revealing her layers to us and the H in an organic way. Her Grams is in the running for MVP if only for her unwavering support of Jada in the face of the blatant disrespect from her immediate fam – wth is up with them?!
Sensitivity is obvs a characteristic they seriously lack, #booksmart vs #streetsmart – altho we don’t get much from the sister, besides one interaction which hints at the possibility of perhaps a bit more than meets the eye. I’ll reserve judgment if she gets her own book…otherwise she can get in the sea with their 🤬 parents tho
Now where do I sign a petition for books for all those mentioned at the start of this “review”? 😇
August 17, 2024
3.5 stars
This was really cute. I love to bake so I’m always down to read a baking romance. I loved the bakery aspect and the fact that Donovan owned it. I enjoyed this one as a whole, but honestly, the ending fell a little flat for me.
This was really cute. I love to bake so I’m always down to read a baking romance. I loved the bakery aspect and the fact that Donovan owned it. I enjoyed this one as a whole, but honestly, the ending fell a little flat for me.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Kassiopia DeVora
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 9h 56m
March 20, 2022
I got an arc, doing my happy dance💃🏽
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big thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for a review !!
★★★★★ A big fat five stars from me!!
He couldn’t get enough of touching her. Of being with her. The lightness she had brought to his life could not be overstated."
“I should have told you that I love you, and I’ll go to the ends of the earth for you.”
“The whole time he was talking to me I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted it to be you. I want to be with you. Only you. For real.”
I had high expectations for this book and I cannot be happier with the results, it was everything I wanted and more! I devoured this book in a matter of hours because, come on, Black love w/ fake dating and cupcakes?? say no more.
Things I loved<3
- pure chemistry between Donovan and Jada
- hilarious banter (that doesn't go away after they fall in love)
- character development by the end of the book
- funny and interesting side characters
Overall a good spicy romance that EVERYONE should buy as soon as it comes out, June 21 so mark your calendars people!
----
big thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for a review !!
★★★★★ A big fat five stars from me!!
He couldn’t get enough of touching her. Of being with her. The lightness she had brought to his life could not be overstated."
“I should have told you that I love you, and I’ll go to the ends of the earth for you.”
“The whole time he was talking to me I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted it to be you. I want to be with you. Only you. For real.”
I had high expectations for this book and I cannot be happier with the results, it was everything I wanted and more! I devoured this book in a matter of hours because, come on, Black love w/ fake dating and cupcakes?? say no more.
Things I loved<3
- pure chemistry between Donovan and Jada
- hilarious banter (that doesn't go away after they fall in love)
- character development by the end of the book
- funny and interesting side characters
Overall a good spicy romance that EVERYONE should buy as soon as it comes out, June 21 so mark your calendars people!
June 2, 2022
This was very fun and cute! Fake dating, football players running a cupcake shop, and reality TV drama all come together in Fake It Til You Bake It.
Fans of a reality dating show hate Jada for turning down a proposal and breaking the lead's heart. Jada is hunkering down and trying to find direction in life when her grandmother (a badass lady who owns a professional football team) ends up pushing her to work at a cupcake shop run by three of the players on her team. Jada and Donovan butt heads, but end up faking a relationship to help business for the shop. But of course, things start to heat up for real...
I found this to be charming and sometimes pretty funny. Jada is a bit of a mess and Donovan is a bit uptight, but I think they end up being really good for each other. I was hoping this might be a new favorite for me, and I wasn't invested quite enough for that, but I think this is a solid, enjoyable romance that will likely be a crowd pleaser. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Fans of a reality dating show hate Jada for turning down a proposal and breaking the lead's heart. Jada is hunkering down and trying to find direction in life when her grandmother (a badass lady who owns a professional football team) ends up pushing her to work at a cupcake shop run by three of the players on her team. Jada and Donovan butt heads, but end up faking a relationship to help business for the shop. But of course, things start to heat up for real...
I found this to be charming and sometimes pretty funny. Jada is a bit of a mess and Donovan is a bit uptight, but I think they end up being really good for each other. I was hoping this might be a new favorite for me, and I wasn't invested quite enough for that, but I think this is a solid, enjoyable romance that will likely be a crowd pleaser. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 2, 2022
Any book that's set in a bakery has my heart. This was a cute fake dating book filled with football players, reality stars and of course the shining stars, cupcakes. A summer read that you can fly through and a little steamy time as well!
October 1, 2023
3.5 stars
June 30, 2022
such a good book i can’t explain how much i love the writing i need follow-up books on donnys sisters, and in august and nick and olivia like NOW
September 20, 2023
I enjoyed listening to this quiet, sweet (pun intended?), contemporary Black romance with some fake dating and a workplace relationship. I do think the engaging audiobook performance by Kassiopia DeVora really elevated what might have been a bit too chill of a story if I had read my paperback; the plot is a trickle rather than a stream, but as a low-stress listen this really succeeded.
Donovan is a successful NFL player running his own cupcake bakery with two other teammates during the off-season; a quiet and determined man, he enjoys planning and control, but can't quite figure out why the bakery has been struggling. Jada is a bit adrift in life, fresh from an infamous turn on a romance reality show that was supposed to launch her as an influencer, rather than make her Target Number One on social media for weeks.
Jada takes out a bad mood on Donovan's bakery when she stops in with a friend, and a bit of enemies to lovers ensues when her grandmother, who happens to own Donovan's NFL team, asks him to employ her as a favor while she finds her footing.
The best part of this for me was the relatively low-conflict plot, and the characters' relative privilege and wealth melting into the background. Jada, while sometimes unlikable, was a good foil for steadfast, serious Donovan. She livens up the bakery, renewing business by booking events like book clubs and bachelorette parties. Her antics in the kitchen get him to loosen up, and his tutelage of her helped her character mature through the book; he also protects and stands by her when social media critics lash out. They have some good, steamy scenes too.
I found the secondary characters really likable too, especially the quiet August; I'd read his book if there's a series. And a standout scene was the book club meeting, the members getting Jada and Donovan to re-enact their romance novel's cover for Instagram. A cowboy hat is involved. So fun.
Some CWs for brief mentions here and there of social media bullying, a parent's gambling addiction, and ableism regarding Jada's Dyslexia.
Donovan is a successful NFL player running his own cupcake bakery with two other teammates during the off-season; a quiet and determined man, he enjoys planning and control, but can't quite figure out why the bakery has been struggling. Jada is a bit adrift in life, fresh from an infamous turn on a romance reality show that was supposed to launch her as an influencer, rather than make her Target Number One on social media for weeks.
Jada takes out a bad mood on Donovan's bakery when she stops in with a friend, and a bit of enemies to lovers ensues when her grandmother, who happens to own Donovan's NFL team, asks him to employ her as a favor while she finds her footing.
The best part of this for me was the relatively low-conflict plot, and the characters' relative privilege and wealth melting into the background. Jada, while sometimes unlikable, was a good foil for steadfast, serious Donovan. She livens up the bakery, renewing business by booking events like book clubs and bachelorette parties. Her antics in the kitchen get him to loosen up, and his tutelage of her helped her character mature through the book; he also protects and stands by her when social media critics lash out. They have some good, steamy scenes too.
I found the secondary characters really likable too, especially the quiet August; I'd read his book if there's a series. And a standout scene was the book club meeting, the members getting Jada and Donovan to re-enact their romance novel's cover for Instagram. A cowboy hat is involved. So fun.
Some CWs for brief mentions here and there of social media bullying, a parent's gambling addiction, and ableism regarding Jada's Dyslexia.
September 28, 2023
Twice now my Kindle has not allowed me to finish a book. I got to about 71% on this one and it told me there was no more to read then kept demanding I rate this. lol It was good for what I read, but I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence that I chose two books that weren’t fully loaded or something glitchy with my Kindle! Maybe some day I’ll know how this one ends!
August 29, 2023
Fake It Till You Bake It is funny and sweet. I adore both Donovan and Jada. There are no souls that fit perfectly like theirs. Miss Wesley done a fantastic job narrating her characters' story into a rom com. I love Jada. She is smart, sassy and strong. Miss Wesly is not shy adding insecurity to her heroine's character.
While Donovan is strong, cocky and quite, he is also a force.
The banter, the conversation are perfect. I enjoy my time reading the book. This is my first read by Miss Wesley and I am looking forward for the next read by her.
4 stars
While Donovan is strong, cocky and quite, he is also a force.
The banter, the conversation are perfect. I enjoy my time reading the book. This is my first read by Miss Wesley and I am looking forward for the next read by her.
4 stars
March 7, 2022
Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for an arc; here is my honest review.
CW/TW: Sexual Content
🌟🌟🌟🌟.75
Fake It Til You Bake It is everything I look for in a romance book. The chemistry between the two leads was believable and I was rooting for them throughout the book. Their banter is the best, and thankfully they didn’t lose it once they got together.
I’m excited for the next book in this series and can’t wait to get my hands on the finale copy of this book!
If you’re looking for a great romance book than this should be your pick.
CW/TW: Sexual Content
🌟🌟🌟🌟.75
Fake It Til You Bake It is everything I look for in a romance book. The chemistry between the two leads was believable and I was rooting for them throughout the book. Their banter is the best, and thankfully they didn’t lose it once they got together.
I’m excited for the next book in this series and can’t wait to get my hands on the finale copy of this book!
If you’re looking for a great romance book than this should be your pick.
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