WHAT A DEBUT! A cutesy sports rom-com with fake-dating and lots of fluff.

For anyone that loves the likes of Ali Hazelwood, R.S. Grey and Christina Lauren (the reigning queens of rom-com) YOU'LL LOVE THIS!

As an ice hockey gal, who would have thought someone could get me interested in baseball?

Very much a sickly sweet romance, with no smut but all the feels. Really easy read with loveable characters, a great palate cleanse for in between big fantasy books!

Totally earns the 4 stars!!! I'll be keeping an eye out for all of Ally's future stuff.

Thanks to NetGalley and EMBLA Books for my ARC.

The set up was so much fun, who doesn't love a fake dating sports romance? This was a really easy, quick and fun read.

I enjoyed reading about both the characters, Tommy and Maggie each had their own backstories and depth that were more developed as the story progressed. They were both really sweet, so much so that I actually struggled to believe Tommy's "playboy" past...

Unfortunately, I also really struggled with the insta love. It is something I just can't overlook and really makes it difficult for me to root for these characters and believe in their relationship. Having someone head over heels in love with someone like 5% in is far too early for me personally. I needed more build up and tension. The 3rd act breakup was also slightly weak in my opinion, it just seemed like the classic misunderstanding / miscommunication which is fine in theory but I don't think it really adds much to the story as a whole.

Overall, if you are in need of a fun and easy sports romance I would definitely recommend.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc, all thoughts and opinions are my own,

.Maggie is in her dream job photographer for the cougars baseball team with her best friend Olivia until she is hit by a baseball. This baseball was thrown by new player Tommy Mikals. Tommy was dropped by his previous team and is on his final chance. The clubs pr team encourage them to start fake dating. At times the book seemed rushed.
The book addresses a wide range of issues .
Tropes
Fake dating
Sports romance
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine

I would like to thank netgalley and Embla Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The 1st person was annoying and the romance was pretty average.

Sometimes you can read a book and it leaves you very much in the middle. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. It’s a very sweet read but I would say there are some pacing issues, the book is largely from the FMC’s perspective with the MMC far and few.

My biggest grievance is the misleading blurb. It says the MMC doesn’t commit making it sound like one of those romances where you’re cheering him on to finally give in yet this is actually insta-love (something I’m personally not a fan of but I never actually mark down a book due to tropes I don’t like) and within the first few chapters, he’s in.

4.5 🌟
A perfect, sweet sports romance set in the world of baseball! This book is ideal for those who enjoy the fake dating trope, the bad boy/innocent girl trope but generally it's a really lovely slow burn of a relationship that is inevitable but heartwarming at the same time.

Both main characters have a lot in their past that they are trying to deal with, and the dual character pov really allows you to get to know them well and also hear their thoughts about the other person!

A well-written, heartwarming book that I flew through and didn't want to stop reading!

Not a fan of the writing style in this one, unfortunately. There was very little getting to know the characters and so they all felt a bit flat, with a romance that I wasn't particularly bothered about. The plot was fine, but I was really just rushing to finish this book!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I really tried to get into this but unfortunately it was wasn’t for me!

Insta love is not my favourite trope and I really struggled to get past the misogynistic undertones of that salad comment early on in the book 😭 why, in 2024, are we still getting books where women ordering a salad is an excuse for them not being worthy of the Mmc’s love?? Or as a way to describe them as shallow?

I also felt misled by the synopsis. I was expecting an MMC who didn’t want to commit but instead find out he’s basically already love with her on page 17 and is ready to commit.

This seemed like a cute story and idea, the writing style just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

If insta-love is your thing then definitely check this out! It has a very fanfic-esque feel and could be an easy read if the tropes are for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A full on cheesy sports romance where the main characters are likeable enough but there’s no spark and their personality traits - what supposedly draws them together isn’t wholly reflected in the characters they’re portrayed as.
Everything was all just a little bit too easy and overly emotional and sentimental without the depth to really feel it all.
The characters are likeable and the baseball setting is all there for an easy romance read but wasn’t really my kind of sports romance.
2.5 stars really

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and provide my honest review

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, I had such a good time.

First Base was a fun, easy sports romance that I enjoyed from start to finish. I did worry slightly since it felt very instalovey at the beginning but i chose to interpret it more as a when you know you know moment and the two of them knew from the first interaction which was adorable. Th fake dating to fix his reputation will always slap, plus the epilogue was adorable.

My critiques are mostly surrounding the dual pov of the book since it felt very Maggie heavy, at times i wanted to understand Tommy's perspective more but wasn't given the opportunity to do so. I related a lot of Maggie with her PTSD and how that filtered into her approach to everyday life. Overall I couldn't fault the book because it made me smile for a couple hours!

Thanks so much again, NetGalley xoxo

4.5/5 - I LOVED this book! Maggie and Tommy are such a cute couple. Can not wait to read more by this author.

A fast paced fun and swoony easy read

Maggie is a professional photographer for MLB's baseball team and with the excitement of a new season and a new player the last things she expects is to meet him when a curveball comes racing towards her, she manages to move out the way but comes face to face with a gorgeous tattooed play boy with a less than stellar reputation. Tommy is trying to save his reputation and redeem himself but when he lays eyes on Maggie he cant stop thinking about her. One team outing later and paparazzi photos that could ruin his career The PR team decide that a fake relationship with Maggie will fix it, but what happens when the fake feelings start feeling real.

This book includes
- Fake dating
- work place romance
- he falls first
- slow burn
- Dual POV
- sports romance

This book is very fast paced and easy to read, the characters are loveable and the relationship that grows between them is beyond cute. If you love a sports romance than this is a MUST read.
Separately they both had there own issues that they manage to overcome together with Maggie suffering from grief and anxiety and Tommy trying to figure out how to be a better person and overcome pressure from his dad.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Ally Wiegand
Thankyou Netgalley and Embla books for this Arc

⚾️ LET’S PLAY BALL ⚾️

Do you like books that feature:

Work Romances ✔️
Slow Burning romances ✔️
Fake Dating ✔️
Sports ✔️

Then this little Romantic story may be for you.
I was lucky read an arc of #FirstBase by @allywiegandauthor via #Netgalley and I honestly loved it.

If your a fan of -
⤷ Fake Dating
⤷ Workplace Romance
⤷ Baseball Romance
⤷ He Falls First
⤷ Dual Pov
Then you need to read First Base By Ally Wiegand !

I adored this book so much. From the very first chapter I knew this book was going to be so good and
it did not disappoint. I love to read sports romances and this was my first baseball romance and I fell in love. Both main characters are so sweet and I adore them both so much. Near the end of the book
there is a slight miscommunication but since it is a short book it got resolved quickly. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes so if you also enjoy it then I highly recommend. I cant wait for the next book in the series.

*Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review* !

⚾️ R E V I E W ⚾️

📖 First Base
✍️ Ally Wiegand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ 1.5

"and I love that when anything good happens to me, I look for you, because I want to share all those moments with you. I love you Maggie Redford" - Tommy

Ok, this was such a cute read! I couldn't put it down. Both the MC's were both so lovable. I do love a good sports romance, and short chapters - The plot was so much fun, who knew i want to become a baseball fan now?

I loved how Tommy and Maggie's relationship blossomed as well as working through their individual battles. I loved Maggie's personal story line, I was rooting for a happy ending the whole way through because Im such a hopeless romantic.

The chemistry/ Slow burn was 🤌🏻 at first I was wondering where the spice was, but soon realised it actually didn't need it. It was so well written well that I didn't need it in the end!

*Adds Tommy to my book boyfriend list* 😏

I highly recommend this book if you like cute and fluffy sports Romances, This book just put a smile on face from start to finish, a feel good book!

Read if you like
⚾️ Slow Burn
📸 Duel POV
⚾️ Fake Dating
📸 He Falls First
⚾️ Love after Loss
⚠️ Past Trauma, Loss of a loved one

Thank you Net galley, 8th note press and Ally for providing me with an ARC of First Base. I now need the physical copy as soon as it comes out, Hurry up April 23rd! 😍

⚾️💚📸

Big thank you to NetGalley and ally for providing me with an arc of “first base”, this was a fantastic opportunity and such an amazing read!

“Someone that felt like home to me” I’m sorry but this is my new favourite quote of all time!

How could you not be romantic about baseball? I mean that’s the question that’s now on my mind, after falling head over heels in love with Tommy and maggie both for their relationship as well as their own personal battles. This book deals with the importance of friendship, the reality of grief and loosing someone you love as well as a beautifully written love story.

Maggie is the kind of woman who just stole my heart from the very first page and Tommy new book boyfriend alert! Honestly when this finished my initial reaction was “no?” I needed more it felt like these characters were my home, I was inspired by tommys “Someone that felt like home to me” honestly it really is how it feels this book is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys friends to lovers which I’m not normally a fan of! Fake dating and more!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute romance that just hits perfectly this book did not miss at all! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy so that I can annotate it and fall in love all over again!

I didn't love this, but equally didn't hate it! - I found that the pace was a little lacking and there were times I felt a lack of chemistry between the characters, however I'd recommend to someone who was after an easy read.

2.5 stars
I received an ARC copy of this novel for an honest review.
Overall I found this to be an okay read but not something I would reread.
The blurb was a little misleading “Tommy’s never learned to commit” - when we find that he has committed in the past and is still open to commitment.
I think the pacing was just a bit off for me - in particular towards the end when it feels there is a rush to resolve any remaining issues (both the characters individual traumas and insecurities and as a couple). I think this rushed feeling was largely due to the fact that this is a relatively short novel.
I think that this would have benefitted from more chapters from Tommy’s point of view. These were few and far between and could have offered a different perspective on the relationship.
I enjoyed the writing style and I enjoy a fake dating/sports romance, but it just fell a little flat for me. I think others will enjoy this though.

This is an excellent debut novel from Ally Wiegland!
First, I’m not sure if it’s just because I read the ARC on my kindle, but the letters ‘fi’ in words was abbreviated to ‘ “ ‘, and the word ‘fiction’ on the first page was typed ‘!ction.’

The cover art for this book is adorable. I absolutely loved it.

I loved the plot, and the baseball element was a refreshing change in sports romance for me.
The characters had a wonderful amount of depth and detail to them. Maggie’s friend, Olivia, is absolutely hilarious and a great friend. She made for a fun side-character.
There’s are believable charisma between the MMC and FMC, and it seemed like an effortless progression of their relationship.

I loved the plot. Fake relationship is one of my favourite tropes, and this is executed well.
The storyline is very strong, and I liked that it didn’t rely on ‘spicy’ scenes to sell it. This plot has one very tame sex scene approx. 70% in, and I liked that that wasn’t the main focus in this novel.

The pacing was great, I never felt bored, I was completely engaged throughout, and I ATE this up in less than 24 hours.

I will say that the ‘third act’ tension wasn’t necessary. Instead of a breakup, it’s a ‘miscommunication.’ It’s okay to write a romance that doesn’t have a breakup/ miscommunication/ tension at the end. But this didn’t detract too much from the story as it happened right at the end.

Overall, this is a solid, well written debut sports romance, I’d 100% recommend adding this one to your TBR!

*I was provided with an ARC for this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars
.5 spice (mostly fade to black)

“A piece of me would be okay if the second we landed in Chicago all of this disappeared, because that one night with Tommy felt worth it. Because, for a moment, I was a girl who was worth loving again. For one moment, I felt alive again.”

You’ve just got to a love a fake dating trope, and this book achieved it in a really believable way while allowing the relationship to develop realistically. There was a sparks at first sight energy happening, but it didn’t take away from what I would call a “medium burn” pace to the romance.

This was a really wholesome read, and definitely got up in my feels, especially that scene when she went to see Luke’s mum…my heart 🥺

Likeable main characters and good side characters. The character development could have had more depth, especially from the MMC’s side given he struggled with drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t addressed in a detailed way, just sort of brushed over. A few additional chapters from his POV would have been amazing!

A strong debut from this author, I really liked her writing style and would definitely read other titles from her in the future.

Tropes:
⚾️ Baseball Romance
⚾️ Fake Dating
⚾️ Forbidden (Workplace) Romance
⚾️ Celebrity MMC
⚾️ Reformed Player