The plot for this book had great potential, and certain aspects of this book were good, however there were too many downfalls for me…

I received the audiobook arc and maggie seemed to lack personality in some type of way to me, she was very immature and didn’t seem to think clearly about her actions ~ she gave off awkward, unrealistic vibes and the narration also portrayed this too, sometimes the narration felt awkward and lacking of emotion

The male mc narration was much easier to listen to, he had more character in his voice, and tommy’s actions seemed more realistic! I enjoyed tommy’s narration so much more than maggie’s

Tommy’s actions towards maggie were very cute though, but it feels like I’ve missed the “relationship” part of the story, we don’t see many cute interactions between the two characters, they barely knew each other and suddenly they’re “in love” ??!😭

The writing style was easy to read (immersive reading), and easy to follow, I managed to read this book relatively quickly, however I didn’t really click with the plot.

⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book centers around the fake dating turned real dating trope, and is a sports romance. Going in, I was nervous because I knew nothing about Baseball beyond what I'd seen in movies. People hit a ball with a bat, and then run in a circle... or is it a square? I've always thought of it as Adult rounders. I still do not know if this is a correct assumption. However, you don't need to know how the game works. And it doesn't really work to explain how it works. Since the game itself isn't the focus. More like that the sport is simply just the setting. You have an athlete and a sports photographer. Most of the book takes place off the field so you don't have to worry about that.

The two main characters start off feeling like they could never work. They have nothing in common with the little information we are presented with. But as they get to know each other, and subsequently we get to know them, this changes. Overall it's a cute story. It's short being under 300 pages it didn't feel stressful to read, like some bigger books. It's sweet, the characters are nice and likable, and with the fade to black instead of spice, I personally found that It was an enjoyable read (listen?).
The voice actors were really nice. Especially with the pov switches that happen throughout. The majority of it is in Maggies pov, however a few chapters we hear from Tommy's. I enjoyed this. And I feel like this book is a nice palette cleanser after the more heavy books I've been reading lately. A much-needed pallet cleanser.

I love a sport romance and a fake dating so I knew I would enjoy this book.
When a photo of Maggie and Tommy goes viral, they end up faking a relationship.
It was a nice easy read and the romance was sweet. I do prefer when it takes a bit longer for the couple to realise they have feelings for each other and there’s more tension. When they meet each other once and straight away they’re completely obsessed it just seems so unrealistic.

I really enjoyed this book was a l9vely easy listen with loveable characters and a great storyline both lead characters are going through their own struggles whilst convincing the world they're in love. A a fab fake dating book and sports romance.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley for giving me this audiobook in exchange for a review.

Firstly, let’s talk about this story. I absolutely love sports romance, this was my first baseball romance but i absolutely loved it! Anything fake dating I will love, and this story portrayed my favourite trope PERFECTLY.

This Story follows Maggie and Tommy on their fake dating journey to protect Tommy’s image whilst he’s on the team. Whilst we do get a few chapters of Tommy’s POV, the book is mainly in Maggies POV. I would have liked to have seen more from Tommys side, but I think the little pieces we saw from his prospective were perfectly placed for the story.


I love how much you could sense Tommy cared for Maggie and his character growth was something I really enjoyed.


Now, as for the audiobook itself, I really enjoyed the narrators portraying these characters. They definitely did the characters justice and kept me engaged in the storyline. However, between chapters there is a very long pause and I often had to check that the book hadn’t paused itself or stopped playing. With this small issue aside, the audiobook was still a 5 star listen and I can’t wait to read / listen to book 2.

Thanks again to NetGalley for the copy of this audiobook.

This book was absolutely adorable! It's a fake-dating baseball romance featuring a player and a photographer—a unique combo that I hadn't read before but absolutely loved. This pairing should definitely be more common!

It’s a delightful, quick read that you can easily devour in one sitting. I would have done just that if I hadn’t started reading it at midnight. It’s also a great pick-me-up romance that can pull you out of a reading slump.

While the story tackles a somewhat emotional topic that’s pretty obvious early on, it doesn't lose its charm. And don’t worry, it has a happy ending!

There were a couple of things I didn't love: the story was quite short, and there was a bit of miscommunication towards the end. I wished for more scenes because I adored the characters and their relationship. However, the short length might be perfect for fans of sweet, concise romances. The moments that were included were incredibly cute. As for the miscommunication trope, it was resolved quickly due to the book’s brevity, so it wasn’t as frustrating as it often is.

Tommy Mikals, the male lead, was incredibly thoughtful and supportive. He genuinely cared for Maggie and openly expressed his feelings. He listened and understood Maggie, showing patience and kindness. He did all the little things that made her feel special, making him prime book boyfriend material—a thoughtful, honest, and hot athlete.

Maggie, the female lead, had such a vibrant energy. I loved her unique perspective as a photographer, capturing perfect moments. Watching her grow, trust, and open up was wonderful. Her friendship with Olivia was another highlight; I wished the book were longer just to see more of their dynamic. Maggie’s journey of healing and standing up for herself, as well as for Tommy, was inspiring.

The couple was adorable together, and their chemistry made the fake-dating trope feel genuine. The dual POVs helped, as both characters consistently expressed their real feelings for each other. I also enjoyed Adam and Jamil’s characters and wished for more scenes with them. Expanding on Tommy’s friendships and Jamil’s brother-sister-like bond with Maggie could have added even more depth.

Overall, this was a super short, super cute, super sweet fake-dating sports romance that I highly recommend, especially if you're in a reading slump or need a quick, heartwarming read. It’s an impressive debut, and I can’t wait to read more from this author. I hope Jamil and Olivia get their own stories too!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC!

I’m 54 and when First Base audiobook started I felt a bit too old to be listening! I gave it a chance, carried on listening and loved it. The narrators were fab, storyline is great and quite glamorous, it didn’t take me long to get into it. Ally Wiegand is a very good rom com author and I’d definitely recommend her books. Thank you to Netgalley and Publishers for the opportunity.

I loved how the two characters helped each other heal. The storyline was good. I love the fake dating trope. I'm not into sports normally but this story makes baseball seem very interesting. I loved the duel pov too. I liked that they had 2 narrators in the audiobook too; one of each leads pov. I did feel it was a some parts were dragged out a bit longer than they should have and the ending was slightly rushed though.
Thanks Netgalley and Bonnier UK Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgallery for the audiobook ARC

Another great audiobook with dual narrators. This is a fake dating baseball Sports romance.

Maggie is a sports photographer for the Chicago Baseball team, and meets the new player 'Bad-Boy' Tommy who has been traded to the new team after getting a bad reputation off the field with his old team.

After an innocent picture taken together by the parapazzi after a team night out , is taken way out of context and caused a stir online. The PR team suggests in order to help salvage Tommys reputation for them to fake date. Maggie is over a substantial sum to agree.

This leads to them bonding and discovering Maggie tragic past and trauma.

I thought this was a very sweet and fast-paced romance with fade to black and HEA

When I first seen this book I thought ok i don't know anything about baseball am I going to be lost or will I be able to keep up with the story but although this novel is based around a baseball player and photographer as the main characters it doesn't overload you with technical terminology for which I was greatful.

It was an absolute delight romcom at its finest and truly left me feeling all the nice kind of warm fuzzy feelings of romance going right. When Tommy and Maggie get together under unusual circumstances of a fake relationship in order to save his career, there is already something between them they have chemistry, making this a destiny waiting to happen kind of scenario. With a few little twists and turns of Maggies past that she has to face so she can move forward and gain some closure. Then their true love assisting in mending some family bridges for Tommy it just had me absolutely melting.

A nice, warm-hearted listen, and I would definitely listen to more in this series in the future. Everyone loves a happy ending, after all. This was a nice quick and easy listening audiobook.

Regarding narration for me it flowed well and was all well appointed the only one part I didn't gel with was when Tommy's ex Sutton was at his place near the end of the story this part in particular just felt a little peculiar hearing the narration in this way.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio & Ally Weigand for the opportunity to listen to this book in return for an honest review.

Lovely light hearted romance read/listen. Maggie is unexpectantly and initially unwittingly swept off her feet by newcomer Tommy to the baseball team she works for when they are forced into a fake romance situation due to some paparazzi snapping pictures of them innocently leaving a club.

I found some of it repetitive, but it was overall enjoyable and the characters very likeable with a solid 3.5 star rating!

Rating: ★★★★.5
Started: 27 April 24
Finished: 07 May 24

AUDIOBOOK ADVANCED COPY
Thank you Ally Wiegand, Bonnier UK Audio & NetGalley for gifting me an advanced copy of the First Base audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The voice actors voices worked really well for this book and it was really engaging storytelling. I also really liked that you could differentiate between the characters that were speaking.

I really liked the characters of Jahmiel and Olivia. They were both so sweet and great side characters.

Such a beautiful story of grief, lost loves and 2nd chances. It details new happiness being found even when not looking or not even wanting it. It was a beautifully written story and I’m glad I got to read/listen to it.

Also, I was out on a run when I got to chapter 30 and let me tell you, I was gasping out “no” “no no no” when I got to the end of that chapter. I’m glad no one was around it my time of heartbreak.

The audiobook was really engaging and it was helped even more with how beautiful the story was.

The writing style was really good so I will be looking to read/listen to more of Ally’s writing.

There was a bit more to this than your average romcom in that there was a slow reveal of few issues which I thought were dealt with convincingly without ruining the light tone of the novel. In addition, some obvious plot lines were avoided which I was pleased about. A lot less predictable in some ways that you get used to with this genre.

A sweet and pacy romance perfect for newcomers , or those who love reading romance without the smut. It is a cute love at first sight, but determined to stay away from each other tension between a baseball player with a reputation and a sports photographer. After they are pictured together in an innocent conversation by the paparazzi, their reputations and jobs are at risk unless they go along with the advice of the PR team and fake a romance. They grow to know each other and find it harder and harder to keep up the illusion and deny their real feelings. A lovely summer-time read and at under 300 pages, and around 8 hours listening, you will devour this at speed. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Ina-marie Smith and Nezar Alderazi. This is the first in the two.part Chicago Heartbreakers duo, so we can look forward to more swoon worthy sports romance soon #firstbase #allywiegand #emb labooks #netgalley

Sports romance ✅
Fake dating ✅
One-bed trope ✅
First base is the cute, fluffy romance that can get you out of your reading slump! It’s a short and sweet read
I cannot resist a book with fake dating so I had high hopes and First Base didn’t disappoint. This was a great audiobook read with the double narration!
The story focusses around Tommy (reformed bad-boy) and Maggie (team photographer). They both sign a contract to help improve Tommy’s public image and of course, they fall madly in love on the way.
As it was shorter romance, I didn’t feel there was that much depth to the characters but I personally didn’t mind this. I still felt the heartwarming feeling I crave and love when I read romances, so this book really ticked the boxes for me! Overall a fun read.

𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, Bonnier UK Audio and 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ARC 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

First Base ARC Review
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3⭐️
Spice:🌶️


Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier UK Audio for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy of First Base by Ally Wiegand in return for an honest review.

First Base is a cute and heartwarming short-story (less than 300 pages) about a baseball player (Tommy) and sports photographer (Maggie) who wind up fake dating to save Tommy’s reputation.

I love the fake dating trope in a sports romance so this story appealed to me instantly. If you are looking for a quick read that is sweet and fluffy then this is for you.

There is only a little bit of spice, and is fade to black style. The story focuses more on the emotional connection between the characters and their personal growth together than on their physical connection, which I didn’t mind.

While I liked this story, I didn’t feel connected to the characters and found the miscommunication trope towards the end kind of meh. I think that I just don’t like this trope very much and felt that a lot of the drama could have been avoided if they just talked it out instead of assuming.

I listened to the audiobook of First Base and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a female narrator for Maggie’s POV and a male narrator for Tommy’s. The voice acting was great, especially during the emotional scenes.

Overall, First Base is a short but sweet romance story and is written well. However, I feel like it is missing something. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and therefore was not very emotionally invested in their love story.

This book mixed the sweet romance with the heavier themes and it was impossible not to feel for Maggie after what she’s been through and it seems that Tommy is exactly what she needs to start living again, and to open herself up to love. These two really support each other and I enjoyed seeing them interact with each others’ friends and families. I also thought that Tommy’s teammates were fun and would have liked to see more of them, and Maggie’s best friend, in the story than we did.

Tommy and Maggie dance around each other a lot because of the fake dating situation they find themselves in. It did get a little bit frustrating with them both feeling bad for being in that situation. Sadly, I also didn’t feel the chemistry with these characters and had to fast forward the spicy parts. The narrators, however, were great and good choices for Maggie and Tommy which made the audiobook nice to listen to.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

“First Base” by Ally Wiegand was a cutesy baseball romance that’s so sweet you’ll need to see the dentist.🦷 

It follows Maggie, a sports photographer, and Tommy, the newest baseball star and playboy, centred around a fake romance trope. It’s a sweet story that also tackles some deeper themes for our characters. It’s a quick and easy read.

However, I didn’t feel like the author hit a home run with this novel. The characters and the plot felt very surface-level, with me wanting a bigger connection to the characters. The third act of miscommunication I could have also done without. I’m not a huge fan of this trope in general, but it was just meh. 🫤 

Overall, this is a short review of a short book of under 300 pages. It was an okay read, and I did have some moments that left me smiling, but it won’t leave a lasting impression, and I don’t think I’ll ever reach for it to read again. However, this is my opinion, and if you like light and fluffy sports romance, then this could be one for you. 

𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

3.75

Overall this was such a cute story that was easy to get into and remain interested until the end. The reason I didn't rate this higher was because there was nothing outstanding for me. I liked the characters seperately and I liked them together, there was a little miscommunication and OW drama but it was resolved relatively quickly so I wasn't too bothered by that.

My favourite thing was the MMC was a reformed playboy that reformed himself BEFORE meeting the FMC. It wasn't because of her but he had put in the work for himself which was refreshing, and the author didn't go on about his sordid past too much and we saw none of it on page.

I enjoyed the audiobook of this, thank you so much for the ARC NetGalley and I would recommend this as a cute baseball, fake dating, friends to lovers with good character growth.

First Base is book 1 in the Chicago Heartbreakers series from Ally Wiegand and it's a solid debut. I do gravitate to sports romances these days and despite not knowing how to play baseball, I love a baseball romance.

It's described as "fake dating" but to be honest it feels more like "friends to lovers" with "fake dating" than solely just "fake dating". I liked that both main characters had things to work through and that they were good for each other's development. It's fast-paced dual POVs and a relatively short read, meaning the plot moves quickly (not a slow burn in sight) but also packs a lot in. I don't know why Chapters 30 - 33 were written the way they were (especially so close to the end), it felt like a box-ticking exercise in romance writing but not every romance needs a third-act break-up or miscommunication trope. This meant the ending was rushed and the lack of any Tommy POV felt unbalanced. The final chapter and epilogue leave this romance reader feeling better about the Chicago Heartbreaker series.

I listened to this as an audiobook and Ina-Marie Smith and Nezar Alderazi did a great job bringing Maggie and Tommy to life, I will be looking for audiobooks they're on from now on, they've jumped straight onto my auto-listen audiobook narrators list.

I'm excited to see what happens in Going for Two (Book 2) and where Ally takes the Chicago Heartbreakers next!

Thank you to Bonnier UK Audio for providing a free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. First Base is out now! #FirstBase #NetGalley