Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Love & Baseball by Jaime Jo Wright (with Chloe Joanne) AND The Cinderella Plot by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Books
Title: Love and Baseball
Author: Jaime Jo Wright with Chloe JoAnne
Publisher: MadLit Publishing
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
She needed a boyfriend. AI came to her rescue. But then her fake boyfriend showed up at school.
Brielle has never wanted a boyfriend. She's happy with her book boyfriends--purely fictional, right? Easy to maintain. She's also not a huge fan of sports, except baseball. Not playing it. No. Again, books and cozy afternoons are her thing. But Brielle can get into baseball with the best of them when it comes to watching, repeating stats, and wearing her favorite jerseys. But apparently, that's not enough in life. At least according to her four nosy aunts, who all think she needs a boyfriend, people at school who are convinced Brielle is a closet serial killer because she's happier with her books, and yeah. Valentine’s Day is on the calendar.
There is a purpose for AI, and Brielle decides the genius thing to do is make a fake boyfriend. Complete with deepfake photos, Brielle creates the perfect boyfriend, and no one needs to know he's entirely fictional. They just need to believe she met him over summer vacation, and he lives somewhere in North Carolina. Only he doesn't. When baseball catcher, Brooks Mason shows up at high school, a lookalike to Brielle's AI boyfriend, her entire world becomes a dog-eared, bent pages book nightmare.
Brooks is getting sick of all the girls at school wanting to date him. He wants to play ball and hang out. So, yeah. It makes sense to help Brielle out. Fake date? Why not? But once together, dating for show becomes an act that both Brielle and Brooks aren't quite prepared for, and dealing with unexpected attraction, complicated situations, and interfering aunts and bffs?
It's a grand slam of problems just waiting to happen, plus a game-changing shot at a championship home run at love.
** CLEAN YA Rom-Com Fiction you can read without skipping a page **
My Review:
A cute, clean, teen rom-com with a modern twist on the fake-dating trope.
Brielle finds herself caught up in a relationship inspired by AI, but when her made up boyfriend turns out to be real. Brooks Mason is new to town, just moved from Minnesota, hoping to snag a starting spot on the school baseball team, and definitely not looking for love.
A fun, upbeat read, with a engaging plot, hilarious situations, and a cute fake-dating trope. I really liked how Brielle has a caring father, who deeply cares about her safety. She is also close with her brother, and her best friend Lia. I liked how we see them bonding as friends, and how we get to see Brooks and get to see what his home life is, and his hopes and dreams.
A quick read, with great interaction, relationship building, and threads of faith. Heartwarming, cute, and hard to put down. Definitely one that will bring a smile to your face.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Title: The Cinderella Plot
Author: Pepper Basham
Publisher: independently published
Release Date: March 19, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Paisley Harper is invisible.
Not in a superpower way. More like the people-look-right-through-you-in-the-hallway kind of way.
She’s the girl with the oversized cardigan, random book knowledge, and the uncanny ability to tutor the school’s star quarterback without actually being seen as anything more than helpful. Meanwhile, her aunt and uncle’s beloved small-town bookstore is under threat from a shiny corporate chain, her best friend keeps giving her looks that feel suspiciously loaded, and Homecoming is looming like a glittery reminder that senior year is running out…and she’s never been kissed.
Enter The Cinderella Plot—a wildly popular self-help book promising total transformation in five easy steps. New hair. New confidence. New life. Maybe even… a date.
With nothing to lose (except her dignity), Paisley decides to follow the plan. Because if fairy tales have taught her anything, it’s that invisible girls don’t get happy endings unless they change something first.
But as Paisley starts stepping into the spotlight, she has to ask herself an important question:
What if being seen comes at the cost of being herself?
Full of heart, humor, bookish charm, and small-town magic, The Cinderella Plot is a romcom about friendship, first love, faith, and discovering that sometimes the greatest transformation isn’t becoming someone new—it’s realizing you were worthy all along.
** CLEAN YA Rom-Com Fiction you can read without skipping a page **
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
My Review:
Branded bookish and quirky, Paisley wants to know what it feels like to not be invisible, and instead noticed for the "right" reasons. So she takes matters into her own hands, with a total style makeover.
Paisley is a bookish teen, who knows her literary stuff. I loved the book and movie references, with fictional hypotheticals, and comparisons to Princess Diaries. I liked that her friends love and support her throughout, encouraging her and letting her know that they are there for her no matter what. Aunt Diane and Uncle Jasper, are supportive and own and amazing bookstore.
Paisley is a relatable protagonist, struggling with self image and wanting to stand out and not blend in. I especially loved her friendship with Chris, and how he encouraged her to be herself no matter what.
A heartfelt coming-of-age read, with humor, friendship, faith, and finding yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
About the Authors
Jaime Jo Wright is a multi-award-winning author of gothic historical mystery novels that weave suspense through dual timelines. Her debut novel, The House on Foster Hill (2017), won both the prestigious Christy Award and the Daphne du Maurier Award, establishing her as a compelling voice in inspirational fiction. An ECPA and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author, Wright specializes in chilling mysteries stained with history's secrets, drawing readers into haunting tales set primarily in turn-of-the-century Wisconsin. Her work has earned praise from Publishers Weekly for skillfully wrapping intricate mysteries around dual timelines with enough surprises to captivate lovers of gothic fiction. When she isn’t writing mysteries, she co-authors YA RomCom with her teenage daughter, Chloe JoAnne, with a passion to provide sweet and witty romance for teenagers with no apologies needed. Residing in Wisconsin's rural woodlands with her husband and their two children, Wright is a self-proclaimed coffee enthusiast and lover of all of her rescued felines.
Connect with Jaime Jo by visiting jaimewrightbooks.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of southwestern VA, where she is the wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
Connect with Pepper by visiting pepperdbasham.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a prize pack of Brielle's Faves (an signed copy of Love & Baseball, a copy of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, a Milwaukee Brewers lanyard, and a Brewers Christian Yelich baseball card) and Paisley's Faves (a signed copy of The Cinderella Plot, a Cinderella carriage jewelry holder, and a beautiful copy of Emma by Jane Austen)!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 2, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 9, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Thank you for the review.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like awesome novels. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletegreat reviews!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of Pepper Basham and her books.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites were the Fredrick & Grace Mystery book series.