Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star...or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.

When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell...and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.


This was just a sweet romance. I love Hollyn, she is sweet and spirited. And Jasper is just a good guy. Maybe they are not a obvious match, but they are just right.
I love this one.
Four stars for me

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for letting me read an e-ARC of Yes & I Love You! I requested this book on Netgalley without really reading the summary- I just saw the cover (and loved it) and saw that it was from Sourcebooks Casablanca, and I've liked every book of theirs that I've read so far, so I figured why not. In general, it was an OK decision.

Yes & I Love You 3.5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star...or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.
When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.

I really liked Hollyn and the beginning of the book and the end of the book, but the middle of the book fell a little flat for me. It's probably because Jasper was just very meh for me and I hated the whole love triangle thing that was added in for what felt like no reason at all. I really like how Hollyn grew as a person throughout the book and she seemed to be able to really do that without Jasper, which I was a big fan of. And Andi! I love Andi and I'm so excited that book two is going to be about her, so I hope we get to see more of Andi and Hollyn's budding friendship in book 2! I don't have Tourettes, so I don't want to say that the representation was done well, but as someone who has known people with Tourettes since high school (my high school orchestra teacher had it and one of my orchestra classmates also had it, so after getting his permission, our teacher would always spend like 5-10 minutes one class near the beginning of the year talking about what Tourettes was and why him and our classmate might sometimes have these tics and that it wasn't a big deal but if anyone made them into a big deal, they would be in trouble- but that was also a time where we could ask questions about Tourettes in general and do quick research and I always felt like it was a really good way for us to get that out into the open so that the inconsiderate people were warned that they couldn't make fun of that kid), I know that people are cruel and I really liked the way that Hollyn's story was told and how her tics were handled and how Cal's tics were handled too. I liked all of the Work Around people we met, so even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Hollyn and Jasper's story, I'm really excited to read Andi's story and hopefully even more set in this world! Yes & I love you came out on March 2nd, so make sure you check it out ASAP!

A brilliant romance about self-acceptance and claiming the love you deserve. One of the absolute best romances that I've read in 2021.

A great romance story with a lot of humor. I really loved Hollyn. She was the right mix of vulnerable and feisty. Jasper is sweet, vulnerable and a little immature. They seemed to be a mismatch on paper, but turned out to be perfect for each other. I appreciated their honest communication and the way they encouraged each other. The book was full of fun characters and a lot of humor. The story was empowering and a great reminder that you shouldn't give up on your dreams. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Y'all. This book was SO close to being perfect for me and I'm just a tiny bit frustrated that it faltered right at the finish line!! But before we get to that, let's talk about what this book is and all the things I loved.

Hollyn has Tourette's Syndrome and anxiety. She's been working with her therapist for a while and is trying to be more social to fight the inertia that could easily lead to her becoming a shut in. So, Hollyn has an office at a co-working space where she works on her writing for Miz Poppy, an anonymous entertainment reviewer that is very popular in New Orleans. Her entire routine is thrown off track when she comes in one day and the woman who usually works at the coffee shop is not there and so begins Hollyn really stretching outside of her comfort zone and taking risks.

This book really does belong to Hollyn for all that it's a dual narrative and for all that it's Jasper's storyline that really contributes to the ultimate conflict. Jasper is a sweetheart with ADHD and he's a bit of a mess. He's back in New Orleans, living with his sister, and has rejoined the improv group he sort of abandoned when he went out to LA with the woman who broke his heart. He's also the barista at the co-working space Hollyn works out of. The two of them sort of get off on the wrong foot, but as things are wont to do in a romance novel, they work things out.

So let's talk about what I love. The two main characters are both really engaging and interesting. Ultimately, I do think Hollyn is more fleshed out that Jasper and the book suffers a little because of it since the second big conflict centers around Jasper. But Jasper's messiness and Hollyn's bravery are both very appealing and I love how the two of them really do bring out the best in one another. I think this book was really great at demonstrating that in very clear ways.

The side characters are all great, but I'm most obsessed with Andi, a bubbly and enthusiastic fellow co-worker, who also happens to have gone so far down the rabbit hole on her true crime podcast that now she's sort of freaked herself out about dating. She's incredibly relatable and I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series because it's her book! She's just such a great and fun character and I just want to be her friend.

The improv scenes and also the intimate scenes are all amazing and really well done, in my opinion. Plus!!! Intimate scenes really take off once Hollyn is like, "Hello, please use me because I need to practice romantic relationships so I won't be alone forever." And (a) you already know what's going to happen and trust me, that ride to get there is as delightful as the trope implies and (b) yes, Hollyn, you tell him exactly what's what!!! I was so proud of her in that moment because feeling things is hard and expressing feelings is EVEN worse somehow. But she did it and her boldness is <b>rewarded</b> and so <i>we</i> are rewarded. Loved it. Oh, and then later there's fake dating and some of my favorite parts of the trope play out so that was delightful also!

But. And this is a pretty big but. The way this book builds felt really well paced. Like I wasn't bored, I was very engaged, but it is a relatively slow build. And then you get to the two specific tropes I mentioned above and I really hit a groove only to be catapulted into a wall as our first conflict comes up. And I mean, I liked that conflict. It made sense with the way the book was going and I was like, "Alright, I can get behind this." But then we move past that one and it was easy! Smooth sailing. I was like, "well, Idk what's going to happen now because I think we're golden," but then BAM. Conflict again. And this conflict!!!! This conflict I kind of hated. First of all, I'm not that forgiving of a person and I had a real hard time with the way this entire second conflict was handled and I can't say much obviously because I don't want to spoil it for you, but... It did sort of keep the end from really working for me.

So, overall, I loved it and I hated the ending. At this point, I should be pretty used to this because this keeps happening to me. But... I am not. I just want romance editors to be like, "Jenica, this is how this book ends. Are you going to be okay with that?" so that I can STOP putting myself through the torture of loving the first 70%-80% of a book and then having it let me down! Okay, I'm going to stop being dramatic now and tell you that honestly I do really recommend this. Especially because there's something really incredible at seeing Hollyn overcome her anxiety. The book sort of walks that line about a miracle cure, but honestly, I think Loren did a great job at putting Hollyn in a place where giving her a few shoves really helped her. And it's a great reminder that hobbies can be super helpful and maybe I should have some.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an egalley of Yes & I Love You.

Give me all the real life romance tropes! Hollyn is the anonymous author behind the famous Miz Poppy reviews. In print, she is funny, sarcastic, and sassy. In reality, Hollyn has Tourettes and a huge fear of new people. But she is working through this with her therapist. Enter a coworking space - Hollyn's concession to "trying" to meet new people. Jasper is the new barista at the coffee cart. As an improv actor, he's never met a stranger he couldn't talk to - and this unnerves Hollyn.

Eventually, some walls come down (just a little bit), and Hollyn ask Jasper to help her get more comfortable in front of the camera and talking to people. What starts off as an innocent you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours soon leads to something that is decidedly more.

4.5 stars. Wow-Yes & I Love You is lovely. And I just now got what the title means... Anyways.

Highly engaging and fun story with a well rounded cast of characters and great mental health rep. The only aspect of the story I didn’t like is there is a teeny, tiny love triangle but it’s definitely not a huge part of the plot. The build up to the resolution and grand gesture was a bit chaotic but all’s well that ends well. To date, I’ve enjoyed every single book by Roni Loren I’ve read.

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC!

What do an anxiety ridden woman with Tourette’s and an outgoing improv actor have in common? It turns out to be lots. Hollyn, a writer/reviewer, is working her way through social anxiety with the help of her therapist. Jasper, an improv actor, is trying to find himself and get his life back on track. When these two have the opposite of a meet cute, she’s mortified and he’s convinced she hates him. When she apologizes, these two find a way to help each other and end up with all the feels.
Opinion
Be prepared to read for long periods of time with this book. It will grab ahold of you and not let go. The writing style is so fluid that I felt like I was there in person. Told in two points of view, you get the benefit of knowing what each main character is thinking. This helped me to make guesses at what would happen next. Sometimes I was right, sometimes not. However, I enjoyed what happened in the whole book. This is a great read and start of a new series.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was a refreshing change of pace from the thrillers I normally read. It was a little slow in the beginning before Hollyn and Jasper finally got together but once that happened it was full speed ahead! I loved that both characters had some mental health issues. I think it added to the story and made it unique and not the typical romance narrative. I thought the author handled Hollyn’s Tourette’s in a thoughtful manner. I had no idea what life is like for someone with tourettes and now I have a deeper understanding of the condition. There was a lot of s*x in this book! I didn’t expect it! But as per of the overall love story it was a good addition and not too over the top. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to provide an honest review of this book!

The firts I've gotta say about this book I really really love the sense of humor and how it is a essential part of the relationship. But the thing that have rob my heart it's the anxiety representation; I seen myself so many times in Hollyn. In my opinion Roni Loren have make a amazing work showing this stuff.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Yes & I Love You will be released on March 2nd.

Miz Poppy is well known around New Orleans as a snarky reviewer of all things nightlife and entertainment. Nobody knows that shy, socially isolated Hollyn is the face behind the avatar. Jasper Deares is everything Hollyn isn't. He's an improv comedian, aspiring actor, and gets along with everyone. When these two cross paths at work, can they help each other become better versions of themselves?

I went into this one pretty blind and I was so pleasantly surprised. It has everything I typically love about rom coms but amped up a notch. The first thing you should know about this book: the neurodiverse representation is so good. Hollyn has Tourette's and anxiety while Jasper has ADHD. It just felt so refreshing. I also loved seeing Hollyn's relationship with her therapist. Watching both Jasper and Hollyn grow and learn through each other as they fall for each other made me so joyful.

The steam in this book is also so fresh and fun. I won't lie, it gets very steamy but it was done in such a unique and playful way. The chemistry between Hollyn and Jasper is everything.

I just loved so much about this book
-the side characters bring lots of amusement (and we get to see more of Andi soon!)
-Hollyn's articles filled with old rom com references
-improv comedy
-fake(ish) dating

This book is on shelves everyone 3/2, so you better pick it up ASAP!

I loved the unique take on this contemporary romance. I have read a ton this winter and the improv, the unique workspace and the different struggles of both main characters were great set ups for a fun story. I loved the emotion and growth behind both Jasper and Hollyn and am excited to see where this series goes next.

Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren is an insanely swoony and dreamy romance set in stark reality. A dazzling combination of sharp wit, adorably quirky people and their crazy chemistry.

Hollyn Darling Tate has many faces. The famous music and movie reviewer. The anxious and super shy girl with Tourette's disorder. The epitome of introvert with a beautiful heart and smart brain. Suddenly her editor wants her to become a vlogger and attend the shows to do video review. And she is nowhere near ready. Then Jasper Deares offers her free private improv lessons. Like Hollyn, he has many sides. Recently broken up, currently struggling improv artist, part time barista in Hollyn's office building and charming guy extraordinaire. And soon to be her fake boyfriend or dating practice partner.


This story was a mesmerising mash of carefully crafted turns and events. I absolutely loved Hollyn and Jasper. It warmed my heart to read how the author was completely serious and empathetic about her mental health issues WITHOUT making her look like an invalid or a freak. This kind of compassionate yet truthful depiction is rare and much needed. It was extra heartwarming to read how she overcame her fears. Yes she isn't perfect. Yes she had support from Jasper or her new friends. But the progress and change was all on her. It hurt me to see how insecure and scared she is but wow this girl has fire in her soul. I love her witty, clever and sharp presence.


Then there was Jasper. Just the opposite of Hollyn. Impulsive, outgoing, extrovert, restless..just polar opposite. But he also has his issues. His struggles for his team. His track record of ruining his relationships. His fearcof failure.Oveall he is the sweetest guy. I love his heart so much. He activates the swoon effect fully in my soul. And they have this ridiculously beautiful chemistry. The tame and tense beginning. The banter, the camaraderie, the laughs and the sizzling hot tension! This story was going from laugh out loud and cheesy moments to sinfully sexy moments. I loved them all and everything in between. Hollyn made him belive in himself and Jasper softly pushed her out of her cocoon. No love story is complete without drama because those dramas bring out the intensity and depth of their connection. The author placed those little rollercoasters brilliantly.


Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren is what I call the all rounder of romance universe. Steam. Sweetness. Emotions. Angst. Warmth. Epic moments and down to earth feels.

I reviewed an early copy kindly provided by Sourcebook Casablanca and Netgalley voluntarily.

Loren’s already an author I enjoy from a different series, so I was curious to see how this one would pan out for me. And it was cute! I can’t necessarily say how well the heroine’s Tourette’s was handled on-page, but it seemed sensitively written, and I thought her dynamic with her love interest was very sweet, especially the introvert/extrovert aspect of their pairing. A few late-stage curveballs in the relationship fell kind of flat for me (like his last-minute trip to LA to audition for a show just because his ex showed up to ask him to?), but this romance won me over by the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a really good read! It was interesting to read a Roni Loren that was a bit heavier! I liked hte characters and I liked the slow burn aspect as well. I can't wait to read her next book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

hank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is such an adorable, sweet romance. I just loved it!

Hollyn has Tourette's and she spends a lot of time by herself, hiding. She recently rented an office space in a building for her music and entertainment column Miz Poppy, to make herself venture out. Tourette's for her includes a lot of facial tics. She meets Jasper at the community coffee bar in the building. She is attracted, but her tics start acting up and she freaks out. Jasper is an improv actor and when Hollyn's boss informs her that he wants her to start video blogging her Miz Poppy column, she needs Jasper's help.

I have to admit the beginning of the book had some slow parts where the plot wasn't about Jasper and Hollyn's relationship or they weren't together. But, when they were together...wow. So good. I loved them together and I loved how honest Hollyn was with him. There were scenes with them that were so tender and special. Swoony. The ending was so sweet and special.

Fair warning, this is a steamy book. Hollyn and Jasper have some pretty amazing scenes together. The cover makes you think otherwise, though.

Hollyn Tate is a local reviewer who goes by the alias Miz Poppy. Although she is fairly well known as a reviewer, she prefers to remain anonymous, self-conscious due to Tourette’s. So when her boss wants her to start blogging she panics. Luckily the cute guy at her building’s coffee bar has another job as an improv actor and offers to help her.

I LOVED this book. The characters are so real and their relationship didn’t have unnecessary drama. It was sweet yet steamy, covered serious topics but was light and funny, and overall was a great balance. This story line was different from your typical romance and it was so refreshing to read.

Some highlights:
❤️Fake dating
❤️Incredible representation
❤️Swoon worthy romantic gestures
❤️Secondary characters that I can’t wait to read more about (so glad there’s a sequel coming out this summer!)

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Yes & I Love You will be released on March 2nd.

I loved this book!

Hollyn Tate liked being anonymous as Miz Poppy writing entertainment reviews while renting an office at WorkAround but when she found out she had to use video to promote her reviews or be fired. Hollyn has Tourette's and bad anxiety so being on video was her worst thing that could happen. But when out of work actor and extrovert Jasper Deares who poured the coffee at WorkAround offered to give her acting lessons while he tried to get the money together so his improve troupe would have their own place for their shows.

Overall, I loved the story because the romance because they didn’t fit the usual pairing but Hollyn and Jasper are the unique romance because Hollyn was brave and Jasper was an extrovert to deal with his ADHD. Yes & I Love You was a joy to read because it was Hail Yes!

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

This is one of those occasions that I wish it was possible to rate in half stars. I want to give this book 3.5 stars, but officially I'm rounding up to four stars because overall I liked it more than I didn't. I really liked the characters, appreciate the mental health rep, and the sex/consent is on point. It just didn't quite keep it together in the third act for me.

The chemistry between the MCs is great. Hollyn has Tourette's and severe anxiety, which makes it hard for her to meet people and share the smart, witty, funny person that she is. I found the depiction of her mental health challenges to be honest and real. Tourette's isn't something we typically see in romance and it's refreshing to see other conditions explored. Jasper has ADHD and grew up in the foster system. Like with Hollyn, Jasper's issues were connected to his past but he felt like a real, modern character dealing with neurodiversity and attachment issues. He's not a cinnamon roll, but he's a Genuinely Good Guy who just wants someone to care about and believe in him. I always appreciate Roni Loren's treatment of mental health in her books; it's a part of these characters and their lives, but she handles it with such care and reminds us that we are not our diagnoses--we are people with diagnoses and lives and dreams and relationships. The MCs' relationship was believable and engaging with plenty of mini-tropes thrown in for the devoted romance reader.

Where it falls apart somewhat is later in the book, but I can't go into specifics without spoilers. I will say it revolves around the MCs' secondary relationships; it felt like unnecessary drama and just too much, plot-wise. I think there could have been other ways to accomplish the same angst without all the extra *stuff* and I ended up skimming the last 20%. I'm not against a third act breakup, but I didn't particularly like the way this one occurred.

So 3.5 stars it is. CW aside there are plenty of reason to read this book: the mental health rep (complete with therapy on-page!), the super hot sex scenes (a Roni Loren staple), and the moments of humor and quirkiness that will resonate with a lot of readers. But I also know that this author has more to give and I wish I loved it more.

CW: depictions of anxiety, Tourette's, ADHD; childhood neglect; character with experience in the foster system; descriptions of past bullying; references to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (not depicted); ableist comments about ADHD and Tourette's behaviors; character has emergency surgery/scenes in hospital; alcohol use

Two twenty somethings with issues find each other - and acceptance.
Hollyn has major anxiety and awkwardness- she is obsessed her facial tics and what people think of her. Tourettes has been a major obstacle- but Hollyn keeps pushing herself past her fears.
With the super hot barista, Jasper.
Coming off an intense breakup after following his girlfriend to LA, Jasper is rebuilding his life. Especially his improv group, Hail Yes.
Together Jasper and Hollyn strick an agreement - and the fun begins.
Laughs. Cringe moments. Steamy sex. Love the characters.
Great story about real life romance.