This was a cute one! It was fluffy and clearly reminiscent of While You Were Sleeping, which I love. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite romance books that I've read, but it was definitely a fun time. The fake dating trope is kind of a hit or miss for me, but this one was for sure a hit. I'd recommend it.
3.5 stars rounded up.

Fake dating rom-com , fake engagement, family drama and dueling delis. Yes Dueling delis. This book is so funny and charming with great characters who grow and develop throughout the story. really enjoyed this one and hope to read more from the author.

If you’re looking for a sweet romcom to fill a few hours, Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon will fit the bill! It’s a fun fake dating book set in the world of NYC delis. There are enough food restaurants that’ll make you hungry while reading, so prepare a snack ahead of time.

I liked the storylines in this one, but Ellie wasn’t my favorite FMC. I kept expecting to warm up to her but didn’t quite get there. This might totally be a me thing, so if this is on your tbr don’t let my opinion here deter you. And I did enjoy when she found more confidence to go after what she wanted at the end!

This one went deeper than I thought it would, touching on grief and family expectations. But the fake dating shenanigans provided lots of levity.

Love You, Mean It is one of those books that’s enjoyable to read, if not super memorable. And that’s ok! I’m perfectly fine with enjoying books in the moment and then forgetting mostly everything within a few days.

**3-Star Review of *Love You, Mean It* by Jilly Gagnon**

*Love You, Mean It* by Jilly Gagnon is a lighthearted exploration of modern relationships, focusing on the complexities of friendships, love, and personal growth. The story follows two women, navigating their lives and the ups and downs of their emotional connections with others, especially within the world of social media and modern communication.

The writing is witty and the dialogue flows easily, with Gagnon capturing the nuances of female friendship and the challenges of figuring out what you want in life and love. The characters are engaging, though some of their decisions felt frustratingly predictable at times. I appreciated the humor woven throughout, which provided a nice balance to the more serious moments of self-reflection.

However, while the book is fun and has some heartfelt moments, the pacing can feel uneven, especially in the middle, where the plot loses a bit of momentum. The story touches on meaningful themes but doesn’t quite dive deeply enough into the emotional stakes to make it truly impactful. Additionally, some secondary characters felt underdeveloped, and the resolution, while satisfying, felt somewhat rushed.

Overall, *Love You, Mean It* is an enjoyable and quick read for those seeking a light, humorous take on relationships. While it doesn’t offer anything particularly groundbreaking, it’s a solid pick for a casual read but may not linger in your thoughts long after finishing.

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon is a super fun rom-com with an unforgettable premise! Ellie and Theo’s meet-cute is one for the books—Ellie is trying to save her family business when a ceiling collapses, and Theo ends up with amnesia, leading him to believe that Ellie is his fiancée. I was immediately hooked by this twist!

While the pace slows down a bit after the chaotic start, the story is still so enjoyable. There’s a mix of business rivalry, drama, and enemies-to-lovers tension that makes their romance extra satisfying. I loved how their relationship developed, which made their eventual romance feel so earned.

Theo and Ellie’s chemistry was on point, and the heartwarming friendships added so much charm. The romance had just the right amount of steam, and the whole story had me grinning from start to finish.

If you’re a fan of sweet rom-coms with great characters, a little steam, and a fun twist, Love You, Mean It is a must-read!

I just don’t know if I have very many thoughts or feelings towards this book. Take it or leave it, it wasn’t super memorable.

Like any basic good fake dating trope, but I just couldn’t get sucked into this one. I finally got more into it after the dating started, but then I just thought meh. Nothing bad really to say but I’m not raving either. The characters really didn't stand out to me, and I feel I could have made more of a connection if they had

Rom coms are big these days and I thingk this one will win the hearts of all readers! Well written and kept me reading late into the night. Look for more from this author!

I loved this book! It was such a fun get away from thrillers. I have to throw in rom coms to cleanse my pallet, here and there. This was the perfect pick. Now I need to look up this authors thriller! I had no idea she had written any in that genre. I'm pretty sure everyone will love this book. The characters were great (ok, the main character, got on my nerves a tiny bit....with her over thinking) but either way, this was a fun read.
Thanks to netgalkey, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC. (Sorry my review is late, I'm trying to catch up!)

This romcom was the perfect mix of small town, enemies to lovers, and fake dating. These are my favorite troupes and to have them all in the same book, I was destined to love it. I laughed, I cried, I hurt for the characters. If you are looking for a Hallmark type book, this one is for you.

This book is well-written, but I had trouble with the initial premise that kept me from being immersed in Ellie and Theo's relationship progression. I wish there had been less lying in this book overall, but that being said, there were definitely moments of beauty as their relationship unfolded.

I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope, so I was excited to dive into Love You, Mean It—and while I enjoyed parts of it, it didn’t completely win me over. I read this one while also listening to the audiobook, which was a nice way to experience the story, but overall, it was just an okay read for me.

Ellie Greco had dreams bigger than running her family’s deli, but life had other plans. Now, with her business at risk of being overtaken by a high-end food chain, she finds herself in a completely ridiculous situation—pretending to be engaged to Theo Taylor, the man whose company is threatening her deli in the first place. One head injury, a little amnesia, and suddenly, her fake engagement isn’t so fake anymore. But of course, things get messy when Theo’s ex-fiancée steps back into the picture with her own agenda.

What I liked:
✔️ Fake dating! (Always a fun trope.)
✔️ A small-town deli setting that added charm and family dynamics.
✔️ Ellie’s struggle with balancing family expectations and personal dreams felt real.

What didn’t fully work for me:
➖ The pacing felt slow at times, and I struggled to stay invested in the romance.
➖ Theo wasn’t my favorite leading man—I wanted a little more depth from him.
➖ The twist with Theo’s ex felt more frustrating than compelling.

Love You, Mean It had a cute premise, and I think fans of fake dating and small-town romance might really enjoy it! It just didn’t quite hit all the marks for me. Still, it was a light, entertaining read with some fun moments.

📖 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

#LoveYouMeanIt #HollyGagnon #NetGalley #FakeDatingTrope #RomanceReads #Bookstagram #BookReview #SmallTownRomance #AudiobookLover #ReadMoreRomance

I love the fake dating trope so this was right up my alley. As a theatre kid in high school I love that the main character was into costume design! When theo’s amnesia made him believe she was his actual fiance it really added to the story!

3.5 rounded up - This was an enjoyable enough read, but nothing really made it stand out for me personally. I do love a fake dating trope and that's what drew me into this book initially. For whatever reason I had trouble connecting to either character which made it hard for me to get invested at the beginning. But once I got into the story I did enjoy it well enough.

I would definitely check out more from this author

This had all the romance tropes I tend to love! Naturally, I did like this book. It was a cute rom com. I loved the plot and always love a flawed FMC that is able to grow from her experiences. I would recommend this!

Love You, Mean It has a lot of things I love in books: fake dating/engagement, family, and following your dreams. This book had me laughing out loud and even wiping away a few tears. Ellie's family really stole this story for me and I loved seeing Ellie really figure out what she wanted. I normally don't love the amnesia trope, it didn't last long in this story and I feel it worked with Theo's side of the story. I wasn't completely pulled into Love You, Mean It and I think that Theo's POV would've helped me get to know his side of the story just a little bit more. All in all, Love You, Mean It was a cute romance that was entertaining. I'll definitely read more by Jilly Gagnon in the future.

Ellie Greco is out to save the family deli and stop a local landlord from leasing to Mangia, a gourmet food department store that would guarantee the end of Greco deli. The only problem? Theo isn’t budging on hearing her out and he just got knocked out cold by falling debris and out of panic Ellie claims she’s the fiancée.

I needed a fun rom com and boy did Ellie and Theo deliver it all for me. From their hilarious banter and little pokes at each other, to an ex-fiancée of Theo that is simply the best and such a girl’s girl, to the slow fall of the pretending to real feelings- it kept me gobbling this story up like my favorite hoagie. Did Ellie drive me up the walls at points because girl, just be honest with yourself for once! Yes, yes she did. Did I still hopelessly cheer her on and want to nudge her into the right direction? Yep, sure did. A read that made my afternoon significantly better, had me giggling, swooning over Theo, and smiling to the end.

🥓 Ok, I’ve been sleeping on this book because I thought it was very cute! Thanks to @dellromance for gifting me this before it came out last spring. I finally read it!

🥓 What you can expect from this one:
- rivals to lovers
- fake dating
- socio-economic differences
- sassy attitudes
- and a whole lot of fun!

🥓 This was full of scheming, laughs and sweet, tender moments too and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would be a perfect read during this month of love.

Ellie has come home after a failed career in costume design to run her family deli after the death of her father. When she learns that the landlord of a building nearby is planning to lease to a fancy chain deli which would inevitably put Ellie out of business. She goes to plead with Theo who works for the Property Management firm that is trying to put her out of business and a freak accident has him going to the hospital, in order to go with him she says she is his fiancé and when he can't remember the last few months he believes her for a bit also. When he does start to remember he proposes they fake it because he doesn't want to go through with the fancy deli either but his dad, who owns the firm won't back down without a reason.

This for me felt like a weird version of the movie While You Were Sleeping, and it was all I remembered about this book for the longest time. I read this a couple months ago and am just getting around to reviewing it because of things outside of my control, but the thing that stuck out the most about this book was that I remembered almost nothing about it. I clearly didn't hate it, I would have remembered that, but quite literally did not think I had actually read it until I dug through some other reviews trying to remind myself of what happened here. Unfortunately, that tells me that this book just wasn't for me.

Short, sweet, and to the point. A pretty enjoyable read. This book did exactly what I needed it to do!