Guys- this was so stinking cute and I loveddddddd these two characters. They were funny, there was sparks there, and Theos protectiveness made my heart melt!

Recommend- highly!!!

This was a scrumptious enemies-to-co-conspirators-to lovers. Plenty of undeniable chemistry, sassy banter, feeeeeelings, ew! And the perfect amount of steaminess.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
Ellie was a bad@ss. She went after what she wanted and kept her eye on the prize, regardless of all the little hiccups, and changes along the way. The dinner scene was perfect. I fell in love with her then, right along with Theo.

Elile’s family and their commitment to their legacy in the deli, and to each other. Everyone needs a Bella. And and ferocious Mimi.

The chemistry with Theo and Ellie. She’s a firecracker, and he is witty, but a bit “prim.” But in the best moments, he let’s go and says the most smoldery things.


FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Noted. And for the record? I’m happy to wear a studded leather choker occasionally. Just to spice things up.”

“Mimi laid into someone at the dinner table every other week, but it would never have occurred to anyone to stop showing up. Or even to hold on to the anger past the end of whatever tiff happened over the tiramisu. That was just family . . . right?”

“How could he understand that there could be something deeply fulfilling in weaving yourself into a larger story, creating something not just for yourself, like all my cleverly constructed blouses, but for the people and places that were your whole heart?”


Thank you Jilly Gagnon and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I just purchased the paperback for an inevitable book snuggle and re-read.

Dell eARC
I am so glad I decided to read this until I got to see Jilly in St. Louis because it always adds more depth to my reading experience after hearing about the author's decisions. What I loved about Ellie was her saltiness. I am a sarcastic, sassy woman at times, and it's so fun to see a character like her here. I fell for Theo almost instantly. They played off of each other so well. I am also a sucker for fake dating, and it's done so well here. I loved how they worked together towards a common goal, even as they started falling for each other. It was just such a fun time from beginning to end and I can't wait to read more from her.

Perfect rom-com. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking it would make a great movie.

It’s everything you want in a rom-com. Likable main characters, a problem they need to solve together, a quirky way they are thrown together, a shared enemy.

Yes, you know what’s going to happen, but you don’t care, you are just there for the fun, lovely ride.

Ellie Greco has come back to town to run the family deli after her father died. Unfortunately, a wealthy real estate investor is looking to bring in a huge gourmet deli that would totally put her out of business. Perhaps she can appeal to his very good-looking, arrogant son? Do I need to even say more?

Fun rom-com, predictable in the most perfect of ways

Closer to 3.5 for me.

The story focuses on Ellie and Theo, who are rivals and workplace enemies. She has taken over her family's gourmet deli and he works for a commercial developer that is trying to bring in a massive upscale food store that will inevitables put her small shop out of business. After an accident causes Theo to end up with a bout of amnesia, Ellie pretends to be his fiancee although the deception is short lived. This leads to a fake dating situation between Theo and Ellie that becomes more complicated with the introduction of Theo's former girlfriend, Sam.

I loved the nod to While You Were Sleeping, and I thought that the banter between Ellie and Theo created good chemistry. I didn't think that Ellie was particularly likable, though, and disagreed with some of the choices she made in terms during her relationship with Sam.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I went into Love You, Mean It wanting to root for the main female character. I, sadly, felt no connection to her and kind of preferred the main male character and his awesome ex to her. The story was good but I found the characters just lacking. It was a quick read and wrapped up really quickly at the end and I got a little confused by all that was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

3.5 stars

Love You, Mean It was a cute romance. Normally, I’m not a big fan of the fake dating trope but it worked well on this story. A few bumps along the way, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

After Ellie’s father died five years ago, she gave up her dream of designing theater costumes to move back to her hometown and run the family’s deli. Word on the street is a fancy gourmet food store is in development in the area which could put Ellie’s shop out of business. So she sets up a meeting with Theo Taylor who works for his dad’s property management firm and is handling the project. She hopes to change his mind and eventually they come up with plan that could be mutually beneficial.

My synopsis makes the fake dating scheme sound creepy but trust me, it’s not and it’s one of the few times I’ll say it logically makes sense for them to pretend they are in love. It helps that I liked both characters and they had some chemistry. I appreciate how the author chose a better path for Theo’s ex than the stereotypical route.

My only slight criticism is things got a bit messy in the last quarter or so of the book. Some fine tuning and more development were needed to take this book to the next level. A good romance with some heart and humor but it didn’t reach its full potential. That said, I’d be interested in checking out another book by this author.

Loved it! I was fast paced and enjoyable. And I appreciated that while there was a confusion at the beginning, it wasn't a lie that continued well into the book. I don't want to give any spoilers other then it resolves early.

•Fake dating
•Rivals to lovers
•Grump Vs. Sunshine
•Opposites attract

This one was cute. Like Hallmark cute. Thank you to the publisher for granting my wish! 3.5 stars.

Love You, Mean It, Jilly Gagnon, 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ellie was a costume designer for high end productions until her father died. He ran the family deli, and Ellie moves back to manage it herself. She hears a rumor that a large nationwide gourmet market is going to take over a nearby building. Ellie is talking to Theo Taylor, who represents the management company, when the ceiling literally falls in on them. At the hospital Ellie says she’s his fiancee, which leads them into a period of fake dating. Everyone believes in their engagement, and they’re both starting to believe it themselves, when Theo’s ex shows up. Can they convince her too?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ellie runs an Italian Deli and, on the side, designs clothes. Her cousin, Belle, tells her that a property company is in the process of buying a large building near her Deli and that they must stop it. Ellie sets up a meeting with Theo, the representative of the property company. The meeting turned into a shouting match and Theo left the room to take a phone call. There is a loud bang and Ellie finds him unconscious on the floor. They call for help and Ellie tells the EMTs that she is his fiancee. This is the start of the story. It is pure Chick Lit and will make good beach reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Dell for an ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine Books Dell and NetGalley for a review copy of Love You, Mean It in exchange for my honest opinion. This is a cute fake-dating romcom by a new-to-me author.
Along the lines of one of my favorite movies While You Were Sleeping, Ellie says she is Theo’s fiance to get into his hospital room after a head injury. Ellie and Theo are not strangers, having grown up together, and had been meeting about business, as Theo’s father was involved in a deal to bring a gourmet food megastore to the small town, which would be in direct competition with the deli Ellie ran. (I just realized that deli and Ellie rhyme - ha!) There is some amnesia involved with the hospital stay, leading to a fake engagement, which made sense in the context of the story. I thought the book’s premise was cute, and even though it is written from Ellie’s single POV, as a reader I was able to understand Theo’s perspective, too. This cover is bright and fun, too! I switched back and forth between reading and listening, and I recommend the narrator, Amanda Ronconi. I believe she was a new-to-me narrator, too.

4 Stars! ⭐️

A big thank you to the Dell team at Random House Publishing for the ARC!

✨ fake fiancé / engagement
✨ a touch of amnesia
✨ enemies/ rivals to lovers
✨ witty banter

This was such a cute & funny read - Jilly's sense of humor shines throughout the book which I really enjoyed! I also loved the message in the author's note that "the salty, the smart-alecks, the sarcastic", the imperfect people deserve happy ending just as much as everyone else!

I'm looking forward to future romance releases from Jilly Gagnon!

Ellie is difficult to root for as a main character. She's very judgmental and negative about everything! There's a difference between being complex and just a jerk! Theo didn't do it for me, either, though he was more tolerable than Ellie. They both have quite a bit of baggage, which is fine, but it doesn't feel like they learn anything by the book's end. I also did not buy their chemistry with one another because they don't have any to begin with! You can't make sparkles out of fizzles, and their "love" was all fizzle. I didn't ever believe that they were romantically interested in one another.

Such a unique take on the Fake Dating trope, that was full of laughs! Overall, a super enjoyable Rom Com that was a quick and easy read!

LOVE YOU, MEAN IT - Jilly Gagnon

A COMPLICATED ROMANCE - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Ellie Greco would rather be designing beautiful costumes for theater, but her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's deli. When Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, Greco's Deli's very existence is suddenly in jeopardy. Through some crazy circumstances, Ellie and Theo decide to fake an engagement, which will help them both. Ellie doesn’t trust him, but oddly enough, things seem to be working out.

Writing - 4 stars - This is a new-to-me author, and she caught my attention right from the first page. She created a complicated but interesting plotline, and peopled it with entertaining characters.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Ellie is a strong and capable character, but she also hides her vulnerabilities by closing off when things get too emotional. She has friends and a close family, but she also finds that she's limiting herself and her goals. Theo, although wealthy and a go-getter, has lived his life under his arrogant father's thumb, especially since his brother's death. He's finally ready to go out on his own, and he discovers that Ellie is just the support structure that he needs. Soon he also discovers that she is also what he wants.

Title - 3.5 stars - I guess this means that there's not a lot of trust between Ellie and Theo (and the rest of the characters, for that matter), so there's always a bit of doubt about their feelings.

Cover - 3.5 stars - Again, with the trendy cartoon-y cover. I'm not a fan, but this one is cute and bright and catches the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - As a new-to-me author, I didn't have any particular expectations, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Bailey provided an unusual story that kept my interest throughout. I liked Ellie as a main character and enjoyed watching her discover more about herself and grow into an even stronger woman.

I was excited for the premise of the book and fake-dating is one of my favorite tropes! However...the "other side of the tracks" story line sort of fell flat for me. There was a lot of negative (racial) commentary and demeaning focus on Theo's background. while Ellie herself is the offspring of a successful multi-generational family business. It read like a Hallmark movie plot with spice, but lacked the warmth of tangible character connections that wraps the viewer in a cocoon of "happy".

Ellie is uber-judgemental and lacks humility. She was difficult to connect with and root for. Theo was warm and certainly more likeable than Ellie. I'm not a fan of the 3rd act breakup, either. Even less so when it feels rushed and forced. I think there was a lot of potential for this book, but it felt kind of surface level. I certainly felt the physical chemistry but the emotional chemistry didn’t match its intensity, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the title of this book and I enjoyed every moment of its cuteness! I highly recommend reading it in one sitting! You won’t want to put it down!

Okay, I was a little hesitant when I started this story, but it was actually pretty dang cute! It was a cute mix of While You Were Sleeping and a bit of You’ve Got Mail haha maybe I’m watching too many 90’s movies lately? I loved that the FMC was the one running the family deli, it’s not very often you see a gal in that role! Her repartee with the MMC was just the right amount and their slow burn was great 🙌🏻 I couldn’t put it down once I started, though some parts were a little slow moving. The side characters pretty much all amazing as well. Definitely make sure to give this read a chance!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I loved "While You Were You Were Sleeping" so I had high expectations for this trope to be part of the storyline. This theme was only an abbreviated part of the plot, however. And I did not like our couple! Fake dating tropes which turn real are usually something I enjoy. The execution this time just did not get me invested in our couple. The lies about the relationship just went beyond what was necessary. While I was not routing for the ex-girlfriend, I actually liked her character more than Ellie our main lead.

2.5 stars