Ellie is running the deli that has been in her family for 100 years and is trying to save it from Theo’s family, who is a huge conglomerate who wants to put a mega store in town which would likely put Ellie’s store out of business and when Ellie and Theo have their “meet cute” and decide to work together so they can both get what they want, they end up fake dating, which inevitably leads to real dating.
It was sorta While You Were Sleeping-ish, cute enemies to lovers but my only criticism if you want to call it that is that Ellie was hard to like as a character. She was very critical and makes some frustrating decisions but it’s not anything that I couldn’t get past to let me enjoy my experience with the story.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read with a lots going on!
Thanks to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I'm typically enjoy the amnesia/fake dating trope similar to 'Why You Were Sleeping' so the start of this rom-com was fast-paced and I was excited to see how the amnesia would correct itself. Unfortunately, I could not get past some of the FMC's immaturity, pessimism, or flash judgements of everyone she meets. It was hard to root for her and a HEA as I would have preferred the MMC stayed with his ex. I do think rom-com readers who enjoy fake dating and protagonists who are challenging the careers/roles inhered from their families might enjoy this read, it just was not for me.

3.5 stars. I was in the mood for a comforting and tropey romance, so I picked this one up, and before I knew it, I had inhaled half the book. Ellie currently runs her family's Italian deli but faces a threat when the local Taylor family wants to bring a fancy Eataly-type store to town. Ellie finds an unconventional ally in Theo Taylor and romance circumstances bring them together to try to tank the deal.

Overall, this was really fun and genuinely funny. The story is deftly able to juggle fake dating, enemies to lovers, and even a little light amnesia. I think this could have benefitted from also having Theo's point of view since he felt a bit underdeveloped compared to Ellie, who I loved as a main character.

This was a really quick story that made for a quick read. You had some of everyone’s favorite tropes- enemies to lovers, and fake dating. Ellie is trying to find herself after moving back home when her dreams of going into costume design are not realized. She has to push to extreme measures to try and save her families deli. There was enough going on with Ellie’s character development outside of the main plot points that kept you engaged. Such a quick cute read.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Jilly Gagnon for this ARC.

3 Stars! Such a cute young adult romantic comedy. The main characters were Ellie Greco & Theo Taylor. I liked Theo but Ellie had a lot of growing to do and I only really liked her at the end. She was kind of a jerk. This is the first time I’m reading this author. I enjoyed reading this one and would read her work again. This book had amnesia, fake dating, harsh words, coming to terms with lost dreams, realizing new dreams, an ex fiancé, making friends, dueling businesses and stuck up rich people. All in all, it was an entertaining, interesting book with lots of love and a HEA ending. A few ‘sexy times’ that were hot but not too long & you can easily skim through if that’s not your thing. The beginning few chapters were a bit slow but it picks up about a quarter of the way through.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

This is a very While You Were Sleeping adjacent RomCom, so if you like the movie, odds are you will like the book. Ellie was a designer, and had big dreams, but came back home to take over her family's deli when her father passed away. Now she is stuck in her hometown, and she is faced with the deli going out of business when a hot property manager rolls into town, which threatens to bring in big business. The hijinks start when Theo, said hot guy, takes big hit and has amnesia. Ellie, in order to go with him to the hospital, pretends to be his fiancee. The change in the book from the movie is that Theo pretty quickly realizes Ellie's game and the two decide to work together to get what they want by pretending to be engaged. Ellie and Theo have fine chemistry, but there isn't a ton of humor in this book. There's also a lot of plot. There's a whole side story with an ex of Theo's as well, and Theo's horrible dad. This book has a lot of potential, and if you're looking for some light reading with some Romance in it, it will be fine for your purposes.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a SUCKER for a fun romcom. Love You, Mean It follows Ellie Greco who's trying to save her family deli and Theo Taylor, the culprit for all her issues. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DELIS.

That being said, I will support my local deli but I could not support Ellie or Theo. The premise of this story really intrigued me. The whole amnesia/ fake dating aspect, I ATE UP. But the execution didn't work for me. First - I could not feel the chemistry b/t Ellie and Theo. It felt out of place?? and they're supposed to be the main couple. Second - the entire scenario with Sam? not stomachable - so icky. Those scenes took away what could've been better relationship development for Ellie and Theo. Lastly - Ellie. I wanted to like her so bad. Support women's rights and their wrongs. BUT GIRL.
The wrongs were a little to much and her character was just a little too much for me.

Overall, the book wasn't bad! It had a good premise, just needed better execution. Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I always fall for fake dating even though we all know how it ends. Every time. Love You, Mean It is a fake dating trope about two enemies who pretend to be engaged to stop the guy’s dad from entering into a real estate deal that will destroy the woman’s business. And it started with these two sparring but mid-argument the guy ended up unconscious so she pretends to be his fiancée to get into his hotel room. So we have a little You’ve Got Mail mixed in with While You Were Sleeping. But it deviated a bit into these two scheming together and obviously falling in love. It was really cute in a sweet romcom kind of way. With characters that I was rooting for - both in love but also in standing up for themselves professionally and against their families. I love a strong willed woman, I love when there are real issues that actually get addressed and worked through instead of glossed over and I also love a sweet book boyfriend.

This was alright. I think they spent most of the book not communicating and it was creating too much unnecessary conflict in my opinion. I felt frustrated and I just did not really feel like the characters were acting like their grown ages of 28/30.

<spoiler> Also the plot of the FMC trying to set up MMC with someone else??? While actively denying that she had feelings for him? WILD. Like I just can't. And all these realizations she came to suddenly all at once when she finally realized (or rather admitted to herself) she had feelings for him just felt a bit much. </spoiler>

This was a cute fake-dating story! In order to save her deli and stop a mega shoppy shop (can shoppy shops be mega?) from ruining their quaint downtown, Ellie Greco and town golden boy Theo team up to convince his family that they’re engaged. I really liked all of the characters, the banter was great, and the steamy scenes were well done! The book didn’t totally drag me into it’s orbit though, and I’m not totally sure why. I felt like the relationship between Theo and Ellie was a little superficial, like I needed a few more deep conversations or real interactions when they were on the same team to really be invested in it. I wanted more of everything, because what was there was good!! This is the first book of Jilly Gagnon’s that I’ve read, and excited to read more!

This was a fun romcom that I really enjoyed reading.

While the "While You Were Sleeping" trope is one that has obviously been done before, this was still a fresh story that I raced through. I also think might be the most realistic fake dating reasoning I've seen - it actually makes sense for the real world and not just Romancelandia (where to be clear I am still fine with it).

Both Ellie and Theo are difficult to love, but I think that is what makes their story more compelling. They are flawed - and they felt more real than many Main Characters. They have baggage, personality flaws, and complicated families and personal histories. While they both broke my heart a bit with their miscommunication, how they worked through it felt mature and realistic rather than magical (which I prefer). They both grow a lot over through this book and it was great to see. Ellie's experience of moving back home and her personal growth outside of the romance plotline really made this book shine and made me really connect with her and her growth throughout the book. also really appreciated Ellie's stance on millionaires and the wealthy class (especially since most romance books don't really talk about it), I just wish there would have been a bit more since it almost felt like she was won over since Theo is rich and a nice guy.

The side characters add more depth and fun what could have been a fairly simple plot but really rounded out the book and added a lot of humor (and made me excited for more in the future).

I was really excited when I got the widget for Love You, Mean it. I loved the cover. I loved the title so I couldn’t wait to read it.

From the beginning the story just sort of felt blah to me. I was hopeful it would pick up but it really didn’t. Also, I didn’t love the characters.

Things I did like about it: It made me laugh and I liked the ending even if it was kind of abrupt.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of Love You, Mean It in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you Dell and PRH Audio for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I mostly enjoyed this but something didn’t just work for me. Ellie is trying to save her family’s deli. She reaches out to an old high school classmate whose family is in charge of the deal. They end up in a fake engagement to try and save the deli and spite Theo’s father.

I really liked Theo and it was clear he fell first/was ready to admit that his feelings had changed. I was frustrated with Ellie because she just refused to admit how she felt and didn’t talk to Theo about it. They really seemed to balance each other out if she’d only admit her feelings. This is a book where I would’ve enjoyed Theo’s perspective.

I liked the ending but it felt a little rushed after the breakup happening so late in the third act.

3.5 stars rounded up

While there are many familiar tropes throughout this rom-com, it still felt fresh and fun due to hilarious circumstances and enjoyable characters! A great summer read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this book.

Ellie Greco has returned to her hometown after her father's death to run her family's deli. Still grieving her father's death, she is struggling to keep the business going when she hears that a fancy new Italian market/eatery (like. Eataly) is rumored to be opening up in her town, most likely spelling doom for her family business. Determined to stop the build, she tries talking to an old high school acquaintance of hers, Theo Taylor, whose family is big in the real estate business and who is planning on developing an old building for this new venture.

While Ellie is pleading with him at the construction site, Theo gets hit by debris and Ellie lies and said he is her fiance in order to see him in the hospital. This remake of While You Were Sleeping is shortlived, as Theo soon regains the short term amnesia he had when he woke up. Ellie soon finds out that Theo doesn't want to develop the Italian market either, and so they join forces and pretend to be engaged in order to subvert Theo's dad's plans for the market.

Love You, Mean It is a fun romantic story with interesting characters and a fun plot. I really enjoyed it! It was a quick and entertaining read!

In the Romance book world the fake fiancé trope comes up more often than you would think. I was concerned this book would be a slog given the trope is pretty common. But to my surprise the book was insightful and chock full of witty banter. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was surprised to learn that the author more typically writes crime novels. Huh. Well congrats to Jilly for a witty read where the requisite happy ending is fun and very well done.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book to be intelligent and honest. The characters are basically being themselves, (besides the lies here and there ;) ) and they get along really well. I liked that Ellie was good at designing and had passion, and I liked that Theo was family oriented. The chemistry they had was hot. I sort of wished she hadn't lied to Sam, but it looked like they'd be okay. Was relieved that the amnesia wasn't overdone too.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope. This book did a great job of reminding others to remember their dreams and to be creative. Bother families made it for a fun read. Thanks, netgalley!

It's While You Were Sleeping coded! Well, for a while, at least.

Ellie Greco runs her family’s decades old deli. She was an aspiring costume designer, but after her father's death, she returned home. She loves the place. It means a lot to her, but it definitely isn't where she thought she'd end up. But when her grandmother lets her know that a high-end grocery store chain is moving in, it's going to threaten her family's deli. Maybe even close it.

So she reaches out to Theo Taylor, her cousins ex and the son of the man who's bringing the grocery store to town. Their meeting goes bad. I mean, really bad, Theo gets injured and gets amnesia. Ellie wants to make sure he's OK, and so she claims to be his fiancee.

When he snaps out of it, Theo asks, "Why not keep up the fiancee bit and work together to get the deal closed?" Because Theo has his own reasons.

Oh gosh, this romcom gets pretty funny. Ellie is a fish out of water with Theo's family. And while she wants to help out Theo's ex, who wants to get back with him (it's a new friendship!), some pesky feelings get involved.

Of course, these people need to be honest, lol. But it was so enjoyable.

Ellie Greco runs her family’s Italian deli. When someone she knows from high school, Theo Taylor, wants to rent a building in her town to Mangia, a high-end, gourmet food store, Ellie will do anything to save her family business. Even if that means pretending to be Theo’s fiancée to get his father to stop his plans.

This was such a cute “meat cute” (pun intended!). I really liked Ellie. She was realistic and relatable. I thought the amnesia trope worked great for this story and loved how Ellie pretended to be Theo’s fiancée, but then he wanted to keep pretending they were even after getting his memory back. As a foodie, I loved the dueling deli theme and my mouth was watering with all the mentions of yummy Italian food. There was so much chemistry between Ellie and Theo, and I thought Theo was swoony! I wished Ellie had been more honest with herself and her feelings for Theo, but overall I enjoyed this story.

This was my first Jilly Gagnon book, but I did buy another after finishing this one so I look forward to reading more from her.

Read this if you like:
- While You Were Sleeping
- Amnesia trope
- Fake Dating
- Foodie romance

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.