Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of Love You, Mean It

A cute rom-com about a woman trying to save her family's deli from wealthy developers bent on gentrifying her neighborhood and bringing a "whole foods" esque supermarket into the area. We've got "While You Were Sleeping" vibes with a fake fiance schtick and amnesia (if you know, you know), opposites attract and fun family dynamics to round everything out.

Ellie Greco has worked for her family-owned deli, aptly named Greco's Deli for her whole life. After a short stint in the city and then the sudden death of her father, she finds herself back home schlepping deli meats, tinned fish, and other necessities for her family and customers. But when a local investor, Theo Taylor, wants to bring a mega store to the area, she decides to confront him and plead her case. Things go from a bad first impression to so much worse when the ceiling of the building they're meeting in caves in and Ellie falsely claims to be Theo's fiance. One hospital visit and a bout of short-term memory loss have these two stuck playing the fake fiance game. Theo's memory loss is shortlived, but he stuns Ellie when he proposes that their fake engagement continue on to manipulate their respective families to get what they want.

A fun rom-com that was a quick read, a great addition to your spring line up.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
A lighthearted romcom that will make a perfect beach read or curl up and pamper yourself weekend.
Ellie has come home from New York City to run the family deli following her father's death. Emotions swirl as she learns about a major store coming into their small town. She sets out to connect with Theo and try to persuade him to change the company's direction, and, as expected, tempers flare and an unusual partnership is formed. The two learn to trust each other and slowly change a fake engagement into a real relationship. Tensions build, disaster strikes, and the two separate after hurting each other. By the end, the deli is saved and so is the relationship.
Gagnon captures the fun and the struggles of connecting and growing when two people are afraid to trust. The additional characters add humor and fun as they all interact.

After reading the first chapter, I wasn't sure if I would finish the book, but I'm glad that I continued. Five years ago, Ellie came back home to run her family's deli after her father died. When she hears a large competitor might be moving to town, Ellie wants to do what she can to keep it open. Ellie agrees to meet the landlord Theo at the future site. When Theo gets hurt and has amnesia, Ellie tells the paramedics that she is his fiancé. Theo's regains his memory and they agree to a fake engagement. His rich snobby father and his ex-girlfriend want different results. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. While I didn't connect with the characters as much as other stories, I thought Ellie and Theo are more realistic characters. Both of them have to evaluate what they really want in life.

Ellie returns home to run the family deli after her father dies. Yet that legacy is threatened by the almost appearance of Mangia on the horizon. Ellie can only see one way to save Greco's Deli and that's to plead her case to the property owner. And that's when the plot really gets interesting. One can't say much more as it will give the plot away. But be ready for plot twists and turns you never saw coming. Ms. Gagnon, Love You, Mean It is a captivating, can't put it down story that will capture your readers. Well done!

Love You, Mean It follows Ellie as she tries to save her Deli shop by partaking in a fake engagement. Ellie becomes fake engaged to Theo to prevent her dad from selling a town building to a competitor. I found this book kindof silly. When Ellie starts to develop real feelings, her reasons for not moving forward with them are odd and illogical. It took me over a month to finish this book which is unusual for me. It was hard to become invested in the characters.

Love You, Mean It is a cute, well written romance novel that falls under the fake relationship trope. Ellie, who has tried to make it in NYC as a fashion designer, moves back home to her small town in Mass after her father dies to help with her family's Italian deli. She meets Theo, who she has always thought of as a spoiled rich boy, and they embark on a fake engagement, involving a temporary bout of amnesia and various business reasons. She and Theo grow closer despite his awful family and of course they run into some obstacles.

I love a fake relationship trope!
Theo and Ellie are perfect leads and I love their chemistry!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This one surprised me with how much I loved it! Jilly Gagnon is a new-to-me author so I wasn't sure what to expect and the high level plot summary is *deeply* Hallmarkian. Admittedly, I'm a girl who LOVES a good Hallmark Christmas movie but a book that involves amnesia, a fake engagement, and a whole plotline about saving the family deli from demise at the hands of a big flashy corporation is a LOT to pull off.

But Gagnon absolutely does it! This book is just so FUN! Ellie and Theo have great chemistry from the get-go and the evolution of their relationship is really believable since it's grounded in who they are as characters (even amid all the chaos of amnesia and fake dates etc.). It's fake dating done REALLY well (and we love a "he falls first" moment)!! I really loved Theo -- Gagnon does a great job of slowly changing how you view him through the slow reveal of his history and his family.

Ellie gets a TINY bit tedious toward the end -- like girl, I get it. You like to sew and you love the deli and you're obviously self sabotaging so please just get a grip! The third act conflict is honestly kind of epic -- there were moments where I was reading through my fingers because I had so much second hand mortification. But I loved how Ellie finally took control of her life and stopped lying to herself about what she actually wanted in her life (both in terms of her career and relationships).

Overall, it's an absolute delight !

This was a cute story with an interesting premise. I enjoyed that the women in this book worked together and not against each other but I think that Ellie could have been fleshed out a little more the first half of the book and I felt that Bella never really got the characterization that she should have as such an important character.

This story was a cute rom com but it was predictable. It was an easy read though!! The characters had nice development and I enjoyed reading it

"Love You, Mean It" may not be perfect, but it's a good option for anyone looking for a light and enjoyable romantic comedy. It's the ideal book to read on a lazy afternoon when you're in the mood for something easygoing and fun. Although it may not leave a lasting impression, it's a pleasant way to escape into a world of love and laughter, even if just for a little while.

While the novel offers moments of genuine charm, it falls short in some areas. The pacing can sometimes feel uneven, with certain scenes dragging on while others feel rushed. Additionally, some character development feels shallow, leaving certain relationships and motivations feeling underdeveloped.

In summary, "Love You, Mean It" is worth considering if you enjoy romantic comedies. I would give it a rating of 3.5, which rounds up to 4.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am such a sucker for a quick adorable read. I really enjoyed the characters and their banter. I have to admit that the whole self-sabotage moment makes me mad every time, but it's just necessary for the plot. I'm also, in all honesty, a little over the whole fake-dating plot, but with the little twist at the beginning and more, this book just did it differently for me.
Again, I really loved the energy of this book. It's definitely a comfort read. Well written, descriptive, and knowledgeable on the topics brought up.

Ellie Greco will do everything in her power to save her family’s deli. Even if that includes fake dating Theo Taylor.

Theo Taylor has his own set of goals for fake dating Ellie Greco.

Will Theo and Ellie both get what they out of this arrangement? Or will they come out with so much more?

This was just an ok read for me. I did like the slight “While You Were Sleeping” vibes and fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. But I struggled with connecting to the main characters and rooting for their relationship. I did like premise but something was just missing for me with this one.

This was such a cute fake dating story. I absolutely loved Ellie from the first scene. This was a quick, fun read that feels perfect for summer.

Love You Mean it is a cute fake dating to save the business between Ellie, a deli shop owner, and Theo, the rich son of the business man trying to destroy it by bringing a chain of Italian eateries to town. The character arcs are well done; it’s so easy to initially dislike Theo, for being a trust fund kid working for his absolutely awful father, but carefully woven character backstory makes its way into developing him into a likable person despite his unfortunate roots. And Ellie is direct and strong from the beginning, which I love, and her character development centers on allowing herself to be honest and want the things she actually wants, which feels like a relatable adult problem, too. This is full of tropes and a fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Jilly Gagnon for this eARC. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon was a fun, lighthearted romantic comedy. It was enjoyable and it did what it was supposed to do. I don't think it was necessary the most groundbreaking thing I've read but I wasn't expecting that when I started it. Overall, it was fun and perfect for a summer afternoon.

quick thoughts reviews!

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban. The idea of a Parent Trap-esque romance between two women trying to avoid their own matrimonial expectations & pressures is fantastic to me & I love how we get a bonus romance with their parents. The connection between leads is sweet & hot but the overall plot feels unnecessarily angsty IMO & I didn’t always understand why things were happening like they did. But I definitely enjoyed this book & see a lot of potential for future reads—a good thing, since I have book 2 on my shelves! 4 ⭐️, out now. (Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon. I stan a heroine with a passionate hobby & I found myself most invested in this book when it talks about what Ellie Greco is into: fashion, family, & her family’s deli. I was less invested in the romance, which started to grow on me before kinda blowing up in my face somewhat. In the end, this title feels misleading & I would characterize it as HFN. I wanted to like this one more, & in moments I did, but overall the relationship between leads feels tenuous & the third act breakup is pretty brutal. 3⭐️️, out 04/30. (Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

Have you read either of these? Are either on your TBR? If not, what’s your current read?

[ID: a gray cat sits on a bed in front of a white bookcase & a yellow wall.]

This is a snarky, sweet, enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement romance. It actually felt more like a new adult or women’s lit, too, because Ellie has a lot of growing up to do. She’s not always nice or likable, but I think that’s more realistic. No one is a ray of sunshine all the time. I enjoyed it, it was very well written, and I look forward to more from the author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed Gagnon’s turn from mystery into this rom com arena. This is a busy read, lots going on. This is the enemies to lovers trope and done very well. You could feel the tension come off the page!

Love You, Mean It is part "While You were Sleeping" mixed with the indecisive angst of "Runaway Bride". What initially is a faux engagement to allow Ellie to monitor her landlord, Theo, during a medical emergency evolves into a fake dating/engagement plot. I liked watching Ellie grow as a character. She recognized her blind spots and grew, but some of the language (swearing) in the story was distracting and unnecessary. I really liked Love You, Mean It and look forward to reading more of Gagnon's books!