SPOILER RIDDEN REVIEW - I HAD TO RANT

Halfway through this book I had a serious debate with myself about DNFing. I ended up deciding that there was enough time for these characters to redeem themselves and that I’d give them the chance to do so. It was wishful thinking.

Ellie Greco, 28, has been running her family’s deli for the past five years following the death of her father. The deli is called Greco’s Deli, by the way. After her last name? Okay, just want to make sure we’re all AWARE OF THIS. Theo Taylor, 30, works for his dad’s real estate company. They just acquired a building and plan to lease it to this fancy deli. It’s guaranteed to drive Ellie out of business, so Ellie arranges a meeting with Theo to… I don’t know, convince him not to do it? The two went to high school together, so there’s some familiarity there. In the meeting, Theo’s like, “We can’t just not put this other deli here just because it competes with you.” Which, like, yes makes sense to me. Before Ellie can plead her case further, a freak accident occurs that causes Theo to get knocked out. In order to follow him to the hospital, Ellie lies and says she’s Theo’s fiancee. When Theo wakes up and realizes Ellie’s lie, he suggests the two continue the charade. He apparently doesn’t want the deli coming into town either. He has other visions for this building, so if they act as each other’s fiancee then his father might be persuaded to not run his new “daughter-in-law” out of business.

While this is happening, Theo’s ex-fiancee, Sam, shows up. She can see through Ellie and Theo’s fake dating. She thinks it’s a brilliant idea in order to help Ellie save her deli, but asks Ellie if it’s okay for her to try to swoop back in once they’re done with their ploy. Ellie’s like, “Oh, yeah, no problem, there’s nothing going on between me and Theo.” Um… this is after Ellie and Theo had sex! Ellie plans a double date to hopefully have Theo start checking out Sam, but the whole time he just keeps trying to be grabby with Ellie and she lets Theo! Sam is like, “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?” And Ellie’s like, “We’re just faking!” After a third incident, Sam again questions Ellie and Ellie AGAIN denies, and then not 5 MINUTES LATER SHE’S BANGING THEO IN THE PARKING LOT. AND SAM SEES AND IS LIKE WTF I LITERALLY GAVE YOU ALL THE CHANCES.

Yeah, Ellie is just the shittiest romance protagonist. I didn’t feel any chemistry between her and Theo outside of horniness. The entire novel she’s complaining about the rich. At one point she judges Theo’s uncle by thinking, “His greatest achievement in life had been his last name.” Like… same with you! You failed as a costume designer in New York! You inherited a family business at 23! IT’S LITERALLY CALLED GRECO’S DELI AFTER YOUR EFFING LAST NAME! Ellie and Theo have an argument, and in it she throws out that Theo’s dead younger brother would be “sO DiSaPPoiNteD iN YoU.” She is immediately like, “I take it back,” but, no, b*tch, it’s been said. And it was so out of pocket and unnecessary. And then Theo decides to just forgive her even before she offers him an apology lasagna.

I was hoping Theo would end back up with Sam and Ellie would change and be a better person following that whole catastrophe, but nope. I mean, Sam does end up with someone better than Theo at the end, so good for her, but Theo and Ellie get together at the end and it’s just so… ugh. Disappointing? That in a romance book these two awful characters get happily ever after? I mean, Theo wasn’t as awful as Ellie, but he just felt so bland to me. They had sex way too soon and then afterwards he seemed to only want to keep having sex with Ellie and didn’t care enough about her family or business issues.

Give me a book following Sam and Everett’s relationship. And leave these two numb skull’s out of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the premise of this book and the characters in the beginning. From about 40% on though it looked like there were a lot of repeated paragraphs (which I'm sure will be fixed in the final) and it seemed that the bond between the mc and the li was rushed. The tension that was so perfectly set up fell a little flat and the sexual connection didn't feel realistic. I did read the whole thing because I had hope for the characters, but probably wouldn't read again based on that.

This book was hard to finish. Ellie was not someone I wanted to root for so it made it difficult to pick the book up after putting it down. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to other readers.

Such a cute and fun read!

Loved the enemies to lovers and fake dating.

Little slow to start for me but once the story picked up I really enjoyed it!

Loved that it was an easy to follow story and kept my attention.

I really liked the characters. Ellie did come across quite negative at times and but I’m glad I pushed through it in the end!

Despite the weak premise and lack of a robust plot, the story still manages to charm with its romantic comedy elements. Ellie faces the prospect of the demise of her family’s Italian deli by the incoming Mangia, a large-scale food market reminiscent of Eataly, set to occupy the vacant Taylor building in her quaint Massachusetts town. In a twist of fate, she finds herself teaming up with Theo Taylor, and through a series of unexpected events, they unite to kill the Mangia deal.

I liked both Ellie and Theo, who had to get past their misconceptions of each other to work as a team. Ellie, a strong-willed and passionate woman, is determined to save her family's deli, while Theo, initially perceived as growing up with a silver spoon, is more empathetic and supportive than expected. I kept expecting a climax or confrontation with Theo and his capitalist dad, but it never happened. Then there is the old girlfriend Samantha, who thinks Theo is the one who got away, and she asks Ellie for her help to get Theo back. I was looking for Sam’s ulterior motive the whole story, but that never came either. Maybe I should let that go because women do not always need to fight over men.

Some overly descriptive passages could have been edited. Overall, it is a solid read, but I wanted more.

I was hook line and sinker with a description for this book saying "and just the right amount of amnesia" I mean how can you not be hooked?!

This was your standard romance that was just utterly wonderful. I loved it, I was completely consumed in the story and absolutely obsessed with the characters and dueling delis.

Looking forward to more from Jilly Gagnon.

Ellie Greco has returned home to run her family's deli after the sudden death of her father. The deli is at risk when a big box food department store announces plans to buy out an old building in their community. Ellie reaches out to the building owner's son in an attempt to derail the deal. Theo agrees to take the meeting but does not think he will be able to put a stop to the deal. While in the building that is under construction Theo is injured and Ellie lies saying that she is his fiancé to be able to travel with him to the hospital. Theo is unable to remember the last 6 years when he wakes up. Thankfully the amnesia resolves quickly but Theo suggests keeping the fake engagement ruse going.

I almost always have a good time with fake dating books. I was a little bit concerned with the amnesia storyline to begin with but was so glad that it got turned around quickly in a very fun way. Ellie and Theo are so much fun together. The banter was top notch. This probably would have been a 5 star read if it wasn't for a little too much miscommunication for my preferences. One thing that really stood out was the focus on Ellie and her friendships. Making friends as an adult can be difficult and I really enjoyed seeing her take steps to bring people other than the love interest into her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

There’s a lot going on in this story, from enemies to lovers to fake dating to amnesia, and there’s much to like AND dislike. It was overall an entertaining read, but I struggled to relate to Ellie as a character, as well as some of the convoluted decisions made. In the end, it was a decent if forgettable read.

Thank you Jilly Gagnon, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun fake dating rom-com with interesting characters, but I’ll admit that I struggled to connect with our FMC. A good in-a-weekend read, but not one that’s going to necessarily stick with me for a long time.

Ellie and Theo were the perfect pair for this fake dating romance with a small town vibe. Their chemistry was incredible. I’ve come to really enjoy Jilly Gagnon’s books, so much so that I wish the story kept going further into their happily ever after.

Thank you to Random House and Jilly Gagnon for providing this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m wavering on whether to give this 3 or 4 stars, so I’m going to go with 3.5. It was a fun premise, and I like the characters, but it felt like there was a bit too much going on for a book that was only 24 chapters.

The subplot of Sam trying to get back together with Theo didn’t really seem to work that great, especially when Ellie agreed to help but KNEW she had feelings for Theo, and refused to act on them. She kept reiterating that they were too different and wouldn’t work, even though Theo kept alluding to the fact that he did want to try and make their fake romance real.

The fight that led to their third act breakup felt out of place, and like it was thrown in simply to create said third act breakup. Theo and Ellie’s unnecessary cruelty to each other gave me a bit of whiplash to be honest.

I loved the backdrop of a New England town and the temporary amnesia that led to this half-baked scheme, but I think it should’ve been longer to successfully accomplish all it tried to do.

This book was super cute, it was pretty easy to see what the outcome was going to be, but I think that’s common with most romance books! I found myself easily loving most the characters but to be totally honest, the fmc was a downer and very negative which kinda pulled me from the story a bit 🫤

i decided to dnf at 42%.
i just have no interest in finishing this. at the time of accessing this to read and review i was excited about it, but in the last couple months i have grown less and less excited about rom-coms and at this time i do not think i am the intended audience for this book. i think people who enjoy sassy FMC’s, fake dating, and rivals to lovers will find things to enjoy in this. i had hoped for this to be different than other fake dating books i’ve read before, but it just felt so similar.

Love You, Mean it by Jilly Gagnon was such a cute read!

The first few pages were a bit slow, and I put down the book for a month or so. Today, I picked it up and breezed through the entire book. Don’t judge a book by its first few pages! It was so, so cute! 🩷

Ellie Greco worked (unsuccessfully) in costume design in NYC until she was abruptly needed back home to run the family deli. It’s been a long five years since she returned home, and it looks like a large competitor, which will likely put Ellie’s family business out of business, is moving into town.

As a last ditch effort to save the deli, Ellie arranges to meet Trip, a rich kid from her past whose family owns most of the local real estate. Trip, now known as Theo, gives Ellie a couple minutes to explain why he shouldn’t lease to her competitor and during that time, Theo is involved in an accident that causes short term amnesia.

In an effort to accompany Theo to the hospital, Ellie tells the paramedics that she is Theo’s fiancée.

On paper, Ellie and Theo couldn’t be more different. But, they do have one thing in common, their destain for Theo’s father, Ted.

Theo and Ellie form a plan to trick Ted Taylor, and their short-term arrangement turns into something much more significant.

I love a good love story. These two had sizzling chemistry. A little at R-rated at times points and a whole lot of F-bombs.

I could not put this one down. I was desperate for these two to get their HEA.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the story of Ellie, trying to keep her family business afloat after the death of her father, and Theo, who she hopes is the answer to her problems. Theo suffered a head injury and is initially tricked into believing he is Ellie’s fiance. When Theo’s memory returns, he proposes playing along with the charade, as something mutually beneficial.

Overall, this was a fun rom com with a cute fake dating situation.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Love You Mean It" by Jilly Gagnon is like the rom-com you didn't know you needed, scoring a solid 3.5 stars from me. You have Ellie trying to save her family's deli and somehow she ends up in a fake engagement with Theo Taylor.

The story's has all your favorite tropes – fake dating, amnesia, and enough chaos to keep you hooked. The main couples chemistry is there, but not fireworks level like they're missing a bit of that spark. However it is still such a fun read. Perfect for a quick summer escape or something to chuck in your bag for a trip. Quick note: Foul language makes quite the appearance on almost every page. Some folks are cool with it, others not so much.

TLDR: In a nutshell, "Love You Mean It" is a cute story with a few twists.. Jilly Gagnon brings the rom-com binge read vibes. It's like comfort food – not mind-blowing, but definitely satisfying and entertaining.

This read was just okay. I wanted to love it so much, but the FMC was so negative that I felt no draw to even want to know her story.
Overall the idea and storyline was good, but the characters are what kept me from enjoying.

Love you mean it.... What a fun light read. I'd never read anything but Jilly Gagnon, and it was refreshing and very enjoyable -- I feel like she must have an architecture or fashion design background because the detail with which she wrote about the topics was impressive. Ellie and Theo start off on an interesting foot when he gets hit in the head and wakes with amnesia while she is pretending to be his fiance so she can accompany him to the hospital. I was worried this would be the start of an awful "how long is she going to keep lying to him hoping his memory doesn't come back" but thankfully that was NOT the plot of the book. Lots of family drama and a bit of stress, introspection, and other challenges in the mix which made the HEA that much more sweet.

Cute love story that I couldn’t put down.
*Enemies to lovers
*fake dating
*foodies
There’s so much happening in the book I never felt bored. Ellie trying to grow up and make friends, finding out what she wants for her future and the possibility of a real relationship out of her fake one. The one thing I do wish was for it to not end so abruptly. I want to know more about what happens with Theo and Ellie. A second book would be perfect or a second book in the series following Sam, or Bella.
Thank you To NetGalley, Jilly Gagnon and Dell for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect light rom-com book of 2024 has arrived! Love You Mean It is a hilarious adventure between two near-perfect strangers that agree to pretend for their own selfish reasons, but can’t help the chemistry that exists. Ellie left behind the city and has returned home to run her family’s deli, not her dream, but her duty. She’s outraged to find that there are plans to put in a full-block box-store deli that will ruin her town. Her high-school acquaintance, Theo is in charge. When she sets a meeting to plead her case, her world is literally turned upside down when Theo suffers an injury and she becomes his stand-in fiancee. Theo and Ellie decide it benefits them both to keep the charade going, but there’s lots of relationship and business plans that their relationship is influencing. I loved watching them learn to stand up for each other and on their own. There were complicated friend, family and life changing decisions and dynamics that evolved for both characters, making the novel flow quickly and smoothly. Author Ji8lly Gagnon did an excellent job keeping Love You, Mean It engaging, fun and witty.

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.