Coming from an Italian family myself, I know all too well the importance of attending Sunday dinner, cooking together in the kitchen and dropping everything when you are needed. Ellie’s life changed five years ago when her Dad died and she returned home to run the family deli. This kind of small business is the cornerstone of any Italian neighborhood, not only as a place to shop but also as a place to gossip, try out new recipes or complain about big business running amok in their close-knit community. Ellie Greco was ready to take on Theo Taylor, the heir apparent to the biggest real estate company in town. Good thing for her that her cousin Bella still had Theo’s number so with a quick text, she set up a meeting with the enemy!

What ensues is a fake engagement/business relationship that would hopefully save Ellie’s beloved deli from becoming just a memory to all who shopped there. Ellie wasn’t impressed with Theo’s fancy car, trendy clothes or his abrupt attitude toward her plight. Thanks to an errant ceiling tile that rendered Theo unconscious, Ellie quickly became his adoring fiancee so she could accompany him to the hospital. Their meet cute created a whirlwind of social events to introduce Ellie to Theo’s father’s elite group of pompous friends and business associates. Ellie would rather spend the day handing out salami samples at the deli than mingle with rude people who thought she wasn’t good enough for Theo. What happens when the lines between business and pleasure are crossed? Will Ellie and Theo find what they are both looking for or will their pasts complicate their future desires?

This book starts with an amazing build of an Italian American Family with such fun and interesting characters. Unfortunately they seem to be totally forgotten for most of the story and not utilized for the laughs I was expecting. With that aside, the two main characters share a past that has now become a mutual interest in the present. While they work together to create chaos for his father there was also a missed opportunity to look into that past connection. Listen, I’m not saying I didn’t like this book, I actually did. I just am feeling super critical on missed opportunities to explore and explain how they felt in the now that would have been more relevant. I did like how the author was able to have the characters internalize their feelings and come to terms with them in adult ways and work them out.

A truly fun read for my first book of the 2024. Funny how the right relationship can help you figure out who you really are and what you truly want. That's the real story in Love You, Mean It.

Ellie Greco returns to her family's deli to run it after her father's death. She abandons her dream of costuming, lamenting about family duties. When a major company coming to town threatens her family business, she enlists the help of one of the men bringing it to town. Theo also happens to be her cousins ex from high school. An accident leads to one little lie, which turns into a bigger scheme as he reveals he has bigger dreams at foot.

Fake dating and lies create a tangled web - but you have to read this sweet story to find out if real feelings can prevail. The best part of this story is the characters. When a character makes mistakes or behaves in a way the reader knows they shouldn't, it's easy to get frustrated and disconnect. But the author does such a great job that you sympathize and respect the characters, falling in love with them along the way.

Highly recommend this fast-paced read.

I enjoyed this story and the characters. It was on the predictable side but it was still worth it. Would love to read more from this author! 😍

I enjoyed this rom com even though it was a little on the predictable side. But it was still good. I would read more books by this author.

3.75 stars

This book was absolutely adorable. This was the first book I had ever read from Jilly Gagnon and I truly enjoyed it as the romance book it was.

I loved the main hero, Theo, I thought he was so sweet. The way he treated Ellie made my hear swoon. I think he was a true gentleman and in no way was he a reflection of his father. Ellie was a very family oriented person and I could tell she just wanted the best for everyone, including herself. There were time I questioned her decisions and might have found her slightly insufferable, but she was still a great main character heroine and I understood where most of her dynamics came from.

All around, this book was super cute and I loved how everything ended. I'm not a huge fan of a third act break up, but also understand that this is something that commonly happens in romance stories. Lastly, the tennis scene >>>>> oh LORD.

I’ve read a couple other more serious books by the author but I think this was my favorite one of hers out of all of them. Was Ellie infuriating when she got in her own way? Yes. Could she have solved her issues by being honest with at least one person? Yes. But if all that happened you wouldn’t have this fun rom-com that combined a good amount of laughter, sappiness, and romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute story that will appeal to those readers who enjoy romcoms and Hallmark movies.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this! It was fantastic and I can not wait to see what's next! The character development, plot, and story were so well developed. I loved it.

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon is a delight. I have read Gagnon before- All Dressed Up and Scenes of the Crime- and enjoyed her work, so having the opportunity to read another one of her novels was a no-brainer for me. Love You, Mean It was a departure for Gagnon as it was not a mystery/thriller as the other two are, but rather a dyed-in-the-wool true rom-com.

Our main hapless gal is Ellie Greco, returned to her small, but charming, hometown after a not so successful try at making it in NYC as a costume designer. Ellie is flailing a bit, in a rut and disillusioned about her move back home. The dashing, wealthy foe is Theo Taylor, real estate scion and former boyfriend of Ellie’s cousin. Theo seems to have it all, an yet there is a bit of sadness lurking around the edges.

Ellie has come home to take over the family deli, and Theo has returned to “gentrify” the cozy downtown by buying out the property owners. All but Ellie. Determined to save her family’s legacy, Ellie meets with Theo to convince him it is not in his interest to build a mega-food complex in place of the small businesses in Milborough.

During the meeting, shenanigans happen and Theo ends up in the hospital. With no memory. Of course screwball antics follow, and Ellie claims to be Theo’s fiancé. Luckily, the amnesia wears off and that is where things get really fun. Turns out Theo is not all he appears to be, and Ellie finds out that she and mister “big shot real estate mogul” have more in common than she first thought. Theo suggests they keep up the charade and work as a team to convince Theo’s father that the mega-food complex IS a mistake. And, of course, the rest is typical rom-com tension building.

Gagnon creates such charming characters here that you are quickly rooting for Ellie and Theo, and the plot keeps pace with our need for the pair to realize their attraction. Yes, there are the typical misunderstandings and ex-fiancés and missed cues that all rom-coms have, but they don’t ever reach that frustrating level that so many novels (and movies) seem to think they need to be pushed to. The problems that arise are actually believable (in fiction land), which made me like this read all the more.

I recommend Love You, Mean It very enthusiastically. There is a bit of heat, lots of humor, and fun side characters- all mixed in to a lovely, quick romantic read. I hope Jilly Gagnon keeps writing because I can’t wait for her next read! Random rating- 4/5. Thanks to @NetGalley for the eARC.

Love You, Mean In by Jilly Gagnon
Stars: 4
Spicy: PG-13

Will you like this book? You might if you like:

Small town romances
Fake finances
People finding their passons
Deli meats
Historical buildings

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

What do you do when a developer wants to bring the Walmart equivalent of the specialty meats world to the cute little town where you run a third generation family deli? Do you a) turn tail and run or b) join forces with the son of the developer to save your business and the historical building where said meat market is to open in? If you are Ellie Greco you are willing to play along with Theo Taylor, the son of the local developer, Ted Taylor, and pretend to be engaged because Theo knows that his dad would never try to put his future daughter-in-law out of business, it would just look bad. So now Ellie and Theo are playing lovers and the line between reality and fantasy is starting to blur. The set-up for how these two get to a fake relationship is pretty clever and reminded me of one of my favorite rom-coms (I’m looking at you Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman).

There is a lot to love in Jilly Gagnon’s book, especially the two main characters. Though the book is told from Ellie’s perspective, Gagnon provides a lot of insight into Theo’s thinking. The reader is also introduced to a cast of characters including Ellie’s family, including her indomitable grandmother and delightful cousin/best friend (hello here for Belle’s book next). I generally prefer dual POVs but when a book is single POV, I want to see how the main character falls for their love interest but also how they grow and change thanks to their interaction with them. I mean I know we are here for the steamy (and there is steamy) but I also want to see personal growth and I think Gagnon provides that for Ellie and Theo. Not to make it sound trite but Ellie learns to embrace what she really wants from life, not what she thinks she should want.

Love You, Mean It comes out in April and it should definitely be on your spring TBR list!

What a fun read! Ellie is frustrated to be living back in her hometown, running the family deli after the death of her beloved father, instead of living in New York City pursuing her dream of being a costume designer (which she was doing before her dad’s death). Unfortunately, the family deli is now under threat due to a local investor, Theo, who is partnering to bring a version of Eataly to town. This plot has all the tropes: amnesia, a faked engagement, enemies-to-lovers, small town life… and I LOVED it. Ellie was a little bit annoying, particularly as she refused to acknowledge her own feelings (even when directly asked), but I still thoroughly enjoyed this feel-good novel.

"Love you, mean it" was such an enjoyable read. If you like a fake dating Rom-Com filled with plenty of banter and drama I think you are definitely going to want to check this one out.

This storyline felt like I was reading the plot of a super cute Hallmark Movie which definitely appealed to me. The characters were well-developed and the story has a really nice pace to it.

I'm not new to this author and definitely enjoy her writing style, I look forward to reading more in the future!

Thank you Jilly Gagnon, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Ellie and Theo + a scheme to save their families’ businesses + just the right amount of tension + romance = a win! Engaging, quick read. Recommend

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

After her father’s death some five years ago, Ellie Greco left New York and costume design behind to return to Milborough, her hometown, where she took over running the family deli. And, although she loves the place, she wishes she were still doing the thing she wanted to do.

And then the possible arrival of a glitzy gourmet food shop threatens Greco’s Deli. Can Ellie find a way to keep Theo Taylor’s property management firm from renting to Mangia? When she goes to talk with him about it, the two end up in a fake engagement that seems determined to become a real romance.

What will Ellie do?

=========

A romantic story that takes several tropes and weaves them into a narrative reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. Readers who enjoy this genre will find much to appreciate in this tale.

Sadly, Ellie is not a particularly likable character. She’s negative, always complaining; she’s snarky and frustrating . . . readers may find it difficult to connect with her. But her relationship with her family shows another side of the character, one that is more heartfelt and relatable. Theo’s amnesia doesn’t last long, but it serves as a perfect foil for this enemies-to-lovers romance and their fake-dating/fake engagement deception.

The excessive unnecessary crude language/swearing throughout the story tends to pull the reader out of the telling of the tale. It is likely to be off-putting for some readers and it lowers the rating for this book.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#LoveYouMeanIt #NetGalley

Jilly Gagnon's "Love You Mean It," is the feel good book we all need in our lives. Like Theo's seat warmer's wrapping Ellie in a warm hug, this book was one I really loved cozying up with with a tea and a blanket.

After Ellie's dad dies, she returns home to run the deli that has been in her family for generations. She's making ends meet and left her dreams of costume design in the city when she finds out the richest family in town is about to get richer, and seemingly at her expense. The Taylor family is one of the town's wealthiest, and controls most of the properties downtown. When Ellie finds out one of their larger buildings is about to be sold to a company that would put hers out of business, she's devastated. Think Eataly coming in to a small town and putting out of business a small artisanal been around for generations the owner knows everyone deli. While Ted Taylor is the head of the family, his son Theo- who Ellie went to school with, is running the day to day of the business. Ellie and Theo team up and decide to fake an engagement in order to save her deli, and a building Theo loved as a child. Things don't go as smoothly as planned- how can they? What unfolds is a story of how people are exactly what you think they are, and sometimes they are not at all. That sometimes dreams or plans don't turn out how you expect, but can take shape otherwise. It's a story of family and friends- new and old and still figuring out what you want when you thought it had already been decided for you.

This one is out next April, I'll remind you. Thank you to @Netgalley @Randomhouse @ballantinebooks for the early read. Jilly - author bio says you live in Salem, if you want to meet me in Boston for a glass of wine to talk about these characters I'm buying!

Love You, Mean It is fun, flirty, with laugh out loud humor. Very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley.

First time reading this author and I really enjoyed it. I would have finished this in one sitting if not for life and responsibilities getting in the way.

Ellie is trying to save her family deli and she believes Theo is the man that can make that happen. An accident happens and he loses his memory and Ellie claims to be his fiancee.

This was a fun little read with some funny scenes, fake dating, opposites attract, low angst and a little spice.

A fake engagement between two very opposite people becomes a fun and endearing story. The characters of Ellie and Theo are written to show not only their opposite personalities but also how alike they are. Both are in positions they groan about but do not change. A terrific novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was cute. I really liked both Ellie and Theo.

Ellie returned home from NYC after her father passed away. She took over the family deli that had been running for generations. It wasn't her ideal career path, but being there makes her feel closer to her dad. And she's good at it. But if this new superstore opens, that will be the end of the deli. There's no way they can compete. She makes a deal with Theo (who helps run his father's company) to pretend to be engaged. His father is obsessed with appearances, so he can't possibly sell to a business that would hurt Ellie. But it's not a sure thing. It's all about money for him, but Theo just wants to preserve the old building. Ellie and Theo spend a lot of time together and she finds out that he's not what she expected. They are very Pretty In Pink though. Ellie doesn't have money at all and Theo's family is the rich country club type. Theo's ex Sam comes back into town and also tries to make a deal with Ellie. It complicates things even more.

I gave this book 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for sending a Netgalley link.