Ellie and Theo decide fake dating will help them thwart the plans his father's commercial real estate has lease space to a gourmet food chain that would put Ellie's family deli out of business. (This comes after a short amnesia tangent.) As with all fake dating stories, feelings develop, miscommunication complicates things, and a vicious fight brings about the third act break up. Of course the happily ever after comes shortly after.

Was this predictable? Yes. Was it also a lot of fun to read? Absolutely! This story was especially delightful because Ellie's and Theo's families are ones any New Englander would recognize. I only wish we got the scene where Ellie goes to dinner at Theo's family home contrasted with one where Theo went to one of Ellie's family dinners.

The conflict between big-box stores and downtown businesses is one New Englanders know as well. While this was most a fun romp, the chain vs. family business was a good storyline that I enjoyed.

I loved the setting in an Italian Deli, I had a dream of working at my local deli at the meat counter as a child. Ellie Greco is stuck in her small town working at her family deli. A developer is thinking of bringing in a competing deli that threatens Ellie's family new business. The developers son has bigger plans for the building than a deli. Ellie and Theo find themselves in a fake relationship in attempts to persuade Theo's father a deli is a bad idea. At times the fake relationship was hard to believe and it took time for the relationship and chemistry to be believable. Cute concept but it was not my favorite fake relationship trope book.

This book was incredibly cute, but didn’t really have anything special about it.
I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn’t be necessarily recommending it to others. A great palette cleanser.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

Love You, Mean It was a cute book with a lot of heart. It immediately reminded me of “While You Were Sleeping” (one of the best rom-coms ever!), but then went in a direction I wasn’t expecting. I think for me there were a few too many plot points happening, and it got a little muddied. However, I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story, and this had plenty of that!

Thanks again for the ARC!

I’ve been following Jilly Gagnon since “All Dressed Up” and I noted a remarkable improvement in her next amateur sleuth book “Scenes of the Crime,” which was well-written and cleverly structured. This time the author is delivering an entirely different genre, romantic comedy (she has written humorous pieces previously), in “Love You, Mean It,” a sort of enemies-to-lovers/fake dating trope.

Ellie, a former costume designer, is a sarcastic, self-effacing and reluctant deli owner (her late dad’s business that she returned to rescue) who is suddenly faced with a prickly property manager (Theo) and the prospect that a large scale gourmet purveyor might be moving into the neighborhood with Theo’s help. During a meeting with him, the ceiling literally crashes down, sending him to the hospital. She tells the paramedics she’s his fiancée and Theo wakes up with amnesia, so he accepts her role. But not for long — Theo is actually a sweet guy who really doesn’t want the superstores deal his dad is foisting on him. He’s all for keeping up the fake engagement.

Sam, Theo’s returning ex-girlfriend, throws a wrench into their plans when she recognizes the ruse. Normally, Sam would be the unlikeable one (she’s not), but unfortunately Ellie’s character is just so flat (even the depiction of Ellie on the cover seemed crabby). Ellie tries to get Theo back with Sam, but since we know that’s not happening, I wasn’t sure who to root for (besides Theo, he was genuinely a nice character).

I liked the story, but the pacing seemed off and Ellie needed more depth. I really loved Jilly Gagnon’s “Scenes of the Crime” so perhaps I’ll stick to the author’s mystery/thriller novels in the future. 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only blue and brown eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Ellie does have a talent for incorporating flowers into her costume designs.

Thank you to Dell/Random House and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Dell/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

A 3.5 rounding up to a 3.

Ellie loses her father making her responsible in keeping their family business which is a decades old deli. Her passion lies in creating costumes and dresses which didn’t really end up the way she wants it to be. So why not try managing the deli right? But she always believes that she’s meant to do better things than being stuck in the store. Ellie’s life suddenly gets complicated when the local landlord decides to rent the place to a gourmet food department store which is bound to destroy their shop and along with it, their family legacy. She gathers her courage to meet Theo who’s in charge to change his mind about renting the place when an accident makes him loose his memory. With Theo having no memory, Ellie chooses to act like his fiancé because Theo’s father would not let his son’s fiancé’s business to go down right? Theo regains his memory after a while and they together form a plan to save the deli which involves fake dating. But what happens when they start building a strong attraction to each other? What happens when Theo’s ex Sam, asks Ellie’s help to get back together with him?

I really enjoyed the plot set up and the characters. There were some parts that were great. However, overall I found myself drifting away from the story. The amnesia set up didn’t feel right and some family banter was dragged too much. The spice felt disconnected as well. It’s an average read and did not spark anything special for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

This was such a fun, quick romcom!!

I’ve read more heavy stuff lately so this was the perfect palate cleanser. I adored Ellie and Theo! Ellie is a spitfire and Theo was a great guy even though at first, I was like “this guy is a jerk” 🤣

Ellie runs her family’s deli and Theo’s dad is trying to bring in a big grocery store that will surely affect a lot of the small businesses that have been around town for so long. It is then that Theo gets hit in the head and suffers from amnesia, with several years wiped from his memories. Ellie panics and says she is his fiancée… is this an opportunity to change Theo’s mind about Mangia, the super store?

The tropes, the characters, and the story made this novel a great one! Definitely read if you need a sweet rom-com to add to your faves!!

Thank you, NetGalley & Random House for the arc 🫶🏻

Another take on "While You Were Sleeping". It was a bit slow in the beginning, but I enjoyed the blossoming of Theo and Ellie’s relationship. I liked the fake engagement aspect and a sort of enemies to lovers. It was really cute and I could see how they started to like each other. Once they solidified the terms of their fake engagement, that is when the story picked up.

This was a fun book. I loved how feisty Ellie and her Mimi are. I love that Ellie was so willing to fight to keep Greco's Deli around. Theo was an amazing guy. I fell for him as I was reading his and Ellie's story.

I think that both Theo and Ellie wanted to keep building/businesses that helped to keep them connected to love ones that they lost. Theo's accident and amnesia was an interesting plot twist to get the characters together. From Theo talking about Ellie in high school, I sort of wondered if he had a crush on her way back when. (This was never mention in the story just my own thought). I liked that Theo's amnesia was more than just a few pages of the book vs almost the entire plot.

The thing that stuck out to me the most was that Ellie and Theo were both stuck and by pretending to be engaged to stay the Traylor Building and Greco's Deli, they found themselves. Theo gave Ellie the confidence to start designing clothes again. Ellie pushed Theo to step away and see if working for his dad made him happy (the way she did this was a bit harsh) I felt like both Theo and Ellie had maybe put their lives on hold when they lost people that meant so much to them and their engagement forced them to live again.

This was a fun book. I enjoyed all the side characters. Some were more enjoyable than others. I would recommend this book to all my friends.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this! I love a good romcom… especially one that reminds me of Sleepless in Seattle… however this one just had something missing for me.

I absolutely loved the way that Ellie & Theo met. I was instantly sucked in and wanted to keep reading. Ellie is a Deli Owner, and wants to save her family business and Theo is the son of a huge business mogul, and they have to “work together” to get what they both want… which in this case is Fake Dating!

This really had the bones of a super cute, classic fake dating, kinda-sota-enemies to lovers story… but around the 45% mark, I just started losing interest and didn’t want to pick it up. I didn’t feel the need to find out what happened or even honestly how the story ended.

DNF’d at 52%

A fun, classic romcom that definitely satisfies!

Our main FMC and narrator, Ellie, wants to save her family business and finds herself needing to work with Theo, the son of a local real estate development mogul, to do so. Through rather unique circumstances, they are faking an engagement in order to trick Theo's father and prevent the competitor business from coming into town.

This is a classic hate-to-love, fake relationship trope story, and I loved every second of it. Ellie and Theo had excellent banter and chemistry. Even though I found Elli frustrating at times for being extremely naive to her and Theo's feelings, their relationship still felt natural.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Star Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:
🌶🌶.5 / 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

LOVE YOU, MEAN IT by Jilly Gagnon @jillygagnon
This book is a must read! Absolutely delightful! Sprint to the deli!

Thanks @netgalley for the ARC of this delightful rom-com!!! I remember seeing the Publishers Marketplace announcement for this book back in June and reading “salty deli owner,” “fake dating,” and “amnesia” and thinking, I must read this immediately!!! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I laughed from start to finish, had my heart warmed by the sweet relationships between Ellie and her family, and of course, swooned over the one and only Theo. Not to mention the mouth-watering food descriptions! Consider this your warning not to read this book while hungry! (Or maybe do and then sprint your local deli!)

Love You, Mean It releases April 30, 2024 and you can preorder now at the link in @jillygagnon ’s bio! But in the meantime, why not check out her other fabulous books Scenes of the Crime and All Dressed Up :)

I loved this book! I fell in love with the characters immediately. There were definitely times when I wanted to shake them, especially having the privilege of reading Josie’s thoughts, but I loved them.

The book’s timeline was so unique—I loved the way the flashbacks were set up; something would be mentioned from their collective past but then we wouldn’t get to see that flashback until much later. Sometimes flashbacks just serve as a way to read the same thing twice (not in a good way, but repetitively) but these flashbacks were done well and done in a way that showed us depth and history.

I give this 4.5 stars for the ending (a little too neat) and for some of the cheesiness in the nicknames between the characters. I think their love story was *very* obvious from the beginning and a little bit more tension would have made me love this book even more. I mean, he calls her Sunbeam, of course he is madly in love with her.

I related so much to the main character’s health anxiety. I, too, am a victim of Dr. Google, who has convinced me many times that I have weeks—IF NOT DAYS—to live. I felt like Josie was an enneagram six (SAME) so the constant fear and worry and worst-case-scenario thinking was like looking in a mirror. However, I loved her and thoroughly enjoyed all the characters.

This was a fun romcom that I really liked! The way Ellie and Theo met was acute, and I was was sucked right in. I loved how Ellie initially used Theo's amnesia for her own benefit and then he turned it on her.

While the pace of the book slowed down a bit after the initial meet-cute, it was still a very good story. I loved the mix of business rivalry, drama, and how the author wove the hate into love into the story.

The romance itself was sweet and heartwarming, and I loved how Ellie and Theo's connection deepened over time. They had great chemistry, and I was rooting for them from the start of the book.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romcoms with good characters and a little bit of rivalry. It's a lighthearted fun story that left me feeling happy.

This was such a cute romantic comedy. I love small town romances, it’s the perfect mix of While You Were Sleeping and You”be Got Mail. I will definitely be looking out for other books written by the author! This book comes out in April 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to read this romcom, but after starting it, I got a bit discouraged. The meet cute (even though they technically have known each other for a while) was really fun, a trope that alsways works for me. Ellie & Theo are enemies, who turn fake fiancé after an accident that results in amnesia. Love that. Give me Overboard. Give me While You We’re Sleeping. But why go through the trouble of writing that “meet cute” in, if you’re just going to waste it?! I was so let down when I read that the amnesia went away after a day. That really could have been a larger plot device, and been much more successful. *sigh* But, the MCs move on quickly and decide to keep their false engagement going to appease family. I love this trope too, so I was willing to keep going with the hopes that it would really pick up. Unfortunately, Ellie spends most of the book trying to help another girl (our hero’s ex) to get with Theo. For NO good reason. I suppose we are supposed to think our FMC is just really nice? Insecure? Dumb as a doorbell? I’m really not sure. I think the multiple plot points really convoluted each other and weren’t contributing much to the story. The fake fiancé situation was lacking stakes. The amnesia went literally nowhere. The side character trying to create a love triangle(?) was bizarre to me. However, there are sweet moments and I really wanted to like the book. It just wasn’t for me. 2.75 ⭐️

My first read from Jilly and WOW I’m about to be on my kindle all weekend. What a sweet story !!! Such a real narrative of flawed human beings who are willing to forgive and truly have each other’s backs. Absolutely loved this one & can’t wait for more from Jilly.

Love You, Mean It, is a cute romance perfect for a rainy afternoon. Ellie Greco is determined to save her family’s deli when a local property developer threatens to bring in a large chain Italian grocery. An accident while meeting with Theo, the handsome son of the developer, leads Ellie to impulsively claim to be his fiancee while he is unconscious. Theo awakens with amnesia and Ellie must awkwardly continue the charade. But Theo has an agenda of his own and, when his memory returns, suggests they keep up the charade to serve both of their purposes.

While the characters are very likable, the plot is a bit thin. However, all in all, this was an enjoyable book.

This was a cute romance novel, that gave me “you’ve got mail” vibes at first which I loved. However, if you’re looking for an original romance story, this is not it…all the typical stereotypes and tropes were inserted making it a predictable but fast and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for sharing this ARC!

Love You, Mean It is a super cute Hallmark-y romance. If you (like me) enjoy a "While You Were Sleeping"-esque amnesia story you will enjoy this book. I don't think that this story is necessarily breaking any new ground when it comes to fake dating/miscommunication/enemies to lovers tropes but if you are looking for something that is easy and quick to read that will make you smile, you should definitely check out this book!