I need an epilogue and I need to know if Theo liked Ellie in high school!!!!!!! This was really well done-i had my reservations about the amnesia plot point. But it truly worked well, especially how Theo showed Ellie his memory came back. Swoon! I couldn't put it down, reading at 3am when I couldn't sleep.

I love a fake dating trope and this one is done so well! It is a small town charm meets wealthy society type of story and felt like a movie to me as I was reading. It had a bit of a slow start but really picked up when the fake dating started.

"Love You, Mean It" by Jilly Gagnon left me wanting more. Despite the promising premise of dueling delis, fake dating, and unexpected twists, the execution fell short for my taste. The characters lacked depth, and the forced engagement plotline felt too contrived. While the humor attempted to lighten the mood, it often felt forced, and the romantic elements lacked the genuine connection I was hoping for. The storyline, although unique, seemed to drag at times, making it challenging to stay engaged. Unfortunately, the novel didn't resonate with me, leaving a sense of unfulfilled potential and a desire for a more compelling narrative.

What a cute fake-engaged / enemies-to-lovers book! It took me by surprise how much I found myself enjoying Love You, Mean It after having some just ~okay~ rom-com reads earlier this year.

But, I actually found myself really enjoying the characters and the inner-growth the main character, Ellie, has throughout the novel. While the romance was delightful, I think that character development really pushed it from maybe a 3 star rating to a 4 star rating. Jilly Gagnon captured that small-town drama/gossip as well as the pressures from your family/yourself to meet certain expectations.

I found Ellie and Theo's banter fun, the tension dragged out deliciously, and I also loved watching the fake-relationship play out in relation to the side-character (who I also found enjoyable).

I did find the pacing a bit off – I felt like we could have expanded on certain parts, especially in the second/third act. And I do feel like we could have delved a little bit more into Ellie and Theo's relationship and gotten deeper, but I found it super enjoyable and read it in about two sittings.

This was a super easy and cute book to read! It moved a little slow for my taste, but the banter and Ellie’s family were really funny. I really enjoyed all the tropes used in this book, but again, I think this could of been a “me” thing, but I just needed more to keep my interest. That being said, if you want something funny and low risk, this is the book for you.

Ellie used to dream of leaving her small town, but when her dad died, she came home and took over the family deli. Ellie begins to realize just how much the deli means to her when the town considers bringing in a chain store that would put the deli out of business. Ellie goes to confront Theo Taylor about it but when there’s an accident and Theo wakes with amnesia, Ellie finds herself deep in a lie about being Theo’s fiancée. Time is running out and Ellie is willing to do whatever it takes to save the deli.

A fun romantic comedy! Enjoyed reading.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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i really enjoyed reading this book. i was rooting for the main character from the very beginning. there is always something special about you finding yourself and realizing that you've been holding yourself back the whole time. when you are the last to realize what everyone has already known about you.

this was a very cute meet cute situation, or would it really be a reintroduction meet cute, either way at the moment o thought it was going to go one way and it went another way that was pleasantly surprising and fun to read.

really great read!

Thank you Ballentine and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. When I was growing up I loved watching romantic comedies movies but I never saw myself in them. So when it came to reading I always wanted to focus on LGBTQIAP+ relationships, but I decided to read Love you, Mean it and I enjoyed it! Ellie and Theo have a contentious relationship. She wants to get her business going and he manages the property it’s on. When an accident happens Ellie goes to the hospital with Theo saying she’s his fiancé to get in. But Theo has some short term memory loss and thinks it’s true. The two end up pretending to be engaged and then Sam comes around, she’s Theo’s ex. And she’s determined to prove that the two are up to something. Can they pull it off? What happens if they actually develop feelings? A sweet story with a romantic setting and great chemistry between the leads! And Sam is a stand out character very enjoyable! Excited to read this again!

i loved this book soooooo much! this book was filled with a ton hilarious moments. i really liked the romance in this book and i loved the characters too! however, i do think that about halfway through this book, the pacing started to slow down which made it a bit harder to stay interested. overall, i still really enjoyed it and if you’re looking for a fun, meet-cute romance then this is the book for you!

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for sending me this arc. all opinions are my own.

The plot was very cute! It was very random and almost definitely a situation that would never happen in “real” life, but it made for a great story. There were parts of this that were predictable and parts that made me so irritated because the characters just needed to get their sh*t together, but overall it was a quick, fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC!

This book started promising but honestly I found myself loosing steam and interest partway through. The initial premise had a lot of promise but then too many other plot points were added and it got a bit muddled for me. Overall I did enjoy the characters!

This was an ok romance for me. It felt a little predictable and I just didn't really get into it as much as I had hoped. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

With family legacies to uphold and striving to make their own distinguishing mark on those respective businesses, an unlikely pairing might just help them succeed in Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon.

Running her family’s deli wasn’t what Ellie Greco envisioned for her life, but after a brief time pursuing a career designing costumes in New York City she’s returned to her hometown and has been running the deli for the last five years after her father’s death. When word reaches her that there are plans underway to bring a large gourmet food store, Mangia, into a recently vacated building, Ellie begins to think of how she could possibly save Greco’s Deli. Meeting with Theo Taylor, privileged son of the Taylor property management firm legacy that owns much of the town, Ellie heatedly pleads her case, but things become complicated after Theo suffers a head injury at the tail end of their meeting that leaves him unconscious, and to make sure he’s OK as well as check on how her pleading landed she panickily claimed to be his fiancée as he was taken to the hospital. Sticking with the engagement ruse, Ellie and Theo use it as a means to attempt to prevent Mangia from becoming reality and seem to be rather convincing; however, it’s not until the complication of Ellie trying to help Sam, Theo’s ex, get back together with him that Ellie realizes just what it is that she wants in life and love, even if one part of it might now be more difficult to attain.

The interactions between Ellie and Theo were entertainingly cutesy and fit easily within the well-established expectations and tropes familiar to the genre as the story unfolded from Ellie’s point of view. The writing included extensive details while describing architecture and clothing, likely as a means to help deepen and flesh out Ellie and Theo’s otherwise rather surface-level characters. With communication issues as a mechanism of conflict, that’s rather frustrating as, outside of admitting to herself what she felt or wanted, Ellie repeatedly demonstrated that she was more than capable, and willing, to speak what was on her mind up to the point where it actually mattered. The inclusion of Theo suffering an oddly specific timeframe of memory loss after his concussion did introduce some intrigue to his character with regard to his relationship with his father and introduced Sam to the story, but there was already plenty going on where this felt like an unnecessary addition to the larger scheme; in a similar way, the complication of Sam wanting Ellie’s help to get back with Theo, was added drama that resulted in the story as a whole feeling like it was trying to incorporate too much and feeling less realistic (for a trope-heavy romance).

Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(2.75★)

The fake dating romance Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon centers on Theo Taylor and Eleanor Greco, two business owners.

This novel had a lot of needless lengthy paragraphs that focused more on the deli and company than on the main characters. There was just too much going on, and at some point I started to skim and wanted to dnf.

Also, I found that I preferred Sam—the other woman—to Eleanor, and I felt sorry for Sam instead of Eleanor. Plus, Eleanor's attempts to reconcile Sam and Theo since she knew Sam still loved him, while also still sleeping with Theo behind Sam’s, back felt so pathetic and dirty. 

However, except from Sam, I absolutely disliked every character because the girl was just plain boring and the guy was overly conceited.

Though things did improve a little bit, and Eleanor and Theo's situation began to take on new interest.

Overall, because so much happened in this book, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and to the author, Jilly Gagnon, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Love You Mean It has a lot of everything. Ellie and Theo knew each other in high school (he was one of the cool kids, she was a theatre kid, so not friends). His Dad’s evil empire is moving a Italian market (think balducci’s) into the small town that will undoubtedly destroy the family butcher shop that Ellie runs, since her Dad died, which is why she returned from NYC where she was trying to break into costume design (unsuccessfully). Whew, and that is literally just the set up. There are injuries, amnesia, fake fiancé, an ex girlfriend that wants him back, small town, family drama, rich kid privilege and more that are just spoilers). It is a lot. Maybe too much. Theo and the supporting characters are great, lovely written people. They feel real and not caricatures. Ellie our FMC is really the only one that makes weird choices. For instance, she tells the ex she will help her get Theo back and of course Ellie hooks up with him. But her internal monologue is still “he really wants the ex” despite the fact that he is literally telling Ellie that he does not want the ex. Now I understand the imposter syndrome trope, but it just goes on for too long.
Having said that I really enjoyed reading it. The dialogue is snappy. No one is “evil” (except his Dad). It is a solid romcom. I would absolutely read another book by Jilly Gagnon. Heck I would love to read the romcom adventures of the side characters. Overall, 3.75 stars.

I enjoyed this book. It was about a girl who comes home to run her familiy’s deli and must try to safe it by faking an engagement. Of course we all know what happens. It’s a done trope but it works.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This story pulled me in with the fake dating, it caught my interest with the seamstress running a deli, and kept my attention all the way through!

The story did feel a little out there - fake engaged to stop a company from coming into town and wiping out the deli? But, the author made it work. I could definitely see Ellie's frustration with how slow the merger was happening, and it made for a good conflict point in the story. The author did a good job of portraying family dynasties, and the politics in them, especially when it comes to old money families not caring about the small businesses they might be affecting.

I think the characters had good chemistry right off the bat, and even with Ellie consistently denying her feelings it was easy to see how they both cared for her. It does seem like "he fell first" in this situation, but she just consistently convinced herself that it was "all for show." There is some spice in this book too, so this is more than just a kissing book!

The third act breakup happened super late in the story (less than 15% left of the book), and I was really concerned these characters wouldn't have a happy ever after. It happens because of typical miscommunication, then the characters have to spend time apart and realize truths about themselves, but ultimately the story does end on a good note. It is a typical romance, nothing too crazy about the formula.

Overall, I did enjoy this cute romance. I liked the depth to Ellie's character, the chemistry is there, and there is even a decent cast of supporting characters. I am a little on the fence on the believability of what started the fake dating, but I also know it's a book and not meant to be realistic. Still, I enjoyed reading this one and would be open to reading more work by this author.
Content warnings: loss of a parent, sexual content, child death, grief, alcohol use

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for an eARC of Love You, Mean it!

What first drew me to this book was the title. It’s something that I am forever saying to my own husband! Then, after I read the summary, I knew I had to read this book. It was so cute, fluffy, romantic and funny. I really enjoyed every bit of it and who doesn’t love a bit of a fake engagement trope?!

Very cute! You've got mail vibes but the ending we all actually wanted. I can't get too frustrated with the unreasonably stubborn Ellie because she is me and I am her. Sweet MMC who falls first. Not the deepest romance you've ever read but sweet enough for a lovely romantic comedy escape.

We'll say 2.5 rounded down.

The premise of this sounded interesting and I think the plotline would have been very cute, but the execution wasn't quite there. For one, the pacing of the storyline seemed to be all over the place - it seemed very slow with not much happening until we hit the third-act breakup, and it flew by from there. But a majority of the book was very slow and not as interesting as the premise had promised.

The main issue I had was the main character, Ellie. She, for reasons that were not explained, had a severe dislike of the rich - of all the rich - and never looked past their status to determine if they were a good/bad person. She kept looking at Theo and everyone she met during the book and assuming they were jerks and horrible people, and it was never explained why she had such a negative outlook toward that class.

Ellie read as a judgmental character that constantly pushes people away. It was a little hard to like her, especially since the whole book was from her perspective and her thought process was just... constantly negative. Theo didn't have much as a character; he was kind of there, romantic sometimes, and rich. That was what his whole personality seemed to be (especially to Ellie).

The idea was there, but I think the characters and speed of the storyline really took away from the enjoyment.