Unfortunately, I struggled to finish this book. I found the main character and her antagonist turned love interest to both be pretty unbearable. It’s hard to read a story when you don’t like either of the main characters. I also didn’t feel like the romance made sense as both characters are pretty cold and it didn’t feel like they had chemistry.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5942198737


I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


This romantic comedy was such a joy to read. Ellie and Theo have a history so when she reaches out to save her family's deli, things surely go awry. An amnesia-fueled fake dating scheme is also insanely interesting.

When Theo proposed to continue their fake engagement, Ellie is hesitant but will do what she can to save her business. But what happens when Theo's ex-fiance arrives on the scene?

If you want a quick, witty read, I would absolutely recommend this book.

Love you, Mean it was a fun, easy read! A bit of a hallmark story so there were predictable aspects, but it was still enjoyable. Ellie Greco is on a quest to save her family's deli and enlists the help of Theo, whose own father is the one trying to bring in a new company that would put Ellie's family out of business. They team up, pretending to be engaged, only to fall for each other in the process. The characters were likable, the book was light hearted, all in all a good read. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.
Thank you to Net Galley, the author and Random House Publishing for access to this ARC.

This one was not for me. There was a lot of profanity right off the bar that I didn't appreciate.
The parts I read gave me a Big Fat Greek Wedding vibe and so I think that fans of the movie might enjoy this one!

Fake dating, family businesses, and a whole lot of miscommunication. If you like romcoms with a rich guy and a working class witty girl, you will love this one!

This book wasn't a huge hit for me because I really dislike miscommunication or any sort of manipulation of feelings. It drives me bonkers. If that doesn't bother you, give it a try!

After the death of her father, Ellie is running her family's deli and carrying on the family legacy. She had big dreams of fashion design and spent some time in NY trying to make it happen before coming back home.

When she hears that a big company, Mangia, is looking to buy the large building up the street from the deli, she panics. She can't let that happen, the deli will never survive the competition!

"Trip"'s family owns the building and she knows she just needs to meet with him and get him to see her point of view. The trouble is, while they are talking, and things are going horribly wrong, he gets hurt. Fast forward, he is in the hospital recovering and to stay with him she lies and says she is his fiancee. When he wakes up, he doesn't remember anything.

Fake dating ensues and she comes up with a plan

Follow Ellie and Theo on their journey of self discovery and love.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was SO cute! This is one of the only times I've actually enjoyed the "amnesia/fake fiancee" theme, but I thought this was really well done. I also enjoy books pertaining to restaurants/bakeries where the business is at jeopardy! The characters were well developed, there was great banter, and the right amount of spice! I think that the author did a great job for this being her first rom com book. I would recommend this book to anyone and will be on the look out for future books by this author!

Ellie runs her family’s decades old deli establishment, and things aren’t going great. When Ellie’s grandparents come back from the town council meeting, they bear bad news. A direct competitor is coming into town and there’s nothing she can do to save her father’s legacy. Or is there? Theo, the developer of the competitor’s property gets amnesia during his meeting with Ellie and she tells the EMTs that she’s his fiancé. Will the scheme work? Who knows!
I could not for the life of me finish this book after an internally misogynistic line. There were probably a lot of them, that I just glanced over because hey, this is supposed to be a fun and silly read. Until I hit a line about Ellie being emotional because she misses her dad and Theo is making fun of her for her singing and dancing along to a Guns N’ Roses song. She references her period having to do with her emotional state and not grief from the loss of a parent.
I wanted to stick with this because it was fun to see where the plot would go, but after reading that line, I think I’ll put the book down.

Sadly, I was not the biggest fan of this one! I was really excited in the beginning, when the premise was very reminiscent of "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock.

I was glad that there wasn't a heavy emphasis on Theo's short term memory at the beginning, because an amnesia plot is one of my least favorite tropes. I found that Theo and Ellie's relationship was just strange at most. I found them both to be pretty unlikable and I wasn't rooting for either of them.

I genuinely liked Sam and thought she was such a great character which didn't work in the favor of the plot or Theo and Ellie's relationship.

I think overall this could have been great with some changes to the personalities of the main characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Jilly Gagnon, and Dell for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am not really into romance novels, but I gave this a try because I really like Jilly Gagnon. And I’m glad I did! This was a fun story of two opposites who come together, while experiencing a few classic romance tropes!

This novel is an enemies to lover, fake dating trope that just worked for me. Theo Taylor is the classic rich boy that everyone thinks has it made. Ellie Greco gave up her career to run the family deli after her dad's passing. The two meet up after the city council states that the Taylor family is selling their property to a big box store that will eventually take all of Ellie's business. The two come up with a plan that might work for both of them and allow them to get what each of them want in the end. Neither of them thought it might show them not what they want, but what they need (which is each other). This novel isn't groundbreaking, but it is a very cute, easy read when you don't want to think too hard. If you love romance and/or the tropes mentioned above this would be a great book to pick up.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I wanted to love this, and while off to a great start, something about Theo's characterization and lack of chemistry with Ellie, overall did not work for me.

Love You, Mean It is a cute story about two people from opposite worlds that join together for one common goal...stopping a mega store from coming to their town. Theo is from a wealthy family with their own issues, but I found him likeable all around. Ellie is from a working class family that own a deli, but is wrapped up in her long lost costume designer career. The story is solid, side characters are delightful, but I had a hard time not being annoyed with Ellie and her lack of self awareness. Overall, it's a fun story.

This was a cute story about 2 unlikely people sharing a connection they did not expect.
While a little predictable at times, the story was still a nice escape from reality and some parts had me laughing out loud!

What a fun book to read. Ellie has come home to run the family business even though she'd rather be somewhere else pursuing a different career. But when she finds out that the building across the street will be rented to a huge competitor that will end up putting her little deli out of business, she decides she needs to do something about it. But that something was pretending to be the fiancee of the landlord's son as he is coming out of amnesia. How can she pull that off, you ask? Well you need to read the book to find out. And I promise you will enjoy every minute of it.

This is a book that had me laughing out loud, constantly catching myself smiling like a fool, and even had me shed a few heart-clenching tears at times. My emotions were all over the place because every word meant something, every scene counted, and every sentence struck the right chord!

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for the arc:
Don't let the cover fool you they're not young adults like I thought this is an adult romance with a touch of while you were sleeping mixed with fake engagement and saving a deli!

Pros:
-fake relationship--- my all time fave trope
-likeable ex

Cons:
-single POV
-Ellie annoyed me so much with her denial and back and forth messiness
-don't care about delis whatsoever lol

I have mixed feelings with this one. The overall plot was cute, if predictably comfortable, the banter top-notch, and truthfully I felt for the characters throughout. I do think this is one of those books where you’re supposed to hate the main character a bit, and if not, then I’m on the wrong side of the fence there. Overall a cute read, but I’m probably not going to be shouting this one from the rooftops.

The angst, the chemistry and the anticipation laced with innumerable questions like, how and when would they finally get together? The banter was fire and I rooted for these two the entire time. The ENTIRE time I was at the edge of my seat, reading past midnight, because ONE MORE CHAPTER PLEASE! Ugh! It was absolutely the BEST!

Theo and Ellie’s story is so cute! The way it all started had me laughing but I also love the originality of it all!

This story took a whole new spin on fake fiancé. The way everything came together had me laughing and falling in love with these characters. The ending is perfect and I seriously wanted more.

Theo and Ellie grew so much as individuals and I loved how they had people in their corner to help them and guide them.

Sometimes the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves. Ellie Greco and Theo "Trip" Taylor come from very different backgrounds, and Ellie has a very unflattering opinion of Taylor and his wealthy background. However, they both have an interest in not seeing the old Taylor's department store become a Mangia. The all-things Italian emporium that is Mangia will ruin the small-town charm of Milborough and be the death knell of Greco's Deli, which Ellie has been running since her father's passing. Theo would like to preserve and restore the architectural beauty of the building. However, his father is just looking to make a quick buck, and his control of the company means that he generally gets what he wants. Yet, as much as he likes increasing his wealth, he also values his image, even if the image that he portrays is a false one. Theo and Ellie will pretend to be engaged, in the belief that Theo's father will not want to take the reputational hit of putting his son's fiancée out of business. Theo and his father are estranged, so the possibility of a whirlwind romance is not inconceivable, but it is highly suspicious, especially as Ellie is nothing like the women Theo has dated in the past, including Sam, who will be re-entering Theo's world professionally and hopefully personally. Numerous problems will occur as Theo and Ellie attempt to pull off their fake romance, especially as Ellie is also trying to help Sam get back together with Theo while also contending with her changing feelings towards Theo. Furthermore, running a deli is not what Ellie envisioned doing with her life, and she has been using her father's death and the need for her to return home to run the deli as the excuse for why her grand career plans never materialized, and she is "stuck" in a life she does not necessarily want. She will have to allow herself to see the truth in order to create a life that is not what she expected but is fulfilling for her.