This book was 90’s rom com movies but in print form. I found it a tad too cheesy in some parts.

I did appreciate the enemies to lovers trope.

I liked this more than I expected to! Very cute story, genuinely interesting characters, and a really fun journey from enemies to lovers. Would love to check out more from this author!

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon is an adorable rom-com although the main characters don't plan it like that! Theo wants to fake date Ellie once he has his memory restored after a freak accident so he can show his rich, obnoxious father what he really wants. Ellie is trying to save her family deli. But what happens when sparks fly during this fake relationship? Can they get the job done and save the family deli? A fun read, don't miss it! Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun romcom, and I really liked the premise of how the main characters meet. Ellie and Theo meet while Ellie is trying to save her family business, the ceiling falls which leads her to get amnesia and claim that Theo is her finance. The meet-cute happened pretty early in the book and hooked me. After that, the book's pace slowed but was still enjoyable. There is a bit of business rivalry, drama, dislike to love, business deals, and lovely, heartwarming friendships. I liked the romance, especially because I felt like the characters had a lot of time to develop their friendship and the relationship. Definitely read this if you like sweet romcoms with good characters and a smidge of steam.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this arc for an honest review.

Love You, Mean It was fun and exactly what I needed as a palate cleanse to the darker themed books I've been devouring.

Ellie and Theo come from completely opposite worlds but find they have more in common than they thought when they team up against Theo's father for a common cause.

The question is… can those two people, from those different worlds really work?

I was not overly invested in Ellie or Theo but do think that this was a perfect quick romance read that was satisfying throughout right up until the ending and found myself wishing Ellie & Theo the happily ever after they both deserve.

Thank you, thank you, to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of Love You, Mean It.

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!