I was asked to review “Love You Mean it” by Jilly Gagnon, which I went into without any expectations other than knowing I would be reading a romantic comedy. Ellie is struggling to keep the family deli afloat when she discovers a chain gourmet grocer plans to put up shop right across the street. Ellie decides the best way to compete is to convince the property manager (Theo) not to allow the new grocer to set up shop. Yet, in this novel’s version of “meet cute,” an accident leads Theo to develop amnesia and Ellie’s solution is to pretend to be his bride to be. Yet, even when Theo regains his memory, the duo continues their ploy in the hope of getting what they want. Of course, the reader expects that with Theo and Ellie faking being in love, they will ultimately fall in love for real.

While predictable, the novel is still enjoyable. Ellie had her moments, but she also has rooting value. Jilly Gagnon’s writing is filled with witty, light-hearted moments, but there is some depth to the story too. This book was much sexier than your typical Hallmark trope and a quick but laugh-out-loud read.

I really enjoyed this romcom! It had the typical fake romance that so many books have, but I honestly wasn’t sure how this book would end. I also liked how there were extra storylines about going for your dreams, family loyalty, and the ex still hanging on. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this cute book!

Jilly Gagnon has shifted genres and I'm here for it! I've read and enjoyed her mystery book Scenes of the Crime and was excited to see a new rom-com by her. Love You, Mean It had just the right amount of romance, humor, and spice. Our MC Ellie starts out either having a lack of confidence or just plain indecisiveness/over thinking. I think that she was just so afraid of getting hurt that she came off as insecure. That character flaw resonated with me and I felt it to be relatable. At times I was frustrated with her, but that is precisely what draws me more into the story and makes me become more invested. In the end, Ellie grows as a person and realizes her goals and dreams in life and what will make her happy. I enjoyed the chemistry between her and Theo and at times found myself laughing out loud. Gagnon didn't forget to leave out the spice in this rom-com. I really enjoyed and would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy smokes!!! I am feral for this sweet couple and all the crazy they get up to! They grow and challenge each other to be better - and with so many misunderstandings and a fake engagement - I want more! Honestly, I know this is a standalone, but we need an epilogue of them being married or starting a family or her side hustle of making clothing or SOMETHING! I loved this so much. Read now - it is so sweet and funny!

This was a cute read. Ellie, one of the main characters, left her hometown to pursue her dream career. Her father passed away, which caused her to return home and run her family's decades-old deli. She then learns that a local landlord is going to rent to Mangia. Mangia is a gourmet food store that could put her family's deli's future in jeopardy. Ellie's first encounter with Theo, another main character, who works at the property management firm does not go as planned. Theo becomes injured and winds up in the hospital with a head injury/amnesia. Ellie fakes being engaged to him and Theo plays along after he gets out. This was done in hopes to have the Mangia deal canceled. Both Ellie and Theo were enjoying their time together, that was until Sam, his ex-fiance, showed back up. In the end, everything seems to work out in Ellie's family's deli's favor. I would recommend if you like women's fiction and romantic comedies. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this ARC of Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon! Cannot wait to read her next book!

★ ★ ★ ★ //5

Love You, Mean It
by Jilly Gagnon

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I love Jilly! She could write literally anything and I would devour it right up. This book was fun. This book was just such a fun book to read and enjoy. I eat up romcoms and this was one that I sat down to read and I giggled, I questioned the characters out loud, I spoke out loud…There are twists and turns thrown through this book and I was loving it. I enjoyed traveling through this little fun adventure with Ellie and Theo. They are super cute. This book just had all the ingredients of a fun easy going romcom book and I think will be enjoyed by everyone who picks it up. Jilly never disappoints. This should be on everybody’s TBR.

This was a cute and enjoyable read! The story, the characters, and everything in between were great! I flew through this book so fast!

3.5 Stars

I liked parts of the book, some fun tropes and entertaining moments, but the pacing felt off and scattered. It goes too far, squeezing in too many ideas, and the good parts of the story struggle without enough room to build.

The Good: The animosity and semi-enemies to lovers trope works well. The amnesia/fiancé mix up was a great place to start and love that it’s not overly drawn out. The fake dating is then a nice segue into forcing these two to team up and keep focus on the business and small town problems, while also falling in lust/love.

The Bad: The ex-girlfriend angle is just one thing too far, especially since she’s so nice. I don’t see what it added to the plot. Instead it took away likability from Ellie and time that should have been given towards building romantic connection and much-needed humorous situations. The fall into lovers didn’t have enough layers for me, it was too abrupt and without believability. The third act breakup and reconciliation felt like an unbalanced mess.

It’s not all bad, it just wasn’t quite to my reading tastes.

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. I also liked the aspect of Ellie trying to set Sam back up with Theo when we all knew Ellie liked Theo too much. I hope Ellie incorporates more of her sewing with the deli.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Such a sweet book! I loved following them through their journey. I would definitely recommend this book!

Love You, Mean It

How do you know if you really love someone…

1. You can flatulate in front of them
2. You kiss them with morning breath
3. You stop shaving your legs

Every now and again someone twists my arm and gets me to read a RomCom.

I was first introduced to Jilly Gagnon with Scenes of the Crime, and if you can write dual genre’s you’re my kind of people.

Now, onto this sassy little number…

I was swooning throughout this entire book. I had all the warm fuzzies paired with a belly full of laughter. At times even slightly dizzy being so caught up in what was going on.

What I wanted was steam but what I got was so much more…

Teaser:

A playful romantic comedy featuring dueling delis, fake dating, a shockingly awesome ex, and just the right amount of amnesia.

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, Greco's Deli's very existence is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée… and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiance, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.

I love romcoms. IThis has more of that fake dating/engagement type trope and an enemies to lovers things also going on. Now I will say that out of all the tropes that is my least type favorite but this one i did enjoy more then others. I liked the business aspect of it and trying to make sure that he family deli doesn’t get run out of town by a bigger superstore that is possibly coming in. Overall a cute book!

I enjoy any book that reminds me of Nora Ephron. This had that Fox Books, shop around the corner vibe early.

That being said, the beauty of a fake dating trope is the sexual tension building between the characters, the awkward humor, and forced interactions which they both secretly enjoy. Love You, Mean It kind of misses the mark here by letting the characters just dive right in.

Gagnon entertains us with a miscommunication/finding ourselves story, which is sweet, cute, and a little steamy.

This book was slow to start, and dragged through the middle. The premise was entertaining enough, but I thought Ellie and Theo's "relationship" was a bit one-sided, and their arc a bit flat. I saw Theo rubbing off on Ellie, but I didn't see that reciprocated in him until the very end, after their falling out (which, ouch. That was so harsh). I also would have loved to see Theo actually stand up to his father, the way Ellie has several times, as opposed to being mentioned in past tense/off page. The ending also felt a little abrupt; I personally enjoy books with epilogues. Ultimately, this one wasn't for me, but I can see why other people would like it.

Thanks to Ballantine and Net Galley for my advanced copy

Ellie Greco moved back to Boston to take over her family’s deli after her dad died 5 years ago. Even though this wasn’t her original dream for her life, she finds herself fighting for the deli when Theo, a real estate developer, announces a new gourmet food store is going to be moving into town, which would destroy her family business.

Ellie and Theo meet up at the proposed site of the new store. While there, Theo has a minor accident and has to go to the hospital. Determined to continue fighting for her deli, Ellie blurts out she is his fiancee so she can accompany him to the hospital. When Theo awakes, he doesn’t remember anything from the past 6 years. As his memory comes back and he learns Ellie is not actually his fiancee, Theo suggests they remain “engaged” as a way to save her family business and keep the new store from being built.

I really enjoyed the fake dating/ enemies to lovers tropes and how the characters had moments of growth throughout. I also thought the characters were relatable and had great chemistry. There were a few moments where Ellie’s actions annoyed me, but overall, it was such a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Dell for the ARC

This book was a fun, lighthearted rom com. A quick read perfect for a day at the pool. I loved that we got to see strong women even become friends despite wanting the same guy.

Ellie runs a deli in her hometown. Theo works for his dad and is managing the building where an Italian superstore could be coming. Ellie needs to charm Theo quick so her family's deli can survive. After a bump on the head Theo has amnesia, Ellie tells him they're engaged and hilarity follows!

Ellie and Theo had such good chemistry. The spice in this book was amazing. At first Theo wasn't my favorite but he grew on me! Ellie felt the same way!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Ellie is funny, smart, dedicated and steadfastly determined to support her dwindling downtown locally owned businesses. She is also struggling with being and doing what her parents, relatives and friends expect. She has given up on her own dreams in costume design to run the family’s Italian deli. Now she is fighting to save it as a large retailer threatens to put her out of business. But does she even know what she really wants for her future? How far will she go to keep the deli? Can she really fight a corporate giant and win? Her rash lie has her living in a world she has no experience being in. She thinks a fake boyfriend will work? Then a surprising ally offers to help and perhaps even be her friend. The double-cross could derail everything and leave Ellie looking like a fool without any future. You need to read this hilarious adventure to learn what the outcome is for Ellie. I giggled and laughed out loud as she learns some new things about herself and discovered what she really wants. A lighthearted, easy to follow rom-com with deeper life lessons about what really matters.
This was very different from a previous book I’d read by the author. She’s proven to be good at writing well in diverse genres. Can’t wait to see what she’ll do next! A digital advance reader copy of “Love You, Mean It” by Jilly Gagnon, published by Dell, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Characters are fun to follow and I love a good fake dating trope! A few others are mixed in too {business, grumpy/sunshiney!}
Was a tad bit slow but ended up being a very fun read in the end

"Love You, Mean It" by Jilly Gagnon is a playful and lighthearted romantic comedy that delivers on its promise of entertainment. The story follows Ellie and Theo as they navigate a fake dating scenario with just the right amount of amnesia to keep things interesting.

This book has a fun and engaging storyline featuring dueling delis, a shockingly awesome ex, and alternating perspectives. With humor and a touch of heart, "Love You, Mean It" offers a great escape from reality and is perfect for fans of the genre.

Overall, if you're looking for a delightful and easy read that will make you smile, then "Love You, Mean It" by Jilly Gagnon is definitely worth checking out.