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.

Very fun {and slightly spicey!} read!

Characters are fun to follow and I love a good fake dating trope! A few others are mixed in too {business, grumpy/sunshiney!}

Started a bit slow but I ended up enjoying

The plotline sounded promising but sadly, this book was not was not for me.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the idea of an amnesiac accident turned marriage of convenience that both Ellie and Theo were involved in. Instead of being resentful towards Ellie for lying to him for her benefit, Theo decides to go with her calling him fiancé and working out a mutually beneficial arrangement to save Ellie's deli and a building that holds great significance to Theo in remembering his brother. Throw in the addition of Sam, Theo's ex-girlfriend/fiance who is trying to uncover the truth, and there's one big disaster waiting to happen. However, Sam is more likable than Ellie is, and tells her she'll back off from trying to get back with Theo if what he and Ellie have is real. Instead of being honest with herself, Ellie denies any feelings towards Theo and agrees to help Sam out. This was nice until Ellie spoke with Theo, who vehemently denies any desire of rekindling a relationship with Sam, and instead of being respectful of him, Ellie takes that as a chance to push Theo and Sam even closer (side note this comes AFTER Theo basically confesses that he's falling in love with Ellie). Girl.... WHY??? I wanted to like Ellie, but I couldn't. It was weird enough that Sam was a more likable character than the female lead. If she was just honest and communicated how she felt, a lot of the drama could have been avoided, including a "breakup" towards the end (which I LOATHE entirely as a plot point). Not to mention that Theo was the only one really giving their relationship a chance and fighting for it towards the end.

Aside from these, I couldn't put the book down. The end of the book was not something I enjoyed, but nonetheless I would recommend this book because of all the tropes it has that I really love. The chemistry and tension that Theo and Ellie had was a delight as well. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was the perfect little meet-cute story. A lot of times for romances I like dual POV’s, but I’m actually glad this one was just Ellie’s!

I liked how we got a glimpse in both Ellie and Theo’s lives. Obviously, they are two very different people who grew up with very different lifestyles. But they mesh together perfectly! I loved Ellie’s growth throughout the book and how Theo plays a part into it. I also love that the amnesia storyline was something rather short and sweet. I think that could have ruined it for me if it was dragged along, but I thought it was perfect.

I loved all the characters in this book! I often find myself disliking one of the main characters, and yet I loved Theo and really liked Ellie as well. I also loved the side characters! In a longer book I think those relationships could have developed more, but for this size I think the author did what she could.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It’s a perfect little romance and an easy read for anyone who might be in a reading slump!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC!

Love You, Mean It is a contemporary romance between two opposite characters, Ellie Greco and Theo Taylor. They're opposites in status and wealth, but both characters are working for their family businesses but have dreams of their own that they haven't been able to pursue.

Ellie works for her family's deli which is trouble of being shut down with the possible new addition of a big box store. Theo's family company is the one trying to open the store in town. After a minor accident and a little bit of amnesia the fake-dating trope appears. Ellie and Theo want the same thing, to preserve the integrity of the town and not open the new store. They start fake dating (pretending to be engaged) to hopefully terminate the store opening and turn it into something else, something that will benefit the town. Working so closely together and trying to fake the feeling of love, can definitely lead to some very real feelings.

Some of the book's trope include fake-dating, small town romance, and opposites attract.

It's a fun story to read, I would recommend it for anyone who would be thinking of reading it.

I received an e-Arc from the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review!

This book was awesome! At first I thought it was gong to be little like a rom com movie I had in mind but boy I was so wrong! This book made me laugh at the thoughts of Ellie and what she would do to save her family's deli store! It was so fun to read!

This book was fast pace and held my interest in the story. I had to know what was going to happen next between Ellie and Theo. The web that Ellie was in, would it get untangled?? What would Ellie do next? What was her mind thinking?

I thought the interaction between Ellie and Theo was fun and interesting. There were some spicy bits which fit right in with the storyline! The banter between Ellie and Theo was very nice. Other than rom com, banter, flirting, and saving the building, both characters are real and they also discover things about themselves!

Ellie's family is awesome! I loved the vibe off of everyone.

Theo's family is a bit out of this world. I didn't like his dad at all. How rude he was was not a good trait.

I could not put this book down. I enjoyed it a great deal! The book comes out next year! It's a must read for those who love rom com, banter and more. I'm so glad I got to read it. I'm looking for more from this author!

I thought the premise of this story was really fun! The beginning with the “While you were sleeping” trope was really fun to read. I wish that would have played out a little longer. It would have been an interesting element to watch unfold.

Theo and Ellie did have chemistry. The steamy scenes were great! I wish there would have been more. The author is skilled at writing tension.

We were in Ellie’s head quite a bit. I would have enjoyed more dialogue with Theo that was a bit deeper than the deli situation.

Got this ARC, thanks to @netgalley. This was cute, solid 3 1/2 stars. It’s a little While You Were Sleeping mixed with fake dating. I wish it was dual POV because I sometimes feel we lose a lot of the male love interest’s personality when it’s single. Otherwise, a fun, sweet read.

Ellie moved back to her hometown to take over the family deli after her dad’s death. Theo works for his dad and is trying to open a business that would guarantee that Ellie’s deli goes under, even though he doesn’t think that’s the best plan. To both get what they want, they fake an engagement.
While the plot is unrealistic, the love story drew me in. I loved the quick wit of both characters and the underlying issues they both had to work through to get to their happily-ever-after. Since I’m old fashioned, the only thing I didn’t enjoy was all the “F-bombs” that were constantly part of Ellie’s dialogue. Other than that, I loved this predictable yet spunky love story.

Love You, Mean It by Jill Gagnon was a really sweet book. I enjoyed reading the fake couples trope featuring Theo and Ellie, and all of their ups and downs while pretending to be engaged to save Ellie’s family deli.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

4 stars!

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the “wish” feature - this was an absolute joy to read! I loved Ellie & Theo’s story. Ellie is deliciously salty and wry, and precisely the shade of reflexively antisocial I feel on a molecular level. Theo is a total cinnamon roll, surprising Ellie at every turn. When Jilly Gagnon wrote the scene where Ellie is taking in the details of the former Bray’s sporting goods store, her vivid descriptions and allusions to eviscerated corpses is a master class in not just setting a scene, but immersing the reader into the place being described. The deception Ellie and Theo agree to engage in is While You Were Sleeping and part The Proposal.
Throughout the book, the author contrasts Ellie’s working class but tight knit family with Theo’s generationally wealthy but fractured family,
One of my favorite things about this book is the way in which Ellie engages with a rival for Theo’s affections as a potential friend rather than an enemy. This misanthrope has a soft underbelly, and watching her try to navigate budding friendships is amusing and endearing, as well as highly relatable.
I agonized with her over the tangled web she caught herself in trying to decide between family loyalty and her feelings for Theo.
I devoured this book in a day, and I look forward to more from Jilly Gagnon.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily offering my honest review.

3.5 Stars- This was a contemporary romance with two very opposite main characters. Ellie runs her family's deli and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to save it. The deli is in trouble when a potential big box store is about to move into the neighborhood and would put her family's deli out of business. Ellie sets out to contact the owner of the building to see if she might be able to stop the sale. The owner turns out to be someone she knows from high school., Theo. He is rich and privileged, and Ellie does not think things are going to turn out well. When she meets Theo things seem to go from bad to worse when he gets hit in the head and suffers from amnesia. The story unfolds into one that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next and if the two of them could actually save the deli and have a relationship.

The book did fool me when I started I thought it was going to go a certain way when Theo, gets hurt. It was a pleasant surprise when I realized I was wrong and the book went in a completely different direction. There were many interesting aspects to this book but I also found the book a little slow in parts. Overall, an interesting contemporary romance.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit that the premise made me a tad skeptical before I dove in, but the reviews had me hopeful. Unfortunately, the incredibly unrealistic plot just barely had me hanging on. I pushed myself to get through it, but there were many moments that I considered giving up.

Basically, the whole in a coma/pretend fiancee/let's keep pretending/I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine/opposites attract thing was simply ridiculous. However, I had a small hope that Ellie would actually just end up by herself in the end with a new sense of self-confidence, family pride, and purpose. I was incredibly disappointed that it followed the paint-by-number plotline where the female lead just HAS to end up with the guy. (Insert groan/eye roll).

Simply put, not for me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dell for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was amazing!! Fun and playful and funny. I love me a good rom com and this certainly did not disappoint at all

This was a sweet one! I was hesitant where the story was going in the beginning, but it pulled through with a fast paced, charming romance. It's easy to root for Ellie and Theo! Tropes include fake relationship, enemies to lovers. The restaurant-foodie angle was unique in the world of rom-coms. Quick read!

Thank you to RandomHouse and NetGalley for this ARC.

A charming romantic comedy that has been compared to You've Got Mail and Little Shop Around the Corner.

Ellie returned home to Chicago after her father's death so that she could run the family deli. Now it looks as though a major competitor may be moving in. She vows to fight it and will have to deal with the wealthy local family behind it. She tries to work with the son of the family but he is unwilling or unable to listen.. An accident ends up forcing Ellie and Theo to work together. Along the way, Ellie slowly finds out just what it is that is her true calling.

Lots of twists and turns on the path to the ending, it is a fun and worthwhile read.