I enjoyed this LGBTQ+ second chance romance.

There was one thing that didn’t quite work for me: Braylon supposedly had a British accent after living in London for 3 years… which did not ring as believable to me.

We get to see great character growth and watch both of the MMCs mature both individually and as a couple.

But this had some excellent spicy seasons and I think anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read will love this.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the eARC and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Did Not Finish.

Mini-Review:
Denz was adorable but too much of a hot mess for me. The man wants to be CEO of his father’s company but relies on post-it notes to stay organized? THE HORROR. Plus this is only told through Denz’s POV, so I felt like Braylon had no personality. No chemistry between them either. Cute but not enough to keep my interest.

Quick Synopsis: Denz and Braylon fell in love in college and Denz thought it would be forever. But then Braylon took off to London and Denz went back to Atlanta to work for his family’s business as an event planner. Fast forward a few years and now Denz is competing for CEO because his dad is stepping down, but his family doesn’t take him seriously. Enter his big mouth volunteering that he has a serious boyfriend. And, conveniently, he just bumped into Braylon at a coffee shop just the other day because surprise! Bray is back in ATL too.

I really enjoyed this book, the way that I enjoy all books of characters in their twenties finding their path forward and realizing who they are and what they want. Was this sometimes more childish than I would have preferred? Yes, absolutely. But at the same time, the depth of characterization between Bray and Denz was really well done and I think that I’m definitely ready for Winters’ next adult romance if this is what we got with his first!

I was a bit hesitant since I have had a few issues with the authors YA books. But then I read the one before this one (the one about the royals) and then I LOVED it. So I gave this one a try. And Lordt, this was everything I needed. I’m not even sure why I liked it so much either lol But I couldn’t put it down.

Ok so this was fun! The characters were really the best thing about this. And I’m assuming that’s what made me love it so much since I am a character driven reader. All of them really played a part in this book. From the dad to the kids at the place where one of them worked. I’m serious when I say they all brought something and I was so impressed by that. But they weren’t all good. In fact one of them was really an asshole. But they even added some color to the book as well.

The main character Denz sounded and acted a lot like me. He threw out funnies to make people laugh and he always had a good idea for the jobs they had to do. And before you ask, yes, I related to him a lot which is why I wanted him to succeed so much .

The plot was basic, but the way the writing style just flowed so easily. I felt swept away in the different parties and ideas they had in mind. Which is where we see the new person, Braylon. Him and Denz had a history, but we don’t know the full scope of it until the end of the book. Which was good so that we liked him the whole book and didn’t have a reason to hold a grudge against him after that. When they start fake dating, they realize that they needed each other. In more ways than one lol

The romance was cute! Maybe I’m biased because it doesn’t matter what it’s about for me if there’s fake dating in it lol Normally I think I would have been a little ugh about them since they fell really fast, but they were also given a second chance. I kept saying out loud, “don’t blow this second chance!” And what did they do? Exactly that lol

This was a lot of fun! A Black millionaire’s son with second chance romance with fake dating all wrapped up in a queer romance was all I needed. I couldn’t stop reading this one. I know this is something that seems pretty specific to me, but I really think it’s good enough for everyone who likes even one of those things to like it!

Loved loved loved. I have been eagerly anticipating Julian Winters’ adult debut, and it did not let me down. Cannot recommend enough

I love a good fake dating moment. And THIS does not disappoint! It's surprisingly steamy, and a real romcom. Truly, there were moments I actually 'loled' reading this!! In this authors transition from YA to adult romance, I was a little unsure how that would go....and the answer is great! Highly recommend this one!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, and I honestly have no complaints. This was great. It made me smile, laugh, and want to fight them both like they’re my brothers making unnecessary decisions. I was rooting for them both and I think Brae was my favorite throughout even tho Denz had some great character development. I love to see stories of families who are accepting and proudly love on their queer folk 🫶🏾 we deserve that! Loved this!!

a perfect valentine’s day read, this was very cute. i’m not usually a fan of second chance romances but i loved the flashbacks to denz and bray in college and fake dating will always be a hit with me.

I had access to both the written and audio versions of this book and chose the audio. I think that was a mistake as I could not get past the fact that a southern black man went to London for just three years and came back with a full-on British accent. That was off-putting throughout the entire book. I also had a hard time believing a 24-year-old could compete to be CEO at a multimillion dollar company. But the romance and spice level were both perfect. Overall, a decent foray from YA into adult contemporary romance.

I think they love you is a fun queer romance, and my only complaint was the title led me to think it was about a non-binary person, and it wasn't. The title is made clear only late in the book, and they is just referring to people plural, but I spent too much time waiting for someone to come out as non-binary which never happened.

That being said, This is the kind of romance I love! Denz is from a wealthy Black family in Atlanta, and is working for the family's event planning business. He runs into Braylon/Bray, the love of his life and his college boyfriend, and for family and business reasons, they enter into a fake relationship. Of course, feelings develop. As the book goes on, we learn more of Denz and Braylon's history and why they broke up.

I would also read a spin off on any of Denz's family members, just saying!

I couldn’t put this book down! I love fake relationship stories, and this one has the benefit of being a second chance romance on top of that. How lovely that the protagonist loves rom coms as well!

I was rooting for Denz and Braylon the minute they ran into each other again. Their fake (or not-so-fake) relationship is charming and sweet and has real depth, in addition to being hot and fun. Second chance romances have to thread a needle for me—I need to believe they had a valid reason to have broken up in the first place, without the issue being so fundamental that it’s impossible to overcome. I’m so glad this book does just that. I understand where each character was coming from during the initial breakup, and I was so happy to see them fall back in love.

Denz’s complicated relationship with his family kept me on my toes, balancing everyone’s differing expectations is enough to stress anyone out, and the journey he takes to understand his identity in the family, the business, and his own life is one worth following. I loved the conversation with Kenneth at the end—a good life lesson in work/life balance, and so heartwarming to hear from an exacting father with high expectations.

I really enjoyed reading this, and especially as my introduction to Julian Winters. I’m looking forward to picking up more of his books!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!
Pub date: 28 Jan 2025

Fake dating, second chances, and family complexity? YES PLEASE. I Think They Love You is in my top faves of fake dating. Not only were they exes before, Denz's relationship forces him to examine what he truly wants. He's so sure he's on the path he should be on. But what happens if he's wrong? What happens if we just aren't letting ourselves see what our life could be because we're so convinced we're on the road to should be? With flashbacks to their past, I Think They Love You is delightful. It's raw and vulnerable, swoony and spicy.

I have to be honest about this one, it just wasn’t for me. It felt too reminiscent of so many other rom coms, which isn’t inherently bad, but this one has all the things I usually hate, which is a kind of annoying main character that snaps and lashes out at other characters so often that it starts making me mad. The amount of pop culture references was also a little annoying. Overall, the book did what it was supposed to do and it wasn’t awful. I enjoyed it in parts, and if I ignore what annoyed me, it was a solid debut. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it.

Rom-coms can be hit or miss for me! This book feels a bit underwhelming, and know for the right person this is a good book!

5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Tropes:
Second chance romance
Fake dating
First love
MM romance
He cooks for him
One Bed
Big family drama
Dual timeline
Single POV

This story grabs you from the start. Denzel and Braylon were just so perfect for each other and it hurt to see them struggling because of fears and insecurities. The love was obvious. Every flashback just proved that and gets you wondering what the hell happened to separate these two soulmates. Sigh...

Anyways, I just really enjoyed this story. It was fun and sweet, the characters were likable, and you genuinely want to see everyone happy (even the meddling family). The spice was hot but also emotionally charged. I highly recommend this book for fans of fake dating and diverse characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one. I will always love Julian's books and this one was no different.

A beautiful story of black, queer love, second chances and living for yourself, not others. I loved Denz and Braylon and was actually devastated by how Denz and Kami betrayed each other at the end. They’re sibling soulmates, but also so emotionally stunted that their apologies/amends at the end felt unsatisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This was a such a cute read! I'm usually not a huge fan of second chance romances, but I really liked the way it was done in this book. I also loved that this book used the fake dating too since it's one of my favorite tropes. I really liked Denz and Braylon, but I thought that Denz was pretty relatable with how he tries so hard to live up to the expectations from his family. I also appreciated getting to see how Denz grows as the book progresses. I also thought that the ending was insanely sweet and adorable. This was my first time reading something by Julian, but I'm definitely interested in checking out more of his books!

actual rating: 4.5 stars

I love a good second chance story - when you add in a fake dating trope, it makes it an absolute winner.

The reason I didnt give this a five star review is I really wanted to know more from Braylon's POV. I think it would have helped move the story along a bit more, although it was done really well with the single POV.

This was such a fun book and fully recommend if you are looking for a romantic comedy that will make you smile, cry and swoon.
I am not usually a fan of second chance romance but this book really worked for me and I believed the reason why it didn't work between them in the past but how things might work out in the future. These two main characters were absolutely lovable and so well developed and I just wanted for them to have their HEA.
Highly recommend it on audio