I don’t read nearly enough queer romance considering it’s one of my favourite genres. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this one, and overall, it gave me those wonderful warm, fuzzy feelings that you can only get from a romance book.

I loved the exploration of finding out who you are and where your home is. As someone who’s moved around her entire life and is not remotely secure in her current living situation, moving scares the hell out of me. So it was nice to read about the idea of finding your place in the world.

I also loved Denz and Braylon. Their chemistry was perfect, and I loved both of their personalities. And all of the side characters were amazing too!

Unfortunately, the main thing I didn’t like about this one was how slow it felt. My ratings are mainly based on vibes and how I feel while I’m reading, and I often felt like I was just trying to get through the book. This brought down the rating for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for my gifted copy!

This book was such a treat! I Think They Love You delivers a swoon-worthy queer romance packed with ALL the best tropes—second chance romance, fake dating, only one bed—and every single one is executed so well.

Denz and Braylon’s journey of rediscovery is filled with longing, tension, and so much heart. Their chemistry crackles on the page, making every moment—whether tender, messy, or downright hilarious—feel completely immersive. I had so much fun tagging along as they navigated old wounds, new feelings, and the undeniable pull between them.

With vibrant characters, beautifully written emotions, and a story that balances depth with pure rom-com joy, this book is a must-read for romance lovers. Highly recommend!

I Think They Love You is a heartfelt story about finding yourself in the midst of reconnecting with the love of your life under less than ideal circumstances. Our main character Denz is tired of being seen as irresponsible and flighty by his family so when his father announces his retirement in an effort to prove to himself and his family he throws his hat into the ring. During this time he also announces to his family his imaginary long term boyfriend. Whoops.

When his original plan for a fake boyfriend falls through life throws him a lifeline or curveball according to Denz by having his ex, Braylon, that conveniently broke his heart, is the right place at the wrong time. The two make a deal for mutual help over the next couple of months but falling back in love with one another was clearly inevitable.

There’s plenty of character building, romance, and hilarious moments to keep you interested. Overall a super cute second chance, fake dating, rom com right in time for Valentine’s Day. 🥰

thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for a eARC of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5 ⭐

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Let’s start with the main character, Denz - because, well, he kind of drove me up the wall. He had major “I can do it” energy but lacked the follow-through, which made it frustrating to watch him fumble through situations that felt solvable. His whoa is me attitude didn’t help, especially considering he had a pretty good life. Maybe I’m projecting, but when the story revealed why his ex left him for London… I was completely on the ex’s side. It felt like an issue that could’ve been fixed, yet Denz chose to wallow instead.

Bray (sorry, BrayLON- as he insists) was a bright spot. He had a good head on his shoulders and felt like his own person, rather than just a love interest. I actually cared about his success, whereas the rest of the story felt inconsequential.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me was the rushed timeline. Maybe it’s because I’ve planned big events before, but it felt like assignments were given, and bam—next chapter, the event was happening. The pacing made it hard to feel fully immersed in the process. That said, I did enjoy the fake dating aspect, especially with the added twist of fake dating the one that got away. It brought a fresh take to a classic trope.

Overall, while this book wasn’t for me, I can see its appeal - strong themes of family, sex positivity, and LGBTQIA+ representation will definitely resonate with many readers. But without a connection to Denz, I struggled to stay invested.

Unfortunately, this one lands at 2.5 stars for me. Thanks again to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read it early!

A Really cute and adorable love story. I think they Love You pulls you in from the first page and it's impossible not to love this one.

Julian Winters writing is really fresh and captivating and readers definitely will enjoy the story. Highly Recommend it to all readers.

A wonderful Adult romance where fake dating for ex's brings them back together. Actual character growth is a must for me in second chance romances and this one did it perfectly. BIPOC characters, heart, banter and steam make this the complete package.

2 Stars—A book that will work for a lot of people, but I am unfortunately not one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC of “I Think They Love You” by Julian Winters in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a basic romance that’s heavy on the tropes and light on everything else, this will probably make a good, easy read. However, I struggled to get into it, and I struggled to get through it. And now, having finally made it to the end, I’m struggling to find something to say about it.

For all intents and purposes, it's a perfectly serviceable romcom with a ridiculous (and I mean that in the best of ways) premise, a big quirky cast of friends and family, and some cavity-inducing sweetness to balance the spicy scenes. But this is one of those adult books that reads like YA in everything from the way the dialogue works to the tone of the narration (I haven't read anything by Winters before, but I'm not surprised to find out that he's known for his YA fiction). While this kind of thing works for a lot of readers, I just wasn't charmed by the writing and couldn't get invested in Denz and Braylon's story.

Absolutely adored this book!! It's sweet, funny and spicy story about second chances, fake dating , working for a family business and finding your way in life. Highly recommend this book.

There's a lot going on in this M/M second chance romance novel: the main character, Denz, is trying to impress his meddling family so he can become CEO of the family event-planning company. I thought I'd enjoy the professional and family plotlines, but they didn't add up.

Probably because Denz - disorganized, anxious, and delusional about his own abilities - wasn't a character I particularly liked or rooted for, and his family was aggressively awful to each other most of the time. The bright spots were Braylon, the cinnamon roll love interest with a misplaced British accent, and Kami, Denz's girlboss sister who doesn't let anything slow her down.

3.5 stars? 4 stars? I don't know. I rolled my eyes at Denz just about every paragraph, but I also kept turning pages.

This was a fun, steamy ride that blends second-chance romance with fake dating antics.

Denzel "Denz" Carter, caught between a career in his family's event planning business and a not-so-ideal personal life, finds himself pretending to be in a relationship with none other than Braylon—the ex who left him heartbroken. The catch? Denz needs to impress his family to land a CEO position, and Braylon needs his connections for his own career boost. Cue the romance, confusion, and steamy kisses as they navigate a fake relationship that starts feeling way too real.

The romance itself is the star of the show—lots of fun, chemistry, and tropes like one-bed situations. But if you’re looking for deep emotional moments, you might not find them here. The story leans into the playful, spicy side of romance rather than diving deep into the emotional complexities of Denz and Braylon’s past. Denz’s quest for the CEO role did feel a bit far-fetched, though, considering how underqualified he seemed. As this is Julian Winters’ adult debut (after a string of YA hits), the characters still carry that youthful, slightly immature energy, which could be hit-or-miss depending on your preferences.

On the audiobook front, André Santana really brings this story to life. His narration is spot-on, adding extra layers of fun and emotion to the already entertaining plot.

If you're into fake dating, second-chances, and the whole rich-guy, lavish event vibe, this book’s definitely worth a read (or listen). Just don’t expect it to be super deep—it’s all about the playful, spicy romance.
3.5⭐️

I Think They Love You by Julian Winters is a phenomenal adult rom-com debut!
Such a fun second-chance romance story with amazing characters.
This book simply put was just a lot of fun!
The characters were so much fun, and their chemistry was adorable.
I thought the writing was quick, fun and engaging.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this new title.

4.5

Julian Winters has been on my radar as an author for a really long time, but young adult romances have been hit or miss for me lately. So when I saw that this was his adult debut, and that the audiobook was narrated by Andre Santana, who I’ve grown absolutely adore as a narrator, I knew I had to pick this up.

I don’t think this was a perfect book and there is some suspension of disbelief in regards to the premise because yes, it’s a family business but there’s a huge jump in the level of responsibility from being social media manager/event planner to CEO. After my experience struggling with that in The Truth According to Ember earlier this year, I was hesitant, but this was absolutely a case of right book right time for me.

I adore Denz with all of my heart, and this second chance of romance/fake dating your ex worked so well for me in a way that I could not have expected. It was cute. It was heartfelt. It had me giggling it had me tearing up. It was the perfect escape in a very stressful week. Yes I think there are legitimate critiques with the story, but I don’t want to them because I loved this book.

4.25⭐️ Second Chance Romance, Fake Dating, One Bed Tropes!

The banter, the characters, the spice! This book was such a feel good and healing read. Throughout this book, Denz has to navigate feeling like he will never be good enough for his family and during that journey, ends up finding himself. The progress he makes as a character not only in himself and his own confidence but also in his familial relationships was so heartwarming to read. Braylon is a huge part of Denz's journey of self discovery. Both of these characters had so much to learn both separately and together but I will say, I wish we had had a bit of Braylon's POV throughout.

Fave quotes:
"You were always so intensely yourself. You made me want to be the person I hid from others"
"But never doing anything, living with regrets-that's the shit that kills us"
And even though this one hurt my millennial soul (thanks for making me feel ancient Julian 🤪), I had to save it "The band covers an old Justin Timberlake song. 'Sexyback'"

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed I Think They Love You and was interested enough to continue reading, but I will admit it wasn't a book that I had a hard time putting down. I was invested enough in Denz and Braylon to want to know where their "fake" relationship took them and where they ended up on their career path.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥.

Another second chance romance??? I think I'm hooked. I think they are my thing now.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC and the ALC in exchange for this review.

Absolutely loved this book and the narration! It was so well done and I enjoyed it so much.

This book starts in the past with Braylon and Denz on the way to Denz's family dinner and everything is going well. But when the book picks up years in the present we know that they are not together and that Braylon essentially broke Denz's heart.

When Denz's father is retiring there is a competition of sorts to become the new CEO, and Denz feels like having a boyfriend will increase his chances. So when he bumps into Braylon who is freshly back from the UK, and his best friend stands him up as his fake boyfriend, he asks Braylon to stand in.

Fake Dating, Second Chance, One BED. Ugh, this book is good.

It's told from Denz's POV only which is probably the only thing that kept this from 5 stars for me. I would have loved a Braylon POV, especially since he was dealing with so much.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟,” 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐳 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐬, 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐝, “𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞.”
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 . . . 𝐧𝐨𝐭?”
“𝐍𝐨.” 𝐀 𝐰𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡. “𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭.”

This book is sweet and swoony and precious and steamy and spicy and such a great read. I especially loved the little nods to Atlanta and all the little famous rom-coms mentioned. So cute.

𝐇𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐧. 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐲. 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦-𝐜𝐨𝐦. 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐳 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.

This was my first book by Julian Winters, and I really enjoyed it! I liked Denz as a main character. He was fun and messy but also had his serious moments. I also liked Braylon as a love interest. He is trying to make the world a little bit of a better place but is super focused on things (it also helps that he's a Capricorn. I love my people lol). Actually, I ended up really liking the extended cast as well; especially since they all had their own thing going on and their own personalities. The set up for the fake dating is very contrived, but I didn't care that much since their second chance romance had some really good development. Some phrases were a little cringe and felt a little dated even though the book just released this year. I was also hoping for a little bit more self-discovery for Denz by the end of the book. A POV from Braylon would also have really boosted the story for me. I love a duel POV. Overall, a fun and emotional, yet sexy and sweet romance. 4.5 Stars!

Denzel Carter’s family owns 24 Carter Gold, a prestigious event planning company, in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, Kenneth, unexpectedly announces his retirement and a competition ensues to see who his successor as CEO will be. Denz impulsively lies to his family about having a serious relationship, because his family is convinced that he isn’t capable of true commitment. When his plans fall through, he impulsively forces his ex, Braylon, to be his serious boyfriend for the duration of the CEO competition and they quickly strike a deal that benefits them both. Braylon’s been out of Denz’s life for a few years and his sudden return turns everything upside down.

I’d never heard of this author before, but I THINK THEY LOVE YOU is Winters’ adult debut novel with his usual genre being contemporary YA queer romances. I loved his endeavor into the adult romance genre.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes but add a little second chance in there and it’s a complete winner. It was interesting to see how the author handled both of these tropes together – well done!

I THINK THEY LOVE YOU is told in the POV of Denzel. I really liked seeing the world through Denz’s eyes as he navigates what he believes he wants from his future and fights his way to get to it. I really enjoyed his character arc and seeing his vision change as the novel progressed.

All of the characters, including the side characters, have such rich and vibrant personalities. I loved getting to know each character through Denz’s eyes. The relationships shared between Denz and the other central characters were well written, flawed, and interesting. I loved how supportive his family and friends were even in the hardest of times. I also loved seeing their relationships grow and change as the novel progressed.

Denz and Braylon are so cute together. It was interesting to see them fall back in love with each other while they reunited, learning new things about each other that occurred in their years apart. There are a few spicy scenes – all well written.

I would have loved a dual POV for this one to get to know Braylon a little better, but overall this is an excellent read regardless!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St Martin’s Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.

I Think They Love You is my first Julian Winters book and it was positively delightful. I loved Denz, our main protagonist as he is trying to prove his worth in the family planning business. He is competing against his ultra competent sister for the role of CEO, desperate to make his father and the rest of his loud but loving family, proud. Although they love him dearly they clearly think he’s a bit of a mess which is why he creates a fake boyfriend—just for his ex to enter the picture.

This is a lovely second chance romance where the characters enter into a fake dating partnership, presumably to give each other something they want but then genuinely because they both seem to like each other. There’s a lot of bad history between the two, Bray has spent the last years in London, a choice he seemingly made over keeping Denz. I loved so much how the two of them complimented each other and clearly rounded out each others rough edges. Denz has a lot of work to do in believing in himself as well as discovering what he really wants and Bray is right along side him in the journey.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julian has done it again! I loved his debut adult novel. Having been a fan of Julian since 'Running with Lions', I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. What happens when your ex boyfriend turns into your pretend boyfriend to impress the family? Love the classic "there was only one bed" troupe and all the messiness that comes with pretending to date your ex. Of course there is a HEA.

Julian needs to write more adult novels!

This week, Julian Winters makes his adult debut with I Think They Love You. A second chance romance, fake dating, career ambitions, complex family connections—this book offers a lot and is so richly drawn. This is my first time reading this author and I already look forward to more.

Why I Chose This Book:
I Think They Love You has been on my radar for several months, and I was so happy to get an ARC of it. That cover caught my interest initially, but I loved the idea of a man fake dating his ex in order to somehow make himself a better candidate for a big promotion at his family’s company.

What I Liked:
- Denz is such a fun character. He’s dramatic and impulsive, but also sensitive and sweet.
- Braylon! What a wonderful ex/fake boyfriend! He’s the epitome of thoughtful and charming, but in a genuinely endearing way.
- Big cast of characters, from extended family to roommates to colleagues. It makes the book feel like a complete world.
- Hilarious! Dad jokes!
- Emotional!
- Occasional flashbacks to their original relationship in college
- What do you really want in your career, and why?
- Set-up for another book?? I see another romance waiting to be read…

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- I only wish the characters had been a bit older and farther removed from their breakup. This story would have felt more believable if Denz and Braylon were actually in their late 20s or even early 30s. (And if Denz acted as such, of course.)
- Lol why does Braylon have an English accent after living in London for only two years?

Final Thoughts
I Think They Love You is such a sweet romance! I’m not the biggest fan of fake dating or second chances, but somehow, both tropes work well here. This is Julian Winters’s first adult novel, and I did find that much of this felt a little close to YA or NA, both in writing style and the characters’ ages and interactions. Regardless, I enjoyed this whole book, and if I’m right in assuming there will be a sequel involving two certain characters here, I’ll absolutely read it, too!