Super cute romance that has a heavy focus on personal development and finding ones' own way amidst familial and personal expectations. Loved the romance between our protagonist and love interest. Definitely looking forward to more adult romances by Julian Winters.

This was exceptional, probably my favorite that I've read of Julian Winters.

I love a second chance romance and one of my absolute favorite parts and something I think should be mandatory for romances with characters with history, is that there were multiple chapters that went back in time and gave up the chemistry and history of these two characters.

I liked the family and friendship elements as well as the romance and it's genuinely a very well rounded book. Highly recommend.

4.5 stars

✨ Review ✨ I Think They Love You by Julian Winters; Narrated by André Santana

Thanks to Dreamscape Media, St. Martin's Griffin and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

After dating in college, Denz and Braylon cross paths again - Denz is trying to earn a bid for CEO of 24 Carter Gold, his family’s event planning business and Braylon is trying to grow the LGBTQ nonprofit he works for. They decide to fake date to help both achieve professional success, and they start falling for each other again.

Second chance is one of my least favorite tropes but this one really worked for me. I like that they had a chance to learn and grow and experience life for a bit before their lives crossed again.

I loved the range -- swanky parties and more down-to-earth outreach via Braylon's nonprofit; fancy clothes and french toast grilled cheeses.

The only thing I didn't buy was that Braylon was gone for a few years and now had a British accent that he couldn't part with lol.

🎧 The audio narration was great -- with distinct characters built around both Denz and Braylon's voices! The flashbacks were a little jarring via audio sometimes, but overall, I enjoyed listening to it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Setting: Atlanta
Length: 10 hours 49 minutes
Pub Date: Jan 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ second chance
⭕️ LGBTQ+ characters
⭕️ fake dating
⭕️ swanky events and fashion

This was an absolute treat. This was great to read from beginning to end. I was sad that it was over once I got to the last page. I could have lived in the world of these characters for many more pages. I always love my queer romance books, but Julian Winters must put some kind of spell in these books to make them so addictive.

A bit of a slow start, but really enjoyed this story! Equal parts sexy and sweet. A great queer romance with heart.

Great romance read. Sexy characters and several surprises in the plot that I didn't quite expect.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Denz stared back. It was that careful, curious gaze only queer people know. The one used in public when you’re deciding if the other person is trustworthy. If entering their space is safe."

“What’s horny, Uncle Denzie?”
"A triceratops.”

"I loved you all through college. Loved you when you left. Damn it, I loved you even after you broke my heart.”

It's all there. The tightrope every queer person walks in a public place. The fear. The uncertainty. The hope. Then there's the comedy. Dad jokes that make you groan and laugh. At last there's the romance. The swoony moments, the heartbreak, the passion, the chemistry, the sexy banter, the sacrifices and the love.

You get it all in the sweet and spicy I Think They Love You with the creatively funny, yet very smooth writing from author Julian Winters.

Denz fell in love with Braylon in college but father issues for both of them led to a break up. Now Denz is trying to convince his Dad that he can take over their firm. To prove his commitment he tells him he has a steady boyfriend. Through a series of mishaps Braylon is back in his life and, since Braylon needs Denz's connections for his non profit job, and Denz needs a boyfriend, they fake it.

What makes this second chance, fake dating RomCom special is the couple's sexuality is never an issue for their families. The disconnect is their own fears and self doubt.

I read and listened to the book. Voice actor Andre Santana's vulnerability throughout this love story grabbed my heart. It also made the love scenes more sensual.

If you enjoy witty banter, nosy Aunties, adorable nephews, sincere story telling and sensual love making I think you will love this queer RomCom.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the narrator for this, but I don’t fully enjoy the story itself. I liked the concept. I enjoyed what the book represented and getting this kind of story. My biggest gripe with the book however is how the main character would lash out, self sabotage, and repeatedly push people away. That is one of my biggest pet peeves with certain romances stories, which seem especially common in fake dating. After a while, it makes it harder to want to root for him. I think the ending helps salvage a lot of those feelings though. Overall, I would recommend it if you have a lot of patience.

Review: I Think They Love You

Thank you @stmartinspress for the #gifted early copy! 😘

Written By: Julian Winters
Published: January 28, 2025

When Denzel “Denz” Carter’s workaholic father and CEO of 24 Carter Gold unexpectedly announces his retirement, the competition for his successor is on. Denz isn’t seen as really competition because of his commitment issues. So, to convince his family he’s a contender for CEO, Denz impulsively lies about being in a serious relationship. Looking for a fake boyfriend, Denz turns to the last person he wants to be in any kind of relationship with: Braylon, the man who broke his heart. Braylon’s sudden reappearance in Denz’s life turns everything upside down, but Braylon needs Denz’s connections to get to the mayor to secure his own promotion. So, the two strike a deal for their fake relationship.

Get ready to swoon at this one, y’all! 😍

This is Winters adult romance debut and, let me tell you, he delivered! This story centers on second chance and fake dating tropes and both were executed so well.

Every character in this book, from MC to every aunt, uncle, and cousin, were fully fleshed out people I could picture some semblance of because of how well their personalities were portrayed. I loved our MCs so much—I was rooting for Denz and Braylon from start to finish, just wanting them to be happy, no matter the outcome.

The storytelling was superb! I was laughing out loud, silently crying, and getting all hot and bothered while reading this book that also warmed by heart. Seriously, this book covers a lot of emotional ground so well—it will have you feeling your feelings for sure.

In particular, when it comes to speak on identities, this book does a phenomenal job at portraying not only marginalized identities, but the intersectionality of Black and gay identities in a professional setting within the US. The social commentary paired with the emotional impact of how the world perceives someone with those identities…powerful writing!

Verdict: Loved 😍

Rounding up from three and a half stars. On the surface, I loved this. The main characters are charming and endearing. The secondary characters are interesting and varied. The connection in the main relationship is solid. I enjoyed the big complicated family and even liked some of the secondary family drama storylines. I loved that this was a world where there appears to be zero homophobia.

Digging a little deeper, this book required a truly extraordinary suspension of disbelief. Part of my profession involves event planning and I just could not buy a lot of the stuff around the job, the family's celebrity status and the whole CEO search premise. I could also have done without the ample pop culture references, name dropping and wealth flaunting. The whole thing was a little bit formulaic and there were a couple of weird continuity things and the overuse of some devices.

But, when leaned into the romcom-inness, I was able to just enjoy. And ultimately it was very successful in giving me warm and fuzzy feelings, which made it a lot easier to overlook the things that didn't work for me. I certainly liked this enough to check out the author's other work, including the potential Jordan and Jamie sequel bait.

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.

ALC Review: I Think They Love You by Julian Winters
Pub Date: January 28, 2025
Narrator: André Santana

I really enjoyed this one! The story is complex, steamy, and really heartfelt. The issues that the characters are navigating are realistic and Denz goes through a whole lot of character development through this book! It has a really satisfying ending.

I've listened to André Santana narrate a few books and I really love his style! I'm super glad I listened to this one on audio because I do think it enhanced my experience.

Read this for:
-Second Chance
- Black MCs
- Fake dating
- Set in Atlanta

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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!

As a mega fan of second chance romances, I DEVOURED this book! The chemistry between the characters was top notch *chef's kiss* The characters were believable and had me rooting for them the whole time. 10/10 would recommend!!

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook copy!

I Think They Love You follows Denz and Braylon, exes, who reunite and find themselves in a fake relationship in order to achieve their goals. Denz wants to take over his family's company as CEO but he needs to prove he is serious by being in a relationship. Braylon needs Denz's connections to the mayor to get a promotion. Both at first are not happy with this arrangement but they soon realize that there may be some lingering feelings from the past. I was into the premise of this in the beginning but as the story went on, I started to care less about that and more about the main two's relationship. I felt if there had been less attention on the side characters, the story would have worked better. This was my first book by this author and I am willing to read others by him despite me not loving this release. I still recommend checking this out if you are already a fan of this author.

This is the perfect feel-good love story to read just before V-Day.

The narrator was engaging and helped propel the story to new levels.

ALC Review
I Think They Love You by Julian Winters
Narrated by: Andre Santana
3rd Person Solo POV

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.

I haven't fallen in love with a romance novel like I Think They Love You since I read Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuistion for the first time. It sparked that same type of joy. The romance is written beautifully with such dynamic and real characters. It does get quite spicy, but I adore the scene and didn't find them unreadable. The side characters bring this book even further.

Because I did listen to the novel, I thought the narrator did a wonderful job.

A perfect Valentine read, I couldn't recommend more.

What a sweet, emotional ride. I love a good second chance romance and this delivered in spades. The writing is fantastic and pulls you in. The characters are well thought out and likeable, despite their very human faults.

I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio and the narrator was great, each character receiving their individual voice, without feeling like a caricature.

This is my first Julian Winters book, but it certainly won't be my last.

I THINK THEY LOVE YOU by Julian Winters

Huge thanks to @dreamscape_media for my #gifted copy🫶🏼

📖 I Think They Love You follows Denz, who yearns to be taken seriously in his family's event planning business, as he's vying to succeed his father and become CEO. What better way to show his maturity and commitment to stability than to tell them about his serious relationship? There's only one problem. Denz isn't actually in a relationship, serious or otherwise. Enter Braylon — Denz's ex who broke his heart years ago. Braylon's back in town, and agrees to a mutually beneficial fake dating arrangement to help both of them advance their careers. But when old feelings resurface, the lines between pretend and real start to blur.

💭 Blending humor, heart and heat, Julian Winters delivers a knockout adult debut! While fake dating arrangements are always a hard sell, I really appreciate the second chance component here. Denz and Braylon are well-crafted, realistic protagonists, and I enjoyed the rekindling of their relationship and the way they worked through past hurts. All in all, this is a heartfelt contemporary romance that I'd recommend!

🎧 I listened to this one, and loved the narration! André Santana knocked it out of the park, with easily distinguishable voices for the two leads and side characters.

📌 Available now!