Cover Image: Yes & I Love You

Yes & I Love You

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Member Reviews

In this contemporary romance, Hollyn and Jasper overcome their fears and pasts while growing closer to each other after a rocky start to a begrudging friendship turned mutually beneficial arrangement. They fall in love while also figuring out who they are in New Orleans.

This book is so underrated, and I cannot believe how long I put off reading it! I don't tend to pay too close attention to the blurbs of books, and I think I expected it to fall more into the contemporary fiction category rather than an actual contemporary romance. But y'all! This book delivered on the romance. I am obsessed with Hollyn and Jasper's relationship, despite the fact that Jasper often spoke before he thought. I don't think I've ever read a book with Tourrette's rep in it, but I think the author did a beautiful job including it throughout the story. I would have loved to see more regarding Jasper's sister - like was she proud of his success in the end? - especially after their disagreement near the beginning of the book, and more on Hollyn's family in the present, but both are hardly brought up aside from one or two scenes each. But other than those few things, this book was amazing! I'm so happy that our characters got their happy ending.

CW for rude comments about TS, discussions about the foster system, sexual content, bullying (in past).

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren.

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This title was archived before I had a chance to download it to be read so unfortunately I was not able to read it and give feedback.

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The shared workspace at WorkAround is a place where Hollyn Tate, writer for a New Orleans entertainment site is trying to face her social anxiety by putting herself in a place where she can meet new people. Her Tourette's syndrome results in facial tics and other quirks that have made previous co-workers think she's bitchy or snobbish or just weird, never getting to know the lively, funny woman Hollyn really is. And when she meets Jasper Deares, an aspiring actor with ADHD working at the coffee shop at WorkAround, they definitely don't start off on the right foot either. A few misadventures though have them soon becoming friends and then something more, especially when Jasper's improv classes are the key to helping Hollyn learn how to be comfortable and expand her entertainment role. I enjoyed the characters and setting in the story, the mental health issues that are addressed as well as how people with ADHD and Tourette's are portrayed and how Hollyn and Jasper find their way to a happy ending.

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I loved this book so much! It lived up to all the hype I had for it. Definitely an auto buy Author now!

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Roni Loren is really doing something different with the romance genre! Thank you for this review copy.

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This is such a sweet, quirky romance. The definition of a beach read i.e. my favourite kind of book!

I really enjoyed reading this, it’s a sweet love story featuring some neuro-diversity which is so rare and very very compelling.

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This book was amazing & I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. I could relate to many things about Hollyn's anxiety. I also lved neing able to learn about how Tourette's can affect everyday life. Jasper was also so sweet &it was good to see how foster kids might be affected in adulthood about what they experienced.

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Yes & I Love You was my first Roni Loren novel and it made me saying yes, I love this author! The care and comfort Loren used when crafting Hollyn's character made me want to read the other two in this series. While I wasn't quick to warm up to Jasper, I wanted his relationship to work out based on how he tried to treat other people in his life. The story was enticing and the sexual scenes were written smoothly with the plot.

I'd definitely recommend Yes & I Love You to anyone who wants a contemporary romance read!

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This was really good! This was my first Roni Loren book and it won’t be my last. Many of my friends have recommended this authors work and I’m so happy to have finally read one! I especially liked the way she tackled something serious like Tourette’s syndrome. It was handled really well and I’ve never a read a book with that in it before. Along with anxiety portion which was appreciated and I was definitely able to relate too. I wasn’t expecting so much heat with humor but it was SO GOOD and had me plowing through the pages to reach their HEA! Great ending!

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Loved this book so much! I actually read this series out of order, but it did not take away from my reading experience!

No one knows Hollyn in real-life; she has Tourettes and anxiety and prefers not to attract attention. What people don't know is that she is the face behind Miz Poppy, the popular columnist that provides reviews and commentary on the New Orleans nightlife.

Jasper is an aspiring actor and works at the coffee shop at the co-op they both work at. He dreams of owning his own local theatre - either that, or make it big in Hollywood.

Hollyn's boss tells her that she need to add videos or vlogs to her column otherwise she will lose her job. She enlists Jasper to get her camera-ready and then offers a proposition that he cannot refuse - fake date her so she gets the experience in order to find "the one." This arrangement benefits the both of them because this helps Hollyn break out of her shell and Jasper doesn't believe in the idea of marriage or any type of commitment for that matter.

As they continue to work together, the lines begin to blur - they both begin to fall for each other. But of course it's not that easy. They're both forced to face the past as two of their exes suddenly come into the picture. Will this derail Hollyn's and Jasper's work aspirations? And more importantly, will this get in the way of them both finding true love?

I loved Hollyn and Jasper so much! I loved that Jasper saw her as a person and not someone with a disability. They were good for each other and it really emanated off the pages. The book was fun, quirky and emotional. I've read all three books in the series and am such a huge fan!

Thanks so much, NetGalley, Roni Loren and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

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Absolutely adored Yes & I Love You from start to finish. I really wish I had the energy to do a full review for this, because it absolutely deserves that, but I am exhausted and very do not. BUT I loved the voice from the very first page, and that never altered. I felt all of the feelings watching Hollyn and Jasper not only fall in love with each other but with themselves. They both harbored so much self-doubt, and they both overcome that together, and with other help too, and just ahhhhh my feels, you guys.

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Hollyn Tate has a secret life. She is, Miz Poppy, the snappy indie reviewer that spotlights New Orleans nightlife. In reality, she suffers from crippling anxiety. When her boss insists she reveal her secret self, she gets help – and romance-- from actor Jasper Deane. This interesting and intense romance sensitively deals with the topic of anxiety and learning to embrace yourself. An emotional read. 3.5 stars

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I chose this book purely for the cover, and this definitely did not disappoint. Not quite sure if this is a first purchase, but definitely a backlist bump

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I read Yes & I Love You in a day then immediately bought the second book. This was such a powerful romance and I loved every moment. The premise was great and I appreciated the character’s authenic personalities.

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This was a very interesting romance, a first for me in some ways. It's the first time I read a romance with an MC who has Tourette's. I can only judge the representation from an outsider's perspective and I would say it was done with care and compassion.

I am a fan of Roni Loren, her The Ones Who Got Away series is super despite the heavy subject matter it deals with. I had great hopes for this new series as well and while there were a lot of things that I loved about it, it also had a number of flaws in my eyes.

The start was great, Hollyn was such an amazing heroine. Her POV gives us a deep insight in her life and daily struggles with Tourette's and social anxiety. She is brave and determined, working to build her personal and professional life. She is so vulnerable, has scars from being bullied in school and then sheltered at home. Yet she is putting herself out there, doing things, taking risks, but also making grown up plans, acting responsibly. And she gets professional help for her mental health issues. And strong support from her best friend (more on him later because there is a lot to that plotline).

The hero, on the other hand, I have mixed feelings about him. Jasper is a struggling improv actor with ADHD. Hollyn finds very attractive, there is great chemistry between them. Neither of them feels ready for a relationship and they try things as friends-with-benefits, and naturally end up catching feelings.

I am convinced of his unconditional love, awe even, of Hollyn, but at the same time I can't help but feel that she deserved better, someone taking real care not to hurt her or make her life more difficult. Jasper came off as too immature, he was trying hard to be better, to act like a grown up, but failed repeatedly. He did a couple of things through the story that are inexcusable in my book and she just forgave him all too easily.

I also felt there is some issues regarding the balance of power in their relationship - she was an entertainment reviewer and a positive review of his improv group was make or break for them. There is this underlying doubt that he was with her only to further his career.

Going back to her best friend. I loved that she had a best friend who cared so much for her and then, boom their relationship took an unexpected turn that I was so annoyed with. I felt there was no need for it, it was unfair both to her and to him.

Overall, after a great start, this romance didn't go as great as I expected. The story tried to cover too many issues and some fell into the background, and ultimately the HEA was not convincing enough for me. I would say it is still worth reading this romance, even if for Hollyn alone.

CW: social anxiety, MC with Tourette's, ADHD rep, parental neglect

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I absolutely loved this book, it had a great disability rep with the main character having Tourette’s. It really highlighted the mental health side of that and how much is sometimes expected of someone In Their jobs. I adored Hollyn and Jasper together and how they helped each other. If you love the fake dating trope then this one is for you.

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This was an okay read, but I did find a few faults along the way.
I felt the Tourette's storyline portrayed rather strangely, and the anxiety made me uncomfotable at times. I didn't connect with any of the characters and the ones I liked weren't enough part of the story!

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this one early... I tried several times to really get into the story but it just was not working for me so this, unfortunately, was a DNF for me.

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Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 4

I enjoyed this start to a new series.

Yes & I Love You is really quite a bit different from anything else I’ve read by Roni Loren. It took me just a little bit to get into this story but once I did, I didn’t want to stop listening to it. As far as I know, it’s the first audiobook I’ve listened to performed by Desiree Ketchum and I think she did a great job.

The story is much sweeter than anything else I’ve read by this author. Hollyn is an internet entertainment columnist hiding behind the pen name of Miss Poppy. She has Tourette’s Syndrome and she gets anxious when meeting new people; she’s self-conscience and her tics get worse when she’s anxious. She faces the possibility of losing her job, and the pen name she’s established, when her publisher wants her to do video reviews and she doesn’t think she can handle doing them.

Jasper is trying to get his life back on track and start his own improv theater. He’s working as a barista in the building where Hollyn rents office space. He has dreams of owning his own theater for improv. Jason offers to tutor Hollyn in improv to help her become more comfortable being with new people.

I loved the dynamic between the two MC’s and also enjoyed the secondary characters. The story is pretty low angst and it was a thoroughly enjoyable story to listen to. I’ll be diving into the next book right away.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

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Life-style blogger and comedian, best friends turn lovers in this fun, quirky, and sexy romance. It's the first of Roni Lorens' new series. Can't wait for the next one.

Top marks for having the main characters dealing with real-life struggles of Tourette’s, ADHD, and social anxieties.

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