Love you, Mean it is a playful rom com.. Ellie Greco returns home after her father passes away to run the family’s deli business. Theo Taylor from the property managment firm is about to put her out of business. She tries to plead her case to Theo but their meeting goes from bad to worse. Theo is knocked out cold waking up with amnesia. Ellie claims they are engaged to get into the hospital to see Theo, but he quickly recovers, however they decide to keep going with the ruse. When complications arise, Ellie must choose between friendship, family legacy and unexpected romance.

The story kept me engaged although I did find it somewhat predictable.

Love You, Mean It - Jilly Gagnon

As far as romcom tropes go, this sits somewhere between While You Were Sleeping and You’ve Got Mail- as a lover of both, I was all in!

Ellie’s family owns a local favorite Italian deli while Theo’s family owns a property management firm that plans to bring a big name gourmet market to town. Ellie secures a meeting with Theo to try to persuade him to stop the deal, but during their meeting a bizarre construction accident occurs. Without thinking, Ellie tells paramedics she is Theo’s fiancé and things spiral from there when he wakes up concussed and with no memory of the past several years of his life.

This was really cute- the characters had great banter and although the plot was absurd, I really liked it.

A sweet story of doing whatever is needed to get what you want in business, while also finding yourself and what you didn’t know you wanted in the first place. Some vibes of a cross between ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and ‘While you were Sleeping’ but with its own twists and flavor. This one is a light read that you’ll enjoy all the way through.

Love You Mean, It is a fluffy, trope-filled romcom that's perfect for fans of While You Were Sleeping and fake dating. Although the ceiling-falling-overtop-someone's-head meet cute only results in temporary, instead of prolonged, amnesia, the fake engagement plotline carries all the way through to the end as Ellie and Theo decide to team up to crash the Mangia superstore deal that threatens to alter the city of Milborough forever.

Whereas Ellie's desperate to save her family's decades-old deli from going out of business, Theo wants to undermine his father at the project management firm and do something different, using the space in a way that preserves its architectural integrity and vibes with the town. What better way to do that than to fake a serious romance so they can both get what they want?

Naturally, things get complicated fast.

Not only does Sam, Theo's ex-fiancé, arrive on the scene and see through their charade immediately, proposing a little arrangement of her own to muddle matters, but the "strictly business" wall Ellie and Theo have erected between them falls apart at the seams as lines blur, kisses happen, and feelings that were not supposed to be there spiral out of control.

In the end, Ellie faces a major quandary. She must decide between her family legacy, a new friendship, and a blossoming romance she never imagined for herself.

All in all, this was cute and lighthearted despite Ellie's (relatively grating) tendency toward self-sabotage. That was easily tolerated, though, because this was the trope-y escape I wanted and needed. This would also make for a lovely beach read!

3.5 stars

The reviews were great but this story didnt do anything for me. It was a struggle to finish. Maybe i am too old for this genre.

Guys- this was so stinking cute and I loveddddddd these two characters. They were funny, there was sparks there, and Theos protectiveness made my heart melt!

Recommend- highly!!!

This was a scrumptious enemies-to-co-conspirators-to lovers. Plenty of undeniable chemistry, sassy banter, feeeeeelings, ew! And the perfect amount of steaminess.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
Ellie was a bad@ss. She went after what she wanted and kept her eye on the prize, regardless of all the little hiccups, and changes along the way. The dinner scene was perfect. I fell in love with her then, right along with Theo.

Elile’s family and their commitment to their legacy in the deli, and to each other. Everyone needs a Bella. And and ferocious Mimi.

The chemistry with Theo and Ellie. She’s a firecracker, and he is witty, but a bit “prim.” But in the best moments, he let’s go and says the most smoldery things.


FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Noted. And for the record? I’m happy to wear a studded leather choker occasionally. Just to spice things up.”

“Mimi laid into someone at the dinner table every other week, but it would never have occurred to anyone to stop showing up. Or even to hold on to the anger past the end of whatever tiff happened over the tiramisu. That was just family . . . right?”

“How could he understand that there could be something deeply fulfilling in weaving yourself into a larger story, creating something not just for yourself, like all my cleverly constructed blouses, but for the people and places that were your whole heart?”


Thank you Jilly Gagnon and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I just purchased the paperback for an inevitable book snuggle and re-read.

Dell eARC
I am so glad I decided to read this until I got to see Jilly in St. Louis because it always adds more depth to my reading experience after hearing about the author's decisions. What I loved about Ellie was her saltiness. I am a sarcastic, sassy woman at times, and it's so fun to see a character like her here. I fell for Theo almost instantly. They played off of each other so well. I am also a sucker for fake dating, and it's done so well here. I loved how they worked together towards a common goal, even as they started falling for each other. It was just such a fun time from beginning to end and I can't wait to read more from her.

Perfect rom-com. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking it would make a great movie.

It’s everything you want in a rom-com. Likable main characters, a problem they need to solve together, a quirky way they are thrown together, a shared enemy.

Yes, you know what’s going to happen, but you don’t care, you are just there for the fun, lovely ride.

Ellie Greco has come back to town to run the family deli after her father died. Unfortunately, a wealthy real estate investor is looking to bring in a huge gourmet deli that would totally put her out of business. Perhaps she can appeal to his very good-looking, arrogant son? Do I need to even say more?

Fun rom-com, predictable in the most perfect of ways

Closer to 3.5 for me.

The story focuses on Ellie and Theo, who are rivals and workplace enemies. She has taken over her family's gourmet deli and he works for a commercial developer that is trying to bring in a massive upscale food store that will inevitables put her small shop out of business. After an accident causes Theo to end up with a bout of amnesia, Ellie pretends to be his fiancee although the deception is short lived. This leads to a fake dating situation between Theo and Ellie that becomes more complicated with the introduction of Theo's former girlfriend, Sam.

I loved the nod to While You Were Sleeping, and I thought that the banter between Ellie and Theo created good chemistry. I didn't think that Ellie was particularly likable, though, and disagreed with some of the choices she made in terms during her relationship with Sam.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I went into Love You, Mean It wanting to root for the main female character. I, sadly, felt no connection to her and kind of preferred the main male character and his awesome ex to her. The story was good but I found the characters just lacking. It was a quick read and wrapped up really quickly at the end and I got a little confused by all that was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

3.5 stars

Love You, Mean It was a cute romance. Normally, I’m not a big fan of the fake dating trope but it worked well on this story. A few bumps along the way, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

After Ellie’s father died five years ago, she gave up her dream of designing theater costumes to move back to her hometown and run the family’s deli. Word on the street is a fancy gourmet food store is in development in the area which could put Ellie’s shop out of business. So she sets up a meeting with Theo Taylor who works for his dad’s property management firm and is handling the project. She hopes to change his mind and eventually they come up with plan that could be mutually beneficial.

My synopsis makes the fake dating scheme sound creepy but trust me, it’s not and it’s one of the few times I’ll say it logically makes sense for them to pretend they are in love. It helps that I liked both characters and they had some chemistry. I appreciate how the author chose a better path for Theo’s ex than the stereotypical route.

My only slight criticism is things got a bit messy in the last quarter or so of the book. Some fine tuning and more development were needed to take this book to the next level. A good romance with some heart and humor but it didn’t reach its full potential. That said, I’d be interested in checking out another book by this author.

Loved it! I was fast paced and enjoyable. And I appreciated that while there was a confusion at the beginning, it wasn't a lie that continued well into the book. I don't want to give any spoilers other then it resolves early.

•Fake dating
•Rivals to lovers
•Grump Vs. Sunshine
•Opposites attract

This one was cute. Like Hallmark cute. Thank you to the publisher for granting my wish! 3.5 stars.

Love You, Mean It, Jilly Gagnon, 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ellie was a costume designer for high end productions until her father died. He ran the family deli, and Ellie moves back to manage it herself. She hears a rumor that a large nationwide gourmet market is going to take over a nearby building. Ellie is talking to Theo Taylor, who represents the management company, when the ceiling literally falls in on them. At the hospital Ellie says she’s his fiancee, which leads them into a period of fake dating. Everyone believes in their engagement, and they’re both starting to believe it themselves, when Theo’s ex shows up. Can they convince her too?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ellie runs an Italian Deli and, on the side, designs clothes. Her cousin, Belle, tells her that a property company is in the process of buying a large building near her Deli and that they must stop it. Ellie sets up a meeting with Theo, the representative of the property company. The meeting turned into a shouting match and Theo left the room to take a phone call. There is a loud bang and Ellie finds him unconscious on the floor. They call for help and Ellie tells the EMTs that she is his fiancee. This is the start of the story. It is pure Chick Lit and will make good beach reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Dell for an ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine Books Dell and NetGalley for a review copy of Love You, Mean It in exchange for my honest opinion. This is a cute fake-dating romcom by a new-to-me author.
Along the lines of one of my favorite movies While You Were Sleeping, Ellie says she is Theo’s fiance to get into his hospital room after a head injury. Ellie and Theo are not strangers, having grown up together, and had been meeting about business, as Theo’s father was involved in a deal to bring a gourmet food megastore to the small town, which would be in direct competition with the deli Ellie ran. (I just realized that deli and Ellie rhyme - ha!) There is some amnesia involved with the hospital stay, leading to a fake engagement, which made sense in the context of the story. I thought the book’s premise was cute, and even though it is written from Ellie’s single POV, as a reader I was able to understand Theo’s perspective, too. This cover is bright and fun, too! I switched back and forth between reading and listening, and I recommend the narrator, Amanda Ronconi. I believe she was a new-to-me narrator, too.

4 Stars! ⭐️

A big thank you to the Dell team at Random House Publishing for the ARC!

✨ fake fiancé / engagement
✨ a touch of amnesia
✨ enemies/ rivals to lovers
✨ witty banter

This was such a cute & funny read - Jilly's sense of humor shines throughout the book which I really enjoyed! I also loved the message in the author's note that "the salty, the smart-alecks, the sarcastic", the imperfect people deserve happy ending just as much as everyone else!

I'm looking forward to future romance releases from Jilly Gagnon!

Ellie is difficult to root for as a main character. She's very judgmental and negative about everything! There's a difference between being complex and just a jerk! Theo didn't do it for me, either, though he was more tolerable than Ellie. They both have quite a bit of baggage, which is fine, but it doesn't feel like they learn anything by the book's end. I also did not buy their chemistry with one another because they don't have any to begin with! You can't make sparkles out of fizzles, and their "love" was all fizzle. I didn't ever believe that they were romantically interested in one another.

Such a unique take on the Fake Dating trope, that was full of laughs! Overall, a super enjoyable Rom Com that was a quick and easy read!