LOVE YOU, MEAN IT - Jilly Gagnon

A COMPLICATED ROMANCE - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Ellie Greco would rather be designing beautiful costumes for theater, but her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's deli. When Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, Greco's Deli's very existence is suddenly in jeopardy. Through some crazy circumstances, Ellie and Theo decide to fake an engagement, which will help them both. Ellie doesn’t trust him, but oddly enough, things seem to be working out.

Writing - 4 stars - This is a new-to-me author, and she caught my attention right from the first page. She created a complicated but interesting plotline, and peopled it with entertaining characters.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Ellie is a strong and capable character, but she also hides her vulnerabilities by closing off when things get too emotional. She has friends and a close family, but she also finds that she's limiting herself and her goals. Theo, although wealthy and a go-getter, has lived his life under his arrogant father's thumb, especially since his brother's death. He's finally ready to go out on his own, and he discovers that Ellie is just the support structure that he needs. Soon he also discovers that she is also what he wants.

Title - 3.5 stars - I guess this means that there's not a lot of trust between Ellie and Theo (and the rest of the characters, for that matter), so there's always a bit of doubt about their feelings.

Cover - 3.5 stars - Again, with the trendy cartoon-y cover. I'm not a fan, but this one is cute and bright and catches the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - As a new-to-me author, I didn't have any particular expectations, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Bailey provided an unusual story that kept my interest throughout. I liked Ellie as a main character and enjoyed watching her discover more about herself and grow into an even stronger woman.

I was excited for the premise of the book and fake-dating is one of my favorite tropes! However...the "other side of the tracks" story line sort of fell flat for me. There was a lot of negative (racial) commentary and demeaning focus on Theo's background. while Ellie herself is the offspring of a successful multi-generational family business. It read like a Hallmark movie plot with spice, but lacked the warmth of tangible character connections that wraps the viewer in a cocoon of "happy".

Ellie is uber-judgemental and lacks humility. She was difficult to connect with and root for. Theo was warm and certainly more likeable than Ellie. I'm not a fan of the 3rd act breakup, either. Even less so when it feels rushed and forced. I think there was a lot of potential for this book, but it felt kind of surface level. I certainly felt the physical chemistry but the emotional chemistry didn’t match its intensity, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the title of this book and I enjoyed every moment of its cuteness! I highly recommend reading it in one sitting! You won’t want to put it down!

Okay, I was a little hesitant when I started this story, but it was actually pretty dang cute! It was a cute mix of While You Were Sleeping and a bit of You’ve Got Mail haha maybe I’m watching too many 90’s movies lately? I loved that the FMC was the one running the family deli, it’s not very often you see a gal in that role! Her repartee with the MMC was just the right amount and their slow burn was great 🙌🏻 I couldn’t put it down once I started, though some parts were a little slow moving. The side characters pretty much all amazing as well. Definitely make sure to give this read a chance!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I loved "While You Were You Were Sleeping" so I had high expectations for this trope to be part of the storyline. This theme was only an abbreviated part of the plot, however. And I did not like our couple! Fake dating tropes which turn real are usually something I enjoy. The execution this time just did not get me invested in our couple. The lies about the relationship just went beyond what was necessary. While I was not routing for the ex-girlfriend, I actually liked her character more than Ellie our main lead.

2.5 stars

Ellie, the most stubborn Greco daughter returns home to run the family business after her father passes away. She leaves her dreams of costume design and NYC behind. Theo Taylor, son of the wealthy Taylor family who owns properties all over Millborough doesn't see eye to eye with his dads investments and taking away small town family business charm in exchange for big box stores. Ellie and Theo team up together to stop Mangia from running out small businesses.

In a cute will they wont they, guy gets girl, girl loses guy, do they find themselves back together again rom com, this was a good beach read and well paced.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Felt like a Hallmark movie in a book. It was just OK. If you are feeling like watching a Hallmark movie then pick this book up instead. I think I was looking for something a little deeper and more funny. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. #sponsored

3.5 stars

This was a cute rom com and my first book by this author. Ellie is trying to save her family business so she enlists the help from Theo, a guy she went to high school with. Theo's family is planning on bringing Mangia, a corporate business into Milborough that will undermine small businesses like Ellie's. An accident happens, fake engagement/dating ensues and some amnesia takes place.

There were few parts that shocked me. I wasn't expecting at all. There's some spice. There's some betrayal going on. I didn't like how some of the characters acted out. Some of their decisions were very frustrating. I thought some of the stuff could have been handled differently. However, I did enjoy Ellie's self discovery for forging a new path for her future. I also enjoyed the fake dating aspect. Ellie and Theo were cute together. In the end I just wanted a little more.

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon

Ellie Greco, once a costume designer, is now running her family’s deli in Milborough after her father's death. She loves the deli but longs for a more exciting life. When she learns the landlord plans to rent to Mangia, her rival, she tries to negotiate with the property management firm. But, her meeting with Theo Thompson goes badly when a ceiling collapse in the prospective building leaves Theo with amnesia. Impulsively, Ellie claims to be his fiancée. After he regains his whereabouts, Theo proposes the two keep up the ruse in order to stop the Mangia deal. Ellie reluctantly agrees despite mistrusting Theo. Their fake engagement seems to work until Theo’s ex-fiancée, Sam, returns and uncovers their deception. Sam proposes a deal of her own and forces Ellie to choose between her growing feelings for Theo, her family's deli, and a potential new friendship.

This book reminded me of the movie "While You Were Sleeping." It was a cute rom-com with a fake-dating trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Press for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one is definitely low drama, so if you are a Sarah Adams/low drama fan, stay away. I was on edge through most of this because I just knew things were going to go wrong. I didn't love the behind the back sneak attach with Sam and Ellie; this one just had a little too much drama going on for me.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

Enemies to lovers, fake dating tropes to save the FMC business. Not much to say about this one except it's cute, but I ended up skimming the last 1/4 because I kind of lost interest. It is better than several romcoms I've read lately, and the chemistry between Ellie and Theo is more believable. The writing is pretty good too. I will definitely read more from this author.

3.5 stars

This was a fun book, with an original twist on the fake dating/marriage of convenience trope.

Love You, Mean It was a cute romance, but I wish we had gotten to see more of a connection between the main characters.

Overall, I would recommend this, especially if looking for a fake dating romance!

Love You Mean It by Jilly Gagnon
Genre: romance

🩷fake dating
🩷rom com
🩷trying to save family business
🩷MMCs have very different upbringings
🩷small business vs. big corporation

I sadly liked the idea of this more than the actuality! It didn’t suck me in like I wanted it to. I was at almost 40% and still not feeling connected to the characters so I decided to stop reading.

Thank you to Dell for my eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Usually I do not DNF, but I just couldn’t get into this one unfortunately. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read!

From the cute cover to plot synopsis, I was looking forward to reading this romantic, feel good story. Love You Mean it fell short of my expectations. The female main character was really negative and the language throughout book was ugly (lots of f-bombs). The chemistry between the characters really wasn’t working they go from enemies to “wildcats”

Thanks For the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was an okay read. I had a really hard time connecting with the female protagonist and didn’t feel much chemistry between the two leads.

Enjoyable rom com with main characters at odds due to small business vs big business. The setting in the deli helped make the book enjoyable. Ellie and Theo are two likeable characters that one hopes finds their way to each other. Overall likeable. I do wish I could have connected with the characters a bit more. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review.

Thanks, Ballantine | Dell, for the review copy via NetGalley.

This dueling delis romance started sketchy (“While You Were Sleeping”-style fake engagement while the MMC has temporary amnesia), then gets compelling (fun family members, an intriguing ex-girlfriend, funny grandmother, legit steam between the MCs), but eventually bogs down and gets repetitive. One reviewer commented that Ellie is all over the place, like the pacing. I pushed through to the end and promptly forgot almost everything about it.

With that being said, I came away with a good feeling about the story and would definitely read her next book.

Ended up DNFing around a quarter through. Nothing outwardly wrong with the book, but just didn't grab my attention. Wouldnt NOT recommend

I wanted to love this book, but I couldn't get more than a few chapters in. It just couldn't keep my attention