Enemies to lovers isn't my favorite romance trope because it is predictable, but they always are fun and flirty! And I liked that this turned into fake dating because I do like that trope. I didn't love the main character, Ellie-she just wasn't my favorite. But I did love that she took over her family business and I loved that it was a deli because that is a little personal to me. The romance was good! And I did really like Theo. So some things were a hit but some were a miss, for me. Also, the writing style wasn't great-just pretty basic.

This is unfortunately one of those romantic comedies that just didn't hit the mark with me. The amnesia aspect of this book is over pretty quickly, which I think helped with the story. I struggled to connect with either Ellie or Theo, or really understand how their arrangement would help either of their situations. I think the ex=girlfriend getting a pretty big starring role just didn't sit right, as on one hand the writing made it seem like we should be weary of her, while also Ellie was fawning over how amazing she is. There wasn't a great flow and many of the plot points seemed fair fetched and quite fantastical. I think if you like very silly, non-realistic romance you may enjoy this more than I did. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Love you, Mean It is a cute romantic comedy that is perfect for fans of While You Were Sleeping and You've Got Mail. A solid fake dating/opposites attract storyline, Jilly Gagnon's latest novel centers on Ellie Greco who has returned home after her father died to take over the family's multi-generational family deli. Her adversary is Theo Taylor, the son of the town's real estate magnet who is looking to sell a large property to a rival Italian specialty store called Mangia (basically a fictionalized version of Eataly in Chicago). Theo ends up with temporary amnesia and agrees to a fake engagement with Ellie in order to help her save her deli and in return, get back at Theo's sleazeball father.

Although predictable, this one had just enough spice and humor to keep me interested. I liked the evolution of the characters, although I think Ellie's family could have been featured more as they seemed like a bit of a hoot. Perfect for a fun, quick read to satisfy anyone's missed love of 90's romcoms.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jilly Gagnon, and Ballantine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I grew to adore the mess that the main FMC made. Ellie is a hot mess but I enjoy seeing a woman in that role. Usually, it's the man that is a mess and has to grow and change to win over the woman but Ellie is messy and makes hilariously big mistakes which showcases that everyone is a multi-dimensional person.

The romance aspect *swoon*. Get me a boyfriend like Theo *double swoon*!

Laugh-out-loud situations that I could only see someone like Ellie getting themselves into but Theo matched her toe to toe, showcasing the part of romance, that has always appealed to me...romance shows that the right person matches who you are.

Comes out on April 30!!!

This was such a fun premise and I was hooked by the You’ve Got Mail meets While You Were Sleeping description.

The beginning was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed meeting the characters and seeing how they got into the predicament they’re in.
Unfortunately that’s where my enjoyment pretty much ended. The characters weren’t very likable, and the third act breakup was absolutely awful. Theo was horrible, especially. It’s really easy for me to root for the main characters of a book but I couldn’t find myself able to do so at all.
The romance fell pretty flat for me since I wasn’t able to connect with the characters.
The fake dating aspect was fun, and the concept of saving the deli was as well, which was what kept the book afloat for me.

This may not have been my favorite, but I’m still excited to see what the author does in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 4/30/24

Love you, Mean it was a fun and quick read centered on one of the least romantic places- a family deli. Ellie's family has run a deli in town for decades. It's her family legacy she is passionate about especially after the unexpected death of her father. Trouble comes to town when a property management firm starts discussions of bringing in a large high-end grocery store. Ellie is determined to stop the move and decides to meet with Theo whose father owns the property management company. Theo happens to be a handsome former classmate and her cousins ex-boyfriend. Their meeting goes beyond bad though when the ceiling literally caves in on Theo leaving him the amnesia. In a panic, Ellie does all the wrong things and ends up claiming to be Theo's fiancé. Later on, Theo and Ellie decide to keep rolling with the engagement story in hopes of ending the talks of moving the high-end grocery store. Ellie is obviously skeptical and struggles to balance her desire to keep her family deli open with her distrust and questions about Theo. This was a really quick read that I was quickly invested in. I really enjoyed the deli setting since it's not somewhere you'd normally expect romance to bloom.

This book was something, I'll say that. I was not a fan at all. I didn't like ANY of the characters. I did not find the jokes funny, example after he gets in an accident in the building his family owns and is renovating. He makes jokes of suing her (someone who has nothing to do with the building or caused his accident) for getting him hurt.

Also, I think it's a bit gross and weird to sleep with someone and then try to fix them up with their ex. It's just not for me.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ellie Greco gave up her life of pursuing costume design in NYC to come back home to Milborough to take over the family deli when her father died. She is determined to continue the legacy and family heritage of the business, but that is threatened when her Mimi learns the town mogul is planning to bring in a high-end, grocery superstore that could run them out of business. Ellie decides to turn her charms on the son, whom she vaguely remembers from high school, to see if she can convince him to change their minds. But there is an accident, memory loss, and perhaps an opportunity to seize the moment and get what she wants.

This take had While You Were Sleeping vibes, but there are several twists you would not expect. This was a steamy opposites attract, enemies to lovers story that had some funny and serious moments. You find yourself cheering for the couple and wanting the deli to prevail!

This is definitely a light hearted and wonderful love story. Jilly Gagnon hit this one out of the park.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

LOVE YOU, MEAN IT

Amnesia leading to fake relationship which actually turns out to be an extended meet cute sounds fun and it was.. but along the way I was expecting more but it kinda fell flat for me.. wanted more from Ellie..
Nonetheless it was quick read for me.

Ellie Greco runs the family deli. The deli has been in the family for many years. They get word that a big gourmet department store is potentially coming to town called Mangia. They fear Mangia will cause the deli to close up shop.

Ellie tries to do everything she can to stop this from happening. She goes as far as pretending to be Theo Taylor’s fiance. Theo Taylor is the son of the property manager who is selling to Mangia. She claims to be his fiance after Theo has a rough accident where a ceiling collapses on him causing him to lose his memory for a bit.

They go into a mutual agreement where they pretend to be fiances. Ellie does this in hopes of saving the family business but in comes Sam, Theo’s ex-girlfriend. Sam is convinced this relationship is not right and tries to get to the bottom of it. I felt that the story picked up once Sam entered the scene.

The only downfall I felt was that there wasn’t much growth from Ellie. I was rooting for her to go out and pursue her dreams but that part seemed to fall short.

This is a good spicy enemies-to-lovers story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not sure the title works but the story does. Cute romance even though they jump into bed rather quickly. Liked the side characters. Would be fun to have a sequel where she works to get her designs off the ground.

Ellie Greco had to return to the small town she grew up in after her father's death to run the family deli. Their landlord might rent out the place to a gourmet food department store, so she tries to plead her case to the landlord's son Theo. Unfortunately, the ceiling caves in and knocks him out, and she panics in the aftermath, claiming to be his fiancée. His amnesia immediately afterward means the ruse works, but he does get his memory back. He wants to use the fake engagement to get what they both want, and it works until Theo's former fiancée returns and sees right through them.

If Jilly Gagnon's name sounds familiar, it's because she's written really good thrillers. This book is her first rom-com, with "just the right amount of amnesia." If you've seen the movie "While You Were Sleeping" imagine that mashed with "You've Got Mail" and you have an idea about the premise. (We'll handwave my old rom-com references, yes? Yes.) At first, Ellie lies so that the hospital will let her know that he's okay after the accident, but initially, he has amnesia and she rolls with it. He gets his memory back quickly, but he also doesn't want the big mega-deli to come in and essentially take over downtown. Theo has fond memories of the building and didn't want it to become yet another soulless store gutted of character. Ellie wants to save her family deli. The former fiancée Sam is smart and sees that Ellie's story doesn't quite add up, and the two are actually really friendly with each other. She's another strong personality and still has feelings for Theo, so she's willing to help them sell the fake relationship and is hoping to have a second chance with Theo as long as Ellie doesn't have any real feelings for him. While Ellie says no, she and Theo of course catch feelings as the ruse progresses.

Fake relationships turning into real ones is a great trope and is done really well here. In addition, Ellie is working class and Theo has been more upper class in town, adding to the tensions between them from the start. Aside from those differences, each really do value family and hard work, and aren't as caught up in appearances as some of Theo's family members. Sam isn't a villain in the story trying to break them up, and there are other characters who make notable appearances throughout the story. Ellie's family members are really fun to see on the page, as much as Theo's father is hateful. Ellie has to do a lot of emotional work to be ready for a relationship, which makes for a somewhat sudden turnaround in that beat of the story. Still, we reach our happily ever after, and even some of the side characters get a positive future as well.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for my complimentary copy of Love You, Mean It.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun rom com read with a dash of amnesia thrown in for good measure.
Ellie and Theo have an interesting meet-cute (cue the amnesia), but that was about all I enjoyed.
Once Theo is on the road to recovery, they decide to keep the fake engagement ruse going.
They each have their own agendas.
While fake engagement is a favorite of mine, I just did not have a good feeling about Ellie and Theo's relationship. I kept waiting for something bad to happen.

I was reading another book at the same time (also a fake engagement featuring a rich man/poor woman) so maybe it was just too much of the same story.

A light romcom and perfect beach type read. I enjoyed the story even though it was predictable.

Thank you #NetGalley, #PenguinRandomHouse, #JillyGagnon and #LoveYou,MeanIt for the arc for my honest review.

Love you, Mean it by Jilly Gagnon is a fun, eventful, yet sweet romance novel featuring Ellie and Theo. This is a wonderful novel about the importance of relationships and what success really means in life. The characters have great chemistry and are realistic and dynamic.

Ellie left New York City and a blooming career as a costume designer to take over the decades old family deli, after her father’s death. Ellie has worries about her families deli surviving, when she finds out that a huge marketplace may be moving into a vacant building in town.

The marketplace announcement comes from local businessman Trip/Theo Taylor, her cousins ex and wealthy local man who is insufferable. Ellie doesn’t know how she or her family will survive if the deli does close. It’s more than just a job, it’s the last place she feels the connection to her late father.

An accident leaves Theo and Ellie fake engaged and Ellie convinces Theo of a few random things which could save her deli and their relationship.

Will business win or does love have what it takes?

.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new author to me, so I was excited to give it a shot. I enjoyed the first 30% of the book and then the rest felt meh to me. I love a fake dating romance trope so I was pumped that it was included. I thought that Theo and Ellie were decent characters. Ellie was a little too uncertain of herself for my liking. I liked Theo a lot more than Ellie, but I also did not like the random twist with Theo's ex. It felt forced and unnecessary. I can see a ton of potential in the writing and the plot and would be interested in reading more by Jilly Gagnon, but this book just wasn't my favorite.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Cute, cozy fun romance novel.

Ellie escaped New York City and a failing career as a costume designer to take over the family deli after her father’s unexpected death. While Ellie would like to say that the deli was her calling, at the pit of her feelings is that she did the right thing by not forcing her grandmother and grandfather out of retirement.

Yet now the deli might be forced to close when it’s announced that a huge Italian marketplace might be taking over the old department store in town. None other than Trip Taylor, her cousin’s once boyfriend, and third generation wealthy dude, releases the information at a town meeting. Ellie’s grandmother is spitting mad, and Ellie doesn’t know how she’ll survive if the deli does close. It’s more than just a job, it’s the last place she feels the connection to her late father.

Ellie hatches a plan and ropes the former Trip, now Theo, into it. Can they convince everyone that they are in love to prevent Theo’s dad from selling out to the giant conglomerate?

Such a fabulous book about figuring out your weaknesses, your strengths, and what success really means in life. Ellie is a challenging woman with just a few thorns. Theo is a silver spooner with the softest heart. I loved these two and their chemistry. Really great by the pool or fireplace novel.

I found myself skimming a lot of the chapter descriptions. There was a lot of detail regarding buildings and food that I did not really care for. I thought the romance between Theo and Ellie had a ton of potential but other than sexual attraction, I did not feel like the two connected all that much. I would have loved to see more of the two building that connection, but most of the book felt more plot-focused than character driven.

Ellie was a hard character to connect with as well. She spent so much time focused on her and Theo’s differences when they had so much in common.

Read if you like:
• fake dating
• small town family businesses
• opposites attract

A well execute book but I just can’t stand the fake dating trope. I found the FMC to be super annoying and very difficult to like. I’d rather just watch while you were sleeping instead

Love You, Mean It is my first book by Jilly Gagnon.

It's about a woman named Ellie who is trying to save her inherited family business from a new development owned by the Taylor family. When Theo Taylor has an accident that causes amnesia she pretends to be his fiancé. The bout of amnesia doesn't last long but Theo agrees that a fake engagement could be mutually beneficial.

Ellie starts the book by making a questionable decision and she continues to make more throughout. I liked Theo well enough. The story was enjoyable but not extremely memorable.

The relationship twist that Sam adds was somewhat odd and unnecessary to me.

Overall this fell middle of the road to me. 3.25 stars.