Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Love You, Mean It!

I really enjoyed this one! The blurb stating that it is the perfect amount of amnesia is spot-on. I enjoyed the beginning with the amnesia but once Ellie and Theo were working together is when the magic of the book started. Ellie is a mostly likeable character but does spend a lot of the book in her head and pushing people away for no reason. She doesn't think people like her when they are practically throwing themselves at her feet. I thought the fake-dating trope was well executed and really enjoyed watching them fall for each other.

I will say I usually really like cartoon covers for romances but this one is awful. And I think more imagination could have gone into the title of the book.

Love You Mean It by Jilly Gagnon is a fake dating romance with lots of quips and family drama. The supporting cast is lots of fun to spend time with, but the main characters are tougher to like.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ellie is devastated when she learns big competition for her family’s deli is coming to town. She tries to get Theo, whose family’s commercial real estate company is behind the move, to change his mind. Only he gets injured, has a little amnesia, and somehow Ellie ends up announcing that she’s his fiancé. When Theo’s memory returns the next day, he proposes that they keep up the premise. That way, he can help Ellie save her family’s business while taking care of some of his own. But what happens when Theo’s ex Sam re enters the picture? And those fake feelings start feeling real?

This story is fine, but it was hard to be invested in the romance when I didn’t care about the main characters. Ellie isn’t likable; while likability isn’t a requirement for characters to be effective, in this case she’s simply mean sometimes. And, as much as she claims to develop feelings for Theo, it’s tough to see a romantic connection between them through her single POV.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this book, and wish they were front and center more often. Ellie’s family is great, and her grandmother’s quips are a treat. And Sam seems like such a nice person that the overall setup between her, Ellie, and Theo, feels a little icky. Yes, that’s a technical term.

Based on the tropes involved, Love You Mean It should have been a fun romance. But the story and characters never came together for me. The family dynamics are engaging, though, and I’m still a massive fan of fake dating romances.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have so many mixed feelings on this book. Overall, I liked the characters to some extent but also I hated Ellie for like 60% of the book?

Ellie has the same internal monologue for 80% of the book (and I mean, copy paste “I can’t like him…he’s rich! and i’m…poor!!) which got old so fast. I liked them together through out the story though. The tension was good between them and it never felt too overly rushed or insta-lovey, which I think happens a lot with fake dating in books.

Also Sam? Not a fan. I feel like her character could have been something else and it wasn’t. It kinda felt like her character only existed to show Ellie that she could never live up to her even though she was literally just a finance bro.


**spoilers**

Finally, the end SUCKED. The whole fight being blamed on her even though he also had some fault??? Like??? All that build up for very little payoff?? Disappointing. This is a book that needed an epilogue.

Enemies to lovers and fake dating are two tropes that I usually go crazy for. I love the tension and the 'how will they work out?' of it all. However, for me, this book didn't cut it. I had a really hard time getting into the story, like from page 1 it just didn't stand out to me.

Another great read from Jilly Gagnon! This is a nice palate cleanser from my usual psychological thriller genre. Show stopping characters. This was packed with emotion. Such an easy story to fall in to.
Thank you NetGalley and Jilly Gagnon for the opportunity to read and review this book

LOVES:
- They mentioned Cribbage! I love that game 🙃
- The descriptions of her style and designs

CRITIQUES:
- The emergencies at the beginning are dealt with poorly by everyone…
- This is THEE strangest fake fiancée agreement I’ve ever read about
- And it just keeps getting weirder and messier 😖
- I wish I felt their connection more, but I just never really understood why they liked each other
- The FMC is incredibly frustrating the entire time… her head is buried so far in the sand, gah
- This gave me that stomach drop feeling in the worst way 🫥

Honestly, this book wasn’t for me. I could see how some would like it, and the writing was solid, but it just never clicked with me.

This was a fun romcom and entertaining overall.. thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review.

Ellie dreams of leaving her small town for a career in costume design. But when her family’s deli is threatened by a gourmet department store, she desperately pleads her case to Theo, the landlord’s son. An accident leaves Theo with amnesia—and believing they’re engaged. Ellie reluctantly plays along, hoping to save her family legacy. When Theo’s ex resurfaces, Ellie must choose between friendship, family, and an unexpected romance.

Ellie and Theo seem very different on the surface, but they’re both scarred by loss. They share the same values and insecurities. While the chemistry between them is strong, they both need to work on themselves before they’re ready for a relationship (Ellie especially). The book really feels more like chick lit than rom com, focusing a little more on Ellie’s character arc and a little less on the swoony romance. The author does a good job of showing the prickly heroine learning to open up and become more vulnerable.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Love You, Mean It was such a cute read! There was so much happening in the book that I was always eager to open it up. The plot is familiar to those who have seen While You Were Sleeping and You've Got Mail. I'm interested in reading more from Jilly Gagnon in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Love You, Mean It hits shelves on April 30, 2024.

I wanted more sparks here. There were so many tropes and it felt messy. Fake dating, enemies to lovers, second chance, family drama, and secrets? I wanted more of ONE of the tropes, so the relationship felt more believable. I did enjoy the dinner scene in the beginning and thought it kicked off the novel with a bang, but was bummed to not see much of her Ellie’s fiery side after that. She got wishy washy as a character and it was hard to root for her amidst all the drama and secrets. Overall, it was cute. For the authors first dive into romance it was still enjoyable and I’d read more of what she comes up with after this.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I went back and forth on how to write this review but I decided ultimately I wasn’t a huge fan! I liked the story well enough but the main character grated on my nerves so bad I had a hard time even finishing!

Not only does she come off as very negative but her attitude towards other people put me off from chapter 1! When I read a book I want to relate to the main character not despise them and roll my eyes at least twice a chapter.

I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars because I did enjoy the storyline.

I loved this! It was so sweet and fun and emotional. I laughed so hard at theo and ellie. The start of their fake romance is so funny to me. I had a great time with this one! The importance of small business, family, and friendship.

A fun, light romance that ticks off a lot of boxes - enemies to lovers, fake dating, amnesia, love triangle, slow burn - but it might be the plotline of our heroine coming to terms with moving back to her hometown that touched me the most.

But, as a romance, it gives me everything I need - likable characters, not insurmountable obstacles, medium-level spice and a happy ending.

Love You, Mean it held all my favorite tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Enemies to lovers, and especially...fake dating, so I was really hoping to love this book! Ellie and Theo's meet-cute happens pretty early in the book and it hooked me from the get-go, which was promising, but the book slowed down a lot after this, and as it turns out, has one heck of a terrible protagonist. Ellie is just not a good person. She acts younger than she is. She does Sam really wrong. And she said the absolute worst thing she can say to Theo, who immediately forgives her, but as the reader, I cannot. Theo was ok, but that's the problem. He was just ok. As a character, he was a bit bland, and did not seem at all interested in Ellie outside of the physical. I did like Sam and Everett's relationship, so I may keep reading. But I did not care for Ellie and Theo much at all.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Jilly Gagnon for allowing me to review this rom com. I don’t think I was the reader for this one. I struggled to enjoy the book because of the main character. I thought this was a lighthearted rom-com and it just seemed a bit heavier than I expected. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

I tried to read this multiple times and I couldn't get into it. I wanted to love it so much and I'm super bummed that I couldn't get into it. I had to DNF this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I usually love a fake dating trope, because it’s a romance book so everyone falls in love in the end. This book fell a little flat for me. The characters moved too fast and also too slow, and there wasn’t good development along the way. I felt like it was just missing something, but it was also too long. I just don’t think this was the book for me.

I enjoyed this one but I didn't love it. Something about the pacing felt slightly off, especially with the ending.

I received an advanced copy for review.

Love you, mean it is a little bit you’ve got mail (with the small local shop threatened by the big box store) a little bit while you were sleeping (not for long) and a fake engagement. Ellie moved home after the death of her father to take over the family deli, but when it’s threatened by an incoming superstore, she has the opportunity to fake a relationship with the son of the owner of the man behind the new store. As their fake relationship develops, they have real feelings, but Theo’s family isn’t buying the relationship and his ex wants him back.

I love the idea of the big Italian family, and wish we’d seen them more! Ellie was a frustrating character for a while, but she overcame it in the end.

3.75 ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine/Dell for the arc!

I really enjoyed this book! I love a well done fake relationship/engagement story line. The characters in this one were so cute together even when Ellie is trying to set Theo up with his ex. Their chemistry was totally there even when Ellie tried to pretend it wasn’t, she really couldn’t fight it. There was some miscommunication but I’m starting to realize… when is there not? The audio was really entertaining and the narrator kept me engaged. I binge listened in one day so I definitely recommend this one.