Deeply enjoyed how this was a real estate book and gourmet foods book in addition to being a fun and fizzy enemies-to-lovers romp. Bonus points for how well the snooby WASPs and peculiar geographies of suburban Massachusetts are captured.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Ellie Greco and Theo Taylor are an unlikely duo for anything, never mind posing as an engaged couple. Ellie is working in her father's legacy deli, trying to keep it from going out of business with the threat of superstore Mangia coming to town per Theo Taylor's father's development deal. At first glance, Ellie is a little bit scrappy and direct with no desire to beat around the bush or mince words. Theo, on the other hand, comes from wealth and privilege and oozes class and seems all business with a time is money attitude.

One concussion and falsehood gone viral later, they are posing as significant others because it could benefit both of them. Ellie can potentially save her deli and Theo can focus on a different real estate project of interest. Selling the lie isn't as difficult or as fake as it seems except when Theo's dad or ex begin to meddle. I really didn't think I could believe in their building chemistry, but I was absolutely sold on it and appreciating how much Theo cared for Ellie. Even more amusing is how much Ellie tries to distance herself from buying into the authenticity of their mutual feelings and making a bit of a mess of it all. However, I enjoyed watching Ellie struggle and fail only to see her finally connect the dots and realize that she has to confront her feelings and make the effort to pull herself out of her self-imposed rut to achieve her goals. Theo continued to surprise me in the best ways and didn't disappoint with his business negotiations even at the very end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️From Random House Publishing: Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, the very existence of Greco’s Deli is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm that is about to put her out of business.

When an accident leaves Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée . . . and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people, they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him but seeing no other option, she reluctantly agrees.

Then Sam, Theo’s ex-fiancée, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, but she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between a blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.
*********************
My review: Ellie and Theo are both flawed and hurt. Both wanting to do something to keep the past alive. While Ellie's initial "I'm the fiancée" declaration was super trite and silly, it worked because Theo is not as oblivious, amnesiac, and shallow as she thought.
Ex girlfriend Sam is fun...you never know whether to trust her or not. Is she a help for Ellie's self proclaimed fish-out-of-water persona, or not? The author kept me wondering how and if Ellie, Theo and Sam could pull off the plan to benefit all of them.

I liked the fun, witty banter and humor throughout the book. The story interested me but I wish Ellie had a bit more self confidence and was a little more likeable. She stands up for herself at times but spends too much time thinking about being the fish-out-of-water. With that attitude it was a stretch to see how Theo saw her any other way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Love You, Mean It...
Overall this was a good book. I do like the fake engagement trope, along with Theo losing his memory for a short time and then still going along with the fake engagement. I thought Theo was great but I struggled with Ellie. She just seemed a little immature and caused drama. So that was one thing I wish was different. It really had some cute moments though. I think this book will hit well with some and not so well with others. I did enjoy reading it and would recommend.

I had really high hopes for this book and while it was a cute, easy read, it just wan't my favorite. Loss of memory and fake engagement books are really cute but I was not the biggest fan of Ellie. She seemed unsure and maybe that is because she was faking, but I needed more from her. I loved the drama when Theo's ex- fiancé came in the picture. It did have a predictable 3rd act breakup.

I liked this book but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped to. The Greco family was wonderful, the setting great, I really enjoyed the momentary amnesia and fake engagement. I loved Theo, who is genuine and earnest from the start. Ellie.... I struggled a bit with her. She waffled a LOT. And seemed to create a lot of drama. She just wasn't someone I connected with, although I did love the dancing and singing with her dad. Overall it was good and I'm glad I read it.

A enjoyable rom-com. I really enjoyed the fake dating part and friendships made. Recommend for a quick read.

While this book didn’t work well for me, I think there is an audience that would enjoy it and it did have its moments. I have had it for while and decided not to re-read the synopsis before jumping into it. I’m glad I didn’t because I thought I knew how it would go but then was pleasantly surprised. Theo and Ellie did have some sweet moments but I wanted more connection and communication between them. The romance felt rushed and lusty which isn’t my cup of tea. There was also another plot point involving a side character that just got frustrating. It also has a lot of strong language and was more open door than I expected.

I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Strong language, open door romance

This was an awesome read!!! Absolutely loved reading about the characters and seeing them come to life on the pages. Kept me hooked the whole time! Great novel!

I absolutely loved this rom-com book. It had some twists and turns in the love department which kept me holding my breath throughout the book. Plenty of laughs throughout the book, which of course just makes you want to keep reading. The author does weave some beautiful life messages in throughout the book. Truly a delight, and one book you won’t want to miss.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me an ARC in exchange for my review

cute romance, marred by some of the weird character traits of the FMC that dont' work too well for me. thanks for the arc! 3.5

This was a really cute rom-com. I always love the combination of enemies-to-lover and fake dating, and this was no exception. The characters were lovable, and I really enjoyed the FMC managing a deli instead of a flower shop or bookstore. (Don't get me wrong, I love those too, but it's fun to see women running other businesses!)

This was a four star read for me because there were just a few things that took me out of the story, or strings I feel like were never tied up. (Did those two characters ever become friends? What happened to that family heirloom?) And the third act drama seemed to resolve very quickly, in a way that almost felt unrealistic.

I think I was really missing an epilogue, I loved these characters and I wanted that "1 year later" peek at their lives! But even still, this book was a fun read and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get my hands on it early! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is one of the best fake dating trope romance booksbive read. It is definitely in my top 5. I loved this so much! The characters were amazing and the story line was unique and I loved every last word of this! 5 out of 5 stars!!
I just reviewed Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon. #LoveYouMeanIt #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

This is a fast read with plenty of romance tropes. If you enjoy

Fake dating
Fake fiancé
Strangers to lovers
Close family
Best friends
Love triangle
What am I doing with my life?
Domineering parent
Miscommunication
Push and pull romance

then this book might be for you!

Unfortunately, the fmc was a bit too unlikeable for me. She did not communicate well with the mmc, she was hot and cold in how she reacted to him, and she was just too whiny overall. I also felt that the 3rd person coming in to the love triangle was not needed at all and could have just been a friend. There was plenty of drama without that plot point. Not my preferred type of romance but I’m sure others will love it for the small town vibe and satisfying ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

The cute cover of this book got me interested. The story kept me.

I really enjoyed this story. I found it funny at times, and emotional at others. There was good flow to the story and as the story progressed, I became more interested in the characters and the goals that they had, the emotions they were feeling, and the uncertainty they expressed.

When the book first started, I was curious if this was going to be like 'While You Were Sleeping' because it gave off that vibe. I would have been happy with that, because I love that movie. Though it didn't end up like that, I was pleased with what was presented to me.

COMMUNICATION! How may times do I need to say this? Communication is key. But, I do know that that can be difficult at times. I just feel like Ellie and Theo could really have benefited from clear communication.

I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, but I at the same time, wanted to punch Ellie! Theo was committed to making his actions speak loudly, and Ellie in turn just made up a bunch of stuff and frustrated and confused her own self.

It was a great, fun, and quick read for me. I recommend!

P.S.- Can someone please make the restaurant Post an actual thing? I think it would be awesome to share a meal inside of an old post office!

I read Gagnon's book, Scenes of the Crime last year, and didn't love it, but I wanted to give her another try through a different genre. However, the problem was still there in the lack of substance.

So, at first, I thought the author had watched too many movies. The Shop Around the Corner devolved into While You Were Sleeping into some other rom-com I can't remember the name of right now. And I wasn’t sure it was going to work because the heroine was so...full of opinions...that the comparison to Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock wasn’t flattering.

But then the story finally morphed into its own thing, and Ellie had some growth, and it turned out ok in the end.

A couple other minor quibbles:

Why are all the old women incredibly crass? Is that supposed to be character?

Guns N Roses is classic rock, not "oldies" and Sweet Child O Mine is not their "biggest banger" (the heck? It's practically a ballad.)

But well enough written if you're in the mood for a rom-com.

Book: Love You Mean It
Author: Jilly Gagnon
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Dell, for sending me an ARC. This was a very difficult one to rate. While I did enjoy it, there were just some things that made me lower my rating.

In this one, we follow Ellie, who has given up her dreams in the city to move back to her hometown to take over her family’s deli. She doesn’t want to and views it has a burden. That is until she finds out that a big chain grocery store could be setting up shop in her town. It would completely destroy the deli, which has been in her family for years. She decides to take matters into her own hands. She cannot allow her family’s history to be destroyed by this. She sets up a meeting with Theo Taylor, who is that man-the former gold child, rich, and beautiful. However, during their meeting, Theo is hit in the head and knocked out. When he wakes up, he doesn’t remember anything. Ellie panics and tells everyone that she is his fiancé. Theo’s memories quickly come back, but they decide to keep up the game. After all, this could be benefit both of them.

The fake dating troupe is one of my favourites, especially when our main characters do end up falling for each other. I don’t know what it is about this troupe that I enjoy so much, but I do. I love the idea of having these characters who are drawn to each other in a way that is not romantic at first, but for personal gain. We have that here. Ellie is using Theo to save her deli, while Theo is using Ellie to escape his father. Now, it may seem like Ellie is using Theo more, but that is not the case. Theo’s father is a bully, among other things. He will not listen to what his son wants and thinks about the business. He just pushes through. Theo needs Ellie to get his father to see what he is doing. As time goes on, feelings do start to develop. Ellie tries to deny it. After all, Theo is everything that she’s not. He’s rich, set in life, and knows how he is. She is not. She is the opposite in fact. They both bring out the best in each other though.

Both characters do have some major character growth. Theo is the type of person who looks down on people like Ellie. At least, that is how Ellie views it. Whenever he makes comments about her life, she views it as typical of rich people's behaviour. She does not see that he sees what she wants most in life. She keeps telling herself that she gave up her dream of being a costume designer in New York City to come back to run the deli. Theo knows that while she keeps telling herself this, it may not be true. He can tell that Ellie truly loves the deli and being back home. She’s afraid to admit it because she thinks that it will mean that she’s a failure. He makes her see what she thinks she wants in life is not really what she wants. Ellie also encourages Theo to live out his dream. Theo has been running the family business and does have some great ideas. Yet, he is always been steamrolled by his father. He tells what he wants to Ellie, who thinks it is a great idea. Theo gets the courage to tell his father and ends up taking charge. Without Ellie, this would not have happened. (I cannot tell you more about Theo, because his dream is a huge part of the plot.)

The storyline was solid, but it is the reason that I did end up lowering my reading. The bits with Ellie and Theo were good, as well as the family drama on both sides. There were parts that I felt could have been edited down a little-especially just over the halfway point. There were a few sequences that I felt slowed down the progression of the story. I get why these scenes were there, but it felt like they went on for too long.

Overall, I did have fun while reading this one. It’s not the most perfect book out there, but I had fun with it.

This book comes out on April 30, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/og59FcdP2VA

This was such an unexpectedly fun read! It took the meaning of “meat” cute to a whole new level!

If there was one thing Ellie loved it was her family. She graciously took over running the family deli after her father passed away and it became her everything, putting a hold on her dreams of pursuing a fashion career. You can imagine how crushed Ellie was when former classmate, Theo introduced a plan to bring a massive supermarket to the small town. This would put all small businesses, especially hers, out of business.

Ellie knew she had to do something about it and immediately went to meet with Theo. Things took yet another turn though when Theo was smashed in the head and concussed. Ellie needed to think fast so she told the EMT’s that she was his fiancée. He was essentially stuck with her until he would hear her out about why this can’t happen.

The kicker? Theo LIKED the idea of being engaged. Her mastermind idea would work both ways. Their fake dating scenario was amazing! They nailed it and their chemistry was addicting. They were total opposites which made it even better. Beyond just the supermarket, the two faced a few other issues including ex-girlfriends, traumatic deaths and keeping up an appearance that everyone would believe.