I received a free copy of, Love You, Mean It, by Jilly Gagnon, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ellie Greco is in trouble she lied about having a fiancee to save her families deli. I just did not find this book believable, or likeable.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ellie is happily running her families business. When she learns a company maybe moving to the area. She is not happy. She meets with the landlord, and the meeting does not go as planned. This was a quick read.

The first quarter of this book was SO promising. My heart it broken that it didn’t play out the way I was expecting. I wanted a fluffy rom-com with the fake fiancé/amnesia trope. Instead, I got burning enemies to lovers who were just terrible people at their core. Our FMC, Ellie, is so insecure and obtuse and just plain mean. I can see why she doesn’t have any friends.


Meanwhile, our MMC Theo, is the most vague approximation of a person I’ve ever read. He didn’t really stand for anything? Other than falling in love in record speed with a woman who truly didn’t care about anyone but herself. It was totally unrealistic for these two to fall together because Ellie never gave any of herself away to Theo, in the emotional sense. But in the third act break-up- Theo somehow knows everything about Ellie that she can’t even see about herself? I’m not buying it. These two hardly spent any time together that didn’t involve them scheming or having sex.


But, I do believe the true downfall of this book was the inclusion of Theo’s ex-fiancée Sam. There was already the inclusion of uncertainty and angst without her being added into the mix. The worst scenes from the book occurred because of interactions between the main characters and Sam.


I feel like this book needed a little more meat added to the bones and some re-workings of the FMC.


On a positive note, I LOVED this author’s style of writing and would 100% give another one of their future works a try. The author was very witty and I liked the flow of their writing. I would just be looking for something fluffier. I think I wasn’t expecting this book to be as cut-throat and depressing as it was. But, it was a realistic portrayal of human beings and their flaws. I just don’t want to read about the bad when I’m trying to escape from it IRL.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing as always for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I kind of expected a bit more from this book. But overall it was cute.

Ellie and Theo got along well, and their scenes were cute. Ellie, however, was annoying at times. Your typical “mean and cynical” FMC that even had a “not like other girls” moment, but apart from that she wasn’t that bad.

The MMC, Theo Taylor, was a decent and all around nice guy.

The third-act breakup was resolved a little too quickly for my liking…

Love You, Mean It is a cute romcom about Ellie Grecco and her desire to save the family deli that she runs. When a big company threatens to buy the neighboring building, Ellie is forced to deal with Theo who used to date her cousin in high school.

Ellie and Theo have a lot of preconceived ideas about one another and let’s just say they are not big fans. The freak accident leads to a fake engagement.

Overall, this was a very cute story and if you are looking for a quick, easy, and feel good read, I think this is definitely it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC in return for an honest review. This book is a delightful romantic comedy that takes readers on a humorous and heartwarming journey. Ellie Greco's character is instantly relatable, and I enjoyed following her story. The fake engagement trope takes an unexpected twist when amnesia comes into play, leading to a series of comical and charming moments. The dynamics between Ellie and Theo are brilliantly portrayed, filled with snappy dialogue and undeniable chemistry. As the tangled web of lies continues to grow, the story keeps you guessing, making it an engaging and fun read. "Love You, Mean It" is a lighthearted and entertaining romantic comedy that blends the perfect mix of humor, romance, and family.

At first, I thought this book had too many ideas going on. Amnesia, competing businesses, opposites attracting, pretending to be engaged....woah. That is a lot of to try to fit into one book. But, once the book gets going and it settles more on Theo and Ellie's relationship, I began to enjoy the read. With a little more focus, I felt that this could have been a five-star novel!

I received an arc of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I wanted to love this book but ultimately it fell so flat for me. The premise of the book sounded so good, but it failed to hold my attention.

Love You, Mean It is a contemporary romance that heavily borrows a plot with from While You Were Sleeping and You’ve Got Mail, which is not a terrible thing. It centers around Ellie and Theo. Theo is a rich guy with the power to put her family deli out of business by bringing in a big conglomerate. There’s a coma, a little fake amnesia, a long fake engagement, and lots of scheming, but it’s surprisingly light and funny. Ellie’s family was especially well written and fun and the romance was sweet.

I’ve never read anything by Jilly Gagnon before, but I enjoyed it enough to read her again. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was genuinely so cute and also a little hilarious, and the only time in which the “I pretended to be their partner while they have amnesia” trope has been genuinely wholesome instead of making me fear for their health and safety.

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

While Ellie Greco is happy to keep her family legacy alive, it’s not what she wanted from her life. Returning home from her brief foray into the world of fashion to take over the family deli after the death of her father was never a regret, but it also doesn’t thrill her. It does, however, make her feel safe.

Safe, that is, until Greco’s Deli is suddenly under threat by the potential new addition of Mangia - a high-end gourmet chain - moving into town. Even if running the deli isn’t her dream, losing it is her nightmare.

But when Ellie attempts to plead her case Theo Taylor - the man running the potential incoming circus - she barely even has time to talk (okay, argue) to him before the construction site goes awry and she watches him crumple unconscious to the ground before her very eyes.

Panicking and with no way to contact his family, Ellie claims to be his fiancée in order to follow him to the hospital. But when Theo wakes up and believes the nurses who address her as such, Ellie has a whole new reason to panic (that is, until Theo admits he knows the truth).

But Theo isn’t opposed to continuing the ruse - in a much more elaborate and detailed way - to try and both help Ellie and keep his relentless and cold father from ruining the charm of their hometown.

Can the two of them convince everyone necessary that they’re deeply in love, without actually developing feelings for each other? The answer may (not) surprise you.

Overall, I thought this book was really cute! I really like Ellie and Theo’s characters. They bounce off each other well and definitely start to grow and discover what they truly want in life. Ellie is trying to save her family’s deli and gets stuck in a situation when trying to go to Theo for his help. Theo comes from a rich family and is part of the plan to have a big company move in near by that is essentially a fancy deli itself. These two might come from different worlds but that doesn’t mean they don’t gravitate towards each other.

I do think parts of the story didn’t completely flow together and threw me off a little when the next chapter began, but all in all, it was a book I really enjoyed.

I received an eARC from NetGalley after being sent an email from the publisher to review.

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon a cute rom com that tells the story of Ellie the owner of Greco’s Deli and Theo a real estate developer which takes place in a small town. This could be a Hallmark movie! Thank you to NetGallery and Dell for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love you, Mean it
The attitude starts right from the first words. Ellie is a strong willed young woman with lots of attitude. She has a quirky sense of humor, a strong work ethic and strong family ties. Five years ago, she left her dream of becoming a costume designer to take over the family deli when her father suddenly passed away. She has been in limbo ever since.
When the deli is about to get serious competition she springs into action. The deli has been in the family for generations. She contacts the son of the wealthy developers to see if there is a way to stop the big Italian store opening in their town. And from there sparks fly!
Totally enjoyed it. Would read more from this author.

I ended up to middle of the road on this ARC.

Did I devour it in less than a day? Yup.

Was the MMC delicious? Yup.

Were the tropes perfect? Yup.

But the MMC… ugh… one chapter she had it all together and was strong and independent and unique. The next she was indecisive and insecure and lashed out emotionally. Listen, I know ALL about being sad, insecure and emotional and unleashing it as anger on those I care about. Frankly, most of it was forgivable. But there was one line, one scene towards the end (I’m talking 85% in) where I almost said “nah I’m done”. I literally gasped, clutched my pearls and said out loud “oh Ellie that was too far.” It almost felt out of place in the story.

Theo, our MMC, starts out looking like a typical rich boy spoiled brat but ends up being very down to earth, in touch with his emotions, openly communicating his thoughts and oh his PDA and sense of protectiveness was knee wobbling.

Theo’s ex was actually a pretty great side character, albeit pushy. His immediate forgiveness of her for her part in the scheming was a little off putting though. She was pretty deceitful towards him and he was all “oh, ok” 🙄

The fake engagement scheme was fantastic and aside from a few scenes that were cringy and uncomfortable I honestly did enjoy the book as a whole.

Would I necessarily recommend it? Eh, I might if someone asked for fake dating books within the next couple weeks due to recency bias. But it isn’t something that will stay on my radar for long.

There is some witty banter, some very quote dialogue, a bit small(ish) town romance. It is very low spice but the angst and lead up was very good in that respect.

All that to say it wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible.

I am loving this book!

Connecting to the characters has been incredible and the storyline is great. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the amnesia bit, but it flows so well with everything.

Romcom with a side of billionaire and family business.

Definitely recommend!

Thank you netgalley for the arc.

I had sorta high hopes for this book but it fell a little short for me. Sometimes I really enjoy the fake dating trope but this one felt weirdly forced. The romance was ok, but I didn't feel like I truly got to know the characters.

Ellie is frustrating and I couldn't tell if she wanted to be a fashion designer or if she wanted to run her family's deli. It never quite got resolved what it was she truly wanted to do (despite her saying she wanted to run the family business - I didn't *feel* it, ya know?).

I did like Theo, though, and his overall arc. I wish we got to know him and his history a little bit better. I would've liked to hear more about stories of him and his brother to show that side of him.

I think the author could've had a bit less "telling" and more "showing" throughout the book. I got a little bored as she described every single minute detail in every room the characters were in. It got a bit exhausting. I also didn't understand some side characters. There was no real development of them - Sam, Bella, Jenna (I think that was her name). It just felt a little disjointed.

Overall, this is your typical fake dating romance with a third act breakup. The ending was a little underwhelming and went quickly. But it's an easy and fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book! Made me frustrated at some points, made me smile. Really liked the storyline. Would love to read more by this author!!

This was really cute! I was nervous at first because the plotline seemed based on a dumb, very explainable lie. But the main characters work their way through it much faster than I anticipated. I don’t want to give away too much, but the chemistry was believable, and the dialogue was witty and natural. The best friend character was a dud — very much written in to be the narrator’s conscience rather than a real friend you want to see more of. She was so boring that even the main character actively looks for new friends the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine.

Ellie has taken over the family deli shop back in her hometown, and she gets the worst news possible: an Italian deli chain warehouse may be coming to town which would certainly drive her out of business. Ellie interacts with Theo, whose father owns the building that this competitor might move into. Tropes abound as she tries to convince him not to go through the deal.

Ellie and Theo have some good banter and chemistry in the book. The only criticism is I feel like the book jumps from trope to trope a little fast.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Elle and Theo are your classic opposites attract. Theo, on one hand has been born into a posh lifestyle that’s drastically different from Elle’s day to day of running a deli. I really enjoyed the plot of this story. The obstacles, each turn of the relationship, it all was so interesting to read and kept me guessing as to how everything would play out. Love You Mean It is ultimate fake relationship that gets real, real fast.