Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon was a cute romance book with the fake dating enemies to lovers trope. If this trope is up your alley, you're in for a treat! I loved the banter and growth between Ellie and Theo.

Synopsis
A playful romantic comedy featuring dueling delis, fake dating, a shockingly awesome ex, and just the right amount of amnesia.

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But 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.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With 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 an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiance, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.

I love a small town romantic comedy with an enemies to lovers premise. This one sounded very Hallmark-y and perfect.for a light read. Things quickly changed to a fake dating scenario (think While You Were Sleeping) and something didn't flow right to me, but maybe I just didn't feel the pivot or saw some big problems on the horizon.

I tried, I really tried. But with the old romance plot and build up of characters, I could only read about twenty pages...

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Love You, Mean It” is like a warm hug with a side of giggles. Ellie and Theo’s fake engagement is full of sweet, funny moments that kept me entertained from start to finish. It’s one of those feel-good romances that’s easy to get into and perfect for a lazy afternoon.

I liked the book, but it didn’t completely sweep me off my feet. It’s cute and charming, but not my all-time favorite. Still, if you’re in the mood for something light and fun, this one’s definitely worth a read!

Thank you netgalley and Random house for the opportunity to read this book.

Fun Rom Com, enemies to lovers - fake dating, kept me engaged the whole time. The author did a great job with character development and I felt the main character were relatable. There were times when the author had me guessing, for moment I thought things were ended differently. But I loved it from beginning to end, this story is a quick read you are sure to love.

Ellie stuck in back in her hometown of Milborough, returning from her dream job in New York after the death of her father. She is back to help run the family deli business. She loves it of course it has been in the family for generations, but before she can think more about her future the deli could be in danger. Her landlord just told her just told her he is planning to rent to Mangia, a glitzy gourmet food department store.

When she goes to plead her case to Theo the property management firm about to take her out of business, but the meeting goes from bad to worse when the ceiling literally falls on him. With him out cold, Ellie panics and says she is his fiancée. Since Theo has a bit of memory loss he seems to believe her. That is until the head injury effects wear off. He proposes that they continue this engagement front and hopefully when the right people get wind of it, they will both get what they want. But acting starts to cross the line of feelings, ex-girlfriends and the future for her family.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for a copy of this book for my honest review.

A cute story about a woman trying to save her family business from a corporate developer. I usually like enemies to lovers stories but this one missed its connection for me.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but this one felt a bit bumpy. Too many off putting topics that turned me off from the mcs in the beginning of the book made this one a bit hard to get in to.

This was such a fun read. Witty-the banter scratched an itch I’ve been missing in books lately. Romantic- the chemistry between the characters was the delectable, Enjoyable-the writing was actually next level of professional as far as rom com types go, I’ll be recommending this to everyone,

This enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, take dating romance is cute. It was an entertaining read and had sweet HEA.

I wanted to LOVE this book, but it ended up in like. I found it difficult to be fully captivated into the story.

The idea of dueling delis, fake dating, and a dash of amnesia had me hooked. Ellie’s return to her hometown to save her family’s deli from a corporate giant is something I could totally get behind—who doesn’t love rooting for the underdog?

But while the setup promised a lot, the execution left me wanting more. Ellie and Theo’s fake engagement had its moments, but their chemistry didn’t quite sizzle, and some of the plot twists felt a bit far-fetched. The ex-fiancée showing up should have added drama, but it just didn’t hit as hard as I expected.

Overall, it’s a cute story with some laughs, but it didn’t fully deliver. If you’re looking for a light read, it’s okay, but don’t expect to be blown away.

2.5 stars rounded up

Normally I am a sucker for fake dating, but this book fell a little flat for me. I didnt like the female main character.

I enjoyed the mischievousness and chemistry between Theo and Ellie. When the situation required it, they were both able to put their feelings aside and be there for each other. The side characters were funny and relatable, and I particularly appreciated the authenticity of Ellie's family and their willingness to express their strong opinions. Although they held their tongues for Ellie's sake, their love for her was remarkable. I also felt the Italian family dynamic was well-portrayed for Ellie's family. Although Ellie and Theo carried the weight of their losses, I appreciated how they ultimately found solace in each other as well as love.

This was a cute book but I just didn't love the characters. Just couldn't get into the story like I would have liked. Great premise, just fell flat for me. Would be a good book for a book club to discuss. Would try this author again.

Review 4.25⭐️
.Ellie is trying to save her family deli when she learns that a big box Italian superstore is coming to Milborough. Theo is trying to prove to his father that he is capable of more within the family business. This was such a fun rom com! I loved that it blended two of my favorite 90s romantic comedies “While You Were Sleeping” and “You’ve Got Mail.” The amnesia that Theo experiences after getting hit in the head while on a job site is short lived, but the lie of Theo and Ellie being “engaged” is when all the fun happens. The combination of enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes worked really well and the pace of the book was fast and light-hearted. With enemies to lovers, I love getting to see when one character starts falling for the other. However, Ellie’s continued resistance was a little off putting to me, especially when, as the reader, you could tell how much Theo was falling for Ellie. I’m also not a big fan of a third act break up, but in this case, I felt that it was actually necessary for them to be able to make their way back to one another. I would definitely recommend this if you are a fan on 90s rom coms and want a little bit of steam.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Love You, Mean It is a funny, trope-y, sexy new romance novel. Is it groundbreaking? No. But there's a 100% guarantee that it'll provide you with a day of quick enjoyment. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick, easy, fun read for the beach or vacation!

This is such a fun romantic comedy of a book. Imagine You’ve Got Mail but in 2024, it’s a family deli instead of a bookstore, and there’s my favorite trope - fake dating. Ellie Greco runs her big Italian family’s deli in the suburbs outside Boston. Theo Taylor is the heir to their town’s wealthiest family, but he rarely agrees with his dad or his ruthless business decisions. The two of them team up to stop his dad from bringing in an Eataly-esque enterprise, which would surely put Ellie’s family deli out of business. There are hijinks, steamy moments, and plenty of family drama - good and bad. I really enjoyed reading it.

This was a cute fake dating romance. It was somewhat predictable though but by the last couple chapters I couldn't put it down. The characters were ok, I was not really attached to any of them for most of the book. Ellie just seemed to be judgmental of everyone she meets and was very negative about how her life has turned out. There was a lot of snarky humor which I enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this read in exchange for my honest review. This was the first book I've read from Jilly Gagnon and I would definitely read more in the future. I love the fake dating trope as well as the grumpy/sunshine trope so this was a great read for me.