A quirkily funny romcom
Ellie Greco feels stuck in her life. Having returned to her hometown from New York City five years prior she took over running the family deli after her beloved father’s passing. As the one remaining place where she still feels his presence in her life it is a labor of love, if not necessity. When she hears rumblings of the wealthy Taylor family’s plans to bring the popular Mangia mega store into a vacant commercial space she is panicked. If the family successfully lures the popular chain to Millborough this could threaten not only her family’s business but many other little mom and pops that make her home unique. When she seeks out Theo, the son in charge of the acquisition, her plans are to talk him out of the deal but a freak accident at the site ends with Theo stricken with amnesia and thinking Ellie is his fiancé. While not the most optimum of situations Ellie tries her best to play it off but she is soon caught when Theo regains his memory but wants to continue the charade. His father may have put him in charge of the Mangia operation, but he is just as opposed to it as Ellie for different reasons. As the pair begin their deception, they have to convince Theo’s skeptical father among others, but it’s not easy especially when the lines become blurred and real feelings start to seep in.
Love You, Mean It is the newest book by author Jilly Gagnon and can be best described as a classic chick lit that incorporates a “complete strangers to co-conspirators to enemies to lovers” concept. It’s a very easy and entertaining read that sees our main character (Ellie) initially lying her way into Theo’s ambulance when he is struck on the head and loses consciousness. With the hospital staff and a temporary amnesiac Theo convinced of this there is no real graceful way out of it. And then when Theo regains his memory and suggests the pair continue the farce, it all seems to be too easy. But Theo is no ordinary person, he is the son of one of the wealthiest men in Millborough who rightfully is suspicious of Ellie from jump. Add in Samantha, Theo’s savvy ex-fiancé who seems all too willing to help the pair pull the charade off as long she gets a second shot with Theo and what was a tight situation becomes even stickier. The book is seriously unserious, and I loved every minute of it. As a person who is a fan of K-Drama, Love You, Mean It has many of the tried-and-true tropes that make the dramas so addicting, and I was there for it.
This is the second book by Jilly Gagnon that I have read with the first being last September’s Scenes of the Crime, and while this was a completely different feel and genre, both offerings kept me interested and entertained. If you like K-Dramas and tropey RomComs, Love You, Mean It will be right up your alley.
Thank you To NetGalley, Jilly Gagnon, Dell for granting my wish for a copy in exchange for an honest review. Love You Mean It is scheduled for an April 2024 release
Read my review of Scenes of the Crime here.
Jennly Reads 