hamming up the fake relationship for family

Ellie Greco has spent the last five years working at the family deli. She had been in New York City, trying to get hired as a theater costume designer, all up and down Broadway. And off-Broadway. But she just could not figure out how to get her feet in the door. So when her father died and she had to move back to the small town of Milborough where she grew up, she accepted her place running the deli so her grandparents didn’t have to come out of retirement to take it over.

And Ellie enjoys her work. Mostly. She’s updated the products they carry in the store and offer customers ready-made packages, for when they’re in a hurry. And the days are better when the customers know what they want and don’t keep asking for samples while they try to decide, Ellie is happy to be back among her big Italian family and to have access to Mimi’s lasagna.

And then she finds out that the Taylors, a rich real estate family, were planning on bringing Mangia to their town. And Ellie can’t have that.

Mangia is a big gourmet grocery store that would put Ellie and the family deli out of business. It would put several other local, family-owned businesses too. No one would be able to compete with all they have to offer. Ellie knows she has to stop this. And she thinks that the way to get through to the Taylors is through Theo, the son.

Ellie gets his number from her cousin, who dated him in high school, and sends a text. He agrees to meet with her the next morning, in his office in the building they’re currently remodeling for Mangia. Ellie finds that Theo is open to what she has to say, about stopping Mangia. He says that it’s his father’s idea. But before they can get much further in the discussion, an electrician working nearby has a bit of an accident and is hanging from the ceiling by his fingertips. Theo runs to help, and he gets the man down safely, but then he gets hit in the head with a metal box and is knocked out.

Ellie is worried about him and about saving the deli, so she decides she has to go with Theo to the hospital. But when they refuse to let her in, family only, she says that she’s his fiancee. When Theo awakens later at the hospital, he can’t remember what happened. Actually, he can’t remember the last 6 years. But the nurse reminds him that Ellie is his fiancee, and also tells Sam, Theo’s ex-girlfriend who was listed as his emergency contact. Ellie wants to tell the truth, but she can’t without opening herself up to rejection, or possible litigation.

When Theo does get his memory back the next day, he realized that Ellie’s fib is just what he’s been looking for. He’s been wanting to get out of the deal with Mangia that his father had set up, and Ellie is the key. If they’re engaged, the Taylors can’t be bringing in a business that will cause Ellie’s shop to close. This little ruse gives them the excuse to save the town from the big business that would ruin its charm, so they both win. But as they go around town pretending to be in love, who are they really fooling? Is it everyone else, or is it just themselves?

Love You, Mean It is a fun rom com with a hefty nod to While You Were Sleeping with its amnesia/fake fiancee story. But these characters are also smart and funny and far from perfect, and the journey they take on their romance is filled with sweetness, snark, secrets, and fantastic food. It’s easy to see how these characters bring out the best in each other, even as they seem like an unlikely pairing, which makes them that much more fun to watch.

I really enjoyed Love You, Mean It. I’m a sucker for a fake relationship story, and this one was lots of fun. There is secret scheming, inner growth, spicy chemistry, and amnesia. What more could you want? If you’re like me and missing those great rom com movies of the 1990s, then you need to consider picking up this book. It will feel like a Sandra Bullock hug to your soul.

Egalleys for Love You, Mean It were provided by Dell through NetGalley, with many thanks.