Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review**

This book was so cute so fun! I loved the elements of continued grief, strong family, and always love fake dating. The characters are super lovable (most of the time) and there is so much beautiful character growth; plus some top notch spice 😉. The only thing that kept this at a 3.75 rather than a 4 for me was that it felt a bit rushed towards the third act conflict/ending. Other than that, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

"Love You, Mean It" by Jilly Gagnon offers a fresh spin on the "While You Were Sleeping" premise, blending it seamlessly with the fake dating trope. While I enjoyed the story, I found myself frustrated with Ellie's reluctance to confront her true feelings, despite the evident growth and self-reflection needed. It was intriguing to see Theo taking the lead in the relationship, but Ellie's inability to reciprocate, despite his clear affection, left me sympathizing with him and questioning Theo's quick forgiveness in the third-act breakup. I felt so bad for Sam, who tried to give Ellie an out sooo many times and she just wouldn't take it. Despite these flaws, "Love You, Mean It" delivers an enjoyable read with a flawed but relatable female protagonist. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

tl;dr
A light and cheery read for fans of the fake dating trope. Also has a ton of great supporting characters. And a deli.

Thoughts
Well, I'm a sucker for a fake dating trope, so here we are. I also really love an ex girlfriend who is actually very cool and not entirely horrible, so that's two points in this book's favor. Although to be honest, Sam makes me realize why the ex girlfriends in books like these are so often terrible. She's maybe TOO good? This is not a complaint! I love her, but I found myself more invested in her and Ellie's relationship by the end. And honestly, that's probably my favorite part of the book. Don't get me wrong - the romance is cute, Theo's a keeper, the whole thing ends on the happy note that we all want. But I especially loved Ellie learning to make friends, especially with other women. The two women who show up alongside Ellie are super cool, and it was a great way to round out Ellie's own realizations about where she wants to be to have a full group of friends in the picture, and not just one dude.

But back to the romance, which is probably why you showed up. Ellie and Theo actually hit it off pretty early on. Not instalove by any measure, but it's never a full-on enemies/rivals situation, and their relationship feels like it clicked into place very naturally. The memory loss plot lasts very briefly, so don't expect that to be a huge part of the story, and the drama is barely between the two leads, and more the MC with herself. Ellie's natural position is to be self-sacrificial, even if it's what no one wants, so she doesn't always make the best choices regarding the relationship. It can be frustrating sometimes to Ellie not grab happiness when it's offered to her, but I'm glad she worked things out in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!