Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon

Love You, Mean It is a rom-com, full of playfulness and sharp humor. Ellie Greco has been managing her family's deli after the death of her father. After the residents and the Greco family learns that a gourmet food department store is looking to move into the neighborhood, concerns rise for the longevity of the family legacy.

Ellie approaches Theo, the landlord of the vacant building. Although they attended high school together, they ran in very different circles, and she has trouble keeping her prejudices at bay despite aiming to persuade him to reject the tenancy of the big-time competition, allowing her family's deli to continue to flourish.

Gagnon uses a mesh of familiar tropes in fun and engaging ways — you know where this is going, but the journey there is definitely a ride featuring tiny unexpected turns and bankable charm. With enemies-to-lovers and grump-to-sunshine paving the way, I enjoyed this gem from beginning to end.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.