🦇 I Think They Love You Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's a comfort food you associate with a loved one?

🦇 When Denzel “Denz” Carter’s workaholic father and CEO of 24 Carter Gold unexpectedly announces his retirement, the competition is on for who will become his successor. To convince his family members that he’s capable of commitment, Denz impulsively lies about being in a serious relationship with his ex Braylon, the man who broke his heart. Braylon’s sudden reappearance in Denz’s life turns everything upside down. Apparently, Braylon needs Denz’s connections to the mayor to win his own promotion. So, they strike a deal. It’s all business until the funny texts & the confusing kisses leave Denz struggling to separate this temporary arrangement from the affairs of his heart. Can they fake date their way to success, or will real feelings get in the way of Denz's goal?

💜 The moment I saw that this was Julian Winters' adult romance debut, I SNATCHED this up--it did not disappoint! Denz is a protagonist you can't help but fall in love & empathize with, while Braylon is an absolute heart-throb of a love interest (I mean, the newly developed accent alone). Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: This entire chaos is beautifully diverse, chaotic, & well-developed. Each member of Denz's family has a distinct voice, but it's Denz and Braylon who steal the show. I do wish we'd seen a little more from our supporting cast (the 30 seconds of Suraj was NOT enough, because hi), but Winters did open himself up to a potential sequel (that focuses on Denz's best friend and cousin). I loved Denz's fear of failure/fear of success, the theme of familial expectations/pressures, and how you can learn from your past choices.

✨ Plot & Pacing: The pacing is steady, & any potential lags are broken up by flashbacks to Denz & Braylon's college years. There's one weird jump for me, when the fake-dating relationship becomes physical (as it always does), which is sudden & unexpected (though it does benefit the rest of the story's flow & pacing).

✨ World-Building: My biggest disappointment in this story is the lack of descriptive language during the 24 Carter Gold events. We don't see, feel, or experience as many of those moments as I'd like. The story is set in Atlanta and even mentions the area where I live, but it could have been set in any city and you wouldn't notice a difference. Denz is so rooted in his "home," both as a place & in terms of his family, but it's hard to feel that connection.

✨ Romance: I mean. Come on. This story is all heart-warming, swoon-worthy, delicious romance. If that's not enough for you, let's talk about the consent & communication between Denz & Braylon. I MEAN! Not to mention (my favorite) all the witty banter between them. The banter isn't even antagonistic enemies-to-lovers bark-&-bite wit; it's fun & flirtatious, demonstrating that the connection between Denz & Braylon still exists.

✨ Mystery/Suspense: I do wish the reason for their initial breakup wasn't revealed so quickly, to add an element of suspense & tension.

✨ Tone/Prose: Every character's voice is distinct, allowing you to differentiate between a large cast of family members. Julian Winters has a fresh & fun voice that will draw you in & keep you turning page after page. Again, I only wish the prose featured more descriptions to fully immerse readers in the story.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Fall for Him, Rachel Lacey's queer romances, or Boyfriend Material.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🫖 M/M / Queer Romance
📱Fake Dating
💗 Second Chance
❤ Adult Rom-Com Debut
💗 Only One Bed
📱 Work / Life Balance
🫖 Family is Everything

🦇 Major thanks to the author @wintersjulian & publisher @stmartinspress for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #IThinkTheyLoveYou

💬 Quotes
❝ Why is heartbreak that one scar that never heals cleanly? ❞
❝ Maybe this is all Denz wanted from today: a smoky kitchen, a stupid Marvel movie playing in the background, Bray wearing his sweatshirt, kissing the words “I love you” into soft lips until they’re swollen. ❞
❝ “Do you know what it’s like to be so scared you’re going to fail that you constantly fuck up anyways?” ❞
❝ You can spend a lifetime with someone, and they never fail to surprise you with another side of themselves. ❞
❝ Sometimes, pretending the worst things in your life never happened is how you survive. But sometimes, you have to shatter in order to figure out how to piece yourself back together. So you can heal. ❞
❝ “I’m better than good enough." ❞

thank you to the publisher and netgally for letting me read this as an ARC. I really enjoyed this book. it was a great second chance romance. I could really feel the characters aches and pains as they made their way back to each other, and had to relearn eachother has they had changed so much over the years. the background characters were also strong characters and did not fade into the back. there was family issues, and history of strong sibling relationships. I was able to feel how deeply the main characters were hurting when the 3rd act presented challenges. I really thought this was a well rounded story with strong plot, good spice, and a believable relationship. highly recommend you pick it up!