Yes & I Love You

Roni Loren

Mar 2021 · Say Everything Book 1 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this eBook

"Absolutely unputdownable! Roni Loren is a new favorite."—COLLEEN HOOVER, #1 New York Times bestseller, for The One You Can't Forget

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Roni Loren brings the heat in this complex story about a woman battling her anxiety, a man who seems far too good to be true, and a sizzling connection built over sweltering New Orleans nights.

Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn Tate, the real face behind the media star...or the anxiety that keeps her isolated. All her life, Hollyn's tried to hide her true self behind an online façade, but when her boss tells her she needs to reveal the truth to the world or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help face her fears.

Enter Jasper Deares: actor, improve star, and way, way out of her league.

Hollyn thinks Jasper must be joking when he offers private lessons to help overcome her fears. Getting up on a stage? Hello, worst nightmare. But Jasper's infectious charm has her saying yes despite herself. They're only supposed to be playing a few improv games, but as the lessons run longer and the lines grow blurrier, Hollyn can't help but wonder if she's acting at all...or if a relationship with Jasper might help give her the confidence she needs to say yes to every imperfect part of herself.

Readers Rave About Books By Roni Loren:

"Phenomenal."—LORELEI JAMES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unforgettable."—KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unique, swoony, and lively."—SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author

"Don't let this book get away!"—M. O'KEEFE, USA Today bestselling author

"A must-read."—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review for The One You Fight For

Ratings and reviews

Yes & I Love You is the first book in Roni Loren's Say Everything duo. I've enjoyed all of the books I've read by Loren and this one was no exception. It was refreshing to have main characters that had struggles they had to work through on a daily basis, not just a flash in the pan "issue" to deal with and then it's gone. I really appreciated the way the main characters were written. Hollyn Tate is the writer of the very popular Miz Poppy review blog. She has lived with Tourette's all of her life which has also led her to develop social anxiety. She's working through her fears by seeing a therapist and purposely having an office outside of her home in order to interact with others. While these are steps in the right direction, speaking to new people still freaks her the heck out. Jasper Deares is an aspiring actor who specializes in improv. He has ADHD and while he has aspirations of owning his own theater, he currently is a barista inside a bustling office building. He didn't have the easiest childhood therefore making connections isn't always easy for him, but when he meets Hollyn, he feels like there could be a connection there, but he's not sure she even likes him as a human! Hollyn's boss wants her to take her blog to the next level by beginning to utilize video. For someone like Hollyn, having to put herself on video is her worst nightmare coming true. With her Tourette's, the last thing she wants is videos full of her tics. Knowing she needs help and having formed a tentative friendship with Jasper, she reveals to him that she is Miz Poppy and asks him to give her some training in order to be able to follow through with the videos, otherwise, she's going to lose her job. He agrees in exchange for her writing a review of his improv group. Will Hollyn and Jasper be able to stop the feelings that are starting to grow between them as they spend more time together? Or will they decide to give their relationship a real shot? As I mentioned at the start, I really appreciated these characters and the way the story unfolded. It was nice to see characters with diversity and the story was handled beautifully. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but once I did, I was all in. I hope you take the time to pick this one up - it's worth it!

Hollyn Tate has a job as Miz Poppy, an on-line reviewer of the entertainment business in New Orleans. This job is perfect because she can be her sassy self without anyone actually seeing her and wondering what is wrong with her. Hollyn has Tourette's and cannot help all of her facial tics that randomly happen. After being made fun of most of her life when she was younger, Hollyn tends to stay away from other people. When Hollyn's therapist urges her to put herself out there, she ends up finding an office space in a creative community. Proud of herself for even leaving the house, Hollyn is actually putting herself out there and has met a few people, including the cute new barista, Jasper Deares. All is going well until her boss tells her that he wants her to start doing a vlog of her column instead. When Jasper, also part of an actual improv group offers to give her free, private lessons to help her out in the guise of being her fake boyfriend, things start to really heat up. The more time these two spend together, the less fake their relationship is becoming until they both finally realize that they have way deeper feelings than they ever thought they would. Just when it looks like everything is coming together perfectly and Hollyn is ready to make her big reveal, everything comes crashing down. It will take a huge leap of faith by Hollyn to really put herself out there, but in the end, her happy ending will be all worth it. I just adored this story. I loved both Hollyn and Jasper. Both of these characters had difficult childhoods but together they were learning to help each other overcome their greatest fears. This story made me laugh, cry and swoon....all the great feels of a perfectly told story. I also learned a lot about Tourette's that I never really knew before. Overall a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

About the author

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. She holds a master’s degree in social work and spent years as a mental health counselor, but now she writes full time from her cozy office in Dallas, Texas where she puts her characters on the therapy couch instead. She is a two-time RITA Award winner and a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.