I Think They Love You: A Novel

by Julian Winters

Overview

“A brilliant rom-com debut from one of my favorite authors! This book will stay with you like a last kiss goodnight.” – Ashley Poston, New York Times best-selling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip

With his funny, big-hearted adult rom com debut, bestselling, award-winning YA author Julian Winters shows sometimes fake dating your ex can turn into a second chance.

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.

Now Denz needs to find a fake boyfriend to seal the deal on the CEO position. Denz is forced to turn to the last person he wants to be in a pretend (or any) relationship with: Braylon, the man who broke his heart.

Braylon’s sudden reappearance in Denz’s life turns everything upside down. But, apparently, he 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 and the confusing kisses leave Denz struggling to separate this temporary arrangement from the affairs of his heart.

I Think They Love You is a celebration of love, queer communities, big families—in all their beautiful complications— healing, and, most importantly, falling in love with the person you’re becoming.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250326249
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/28/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Julian Winters is the author of the award-winning Young Adult novels Running With Lions, Right Where I Left You, How to Be Remy Cameron, The Summer of Everything, and As You Walk On By, as well as the upcoming Prince of the Palisades and his Adult romance debut, I Think They Love You. A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta where he can be found swooning over rom-coms or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer.

Editorial Reviews

09/30/2024

YA author Winters (Prince of the Palisades) breaks into adult romance with this breezy outing. Denz is the social media director at his family’s Atlanta event planning firm. When his father announces he’s retiring, Denz and his sister, Kamila, both vie to become CEO. To prove he’s ready to take his life—and by extension his career—more seriously, Denz plans to fake date his bestie Jamie until he gets the job. But that plan changes after Denz’s ex, Braylon, who “ripped his heart into confetti,” reappears. Braylon is back in Atlanta from a stint in England, and he takes over as fake boyfriend when Jamie doesn’t show. The sexual tension and chemistry between Denz and Braylon develops over multiple outings, including a session making French toast grilled cheese that leads to some friskiness. As Denz grapples with his realization that “Braylon is still the one person who knows what he needs the most,” he also struggles with imposter syndrome and professional anxiety. When Braylon drops a bombshell, Denz must make serious decisions about his life, his love, his career, and his family. Winters peppers this heartfelt story with witty banter, some fabulous parties, and a poignant message about being true to oneself. The result is as sweet and savory as, well, French toast grilled cheese. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Marie Claire, "15 Romance Novels We Can't Wait to Read in 2025"

Essence, “Let's Get Lit: Essence's Top 10 Picks For The Month Of January”

Marie Claire, "15 Romance Novels We Can't Wait to Read in 2025”

Well+Good, “10 New Romance Novels to Heat Things Up This Winter”

Book Riot, "15 of the Most-Anticipated Queer Books of 2025," "2025 Romance Books By Your Favorite Authors," "13 of the Best New Queer Books Out in January 2025," "YA Authors with Adult Debut Novels in 2025," "The Best New Romance to Read This Month, BIPOC Edition," and "Take Yourself Out On a Date With These 10 New Romance Reads"

Them, "The 7 Spiciest Queer Romance Books You Can Read on the Bus,"

Oprah Daily, "The Most Binge-Worthy Valentine's Day Romances"

Swooon, "10 Best Romance Novels of January 2025 You Must Read This Winter”

LGBTQ Reads, "Happy Black History Month 2025"

The Root, "New Books by Black Authors You Need to Read This March"

"If you love a good Rom-Com for adults, you will love Winters’ I Think They Love You. It’s a light-hearted witty novel that shows that when it comes to love, second chances are truly possible. This book is a fun read that will appeal to working professionals on the come-up!" - Essence

“Fun and frothy, Winters’s second-chance romance is a celebration of family and love in all its messy glory.” - The Washington Post

"I Think They Love You reads the way an Instagram filter looks." - The New York Times

“It’s pretty impossible not to already be enamored with Julian Winters if you’re a queer YA Romance fan, but his adult debut takes it to another level in this perfect mashup of fake-dating and second-chance romance in a Succession storyline.” - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

"YA writer Winters’ adult debut is a deeply romantic story wrapped up in a conceit that speaks to the complicated history between its characters, with rich flashbacks sprinkled throughout...A sweet, surprisingly emotional romance you won’t be able to put down." - Kirkus (starred review)

"Winters peppers this heartfelt story with witty banter, some fabulous parties, and a poignant message about being true to oneself. The result is as sweet and savory as, well, French toast grilled cheese." - Publishers Weekly

"Fans of the second-chance and fake dating trope are going to devour I Think They Love You, an excellently executed adult romance, perfect for fans of T.J. Klune and Alison Cochrun." - The Nerd Daily

"A fake relationship becomes a real second chance at love in YA author Winters’s adult debut that delivers a thoughtful message amid steamy scenes and tropey plot twists." - Library Journal

“Julian Winters’s adult romance debut is the perfect blend of funny, heartfelt, and steamy. In Denz, Winters has crafted a sympathetic main character whose struggles are achingly relatable and endearing. Denz and Braylon’s second chance romance is beautifully done; they’re made for each other, but both need to sort out the other areas of their lives before they can truly be together. Watching them find their way to happily-ever-after was pure joy.” - Alexis Daria, bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola

"A swoon-worthy love story? Check. Crackling chemistry? Check. Hilarious and heartfelt characters? Check. Julian Winters never misses. I Think They Love You boils over with heart and spice in perfect balance." – Adib Khorram, author of I'll Have What He's Having

“With all the affection of a small-town romance and all the allure of a big-city love affair, I Think They Love You is a brilliant rom-com debut from one of my favorite authors! This book will stay with you like a last kiss goodnight.” – Ashley Poston, New York Times best-selling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip

"Have you ever been asked why you're grinning as you read? You're about to be. I Think They Love You is a second-chance romance for the true romantics, the ones who know love brings us to the people we need, even if it requires a few attempts. Julian Winters' adult debut perfectly captures the breathlessness of first love and comfort in bonds that will stand the test of time. Winters is an author who pulls you in with humor and sharp prose and then holds you close with moments of dazzling emotional resonance—this book is a must read." – Denise Williams, author of How to Fail at Flirting

From the Publisher

11/01/2024

Denz Carter knows that fake-dating Braylon, the college boyfriend who broke his heart five years ago, is going to complicate his life, but he's desperate. When his father announces his retirement from the family's luxury-event-planning business, Denz knows he needs to convince his family he isn't as commitment-phobic as they think he is in order to score the coveted CEO position. He initially recruits his roommate, but when he can't make the first fake date, Denz finds himself offering to introduce Braylon to a high-powered connection in exchange for a few months of a fake dates. Sparks soon reignite, and Denz begins to wonder if he's really meant to carry on the family business after all. The plot is a basic mash-up of fake-dating and a second-chance romance, but well-placed flashbacks and heartfelt discussion of Denz's identity as a Black, queer man makes this read as more than the sum of its parts. VERDICT A fake relationship becomes a real second chance at love in YA author Winters's adult debut that delivers a thoughtful message amid steamy scenes and tropey plot twists.—Jenny Kobiela-Mondor

Library Journal

Narrator André Santana riffs on popular tropes--one bed, fake dating, and second chances--in this queer rom-com. No one in Denzel Carter's family takes him seriously. So when he throws his hat in the ring to be CEO of his family's event-planning empire, he knows he needs a serious relationship to prove his maturity. Who better to fake that with than his first-love-turned-ex, Braylon? While Denz and Braylon agree to keep things strictly fake, they soon begin to consider that maybe what they really need is each other. The British accent Santana gives Braylon combined with the humorous musings of Denz creates instant chemistry between the two. The story itself might replay slightly overused tropes, but Santana gives listeners a solid anchor for this second-chance romance. A.A.H. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2025 - AudioFile

★ 2024-11-09
When two exes fake a new relationship, it turns into a second chance for both of them.

Denzel Carter is used to being underestimated by his family. He knows what they see in him—someone who’s commitment-phobic—and the truth is that their criticisms aren’t entirely unfounded. But when his father, the chief executive of their family’s successful event-planning company, announces his retirement, Denz adds his name to the group of people interested in taking over. He can try to convince his family he’s serious about winning the position, but his dating history isn’t a good recommendation for his ability to make a commitment—which is why he makes up a fake boyfriend on the spot. Finding someone to play the part is easier said than done, though, especially after Denz’s first choice bails on him. With nowhere else to turn, Denz reaches out to the last person he wants to fake date: a man with whom he was once in a very real relationship. Braylon Adams isn’t just any ex; he’s the man who moved away from Atlanta and left Denz picking up the pieces of his own heart. Now he’s back in town, and he and Denz just ran into each other in a coffee shop. For Braylon, pretending to pair up with Denz again isn’t completely selfless, but he figures that since they both have ulterior motives, it should be easy to keep this fake-dating situation all business, right? Wrong. As the two men play-act at public displays of affection and send each other increasingly flirty texts, Denz begins to forget how easy it was for Braylon to break his heart the first time, and how it could happen again if he’s not careful. YA writer Winters’ adult debut is a deeply romantic story wrapped up in a conceit that speaks to the complicated history between its characters, with rich flashbacks sprinkled throughout. While we’re privy only to Denz’s inner thoughts, not Braylon’s, his journey toward rediscovering long-buried feelings is fun, messy, and tender.

A sweet, surprisingly emotional romance you won’t be able to put down.

Kirkus Reviews