This book was so sweet and there were so many things to love about this debut from Naina Kumar! The main characters were great and I loved the Indian representation. The cultural aspects like the food, matchmaking/arranged marriages, and overall family dynamics were so interesting and added so much to the story! I was rooting for Meghna to find happiness and pursue her passion from the start and it was so great to see her come into her own throughout the novel. I loved that Karthik helped her build some self-confidence and that they pushed each other to seek out more enjoyment in life. The fake engagement and romance piece was so well done and brought with it some funny moments, but also some tenderness, between the characters that seemed so genuine and sweet.

If you are looking for a new romance read, this is a perfect read to bring a smile to your face and learn more about Indian culture. I highly recommend!!

This was a cute read. There was a definite push and pull between Karthik and Meghna. They would be drawn to each other and then someone would say or do something that pushed the other away. There was a lot of misunderstanding each other but it read less like the miscommunication trope and more like two very different personalities trying to learn each other. I appreciated the depth of the characters and their family lives. I really felt like we got to know and understand where they each came from and how their families shaped them into the adults they've become.
3.5 stars

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine it just really didn't do much for me. My biggest issue in this book is that I never really felt like they had a lot of time together where they actually talked to one another to actually realize they liked each other. It seemed like there was one chapter where they talked on the phone constantly and got to know each other and that was it. Everything else was miscommunication and not much else.

It kind of felt more like lust than like/love during the times that they kissed before they figured everything else out.

Not a bad book at all, just not my favorite.

I loved the juxtaposition of who makes a good partner, the cheerful socialite that’s using you or the robotic RBF that listens to you and respects everything you have to say.
So much miscommunication trope but not to an unreadable degree and the fake finance trope felt fresh and realistic enough to keep me on board.
The writing was bingeable (recommend the audiobook). In all, a strong debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! I absolutely liked this debut! I could see why these two were a good fit, and I found their battles to be honest with one another and their own personal problems to be really relatable. This was made unforgettable by a few significant gesture moments as well!
My only criticism is that there was a lack of the "wow" factor in this. I enjoy things that are extremely swoon-worthy and exaggerated—perhaps even unrealistic. however, technically speaking, this was incredibly good, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

4.25 stars!!
I thought this was a great debut novel! Meghna and Karthik’s journey from fake fiancé to like/love was filled with cute and touching moments! Meghna’s parents and Karthik’s Mom cracked me up! Loved reading a book set in current times, and with an Indian family and their culture tied in (customs, food, schooling/careers, parental approval, etc.). I will definitely read/listen to more books from this author!

I received an e-book from Net Galley, but ended up listening to the audio book and the narration was fantastic!!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I was given permission to read a pre-release copy of this book by netgate. All opinions written here are my own
So you'll be mine by Naina Kumar is a sweet, passionate love story that I believe successfully marries tradition and modern cultures together as well as demonstrating a unique elegant marriage between art and technology.
This book also gave me a unique glimpse into traditional Indian cultures and the way they blend their traditions in with modern Life. I felt like I got to be friends with some of these characters and I hope that she considers continuing the story. I am curious how life turned out for some of the other characters. This book was a light and elegant read that also carried with it. Its own steam. A bit of spicy passion. I like that a lot, just enough spice but not enough that it would ruin the main dish that you're trying to eat. In this way it reminded me a little bit of Indian cuisine as well. I highly recommend this book and I really appreciate the privilege of an early read.. I look forward to the possibility of reading more of her work

Really cute story. I liked the fake engagement trope, I thought it was really well done. I'll be reading more from this author in the future.

Meghna Raman has gone against her parents’ wishes and followed her life’s passion. She is an aspiring playwright and theater teacher. She discovers that her writing partner, best friend, and secret crush, is engaged. Then she agrees to be his best man and decides she has to move.on from him.

Meghna agrees to let her parents introduce her to a potential match. The match? Engineer Karthik Murthy. He agreed to his mother’s matchmaking attempts to make her happy, never dreaming he would meet someone as vibrant as Meghna. Though he isn't looking for a real relationship, a fake engagement could help Meghna soothe the pain of planning Seth’s wedding festivities. Karthik can also avoid the absurd number of set-ups his mother has planned for him.

Over time chemistry emerges and the question whether this could be something real emerges. Can they survive their fake relationship plot and actually fall in love or will their personal issues drive them apart.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar is a quirky-fun romantic comedy with a deep and significant look at the effects of culture and family. The characters and their conversation are stellar and beautiful. The storyline is fun and fairly common but with some wonderful twists.

Grumpy/Sunshine and fake dating?! I’m sold. This was such a fun and entertaining read. I loved the characters and the family dynamics.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Escaping matchmaking attempts of your family while finding your way in the world, this book was a fun book with a desire to keep reading the next chapter.

Thank you Dell/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for gifting an eARC of this book in exchange for review.

SYBM was such a fun romcom! When I started the arc for the book I made it about 50% of the way in before I stopped and waited for release date so I could buy a physical copy to annotate and scribble all my notes in— that’s how good this book is. For a debut, it’s such a strong foray into contemporary romance, and put Kumar on my list of authors whose works I’m head over heels for!

This book felt like all my favorite early aughts romance films— very 27 Dresses, Leap Year-esque. Meghna and Karthik made it so easy to root for them and I’m really glad the book was dual-POV and gave us insights to both character’s motivations. Watching M realize Seth was a pos and she deserved better and more than he gave her was everything. Watching her fight for the life she deserved, making a choice to follow her true passion and not settle was a lesson I needed. And following K on his journey as he realized love was worth fighting for, and that he could be better than what was modeled to him, made his happy ending with M so worth it!! Also watching him follow his career passion and not just settle for something he was good at it, was important to read.

Also, this is my formal petition that Paul be Karthik best man when him and Meghna get married, he keeps him young lol

Also also, that sneak peek at Naina’s next book solidified her as an auto buy author for me, give me all the angsty, estranged spouse goodness!!!

I loved the premise of Say You'll Be Mine because fake engagement is one of my favorite tropes. Meghna and Karthik are flawed but endearing characters, and I liked them both very much. I liked their love story but didn't love it because the plot heavily relies on the lack of communication. I often felt exasperated by their refusal to address the numerous misunderstandings. Because of that, I've rated Say You'll Be Mine three stars.

I love reading books with characters of other ethnicities and cultures than mine and this story is a great example of that. Great debut book by the author and I really liked her writing style.

This is a fake relationship trope and it was fun to read about Meghna and Karthik relationship as they dealt with their families and their growing attraction.

Karthik is adamant that he will never marry, but he also wants to please his mom and thinks the fake engagement with Meghna is the perfect solution. Meghna wants to save face at her male bestfriend's wedding, and being engaged to Karthik is also the perfect solution.

Of course, neither expects to start developing feelings for the other...

Really cute story!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I was lucky enough to go to a book signing locally for this one. I love reading about different cultures and this one explained arranged marriages in Indian culture which was a plus. I thought both main characters were well written, and their differences helped each other where they were weak. I can't wait to read more by this local author.

This was fine. I don't think it was too believable that the MMC would turn out like his father, so that whole aspect of the plot fell flat for me. Cute ending.

Say You'll Be Mine is the debut book of Naina Kumar and it was a good one.

Meghna and Karthik decide to join forces to survive an ex's wedding and to escape matchmaking pressure from their Indian families. What is their plan? A fake engagement!! However, the more time they spend together they grow protective of one another and an undeniable chemistry takes shape. I found the two of them to fit very well together and their working through their issues was very relatable.

I was worried in the beginning because I didn't care for Karthik very much but I then realized that he has a lot of stuff going on. I do wish there was a little bit more of wow factor but really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballentine for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

The minute she agreed to be Seth's best man after the story already alluded to Seth using her and not having time to reciprocate the favors she did for him, I was done. I don't want to read another romance novel where the sub plot is the woman being a doormat to her ex boyfriend because she still has feelings for him 5 years later. NO NO NO.

This was so well done and made me so excited for work to come from Kumar. This felt swoony, realistic in the best way, full of moments of love. I cannot wait for Kumar to have the romance readers in her pocket and rooting for her success.

This was a decent read. I had a nice time, i wasn’t a connected to the romance an wish it was developed more!