3 ⭐️ (rounded up)

Meghna and Karthik come from your typical Indian families. Their parents have similar values and finally want their kids to settle down. So, they arrange for Meghna and Karthik to meet in the hopes that they’ll agree to an arranged marriage.

But, neither individual is looking to be tied down at the moment, or ever. So, to get their parents off their back, they pretend to actually be engaged to each other. Meghna agrees in the hopes that she can make her ex boyfriend, who is now engaged, jealous. And Karthik orchestrates this plan so that he doesn’t have to follow through with meeting potential suitors his mom picked out for a year.

Tropes: fake dating/fake marriage, insta-love

Likes: the writing!! The author’s prose was so beautiful and it made this book such a quick read. Meghna (our FMC) 🥰

Dislikes: Karthik (our MMC) 💀, he was so noncommittal it hurt my heart. The insta-love aspect. It didn’t really make sense considering how logical and unemotional Karthik was portrayed to be until he knew Meghna better. Men who belittle women (I’m looking at you, Seth).

This was a great book. I felt like I was there with the characters along for the journey! I would definitely recommend this book!

This book was such a fun read! I enjoyed the build up between Meghna and Kathrik and the supporting storylines. The exploration of complex relationships, personal growth, and romance was my cup of tea. I found some moments to be unrealistic, which I know many contemporary romance novels explore, but it just didn't work for me. I also wish I knew how things ended up with Seth at the end (mainly because I felt so much dislike towards him).

I'm so looking forward to reading more from Naina, this was a lovely debut novel. Thanks netgalley & Dell for this Arc read - I had so much fun!

This book was okay I had high hopes going in and it honestly fell a bit flat. I’m not sure if it is because I don’t fully understand the tradition and reasoning behind the arranging marriage culture or what. I think the idea was wonderful I just couldn’t connect with these characters.

Kumar knows how to build a romance. Kumar builds the love slowly, but not too slowly and the reader can actually see why they should be together. They supported each other with their careers and gave each other advice. I loved how we could see Karthik opening himself up and falling in love throughout the fake engagement . I also really enjoyed the insight in the moments where he gets jealous.

The miscommunication trope was definitely present and I have yet to decide if it bothered me or if it just made their love story more realistic.

Why has it taken me so long to write this review?! I LOVED this book by Nina Kumar. Let's start with the fact that the cover is stunning and if you get the chance, look up the Indian cover too, because it uses the term Jaan in the title, which is such a beautiful word with deep meaning. Don't worry Kumar covers it in the book.

Meghna Raman has always done things her way. She's a free-spirit, breaking from the status quo, or at least that's how her parents view her decision to pursue a career in theater education while continuing to aspire to be a playwright. However, when Meghna's best friend and ultimate crush, Seth, announces his engagement, Meghna starts to think about where she's headed in life. As if things couldn't get worse, Seth asks her to be his best (wo)man and she foolishly agrees. Now, Meghna is making her families wishes come true. She's asked them to set her up with potential matches. When Meghna is introduced to grumpy, non-committal, relationship-phobe Karthik through their families, Meghna and Karthik start to see how they could be helpful to one another.

Fake relationship tropes always make me chuckle, because as a reader, you can see the sizzle from the beginning that both characters are trying (and failing) to ignore. What makes Kumar's book unique for me is her exploration into the matchmaking traditions, the familial obligations and expectations, and the "western" traditions that often create internal conflict as people try to assimilate without losing who they are. Both of these characters are grappling with things and watching them sort through it felt real.

A big thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for granting me access to this title!

Cute story of an Indian girl who loses her love interest to another and has been asked to be his "best man" Also, the story of an Indian man who is not interested in an arranged marriage, but agrees to misrepresent himself as the love interest for the girl. True love of course develops in an endearing way. Fun read.

Thank you Netgalley, author Naina Kumar and Random House , Ballentine publications for sharing the ARC in exchange for honest review.

Meghana a middle school English teacher who loves to write is excitedly prepping the school kids for upcoming musical performance at the school and is dreading to attend an upcoming wedding of her good friend Seth with whom she had a secret crush and they sort of dated while back in college . Although no longer close as once , she’s always been there for him and gives constructive criticism and helps him rewrite his songs which have paved the way for his recent success. But he’s asked her to his best man and she can’t say no caught in between this and her match making Indian parents who are excited for her to meet who they think will end up being the one and their daughter’s happily ever after.
Karthik Krishnamurthy has seen enough of what marriage is and does to a couple through his lifetime via his parents. He loathes his pretentious father and always felt bad for his mother for having to put up with it her whole life , so he does not want to disappoint her and agrees on going with her in search of potential bride and have him settle down.
There’s instant attraction between our two leads but both are hesitant because of their own personal circumstances and issues they deal with , but with increasing parental pressure and others they decide to enter into fake - engagement to help both of them out and benefit from it for time being including placating their parents !
But somewhere down this whole charade , real feelings develop between the two and they realize they are in over their head . When the matters of heart get involved they tend to override the brain !!

What a cute and romantic debut this was . I was anticipating this to be enjoyable light hearted read and it did not disappoint.
I am always looking forward to read from new South Asian authors and Naina did a great job with her story telling. Both the leads had their reservations and approach to relationships based on their upbringing and experiences . The discussion of the issues and the way they approached to overcome it was well developed throughout the story. The pun on Hindi-English words were so funny and added the needed light hearted moments. She brought the issues faced in relationships, especially relatable to South Asian community and she dealt really well with it without stereotyping or being hurtful. More kudos to her for even bringing up therapy to aid in the healing process.

Overall thoroughly enjoyable book. Such a perfect read while on beach vacation.

It’s a 4/5 ⭐️read for me .
Looking forward to see her next books .

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75

A successful debut novel! A modern twist between My Best Friend’s Wedding & The Proposal and I thought it was executed in such a fun & swoony way. With a fake engagement being the center focus, we also have meddling families & a lot of character growth from both MCs. The way Karthik and Meghna support each other was very touching and had a seemingly realistic approach to building a foundation. They were cute!

Say You'll Be Mine is a slow burn, but you get hints and touches of tease throughout the novel.

I read this on Kindle & Audio. The audio narration was so easy to listen to and I thought cast very well.

If you need a light palette cleanser type of romance, I recommend.

SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is a heartfelt, hopeful romance about Meghna, a teacher about to watch her best friend Seth get married, all while secretly harboring unrequited love for Seth, and Karthik, an engineer who has agreed to an arranged marriage to make his mother happy. Meghna and Karthik agree to pretend to be engaged - and what follows is a lovely, enjoyable friends-to-lovers/fake dating story about growth and forgiveness, second changes and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for this ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Kumar's writing in SAY YOU'LL BE MINE - her characters are fully formed and believable, and I found myself truly rooting for Meghna and Karthik. I found the plot a bit predictable, but it was in all a lovely read.

This had so many cute moments and I was so excited about the premise, but sadly was left quite frustrated with these characters, Karthik especially, and the miscommunication throughout the second half.

Karthik’s emotional manipulation of Meghna was maddening and hypocritical as he was doing the very same thing he was angry at Seth for. I didn’t appreciate how Karthik pushed for Meghna to compromise her dreams just to fill his emotional void and his insecurity led to him making jabs at Meghna (the engagement ring comment made my blood boil) were uncalled for and manipulative. I liked Meghna and was glad to see her growth as she stood up for herself, put her foot down when Seth continued to take advantage of their friendship, and how she ultimately reclaimed her voice and took a chance on her professional dreams.

While the story wasn’t perfect and Karthik’s wishy washy behavior was quite frustrating, there were some endearing moments with the side characters and I was happy for resolution and healing in the epilogue. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

From the bright, happy cover to the playful writing that grabbed me right away, I loved this adorable romcom!

Say You’ll Be Mine featured a fake engagement which is one of the best tropes, with a take on the Indian custom of matchmaking which was so fun. I loved the insight into more of the Indian culture and family expectations.

Meghna and Karthik have such an immediate chemistry that made it fun to see them grow and develop actual feelings from their initial fake engagement to appease their families. I loved the character growth as well, and to see them stand up for themselves and become protective over one another.

This was such a sweet story from start to finish that also managed to pull at my heartstrings, and allow the characters to reside in my heart. What a great debut!

WHAT TO EXPECT
💕romcom
🩵grumpy x sunshine
💖slow burn
💍fake engagement
💕one bed
🩵Indian culture
💖opposites attract
💍Mom’s matchmaking
💕a funny, heartfelt story

🎧Again I loved to pair the book with audiobook format to allow myself to read as much as possible, and I would highly recommend them both. The narration was wonderful, and I didn’t want their story to end.

*many thanks to PRH and PRH Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are mine alone.

I enjoyed reading Naina Kumar’s debut novel, Say You’ll Be Mine. With solid main characters, and a cast of fun supporting characters, this novel is a fun and fairly quick read. I found the characters, Meghna and Karthik to be engaging and delightful. They work together to convince their mothers that the “marriage arrangement” is real. The insight into the Indian culture and the attitude towards an arranged marriage was well developed by the author. The characters felt real. The circumstances felt realistic. The conversations, however, felt a little forced and for that reasons I gave this book a 4+ rating.

Say You’ll Be Mine is an enjoyable read. I’ll be watching to see if Naina Kumar will have a second book. I definitely hope so.

Unfortunately, this was an early DNF for me. The writing is not engaging - every sentence is telling, not showing. It was like reading a news report. The plot is old, too, although the cultural element is nice.

With writing so detached and passive, I'm completely uninterested in continuing after only a few chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This was such a solid romance and debut at that!

I was all in because I heard fake dating (fake fiance!). It is my favorite romance trope, and this delivered. I loved both Meghna and Karthik as people. I also really loved seeing how their family, arranged marriages, and culture played a part in the romance.

However, miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes and I felt that this book relied on that too heavily. I found myself wanting to beat both characters over the head at times. I just wanted them to talk instead of assume.

That being said, I am really looking forward to what else Naina Kumar will write!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this is such a cute book! I absolutely loved it! I really enjoy fake dating romances and this one was absolutely brilliant! I loved how both the main characters had their issues at the start of the book that were properly addressed as the story progressed. They both had great development arcs which were a big part of the entire story, but didn't overtake the romance. It can be difficult to balance both, but the author did a splendid job with it. Some of the scenes were too swoony. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I read this. What a beautiful book. Would 100% recommend!!

This was so fun! And I loved reading about a South Indian fmc, especially one who is an aspiring playwright. Can't wait to see what else Naina Kumar will write.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. And that’s with it being a romance book, which is my absolute favorite genre.

I couldn’t put the book down, that’s how good it was!

If you haven’t read it yet, stop procrastinating and get to it!

This was a very sweet debut. It is incredibly predictable, but still the end gave me all the feels. It contains fake dating and forced proximity tropes and a bit of grumpy sunshine, though I would say in my opinion our MMC is more misunderstood than he is truly grumpy. My book club selected Say You'll Be Mine as our February read, so I'm excited to discuss with them in greater detail.

My main frustration with this book came in part from how it was pitched by the publisher. It was described as having a When Harry Met Sally, 90's rom com vibe (never mind that WHMS is from the 80s.) Just because two characters start off not liking each other, become friends, and develop feelings, does not mean it's a similar story to WHMS. And given how much I and others love Nora Ephron's classic film, comparing a book which just ultimately isn't similar at all to it just sets everyone up for disappointment. That is not the author nor the book's fault, and again, I thought it was a very cute story.

Say You’ll Be Mine is a charming romance in which Meghna and Karthik fake an engagement for the sake of their family and friends. I really enjoyed the family dynamics, and especially the south asian culture and representation. The MCs had good chemistry and who doesn’t enjoy an “only one bed” trope?!

The multiple moments of miscommunication made me want to bang my head against the wall, but all in all, I thought this was a strong debut novel from Naina Kumar and I look forward to seeing what Kumar writes next.

Thank you to Ballantine, Dell Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!