Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Say You'll Be Mine

You ever find a book that you know you can enjoy with some wine and ice cream? That’s this for me.
It’s got so many things i love, such as:

• fake dating/engagement
• friends-to-lovers
• only one bed trope
• jerk who gets what he deserves
• cute and funny banter
• realistic family dynamics
• musical theater & Bachelor references
• protagonists who are shy yet independent
• spice that’s not so graphic that i’m embarrassed

Y’all this was it. Is it predictable? Yeah, but in the same way The Bachelor is predictable. It’s fun and a good time, and it makes you feel giddy.

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vj_thompson's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A beautiful debut novel of engagement of convenience. The beginning was slow as if the mimic the characters new relationship and situation. I loved the ending and the sweet moments between Meghna and Karthik. Such a beautiful beautiful book, just like its cover.

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what_karla_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

5/5 stars
1.5/5 spice

This one literally had me giggling and feeling all mushy like a good romcom should. Definitely a nod to those 90s romcom movies but with so much more diversity.

Tropes:
Matchmaking
Fake engagement
Engineer MMC
Teacher & aspiring playwright FMC
Forced proximity
One Bed
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Slow burn and tension
Indian culture
Dual POV

I loved the chemistry between Karthik and Meghna right from the beginning. You could see how different they were but also how completely enthralled they were with each other. She was definitely the sunshine character who was naturally social and charming, while he was grumpy and stand-offish. The diversity in romcom like this makes the book so much better and refreshing. It's easy to get lost in the same old stories, but to have a diverse cast of characters integrating a rich culture just brings these romances to life.

Overall, the story was sweet and cozy with very little drama despite the 3rd act break up. The spice was also on the sweet end with an emphasis on the emotional aspect and progressed naturally. Highly recommend for fans of cozy love stories and diverse characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin House Publishing Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Emotional abuse from parent, family pressures, sexual content

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overflowingshelf's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

CW: Misogyny; emotional abuse; references to sexual harassment and infidelity

Say You’ll Be Mine is such a delightful fake-dating contemporary with characters I absolutely loved. Seriously, this book is so stinking cute!

Fake dating in contemporary can be very hit or miss for me, but this one worked because Karthik and Meghna had fantastic chemistry. And secretly underneath it all, I think they both wanted to find love (though Karthik may disagree). Also, I loved that we also got an “only one-bed” moment in this book because those are so fun in contemporary romances, and it felt like a realistic setup in this.

While this book isn’t the spiciest, it felt so dang romantic! Part of why it worked so well for me was because Karthik and Meghna are genuinely good and caring people, and things clicked quickly with them. Who wouldn’t love someone who listens to what you say, has your back when you need it, and stands up for you to others? I loved watching their relationship go from essentially strangers who get engaged to friends to something more. And ugh, the pining and slow burn! These two fools were both so in love with each other, but both kept thinking the other was acting a certain way to put on a show for their fake relationship and I loved it! Like the whole bit with the engagement ring? I died! That tension is what I LOVE in a fake dating romance and Kumar executed it flawlessly as I kept yelling at them to admit how they feel and KISS ALREADY.

Now, their romance isn’t without its hiccups. However, I appreciate that Karthik and Meghna talk about what they want out of a relationship like adults. Sure the outcome sucks, but I liked they don’t pressure the other to feel the same way, no matter how much they wish they could. And while Karthik and Meghna have to go their separate ways for a bit, it’s for the better when they come back together. I really loved seeing both of them prioritize themselves during their break to pursue what truly makes them happy – and realizing the final piece of the puzzle was each other. It gave me all sorts of warm and gooey feelings!

I’m unsure if I would classify this as a grump/sunshine romance, but there are some similar vibes. It would be more like a creative, outgoing, sees-the-best-in-everyone vibe with Meghna, versus a more rigid, stern, buttoned-up vibe with Karthik. And I adored these two together so much! Despite their slightly opposite personalities, they cared deeply for their family and friends and would do anything to make those people happy.

Meghna was a delight. She loves her parents dearly even if she feels like she’ll never live up to her mother’s expectation of being an engine since her passion lies with writing. I loved how outgoing and personable she was – I felt like Meghna was the person I could easily become friends with and know she’d have my back no matter what. She’s a genuinely good person – almost too good to the point where she doesn’t realize she’s being taken advantage of by her best friend/ex-boyfriend that she’s still in love with, Seth (we’ll get to him later).

Compared to Meghna, Karthik is a bit cold and a little awkward in social settings. But once you’re in his head, you realize he just keeps a very tight lid on expressing his emotions. His family dynamics are very different from Meghna’s. He loves his mom dearly and will do anything for her because his dad is absolute trash. Poor Karthik is so worried that he’ll end up like his dad that it basically paralyzes his ability to have a romantic relationship, and all I wanted to do was hug this man and tell him, “You are NOTHING like your father.” Watching him soften up around Meghna and realize the extent of his feelings for Meghna made my heart melt.

Now there is a character I absolutely hated in this book, and I give serious kudos to Naina Kumar because I had such a strong, visceral reaction to this fictional character. And that character would be Seth. My god, how I hated this man! I don’t know what Meghna saw in him and I wish she noticed how terrible he was earlier. It was abundantly clear to me that he was using Meghna to further his own career, and taking credit for her work. There’s nothing more that I hate than men like that! I’m so glad Karthik noticed what a sleazeball Seth was as it gave Meghna the push she needed to see that he’s actually a terrible person. When Meghna finally confronted Seth about it, I was cheering her on from the sidelines because yes, girl! PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE.

I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, to discover that this was Kumar’s debut novel! I loved the writing style and the depth of all her characters, even the secondary ones. The pacing was spot-on, and the romance was swoon-worthy. While reading this, I had all the emotions and fell in love with Karthik and Meghna throughout their journey. I cannot wait to see what she writes next as this gave off the perfect rom-com movie vibes.

If Say You’ll Be Mine wasn’t on your radar, it definitely should be! This was so cute and romantic, and I had a blast while reading it, and I think you will too!

Thank you to Random House – Dell/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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paulasuze's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

EEE this book was so delightful!! An excellent debut from Naina Kumar.

Fake dating is definitely my favorite trope, and Say You'll Be Mine delivered. Witty banter, perfect sexual and romantic tension, well developed family and side characters, characters following their dreams, it had it all! Fair warning, there is a good amount of miscommunication, so if that's not your trope, you may not love it as much, but it is still worth a try. I usually despise it, but it worked for me here for the most part.

Also Seth was such a mediocre white man and antagonist and I enjoyed the way that plot line progressed. Meghna is such a wonderful protagonist and I loved how she developed in her confidence, especially with Karthik's support.

This is a must read if you love swoony love stories and fake dating and romance that tackles real life issues!!

4.25/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Also *spoiler-ish* but
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Can we please get more men in romance novels who go to therapy?? I was 100% here for this!! We love healing and accountability!

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