Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - 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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ukponge's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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dogbuttsandbooks's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Our MCs, Meghna and Karthik are Indian Americans both struggling to find themselves pressure about their personal and professional lives from their families. They are introduced by their parents as potential matches for an arranged marriage. After meeting, they decide to be fake engaged so Karthik can impress the people who will decide if he gets a big promotion at work and so Meghna can have a date to her college ex turned best friend and writing partner’s wedding at which she’ll be the best man (you read that right). And so both of them can get a little breathing room from their meddling and oftentimes disapproving parents.

Meghna and Karthik are both really layered, sympathetic characters who kept me engaged while reading, but ultimately I felt like this book was less about the MCs’ romance and more about personal growth — which just wasn’t what I was in the mood for having just finished another fake dating to attend the wedding of an ex turned best friend who the FMC has never gotten over (spoiler alert, I liked the other one much better). Also I just needed these two to bang and get it out of their systems SO MUCH EARLIER. And also go to therapy. That being said, while I felt like both MCs were intentionally making their lives harder and putting up with a lot of toxic behaviors, and also sometimes being toxic themselves, I did appreciate the full circle character arcs.

I also enjoyed the struggle with trying to push against and also fit in familial expectations, but felt a bit like the author was trying to shoehorn heavy issues in with a chaotic fake engagement storyline.

I thought this was a well written debut that kept my interest and I enjoyed reading, but all in all, as is often my critique of fake engagement — the stakes did not feel high enough to warrant this faux relationship. And a note, if you don’t like MCs who aren’t good at communicating, this will not be your cup of tea.

If you’re looking for a Desi romance that doesn’t have a ton of spice, but has solid character development and one that will have you shouting “will you two just kiss already?!” Say You’ll Be Mine is the book for you.

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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
***************************************************
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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stephsbooktalk's review against another edition

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4.0

4.75- Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for the advanced copy of this!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

I first heard about this book when I went to a Nisha Sharma event so when the widget came in, I knew I had to read it! And it such was an utter delight!!

This will be published on January 16th.

If you know me, you know I love a fake dating and I love the twist on this as it started with an arrange set up. Karthik was so stubborn and so just turned off at the idea of wanting to be married (don't worry we learn why) but enter Meghna a teacher who aspires to be more in the theater world. They both went through with the arrangement meeting (her first) not expecting much and she somehow won him over without even knowing she won him over. I love learning about the Indian culture and this really made me want to take a trip to a local Indian restaurant to try some of the food that was mentioned in the book!

The reasonings for their fake dating is also interesting more so for Meghna whose ex is such a sneaky villain. I thought that was a unique addition to the book (won't say more, you'll have to read).

"Meghna?"
"Yes?"
"Call me anytime you want."

I love that this was 3rd person dual POV! As much as I love when we get a single point of view, having the other love interest just adds so much to the story. Especially in Karthik's case, we learn more about his family life and what makes him have these feelings towards relationships specifically marriage. Of course from the reader's perspective you see these two people who clearly have feelings for each other but neither want to ruin anything or be afraid of not being reciprocated. I just thought they worked so well together and how their feelings build towards one another as the book goes on. This does not have much spice if you are expecting any (I was ready for it but its okay that it didn't happen).

This book did have a few storylines woven through but it didn't feel like it was too much. I was very intrigued by the storyline between Meghna's best friend Ankita and her brother Samir. I don't believe this will be a series but I could see a book from their POVs of how it all went down and beyond could be fun to see.

I paired reading in tandem with the audio and it was fabulous! The narration was done by Soneela Nankani who also narrated other fabulous romances such as Dating Dr Dil, Snapped, Tastes like Shakkar and a slew of other notable books.

This was such a stellar debut and I'm looking forward to hearing more of Naina stories!

Read this book if you love fake dating (err engagement) with a cast of characters, wedding theme & just love a good time! If you aren't a fan of miscommunication, you may have a slight issue with it.

PS - Netflix. Prime, someone make this rom com a movie! We need more especially with Indian rep!

PSS - Is it ironic that I was reading two books at the same time that had a My Fair Lady storyline?! WILD!

4.7

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