Was this book the best thing I've read this year? No. Was it a solid 4 star book that kept me engaged and wanting more? Yes.

I'm always hesitant reviewing books from NetGalley because I've read the gamut from really good to really bad. I'm pleased to say that this one fell much closer to the really good category, and was quite enjoyable. I wasn't a huge fan of the FMC, but the MMC had my heart pretty much from the beginning. The romance felt a bit stilted at times, and a bit rushed at other times, but either way, I was rooting for the MC's the entire time. There was minimal spice, but that's totally fine.

All in a all, a solid book with a HEA - and an epilogue; after all, who doesn't love an epilogue?

P.S. I would definitely be willing to read books this author publishes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Naina Kumar for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“ A teacher with big dreams joins forces with a no-nonsense engineer to survive an ex's wedding and escape matchmaking pressure from their Indian families. Their plan? Faking an engagement, of course.”

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

You had me at teacher with dreams of broadway meets grumpy, no nonsense engineer in an arranged marriage fake dating scenario! This book was so sweet and fun, littered with beautiful cultural influences and Americana all in one. The character development of Meghna and Karthick was fun, I loved how this novel traveled from Dallas to New York, to Miami to Nashville- that was a fun aspect! This book has been described as a swoon worthy romantic comedy and I see it as just that- the perfect palate cleansing read! Thank you @netgalley and @dellpublishing for the advanced review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis:

Meghna Raman defied her parents’ wishes and followed her life’s passion, becoming a theater teacher and aspiring playwright. When she discovers that her beloved writing partner, best friend, and secret crush, Seth, is engaged—and not to her—she realizes he’s about to become the one-that-got-away. Even worse, he’s asked her to be his best man. And worse than that, she’s agreed. Determined to try and move on, Meghna agrees to let her parents introduce her to a potential match. Grumpy engineer Karthik Murthy has seen enough of his parents’ marriage to know it’s not for him. He agreed to his mother’s matchmaking attempts to make her happy, never dreaming he would meet someone as vibrant as Meghna. Though he can’t offer her something real, a fake engagement could help Meghna soothe the sting of planning Seth’s wedding festivities and Karthik avoid the absurd number of set-ups his mother has planned for him. As the two find common ground, grow protective of each other’s hearts, and start to fall for the traits they originally thought they hated, an undeniable chemistry emerges. But soon, their expectations and insecurities threaten something that’s become a lot more real than they’d planned.

I absolutely loved this one and it was everything you could want out of a rom-com. You had your grumpy/sunshine combo, where his grump really sourced from an insecurity that was more generational trauma— there was the fake dating trope, but upped one level as they were fake engaged. On her end of the deal, she just wanted to not look like a fool in front of her ex, Seth, who asked her to be his best man at his wedding (ouch); for him, he wanted his mom off his back since she kept trying to set up matches for him. She was the first one that he basically was like “hmm.. I don’t hate you actually”. They definitely had a lot of rough patches, but I think working through them all strengthened their relationship, even if they were under the pretense of them being fake. There was a bit of miscommunication, but I think that’s par for the course when it comes to fake dating, as there always has to be that “I love them but I don’t think they actually love me” moment. This read out like a rom-com I would watch, and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the approval!

💍Say You'll Be My Man by Naina Kumar💍



To say I've been waiting for this book since the deal was announced feels a little intense, but honestly, I've been waiting for this book since Naina posted a moodboard for it for RevPit!! My honest review here is provided in exchange for an ARC.



Meghna needs someone to help her sublimate as she acts as best man for her ex-boyfriend's wedding, and Karthik needs a fiancé to get his parents off his back. Even though Karthik is determined for sparks *not* to fly, soon he can't explain his feelings for Meghna away. And with her ex's wedding getting more complicated by the way, Meghna doesn't know how to reconcile the future she wants and the one Karthik says he can offer.



This book was nothing short of amazing. As a romance writer, sometimes I have a hard time turning off that part of my brain--plot beats and character arcs and GMC--but Say You'll Be My Man just ~flowed~ off the page so perfectly that I got to purely enjoy my time reading. It's The Wedding Date meets Wedding Season and I can't WAIT to buy a copy.



Liked:

😀Ankita's subplot - please write this Naina I need it

😀Seth the ex's character is *perfectly* written - honestly, one of the best exes I've read for reasons I can't share without spoiling it



Loved:

❤️He wants to take her for ice cream when she's feeling overwhelmed 🥹🥹🥹

❤️Talking on the phone 😍😍😍😍😍

❤️THE THING THAT HAPPENS THAT I WANT TO SPOIL BUT WON'T



Lol'd:

😂Karthik having feelings but insisting they're air conditioner malfunction-related

😂A proposal Mr. Darcy would be proud of



#amreadingromance #bookstagram #review #romancebooks #romancelandia #romancereader #romancereads #books #bookrecommendation #arc #netgalley #2024debut #dell

Oh. My. Goodness.

I absolutely devoured, Say You'll Be Mine by, Naina Kumar -- an amazing debut romance novel.

Kumar writes the story of two, South Asian-Americans journey to finding love when they were supposed to be faking it. Karthik and Meghna take us for a whirlwind of emotions as they discover who they are amidst familial and cultural expectations, blossoming and broken friendships, and most of all, what love actually looks like for them.

I selected to read, Say You'll Be Mine, because I love a fake-dating trope. I know there's a lot going on right now stating that authors are picking tropes and not leaving a lot of plot, character development, and depth in their work. But that is NOT what Kumar has done in this book. Kumar delves deep into Desi romance but also South Asian families and lifestyle decisions. Kumar develops her characters around pressure from families, feelings of disappointment for pursuing your own dreams over your parents, and what it's like for blonde-headed, douchy boys, to take credit for the work of their brown friend.

I highly recommend reading, Say You'll Be Mine, if you enjoy:
-Wholesome romance with a dip of heat
-Fake dating
-BIPOC authors/characters
-Family drama
-South Asian culture
-Coming into you're own
-Taking control of your life

Fantastic, contemporary romance. I can't wait to see what Naina Kumar comes up with next!

I absolutely adored this story! I haven’t read many books with Indian-American MCs so that was a fun experience to learn about the culture through these characters.

Meghna is facing the pressure of marriage from her parents, on top of feeling their disappointment in her teaching career. When her mom offers to set up a meeting with a potential suitor, she agrees to just see what happens. Karthik is a grumpy engineer who has been on constant marriage meetups and has no interest in falling in love or getting married at all.

Facing the same pressure of marriage from his parents, he offers a fake engagement to Meghna to get both sets of parents off their backs. Meghna happens to need a date to her ex’s wedding, and the pair set off on a mission to make everyone believe they’re actually in love.

This was such a slow burn and I adored it! Meghna and Karthik both go through some personal growth that their relationship wouldn’t work without. The pining and banter was top notch! I loved seeing the little snippets of sweetness mixed in with the angst.

My only dislike was how much miscommunication there was. It felt so repetitive and a good chunk of the story could have been removed by the character simply talking to each other. I don’t mind a bit of this trope, but there was just so much of it.

I would definitely read another book by Naina, and it’s hard to believe this was her debut. I’m hoping for more on Ankita and Samir, I liked their side story.

Meghna Raman is a middle school teacher and aspiring playwright who has pushed back on her parents strict expectations of her for her entire life. When Meghna finds out that her ex is engaged and reluctantly agrees to be his best man, she agrees to a meeting with a potential match her parents have set up. Karthik Murthy has agreed to a year of meeting matches to appease his mother but has no intention of actually getting married, ever. Meghna and Karthik soon realize the ways a fake engagement could benefit them both. As they grow closer, the lines become blurred and neither can tell what’s real from what’s fake.

This debut completely charmed me from start to finish! I loved Meghna and her determination to stay true to herself in a deeply pressure filled culture. Karthik was the perfect match for her and my heart broke for him when he finally revealed exactly why he was so dead set against marriage. Both Meghna and Karthik were set on breaking generational patterns that didn’t serve them, and I loved watching their bond grow as they supported and encouraged each other to do just that.

Recommended if you enjoy: 💐arranged marriage💍 fake engagement ✈️ catching flights and catching feelings 🪷 aunty culture 🥹 accidentally in love 🥰 each other’s biggest cheerleaders

Out on January 16! Thank you Netgalley and Random House-Ballentine for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Say You'll Be Mine!

After discovering (via his wedding invitation) that Meghna's one that got away was getting married, when Meghna's mother suggests the possibility of an arranged marriage, Meghna agrees to meet the men her mother suggests. Karthik, on the other hand, has completely sworn off marriage after witnessing how his vile father has treated his mother for his entire life. But since he love his mother so much, he agrees to go on setups for a year even though he knows he will never get married. Karthik tells Meghna he has no intention of ever getting married but a couple days after they meet he calls to ask her to marry him...

I loved Say You'll Be Mine! The grumpy sunshine trope was excellent because Meghna wasn't ridiculously sunny but instead felt like a real person, just one who improves people's lives by being around her. Karthik was also a great character, showing lots of attentiveness to everyone around him: his mother, the intern, and of course Meghna. The story had a lot more depth than many romance novels do. I highly recommend this one.

Meghna is feeling out of sorts after receiving a wedding invitation to a former college boyfriend's wedding. She believes she still has feelings for Seth and knows now that she needs to move on. That's why she agrees to an arranged meeting with Karthik that her mother has set up. Karthik is no stranger to the arranged meetings though it's Meghna's first. This story explored many different relationships and I enjoyed the book. There was never any discussion regarding what happened with Seth at the wedding and I would have like to have seen how Karthik would have responded to what all went down with Seth, Julie and Meghna.

This book is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi x The Bride Test

What can I say except I ate this book up? I finished it essentially one day. Since I started it late at night I stayed up until 3 am to finish.

Could I probably have put it down? Yes, probably. But did I want to? No.

This was a charming and compelling contemporary romance with a little bit of everything: fake dating/fake engagement, one bed/close proximity, slow-burn romance, and dual POV. I loved the inclusion of Indian culture and foods. I love how our couple grew together and made each other better.

What am I docking one star for then you might ask? The miscommunication! Good god, I was shouting at my phone telling them to JUST BE HONEST. Both of them were so afraid, each for their reasons, afraid to put themselves out there, afraid of what might happen down the line etc. It was almost down to the end before they finally got themselves together. Thank goodness for their supportive friends and families who helped them get their shit together.

But as someone who dislikes the miscommunication trope, still thoroughly liked this book. And I think that says a great deal in favor of it.

First off, this was a fun and quick read. The romance was cute too, and I loved the cultural representation.

However, the constant misunderstandings got too much for me and took from my enjoyment. They just dragged too much for most of the story.

I would have also appreciated more showing and less telling because I felt like the romance happened in the background. More of their phone conversations, banter in texts, content of letters and song lyrics which played a pretty big part.

Still, a commendable debut. And I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for a chance to read an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book but it went by so quick! The pacing was fast and made the story feel rushed, when it could have benefited from more time to breathe. It was a fun and enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

Thank you @prhaudio & @berkleyromance for my review copies!
Say You’ll Be Mine was my first read of 2024 and it was an amazing start to my reading year! Author Naina Kumar utilized my current favorite trope - fake dating/engagement - to tell a sizzling and swoony story full of rom com hijinks. I absolutely adored the two main characters, as well as their surrounding cast of friends, and hope we get more of their stories!

One trope that you quickly find out about is one that rarely works for me, but did in this circumstance. When the main character has a friend or romantic partner who is clearly using them or somehow just being toxic, I have such a hard time reading about it. In this case, you get to know about Meghna’s relationship with Seth, and you can see how she missed the signs that things had gone awry. This plot line was SO satisfying!

The romance was fantastic! You have a little grumpy/sunshine, a little opposites attract, and a lot of fake dating (but he is definitely falling fast).

🎧 Narrator Soneela Nankani was an excellent choice for this book. Her narration brought life to all of the characters.

What I read, I enjoyed, but I don't know if it's my sickness that's been going on for too damn long or if it's the way the book is written that's making me take so long to read it. I feel like, respectfully, I have to DNF for now and return at some other point to see if it's just a timing issue or my issue. I am excited to see Meghna and Karthik get together, though, as they do seem like fun characters. Will update the review when finished!

If you’re looking for a quick, fun read that captures the same feelings as My Best Friend’s Wedding, When Harry Met Sally, and other classic romantic comedies - with an Indian twist - this one is for you!

When I say that I binged this book, I mean that I picked this up and finished the book in one sitting. I couldn’t get enough of the sexual tension and swoony interactions that were happening between Karthik and Meghna from their very first introductions on the page. I absolutely adored not only the romance, but the subplot about putting yourself first and chasing your dreams with courage.

I also loved how Kumar made Indian culture a huge centerpiece of this novel. She showed the side of “arranged marriages” that we often aren’t exposed to in our dominant white, Christian culture which I think is so important. And, she did it all without fetishizing or making a caricature of the culture as well which I really appreciated.

Naina Kumar hit it out of the park with this sweet and witty novel. Definitely a must read for anyone looking for a sweet romance with quirky family dynamics and boatload of culture!

I was pleasantly surprised that the dual perspective worked for me even though the dialogue went back and forth in each chapter. The storyline was very entertaining with Maghna and Karthiks opposing personalities. I love the therapy positivity and complex family problems that were addressed and not excused.

The miscommunication and third act breakup was a bit of a let down but I enjoyed the book overall. I look forward to Naina Kumars future novels.

Thank you to Netgaley and Radom house Publishing group for and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful story! I was drawn in right away because the characters are so likable. . Meghna and Karthik meet through their parents with the hope of an arranged marriage. They don’t exactly hit it off but they agree to have a false engagement in order to get their parents off their backs. The false engagement will benefit them because Meghna will have a date for the wedding of her ex boyfriend and Karthik can appear to be committed in order to further his work opportunities.
What follows next is a wonderful love story of two people who learn from each other what it really means to love someone.
This book would make an excellent romantic comedy movie. The supporting characters are interesting also.

This was a great debut! It had the movie Made of honor vibes . I loved the characters! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Naina Kumar is a debut author to keep an eye on.

Meghna is in a sticky situation as she receives her best friend, Seth's, wedding invite and ask to be "best man". Karthik is in need of escape after going on his eighth arranged date. While Meghna and Karthik's "date" ended with low expectations, Karthik immediately let's others know he's engaged to her. She agrees to be engaged IF he is her plus one to Seth's wedding. No feelings; just outings. But soon enough, one of them will be wishing it could be real.

I tandem listened and followed along with my kindle arc of Say You'll Be Mine. The audio, narrated by Soneela Nankani, brought another flavor to this cultural tale. I love that PRH audio picked an Indian narrator and didn't just randomly select someone to narrate! Say You'll Be Mine had good pacing and I wanted to keep listening to discover how the story would end up. I got some Maid of Honor movie vibes (the Patrick Dempsy one) and had to finish it on the kindle when I couldn't listen anymore. There were characters I was rooting for and a situation I hoped, fingers crossed, came true. I appreciated that Kumar didn't just drop these main characters onto the page but rather gave them depth. I wish we could have seen more at the end with both but was pleased with the epilgoue. Can't wait to see what's next for Kumar...maybe a story in this same world (best friends brother??)

Thank you PRH audio and Random House Ballentine for my alc and earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This rom com was delightful. Meghna and Karthik decide to get fake engaged to avoid an Ex’s wedding and their parent’s meddling. Despite, Karthik not believing in love or marriage, his walls slowly come down and soon enough both sides realize their feelings are no longer fake.

The tension between Meghna and Karthik was written very well. The story is slow burn but I didn’t mind. The Indian culture representation was refreshing. It reminded me of Sara Desai’s books (in the best way)

My one critique is that Karthik felt and read neurodivergent but it was never discussed on page. I’d love to see some neurodivergent representation.

Read if you like:
🇮🇳Indian culture representation
🧑🏽‍💻Engineering
🎶Songwriting
💒Arranged marriages
😍Fake dating
😛Revenge dating
💕Mutual pining
🛏️One bed
❤️‍🔥Slow burn