What a fabulous debut by Naina Kumar! I thoroughly enjoyed Say You’ll Be Mine and read it in 2 days. The characters were well developed, and the cultural aspects were very interesting as I don’t happen to know a great deal about Indian traditions. The families were very involved and far from perfect, but they seemed invested in a good life for Meghna and Karthik. Meghna was lovely and very easy to root for. I appreciated her theatre love. Karthik was harder to like at first, but he really became so endearing.

Both characters are uninterested in arranged marriage and agree to a “pretend” engagement in order to satisfy some needs and commitments in their respective lives. But one of them really does like the overall concept of falling in love and marrying while the other is reticent and cynical. The growing chemistry was fabulous and I bought that they were genuinely falling for each other. The “villains” in their lives were effectively polarizing while not being cartoonishly over the top. The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the constant misunderstandings. Meghna and Karthik were very insecure and jumped to emotional conclusions quickly! But I did appreciate the epilogue as it was satisfying and pretty realistic while still being incredibly charming.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Such an incredibly cute debut romance novel! It totally sucked me in from the first page and I devoured it in less than a day.

Meghna and Karthik agree to a fake engagement after being introduced through their parents’ matchmaking. Meghna needs help to get through an ex’s wedding, and Karthik is trying avoid an onslaught of arranged meetups and constant pressure from his mom to find a partner, despite his vehement stance he will never get married. Not surprisingly, these two hotties catch feelings but self doubt and miscommunication ensues.

I loved this slow build relationship (no insta love here!), it made their love and personal growth feel so genuine and authentic. Some of the miscommunication drove me a little crazy, but overall this was such a fun, bingeworthy read.

Tropes & Themes:
*grumpy x sunshine
*fake engagement
*slow burn / friends to lovers
*one bed
*Indian representation
*HEA!

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Say You’ll Be Mine made me swoon a couple times which is absolutely the sign of a fun romance! Meghna has recently learned that her best friend (who she has secretly been in love with) is getting married and he’s asked her to be the best man. Of course she said yes but she’s not looking forward to it.

Then her parents introduce her to Karthik and they realize a fake engagement might help them both out. He could stop spending every weekend visiting prospective wives with his mother and she could have a date to the wedding.

There was a lot going on in this stories and a couple times it was frustrating and felt too over the top or frustrating miscommunication - but ultimately the good really outweighed those moments for me and I’m looking forward to reading whatever Naina Kumar writes next! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

What a fun debut! I enjoyed this game engagement, grumpy vs. sunshine, slow-burn romance. Thank you Random house and Netgalley for my copy.

I genuinely liked this book. I would say the worst part is how hungry I was reading about the delicious Indian food the characters were having. I do love books that immerse me in other cultures and Meghna and Karthik were both likable main characters that were easy to root for. There was a little frustration over Meghna’s blind infatuation of Seth and the end result seemed a touch too easily remedied but it wasn’t drug out or entirely unbelievable. I loved the mamas and of course, Meghna’s dad. The differences and similarities in their families and how it affected each of them in their romantic life was portrayed well and made the book all the more interesting.

I am surprised this was a debut novel. It was very well written and easy to immerse yourself in the story. Overall, it’s lighthearted, fun, and charming. Definitely recommend for readers who enjoy that type of read and who love…. love. I will definitely keep my eye out for future novels from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the ARC!

Read This Book If…you enjoyed Dating Dr. Dil!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

Genre: romance
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 open door scenes
Setting: NYC & Dallas
POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: fake engagement, one bed, slow burn

My Thoughts: This was such a fun, steamy read! I felt the MMC had a strong arc and further to go, but I also really enjoyed the FMC. The addition of Desi culture and parental expectations made this a very poignant read. Meanwhile, the fake dating hijinks and mutual lust made for a fabulous rom com!

Memorable Quote: “Not every marriage has love.” “I know that, but mine will.”

4 Stars

I really enjoyed Say You’ll Be Mine! And it had one of my favorite tropes— fake dating (engagement in this case.) The chemistry between these two was so good! I also really enjoyed that they were both Indian and I found myself (a white woman) googling foods, clothing & other things mentioned about Indian culture, wanting to learn what they were.

I probably would have rated it higher but there was a lot of miscommunication— like a lot. I just wanted to lock these two up & force them to talk about what they were actually thinking/feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the ARC of Say You’ll Be Mine in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for granting me access to this book in exchange for a review.

.I'm rating it a 3/5 because the miscommunication and third act break up drove me crazy. They just couldn't seem to get and STAY on the same page for very long. I enjoyed Meghan and Karthrik's character growth and the way they supported each other. I felt the book was lacking in setting the tone and foundation for their intimate relationship. The slow burn was too slow and too up and down for my taste.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think it was a good debut novel for Naina Kumar!

3.75⭐
PG-13🌶️

Never trust a man named Seth.

A fun debut with nods to 90s rom coms that was so cute but unfortunately struggled from major pacing issues.

Naina Kumar knocked her debut novel out of the park!
I loved Naina's writing style, she kept me engaged the entire time and I was so invested in the characters and what was going to happen next; it was.a real page turner! The arranged marriage within the Indian culture was very interesting to read and loved the storyline! The dueling personalities of Meghna and Karthik were fantastic, especially in the beginning! But their journey was the best part, I was rooting for them until the very end!
Can't wait to read more from this author!

I have been SO looking forward to reading Naina Kumar's SAY YOU'LL BE MINE, and let me just start by saying it does not disappoint!! My first read of 2024 really set the bar high.

After Megna's best friend Seth (and crush / one that got away) gets engaged and asks her to be his best man, which she reluctantly agrees to do, she decides to allow her parents to find her a potential match for a husband. It's time for her to move on and find someone she can possibly build a future with.

Karthik promised his mom that she could set up matches for him for one year to make her happy, even though he has no intention of ever getting married.

Sparks fly when Megna and Karthik meet, but not in the true love forever kind of way. Karthik proposes to Megna that they have a fake engagement - she can have a date to Seth's wedding, and his mom will stop setting him up. And the end date will be after the wedding.

While it wasn't an instant love connection, the two grow closer as they spend more time together, complicating their arrangement and making their fake relationship much more real.

This book was so fantastic!! I couldn't put it down. It's funny (with punny tees!) and sweet. I adore Megna and Karthik SO much.

So if you want to start your new year off right like I did, you are in luck! SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is out tomorrow!! Yay! So go get it right now and thank me later!

This debut romance about a fake engagement was charming and unique and I had a great time reading and listening to it!

Meghna's parents would love to see her get married, and they attempt to set her up with Karthik, who has promised his mother to go along with her matchmaking attempts for a year. When the pair decide that a fake engagement would help them both out, their bond strengthens and their chemistry grows.

I loved the unique way a fake dating trope was used here, as part of an arranged marriage. That was definitely not a storyline I have seen before, and one I fully enjoyed. The reasons the pair go along with it made sense, and the way their relationship builds throughout the story felt authentic and believable.

I loved learning more about the Indian culture and found the audiobook to be very helpful during this read. I did a tandem read with the audio and ebook, and there were multiple times where I would have pronounced a word wrong but was saved from that by the incredible narrator. Her tone and humor made this a fun one to listen to.

There is a fantastic cast of secondary characters in this book, from the meddlesome parents to the best friends and family members involved in this love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Dell for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this story! I was laughing, kicking my feet, and enjoying this contemporary romance. Love Meghna and Karthik’s relationship and cannot wait to read more works by this author!

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel by Naina Kumar. It was really a fun contemporary romance novel. It had fake-dating and arranged marriage themes. It taught me a little bit about Indian culture. The main characters had great chemistry. And of course it had a happily ever after ending. Overall, it was a cute rom com and a slow burn romance that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I look forward to reading more from Kumar in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An irresistible debut. Kumar's writing is fresh and inviting, and she has created well-rounded, lovable characters who contend with relatable issues and are so easy to root for. Meghna and Karthik's slow burn story involves a fake engagement and a lot of miscommunication, with these two frequently sharing a lot of the same feelings within their inner thoughts but attempting to save face by keeping it all at bay, resulting in them not being on quite the same page for most of the book. I loved seeing all of the ways that they eventually opened up and connected with each other, especially over their love for puns. I wonder if there will be a follow-up book about the secondary couple here, as there are many gaps that could be filled in.

“It suddenly seemed simple. He wanted to be wherever she was.”

This book is the definition of cute with some depth! It’s got family drama, unmet expectations, humor, wit, friendships, trauma, frustration, and love. I flew through this book in a couple of sittings; it was an easy & fun read. I also enjoyed reading about Indian culture in a fictional format - it brought some diversity to my reading that I’ve been searching for. Did I mention this is a debut?!

Plot Thoughts: I enjoyed the plot overall; the push and pull, will they or won’t they, slow burn type of romance. Miscommunication is heavy in this one, which is honestly my least favorite trope. I always just want two full grown adults to TALK TO EACH OTHER. I will say, the reasoning behind why they don’t open up to each other is valid, and there’s enough going on that made me okay with reading this particular version of miscommunication.

Character Thoughts: The characters were not perfect, but they were loveable; which actually ends up making them more relatable. You can’t help but root for and want the best for them! They were messy and had trauma but were also humorous and optimistic. There were the perfect number of characters to keep track of, and they were all unique so it rounded out the story well. I loved the representation of loving someone FOR their differences, rather than DESPITE of.

👍🏻Would recommend overall! If miscommunication really drives you bonkers though, this one may not be for you. It’s not my favorite trope, but the book and characters overall were good enough where I didn’t mind being frustrated for a bit with that!

My first read of 2024!

Have you ever seen Made of Honor starring Patrick Dempsey (Tom) and Michelle Monaghan (Hannah)? Have you ever wondered what would happen if Tom had never realized he was in love with his best friend, Hannah and had gotten married to someone else?

Not only does this romance novel present a twist on Made of Honor but also has great South Asian rep! An arranged marriage proposal turns into a fake engagement in this delightful debut!

Meghna is an aspiring playwright and school teacher despite her parents’ wishes for her to be an engineer. They introduce her to Karthik, an engineer, who isn’t interested in getting married, and only agrees to meet Meghna to appease his mother. They decide to get fake engaged so Karthik can get his mother off his back from meeting other marital prospects and Meghna can have a date to her best friend and secret crush, Seth’s wedding, in which she has been designated as the best man. Soon the fake feelings turn into real ones.

I loved Karthik’s character arc! His character growth and transformation from a stiff engineer to being more vulnerable and open with Meghna was heartwarming. His emotional baggage due to which he didn’t want to get married also made his character more layered.

I also found Seth’s character flaws to be an interesting twist. Furthermore, the drama between the supporting characters including Meghna’s brother, Samir, and closest childhood friend, Ankita, added more depth to the story.

Can’t wait to read what the author writes next!

Rating - 3.5 stars

Say You'll Be Mine was such a cute debut by Nina Kumar! I think this book is really fun and I see a lot of potential from this writer.

I really enjoyed Karthik as a love interest. I think he was really caring in his own way and displayed a lot of concern for Meghna and her happiness and autonomy. Meghna was also a fun main character. I think she had a lot of humanity in her emotions, especially when it came to her desire for love and her drive to follow her creative dreams. This also had a good spin on the fake dating/fake engagement trope. While I think the reasoning for their arrangement was a little convoluted, what fake relationship trope isn't?

I also liked that Meghna was able to take some of her self respect back in the end! I was rooting for her to realize the type of situation she had found herself in with her "friend", and I'm glad Karthik played a part in that.

There are two main aspects I would change, if I could.

First, I think the story could have flowed just a bit better. There was attention paid to plot lines that I felt could have taken a little more of a back seat. Mainly, Ankita's side story (to avoid spoilers). I imagine this was probably done to set up a follow up story for her, but maybe a more subtle approach would have both left more intrigue for that second book as well as given more time to the central storyline.

I think where that extra time could have really been used was to better round off each scene. Maybe it was also due to the formatting of the ARC, but the jump from scene to scene felt very abrupt. There were times I was unaware that we had switch perspectives until it read "Karthik thought..." or "Meghna said...". I would really love to see Kumar immerse us in the story, more descriptions of the setting/atmosphere, more inner dialogue to let us know how the character felt about the scene we just witnessed, etc. Just something to help wrap up a scene to help the reader move onto the next one.

All in all I would say this was a really encouraging debut by the author. I would happily pick up her next work and recommend her books to my audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instagram review to be posted 1/14/24

A charming debut rom-com with great Indian culture representation!

Meghna is an aspiring writer (sort-of) and school teacher who is hung up on her best friend and ex, Seth. Which is the only reason she agrees to Karthik's crazy plan of faking an engagement to get his mother to stop making him go to arranged marriage meetings -- she'll have a date to his wedding as part of the deal.

Karthik is an engineer who is disillusioned by the institution of marriage thanks to his parents' imbalanced partnership. He never wants to get married (underline the NEVER several times for emphasis) so it is inconvenient to say the least when he begins developing real feelings for Meghna. Meghna is right there with him, but doesn't want to fall for someone that will never be fully available to her.

Sweet, funny, and very real -- just a great romance novel with two very relatable characters. I wish there had been a tinge less miscommunication and a tinge more spice, but overall this was a fun ride! Oh and Seth was the worst and I am so glad he got what was coming for him!!

I loved how this exploded what it meant to have familial and cultural expectations. I wish that they had been able to communicate with each other better but I do understand not wanting to ask questions because of the potential for it to not go well. I like how real this was and how everyone made mistakes