I enjoyed a lot about this book -- the portrayal of Indian cultures, the quips between characters, the matchmaking element, the Grumpy/Sunshine trope. I did find the story a bit slow and cheesy at times, and some of the train-of-thought parts were boring, but I did enjoy it. I especially liked the parts about career, which felt very authentic. Definitely on the fluffier side, but as long as you know what you are getting into it was a fun, very light read.

Remember how in the movie Dirty Dancing when they nail that jump lift and everyone claps and Patrick Swayze and Baby were so proud of themselves? Now imagine that scene but with this author as Swayze and her debut novel as Baby.

It was honestly so much fun and I blew through reading it. It was an enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, slow burn romance but with a premise I've never read before, an arranged marriage! It was fresh and different. Most importantly, you could tell it was being written from an authentic cultural place. I really enjoyed the story and the chemistry between the two MC. The parents and family dynamics were really well crafted as well. I'll definitely be checking out this author's future works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for an advanced copy so that I may share my honest feedback and review.

So so good. I can't wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this book.
I took my time reading their story because truly when you meet Meghna and Karthik you don't want their story to end.
I felt like I was watching a classic Hindi movie, I got all the good Vibes from, SAY YOU'LL BE MINE.
I'll post a more in depth review closer to the release date but for now, just know, I need more.

Thank you so much for the ARC!!

This was such a fun book!! I love marriage (or, in this case, engagement) of convenience so I was so excited for this one and it did not disappoint. I absolutely devoured this book, reading it in every free moment I had.

I absolutely loved the characters - especially the journey of self discovery Meghna and Karthik both went on. They both needed to accept that they deserved more than what they had settled for in life, and it was so satisfying seeing them realize that.

I absolutely loved the culture of both families throughout the book. It was so deeply imbedded into their story - whereas some books seem to add it as an afterthought. But at the same time I, a white person with little exposure to Indian culture, was able to easily understand everything. Kumar did a wonderful job at balancing when to explain what something was and understanding when something didn’t need further explaining. It never felt like the pacing stopped to explain something for those who didn’t already know.

I cannot wait to see what else Kumar has in store. If this was her first book I imagine it can only get better.

One thing, and this is spoilers for the epilogue but it drove me absolutely nuts and I had to stop reading to assess: How did he beat her home from New York for the proposal? She left for the airport before him. But somehow he also flew there (seemingly on a separate flight), landed before her, and got to the house before her to set up the proposal. How did he do this? Did he just get a faster plane? In the final release I am hoping something is added to explain it. Give her a layover. Make him unable to take her to the airport cause he’s “working”. Anything to fix this cause it was genuinely so distracting.

Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar is an enthralling novel that I simply couldn't put down. This warm, intelligent, and utterly charming debut holds a vital lesson at its core: true love is forged through acts of courage.

Reviewed for NetGalley:


I was pleasantly surprised by this one, having no background or summary.

An arranged marriage/fake engagement with a couple not even living in the same state, pun t-shirts, and overcoming family expectations. A sweet, fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Excellent romcom! The author uses many of my favorite tropes here to very enjoyable effect, and the main characters are developed well. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Kumar successfully wove together many of my favorite romcom tropes to create a book that was a joy to read. I throughly enjoyed knowing both of the protagonists thoughts paragraph by paragraph rather than switching points of view by chapter. I think some of the characters could have been a little more fleshed out or introduced earlier — mainly Seth’s fiancé Julie. I think a longer/stronger Julie and Meghna relationship would have added a welcome depth to one of the pivotal scenes in the book.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

5/5 stars

“Say You’ll Be Mine” is Naina Kumar’s debut novel and it doesn’t disappoint. It shines a light on modern arranged marriages in Indian culture and how sometimes, it works out beautifully.

Read this book if you like friends to lovers, slow burn romance, one bed, and slow burn romances.

SAY YOU'LL BE MINE by Naina Kumar is a fun fake engagement story. This great debut novel is out in January, but lucky for me some marketing assistant emailed me about it. Good job/thanks, PRH! (Fact is if you pre-approve me for an ARC on NetGalley, I am absolutely going to read it, because I am such trash for early access. Is this what rich people feel like? 🦋)

First of all, how gorgeous is the cover? I love it. And I love the slow burn, strangers to fiancees to friends to lovers. There's learning to let go of your parents' expectations and pursuing your own happiness. There's not just attraction and chemistry, but also the quiet, day-to-day acts of love. It's lovely.

IMO, Niana Kumar has more potential locked inside her and I can't wait to see where she goes. I'm a fan of the fake engagement trope because it's fun to see the couple develop.. Even though this book was not that long, it could have moved along at a quicker pace and a tighter storyline.. We only cracked the first layer of Meghna and Karthik's emotional shells. It was emotionally awkward at times. I needed more depth I love a romance where my heart squeezes and my chest feels tight until I know that our couple has landed in their HEA. I didn't feel that level of emotion in this book.

Still a solid first release.

I am officially a Naina Kumar fan!!! This debut is a sweet fake engagement story with so much heart and culture blended into it! We’re following Meghna, an English and theatre teacher who aches for more, and Karthik, a man who doesn’t WANT to ache for anything more. Watching their story play out was PRECIOUS - their pining, the fake engagement mandatory-but-not-really practice kisses, their acceptance and understanding of one another’s personalities and quirks! I love how the familial relationships of both main characters was integral to the story. We got so much HEART weaved into the book because the characters had so much depth behind them that they became so much more real than your typical romance characters.

The author did a phenomenal job of breathing the cultural of both families’ into this novel, and it’s so easy to tell there was a lot of nuance in it! This is coming off of just finishing The True Love Experience by Christina Lauren, in which they had an Asian female main character for what it seems like no rhyme or reason - they just slapped on a Chinese last name with little to no nuance to the culture lol. Say You’ll Be Mine felt like the EXACT opposite in the best way!!! There was so much intention behind Meghna and Karthik.

I think what stood out to me is that the two main characters made each other stronger. Inevitably, they changed each others’ lives and made them more passionate and headstrong about aspects outside of their romantic endeavors.

I’m looking forward to whatever Kumar releases next!! Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Say You'll Be Mine is a sweet and funny rom-com that is perfect for when you need a light read that will put a smile on your face. The main characters are likeable and you'll find yourself really routing for their HEA.

An impressive debut and I'm sure we'll read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great debut! I really enjoyed reading this adorable fake-dating rom com! I appreciated that Meghna and Karthik didn't have immediate chemistry and they really worked to build a solid foundation as friends first. Watching them fall in love was fun and romantic! I also really liked learning more about Indian culture and the various traditions surrounding relationships and marriage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this was an outstanding debut for author Naina Kumar.

I loved both the male and the female MC.

I think that some parts in the story I was just left feelings like I wanted more!

Marriage of convenience is always a favorite trope of mine cause I like watching the characters fall for each other.

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for providing me this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

. Meghna and Karthik are so lovely! Kumar blew this out of the water. I loved all the tropes in this book including some of my favorites!!! I'm sure to read anything she writes next.

MAN. SOOOOO CUTE. Tears are still falling from my eyes as I type this, this was soooooo much fun!

It starts a bit slow; I didn’t immediately warm up to Karthik and Meghna as a couple (they are awkward at first, but that’s kind of the point, I guess). But once they got rolling, WHOO. LOVED THEM.

I had a great time reading this— it was dramatic, laugh out loud funny, steamy, heart wrenching, so many good things. I even enjoyed it through the third act breakup and miscommunication troubles, which is a FEAT that I must rave about. The ending absolutely made me cry, it was so stinking adorable! Will definitely try out more books from this author!

I really enjoyed Naina Kumar’s debut! I knew almost immediately as I started reading that I was going to love this book. Meghna and Karthik are both such compelling characters, and I always love a fake dating/fake engagement setup. Add in an only one bed moment, and I was sold.

Meghna and Karthik meet through their parents — his mother is trying to arrange a marriage for him, and he’s going along with it to make her happy. He’s agreed to meet two women per weekend for a year, despite his determination to never get married. His mother’s happiness means everything to him because she’s had a difficult life dealing with his father, a cold and sometimes cruel man. Karthik is fearful of becoming just like his father as he gets older and ending up in an unhappy marriage like his parents.

Meghna has just found out her ex (who she’s still friends with) is getting married, and he wants her to be the best man at his wedding. She doesn’t take this news well. To get over her heartbreak, she agrees to let her mother set her up on dates. The one and only man she meets is Karthik.

Meghna and Karthik don’t exactly hit it off at first, but he’s intrigued by her. And she thinks she’s hot. They both see an opportunity: pretend to be engaged, and he’ll get to stop being dragged to women’s houses by his mother, and she’ll get a date for her ex’s wedding and all the events associated with it.

What develops between them is a lovely friendship, then something more. They truly support each other and believe in each other, even while reminding themselves nothing about their relationship is real. Watching them fall for each other was a joy. This is a gorgeous, heartwarming romance that I’ll be recommending to everyone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Say You'll Be Mine is a fantastic debut by Naina Kumar.

Meghna's mother wants her to basically become an "adult" by getting a good job (and by that I mean one mom approves of) and getting married. Meghna's still in love with her former college boyfriend though and is reluctant to just settle. Karthik doesn't want to get married, but to placate his mom, agrees to meet as many women as she wants for one year. He has absolutely no intention of becoming involved with any of them.

The mom's get together and set up Meghna and Karthik. They meet and get along well, but each has their own agenda. Karthik comes up with a plan that they fake an engagement and it will get their mom's off their back and hopefully make Meghna's former boyfriend realize what he is missing and come back to her.

Their fake relationship goes from friendship to something more and with the addition of fun and engaging secondary characters, we watch them fall in love. I hope that Meghna's BFF gets her own book, she was a hoot and an incredible friend to Meghna.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I was blown away by SAY YOU'LL BE MINE and absolutely loved everything about this incredible book!!! I so enjoyed and couldn't get enough of the characters and their intense connection with each other. Karthik and Meghna's relationship and story unfolds at the perfect pace... not too quickly which would make it questionable. I was drawn to and invested in Meghna and Karthik's dynamic from the very beginning, and the tension between them was absolutely delicious.

What I desire most in a romance novel is the emotional depth and believability of the two love interests, and I'm so happy to say that Meghna and Karthik felt so real, layered, and raw. There was nothing cheesy or rushed about it that ever took me out of the story. Meghna knows she wants marriage in her life, yet Karthik is so afraid of becoming his father that he can only give her a fake engagement. I held my breath every time Meghna and Karthik were in the same room with each other as I didn't want to miss a single moment that happened between the two of them.

Perfect balance of heat, humor and heart. I'm so honored to have experienced Meghna and Karthik's world, and those two will always have a place in my heart. I'm already craving whatever the author decides to grant us with next and have no idea how I will be able to wait!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Dell for the digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.