This was such a good read. A compelling plot with well developed characters—you can’t go wrong with this book. I think there were a couple of choices I wouldn’t have made, but that’s no fault to the book. At times the pacing felt off. But overall, a great read.

It took me a second to get into this story, but I'm so gad I did! This was such a sweet, satisfying romance with the emotional depth to keep fans of Emily Henry (like myself) very happy.

Things I liked:
- This book is full of genuinely funny moments. Meghna and Karthik were absolutely adorable and completely oblivious in an endearing way that had me giggling and kicking my feet. 10/10 on humor and cluelessness.
- On the opposite spectrum, this book will make you hate all country music star ex-boyfriends. I usually don't feel so strongly about antagonists, and I give Naina Kumar complete kudos for her authentic portrayal of Seth. He felt very real in a way that made me downright murderous.
- Both the main characters and side characters were well-developed, flawed, and genuine, from the parents to the friends. I appreciated that even though there is a happy ending, each character still is growing and imperfect.
- I loved Meghna's subversion of cultural stereotypes and parental expectations.
- TENSION. Chef's kiss.
- Fake engagement and only one bed tropes. Chef's kiss again.
- Character growth and therapy

Things that fell short:
- Some parts lacked build-up for me. In particular, the relationship between best friend and brother felt out of nowhere and stayed in the background, If this had been more drawn out, it would have felt more authentic to me.
- The resolution of manipulative ex-boyfriend didn't feel strong enough, not because I didn't want it to happen, but because it felt rushed. I wanted Seth to be publicly shamed and Meghna to be more fully recognized for her work.

I want to thank Del and Random House for allowing me to reach this ARC for a fair review. This book is packed full of awesome tropes - fake engagement, enemies to lovers, and slow burn. The characters have incredibly rich backstories that makes the story so much more believable. I will miss rooting for Meghna and Karthik!

Pretending to be engaged is a very common trope when it comes to South Asian romance stories, as is feeling like a disappointment to parents for not studying exactly what they wanted, which is what makes the fact that this one really stood out a bit of a surprise. I confess I came into it expecting the same old, same old but was very happily surprised by how charming and original it feels despite the overdone trappings. There's something about how things develop between Meghna and Karthik that is downright adorable in how they support each other while showing off the things they love. It's sweet and sets up a believable foundation for them to eventually realize their true feelings. I'd say it's rushed, but I loved Kumar's solution to that issue and how realistic it made the story feel.
One tiny complaint is that there's a whole side story that has to do with Meghna's brother and best friend that honestly feels tacked on and never properly resolved. It didn't feel integral to the story as things would have worked out with the main couple the same way without that part and it did kind of annoy me that it doesn't get resolved.
My main question after everything is how in the world did a family from New York get in contact with a family from Texas to arrange Karthik and Meghna meeting? Is there a network? Does such a thing actually exist?

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the truly charming read!

Why oh why did I wait so long to pick this up? This book has been sitting on my ARC shelf for months, and once I started reading it, I could. not. stop. The whirlwind that is Karthik and Meghna’s relationship had me swept away, and I was on the edge of my seat to see how their romance would end up till the very last page.

With arranged marriage/fake dating (in this case, fake engagement) plotlines, one of my favorite parts is always the characters discovering what they love about each other, and learning the little things about this person they’ve thrown themselves into a relationship with. This book is no exception. I will say, at times, the characters dug their heels in against their attraction to one another, and while that was due to their varying personal traumas, I did find myself getting irked with each of them and yelling into the book “Just give into the love already!!!” Alas, that might be more a problem of my impatience than it is theirs as characters.

The side plots of their careers and familial drama were also of interest to me. I found the one storyline of Meghna’s best friend and brother to only be interesting in that it seemed to be potentially setting up a sequel, but otherwise felt a tad unnecessary. I loved Karthik working through his issues with his father and being there for his mother. I HATED Seth with a blinding passion, and every time he said “Meg” I think my eye twitched–but that’s the point. He got his, and bless Karthik for helping Meghna step into her own light.

On the whole, I adored this book. It was fun and steamy and warm and by the end of the book, I was swooning over Karthik and Meghna’s love for each other. I highly recommend this, and give it a warm 4⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Meghna and Karthik seem like opposites but agree to pretend to be engaged. Meghna's ex and close friend is getting married and she agrees to the engagement so that she can take a date to his wedding. Karthik is tired of being set up on matchmaking dates and proposes the fake engagement to keep his mother from constantly setting him up. The two seem like opposites but find themselves getting along and possibly even falling in love. Overall, a romance centered on the fake dating trope that leads somewhere they don't expect. They also help each other out in their careers and it helps them to find more fulfilling work, but it was frustrating how they wouldn't tell each how they felt and it just constantly led to miscommunication.

I really liked this book. I'm a big fan of the show Indian Matchmaking on Netflix and this book reminded me a lot of that show. I loved their fake engagement idea and all of the details of that idea playing out.

This is a quick, fun read that would be perfect to take on vacation with you this summer!

I would recommend Naina Kumar's new book, Say You'll Be Mine. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

really enjoyed this debut! i could really feel why these two were compatible and their struggles to be honest with each other and work thru their own personal issues felt super realistic to me. there were also a couple big gesture moments that made this memorable!

my only complaint is that this didn't have the "wow" factor that i really look for in romance. i like things a little over the top and wildly swoony (maybe even a little unrealistic). but on a technical level, this really was excellent & i'm excited to read more from this author in the future

This is a well done fake dating romance between Meghna and Karthik. She’s agreed to be the best man for the man she’s silently loved for years as he marries someone else. Karthik’s mother is trying to get him pinto an arranged marriage, and Meghna doesn’t want to go through the wedding festivities alone. Fake dating will make their parents back off, but is their relationship really just pretend?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First things first, if it’s fake dating / engagement / marriage if convenience, I’m there!! I have to say, this felt very solid in reasoning for a fake relationship, and I enjoyed the characters! BUT, if you’re not into the miscommunication trope, this will likely not be your jam! I found myself frustrated a few times because the miscommunication ran basically throughout the whole book. Overall, it was very sweet and I enjoyed it. Recommend - with the caveat!

for a debut, i really enjoyed this! the third act fell a little flat for me and i didn’t love all the miscommunication, but overall really enjoyed the arranged marriage and fake dating combo! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eArc!

This was such a cute fake dating romance (one of my fave tropes) with a sloooow burn. I really enjoyed reading this beginning to end!

Narration: Third person past tense, dual POV
Diversity: both MCs are Indian American with immigrant parents

👍
+ I loved these two together. I was rooting for them the whole time. They misread each other a lot until they get to know each other better and I enjoyed seeing them get to understand each other more the more time they spent together. And I loved how their affection for each other kind of snuck up on them. The pining, the chemistry, the banter were all great!
+ I especially liked Karthik (the MMC) as a character from the get go because his introverted-ness and logical approach to life gets misunderstood a lot, which I really related to.
+ I liked that both characters also had separate personal issues they were dealing with outside of the romance that they helped each other face. They both went through a great amount of personal growth throughout the book.
+ I thought the drama aside from their romance was also handled very well. Especially Karthik’s family drama felt nuanced and got resolved very well.
+ If there’s a theme to the book I’d say it’s breaking away from others’ expectations and influence on you, and living your life the way you would want to.
+ I’m hoping there will be a second book covering the best friend, because I’m INVESTED in her romance plot line.

👎
- There were parts that felt like there was unnecessary drama thanks to everyone’s least favorite trope: miscommunication. As adults I wish they could just talk about what they want and go after it.

Overall rating: 4.2 ⭐

Thank you so much Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a cute and fun read. It has my favorite trope—grump/sunshine. I thought the book was a bit slow and took while to build. Also I didn’t care much for the ending—could have done without the miscommunication.

Meghna and Karthik meet through the potential for an arranged marriage. Karthik's mom had set up many similar meetings for him to go on throughout the year and for Meghna, this was the first time she'd met anyone in this way. Much to her parents' delight, Karthik called Meghna after their awkward first encounter and proposed. Although between the couple, it was a fake proposal, just to keep their families happy. However, the real story begins as Meghna and Karthik develop real feelings for each other.

I absolutely LOVED reading this. The story tropes are not new, and as a point of fact, I usually despise the miscommunication trope - I just want them to understand what the other is trying/wants to say so badly! Perhaps in that I don't actually hate it, but just want the characters to figure it out. Any who, the way in which these characters behave with each other was so refreshing and sweet. It's a perfect romance!

3 ⭐️ (rounded up)

Meghna and Karthik come from your typical Indian families. Their parents have similar values and finally want their kids to settle down. So, they arrange for Meghna and Karthik to meet in the hopes that they’ll agree to an arranged marriage.

But, neither individual is looking to be tied down at the moment, or ever. So, to get their parents off their back, they pretend to actually be engaged to each other. Meghna agrees in the hopes that she can make her ex boyfriend, who is now engaged, jealous. And Karthik orchestrates this plan so that he doesn’t have to follow through with meeting potential suitors his mom picked out for a year.

Tropes: fake dating/fake marriage, insta-love

Likes: the writing!! The author’s prose was so beautiful and it made this book such a quick read. Meghna (our FMC) 🥰

Dislikes: Karthik (our MMC) 💀, he was so noncommittal it hurt my heart. The insta-love aspect. It didn’t really make sense considering how logical and unemotional Karthik was portrayed to be until he knew Meghna better. Men who belittle women (I’m looking at you, Seth).

This was a great book. I felt like I was there with the characters along for the journey! I would definitely recommend this book!

This book was such a fun read! I enjoyed the build up between Meghna and Kathrik and the supporting storylines. The exploration of complex relationships, personal growth, and romance was my cup of tea. I found some moments to be unrealistic, which I know many contemporary romance novels explore, but it just didn't work for me. I also wish I knew how things ended up with Seth at the end (mainly because I felt so much dislike towards him).

I'm so looking forward to reading more from Naina, this was a lovely debut novel. Thanks netgalley & Dell for this Arc read - I had so much fun!

This book was okay I had high hopes going in and it honestly fell a bit flat. I’m not sure if it is because I don’t fully understand the tradition and reasoning behind the arranging marriage culture or what. I think the idea was wonderful I just couldn’t connect with these characters.

Kumar knows how to build a romance. Kumar builds the love slowly, but not too slowly and the reader can actually see why they should be together. They supported each other with their careers and gave each other advice. I loved how we could see Karthik opening himself up and falling in love throughout the fake engagement . I also really enjoyed the insight in the moments where he gets jealous.

The miscommunication trope was definitely present and I have yet to decide if it bothered me or if it just made their love story more realistic.