This book eviscerated me; every page turned was like a tiny paper cut slicing me each and every time until I slowly bled out. The words, the characters, the storyline. Each aspect, each moment slashes you until you don’t even realize you’re nothing left but open wounds hemorrhaging out every emotion, every feeling, every heartache onto the floor. I was not ready for the mess of emotions that this book triggered in me, or the amount of crying I did while reading it. It’s been a long time since a story affected me in this way.

I’m not lying when I say I purged my feeling via copious amounts of tears. By the end I could barely hold it together. But through all the heartache, through every minute that I didn’t think I could handle much more, Meagan comes through and heals those wounds. Her words slowly and meticulous stitch up every slice, every tear until you are whole again, albeit changed but whole. This book will forever live with me, having ingrained itself into my very marrow. If you read only one book this year, let it be this one you won’t regret it.

It wasn't as good of a sports romance as I've previously read. A lot more depressing than I expected but it wasn't tear jerkingly sad which is good.

★★★★★ - 5 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠
𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄✨

♡ 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝐵𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑
♡︎ 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
♡︎ 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐽𝑒𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑟
♡ 𝐹𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
♡︎ 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠
♡︎ 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋 🌶️🌶️🌶️

*ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴘᴇᴇʀ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ*

Lord have mercy! This book destroyed me emotionally on multiple levels. It didn't just tug at my heartstrings; it tap-danced on them leaving my heart fluttery, shattered, and pieced back together by renewing my belief in fate.

First and foremost, NOAH RILEY?! *SWOON* He is officially my book husband. This man is worthy of all the praise and deserves the entire world. I love a humble man whose love language is acts of service.

The plot's twists and turns? They had me in a grip tighter than a stubborn jar of pickles; I may have even developed a migraine from all the tension – literary-induced, of course.

Despite all of that, this book is seriously beautiful and gave me nostalgic and reminiscent vibes of the movie The Vow. The symbolism within the book is like a hidden treasure, enriching their relationship, and the script reveal at the end? The cherry on top of a literary sundae 🍒

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ

say you swear is genuinely one of my favorite books. even thinking about it makes me cry. meagan wrote of of the most beautiful and heartbreaking stories i’ve ever read with this. noah and ari’s relationship is probably one of the, if not the, best book relationships to exist. they’re a couple you have no doubt will be together forever. they went through so much and made it out strong <3

i’m so happy and proud that meagan got a bloom deal for this. she deserves to have even more people read it, and i hope they do <3

This is easily one of my top 2 favorite books. I love the way the author makes you fall in love with the characters and become so invested in their story.

This is a college romance about a group of friends who leave their hometown to start college together. Ariana, the FMC falls in love with her brother’s best friend, only to have her heart broken.

I don’t want to say too much because you just have to experience this beautiful story for yourself.

This story is heart-wrenching in the most beautiful way. There was not one thing that I disliked about this book except that I wish it was a little bit longer because I was not ready for the story to end. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, the character development, and the unexpected plot twists, the drama, the angst. I can’t wait for the sequel because I just know I’m going to love it just as much.

Review also posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

you should 1000% go into this book blind and just enjoy the journey it takes you on!!

this books is BEAUTIFUL. i’m literally so mad at myself that it took me so long to read it. i loved the beach house setting and the introduction to ari and her inner circle. they truly are that friend group that’s there for you for life. the forbidden romance with her twin brothers best friend and the heartbreak that comes with that felt so real.

after the summer at the beach house we get to see ari experience a lot of heartbreak and trying to feel comfortable on her own since she isolates herself from her friends especially chase and needs some space. enter noah!! this man is a walking green flag. hes such a softie and he truly cares about ari. they grow close and noah helps ari heal overtime. i loved all their little hangouts when noah was teaching her to cook.

this book is about heartbreak and healing and falling back in love. there is some rollercoaster of emotions that happens and literally comes out of left field but i love seeing noah stick by ari’s side no matter what. this book will make you laugh, it will make you angry, it will make you cry and so much more. it was worth every single second

& that epilogue was hands down the BEST one i’ve read. i get the hype behind this book and im mad my friends didn’t bully me hard enough to read this one sooner!! so many tears but such a BEAUTIFUL story🧡

AHHHHH i cannot express how much i love this book!!! Noah riley is the epitome of the best book boyfriend ever; i love him so so much! I hated how chase treated Ari and Im so happy Ari was able to see who she was and how she was with each of them (it’s a love triangle but not really a love triangle) BUT UHG i’m in love!!!!

All I have to say is NOAH👏🏼 FREAKING 👏🏼RILEY. This man is no book boyfriend, he is a book HUSBAND. I loved this book so much that it just became my favorite book of the year!! I’ve never shut a book and instantly wanted to run back to page one. Ugh if you listen to anything I say, just read this book 🥹🥰

This book is one of my top 5 read of all time. Five stars. Bring tissues. The way this book just elevates a sports romance to a whole new level. You really get attached to these characters and never want it to end 😭🩷

Thank you Bloom Books and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️ spoilers ahead ⚠️

THIS BOOK WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER!!!! i love noah and i truly think he deserves more than this cruel world dealt him. the whole second half of this book could have been its own novel in itself!! the first half was kinda slow for me! don't get me wrong, i loved the little moments with noah and ari but the book really picked up its pace after the incident.. i balled!!! what do you do if your partner wakes up one day and completely forgets your entire relationship? i couldn't even imagine the pain noah was going through having to witness that, watch ari from a far and then his mom dying?!? my poor noah 😭😭😭 also what the hell happened to noah's football career? the draft? that was all unresolved!!!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a love triangle, emotional read! It was very good!!

Say You Swear: ★★★★☆ (4)

Pub date: March 26 - You can get the beautiful new cover, out now!

✨ Publication date: March 26, 2024✨

Say you swear is a new adult spicy college love triangle romance book. It’s a republish from the author originally launched in 2022.

It’s taken me a hot minute to absorb this book before I do my review. I read other reviews and scoffed about how a book could possibly make the reader feel THAT way….well I’m not going to lie, it was one hell of a wild ride.

Ariana Johnson has been in love with her twin brother’s best friend Chase for years. Having grown up together in a tight friendship group she never made a move. More like her brother Mason would lose his mind if anyone, even his closest friend touched his sister.

After Chase gives her false hope and ultimately hurts her a week before they head off to the same college, she meets Noah Riley the captain of the school football team the guys play on.

Noah and Ariana strike up what becomes an extremely meaningful friendship for them both. Noah recognizes that Ariana needs to heal and get over Chase and gives her the time and space she needs to do that.

As Noah and Ariana get closer their chemistry is off the charts, an unpredictable twist of fate gives Ariana everything she’s wanted for years but is that she has it, is it really what she wants?

I enjoyed this book and honestly Noah Riley is my new book boyfriend. There is considerable spice in this one so be aware. This is a 4.5 star for me. A few things bothered me more than a little bit so that’s why it’s not the full 5 stars. 1) The absolute over the top protectiveness of the guys 2) the double standard that it was absolutely okay for the guys to sleep around and 3) Chase is an ass

#NetGalley #meaganbrandy #sayyouswear

Thank you to Bloom Books/Sourcebooks for the ARC of Say You Swear!

I’d been intrigued by this book for a while but never really knew what it would be about because I tend to go into books with as little info as possible to avoid spoilers. All I knew was that some of my friends really love this one!

Finding out it was a love triangle trope made me a little nervous because that’s one of my least favorite tropes. This continues to be the case 😅 there’s always a clear favorite for the reader to root for and it’s just tiring when it gets dragged out when you’re just waiting for that person to finally get the love they deserve.

Poor Noah. He deserved so much more! Chase was the worst and couldn’t find it in me to root for him at all.

While this story wasn’t for me, I could definitely see how this would appeal to so many people! Those who love the drama will LOVE this one!

I have gone back and forth on how to rate this book. It started really slow for me and I didn’t love the love triangle aspect…my fault for going in blind. But once I got to about the half way point I really enjoyed it. I absolutely loved Noah and he is my favorite character in the story. Everyone needs a Noah in their life! I loved the way he treated Arianna throughout their relationship and the man knows how to communicate! Arianna was so sweet but there were times I was annoyed with her and her infatuation with Chase. Overall I really enjoyed most of this book and would read it again just so I can annotate it…so many quotes from Noah that I want to highlight! If you are looking for an angsty story that will break your heart and then put it back together again then this is the book for you!

Ari is ready for her last hurrah before college with her twin brother and best friends at the their beach house. It’s there she’s hit in the head with a football by Noah Riley, the quarterback at the college her group is going to- a teammate of her brother. He’s nice and polite but has to head back to campus so she doesn’t get to know him. That’s fine though, she’s in love with their family friend Chase. One night when things get too real, she hooks up with Chase only to be told it was a mistake. She goes home and is miserable until she is on campus and befriends Noah for real. But as the two get close, Chase begins to realize what he could’ve had.

Here’s my thoughts during each part of the book. I also went in blind in this not knowing it was a love triangle and that this was Noah Riley’s book (heard about him, never realized where he’s from)


First 10%: ah, a fun last hoorah summer story where she’s in love with her childhood friend/brothers best friend … what could go wrong?

20%: okay Chase fucking sucks, let’s move on to college now

30%: Noahs here to save the day … multiple times

40%: Noah is too good. What’s going to be his character flaw?

50%: they need to fuck already

60%: did they really need to Mason so dirty? Now I’m anxious AF for the rest of this book

62%: I’m going to lay in traffic

70%: this is a rollercoaster and I cant tell if I want to get off

80%: chase is my Tamlin

90%: noah deserves the fucking world. Jesus. Boy cant catch a break

This book will have you laughing one minute, crying the next, then getting ready to throw your kindle/book/phone. I have not been so moved by a book in SO LONG. Noah and Ari deserve the fucking world and I NEED book 2 to be released like yesterday just so I can get a little cameo on how they’re doing today.

This was definitely my favorite book for March and Noah easily just became my newest book boyfriend. I love every character and how they all make sense. I NEED MORE.

"Say You Swear" sets the scene with those nostalgic summer vibes while we learn how our characters met, but as the story moves into their college years, things start to fizzle. The plot takes its sweet time to get going, and the repetitive chapters might have you checking out. The love triangle? Yeah, it's pretty flat, and you can see the ending coming from a mile away.

Noah Riley brings some charm, but the romance feels like it's on fast forward, lacking that spark to keep you hooked.

If you're after a light-hearted romance to breeze through, "Say You Swear" might just do the trick.

3.5/5

I can’t with this book. It’s one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever read, and I thought about throwing in the towel too many times to count. First of all, the FMC is immature and her naivety was so annoying. And the fact that her main goal in life was to be a mother was… something else. No shade to mothers, but this character detail didn’t sit well with me.

As for the MMC, damn, the author didn’t let that dude catch a single break. I wish he had a little more going for him than to just live life in love with the FMC, but I digress.

And MMC2, aka Chase, is a piece of shit. I could say more, but he doesn’t deserve my time.

ANYWAY, overall, this was way too long and had so many unnecessary twists and turns in the plot that, like I said, I almost gave up on it a few times. Add in the fact that it was the slowest of slow burns in terms of spice and general excitement, and I’m just glad to be done with it. Also rating the spice feels weird since the FMC is like 18, but… 2/5🌶️🌶️ because it was so sporadic and short-lived.

(Thank you, Bloom Books and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

4.5/5 ⭐
2.0/5 🌶️
4.0/5 🎧

This book was nothing like I expected, but I absolutely loved it. I had been told this book will leave you sobbing going in, and after looking at the blurb, I came to my own conclusions and just waited for them to happen. And waited. And waited. And realized I had it all wrong. So while it wasn't as sad as I was thinking, and while I didn't cry my eyes out, I absolutely understand why people do. There is a moment when everything shifts and it took my breath away, I started to lose hope and wondered how Meagan was going to recover the happily ever after.

*small spoilers ahead*
I really didn't like Chase. In the beginning when he chose Mason over Ari. In the middle when he got jealous. In the end when he took advantage of the situation. I had such an icky feeling about him the whole book... Noah though? That man had my whole dang heart. The way he never took advantage of Ari's emotions and was always there for her. He loved her so hard it hurt. He absolutely deserved every ounce of her love and I was so happy he got it.

The ending was so sweet. When she finds the calendar it about broke my heart. But everything that followed put it back together again. The epilogue was amazing, everything I wanted and more. I loved it so much. I'm so excited to see we'll be getting Peyton's story, I can't wait to get to see her happy.

The audio was really good. I loved Sarah McEwan and Lee Samuels and thought they did a great job narrating these characters.

Arianna has loved Chase since he moved in across the street in junior high. Her brother and his best friend claimed him as part of their friend group and they have all hung out and been close ever since. As they prepare to head off to college by spending a few wild weeks at a cottage together, Arianna finally gets the opportunity to show Chase how she has felt about him for so long. When things don’t go quite as planned, an unexpected but handsome distraction in the form of Noah Riley- quarterback for the college’s football team- appears. As Ari and Noah spend time together over the next few months and develop a beautiful friendship, everything in their lives changes dramatically causing Ari to wonder what’s more important- first love or a shiny, new love?
—————————————

The perfect combination of new adult romance, dramatic angst, strong friendships, and sexiness! While new adult romance can sometimes seem a little too young for me to enjoy, these college kids had the weight of the world on their shoulders at times, making them seem more mature. As much as it hurt reading about Ari getting her heart broken, it was a joy to watch her fall in love again with someone who was the absolute ultimate book boyfriend. Wow. Noah Riley sets the standard! I was downright swooning at times, only to be tearing up later on. The heartbreak is strong in this one and Ari goes through so much to get her happily ever after, but it’s a beautiful story on her way there.

My one dislike was her twin brother Mason. His overprotectiveness came across as demeaning and very misogynistic at times, rather than the supportive and loving brother I think he was supposed to be.

"say you swear."
"i swear"

what an emotional read! I was sucked into this story. five friends connected since childhood start college together but when ariana and her brothers best friend have a special night and he doesn't feel the same, it changes their dynamic. but then comes noah. and this man was everything.

"I want someone's all. I want someone's all and absolutely nothing less."
noah riley is just too good to be true. he was so patient and kind with ariana, even when she was battling with her feelings and contused, he was still there, always waiting for her and ready. i was rooting for him since the beginning.

i cried, gasped, smiled like an idiot, and stood frozen while reading. it was written so well and had me pulled into this whirlwind of a story.

side note: i’m so excited to learn there will be following books to this, im so excited to read about the side characters as they get their main character moments too!

Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley.

Imagine the guy you want doesn't want you so you fall in love with their best friend. That what I want. Say you swear is addictive. Meagan Brandy you genius share.