Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blair Williams arrives at Ruby Lodge expecting to bond with her coworkers at a team building retreat. However, her big takeaway is that life in the city working as a lawyer is no longer something she wants. Deciding a sabbatical on a remote island is just what she needs she returns to Ruby Lodge for some uninterrupted time in nature.

Megan Reinking’s Say You Mean It is a contemporary romance that heavily features mental health. The female main character, Blair Williams, has high functioning depression. While it is something she lives with on a daily basis she attempts to manage it with a combination of medication and therapy.

I appreciated how transparent Reinking’s writing is. She perfectly captures Blair’s symptoms: constant negative self talk, low social battery, and lack of drive. Collectively these things have worked to keep her in an unfulfilling relationship and job despite taking steps to overcome them.

As someone who struggles with their mental health it can be very difficult to explain to others. I felt this story handled the sensitive subject matter with the appropriate care it deserves. I would gladly recommend this book to others seeking to understand high functioning depression.

While this book is on the heavier side it also features:
-dual POVs
- he falls first
-cinnamon roll MMC
-closed door romance
-cozy cabin vibes

Special thanks to Netgalley and Megan Reinking for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Blair meets Graham when she is on a company retreat at the lodge he runs. She is not looking forward to it, but the location brings her some kind of peace. The book deals with some difficult issues, but I enjoyed reading it and the insights it gave me. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

Say You Mean It had me hooked from start to finish. Highly recommend for anyone in need of a good love story and some self-discovery.

This is my first read by Megan Reinking and I’m ready for the next one! Megan perfectly intertwines the struggles of the MCs Blair and Graham with care and emotion. She builds a world and story surrounding delicate topics; love, depression, family struggles, life’s everyday stress and money struggles. The story is both powerful and relatable.

This book was a slow burn with closed door spice, but I honestly didn’t care (shocker!!) the story didn’t need it. The emotional connection between Blair and Graham was so beautifully written it stood entirely on its own.

I closed this book feeling warm hearted with a sudden urge to fly across the world to a cabin in Minnesota…. Anyone???

Huge thanks to the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and the Author for sending me an ARC – all opinions are my own, of course!

A beautiful story about depression, finding what makes you happy, choosing yourself and going after what makes you a better and more fulfilled version of yourself! Entwined with a lovely friends to lovers storyline.
Set on a small remote island in the stunning Lake of the Woods.

In some books love gets thrown around like a cure for depression. And I hate that. Luckily this book does not take that route! Whilest it is good for her selfesteem to be treated with kindness, her depression doesn't get cured because of it. She puts in the work. (And a cure is not the goal!!) She wants to feel more like herself again. So she goes to therapy, listens to her body, slows down and recharges. She goes on a search to see what she wants to do in life, what makes her happy. What is true to herself.

There were beautiful conversations about selfworth, relationships, health and family. About pressure and people pleasing. That really elevated the story.
But most of all this was a super cosy read and I really recommend it!

In Say You Mean It, we follow lawyer Blair who is living with depression and feels very lost in her life. Her work go on a team building weekend to an island retreat and despite not wanting to participate, she finds herself enjoying her time but of course, the niggly bad thoughts are still there. Graham, is the owner of Ruby Lodge and gets talking to Blair on her first night. The days go by quickly and Blair has to return home but she begins to question where she really wants to be and what she really wants.

I thought the mental health representation was well done and I could relate to how Blair was feeling. Her character growth was lovely to watch unfold. It was a sweet story of finding your place in the world and I wish I could have jumped through the pages and experienced Ruby Lodge for myself. I would definitely recommend picking this book up.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy to review.

Say You Mean It is the literal perfect comfort read. There's no stress- only a very heartwarming love story, great mental health representation, and perfect northwoods vibes. I loved this book! I loved Blair and Graham. I love how while their love made each other's lives better, it wasn't depicted as solving all their problems or making the mental health aspects of the story magically better. I love that the book managed to be so comforting and so sweet while still being realistic in that way.

Anywho, now I'm off to try to find a cabin on an island in Minnesota to find myself at (or maybe I should just settle for our own family cabin in northern Wisconsin. But it won't be the same!! And there's no Graham there!!)

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

City girl x country guy
He falls first
Mental health rep
Closed door
New beginnings & Self discovery
Dual pov

🎣🌲⛺️🫎🛻🪵☕️

Thank you so much for this arc, Megan! I absolutely loved this book. Ruby Lodge, here I come!!! How Graham supports & loves Blair is what every woman deserves. To be loved is to be supported & exist freely. 🦋🥹 This was one of my favorite reads of 2024!!

Having a camping lodge sounds like a dream & running it with your partner?? Add to life goals ✔️

“The world is your oyster. Just tell me what I can do for you.”

“I secretly love the fact that she's making a life for herself here and doing things that don't always include me. I want her to be happy here-and not just with me.”

“I relish the daily reminder that my body is fully capable of doing hard things. Things that once seemed impossible and out of reach”

“Meet me at the dock at 9? G.
A new rush of butterflies comes to life as I run my thumb slowly over his words, pausing at the way he curled the G. Even his handwriting is somehow comforting. Inside the bag is a cinnamon-streusel muffin…”

“I deserve more. I'm safe here.”

I loved this book so much. It was so heartwarming and filled with so much healing. The characters connection was amazing. If you've ever wanted the perfect comfort read book, this is it!

I liked the story, it was cozy and sweet small town romance. The character were very relatable and i loved the mental health representation. However, the plot and character development felt a bit flat for me, i didn't felt the tension between them, based on the review i expected a little more from the book.

I still want to read more book by the author.

This was a sweet, wholesome story. It's a quick read. It took me too long to read it because I'm in a romance reading slump.

I identified with Blair's self loathing too much. Unfortunately I have said many of the things she says to herself, to myself.

I really like Graham. I sure wouldn't turn away a hunky, outdoorsy man. Especially a thoughtful sweet one.

There was something a little off about this book to me. I think maybe there was a lot of filler scenes that didn't really lend a ton to the overall plot. A lot of every day scenes.

It was cute, HEA. It didn't blow me away, but left me smiling.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a cute, cozy romance book. Takes place in a small town, but mostly on an island off the small town. It does mention mental health like depression, anxiety, and panic attacks which I loved since I do struggle with those. Aside from the romance side, it’s truly about finding yourself and realizing what Blair wants instead of just going through the motions of daily life with no reward at the end.

“𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮.”

Rating: ★★★★☆

Spice: nada (closed door)

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 that beautifully intertwines the struggles of two main characters, Blair and Graham, while finding love along the way. The story delicately navigates themes of love, depression, family drama, and the complexities of life stress, offering readers a deeply moving and relatable story. I love that the struggles are depicted in an emotional but not overly dramatic way, as this also makes it easier to understand and relate to.

Blair and Graham’s relationship shows that if you truly love someone, nothing can get in the way of that. They brought out the best in each other, and were a good example of how to support someone through the struggles of mental health.

Say You Mean It is book 1 in the Ruby Lodge Series by Megan Reinking.
Can I get book two yet? I need book two!
This book was so good I read it in one sitting.
The story is well written and the characters are fleshed out very well.
Blair and Graham really captivated me with their story and personalities.
Reinking’s writing is compelling drawing you from at the beginning and will have you routing for these characters throughout the book. I appreciated the realistic look into the characters lives.
I’m ready for book two.
Say You Mean It is a delightful and heartwarming novel.

Thank You NetGalley and Megan Reinking for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I love this book. Blair is a big city lawyer, and she is struggling with high-functioning depression and low self esteem. The last place she wants to be is a remote island in a lake near the Minnesota/ Canada border for her firm’s annual retreat. But she’s going to fake it till she makes it (plus see a therapist, and put in so much work on her own). There she meets Graham, the lodge owner, and they form a really supportive friendship that eventually turns to more. I loved the setting: the wilderness, the lake, cozy cabins, bon fires, float planes, the lodge library, fishing boats, and guitar playing. It was just so cozy while at the same time dealing with some serious topics. This book is a very slow burn with low spice but it felt so right for this story. It was really beautifully written.

“To me life is about grasping onto the high moments and hoping like hell that they’ll carry you through the low ones.”

Say You Mean It was a fantastic ride. Like Blair in the plane in the opening scene, I felt shaken at first, when I realized the book was about depression (I knew that when I chose it, I had just forgotten about it when I began to read).
The mental health’s representation was delightful –truly– and a perfect opportunity to heal.
I adored how Blair’s thoughts were pictured as voices, how their content and “interlocutors” changed, until Blair found her own voice again. It was really moving, believable, and a great character’s arc. The role of Nature was a delight too, Blair’s evolution regarding her interactions on the island, but mostly the physicality of it –supported by a magnificent writing, the sensorial descriptions were a marvel– and how it helped her to anchor herself in her body and life.
I loved Graham, how unjudging and supportive he was, helping Blair in her journey. The fact that he had his own challenges, very different from hers (and outside the relationship) was also great and added a plot to the romance.
Through the characters (main and side), the story, and the immersive and soothing writing, this novel was a sweet and soft bubble that came to me right when I needed it. I was on this Island –but I wish I were really there– and like Blair I began to heal.

Thank you NetGalley and Megan Reinking for this ARC in exchange for my free and honest review. My opinions are my own.

3.5*

If you enjoy slow burn romance, perfectly unperfect people with really relatable issues, this book was written for you. As a fellow Minnesotan with a cabin on Namakan Lake, I loved the northern MN setting. I felt like something big was going to happen throughout the book, and it just kind of fell flat for me. I liked the mental health aspect, I just felt like something was missing? Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable.

say you mean it by megan reinking is a heartwarming escape to a secluded island on a lake, where city girl Blair Williams (fmc) finds unexpected solace and a budding romance with Graham Peterson (mmc), the owner of the struggling Ruby Lodge. miss reinking crafts a beautifully emotional tale of blair's journey through high-functioning depression and self-discovery, intertwined with graham's fight to save his family's lodge. the dual pov adds depth, letting us delve into blair's relatable struggles and graham's unwavering charm. their slow-burn romance is tender and captivating, set against the picturesque backdrop of northern minnesota. overall a quick and enjoyable read! thank you to netgalley and megan reinking for this arc in exchange for my review!

Wow...this was an enjoyable but emotionally charged book. The female main character, Blair, was so relatable.

Blair suffers from depression and the book tales you through her finding a bit of joy in living again.

I absolutely loved that the epilogue really closes put the story. Wasn't left wondering what happened with certain plot lines.

My only issue was some parts felt...i don't know...flat? Some conversations felt stilted.

This book was such a fun read. But trigger warning for depression. The story is a dual POV that follows Blair in her battle with depression and her story to overcome it, and Graham who is dealing with the chance of losing his family's Lodge on a secluded island in Minnesota. The perfect quick summer read with strangers to lovers and a slow burn relationship. It was very heartwarming and easily a book to read time and time again.

Thank you NetGalley, and Megan Reinking for the digital ARC to read. All opinions in this review are my own.

I always worry when I see a book has mental health themes as sometimes authors don’t do it justice. I think Megan done a really beautiful job with our FMC Blair.. Also our MMC Graham was so loveable and handled everything to do with Blair with such care. I really enjoyed this story and found it really relatable in ways too. I rated it 4 stars, no spice but really gripping slow burn between the characters.