I got 5 chapters in and couldn't get into it. I think it was the way the kindle version was set up, it was super hard to read. The reviews on this book are good, which makes me sad I didn't like it. I will probably give it another try once the book comes out and I can physically read it.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the characters and I felt like the writing is really wonderful. The plot is very interesting and well thought out!

[3.5 Stars] Say You Mean It was my first book by Megan Reinking, and I thought it was a sweet story with an uplifting theme. I loved how Megan Reinking wrote Graham and Blair's emotional entanglement through the lens of friendship and mental health and then gave us the romantic element. I thought it helped to create a "safety net" foundation for Blair to work through her fears, anxiety, and mental obstacles that kept her from truly living and keeping everyone at arms-length. Graham was such a sweetheart, cinnamon roll character because he unconditionally supported and cared for Blair, and his thoughtfulness made my heart melt.

I love to read all spice levels in my romance books, and I enjoyed that Say You Mean It was a clean romance, letting the book rely on relationship and character development. However, I wish the book was longer to allow the friendship-turned-romance between Graham and Blair to simmer longer because I missed the tension and chemistry. I would have loved to have had one or two more will they/won't they moments because I love those moments so much!

Overall, I enjoyed Say You Mean It and hope to read another Megan Reinking book in the future!

+A huge thank you to NetGalley and Megan Reinking for the arc of Say You Mean It! All thoughts in this review are my own.
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Details:
💘Contemporary romance
👀Dual, first-person POV
🏡Small town romance
🌹No third act breakup

Tropes:
🍰Cinnamon roll MMC
📍Forced proximity
💙He falls first
🧲Opposites attract
🤐Secrets
🧨Slow burn

Spice:
🌸None (Clean)
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Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Great (4.25-4.75)
😊Good, but not great (3.50-4.25)
😒Just OK (2.75-3.50)
😑It's A No (1.00-2.75)
🚫DNF

Right off the bat, the cover and description sold me on this book; a big city girl meeting a guy from a quiet, small town ish life.

I loved how cozy it felt, a rural small town-vibes setting, the kind of book that’s perfect to read curled up in front of a fire.

The slow burn between the characters felt authentic and right! I appreciated how well the author handled the slighter heavier topics of mental health that Blair was experiencing, as well the struggles and stresses Graham was going through. Bonus points since there was no third act break up!

Overall a sweet read with some depth and heavier topics explored.

I'm kind of a sucker for the fish-out-of-water, big city vs small town romance, and Say You Mean It delivered that well. Blair attends a company retreat on a small island and discovers what her life has been missing in Ruby Lodge and Graham.

I really appreciated the handling of Blair's mental health and Graham's need to caretake for his family. These felt believable and respectful.

I'm not often a closed door, slow burn lover but it really worked here. I ate this cozy romance up in one sitting.

Thanks to Megan Reinking and NetGalley for this ARC to review!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this!

Blair is been fighting a heavy depression a for a long time. A work retreat to a Lodge in a remote island in Minessotta seems like a lot of work. But the wild place and his wonderful owner show Blair her worth and finally give her the push to love herself and embrace a future full of life and love?

Every once in a while a beautiful book cover catches your eye out of nowhere and then the story itself completely melts your heart. This is exactly what happened to me with Say You Mean It by Megan Reinking - this was my first book by the author but I'm sure it won't be my last and I was overjoyed to receive an ARC!

Say You Mean It is the story of Blair, who is struggling with her job, with her relationship, and with life in general. A trip with her colleagues at her law firm to a distant island resort in Minnesota seems horrifying but what Blair ends up finding is room to breathe, as well as the courage to listen to herself and her own needs.

"My eyes flutter closed, and a lazy smile grows on my face.
This right here. This is happiness."

Quick intro:
Graham runs a struggling lodge in Northern Minnesota and Blair is a big-city attorney with high functioning depression. They meet when her law firm has a retreat at the Ruby Lodge. We follow her mental health journey and ultimately her discovery of what truly makes her happy.

Quick thoughts:
This was a quick, light, and easy romance read perfectly paired with a warm cup of coffee or glass of wine. There wasn’t anything about this book that made it particularly unique or mind blowing, but I’d still recommend it if you are looking for an easy, low-stakes, and closed door romance. At less than 300 pages, you’ll be able to fly through it.

Both of the MCs are likeable enough, I just was left wanting more out of the story I guess. I appreciated how the author handled Blair’s mental health struggle, the positive therapy representation, and her healing journey. And Graham was the perfect match for Blair on her journey - he was a good communicator and cared for her really well.

Read if you like mental health rep, woodsy settings, small-town feel, no third act breakup, closed door, and slow burn.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was such a sweet and fun story! Blair is forced to visit Ruby Lodge on a remote island in Minnesota for a work retreat. She has suffered from anxiety, depression and low self-esteem for a long time, but she takes comfort in the beautiful setting and the sweet, handsome man Graham who runs the resort. When she receives a call from Graham asking for legal advice, she returns to the resort to provide support. This was a beautiful story about love, friendship and healing. I could really relate to Blair and I really loved the mental health representation in this book. I loved Megan’s writing style and I really hope she continues this series!

Tropes:
▫️Small town romance
▫️City girl x country boy
▫️Strangers-to-friends-to-lovers
▫️Cinnamon roll MMC
▫️Mental health representation

Thank you to Megan Reinking and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You’re safe here”
This quote is how this book felt to me. Like a warm hug that carried me the whole way through.

Say You Mean It was so much more than a romance book! The mental health representation was so well done and added incredible depth to the story. I found myself just as invested in the FMC’s relationship with herself, as I was with her relationship with the MMC.

Graham is now one of my all time top book boyfriends! He plays guitar, he falls first and he falls hard! He was so caring and considerate doing absolutely everything for his family, his staff, his guests and handled Blair’s mental health with such grace!

I adored their relationship and loved that there was no miscommunication between them. This was the opposite of a miscommunication trope! They had great communication, it was honestly green flag central all round which made me so happy!!

If you are looking for small town, supportive female friendship, mental health representation, personal growth and of course romance, then this is the book for you!

I feel like this book had similar vibes to Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez, so if you loved that one, I would definitely recommend Say You Mean It!

This book was more than just a romance but a story of two people who are facing obstacles in their lives and working through them with each other's support. Blair-dealing with depression, a job is does not love and in a relationship where she does not feel. appreciate and Graham trying to cope with his mother's condition while holding everything together at his family's Lodge.

The romance was a little slower paced (I wanted Blair and Graham to be together ASAP) but I appreciate that it was not about the romance but the growth of each character. I wanted a little bit of spice (closed door romance). I loved Graham he was everything Blair needed and he was always considerate of her. Blair came a long way and her growth was amazing.

Thank you to the author for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC of this book. I just got this book on March 27, and thought I would have until at least May 14 to read it since that is the pub date. However, I see that the archive date is in just a few days. I haven't had a chance to really dive into it yet, but I am looking forward to reading it this month. I will come back and edit my review once I have read it.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

If you are looking for a clean (no spice), well written, emotionally impactful romance you need to read this book.
This adorable romance takes place in my own home state of Minnesota. You are following Blair and Graham.
Blair is a lawyer from Chicago that struggles with mental health, self doubt, and abandonment issues. This is depicted in an amazing way that I fully resonated with. She's a bit standoffish and secluded to protect herself from being hurt. Graham is the sweet innkeeper of a resort that is her company's getaway retreat spot. If you love a man who performs acts of service you are going to swoon over Graham.
These two have a slow start as Blair discovers just what it means to feel alive again; not only by finding love but rediscovering herself again.
I absolutely loved this entire story from start to finish and devoured it in two days.
The writing style is easy/fast paced but cohesive throughout the events of the book.
The descriptions in this authors writing style will have your mouth watering from the amazing food that one of the resort workers makes and your eyes alight with the Lake of the Woods views.

The only downside I would say to this book is everything major that happens is a little easily resolved with little to no strife, which makes this story really believable but sometimes a little flat. The drama was lacking but it was covered by just the overall cozy feel of this amazing love story.

I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a sweet, cozy, and impactful shorter romance.

I’ve never been to Northern Minnesota before but after reading this book I want to jump in my car and go for a visit. Megan Reinking did such a fantastic job describing the scenery that I felt like I was really there. Megan did a wonderful job of getting inside Blair’s head as she dealt with depression and low self-esteem. I found myself cheering on Blair and Graham, I couldn’t wait to see where their next adventure took them.

Tropes
- Slow burn
- Mental health rep
- Small town romance
- Finding yourself & your happiness
- Only one tent
- Closed door romance
- Dual POV
- Strangers to friends to lovers

Blair Williams is a city girl that travels to a remote island on a lake near the Minnesotan/Canadian border for her law firm’s company-wide retreat. Blair has long struggled with high-functioning depression and low self-esteem, in addition to battling the ever-present melancholy and negative internal thoughts that plague her.

Graham Peterson's mom is currently in the nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer’s, and his dad preoccupied with taking care of her, leaving Graham to run the lodge and deal with the growing pile of bills that threaten to jeopardise its future.

Graham calls Blair weeks later, looking for legal advice and Blair doesn’t hesitate to drop everything and travel back to the island to help.

Megan Reinking has done an amazing job of a slow burn that doesn't feel extremely slow paced. The entire plot had me hooked the entire time and was a short and quick read.

"Say You Mean It" is a cozy read with a lot of heart. While it might not be a rollercoaster of drama, it offers a sweet and sincere portrayal of two individuals finding solace and support in each other amidst life's challenges. Blair's journey with high-functioning depression hits close to home, and I appreciated the realistic portrayal of mental health struggles. Graham's gentle demeanor and the serene island setting added to the charm of the story, making it a comforting read. While some might find the plot a tad simplistic, the depth of emotion and relatable characters make it a worthwhile read for anyone craving a heartfelt romance with a side of self-discovery.

Thank You Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Okay I loved this book! It was such a heartwarming romance with self discovery that was so refreshing! I loved the slow burn of Blair and Graham. I felt like their romance was so sweet and realistic. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book! I would highly suggest adding this to your TBR list!

4/5 ⭐️
This was such a comfy cozy romance! I’m usually all about the spice 🌶️ and although this one was quite chaste, I still really really enjoyed it. Blair was such a strong character and I loved her transformation throughout the book. I wish I could go visit this little Minnesota island! Thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC copy!