Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Say You'll Be Mine

If you like romances that highlight fake relationships, fake dating, fake engagement, etc…YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! I’m always fascinated by fake dating romances. Actual relationship dynamics are a challenge, especially when you’re getting to know one another, that trying to fake your relationship adds a whole other complicated dynamic to the picture. The entire book is a lovely and nuanced exploration of all manner of relationships - siblings, parental, friendships, professional, romantic.

What an absolute and utter delight Say You’ll Be Mine was to read! With pacing somewhere between medium and fast, it never sacrificed or skimped on the plot or character development. And these characters? You are rooting for them from the very start. Somewhere in the middle of the story I desperately wanted to grab them both, give them a little shake, and smash them together with the amount of chemistry and tension between them. KISS ALREADY YOU FOOLS! SYBM is a slow burn in terms of physical on page intimacy, but the emotional intimacy was gorgeous.

I loved Megna’s tenacity, wit, and humor. I loved how much she had to grapple with the complications of her friendship with Seth, former love interest and current writing “partner,” as she assumed the role of “best man” at his wedding. I loved Karthik’s initial reserve and stoicism, and especially his gradual warming towards Megna…even if he kept his feelings to himself. Karthik’s professional journey was also great to see, as he eventually realizes that the job he thought he wanted wasn’t going to provide the fulfillment he needed without any passion behind it. Megna and Karthik both played their true feelings cards close to the vest: afraid of getting hurt, of hurting their parents if the truth came out, of contending with their relationship becoming all too real.

This is a debut book and I was so impressed by the writing. I cannot wait to read more by Naina Kumar!

Content Warnings

ladythana's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

kdailyreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

breathehopebooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You ever find a book that you know you can enjoy with some wine and ice cream? That’s this for me.
It’s got so many things i love, such as:

• fake dating/engagement
• friends-to-lovers
• only one bed trope
• jerk who gets what he deserves
• cute and funny banter
• realistic family dynamics
• musical theater & Bachelor references
• protagonists who are shy yet independent
• spice that’s not so graphic that i’m embarrassed

Y’all this was it. Is it predictable? Yeah, but in the same way The Bachelor is predictable. It’s fun and a good time, and it makes you feel giddy.

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oliviahamilton's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A fun romantic read. Great chemistry, interesting relationship dynamics, and a whole world of characters outside of the two leads. I liked the cultural details too: North/South Indian & immigrant culture, NYC vs Dallas, the Nashville songwriting world.

I didn’t buy

the drama at Seth & Julie’s wedding. Maybe I’m ruined by knowing too much about songwriting splits, but I feel like those scenes & Julie’s quick turn could have been more developed/gone down differently. I feel like Julie would have fought for her credit already if it really bothered her, and that it would have been even better if they had found out that one of them had gotten credit and the other hadn’t, or that a third person had gotten credit for less work (so the two women wouldn’t be pitted against each other). That detail & lack of resolve on Seth’s storyline bugged me,

but clearly I was invested in the characters for that detail to bother me.

Lots of daddy issues as others have warned, be aware! But I loved how the parents’ stories tied into this. Overall would recommend.

Content Warnings

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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