A review by unareads11
Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

 I have Steamy Lit to thank for pushing me to read as many contemporary romances as I have in the past month. I usually keep a wide berth between me and desi contemporary romances because they always follow the same TIRED tropes of arranged marriage, “I’m such a disappointment to my parents,” “I’m a doctor and engineer and lawyer,” etc etc and honestly that’s just not accessible to me as a first Gen Indian who is in the humanities/social work.

I’m happy so report I was SO impressed with Say You’ll Be Mine because yes, it did have some of the above tropes, but the FMC was a teacher and I really dug being able to connect with her character as an educator myself. The MMC was still and engineer but some things aren’t escapable I guess 😂

There were points when I wanted to smack Meghna for being so…naive? Gullible? People pleasing? But then I realized that was because she was displaying a lot of the traits I hate about myself lol. I really loved Meghna and Karthik’s chemistry and thought the fake dating trope was so well done and didn’t feel redundant at all.

I highly recommend Say You’ll Be Mine to anyone who enjoys fake dating/fake engagements, opposites attract, and a little self-discovery. I wish I’d gotten the alternative title, Say You’ll Be My Jaan, because that is my favorite term of endearment!