Review: Say You’ll Be Mine

Author: Naina Kumar

Book: Say You’ll Be Mine

Say You’ll Be Mine is a debut novel by Naina Kumar and one of the first books I read this year. I went in with no expectations—truthfully, I picked it off the shelf because it was pink and looked fun. I completely judged it by its cover, and I was pleasantly surprised. Love it when that happens! Although, as a longtime fan of Bollywood movies, I know desi-romances are almost always worth it.

The story follows Meghna, who needs a plus-one for a wedding where she has complicated feelings for the groom—a former flame and current friend. Enter Karthik, who agrees to a fake engagement to keep his matchmaking mother at bay. Their alliance begins with mutual goals, but a beautiful friendship blossoms along the way.

Even as a fan of romance and fake-engagement tropes, I connected with this book because of its fresh take on relationships. Meghna's journey resonated with me deeply—her views on marriage and self-discovery felt relatable in ways I rarely experience in romance novels. Karthik, too, was refreshingly different. His hesitancy around marriage wasn't the shallow "commitment-phobe" cliché, but stemmed from genuine, well-explored fears that made him feel real.

What I loved most was how the book redefined love and marriage for the characters. Rather than insisting marriage was necessary for happiness, it explored what love and commitment meant to them individually and as a couple. The story also beautifully embraced Indian culture, traditions, and dynamics surrounding arranged marriages with nuance and respect—something I deeply appreciate.

The parents were written as fully fleshed-out, nuanced people, which added wonderful depth to the story. Plus, I learned we've been lacking Tamil representation in written media when I saw Tamil readers in the BookTok community celebrating this much-needed book. Another win!

This was such a delightful, heartfelt read. I can't recommend it enough.