Say You'll Be Mine: A Novel by Naina Kumar
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Say You'll Be Mine: A Novel

by

Naina Kumar

(Author)

4.2

-

829 ratings


NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Naina Kumar turns the arranged marriage plot on its head. . . . A sparkling new voice in the romance stratosphere.”—Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-)

“I couldn’t put down this page-turner. . . . The new When Harry Met Sally . . . a warm, smart, sexy, and absolutely charming debut.”—Colleen Hoover

A teacher with big dreams joins forces with a no-nonsense engineer to survive an ex’s wedding and escape matchmaking pressure from their Indian families. Their plan? Faking an engagement, of course.

Meghna Raman defied her parents’ wishes and followed her life’s passion, becoming a theater teacher and aspiring playwright. When she discovers that her beloved writing partner, best friend, and secret crush, Seth, is engaged—and not to her—she realizes he’s about to become the one-that-got-away. Even worse, he’s asked her to be his best man. And worse than that, she’s agreed. Determined to try and move on, Meghna agrees to let her parents introduce her to a potential match. Maybe she could marry the engineer that her parents still wish she’d become.

Grumpy engineer Karthik Murthy has seen enough of his parents’ marriage to know it’s not for him. He agreed to his mother’s matchmaking attempts to make her happy, never dreaming he would meet someone as vibrant as Meghna. Though he can’t offer her something real, a fake engagement could help Meghna soothe the sting of planning Seth’s wedding festivities and Karthik avoid the absurd number of set-ups his mother has planned for him.

As the two find common ground, grow protective of each other’s hearts, and start to fall for the traits they originally thought they hated, an undeniable chemistry emerges. But soon, their expectations and insecurities threaten something that’s become a lot more real than they’d planned.

Say You’ll Be Mine is a delightful trip back to the heyday of swoony romantic comedies from the nineties, but with a deep and poignant look at the effects of culture and family in our most intimate relationships.

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ISBN-10

0593723880

ISBN-13

978-0593723883

Print length

352 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Dell

Publication date

January 15, 2024

Dimensions

5.17 x 0.71 x 7.99 inches

Item weight

9.5 ounces


Product details

ASIN :

B0C2P9HPJN

File size :

5197 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Not Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled


Editorial Reviews

“I couldn’t put down this page-turner. A warm, smart, sexy, and absolutely charming debut with the most important lesson at its center: real love is built on courage. Meghna and Karthik's happily ever after is the new When Harry Met Sally. Naina Kumar’s Say You’ll Be Mine has it all.”—Colleen Hoover

“A fresh and charming story about finding love without losing yourself . . . I rooted for these wonderfully headstrong, big-hearted characters all the way.”—Linda Holmes, New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over

“Stuffed to the brim with emotion, chemistry, and all the best microtropes, Say You’ll Be Mine is a romance lover’s dream.”—Ava Wilder, author of Will They or Won’t They

“Swoon-worthy . . . Naina Kumar captures readers’ hearts in this sweet saga.”—Woman’s World

“Naina Kumar’s fresh, compelling voice and lovable characters (including a starchy hero that is now at the very top of my all-time favorites list) made me fall head-over-heels for Say You’ll Be Mine from the very first page. This debut about love, culture, family, and friendship is absolutely irresistible—I didn’t want to put it down!”—Sarah Adler, author of Mrs. Nash’s Ashes

“Swoony, smart and charming: Say You'll Be Mine is the type of South Asian diaspora romance I’ve always wished for. Naina Kumar’s debut is spectacular.”—Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil

“I adored this book! A sweet, funny, yet sizzling story of two people who unexpectedly find love while faking an engagement after being set up by their parents. I loved big-hearted and fun-loving (and pun-loving!) Meghna, and buttoned-up Karthik’s loyalty and passion was the perfect match for her. This book should be an instant romance classic!”—Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged

“A delightful, layered book that addresses the frequent disconnect between what a person does, says, thinks they want, and actually wants—as individuals and within the context of their family, work, and community . . . The emotional roller coaster of this journey is warm, engrossing, joyful—and nerve-wracking.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The strength of this sweet debut lies in the relationships with family members and friends and how they are tempered by cruel realities and the thorny path to true love. Kumar is a writer to watch.”—Booklist

“Perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings and mostly closed-door romances.”—Library Journal

“Kumar debuts with a swoon-worthy contemporary that marries a grumpy-sunshine romance with a deep exploration of familial relationships. . . . It’s a diverting convergence of romance tropes given weight by some deep emotions. This should earn Kumar plenty of fans.”—Publishers Weekly

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Sample

1

“Ms. Raman, what’s an ‘arse’?”

Meghna Raman’s eyes snapped to her sixth-grade student, Paige, who sat crisscross applesauce on the floor with the others as they went through their scripts, highlighting their respective lines.

“A what?”

“An ‘arse,’ ” Paige replied, pointing at the piece of paper in front of her. “It says it right here. Eliza goes to that horse race and tells the horse to move its ‘bloomin’ arse.’ ”

A few of the students snickered, and Meghna let out a sigh. She’d meant to edit that line before passing out the scripts, but it had completely slipped her mind. To be fair, she’d only had three days to prepare for this first day of rehearsal. Only three days to wrap her mind around directing the middle school’s fall production of My Fair Lady.

“It’s ‘ass,’ ” seventh grader Derek told Paige with a smirk. “It’s the way English people say ‘ass.’ ”

“Though we’ll be using the word ‘bum,’ ” Meghna quickly added. She didn’t want any emails from the parents complaining about this. “I’ll send out a new version of the script tomorrow.”

“So, now it’ll be ‘move your bloomin’ bum,’ ” a student whispered loudly, sending the room into another round of giggles.

Meghna shook her head, holding back the grin threatening to break across her face. Teaching wasn’t exactly her dream job, but she loved these kids. Even when they drove her up the wall. She checked the clock, wrapped up rehearsal, and headed home to a thrilling night of grading papers.

But before she had even set foot inside her apartment, her phone rang. She blew out a breath and answered without even checking to see who it was. She knew exactly who was calling.

“Hi, Mom,” she said as she unlocked the front door.

Her mother greeted her enthusiastically, asked about her day, then launched into a recitation of everything that had happened during Meghna’s brother’s visit last weekend.

“Beta, he wanted to cook dinner on Saturday and he made macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese,” her mother repeated incredulously. “It tasted like nothing. Like air. I tried to mix in a little mango achar to give it some flavor, but—”

Meghna shuddered at the thought of what that would taste like. “I’m guessing that didn’t work?”

“Not at all.”

Meghna chucked off her shoes and headed toward the kitchen. “Well, I’m glad Samir was able to visit you and Dad this time. Even if it resulted in mac and cheese.” She infused the words with all the horror and melodrama her mother had. “I know you’ve both been missing him.”

“We were happy to see him,” her mother said. “He’s very busy, but we understand. Being an engineer takes a lot of hard work.”

Meghna grimaced, dropped a stack of mail on her kitchen counter, and settled in. She knew the exact speech her mother was about to deliver. She’d heard it so many times over the years. She’d even given it a few titles: “The Difficult but Satisfying Life of an Engineer” or “Why Engineering Is the Only Meaningful Profession” or “Meghna, It’s Not Too Late to Quit Your Job and Become an Engineer.” Though her mother would never put it that bluntly, Meghna knew that was what she really meant.

As if on cue, her mom launched into describing all the difficult and rewarding aspects of engineering, things she had experienced firsthand, she reminded Meghna. After all, she had placed first in engineering college back in India, beating out Meghna’s father, who had placed only sixth. But somehow, her mother said, she had fallen in love with him anyway. Their families had considered their relationship scandalous at first, especially since her mother’s family was North Indian and her father’s South Indian, but they eventually came around, and Meghna’s parents had ended up with the first “love marriage” in their family.

Meghna put her phone on speaker, tuning out her mother’s familiar words. As a kid, she’d loved listening to her parents’ great love story. She’d asked to hear it again and again, dreaming about finding that kind of love for herself one day. She still hoped for it. Even though she had no clear prospects in sight. Even though it felt less and less likely every day.

She sighed and opened her mail. She read a few bills, set aside a couple flyers, and saved a stationery supply catalog she had never ordered from, but loved to look through. And that’s when she saw it. A deceptively simple-looking white envelope. It wouldn’t have stood out to her, but the address on the front was written in a style of calligraphy she knew all too well.

A wedding invitation.

She frowned. Most of her close friends were already married. And the few who were single wouldn’t be getting married anytime soon. Slightly puzzled, she took out the invitation. Two names in large, bold italic sprawled across the middle of the page: Seth Mitchell and Julie Cox.

Meghna’s stomach dropped.

She hadn’t counted Seth in her mental tally of close friends. Seth was in a different category altogether. And even though she’d known he was dating someone, he’d never referred to that person as his girlfriend. Let alone mentioned that the two of them were thinking about marriage.

Meghna had met Seth as a college freshman when they’d been assigned as partners in Intro to Creative Writing. She had been smitten when she saw his lanky build, dark-green eyes, and blond hair that he left a little too long.

They’d both wanted to major in creative writing, but Meghna had declared an education major instead. Seth had constantly tried to change her mind.

“It’s not that complicated. If you want to write plays, you should write them,” he had told her, his voice full of conviction. He hadn’t understood why she couldn’t pursue writing full-time, but that wasn’t his fault. Seth wasn’t like her. He never doubted his abilities. Never doubted that he would become a successful songwriter. She’d envied his certainty, his optimism, his lack of fear.

When they’d started dating their junior year, she thought it was the beginning of her own great love story. Seth had been kind, funny, and honest to a fault. “This entire section has to go, Meg,” he’d told her as he reviewed her latest draft. “It doesn’t add anything.” His comments had stung at first, but she soon got used to his direct feedback. She’d started to appreciate the way he couldn’t help but tell the truth. It had made his praise even more meaningful. When he’d told her that her character work was stunning, she believed him fully. When he’d called her beautiful, she didn’t doubt that he meant it. And when he’d broken up with her after graduation, she knew he meant that too.

“We’re friends, Meg,” he’d said. “You think so too, right? That we’re better off as friends?”

To save face, she’d forced a smile and lied. “Of course, Seth. We’ll always be friends.”

Surprisingly, their friendship and writing partnership continued. Seth still called or emailed every week. He sent lyrics and voice memos of his songs, and she sent him pieces of the play she had started in college and was still working on. No matter what she was going through, Seth was always willing to listen, to hear her out, to encourage her, or to distract her by making her laugh.

But despite all their conversations, they somehow never ended up talking about their months of dating in college. He never brought it up, and she was too scared to mention it. She still had so many questions. Did he regret ending things? Did he ever think about that time? Had he ever felt anything for her at all?

Meghna swallowed hard, setting the invitation facedown on the counter and pushing all thoughts of Seth out of her mind.

Her mother was still talking to her over the phone. “And before you say anything, let me just tell you about him,” her mother said. “His name is Karthik. He comes from a good family. Well educated. Very tall. And he’s an engineer.”

Meghna’s prediction about her mother’s speech had been completely wrong. This wasn’t a talk about it not being too late for Meghna to become an engineer. This was a brand-new speech. One titled, “Meghna, It’s Not Too Late for You to Marry an Engineer.”

“You don’t have to promise anything,” her mother said. “Just meet him. Once. That’s all.”

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About the authors

Naina Kumar

Naina Kumar

Naina Kumar is a lawyer by day and a reader and writer of romance at night. She lives in Texas, close to her family whose antics provide endless inspiration. When she’s not writing, she enjoys taking her rowdy rescue dog on walks, rewatching Gilmore Girls on a loop, and shopping at HEB. Say You’ll Be Mine is her debut novel.


Reviews

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

829 global ratings

OrioleWoman

OrioleWoman

5

delightful brain candy

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024

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Totally predictable outcome, but a nice story along the way. Good narrative about how two people meaning the best can read the wrong things into each other’s intentions without strong communication.

Carol Loper

Carol Loper

5

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book is a story about two people with believable lives and aspirations. The author does a wonderful job bringing in the angst that goes along with starting a new relationship. Enjoyed every moment of reading this book.

JenniWCollier

JenniWCollier

5

six stars!

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024

Verified Purchase

I absolutely adored this book! A faux engagement, puns, family of tradition, broadway references, drama, romance, it was everything! I am a “phool” for this book and you will be too.

Loved this book!

Loved this book!

5

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

A light yet engaging romance novel that I had a hard time putting down!

Maree LaRue

Maree LaRue

5

Incredibly sweet, inspiring and funny

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024

Verified Purchase

Much better than the last Indian romance I read and just as good as other fake-dating romances. Just with a few Hindi and Tamil words and too many mentions of delicious food!

Dual third-person POV from Meghna and Karthik. I loved watching both of them grow and discover each other and push the other to be better.

There are multiple great examples of Desi relationships and traditions, the author was clearly writing from some experience.

This has some spicy moments but is mainly a slow burn based on emotion and light banter.

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