Say You#ll Be My Jaan

Meghna is going to be the best man for her ex/best friend's wedding and she isn't sure what's worse? that the guy she's been hung up on is getting married or that she will have to see him get married while being the supportive bff. On a whim, Meghna agrees to her mom's try arranging her marriage and meets aloof and straight-laced Karthik who has been through many many arranged match set ups now just to please but has no plan of ever getting married. The two are opposites in almost every way except they are exactly what they need- a fake fiancé(e). A deal is struck and now Meghna has someone to take as her date to the wedding and Karthik can take a break from all the set ups his mother has planned. All they have to do is pretend to be engaged for three months and they can go their separate ways after that. Except, CAN THEY?It's not that easy coming across a desi romance that hooks you from the get go and keeps the momentum going till the very end. Say You'll Be My Jaan did exactly that. This was such a fun and cute romance! I was rooting for these characters from the very beginning and though they did make me scream at them to just communicate, I still adored them! This book has the fake-dating trope at it's centre, which I never really considered a favourite, but ohmygod I think I will think of it as a definite favourite trope. The tension, the yearning, the drama, the angst, the loooove, I was obsessed. I was having trouble focusing on any book when I started this but I just ate it up within a day.Meghna and Karthik had incredible chemistry and even when they were not communicating, it didn't feel forced. Their apprehension for each other and inability to confide in with their families felt very natural as was the way the things were resolved. Also, I did not like Meghna's best friend, just saying it 👀I cannot wait for Naina's next book, there was a sneak peek at the end of this book, and I need that book yesterday. Give. It. To. Me. Okay thanks ❤️🙈Thank you @penguinindia for sending this my way 💕

Have you ever decided to take a break while studying and read a chapter and get back to studying after JUST THE ONE CHAPTER? Well, that’s exactly what I did with this book but the break ended up lasting the entire length of the book. 😭😂What made this book so captivating that it had me hooked? Read on to find out!We follow Meghna, a middle school English teacher(love this rep, honestly) who has struggled to find the love of her life. But when her mother casually drops the arranged marriage topic, Meghna surprises herself by agreeing to it! She needs a date to the wedding (which she isn’t looking forward to) and what better way than to fake a plus-one? And Karthik seems like the perfect fit. He agrees to meet potential wives only to make his mum happy. So, a deal is struck: fate date until the marriage date. But when has love ever been so simple? Please pick this book up before I end up spilling all the beans!OH MY GOD! THE ANGST! THE PINING! THAT HEAVILY PALPABLE TENSION! It had me screaming “just kiss already”! I am a huge fan of slow-burn romances and this one hit all the right spots! Faking dating is one of my favourite romance tropes and the author executed it with finesse! And that one-bed trope? Chef’s kiss!Books with South Asian rep will always have a priority spot on my TBR and not only does this book have a glorious South and North Indian cast, it addresses issues Brown kids go through with nuance. Parents’ obsession with engineering/medicine, that urge to please your parents and seek their validation constantly, the mountain of expectations to fulfil, struck a chord with me time and again. I wanted to jump into the book and give Meghna a hug and tell her she’s not alone! 🥺This book also highlights dysfunctional families and unhealed trauma and that was definitely a cherry on the cake for me. I love me a book that doesn’t shy away from packing them punches and the author did a splendid job! This book goes on to show how unhealed trauma can impinge on future relationships, romantic or otherwise, and addressing it is the best way forward.Grumpy boy Karthik is on my list of book boyfriends now(I say this in every romance review, don’t come at me, please😂) and this list never seems to end, sigh. Meghna is such a chirpy, bubbly ball of sunshine and if you’re a fan of grumpy x sunshine romance, pick this one up next!I am all for female friendships in books and the friendship between Meghna and Ankita reminded me of my amazing girl besties! 🫶🏽 True friends are those who stay by your side through thick and thin, and they tend to mess up at times, which is human nature, after all. This realistic portrayal of human tendencies and errors was another tick on the board!Toxic friendships are real and can go unnoticed for a long time, sometimes due to denial as well. The friendship between Meghna and Seth was the perfect depiction of it and the way it was addressed had me super impressed!This book also had some fun side-characters! The sweet romance between Meghna’s parents had me smiling and Paul was a great guy too!And do you enjoy steamy scenes too? Hehe, you will encounter a few, fret not! 🤭So, what are you waiting for? Pick this book up and read it from cover to cover in one sitting while I go back to my never-ending quest for a “Jaan”, haha!Huge thanks to Penguin India for sending me a copy for review! ❤️

Say You'll Be My Jaan NAILED the modern arranged marriage experience! The desi representation in this book was so accurately done and I didn't feel uncomfortable reading this (like I have with other books where the author has tried to cater to white audiences at the expense of their own culture).As someone who watched their parents in a loveless marriage growing up, I too never wanted to get married out of the fear of turning out like one of my parents (who I am also very similar to). Karthik's character really resonated with me, however as a recently (somewhat) healed adult, it was a bit tough to read his POV of things.Only reason this was not a 5-star read for me was the miscommunication between Meghna and Karthik was on a seriously ridiculous level. Maybe it's because I'm getting old now, but I like when characters communicate, and the conflict can be something else.

I have lost a whole day reading this!!! Loved it. The story line was great, expected all along, but laugh out loud at times, sad and frustrated too.