Warm and charming, this is a delightfully low-stress romantic tale of friendship and respect. Be prepared to be hungry, though: Guillory’s characters love to eat.

To bastardize the great Diana Ross, what the world needs now is love, sweet love (stories written by WOC) and Jasmine Guillory does not disappoint. When freelance writer, Nikole gets blindsided by a public proposal at a Dodgers game, Carlos comes to her rescue. Soon they're friends, and then maybe something more, but all along the way is a story of self-healing and realizing that sometimes it's okay to need someone. It's funny. It's sweet. It's hot. It talks about racial identity. You'll like this one.

The Proposal is an absolute gem. Jasmine Guillory excels at bringing realism to Nik and Carlos' relationship without resorting to high-highs and low-lows. The result is a sexy, grown up romance that proves nice guys don’t have to finish last. I loved it. Bonus points for its diverse cast and solid friendships.

I really loved this book. It reads like a romcom, except the characters actually talk to each other about what they're thinking & feeling. The "conflict" here is that the characters don't trust or realize their own instincts at times. It's a fantastic read, especially if you need an escape. It doesn't shy away from real life, and the characters are extremely relatable. I will read every single book that Jasmine Guillory writes the absolute moment I get my hands on it.

I absolutely loved the author's first novel, The Wedding Date and hoped that her follow up novel would be just as good. Wow!! This one was even better. The contemporary L.A. love story between Carlos Nik was so relatable and down-to-earth. The characters could have been people that I know or wish that I know. They deal with real life issues, worries and anxieties. This love story is not tied up in a pretty package with a big bow. And what I love even more is the racial and cultural diversity of this book. Hello! We are not all blond-haired and blue-eyed as the Hallmark channel may lead many to believe. I want real characters that are like me and not conveniently placed in a story to meet a quota.
Thank you Jasmine Guillory for letting me spend my weekend reading about these two wonderful characters. I know this doesn't come out until October, but is too soon for me to ask, when will your next book come out?

I think I might like this one even more than The Wedding Date!

Nikole is a freelance writer casually dating handsome, boring Fisher. They've only been dating for a few months when he stuns her by proposing. in public. at a baseball game. on the jumbotron. Carlos and his sister Angela are sitting nearby and quickly swoop in and pretend to be old friends to rescue her from the cameras there capturing her reaction after her public no. Sparks quickly fly between Nikole and Carlos, neither of whom is looking for anything serious. Hopefully no one catches feelings...

One of my complaints about The Wedding Date was that the characters felt like characters, not like people, and that's much less true here, where both of them have more substantive backstories and families.

3.5! This was just as enjoyable as The Wedding Date - and just as hunger inducing. Seriously, be prepared to be hungry no matter how long ago you ate because the food in this book always sounds delicious. I really liked Nik and Carlos and their dynamic together. The one thing that keeps me from fully enjoying Jasmine Guillory's books is the dialogue, though. It never feels completely organic to me and it keeps me from getting fully immersed. That's a really nitpicky thing and of course it varies depending on the reader. I still do like both The Wedding Date and The Proposal and highly recommend them!

I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this book. Even when I was crying. It was a smile cry. Freelance writer Nik gets proposed to via Big Screen at a Dodgers Game…basically her (and my) worst nightmare. When she turns him down she becomes The Bitch who didn’t accept the proposal. While trying to escape the stadium unscathed, she meets Carlos and his sister, who help her get to safety. Oh. And they fall in love! I enjoyed Guillory’s first novel The Wedding Date so much and *gasp* I think I might like this even more. Diverse characters and a super cute love story. What’s not to like?!

Another solid romance from Jasmine Guillory. I love the way she sprang this romance from a moment that is not typically found in romance novels.

This story of friendship, family, love, and life left me wanting more.Carlos and Nik aren't looking for a relationship or love and just want to be casual but as they hang out they start to share more and more of their lives. These are characters you recognize and want to be friends with.

Nikole Patterson is a successful freelance writer who enjoys life in L.A. alongside her two best friends. She has a great life - she is independent, fun and has been dating a hot actor for 5 months. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her boyfriend gets down on one knee at Dodgers Stadium and pops the question. What kind of guy proposes after only 5 months? Ms. Guillory understands how we as modern women really think and react. She takes on the themes of domestic abuse and violence, friendship, commitment to heart and family, responsibility and independence (for men and women). You won't find a more authentic romance story today. I highly recommend.

This was a fun read, with okay writing. I enjoyed the concept of a failed marriage proposal at a baseball game, but I found the writing to be a bit predictable. If you enjoyed the Wedding Date, you'll enjoy this book.

Loved this book, perhaps even better than Jasmine Guillory's first. The characters are relatable, and I really enjoyed following their stories.

Full review to be published online in early September.

Jasmine Guillory’s THE PROPOSAL is a lovely follow up to her charming debut novel ‘The Wedding Date’. Taking the hilarity a step further, here we have a story in which Carlos and his sister goes to rescue a woman named Niki after her boyfriend leaves in a huff when she publicly dumps him. Carlos and Niki eventually become quite friendly and start dating. Of course, both keep telling themselves that the relationship will be casual. As time goes by and they become closer its clear that there is more going on. A wonderful follow up and actually an improvement on the previous book. Characters carry over from the first book; but the story can be read standalone.

I honestly didn't know it was possible to love a book more than Guillory's THE WEDDING DATE, but here I am. Totally and completely in love with this sexy, fresh feminist novel. Not a single one of the issues felt dramatic, or unnecessary. I also would like to be best friends with Nik and her group.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Roxane Gay blurbs a book about a love story, I know I have to read it. Nik (Nikole) Peterson is a freelance journalist dating a pretty guy with not a lot upstairs when their casual relationship goes sideways in a VERY public moment. Carlos Ibarra is the doctor who helps her save face and get out of the situation. Both are successful professionals in Los Angeles who have sworn off serious relationships for various reasons-- she's had too many bad boyfriends, he's too focused on his extended family-- and, if they are looking for anything, it's strictly a friends with benefits situation. Lucky for them, they found each other, and the chemistry is off the charts. But in between casual dinners and scorching hookups, something is happening. And the results aren't what anyone had planned.

Oh, I loved this. Guillory's writing is the perfect "weekend on the porch with a glass of wine" writing, not afraid to be both angsty and funny within the same page, and written about professional adults who aren't globe-trotting billionaires or weirdly virginal secretaries. Carlos's best friend is Drew from The Wedding Date, and like that book, I was excited to get this and now I'm excited to talk it up to people. Whomever at Berkley decided to print these as trade paperbacks and do non-romance-cliched covers should be given a raise, because these books are so much fun and the covers are accessible to a general audience.

In this follow up to Ms. Guillory debut novel The Wedding we reacquaint ourselves with Carlos(best friend of the hero in the wedding). Carlos and his sister Angie is at the Dodgers game when on the Jumbtron they see a woman being asked by her boyfriend to marry him and seeing her turn him down. So begins this charming and hilarious novel in which Carlos and his sister goes and rescue Niki after her boyfriend leaves in a huff after feeling humiliated. Carlos and Niki eventually becomes friendly and start dating each other both saying to themselves and to each other this relationship will be casual. As time goes by as the become closer its clear to the audience that this is more. A wonderful follow up entertaining novel by Ms. Guillory. Review will be on amazon and goodreads.

I may have squealed a tiny bit when I found out this book was available, because I just loved The Wedding Date. This follow-up focuses on Carlos, best friend of the hero and all-around good guy from the previous book. Carlos steps in to help a stranger after she rejects a wedding proposal on the jumbotron at a Dodgers game, and ends up befriending her. A lot of the drama in the story comes from both protagonists avowing that they are only interested in a casual relationship, despite their obvious compatibility as friends and lovers. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this title.

I LOVED Jasmine Guillory's debut <i>The Wedding Date</i> (I also enjoy her TinyLetter and Twitter presence), and I was stoked when this book, a companion to her first, was announced. <i>The Proposal</i> follows Nik and Carlos (Drew's friend from the first book). They have the BEST meet cute when Nik's dumb boyfriend proposes on a baseball jumbotron, and Carlos hustles her out of the stadium after she says no. Seriously, this book has a GREAT set up, and I don't understand why Jasmine isn't writing romcoms. CALL HER, NETFLIX! Anyway, we get to see Nik and Carlos become friends, then more, while navigating family issues and personal baggage. It is so good.

I love both <i>The Proposal</i> and the <i>The Wedding Date</i> because they turn on full characters with believable issues and without over-the-top drama or communication issues. These books are so warm and lovely, with characters who have friends, families, and lives outside their romantic pairings. If you like contemporary romance, these are the highest quality and you should read them. NETFLIX, SERIOUSLY, GET ON MAKING THESE INTO MOVIES!