A very cute, easy and lighthearted read. It’s great for a pick me up. I did wish i had More time with the romance, I just wanted a little more.

This was my first book of Guillory’s and I found it to be a delightful rom-com which was just what I needed in the midst of thriller and serial killer books! When Nik is proposed to on the Jumbotron at a baseball game, it’s an understatement to say she is shocked - she definitely did not see more than friends with benefits with wannabe actor Fisher - and when she turns him down, he doesn’t take it well. Cue onlooker Carlos who steps in and saves Nik from the swarm of parasites.... now given that I mentioned this is a romantic comedy, of course Nik & Carlos begin to fall for each other - but not without obstacles. The Proposal was definitely a tad predictable but sometimes that’s what you want from this genre of book and that was okay with me! I enjoyed some of the side plots like Courtney the cup cake baker badass and the girls signing up for self defense classes as well. I’d definitely be interested in checking out more from Guillory in the future!

I chose not to finish this book. I found the humor to be flat and could not connect with the characters.

The Proposal is exactly the laugh out loud read I needed this week! I enjoyed Jasmine Guillory’s use of friendship and humor in developing characters we would want to get to know and care about. After a disastrous opening chapter where Nikole is proposed to at a baseball game on the big screen (and says no!) we find we are rooting her on to give love another chance. Will she and the handsome doctor who rescued her ever see a future with each other? I highly enjoyed this book! I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

My review is posted on Goodreads. It will post on Amazon and my book review blog (www.bugbugbooks.com) on the publication date (10/30/18). Thanks!

Nikole Paterson doesn't expect her boyfriend to propose to her at a Dodgers game after only six months of great-sex-but-nothing-more dating. But propose he does---and in front of millions of people who are all horrified when Nik turns him down. After her (now ex) boyfriend storms off in a rage, Nik is left alone at her seat, overwhelmed, embarrassed, and completely unprepared to handle the camera crew that shoves a camera in her face and starts asking questions.

Luckily, a few rows back, Carlos Ibarra and his sister, Angela, decide to come to Nik's rescue, creating a diversion that allows them all to get out of the stadium. Nik is grateful for the help...and surprised to find herself drawn to Carlos. She's obviously not ready for a new relationship right after such an awkward and very public break up, but the two make plans to meet up anyway. Day drinks turns into...something more, and eventually Nik finds herself joyfully pouring herself into a rebound relationship with Carlos. But as things get more serious between them, Nik can't help but wonder if their fling could be something more.

 *   *   *   *   *

Despite the unique and clever opening scene at the Dodgers game, The Proposal gets off to a slow start. The first 100 pages should have been edited way down. As it is, there is a lot of banter between Nik and her friends that I think I was supposed to find HILARIOUS! but just didn't. The story picks up, though, when Nik and Carlos's backstories are revealed and they become more well-developed, whole characters. Their first hook up feels a little forced, but, after that, the book becomes a lot more interesting.

One thing The Proposal really has going for it is its diversity of characters. I read a lot of books, and it's common to see basically one ethnicity featured. But this book has a little bit of everything, and, as a California native, I can say it perfectly captures the feeling of living in that area.

I still wish the book were about 100 pages shorter, but if you're looking for a light and youthful read, this one's worth checking out.

This is a super fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I laughed a lot and I will most definitely read The Wedding Date.

Nikole Paterson is a super fun woman with great friends, an interesting job and a very interesting dilemma. I could so be friends with her! I loved her confidence and how she handles herself in an extremely awkward moment that just won’t go away.

Nik and her boyfriend have been dating for about 5 months and it’s fun, flirty and sexy but it isn’t serious and well after a while their pseudo relationship has become stale. Nik isn’t the type to break up with somebody on their birthday but she didn’t realize that their date would be entail watching the Dodgers game at the baseball field with all his buddies.

She was shocked when her boyfriend proposed with a Princess Diana style ring and the moment was televised live on the jumbotron as was her uncomfortable answer of no.

I felt the horror and pit in my stomach. Holy crap! What was he thinking! And yes, that is just the beginning of the story. Nik makes some new friends during the fiasco and clings to her best friends too. She learns a lot about herself, what she really wants and what it takes to be happy.

After experiencing this massive joy at reading The Wedding Date, I knew that given the opportunity, I would one hundred per cent read The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. You see, The Proposal takes on one of the minor characters from The Wedding Date. So, I like when books revisit certain characters and give them their own stories. Guillory’s follow up does this in quite spectacular fashion.

The Proposal follows a woman named Nikole who is a freelance writer and Carlos who is Drew’s friend, but also a pediatrician and director of a teen clinic. Anyways, Nikole goes to a Dodger’s game with her boyfriend whom she’s thinking about ending things with. She knows it has been a couple of months but isn’t anything too serious. Only, that boyfriend, he proposes up on the jumbotron. Nikole says no. It goes viral.

Carlos, sitting pretty close by, comes to Nikole’s rescue along with his sister, Angie. They pretend to be long lost friends and whisk Nikole away from the cameras. So, Nikole’s relationship ends in spectacular fashion. She then ends up becoming friends with Carlos and then hook up buddies. Will it develop into something more?

I really think that Guillory has a true knack for chemistry. The chemistry between Nik and Carlos is off the charts. At first, the two kind of resist it. Nik is just getting out of a relationship and there’s the whole proposal drama. Carlos is not one to settle down (kind of like Drew). Over time though, their hookups become something more. The two have to get over this whole relationship fear and reluctance otherwise, they may lose a really good thing. I LOVED it.

Overall, if you’re looking for a book that is sweet with characters who are true to life and diverse, get your hands on The Proposal. I think Guillory is fast becoming a MUST read author for me. Now I know that when I want a guaranteed good romance book, I just have the next Guillory book to look forward to. And also you 100% do not need to read The Wedding Date to be able to enjoy this book — the previous characters show up in like one or two scenes. However, it will enhance your reading.

I fell in love with Jasmine Guillory's writing in The Wedding Date, so I went into this book knowing that I was going to be entertained and captivated. And Jasmine Guillory does not disappoint.

Nik and Carlos meet so cute that you'll need to get your sugars checked: they're at a Dodgers game, she gets proposed to (by a guy who doesn't know how to spell her name), rejects him, and Carlos steps in to protect her from a crowd that expected a yes. The two strike up a friendship at first, but undercurrents of attraction shine brightly. Jasmine Guillory slowly unfolds a relationship between these two reluctant lovers, and it is a delight to read.

As with Drew and Alexa in The Wedding Date, the racial differences between Carlos and Nik are not a factor. I LOVE THAT. People are people, non? Love is love. The color of your skin doesn't matter when your heart is at play.

Carlos has his reasons for wanting to avoid commitment, as does Nik. Yet they protest too much because you know and their friends know and their families know that these two belong together. It's just a matter of them realizing it for themselves.

I love Nik and Carlos. When I turned the last page, I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends. Read this one and hit up the comments to let me know your thoughts.


Scheduled for publication on the blog on Oct. 30.

Nikole gets proposed to at a baseball game and Carlos and his sister step in to help her get out of the stadium before the crowd and reporters crowd her after she refuses to accept her ex’s proposal. You get introduced to two of her close best friends who both work in LA. And more of Carlos’ family members. Overtime you see how the two are really supportive of each other and their family and friends. They begin to spend time with one another and it blossoms into more but not enough to call it a full blown relationship even though we know where it is going. I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. She is an author I’m excited about reading more from. Unfortunately, I did get good read on the personalities of the two main characters. I would have liked to see more of their characteristics flushed out. I really enjoy love stories and it is okay if the plot isn’t fast paced or attention grabbing; yet if it isn’t, then the characters personalities, quirks, eccentricities and overall being, need to shine through even more. The representation was great and refreshing to read about.

The concept of this book made me want to read it, but the execution is lacking. I really wanted to love this book, but the dialogue scenes were off. Or maybe I'm just not into books that incessantly remind you they are set in LA and that LA people are different. Nik was kind of annoying to me, as was the many scenes where two conversations were going on at one time. Also, the formatting in some scenes needs to be more obvious when the character is texting versus just talking to herself.

More of a 3.5 stars. While I enjoyed the overall narrative, some of the specifics bothered me. It seemed like some of the dialogue was forced, but I did like that there was a lot of it. Dialogue moves a story quickly and I enjoy that. I like that the main character was an African American—I don’t think there are enough main characters of color in fun stories. I’m also glad that Drew and Alexa from The Wedding Date made short appearances. I really liked them from TWD so I was happy to hear more about their lives “now”.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory was immensely enjoyable. It starts with a proposal on the Jumbotron at the Dodgers game that was completely unexpected and unwelcomed. What unfolds after that is a dual-narrated story told by Nik and Carlos, the man who rescues her from the camera crew after the debacle. I loved this book. I didn’t know what to expect from a “multi-cultural romance” book as indicated by NetGalley, but it turned out it was my kind of story. It has great girl friends in Dana and Courtney, tight family on Carlos’s side, fantastic food references between the cupcake shop and Carlos’s kitchen, some well written steamy parts, and a lot of humor. My favorite part? How realistic these relationships are between all the characters. There is a lot of swearing in the book but as long as that doesn’t bother you (or the sexy parts), this one is worth picking up. It also reads very quickly!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A fun modern romance filled with a wonderfully diverse and believable cast of characters. I felt like some of the descriptions were on the nose and I felt like Carlos acted kind of weird/not in a way I'd have predicted based on his character up to that point when the conflict moment came, but overall an enjoyable fun romance!

This was a really fun, satisfying read! I love Nik as a protagonist and found her v relatable. Plus, love to see Drew & Alexa's cameo!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK. It's so bubbly and feel-goody and adorable. I was a fan of The Wedding Date, but I loved The Proposal even more! The meet-cute is the meet-cutest of all meet-cutes. There are so many relatable and lovable characters (I really want to be a part of Nik's friend group) and so many descriptions of delicious food. This book made a perfect weekend read.

Nikole is an African American woman, a journalist, living in LA. She has two best friends, one is a cupcake baker and the other is an actress. All in all, very Hollywood, right?

Nik also has a boyfriend of a sort. They've been dating for five months, and while they have absolutely nothing in common, the sex is great. And then Fisher (the boyfriend) drops on one knee and along with the JumboTron at a Dodgers game - proposes to Nik!

Right after she refuses (epically, I might add) and Fisher has a meltdown, she is rescued by two strangers. The Ibarra siblings. Angie was the rescue mission brains, but Carlos was definitely the brawn.

Carlos and Nik's friendship evolved very quickly after that, and then progressed further into a friends with benefits stage. Both agreed they enjoy things the way they are, and things go wonderfully.

Until Carlos realizes he's in love with Nikole.

What I loved about the story is the little details that tied it all together, from Carlos's background story, to his profession, to his family and his friends. Then you have Nik and her besties, who are fantastic, by the way.

This reaffirmed my belief in the fact that a plot formula can stay the same, but the story can be completely different. And awesome.

3-3.5 stars

This was a cute and fun contemporary romance. It features a hilarious diverse cast of characters that I found really refreshing. I also really enjoyed the Los Angeles setting. This is my first book by the author and though previous characters from her book The Wedding Date appear, the book can be enjoyed as a stand alone.

I liked Carlos and Nikole (Nik) both individually and together. They each had some baggage haunting them and influencing their actions, but as you got to know each character it made sense why they were so hesitant to explore the possibility of more. I enjoyed seeing their friends with benefits relationship blossom and develop as they slowly let their guard down. Readers should note that the majority of the love/sex scenes are fade to black or occur off page, so if they're looking for a hot and heavy read, this is not it.

One thing I really loved about The Proposal was the relationships between Carlos and Nik's family and friends. Nik's friendship with Dana and Courtney was amazing and probably my favorite part of the book. We would all be lucky to have even 1 friend as loyal and supportive as these ladies.

The book started off very promising and I was really intrigued by the proposal (and rejection) heard round the world, but afterwards, the pacing felt a little off and seemed to stall. A lot of time was spent describing food/drinks, when I really would have liked more back story about Carlos and Nik since it was such a big part of their character arcs. When the conflict arose, I felt Carlos acted completely out of character and honestly, I wasn't sure if I truly felt that they were at the point of those types of declarations. It all wrapped up very quickly and though it was very cute, I'm not sure I was really satisfied. I think what was the most odd for me was that I didn't feel that these characters acted their supposed ages. They are in their late 20's and early 30's, but I had to remind myself of this several times. Overall, this was still an easy and enjoyable read.

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

This was such an adorable read, I really liked the idea of a woman who isn’t desperately waiting for her boyfriend to propose and Nik most definitely was not prepared to have to turn down her boyfriends proposal in front of the whole world. I can’t think of anything more awkward and embarrassing but it set the stage for a super entertaining and charming read that I breezed through.

One of the strongest aspects to this was how incredibly diverse it was which is always so nice to see! It’s set in L. A. which is such a culturally diverse city so it makes so much sense to have such great representation, gotta give the author some props for that. The characters were all fun, relatable types from Nik and Carlos to her friends Dana and Courtney and his family, I really enjoyed all of them.

This was a super sweet romance with a hint of the spicy stuff, nothing super graphic or over the top. It reminded me of sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and watching one of my favorite rom coms, it had that same charm and appeal and was just an all around good time.

The Proposal in three words: Cute, Sweet and Charming.

This was a smile in book form. When I realized it was about Carlos, the best friend from her novel The Wedding Date, I smiled. Carlos is fun, smart and loves to cook. He’s also not perfect, not “horrible until the love of a good woman”, just normal quirks. Nikole has some issues too. They meet, enjoy each other’s company and try to make their quirks fit together.

Jasmine Guillory writes these wonderful, engaging romance stories that are totally realistic and charming. Think of the best cocktail party story you’ve heard about how a couple met and this book will be better. Funny, uplifting and lighthearted, it was a perfect Friday night date.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very sweet, and while I have not read The Wedding Date yet, I really want to read it soon. I nominated this for LibraryReads on another platform.