The Proposal is a cute, fun read. The characters are likable, and the plot is fun. The book opens with an ill-fated public proposal, and with that, Nik and Carlos have a pretty interesting meet-cute.

Great if you're in the mood for some lighter fare.

A sweet and fun novel that is sure to be a hit with fans of the author! I felt myself relating to the characters and loving the banter and situations they found themselves in. Now I am ready to dive into the authors debut, which has been patiently sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

This book is the literary equivalent to a day at the beach, the best takeout, a glass of champagne, and a foot massage.
Basically, a vacation in book form.
I was intrigued by Carlos in The Wedding Date, and I found this book focused on him and Nik to be completely satisfying. It starts off with an absurd proposal, but quickly unwraps a truly heartwarming and real love story.
Consider me a Jasmine Guillory fan for life. My only question - who will she write about next??

I loved this author's first book, and was delighted to find that this book was equally wonderful. This book follows Carlos, the best friend character from The Wedding Date, though his own love story. We get a few cameos from Drew and Alexa, but this book can be read as a standalone (though there are a few spoilers of the first book, so I guess if you think you might read it, start there.). The book is a well-written, easy-reading, deeply satisfying rom com. Both main characters are great, and I appreciate that the women in the book are strong and complex, and have a supportive relationship that doesn't solely revolve around their love lives. This would make a perfect vacation read or would be great to tear through on a low-key weekend.

Jasmine Guillory is such a wonderful, fresh new voice in the world of romance. This is just as addictively readable, smart, funny, and feminist as THE WEDDING DATE, and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next.

Note: This is a companion to the book THE WEDDING DATE, which you can find my review here! (https://onewayoranauthor.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/arc-review-the-wedding-date-by-jasmine-guillory/) It is not necessary to read the books in order, and this review will contain no spoilers.

THE PROPOSAL was another hit from Jasmine Guillory! I’ve been really enjoying her contemporary romances - they’re flirty, modern, and down-to-earth. I can’t wait to see what else she cooks up for us! Another feature of all her books are the delicious food mentions. For me, that’s an instant magnet! Add that super independent heroines and sweet and quirky heroes, and readers are in for amazing, fluffy contemporaries that are bound to leave a smile on their faces.

I loved how the premise of THE PROPOSAL was set up. We begin the book by seeing Nik, a black freelance writer, being proposed to on the JumboTron at a baseball game… from a guy she’d only been dating for 5 months… who was nothing but a hook-up for her. Nik stays true to her honest and direct nature, and rejects him outright. But this brings attention onto her, and not the positive kind, either. When Carlos and his sister Angela step up to offer help to Nik in the guise of wanting to “catch up,” Nik can’t thank them enough. And thus begins a flirtation that’ll make readers simultaneously swoon and squeal.

“Was she asleep? This definitely felt like a nightmare.
They’d only been dating for five months! That he loved her was news to her - he’d certainly never said THAT before - but a proposal? He didn’t even know how to spell her name!”

I really enjoyed seeing Carlos and Nik’s interactions. I love how honest they were with each other, from start to finish, and their initial reluctance to seek the other out due to self-doubt. There’s a lot of cute, flirty moments in the book because they both are trying to gauge what the other wants from them. But when they come together, hella sparks fly! It’s definitely worth the build-up!

Guillory writes family and friends so seamlessly into her narratives, and THE PROPOSAL was no different. It was awesome seeing Nik’s best girl friends, Courtney and Dana, and the glimpses we got into their lives. Their support was just A++ for female friendships, and I really envy their close relationship. Carlos has a rambunctious family that I also loved reading about! He’s super worried about all the ladies in his family, and has taken up the mantle of “head of the family” (as the guy) by making sure they’re all healthy and safe. But throughout the book, he comes to terms with the hidden strengths of his sister and cousin.

There’s a great battle for independence and clashing of wills that’s explored in this book too. Carlos only wants the best for the women in his life, but that doesn’t quite jive with them. I love how Guillory addresses this clash, and the compromise that each relationship eventually settles into. It’s so balanced and healthy, and made me appreciate their dynamics even more (as well as Carlos’s character!).

“He hadn’t meant for this to happen. He’d just thought they were going along, having great sex and hanging out a lot, too, sure, but it was all just fun. But along the way, he’d fallen in love with this smart, abrasive, caring, hilarious woman.”

While Carlos and Nik’s relationship started out as a casual hook-up, intriguing feelings begin popping up. What will happen to their easy-breezy dialogue and food dates then? Readers will have to follow along to find out! And trust me: the read is SO worth it. Guillory writes characters with such love and trust, you just can’t help but root for their happy ending. And she delivers so well.

Trigger/Content Warnings: grief, manipulation, emotional abuse, sexy times

Thank you Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the review copy!

loved, loved, loved it! Loved it almost as much as I loved The Wedding Date. Jasmine Guillory is one of my new favourite authors and I'm already anticipating her next book.

I really enjoyed Jasmine Guillory's first book, The Wedding Date, and was not disappointed with her second book, The Proposal. I'm a big fan of authors who write about a minor character from another book, especially when the characters from the previous book have cameos. It was fun seeing the relationship between Nik and Carlos grow and to be an observer on how they felt about each other. This book alternates between both characters point of views. It was also nice to see a strong, independent woman be able to rely on a man in her life without compromising her character and values.

Not nearly as good as The Wedding Date, but still an easy, lighthearted read. Exactly what I needed!

The Proposal is the perfect sequel. With its numerous funny moments and the romantic scenes in between, it truly has become one of my favorite romance books. 2018, you are releasing THE GREATEST BOOKS THIS YEAR!

I'm such a Jasmine Guillory fan. The Wedding Date was so good and The Proposal really gets you into that world again and you meet new characters but also revisit old characters from the previous book. It was really such a good story and it all started with a public proposal gone wrong! (The best intro.) Carlos and Nik were two fabulous main characters who could't keep away from each other and I LOVED THAT. 10/10 wish they had more time and more pages after the end with them.

Journalist Nikole finds herself the subject of a Jumbotron proposal at a Dodgers game--from a guy she definitely does not want to marry. Surgeon Carlos sees the whole thing and swoops in to help get her away from the cameras, which should be the end of it, since both Nik and Carlos are sure they're not interested in a relationship. But that doesn't mean they're not interested in each other...

As with Guillory's previous novel, The Wedding Date, once the splashy set-up is over, the relationship plays out on a much more realistic scale. There's no escalating series of misunderstandings and deceptions, no high farce, just two people who have their own reasons to shy away from commitment but find themselves getting in deeper anyway. Guillory does a great job writing realistic, sympathetic characters, and the romance is well-earned.

The Proposal was on par with Jasmine’s highly enjoyable debut. I loved the idea that two people could fall for each other while being so unaware that it was even happening. The scenes featuring Nik’s friends were so fun and refreshing. It was great to see friendship between different types of women portrayed realistically and in a way that many romance novels tend to avoid. I think a common pitfall in many romance novels is thinking that every female protagonist just has to be enemies with other women, or that a female protagonist is special or cool when she only has male friends. I would have loved to see more of Nik’s family though. The relationships Carlos had with his family in contrast with Nik’s friendships just made me wish we were allowed to know more about Nik’s background. Overall, The Proposal was a delight. It was humorous and sweet, feminist and self-aware. I will definitely recommend this title for purchase, but something tells me I won’t be the only one.

I was not a big fan of Jasmine Guillory's first book, but I really liked this one a lot better. It seems Guillory has smoothed out the rough or hurried bits of her first book with this one. It's certainly a fun love story inspired by one of those cliche romantic comedy movie moments. Fun and light. Reccomend to adults readers.

4.5 When Oh, So Bad Turns Into Oh, So Great Stars
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
We have all been there...That situation where we wish the ground would open up and suck you in...only so that you would not be the center of attention and have everyone looking at you. There can be any number of reasons for that type of feeling...a small gathering of friends and something is said that causes an uproar...or your business power point is going along great and then that weird slide pops up making no sense...

Or

You could be Nikole Paterson, award winning independent journalist, sitting at a Dodger game with her actor boyfriend of five months wishing this game were over so she could be home relaxing on her own. Instead she was pushed to celebrate his birthday with his "Bros" at the game. Nikole has been contemplating as to why she is even with him...and then she remembers she does like the sex...but that is about all. She is deep in her thoughts and scanning her phone when the boyfriend tugs on her arm yelling to look up.

At first Nikole can't figure out what the deal is...then she sees someone is proposing to a Nicole on the JumboTron and immediately wonders why anyone would do that...Only to then see the boyfriend down on one knee Proposing to Her!!!

IS HE NUTS??? Nikole tries to get him to be normal and settle down. She does not want to embarrass him in front of his friends and the world. Her mind is racing because he never even talked to her about these types of feelings and if he had, she would have shut it down. This is not going well and he will not listen to her polite comments... instead he starts to get upset and then storms off, leaving her there.

Nikole cannot believe this is happening and as she sits there pretending she is fine...

Carlos Ibarra and his sister have watched the entire thing from two rows above. They saw how she tried to be gracious and kind and not have it get out of control. They saw how the guy was an asshat and left her. Now Carlos is concerned. He is watching as Nikole is attempting to look ok and not frazzled. But when a camera crew starts to approach, Carlos tells his sister they are going to help her. They go to block the crew and pretend to be friends, whisking her away.

As they get to the parking lot, Nikole turns to thank both of them and says she will get a ride from Uber or Lyft and not to worry about her. Carlos refuses and insists on driving her to the bar where her girlfriends are waiting. Once at the bar, Nikole insists they come in for a drink on her as a thank you.

Nikole is thankful her friends are there. She has a solid set who are the world to her. Each of them know her well and they are like sisters. Nikole starts to re tell the story...how the guy even spelled her name wrong...on that everyone howled.

Carols watched Nikole and thought what an amazing person she was. To have dealt with such an idiot and still be able to laugh with her pals. He liked the way the lights hit her curls and the sparkle of her eyes. He thought she was lovely but at the same time saw flicks of pain. Carlos knew it was time for them to leave when the conversation became a little personal and Nikole would need to just have her crew by her side. Saying goodbye, Carlos and Nikole felt as if they had made a little connection.

When the ladies went to pay their bar and food bill, Nikole discovered Carlos had taken care of it. This gave her the excuse to send an email to thank him.

And that was the beginning of something Oh So Great.

This was a terrific read. It covered so much. It had a multi cultural relationship which was there but then not at all there...It nods to differences yet also just told the universal story of two people working through whether they could love, period. Nikole had issues about love... scared to death of it. Carlos thought he was in the same place but as time progressed, he got hit in the face with his feelings. I love when a guy can be so smitten. What also worked was that they became friends first, then venturing into more.

And Boy Oh Boy...These two knew how to tear it up....Just Sayin' Yum Yum

This was delightful and proved something terrible can happen... but because of that horrible thing...something wonderful can come out of it. I cannot wait to see what Jasmine Guillory comes up with next.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine GuilloryThe Wedding Date
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory The Proposal
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very well-written novel with great dialogue and interesting characters. I highly recommend this novel--it would be a great book club choice.

This book was super cute! Was in the mood for something light and this fit the bill. The story was funny, sexy and empowering for women.

Love the representation in this book! We need more books like this - unique meet-cute situation; strong, sexy, independent female lead; sexy, intelligent, male lead who is definitely very masculine, but also pretty damn woke in terms of how he interacts with women (maybe not perfect, but better than most romantic male leads - plus, he needs to have some room to grow!).

Also, the author understands the sexiness of male forearms, and is absolutely correct in her assertion that tacos al pastor are the very best kind of tacos.

Looking forward to more good things from Ms. Guillory.

If you're going pull a ridiculous and very public surprise proposal to someone on the Dodger's Jumbo-tron, you could at least spell their name right...

Nik cannot even believe her casual boyfriend of a few months pulled a stunt proposal at a Dodger's game. Even more surprising is his completely inappropriate and frankly scary behavior after she tells him no. Thankfully, a really cute pediatrician and his sister see Nik's shock and get her out of the stadium before the media hounds can descend, escorting her safely to her friends.

Thus starts a really great friendship between Nik and Carlos, a friendship that slowly starts to include benefits. Both have super busy lives, Nik with her writing, Carlos with the hospital, so they both think their arrangement is perfect. Both also have a ton of baggage around love, intimacy, and relationships.

What follows is a lovely friends to lovers to HEA tale with realistic problems, family issues, and a awesome dose of feminism.

This was more like a 4.5 star for me, because I just loved The Wedding Date so very much and "friends-to-lovers" isn't one of my fav tropes.

I really dug in to this story and loved the wittiness of it. It was an enjoyable and quick adventure into cold shoulders, cupcakes, cohorts and confidants.

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

With The Proposal, Jasmine Guillory does it again with a strong, even more engaging follow up to her bestselling novel, The Wedding Date.

When Nikole (Nik) Peterson receives a surprise marriage proposal on the JumboTron at a Dodgers game, she is caught WAY off guard. Not only have she and her boyfriend, Fisher, not been dating long, but he spells her name wrong in the message on the big screen and issues the proposal on his birthday in the presence of all his buddies. Even though Nik does her best to let him down easy, the entire scene is broadcast to the stadium and is caught on camera by ESPN. Nik is trying to find a way to slip out of the stadium and avoid the camera crew heading toward her when two strangers, Carlos Ibarra and his sister, Angela, swoop in and rescue her by pretending to be long-lost friends. This summarizes the first chapter of The Proposal and sets up the possibility of romance between Nik and Carlos.

Fans of The Wedding Date will recognize Carlos as the pediatrician best friend and confidant of Drew, who has now moved to Oakland and is engaged to Alexa. Carlos was a wonderful, but fairly minor character in Wedding Date, so it was a pleasure to get to know his story through The Proposal. As with Guillory’s previous book, our protagonists, Carlos and Nik are both smart, attractive successful individuals who aren’t really looking for “forever” when they meet. However, as their friendship develops, they are forced to acknowledge their mutual attraction… and who knows where it will go?

The Proposal is a great example of the signature style Guillory began developing in The Wedding Date. Guillory doesn’t begin her novels with a lot of introduction or backstory for her characters. Instead, the romantic leads are thrown together in Chapter 1 in a unique and comical way and we learn more about the characters organically as they learn more about each other. Guillory’s characters are also successful and independent men and women who know what they want in a romantic partner, but are not defined by their intimate relationships. Though I loved The Wedding Date, I believe that The Proposal is a much better offering. Guillory spends a lot more time developing the supporting characters of Carlos’ family and Nik’s friends, which provides additional layers to our protagonists, making them more fully human and, ultimately, irresistible.