Cover Image: The Proposal

The Proposal

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Jasmine Guillory's second book brings back all of the charm of The Wedding Date with a fresh new story. It's fun to see her characters develop and deal with love and romance in the modern world!

Was this review helpful?

This is a quick, fun read! The story is cute, the characters are all really interesting. It’s a perfect book to read when you’ve had a bad week and just want to read something fun and lighthearted. I do have to say - I’ll never look at sour cream the same way again!

Was this review helpful?

After really liking The Wedding Date last year, I was quite excited to read this and I was not disappointed. Such a fun set up and a lovely cast of characters! I loved Nik's friends and Carlos' family and I find this setting super fun to read about. I liked Nik's independent streak and loved the ending.

Was this review helpful?

When Nik receives an unexpected proposal of marriage via the jumbo-tron at a major league baseball game, she turns the guy down in front of tens of thousands of people. Her (now former) boyfriend exits the stadium in a huff and camera crews descend. Carlos and his sister see what’s about to happen and rescue Nik before she is confronted by the media anxious to splash her story all over National TV.
That’s a great intro for what was an otherwise disappointing story. Nik and Carlos strike up a relationship and you can pretty much guess the rest.. In spite of some funny and witty dialog along the way, the characters had no depth and what plot there was was syrupy and predictable. This book was a let down even after going into it expecting a light, fluffy read.

Was this review helpful?

The Proposal is the sensational, charming, warm, sexy follow up to Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date. While this novel contains characters from that story, you do not need to read that book to absolutely, thoroughly enjoy this one. I speak from experience.

Nikole (Nik) Paterson is not enjoying spending the day at the ballpark while her boyfriend and his friends bond over warm beer, pretzels and sports – but it’s her man’s birthday and this is what he wanted. She’s vaguely wondering if their five-month relationship has run its course when he tells her to look at the score board. Tearing her eyes away from her phone, she glances up to see the words, “NICOLE: I LOVE YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME?” When he drops down on one knee and proposes, her slack jawed mouth closes just enough to form the word no. As her boyfriend and his buddies stomp off, calling her various names as they depart, she finds herself the object of horrified, angry looks from the 45,000 other people attending the game.

Carlos Ibarra can’t help but admire the courage of the young woman two rows in front of him who has the gumption to turn down the proposal of the overly tan dude with the man bun. When he sees said young lady about to be mobbed by news station crews, he and his sister Angela rush to her rescue. Feigning a friendship they don’t have, they ooh and ahh over finding her on such an unlikely day and help her skedaddle out of the park. They give her a ride to a nearby bar, where Nik meets up with friends and invites the Ibarras to join her in a drink. They do, and Carlos is impressed all over again, this time with Nik’s wit and humor. But just after a girl has had a very public break up is not the time to hit on her.

Nik is impressed with Carlos as well. Not only is he handsome, he shows himself to be a kind, caring gentleman. When its clear she needs some alone time with her friends, he and Angela leave, but not before he covers the tab.

He figures the only other chance he’ll have to see her again is if he hangs out at the bar, hoping to catch sight of her. She figures this is the totally wrong time to get involved with another man. But one thank you email later and they’re sharing food and fun at a local Thai eatery. Funny texts and cupcake dates quickly follow. Before they know it, they’re seeing each other two or three times a week. It’s been said that a simple rule of dating is that rebound relationships never last but aren’t the rules meant to be broken?

Like Nik after the spontaneous proposal from a man who couldn’t even spell her name, I found myself speechless after finishing this book. Unlike Nik, my shock was from my overwhelmingly positive emotions. There was so much I loved about this novel I could easily write a top 100 list of reasons to buy it, but I will try to limit this review to the top five.

One thing the author gets all kinds of kudos for is the best depiction of an alpha female/beta male pairing I have ever seen in romance. EVER. Nik is strong, independent, and tough as nails. A lot of writers end up making alpha females as much of a jerk as her alpha male jerk counterpart but that doesn’t happen here. Nikole is a kind person who has good friends and a caring, compassionate heart. What makes her alpha is her take charge nature and that she knows the difference between someone asking for a favor and someone taking advantage. She’s always up for the former, she’s never down with the latter.

Just the right combination of open-hearted and savvy, Carlos is beta male perfection. He is willing to let others set the pace on most things but asserts himself when he needs to. He’s okay with being vulnerable to hurt in order to further a relationship along and isn’t afraid to do the heavy lifting in the romance department, but he doesn’t tolerate abuse. I loved everything about him; even his flaws and mistakes are endearing.

The characters, therefore, are perfect not in the sense that they don’t have flaws but that the author skillfully uses even those flaws to move her plot along and endear her creations to the reader. Another absolutely fabulous factor in this alpha-beta pairing is that Nik has a lot of back history with bad relationships. She’s had plenty of losers in her past but unlike many a romance alpha who uses that as an excuse to be cold, distant, untrusting, and unkind to everyone of the opposite sex whom they meet she is friendly, open and fun-loving with her dates. She gives relationships a chance and treats everyone with an open-minded fairness which is just so, so refreshing to see. I now want to go back through my reading history, grab by the hair every ‘wounded’ alpha who punished his new love for his exes’ mistakes, drag them to Nikole’s feet and say, “Learn from her!”.

And yet in spite of all this character perfection, the author is still able to find room for them to grow, become better and bring out the best in each other. Insert fan girl squeal here- that is so awesome! I love it when two great people become even better together.

The relationship building is out of this world fantastic and I just about swooned every time these two were together. I loved how fun their encounters are, how well they get along, how they are able to talk through simple problems and not make issues of them. Seriously, this is the best depiction I have seen of modern romance in a contemporary in a long, long time. Everyone wants the relationship these two have.

The secondary characters are handled beautifully. They lend the exact right amount of balance to the growing romance between Carlos and Nik and help add depth to them as individuals. Nik’s two gal pals know her, love her, support her and guide her. They help her laugh and when she gets lost, they help her find her way. Carlos’ family does the same for him. This is a bit odd to say, but I knew that if the two of them didn’t make it as a couple, they would be all right as individuals because their support networks are so awesome. Too many times the hero and heroine become so totally enmeshed that there is no room for them to stay individuals, but that isn’t the case here. They’re stronger together, better together but they’re fine as individuals, too.

Funny, warm and romantic The Proposal is a fantastic, not to be missed romance. I recommend it to anyone who loves – or even just likes – contemporary romance novels.

Was this review helpful?

While I did enjoy this book, I did not enjoy it as much as Guillory's previous title The Wedding Date. That being said, it was still a fun read and I would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

I received an advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Proposal is an own voices novel, follows Nik a young black woman and Charlos a Latino Doctor. This book was so adorable I had s hard time putting it down.

The story starts off when Nik is completely blind-sighted by a marriage proposal at a Dodgers game from her casual boyfriend, Fisher. She is humiliated and to make things worse a camera crew tries to approach her. She is thankfully saved by Charlos and his sister Angie, who happened to see the whole thing unfold.

Throughout the book we get to watch these two build a strong friendship as they are both not in a place to start a relationship.I loved Nik she is witty, sarcastic and smart. I adored her friendship with Dana and Courtney. Charlos is really charming and it’s hard not to fall for him. But as all humans he has his flaws, he is very over protective with his family to a point where he thinks that if he gets involved with someone he won’t be there for them.

A side character I absolutely adored was Nik’s friend Courtney. She is an Asian plus sized woman who owns and runs a cupcake shop. She is just the cutest!

There are some subtle hard hitting topics woven into the story as well. As the book progresses we meet a woman who has been emotionally abused in the past. She talks about how it’s hard to know that your in that type of situation and how it’s difficult to recognize the signs. Also how it’s possible to get out of the relationship and how she healed.

The ending was a little cheesy but hey it’s a romance book. I really enjoyed this book and I’m now dying to read The Wedding Date.

Was this review helpful?

This was a lot of fun! Rom-coms don't sell particularly well for us, unfortunately, but I love how diverse and funny this one is. Very reminiscent of The Wedding Date, which I also enjoyed (and sold pretty well for us!).

Was this review helpful?

Alright, this book was SO GOOD. I am totally one to gush over a book I love and I just finished this one 10 minutes ago, so here's the gush: I LOVED this book. Seriously, such an adorable will-they won't-they kind of story that hooked me from the very first page. If you're in the market for a super fun and well-told romcom, this is for sure the book for you. Not only was the story great, but the characters were well written and developed and had excellent banter and chemistry. It had everything I look for in a good book!

There were definitely cheesy moments and some eye rolls (particularly at the beginning), but the rest of the book fully covered for those minor details. 10/10 would read again.

Was this review helpful?

Audiobook Review: 5 Stars

What would you do if your boyfriend of five months, whom you’ve never discussed a future together, proposes to you in front of thousands of people during a baseball match?

Nik never saw that coming, but she couldn’t say yes to a ludicrous proposal and less from a man who she wasn’t in love with. But what happened to be a bad joke with a dangerous escape from the stadium, it because of the beginning of something amazing and completely unexpected and life-changing.

Carlos saw the whole proposal and felt the need to help the woman who was about to be ambushed for not saying YES to a complete douchbag, so he and his sister came to the rescue and they didn’t only helped her out of the stadium, they also took her to where Nik was planning to meet with her friends and he ended up paying for the check.

Carlos was a complete gentleman and left a great impression in Nik. And she thought it’d be to have a friend like Carlos… And maybe something more… But not so much, since both of them weren’t “relationship material” and they left things very clear with each other…

I love when I can relate to the characters in books. Nik and Carlos started as friends with benefits, and they were fine with that, and they were convinced that’s what all they wanted, but their relationship sets aside from the “predictable” when it came to the reasons of why Nik didn’t want to be in a serious relationship and that’s why I relate so much to her. I loved that part of the story and how she came to the realization of the big mistake she was making, but she didn’t magically fix said situation, making this story more real and more awesome for me.

Also… This book could make a great movie adaptation, romantic comedy to be more specific. It has the perfect amount of romantic and sexy times, great characters, great laughter and the best of all, a lovely HEA!!

The narration of Janina Edwards was amazing. Her voice was perfect for Nik as well as it was for Carlos. I love how neutral was her narration. She didn’t have any particular accent but at the same time, she made her narration full of attitude and personality.

All in all, great book, with a great companion of an audiobook, with a lovely story, awesome characters, and the perfect HEA. 100% recommended.

Was this review helpful?

2.5-3 Stars: It was okay.

“The Proposal” was a much anticipated follow-up for me. I loved “The Wedding Date,” and couldn’t wait for Jasmine Guillory’s next endearing romance. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one as much as the previous, in fact I almost put it down for good a third of the way through, but I pushed a little further and ended up, if not completely engrossed or swept away, entertained.

The synopsis for “The Proposal” completely sold me, and though the meet-cute was all I wanted, I didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with the story. It was the plot, and the writing, at times that I found lacking. Too many lines felt redundant, and the character dynamics felt stale, especially the scenes with the heroine and her friends. Plus, there wasn’t enough conflict. I know it’s a light romance, but my emotions were pretty much a flat line, other than the few times I smirked or laughed.

What I enjoyed, as I did with “The Wedding Date,” were the scenes with the hero and heroine as they played together and grew closer. Though I found their dialogue banal sometimes. I also loved all the food talk!

Along with the more intimate moments between the heroine and hero, I quite enjoyed the hero’s backstory and his development, which I found a little more fleshed out than the heroine’s. Nik had her journey, but the conflict felt a little unbalanced to me, which I think influenced why I liked Carlos’s perspective better, which is annoying. I never want to be *that* romance reader who likes the hero better.

I didn’t like this read for the first third, then I really got into it, until about the last quarter where my interest tapered off again. So, I guess I liked about 40% of it, which pains me to reveal, because, not only did I want to love this because I had so much fun with Jasmine Guillory’s previous release, I wanted to love this because diverse romances (and romcoms!) are hard to find. I’ll give this author another try, but my expectations will be lower. Boo.

Was this review helpful?

This was an adorable, lighthearted, fun and sweet read.I adored Nik and Carlos.

I could easily connect with them.The beginning was great and I was immediately hooked to the story.

This is an easy and fast paced read and if you have read The Wedding Date you are going to love this one!

Was this review helpful?

“Deciding to spend your life together shouldn’t be a surprise”

I loved The Wedding Date earlier this year, and when I found out that this was going to star one of the side characters I knew I couldn’t resist putting in an ARC request. This was a joy to read, from the first page to the last. Both of Jasmine’s books have been so intelligently, beautifully, and masterfully crafted.

The Proposal is an ownvoices novel that follows a woman who is completely blindsided by a marriage proposal at Dodger Stadium. Yet, before the camera crews come in to make a terrible situation even worse, she is saved by a stranger in the stands, and his sister.

➽ Nikole Paterson - Black, freelance journalist, and the woman who just got surprise proposed to after only five months of dating her partner.

➽ Carlos Ibarra - Latino, pediatrician, the stranger in the stands that we already were introduced to in The Wedding Date.

And we get to see these two build a friendship, and maybe something more, after everything went down at Dodger Stadium. Neither one of them are at a point in their life where they are willing to start something new, but they have each other’s backs and prove that they are there for one another.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Nik and Carlos with my whole heart, but Nik’s friends almost stole the show for me in this novel. Dana is an actress, black, and a lesbian, and has the freakin’ cutest f/f side romance ever. Like, please, I need a full-length novel right this second. And Courtney is a cupcake shop owner, Asian, and plus sized. And I think I had a smile from ear-to-ear every time she was on the page. Seriously, Nik, Dana, and Courtney are the definition of friendship goals and it was a joy to read.

But probably my favorite thing in this book were the seamlessly woven important themes. There was also such a subtle, yet loud, message about how easy it is to not realize you are in an emotionally abusive relationship. And sometimes you don’t start to realize until you are completely secluded from your friends and family. Yet, it also shows that there always can be ways out, even if you have to wait a while, and that it is never too late once you realize when someone is being abusive.

There was also such a beautiful discussion about how important it is to reclaim your safety after you have been violated or felt that it was threatened. Throughout this story, we see Nik take those steps, and it just meant a lot to me, personally. I also loved how she had friends helping along the way.

The reason I did end up giving this four stars, and not five, was because I felt like Carlos acted a little questionably at the end. Trust me, it pains me to say, because I do love him so much. Yet, with the way he and Nik met, you would think that he would understand how she would react to a (quicker) repeat. I’m trying to be vague, but his actions just left me side-eyeing a little at the end, and just dampened my enjoyment overall.

Yet, I still loved this book, and I think Jasmine Guillory is such an impressive author. I can’t wait to read any and everything she writes. The romance world just needs more books like The Proposal and The Wedding Date! I completely recommend this one!

Was this review helpful?

Carlos was a favorite of mine in The Wedding Date so this was definitely something I was excited to dive into! I loved how diverse the characters are and how relatable they felt. Overall, I loved the story and all the wonderful plot points it held. I only wish I could read from these characters forever!

Was this review helpful?

Are you someone who dreams of a very public proposal? Or are you someone who dreads it? I admittedly fall into the latter bucket. I remember warning Pasquale several times I did not want people around if (turned out to be when) he proposed. Therefore, Guillory’s novel, which begins with a very public proposal, made me cringe!
Nikole, a freelance writer, who has a passion for bourbon, dark bars and sarcasm, finds herself at a Dodgers game with her boyfriend of a few months. Much to her dismay, he proposes – and she says no! Cue the boo-ing fans calling her a heartless b*tch. Carlos Ibarra (who you may remember as Drew’s best friend in The Wedding Date) happens to be at the same game and swoops in to save Nik from the swarming crowds.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of ruining this funny, fun, witty, sarcastic novel! I could not put it down as it definitely checked all the boxes for me. Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a light, cute read!

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute, light-hearted romance...a little too heavy on the sexual activity for me. I think some of the characters lacked substance, but I liked the two main characters so that was enough to keep me reading.

Was this review helpful?

Nik is a fierce, intelligent woman that doesn't need a man to rescue her, but when her boyfriend unexpectedly proposes at a LA Dodgers baseball on the jumbo-tron, she has a night-in-shining armor come to help her after she declines his request. Carlos and his sister help Nik out, which leads to a friendship and eventual romance developing between Nik and Carlos. This is a fun romance with funny character interactions and satisfying love story.

Was this review helpful?

PLOT

The Proposal is a companion novel to The Wedding Date, a Contemporary Romance released earlier this year. In TWD, we meet Carlos who is the best friend to the male protagonist and who also frankly inadvertently stole the show in my opinion. It's rare that I find a male lead I get so attached to that I want to see more of their story but such was the case with everyones favorite Pediatrician Carlos Ibarra. When Nikole Patterson begrudgingly attends a ball game with her actor boyfriend and his buddies, she wasn't expecting to look up & see her name misspelled on the jumbotron. She also wasn't expecting it to be a proposal from the guy she'd only been dating a couple of months. Stuck in an awkward situation in front of millions world-wide, she tries to talk some sense into him. Meanwhile Carlos & his sister who are sitting behind Nik, come up with the idea of rescuing her from the most humiliating situation as it unfolds. Pretending to know Nik, they whisk her away from the reporters who are quickly approaching to interview the woman who turned down a very public proposal.

What started off as a act of kindness turns into a sexy friends with benefits arrangement with both parties on the same page. Of course, we all know these types of arrangements can turn messy when one person starts to blur the lines and break the rules  We follow Nik & Carlos as they get to know one another through group friend dates, food dates (OMYGAHH! you can taste the food right off the pages! ), sexy nights, and unexpected events that make it hard to stick to the rules.

Content Warnings: Grief, Talk of death of a loved one, Racism (Challenged), pregnancy complications and misscariage, talk of past verbal abuse (non-main character)

CHARACTERS

When I first caught wind of Carlos getting his own POV story I jumped for joy and hugged my pillow! I mean, could it be I was getting THE story I so badly wanted when I first met this handsome Mexican Pediatrician in The Wedding Date?!?!  Why YES! YES it was happening and I was so on board! To be honest, I wasn't a fan of Drew the MC in The Wedding Date & found him to be a bit of an a** but his BFF Carlos, now there was a guy I'd date and here's why...

Carlos No longer practicing medicine much, Carlos is now the Assistant Director of a teen clinic where he counsels youth. Carlos has a HUGE heart & has stepped into the role of Patriarch after his fathers passing. With many women in his family to look after, he pretty much has made it so that he doesn't have time for dating. He knows that the day he meets THE ONE, he will give her 100% of his time & that just isn't something he sees s possible. I love this character so much but he isn't flawless by any means, at times his protectiveness can come off as being pushy but he is quick to catch himself in those moments. Overall, Carlos is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve & given how saturated books are with toxic masculinity (not to mention IRL) he was refreshing to get to know.

Nik Fiercely independent & I wouldn't go as far as calling her a commitment phobe but she's not trying to get attached any time soon. Having just come from one awkward as hell situation with the last boyfriend, Nik is just going for light & fun. No strings attached. She's a journalist with pieces published in a few major publications & writing is where her heart is at. I enjoyed Nik's character for many reasons but the feminist in her really called out to me most. I loved seeing her interact with her friend group & also the coverage she gave a small gym owned by a woman who had a second chance in life after leaving a controlling abusive marriage (loved the message behind this characters intro). I loved the passion she has for her work & her overall helpful nature with those she cares about.

Nik's friends Dana & Courtney Usually friend groups offer up a few good scenes & laughs but Dana & Courtney really raise the bar. Super supportive, these friends aren't the type who'll just say they'll be there for you whenever you need them. They are present in Nik's life and empower one another. Whether it's joining a self defense class in solidarity or saving a batch of cupcakes from their shop for you on a day when you need it most, these are your ride or die friends.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

Fun, sexy, filled with food and good times against the backdrop of Los Angeles; It's my opinion The Proposal is more enjoyable than its predecessor. I rated this a high 4 stars simply, I honestly wanted Nik's background\family life a bit more fleshed out. Told in multiple POV's we get to see Carlos' family & his awesome sibling relationship. Although we do see Nik's friend group, we don't get any of her family background. Nik is a strong independent woman & I would've loved to dig into her backstory a bit. Also, although I loved Carlos & still do, I almost felt his actions towards the end didn't quite fit his personality at all. It just didn't make sense considering how he met Nik & so I felt a bit resentful towards him for that reason alone. Last but definitely not least, I will continue to read all that Jasmine Guillory writes because of how beautifully diverse all of the characters are. The Proposal is a Contemporary Romance between Carlos a LATINX/Mexican man & Nik a black woman but we also get Courtney a Korean plus sized woman & Dana a black lesbian woman. The diversity and important topics woven in throughout Guillory's books set them apart & will always make them a go-to for this bookworm.

***REVIEW GOES LIVE 10/9/2018; LINKS WILL BE ADDED TO THIS REVIEW***
***BOOK AESTHETIC WILL BE ON BLOG REVIEW***

Was this review helpful?

I was very, very excited about this book because I LOVED THE WEDDING DATE, but unfortunately it did not live up to its predecessor. I appreciated what Guillory was trying to do, and the book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me. I couldn’t connect with the main characters and did not find their connection that engaging. The book wasn’t bad—it was just okay. It was enjoyable and there were parts that were really, really fun, but overall I don't think it cohered together as well as we have seen Guillory accomplish in the past. I think it will still sell really well because of the success of The Wedding Date and the rom-com trend going on in the genre right now, but I was disappointed by this one.

Was this review helpful?

This is not my typical kind of book. I tend to shy away from meet-cutes or romances, in general. So, I'm probably not the best judge of this book. I picked this one up because of its Library Reads nomination and my library's efforts to stay current with LR selections. I have to say, I was not disappointed. The book was well-written, cute, and endearing, yet not patronizing. It may have been slightly predictable, even to a romance novice such as myself, but that hardly matters. Readers will eat this up.

Was this review helpful?