This was a fun, light read.
What I loved: The cast of characters weren't all exactly the same (read that anyway you want)!! It was refreshing to see a diverse line-up.
What I liked: It was just a great story. It was just predictable enough, but also just different enough. The perfect balance which is just what I like to see in my romance!
What I hated: Can't say I hated anything about this one!

There was a lot to like about this book. A great read for people who enjoy contemporary romance.

Jasmine Guillory does it again! What a fantastic story of love and commitment between to characters that just jump off the page into real life! I love that she gives plenty of flaws and allows them to eat and argue and watch TV and talk about nothing and everything. These are real people falling in love not perfect specimens in some hyper sanitized world where no one eats or goes to the bathroom or says the wrong thing. What I love most is the humaness of the love story. I also really enjoy that she gives updates on characters from the previous book. I hope she keep doing that!

This is one of those books I heard so many wonderful things about and was excited to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, my excitement soon fizzled.

Nikole and Carlos were nice enough… as friends, maybe even friends with benefits. But, I felt no romantic chemistry and the ‘relationship’ felt forced to me.

Dragged through the wringer emotionally and mentally in her last serious relationship (with a doctor), Nik put her feelings away and dated guys she couldn’t be serious about.

Which led her to sometime-wannabe-actor Fisher and the proposal.

The baseball game was one of the few times I felt bad for Nik because… Fisher? No, just no. But whether or not you’re into the guy, what woman goes to a sporting event with her man and HIS friends? That’s an accident looking for a place to happen… and it found one.

Loved the save by Carlos and Angela and was glad Nik got right into the flow. And meeting Nik’s besties, Courtney and Dana, afterward at the lounge was fun too.

After that, it was a struggle for me to stay invested in this couple and their story.

When Carlos accompanied Nik home because, you know… creepy Fisher, her angry internal thoughts AT HIM gave me a few of my own… and I put the book down and read something else.

I love and applaud confident, self-assured heroines, but the ones who feel compelled to voice how strong and independent they are or resent the man for… being a man? Not so much. Your actions and behavior should show who you are. If you have to tell me—constantly—you’re trying too hard. And her passive/aggressive I don’t need a relationship/oh my god, this man is hot back and forth worked my nerves.

Carlos was likable but carrying a full set of matching baggage that was exhausting to even watch. His commitment and loyalty to his family was admirable… and suffocating. He didn’t want to be the dependable son, brother, and cousin, he wanted to be his father—and it was detrimental to his psyche. Thank goodness for the sanity and clarity of Angela.

But I’m still left with two people who say they’re not looking for a relationship exhibiting relationship-like behavior… and are upset about it. By the time the admissions and confessions appeared, I just wanted it to be over. I’m sure these scenes were meant to be heartfelt but I felt no burning passion, no I need you in my life for the rest of my life. They could have been discussing oil changes in my mind.

The Proposal is well-written. The snark and one-liners are spot on. The back story of Natalie was a heartbreaker and emotional. She showed the growth I wished I’d seen in Nikole. Favorite scene, hands down, was the reappearance of Fisher. YESSS! That was awesome.

Obviously, I’m in the minority with my review, but it happens. I’m sure fans of contemporary romance will be reading The Proposal long after I’ve forgotten about it, but many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity!

After reading Jasmine Guillory's debut novel, The Wedding Date I couldn't wait to see what else she was working on. So when The Proposal came up for review I jumped at the chance to read it.
We have previously met Carlos in The Wedding Date so I was eager to read his story.
The one thing I love about Jasmine Guillory's writing is that she has real people in her stories. Not perfect people but real people that we see on a daily basis in our own lives. And deverse characters with multipule backgrounds. I think Nikole's friends kind of took over the story for me. I loved them more then I loved Carlos and Nik and they took away the spotlight for a while.
This was a light story, with very little drama involved. While the characters were nice I couldn't really connect with them much. I can't really put my finger on why though! When I read contempary romance books I like to be able to love the characters and the chemistry they have for each other, but that just didn't happen for me.
I would of liked to have more background on Nikole as she said she had something happen to her in the past to make her weary of relationships but we didn't really go into too much detail about it. I would of personally liked the background on that story.
I will definatley read other books but this author as I said before I really enjoyed The Wedding Date.

Another charming romance from Guillory. I really enjoyed her first novel; this one, set in the same world, is equally delightful. Popcorn reading at its best.

I was excited to see that Carlos, a character I really enjoyed in The Wedding Date was getting his own story!

While some of the characters do appear in both books, this is not a sequel and readers don't need to read the previous book first.

I don't usually pick up romance books, but this author is good enough to draw me out of my reading comfort zone. I love the way her books include characters who are realistic and diverse. Her heroines are flawed, and basically fine with their flaws. They drink, eat what they want, and are generally ladies I'd like to be friends with.

Definitely an interesting read, but one that i had high expectations for after seeing so many glowing reviews. I definitely enjoyed it, though not as much as some other reviewers.

The Proposal is a charming and fun contemporary romance. With a diverse cast of characters and a memorable meet-cute, this book lived up to the hype for me. This is my first time reading Guillory, so I'm looking forward to reading the first novel in the series too.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory was a light, fun read. This is about an embarrassing and unwanted proposal in front of thousands at a baseball game. What Nikole Paterson didn't expect is to meet a handsome, considerate doctor who helped her in a sticky situation. They both didn't want a serious relationship so they begin a light yet exciting relationship with no strings attached. This was a perfect, quick read about strong friendships and dealing with baggage that leaves you nervous to move on with your life.

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

The Proposal follows Drew’s best friend, Carlos, who I already loved in the first book. So Carlos is attending a baseball game, when a girl gets proposed on the Jumbotron and says no, which leads to the whole stadium judging her and also a news crew starts hounding her. Carlos and his sister decide to jump in, and help her, which is how Nik and Carlos meet. And then they fall in love.

Again, a really amazing romance with so many wonderful, important stuff in it. Our female lead is black, our male lead is Latino, there’s a black lesbian side character, a plus size Korean side character… There are discussions on emotional abuse, there are amazing female friendships, a lot of girls supporting girls and I loved every second of it. And Guillory is really good at incorporating these things into the story so they work with the general arc of the novel. It’s GREAT.
My one grievance with this novel is that it was real cheezy at times and I feel like the romance progressed a little too quickly.

But still, this was beyond fun and beyond cute and it was just chock-full of amazing stuff.

I've never been much of a reader of romance-style novels, but I am hooked on Jasmine Guillory. When Nik turns down a proposal on a jumbotron in front of millions of spectators (and television cameras), Carlos and his sister are quick to jump in and rescue a total stranger from a quickly escalating nightmare. What follows is a lighthearted romantic encounter that despite its playful tone and happy ending, isn't afraid to explore deeper issues such as race, grief, family, emotional abuse and women's friendships deftly and honestly. Ms. Guillory manages to encompass both the complex and the butterflies-in-the-stomach moments in a way that makes each one complement the other rather than detracting or getting bogged down in heavier material. The Proposal is the perfect read when you know you want to feel good at the end but you aren't afraid to take your time getting there.

This is 100% a companion to the Wedding Date so don't go in without that knowledge. The writing wasn't the best. It's also super cheesy, but cute. The Los Angeles setting was really cool though and you can tell the author cared about where she had the book take place.

I was excited to read this because I loved The Wedding Date. I thought this was just as good and I enjoyed that the characters were continued in this one. Fun and light romance!

A fun romance that reunites the readers with a character from Guillory's previous book, The Wedding Date. Carlos and Nik's story is full of fun, flirty romance, delicous sounding food, and the importance of family and friends.

This was so cute! I loved Nik as a main character. I related a lot to her fierce in dependence and her need to never look weak. Carols was a sweetheart. I already loved him from The Wedding Date but he took my heart in this. The chemistry between the two was amazing. My only gripe was that the writing wasn't the best. The dialogue was awkward at times. But other than that I really enjoyed this.

This was the first book I'd ever read by this author, and while I enjoyed that it provided some diversity to the romantic comedy genre, I couldn't connect with the characters. The dialogue felt slightly stilted and unnatural, so I ultimately decided not to finish the book.

Plot: Carlos saved Nik from awkwardly explaining her situation to a news crew shortly after she turned down her boyfriend's very public proposal. The two hit it off and kept running into each other until they had no choice but to acknowledge their attraction and lay down the ground rules.



When I read The Wedding Date, I fell in love with the push and pull of the relationship and the commentary on the challenges of interracial dating. The Proposal was a bit more light-hearted and was missing the emotional appeal that The Wedding Date had. At the end of the day, The Proposal was cute and the ending put a smile on my face.



Characters: Nik was a woman I desperately wanted to learn more about and I felt that The Proposal barely scratched the surface. It was clear that she had trust issues and had been hurt badly in the past, but we never delved into what made Nik tick. In fact, Nik's friends kind of stole the show and I hope that Guillory decides to write another book that features Nik's best gal pals. Carlos was just as sweet as he was in The Wedding Date with a bit more stress. In The Proposal, we learned about his relationship with his family and the burden that he carried. It was good to see Carlos play the leading man and I loved how emotional he was.



Worldbuilding: While The Wedding Date took place in the Bay Area, The Proposal explored the L.A. area. I loved the biting commentary on the L.A. social scene and all of the food! Seriously, Nik and Carlos had the most delicious dates.



Short N Sweet: The Proposal didn't compare to The Wedding Date but was still fun.

Writing this review for The Proposal honestly hurts a little bit. The Wedding Date was such a charming debut novel that I couldn't help but have high expectations for Jasmine Guillory's sophomore novel. Unfortunately, my expectations for this book were not met. The Proposal lacked the addicting quality that I have come to expect from Jasmine Guillory and for the most part, fell flat.

If you read The Wedding Date, then you are already familiar with Carlos, Drew's best friend. I adored Carlos in that book and was hyped to read his story. At the start of this book, my love for the guy was still strong and I hoped that it would only get stronger as the story progressed, but that did not quite happen. In fact, his behavior and actions began to seem ridiculous and whiny, which made him an irritating character, in my opinion. By the end of the book, I was left with a feeling of discontent with how Guillory chose to write Carlos in The Proposal. I want to say that I had a better experience with Nikole, the heroine, but that was not the case. She was smart and witty, sure, but she also felt one-dimensional. Her feelings never truly reached me, which made it hard for me to be in synch with her. I never grew to care for her like I did Alexa in The Wedding Date.

As a result of my not particularly enjoying either of the main characters, I felt indifferent towards the romance. It lacked any sort of spark or chemistry for me. Carlos and Nikole were rather bland together. I was honestly surprised when the declarations of love were made, especially by Carlos, because they had barely even spent time getting to know each other. I simply wasn't convinced by these two as a couple. I did enjoy Nikole's friends and her relationship with them. I always think reading about strong and supportive female friendships is just empowering and Nikole's friends were a wonderful bunch.

From The Wedding Date, it was obvious to me that Jasmine Guillory is talented, but The Proposal felt like a book that she forced herself to push through. While it didn't exactly hold my attention, I will still wholeheartedly recommend The Wedding Date and will eagerly look forward to whatever the author decides to publish next.

Jasmine Guillory’s books are so much fun! I absolutely loved The Wedding Date and was super excited to dive back in with The Proposal. She didn’t disappoint! If you’re looking for a fun, sexy romance, she’s the way to go!

If it weren't for veins of the same theme from The Wedding Date running through The Proposal, I would think the two books were written by different people. There was very little I liked about this writing style when I was head over heels for The Wedding Date. The fade-to black scenes are ever present and jerky, but in addition, the book seems chock-full-o-cliche's from the narrative to the character speech. Except for physical descriptions, Nik and her friends all seemed the same: over the top and a smidge corny. They all laughed at each other's decidedly unfunny jokes every other line, it seemed like, and Nik didn't seem to make much sense. Her reasons for a lot of the things she did and judgements she made seemed very childish with little actual substance behind them.


Meanwhile, Carlos does NOT seem like the Carlos .I knew and loved from TWD. This is another character with Carlos Ibarra's name and face, because he couldn't have given such good advice in TWD and turned around and turned into Drew in The Proposal. I'm bummed because I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't enjoy anything about it.