This story a charming rom-com with a refreshing cultural twist, blending Puerto Rican heritage and family expectations into its storyline. The chemistry between Kamilah and Liam is enjoyable, though their second-chance romance sometimes feels predictable. Their grandparents add humor and heart and were some of my favorite characters . Caña’s writing is warm and accessible, but occasionally the pacing is slow. While the book offers a cozy and entertaining read, it doesn’t quite break new ground in the genre.

rating: 5/5

Tropes: fake engagement, multicultural romance, strong familial ties, foodie, summer/fall read, childhood friends, grumpy mmc,

CW: terminal cancer, parental death (flashback), drinking, ptsd, depression,

Kamilah has big dreams for her family's restaurant, but stubbornness and the gentrification of the neighborhood has her parents reluctant to do anything to as elaborate as Kamilah's dreams. Kamilah also has a meddlesome abuelo who blackmails her into marrying his best friend's son and in return he would give her his blessing to change things and help her convince her parents.

Liam has big dreams for his family's whiskey distillery as well. Right at the cusp of achieving a major goal, his grandfather tells him he has cancer and his grandfather's wish is to see his grandson married. He's not above blackmail either.

Since they are being blackmailed by their grandfathers Kamilah and Liam team up to fake an engagement in order to outsmart them and end up falling in love anyway.

I loved this book. I loved Kamilah and Liam. Their grandfathers kept me laughing throughout the book. I love the close family ties that both characters have, and the chaos of a big and meddlesome family was very entertaining. I laughed, cried and even swooned a bit. Liam was intentional in his love and attention to Kamilah and that was refreshing. They're explosive together, the tension and chemistry are strong even when the characters don't recognize it.

I need this book in a super cute special edition version. I loved this story and the way these characters took over my life should be studied. When I say I want a book to make me giggle and kick my feet, this is an example of that. A time was had, and it also made me look inward at myself and the relationships I have in my life.

Spice: It wasn't too spicy. (I'm gonna have to come up with a scale.) open door and definitely hot. That tasting scene...umm yes please!

"A Proposal They Can’t Refuse" by Natalie Caña is a contemporary romance that has dual point of view, which I can say I am extremely spoiled by now and LOVE having it in all my stories no matter what genre they fall into.

Kamilah Vega works in her family’s Puerto Rican restaurant and knows they need a change to stay relevant. However, her ideas aren’t being taken seriously, despite their potential for success in the Fall Foodie Tour. Liam Kane is managing his family’s distillery when he learns that his grandfather is ill. He becomes overwhelmed when he discovers that their grandfathers have a ridiculous plan for them to marry. I feel this needs to be a movie, and not a hallmark one but a real one!

The combination of fake relationships and enemies-to-lovers tropes is presented in an incredibly entertaining way! The characters are delightful, the mischievous grandparents add charm, and their chemistry is captivating. The heartfelt moments made my reading experience even more enjoyable than expected.

I thought this was cute enough. I thought the romance was cute, especially because it was a fake dating/enemies to lovers story, but I didn't feel enough chemistry between the characters. I wanted to see more of their romantic side towards each other. One of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication and this book had it by the boat load. There was so much that could have been so easily resolved if the FMC would just be honest but the lies kept getting worse and worse. I did like that both of the MCs were passionate about their job and wanted to be their absolute best and were great supporters of each other in that aspect. I also liked the meddling, mischievous grandpas.

Thank you for the opportunity.

One of the best depictions of the fake engagement/marriage of convenience trope in a romantic comedy that I’ve ever read.

ARC provided by NetGalley, but opinions on the material are my own.

DNFed at 25%. I'm simply not vibing with this read. Might pick up later but I don't think so. I love a Marriage of convenience as much as the next girl but being blackmailed into it by your grandfather and his bff is not the way. They are literally dangling their livelihoods over their heads and that doesn't sit right with me

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed the beginning of this one and the general ~romance reasons~ for the fake engagement. Love a meddling grandpa and we have TWO in this story who are besties. Kamilah and Liam were cute together and I loved their small moments together.

The audiobook was great and I listened to this one super quickly!

But, the ending really didn't work for me. As a disclaimer I am not a third act break up hater. I actually like them most of the time. But this one felt like they fell apart so easily and I truly do not see how their lifestyles will mesh long term? And then they found their way back to each other so easily. I needed more nuance in both the break up and the make up, but since this the author's debut I think it just came down to a lack of experience. I definitely will be reading more from her because I did enjoy this.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Proposal They Can't Refuse. Kamilah Vega loves her family's restaurant and wants to make it "more" so that it can continue to stay in the neighborhood, but her family wants to hear none of it. It was a little frustrating at times because they never listened to any suggestion because they were so stuck on never changing. Liam Kane owns and works at the brewery in the same building with his grandfather, and is working to win a national competition and get their name out there big (even if that's what his granda doesn't want).

The best part of A Proposal They Can't Refuse was the two grandfathers, I loved their scheming and planning (even if it was a bit underhanded), they clearly had Kamilah and Liam's best interests at heart. Also, they were just a lot of fun.

Liam and Kamilah have to work through a lot, and at times it was painful, but they had to go through the pain to work it out in the end. They complimented each other well. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Eu gostei demais desse livro, toda a atmosfera da cozinha, da cultura, esses dois que juram que se odeiam, mas sabemos que não e os avôs que aprontaram com eles. Eu me diverti e me emocionei com essa leitura.

The characters were so charming and lovable but the plot was really flimsy for me. However, the ending is REALLY sweet, and I loved the family characters. The epilogue really got me, and now I want to read the whole series.

Repeatedly tried to read this book and couldn’t make it very far. I didn’t connect with the characters very well or the writing which is disappointing because I love to read about Chicago rep

I really love this romcom. I'm not sure if the selling point is the couple themselves or the lovable yet nosy family members. Absolutely adorable and a great read for all fans of enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes.

Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Cana is an enemies to lovers romance courtesy of Kamilah and Liam’s grandfathers. The grandfathers convince them that they have no choice but to team up and fake an engagement for the sake of both of their businesses.

A Puerto Rican restaurant, an Irish distillery, a wonderful cast of characters, and a whole lot of delicious food makes for a fun romance.

I also really enjoyed the audiobook of this one. I can not wait for her next book.

This one was fun! Plus chicago rep, which is always a favorite of mine because I can easily connect to the city life and culture

I wanted to LOVE this book. Forced proximity? Fake dating/engagement? Enemies to lovers? Check, check, check!

However, it just wasn't the best for me. The switch for Kamilah and Liam is TOO quick. I never felt chemistry with them.

Then, of course, is how her family (& everyone else) treats Kamilah. Liam included. She deserved so much more and SHE was apologizing to people? Nope.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book had me laughing out loud, especially with the scheming grandfathers!
Childhood friends Kamilah and Liam are no longer friends. They’re not friends or even friendly anymore. But in order for both of them to achieve their dreams, they have to fake an engagement to satisfy their grandfathers.
Full of witty banter, cultural references of the Irish and Peurto Rican families, family love, food and alcohol, and romantic tension, this book is amazing!
Caña is well versed in the topics she writes about and has perfected not only the main, but the side characters too! The writing style and the way she easily weaves the story makes this a showstopper! Definitely worth the read!

This was great, interfereing/matchmaking grandfathers, enemies to lovers and well writte, drawn and developed characters adn the attaction/chemistry was great!

I really enjoyed this romance! I thought it was well-written and well-paced, and the scheming grandpas was a good twist on the fake engagement trope. The third act breakup was a little too heavy for me, and I think I was hoping for some more emotional catharsis from it, but I would definitely read from Natalie Cana again!