While reading The Book Proposal I found myself laughing out loud, and that doesn’t often happen when I’m reading a book. Sure, books I read are funny on occasion, but very few actually get an audible snort or loud ‘HA’ out of me. This one did.

Gracie is a riot and while we were so different in nearly every way, there were at times when she was really relatable and I think that’s because of the way that Micciche wrote Gracie’s character. The everyday nonsense of life is played out so wonderfully in this story that you couldn’t help but empathise with the characters. Not all the time, of course, but enough to make me enjoy it a lot.

Colin was an interesting character, and while Gracie’s chapters were more enjoyable to read, it was still nice to have the alternating point-of-view chapters between the two main characters. Their lives are very different, but after the infamous email that Gracie sends in the first few pages, they’re suddenly thrown back into each other’s lives, and there’s more in common than first meets the eye.

There were, of course, things I didn’t like, too, as is the case with all books. There were times when it dragged a little bit, or I got a bit bored of Colin’s chapters, or it was too predictable and I thought ‘okay, just get on with it’. But not enough ‘didn’t like’ things to warrant it being a bad book.

If you’re after a fun, lighthearted romance book about romance books, about high-school unrequited crushes becoming friends (and more) in their adult years, and quirky characters that probably aren’t that similar to you but somehow you can relate to pick this one up!

Just after finishing this, I'm still conflicted about my feelings towards this book. I'm extremely hesitant for my rating, but it would definitely sit somewhere between 3 and 4 stars!

As a book lover, I absolutely loved the integration of excerpts from the main character's novel. I always feel more connected to characters that have a connection to books, and Gracie was not an exception. Micciche's writing was effortlessly funny and I loved to see both main character's point of view.

However, I thought that the 3rd act conflict of the book was a bit predictable and lasted for too long. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, on the contrary, but it definitely could have been resolved faster. Also, I was shocked when I reached the acknowledgements and realized that the book was done. The end was really cute, but I would have loved to see more of their happy ending!

This book was cute. I didn’t really think anything stood out to me. But it was a good closed door romance book. I liked this one and would suggest.

The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche is perfect for Sophie Kinsella and Louise Rennison fans. It has a quick, exciting plot full of laugh-out-loud moments, outrageous situations, and an endearing yet messy heroine.

Meet Gracie. She’s a romance novelist who, after several alcoholic beverages, emails her high school crush. Gracie finds herself thrown for a loop when he responds, and the two have a less-than-ideal beginning but work towards becoming friends in adulthood. Then their worlds collide in unforeseen chaos. Will her crush be swoon, sweet, and charming? Or will he be toxic and avoid the HEA we all want?

I enjoyed Micciche’s scene-stealing, down-to-earth, and deeply relatable cast of characters. The story is full of relatable moments and laugh-out-loud scenarios. Again, I must tout the well-established characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Very stream-of-consciousness and bordering on information overload. Funny, relatable, and enjoyable. A quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

What is not to love when reading about a romance writer whose life is in chaos and is trying to finish a book for a deal of a lifetime. Then add in a high school crush, a crazy ex and who knows if a happy ending is in sight or not.

This got progressively cuter as it went on, however (and I cannot stress this enough) the amount of information these people are willing to share with each other after knowing each other for what feels like mere moments (I know it’s been longer) is ABSOLUTELY BANANAS. You could not waterboard some of this stuff out of me. Bewildering. Happy for them though because they are clearly on the same wavelength.

I feel like it’s getting more common (and this is no exception, thankfully) for apologies in the media we consume to be actual and genuine. No “I’m sorry, but” or “I’m sorry you feel that way”. Real apologies and communication!!! IT’S WHAT WE NEED.

I did genuinely enjoy this even if I was going 😐😟 at some of the experiences they chose to share with each other. Couldn’t be me. Glad they found their matches 😌

Oh my goodness--this is KJ Micciche's debut, and it freaking SPARKLES. (I've never described a book that way, but it's true!) While I do love romance, it's not the main genre I read, but Micciche is officially an auto-buy for me after this fantastic debut. Her humor is so raw and honest, but she's so funny that even when it's cringe-worthy, I don't mind. I loved how authentic her characters were, and how we could see how they were perfect for one another in all the ways that make them unique. I also am a writer, so I loved that her main character was an author struggling to get a book written! I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could!

DNF at 60%. Let me start by saying that the author is extremely talented and I loved her writing style. That said, I just personally couldn't connect with the female character in this book. She was extremely immature, dramatic, and lacked substance. That's not to say that she wasn't created well, because she absolutely was. Just as a reader, I have to be able to connect and because I couldn't, I just wasn't invested in their story.
I will definitely read more from this author though!

Thank you to NetGalley and KJ Micciche for the ARC of this book. It was a cute read with a happy ending, what more could you want?!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alright, this one is a DNF for me. The premise and cover were very promising, however, the writing didn't hold up for me. I found a lot of it quite cringey, and the letters that the FMC wrote while in high school, to be frank, made me feel weird and kind of icky. To each their own on this one, but reading about a 14-16 year old girl watching the boys soccer team change ON THE FIELD because they don't have changing rooms, and then fantasizing about him and sending him REALLY graphic "love" letters was just a no for me. If this had been a one off then maybe I could have moved past it, but it wasn't and I didn't.

I thought it would just be the flashbacks that didn't work, but even the modern day setting was weird. The MMC has a friend that was the typical douche-canoe that is really crass and misogynistic. That was enough for me to put it down and walk far, far away.

2 Stars While The Book Proposal had a great premise, the actual story left something to be desired. Mostly it came down to the personalities of the main characters and the lack of character growth. The MCs were in their 30s, but acted like immature teenagers. It was hard to find them likable and relatable. The book tried to be funny at times but fell flat (see: sharted herself). This was hard to get into and sadly, just not my cup of tea.

I was excited for this book--who doesn't love a book about books!--but it ended up being a let down. The reconnection between Gracie & Colin was cute and easy to get into; however, there was too much superfluous information embedded in their journey. Why did I need to learn about the issues that Colin had with his father and the softball team? I really do not know. How did these characters not have the obvious conversation about book agents? I can only suspend disbelief and remain engaged in irrelevant storylines for so long!

Great fun romance story. Story of two school sort of friends meeting back up 20 years later. Loved the writing including the emails between them. Loved the story of their relationship.

I wanted to love this read, I really, really, really did. The premise and the description were so interesting but unfortunately this one just missed the mark for me.

As promised, Grace is a hot mess and after learning that her ex and the woman he left her for had their baby she decides to get a bit to drunk and email her old high school crush. The only issue with said high school crush? He caused an awful nick name to stick for her and overall caused her highschool experience to be ROUGH. Collin is also dealing with some issues of his own, his ex wife left him for the woman she arranged a threesome with and its turned his life a bit around.

My main issue with the story is it seems like throughout the entire read Grace is trying to reinvent herself but she keeps living the same exact way. Her and Collin both have childish tendencies and Collin almost seems to be solely interested in Grace to spite his father and his ex wife. He give Grace his story in the selfish hope that his ex will read it. Meanwhile, Grace constantly brings up her ex. Both Characters obviously have relationship issues they needed to work through before even entertaining someone else.

The Book Proposal is a romantic comedy that will have you in tears! Worth a read if you love romantic comedies but find most of them incredibly cringe-y. KJ Micciche has the rare skill to write a story that will make you laugh out loud!

What a good book! Grace (Gracie) Landing is a writer who needs inspiration and receives it in the form of her school crush, Colin Yarmouth, when she drunkenly emails him one day after seeing his picture in her high school year book. This sets off a chain of events that threatens Gracie 's and Colin's budding romantic relationship. Will their relationship survive? What about Grace's writing career? Read this romance book and find out. A word of warning, though. This book contains several four letter words. I highly recommend this book to other romance readers. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before release.

Usually it takes me a chapter or two to get me into the story but with this book it was instant. I felt like I knew Gracie and Colin’s personalities very quickly.

I love Colin and Gracie together. Their chemistry is insane and the back and forth emails are so cute.
I also loved that the conflict wasn’t solved immediately by some grand gesture like 90% of the other romance books I’ve read. This one seemed more realistic and had me actually interested in how they were going to find their way back to each other.

There were a few things that bothered me:

1. Colin needed to call out his friend’s misogynistic behaviour. It was gross to read and not have it shut down.
2. When adult men call women ‘girls’. I just find it gross and demeaning. They’re 30 year old women. Call them women.
3. Really not into gross out humour and there was quite a bit. Just not something I’m looking for in a romance novel

Other than those two things, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to friends.

I loved the idea for The Book Proposal, but sadly... I didn't love the characters. Gracie was immature and crude - and some of her "situations" were just gross and unnecessary. Colin wasn't very likable either. Gracie needed a dose of reality and Colin needed a swift kick of compassion. His plot line was unbelievable at best and didn't make him any more relatable or likable. I'm sure some readers will like this book, but unfortunately, I am not one of them.
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a very fast read, I easily finished this in two sittings of reading. However although a quick read it was hard for me to connect with the characters in this story.

Gracie had a ginormous crush on Connor in highschool. To the point of leaving raunchy steamy anonymous letters to him in his locker. Until the football team gets ahold of one and distributed it thru out the school.

Fast forward 20+ years we catch up with them both now adults. Gracie sense Connor a random drunk email and their relationship goes from there. She has now capitalized on her smutty love letters in making it into romance books with smut.

The premise of this book seemed super interesting to me. I do love books that feature authors, but I was confused by Gracie's book she was writing and what her job really is. The beginning of the book we learn that she is now a writer but when she talks to Connor I guess she is actually a ghost writer and hasn't had her own work with her name on it published yet?

I really enjoyed how this books writing style where 1/3rd or more is in email correspondence to each other, These were my favorite parts of the book and in enjoyed their interaction. The downside is it feels like everything just moved way too quickly. It went from a couple emails to them being both smitten for eachother,

There was a lot of oddly delivered jokes in here. Sooo many off comments about STD's throughout the entire book and how Connor got one from his ex. This was a little skeevy to me. Also alot of poop, fart, and burping jokes. It just seemed really unnecessary. Also makes the characters feel much younger than they are.

I would still recommend this book. It is fast paced and a super easy read. Perfect for a romance tbr, if you are looking for a missed love opportunity love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.