Debut author KJ Micciche delivers a hilarious romantic comedy in her first novel. This book has a fun and sexy plot, with a romance author struggling to finish her manuscript. Gracie, recently dumped and with writer's block, drunk texts her high school nemesis Colin and the two end up becoming unlikely friends. The two use their experiences to help each other out, with Colin providing Gracie with inspiration for her new book. However, things soon take an unexpected turn and Gracie finds herself unsure if she will be able to revive her career.

The characters are authentic, and readers can see how they complement each other. The plot is fast-paced, and the dialogue is witty and humorous, making it a quick enjoyable read or listen.

The Book Proposal is a fun, hilarious, and memorable romantic comedy that will leave readers wanting more from this talented new author. I highly recommend this book to fans of romance and romantic comedy. It will keep you laughing and entertained from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I was curious about this based on the premise - I like books about books, and the synopsis was intriguing. I’m afraid this one fell flat for me by quite a bit. My biggest issue was the characters - they’re in their 30s but they behave like juveniles. Every decision that is made that contributes to the conflict felt like something a teenager would do. I understand they knew each other as teenagers, but there is no reason why their adult selves would or should behave like they did.

My other issue: I do not need or want to read about sharts and farts. Not in any book but especially not in a rom com. There is so much space given to sharts I really felt like I was being punked!

The pros - the chapters were short and the books is an easy read. The narrators for the audiobook did their best. It just wasn’t for me, at all.

Imagine your high school crush, how you used to swoon over him, and always wished he noticed you (don't we all know the feeling?) Well, imagine you drunk email him years later.. like you're in your 30's now years later.. and HE REPLIES!
This book was both cringy, and humorously binge worthy. The main character was easy to relate to, very likable, and so funny!
Huge points for the writing, it's first person, multiple POV gave us an insight on the characters journey! Gracie and Colin's story is absolutely far fetched, but one we all wish would come true for us. 😍

"The Book Proposal" by KJ Micciche is an essential guide for writers who want to get published. This concise and practical book offers a step-by-step approach to crafting a compelling book proposal that will grab the attention of literary agents and publishers. Micciche's writing is clear and concise, and her advice is backed up by her own experience in the publishing industry. Whether you're a seasoned writer or a novice, "The Book Proposal" is a valuable resource that will help you navigate the complex and competitive world of publishing.

Audio review: This is a cute, fun, and sexy rom com. I enjoyed it. Now there are some LOL moments which really hit the mark. Not all hit the mark but enough that I really enjoyed this book. I love a good story about an author. And then her high school crush??? I mean yes! Who doesn’t have an old crush they could imagine meeting up with later and having sparks fly? This one is a lot of fun!
I’m really glad there were 2 different narrators for the different points of view. A male and female narrator makes the audiobook so much more enjoyable.

Blurb

Broke up with, broke, and with a vicious case of writer's block, romance writer Gracie Landing is a hot mess. She can hardly be blamed for drinking one (or a few) too many cocktails when out with her besties in an attempt to cheer herself up. Sometime in the foggy wee hours, she recklessly emails her unrequited high-school crush, Colin Yarmouth, who is now a successful attorney harboring regrets of his own. When she receives an intriguingly friendly (not to say flirty) response, her acute embarrassment is overcome only by her fervent curiosity—what would a hottie like Colin be like as a grown up? The two forge an unlikely friendship that's unmistakably headed for more. Colin's tales of his own woeful break-up become fodder for Gracie's fertile imagination and her current work-in-progress takes off. With the deadline looming and her checking account dwindling, Gracie has no idea that borrowing Colin's story could wreak havoc on her life, her career, and her own chance at happily-ever-after…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this chance to listen and review. This review is my own thoughts and opinions besides a copy of the blurb for my followers to get a sense of the story.

As I’ve said many times, I love books about authors. This one didn’t disappoint! I liked that it was a sort of second chance but also maybe just a new chance since they didn’t really like each other in high school. The blast from the past couple is super cute and the way they help each other makes it a super cute romance.

🌀Synopsis
Gracie is recently single and that leads to drunken shenanigans with her friends. In her drunken stupor she sends a text to an old high school classmate. She’s embarrassed…until he responds.
The two start talking consistently and Gracie even trusts him enough to let her read the rough draft she’s working on. As they get to know each other again they decide it’s time to see each other in person. Colin keeps helping her with her book and the two develop a cute romance.
Unfortunately, the plot of the book relies a lot on Colin’s old relationship and his crazy ex. That ex who happens to be Gracie’s publisher. When she’s dropped by the agency and convinced her career is over it causes a rift between her and Colin.
Things look up right away though and Gracie realized just what a big mistake she made with Colin. She’s going to use her writing abilities to fix it!

I'm not gonna lie - I abandoned this one after the words "alfredo shart." I'm not too keen on the high school drama in general, but the idea of a grown woman describing defecating in her pants on her way to her apartment was a bridge too far for me.

The Book Proposal is the most torn I have ever been on a book review. I like the overall story but this was some of the most inconsistent writing I have seen to date.

The story has some great character development, complex story arcs, and then extremely immature writing. The main character in the book is a romance author who gets help writing her next book from a man she is seeing. I feel like author KJ Micciche followed the same trajectory but her help was from an immature adolescent.

For example, I can see the author asking her helper, our character is about to go for a run what happens next? The kid yells she poops herself! Insert “Alfredo sharts”. Ok, how would you describe an STD? Pubic lice! Insert “your nads are infected with pubic lice”. One final example even though I can give more, what does kale taste like? Sperm! Well let’s hope that answer was not from a kid but the author does in fact say “sperm taste better than kale”.

I’m sure examples like this are supposed to be funny, but they completely miss the mark and were more frustrating than anything.

The story and the writing around the main plot lines are excellent. If it were just that I would probably be rating this book a 5/5, but when you take the whole book immature writing and all I’m forced to reevaluate.

If you like immature, misplaced humor, then you will love every part of this book but if you’re like me and are just here for the story, even with my issues I still recommend this book.

When romance writer, Gracie Landing, goes out drinking with her friends she sends an alcohol induced email to her high school crush, Colin Yarmouth. Not remembering sending the email, Gracie is in for a shock the next morning when Colin replies. The emails quickly lead to friendship and Colin helps Gracie over come her writers block. With Gracie, things are never dull, but when she teams up with Colin things get even crazier. Could their partnership lead Gracie to that elusive book deal? Or maybe her own happily ever after?

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and couldn’t wait to see what would happen between Gracie and Colin next, but, for me, about halfway through I lose some of that spark. I’m not sure what it was, but I went from absolutely loving it to it being an average romance. It was still a great read and I really enjoyed the humor and crazy antics of Gracie! If you are looking for a humorous, crazy romance, give this a shot! Overall I really did enjoy this book and it had a great beginning, but it kind of lost some of its steam halfway through (at least for me).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC version of this book! The narrating was great!

"The Book Proposal" didn't work for me, and I decided not to finish it. I liked the premise. The fact that she drunkenly emails her high school crush was funny, and I liked how he chose to make it a real connection instead of blowing it off. That was where my enjoyment ended.

I don't know what the ratio of fart/shart/poop jokes to pages is, but I know this author went over it. I don't understand why she referenced farts and poop so much in the first 20% of the book. The female main character makes a lot of immature mistakes and has a lot of weird shenanigans happen to her, and it's just too much. I was just confused and distracted by everything happening with the female MC. It wasn't quirky; it was just sad and awkward.

A cute, funny rom-com. I wasn't blown away by this but the characters were fun (although at times cringey) but their banter was great and I liked seeing their relationship develop. I think this is a great quick read if you want something light-hearted and full of humour.

This book was SOOOO GOOD! Awesome narration and MC’s! The story flowed well, and was easy to follow. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this book!

4 STARS!

I was intrigued by the title and the enemies to lovers trope. Publishing can certainly have drama at times, and this book definitely included that side. I liked how we saw the protagonist struggling as she wrote, it wasn't depicted as "writing is a breeze", because it isn't. Writing and publishing is full of ups and downs, just like this book.

I was really excited when I saw a romcom about an author and her unrequited high school crush. Unfortunately I didn't like The Book Proposal as much as I hoped I would. The story started strong with an interesting hook and likeable characters. I also really enjoyed the dual pov between Grace and Collin. Unfortunately this book constantly used the miscommunication trope and it got boring and predictable. It was just one misunderstand after the next that seemed to drive the story. It's not a trope I mind being used sometimes but there was too much of it in this for my taste. So while this one wasn't my favorite, I'm sure fans of the miscommunicate trope will love this bookish romcom.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

this was cute and enjoyable, but I don’t know that it will stay with me long.
I found a lot of this to attempt to be quirky/cute, but it often veered into the silly territory for me.

The banter was so cute! Overall, this book fell short of being a rom-com must read. It was a bit cringy and silly at times and not in an endearing way. There were really great moments and plot twists but then the read lost momentum and ended up being dull.

Thank you to NetGalley For the ALC.

4.5 stars
This is a quirky, fun, laugh out loud read. Colin and Gracie are relatable, intriguing and engaging characters. I was drawn in from the beginning by these characters, their romance and their growth. Their banter and spark leaped off the page. There were a couple of subplots that I wish we had found out more about and I really wish we had been given an epilogue (I love seeing my favourite couples enjoying their HEA). None of these things affected my overall enjoyment of the story (they just would have added to it.) Micciche is a new-to-me-author whom I look forward to read more from. Many of the side characters added to the fabric of the story.

The narrators did a good job – they were easy to understand and follow.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a dramatic and fun romantic comedy. The mail character is a romance author drunk texting her high school enemy/crush. This email ends up with them connecting and becoming friends. It was predictable and felt unrealistic but still fun. It was a quick comfort read.

I dnfed this, I made it about 4% in to the audiobook and couldn't make it further. It starts off with a drunken email that is cringeworthy, then moves on to what felt like irrelevant inner dialogue of the male mc. There was quite a bit of talk about drinking and felt like the characters were using it as a coping mechanism. I didn't care for the male narrator, The way he narrated the character almost reminded me of a stereo typical surfer dude.

I received a copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and am leaving this review of my own volition.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and K.J Micciche for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to love this story but I just didn’t! I found much of it boring and predictable. There were some aspects that I enjoyed, and the fact it was an audiobook helped me to finish this one