I honestly don't know what to rate this, took me literal months to get past 25% but then I was hooked and finished the remaining 75% in a day. The overall mystery was intriguing but it felt like there were a LOT of irrelevant characters (muddying the waters, perhaps?) and I struggled keeping tabs on who went with whom. The romance/friendships also felt SO weird, like everyone has known each other for less than a week, lord. Still an enjoyable, light read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I liked this but it wasn’t love. I loved the big cast of quirky family members. I loved the dialogue. The murder plot was easy to figure out and was boring for me. I had trouble buying in to the quick romance as well. Enjoyable and I would read this author again. Also go in knowing this is a no steam romance. I think a little steam would have helped.

I just finished A Proposal to Die for By Molly Harper and here are my thoughts.

Jess has a successful business.. Marriage proposal planning… But with rising rent she takes on the proposal of her snobby highschool classmate…. At the bridal retreat, things go from bad to worse… People are turning up dead and if Jess doesn’t unravel the mysteries … she might not make it out alive…

Who doesn’t love a multi-genre mashup!!!
The plot was the right mix of humor, and suspense with a pinch of romance.

The characters are all really quirky and mildly annoying. No one was particularly likeable but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment. The start was a bit rocky…. But it was well paced and I got sucked in, especially when they got to the retreat.

I did figure out what was going on but I am the master of that haha!

I really enjoyed the writing style and I gave it a solid 4 stars or bookalorian thumbs up

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy!!!

Fascinating premise but the execution just wasn’t there for me. The characters, from Jess, the main character, to the supporting cast, were so unlikeable (yes, some were meant to be) and there were so many of them that it was confusing and didn’t hold my interest. The murder is mentioned in the beginning and then doesn’t come back until the very end of the book so that all you’re left with is the unlikeable lot and their silly demands. This just wasn’t for me.

I hadn’t heard of this book before but the premise sounded cute so decided to give it a try and it ended up being the most entertaining cozy mystery!

This book is full of small-town Southern charm and has a quirky cast of characters-especially Jess. She is smart, sarcastic, and refreshingly down-to-earth with an inter monologue that had me laughing so hard at times!

The plot has just the right mix of romance, humor, and suspense. While the whodunit aspect isn’t overly complex, it’s satisfying and with enough red herrings to keep you guessing. This was an easy book to binge and I would highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good mystery with a touch of humor and heart!

A Proposal to Die For is a charming cozy mystery that will leave you chuckling even as you try to unravel the whodunit. Jessamine Bricker, our protagonist, is a meticulously organized proposal planner whose life is thrown into delightful disarray when she takes on a seemingly simple job that quickly spirals into a murder investigation at a remote, luxurious resort.
Harper expertly sets the stage with Jess's type-A personality clashing hilariously with the chaos that ensues. The contrast between Jess's love for spreadsheets and the increasingly bizarre events at the Golden Ash resort creates a constant undercurrent of comedic tension. From the demanding bride-to-be, Diana, to the suspicious guests and the unsettling warnings from the ruggedly handsome chef, Dean Osbourne, the resort is a breeding ground for secrets and suspicion.
While the mystery itself is intriguing, complete with red herrings and unexpected twists, it's Harper's signature wit that truly shines. The dialogue is sharp, the internal monologue hilarious, and the situations Jess finds herself in are often absurdly funny. The author manages to balance the darker elements of the murder mystery with lighthearted moments, ensuring the reader is both captivated and thoroughly entertained.
Overall, this book is a perfect escape for fans of cozy mysteries with a romantic touch. It's a clever, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Jess Bricker is willing to do just about anything for her clients. Going on a "work" vacation with a future bride is a first for Jess. Jess has to keep her eye on the prize and get this proposal done and get the payment she needs to fillful her dream.
At some point Jess will have to ask how much is too much? Maybe it is the bad attitudes rom the future bride or maybe it is the ghost lights or quite possibly it could be the dead body?

Join Jess on this adventure to the Golden Ash and find out what is Jess's final breaking point.

A Proposal to Die for was another great adventure with Molly Harper.

Full disclosure before I start reviewing. I love Harper's paranormal romances, but I love them almost exclusively in audio format. Amanda Ronconi is an absolute gem of a narrator. If I had listened to the audiobook version of this one, I would probably have given it another star. It's just as snarky and full of adorable familial setup, but without that narration it just didn't pull me in as quickly as they normally do. By half way I was invested and wanted to know what was going to happen next, but it did take a little while to get to that point in the story. Still, perfectly enjoyable cozy romance mystery, and I'd probably read other books about the same group of characters if they became available. I am a little curious about some of the Osbournes, particularly.

A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper has a great premise, but fails to deliver. The writing itself is good. I enjoy Harper's writing style, but the story fell flat for me. Most of the characters are awful, terrible people, and even though Jess, Dean, and the rest of the Osbournes are okay, they couldn't balance the terrible ones. Too many side stories conflicted with the main plot, which was difficult to follow. I also figured out the killer early on. This one wasn't for me, but others may love it.

What a fun read. I did think the balance between contemporary romance/mystery was off and I would have liked the mystery aspects to come up sooner and be more of a focal point. Sometimes I got bogged down by the main character's job and the intricacies of that and navigating the group she was forced to hang out with and all their drama, that the romance felt like an afterthought. I did like the romantic lead, but I also felt like it took too long to get there. I enjoyed Jess's humor a lot and while I did like getting into her work, I think if there was another cozy mystery following this, I'd like that one more since we have established characters now.

This was a fun cozy mystery and I would definitely read more like this.

3.75 stars - this was such a good time. I love a cozy mystery and this was a delight. While there were many things that felt a bit implausible, it didn't take away from the story at all. I was totally surprised by who was guilty at the end and I thought the romance between Jess and Dean was very sweet. I was a little surprised by how quickly they went from what felt like innocent flirting and banter to being together, but at the end of the day I loved them together so I was a fan. The ending and epilogue was excellent.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the eARC - all opinions are my own!

A Proposal To Die for is a cute and funny story that entertains while keeping the reader guessing with the mystery and suspense.

Jess has accepted a job to help plan the proposal and engagement of a former high school rival. It takes her to a remote spa (and the swoony Dean Osbourne).

I really enjoyed this fun and unique book. This author definitely has a way with telling a story that keeps you chuckling even while murders are occurring on the page!!

I listened to lots of this on audiobook and love this narrator. She did a wonderful job with these characters.
-4 Stars-

A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper
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Jess is a proposal planner; she is hired by people who want elaborate proposals and need help to arrange them. She is hired by a woman she hasn’t seen in years to assist in a re-proposal, which is a first for her. She’s also never found a dead body before but this job will be a first for that as well.
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What I liked:
-This was a very amusing and entertaining cozy mystery. I immediately liked Jess and was worried for her to spend all week with these snobby people. But a girl’s gotta earn that money!
-I really liked the exclusive Golden Ash Resort and the family that was running it. (Especially Dean)
-The mystery was great and I loved following along, there were so many great theories I had!
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fun and immersive cozy mystery that had me craving meatballs for some reason. I would love to read another book with Jess, especially if I could learn more about her grandma.

A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper is a cute title with several meanings. A Southern mystery set in Tennessee, a proposal takes center stage throughout it all.

The hopeful bride-to-be, Diana, was not at all likable. She was very self-centered with visions of riches due to her chosen bridegroom’s family wealth. But first, she needs the perfect proposal, which is where Jess comes in. As the proposal planner, Jess has a lot on her plate, but it will be worth it in the end if she gets her large fee because then she’ll have the money to help fulfill her dreams. The groom, Trent, seems easy for Diana to mold, but is he really? And will the proposal actually take place?

Much of the story takes place in a small town at an upscale spa. When Jess, Diana, and others in her wedding party stay there to make a plan for all of Diana’s wishes to come true, things go astray repeatedly. Several stories keep the pace moving, but when there are several deaths, things tend to go off the rails, especially since they might be murders.

Clues are gathered and sifted through to figure out whodunnit. As Jess gets close to the family that owns the spa, especially the chef, Dean, there’s a little bit of romance at play, adding another layer to the story. When the crimes are solved, and the whodunnits revealed, there is some closure, but the real closure comes a year later in the epilogue. I just wish it went on a little longer.

A Proposal to Die For is filled with Southern charm and some murders and mayhem. This cozy mystery has many clues leading us to whodunnit.

The review is posted on NovelsAlive.

I thought this was going to be a romance, but it was a mystery mixed with romance. I found it mostly tedious. Only Jess and the Osbourne family were somewhat likeable, all the other characters were awful people. The murders didn't make a lot of sense, it seemed a bit far-fetched.
The story could have been much more. Jess is a proposal planner, helping prospective grooms make a perfect proposal. When Diana, a money-hungry acquaintance, is unhappy with her boyfriend's proposal, she has him hire Jess to make it better. They head to a spa for the pre-proposal and everything goes awry.

Thank you to Berkley for the advance reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Jess is an engagement planner. She helps to stage and photograph the perfect proposal, and her childhood nemesis Diana ropes her into helping with her boyfriend's proposal.

Everything that could go wrong does, as Jess quite literally stumbles across bodies. I found this much more of a mystery than a romance, but it included both plots. I was kept guessing along with Jess, though I did ultimately figure out the mystery before it was revealed. I wanted Jess to reveal a bit more backbone, but she showed solid character growth.

This was a funny book that kept me amused throughout with a balance of mystery and commentary on bridezillas.

Amanda Ranconi narrated the audiobook well, highlighting Jess' feelings throughout.

Expanding her writing skills from romances to a murder mystery just proves how versatile Molly Harper is. The character Jess is a wedding proposal planner, a job I'd never heard of but why not? Every other step of a wedding requires extensive planning, why not the proposal? Jess is a fun character, even when her monster of a bride to be has made the day into a test of Jess' patience. What was supposed to be an easy trip to insure a memorable proposal turns into memorable for less than pleasurable events start happening at every opportunity. Jess will morph into a detective as she tries to keep her memories from becoming her last ones.

This was so fun even though I wanted to give Diana and Aubrey a piece of my mind and more!

Jess would do anything to make a client's proposal the best for the couple, but she never expected a "week long wedding pre-planning trip" to go this badly!

I rolled my eyes a lot at Diana. She's a bridezilla even before she can be technically called "a bride"! She was definitely "in love" with her guy for the wrong reasons. I just wanted to Aubrey because of her rude because "it's just business" attitude.

The side cast of characters, the Osbournes that run the spa this party goes to, were super fun and weird in just the best way. I even loved how fast grumpy Dean fell for Jess. The ending had a lot of and and that's all I want to say because you just have to read it for yourself.

3.5 Stars
Jessamine Bricker organizes unique proposals, and her business is doing well. However, her apartment along with its office space is about to be sold and rent in Nashville could put her under. So, when Diana, an acquaintance from high school, wants to hire her so that her boyfriend, Trenton Tillard the Fourth, can get his proposal right she reluctantly agrees. Jess would rather have said no since Diana was part of the mean-girl crowd, but it could give her the money she needs to buy the building.

Trenton decides he wants a destination proposal and so they head up to the Golden Ash, a remote Appalachia spa. The place is beautiful and luxurious with private villas and spa treatments, but Diana and her wedding planner are less than desirable company. Diana is a lot of drama and then to add to Jess’s troubles, she discovers one of the guests dead on the property. Was it an accident or murder? Is Jess or her party in danger?

Jess sets about doing some amateur sleuthing while tending to Diana’s never-ending drama. Along the way she makes friends with the Osbournes, the family that runs the spa. Jess ends up running into Dean Osbourne, the brilliant but prickly chef over and over.

A Proposal to Die For was an entertaining cozy mystery with Molly Harper’s signature fun shenanigans, but I was a little frustrated with Jess in parts. I wish she would’ve stood up for herself with Diana more, taken less risks and been less dense in the end. Still, things wrap up satisfyingly and there was even a bit of romance that made me smile.

A Proposal to Die For incorporates a hint of romance into a murder-mystery in a plotline that had some potential, but ultimately was not my favorite.

Those who enjoy a protagonist who is a recovering people pleaser and the broody chef who may or may not be a murder suspect will probably enjoy this book… it just didn’t quite work for me.

The setting and cast of characters were the strength of the novel, but the plotline itself was a little dissatisfying. Still, if you’re looking for something murder-y but not too murder-y, you just might love this book.