This was my first book by this author, and it was such a clever, unique book! There is a small romance plot, but I would say it focuses mostly on the mystery. There is a pretty large cast of characters, and they were all very interesting (and lots of them were suspicious!). The main character, Jess, was so relatable and real. She had to deal with a lot of toxicity, and she handled it like a professional!

The book took a while to build up to the mystery, but once it did, I was hooked! The remote spa with no cell service was the perfect setting. It starts out feeling peaceful and serene, but when Jess finds a dead body, the spa immediately feels creepy and dangerous. The mystery kept me guessing all the way to the end, and it was so entertaining. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an engaging cozy mystery with a bit of romance!

Thank you to Molly Harper, Berkley, and NetGalley for this e-ARC; opinions are my own.

I really like this author's writing style, her characters, and her quirky humor and this had all of those in spades. Jess has an interesting business setting up the perfect proposals and gets pulled into the pre-wedding drama of a high school mean girl. I liked Jess, Kiki, and the Osbourne family and I enjoyed strongly disliking Diana and Aubrey.

There's a lot of setup for this book and it made for a bit of a slow start. Once the first body falls and Jess engages more with the Osbourne family I did feel that the pace picked up and it helped Diana become more amusing. She's really dreadful so when it was a small group of characters she got to be a bit much.

I loved the setting and the complications a mountain top remote setting made for the characters and the investigation. Despite the slow start I overall enjoyed this mystery and will be reading more from this author.

A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper is a fun, cozy mystery wrapped up in bridezilla drama, a little romance, and just enough murder to keep things interesting.
Jess Bricker, a wedding proposal planner, is hired by her old classmate Diana to “fix” her rich boyfriend Trent’s failed proposal. Jess isn’t exactly thrilled about helping someone she didn’t get along with in school, but with her office building on the line and a big paycheck on the table, she reluctantly agrees. Soon, she finds herself whisked away to the luxurious Golden Ash spa resort with the entire wedding party in tow.
While trying to upgrade Trent’s proposal to something more dazzling, Jess quickly realizes she fits in better with the spa’s charming Osborne family than the insulting, over-the-top bridal crew. And just when she thinks things can’t get weirder, a peaceful walk turns into a crime scene when she finds a dead body floating in the meditation pool. As if that’s not enough, a second body pops up in the sauna, and Jess starts wondering if this job contract is turning into a health hazard.
I really enjoyed this book! Even though I figured out whodunit about halfway through, it didn’t spoil the fun. Molly Harper’s signature humor, witty character banter, and cozy mystery vibes kept things light and entertaining throughout.
If you're a fan of humorous mysteries and quirky heroines caught in over-their-head situations, A Proposal to Die For might be your next delightful read.

A Proposal To Die For is a cozy mystery with just a smidgen of romance. Instead of a wedding planner, business owner Jessamine Bricker helps folks pull off memorable engagement proposals. While her business is thriving, there is a living situation crisis with her apartment, and agreeing to help her former classmate, Diana, get the proposal of her dreams may be the answer to her problems. Or may it just be the being of a whole new set of problems.

Initial thoughts: Going into the book, I thought it would be more romantic comedy, but it turns out it's pretty much straight-up, cozy mystery. While there is a hot guy, there isn't much sizzle. Also, the beginning of the book had me close to quitting the book. I'm glad I didn't, but just a few pages of scattered storylines had me worried I wasn't going to enjoy the book.

Overall thoughts: Nice blend of characters, some likable, others not so much. Looking at you, Diana. The protagonist, Jess, was believable and relatable. Her interactions with the luxury spa resort owners were the best. A fast-paced plot that keeps the reader engaged (no pun intended).

Recommend for: those that like a classic cozy mystery, clean to no romance. Someone who can tolerate an unlikable character, again looking at you, Diana.

I received an advanced copy to read and review honestly.

This murder-mystery kicks off with a bang in the prologue! I loved getting started with the excitement and then working back through the story and weaving through the mystery. The bride featured in the story was the actual worst, as she is meant to be, but Jess is a wonderful FMC and it was easy to care about her from the start and the MMC chef is a treat.

Harper's writing is wonderful and the story flows is a manner that is so easy to read. I've read many of her books, but hadn't read any of her mystery novels and I'm so glad I had the chance to review this one!

I did enjoy Molly Harper's witty writing style, and it was quickly paced. But there were some parts of this book that just downgraded it a little bit for me. It is a cozy mystery with a little romance, which I do enjoy, and I did enjoy this quite a bit. I just wish the toxic relationships exhibited by some of the characters were not there. That is really what did it for me.

I would 100% read more of her books though. I do enjoy her writing style.

I liked the premise of the book, the plot was there, but I feel it missed the target. The start was just super slow but the mystery aspect was just great.

WOW! I could not put this book down. Jess, the main character, is so freaking likeable and I desperately want to be her friend. The cozy murder mystery vibes were strong in this book and I was not able to solve a thing before the reveal. The mystery kept me on my toes, but not in a stressful way at all! Also, I was a big fan of the family dynamics and the ADORABLE romance.

The complicated relationships, drama, dead bodies, and the spa retreat locations just worked so well together. I will definitely be checking out more of Molly Harper’s books because this one was fantastic. I genuinely had so much fun reading it!

This ARC was provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up

This book was trying to do too much and it just wasn't for me. It is humor, it is a thriller/mystery, and it's a romance and for me personally it just missed the mark with each of these categories. The mystery plotline, while intriguing, did have some things that didn't make sense. The romance was somewhat underdeveloped. The humor was kinda cringy at times in a way that felt very 'I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom' and while I did laugh a few times, I definitely cringed more than I laughed.

This wasn't a bad book and I do feel like there are people out there that are going to love this one. For me personally I feel like I've read better. The characters were all very interesting and I did enjoy reading this, but it just wasn't my favorite. I did like the premise and I didn't see the twist at the end coming, but this feels like a book that I won't remember. There just wasn't anything special.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

At a remote Tennessee wellness spa where proposal planner Jessamyn Bricker is supposed to be helping a popular soon-to-be fiancee to a wealthy Pecan heir orchestrate her second proposal, things go horribly wrong when a dead body shows up. With no cell service and a host of suspects, this was more cozy mystery with a jab at the ridiculousness of influencers and rich people. The killer's method was clever and I liked all the irony in this story. It was a little light on romance for my personal tastes but good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: kissing only

‘it’s like a post-millennial Agatha Christie story.’

My first experience with Molly Harper’s work definitely won’t be my last. I loved the snark and sass she imbued her main character, Jess, with and I definitely want her to be my new best friend! The story as a whole was a delightful mystery with entertaining characters that I would love to meet up with again!

Ate. Left no crumbs. If you love contemporary romance and murder mysteries, this is the perfect combo of the two. I was hooked from the prologue and had no idea who did it. Which truthfully are two of my biggest issues with books. And this checked my boxes. I loved Jess as a character and the story was well done.

This was a fun cozy mystery.
The retreat in the woods was a delightful setting.
I loved meeting the family members of the Osbourne family that keep the retreat running.
Jess is a proposal planner and her job is interesting although her most recent client is a doozy. Being at the retreat with a bridezilla would challenge anyone, but when bodies start turning up the retreat gets more than a little intense. Jess has a knack for asking questions that lead to some surprising revelations.
Amidst all the chaos a sweet romance develops.
Thank you to Berkley for the opportunity to read an early copy-all thoughts and opinions are my own.

An amusing read.
How Jess got ripped into planning a redo proposal at a swanky resort by the would be bride who’s also very demanding and high maintenance is both funny and stressful.
The build up to the first body is very very slow, almost as slow as some brides walk down the aisle.
I thought both Diana and Trenton were obnoxious and on several levels actually made for each other.
I hated that Jess was held hostage by this arrangement until she wriggled out of it.
The ending is good.

Here's my money, give me more books as I thoroughly enjoyed this story and loved the storytelling and the characters.
Solid plot, it kept me turning and guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to PRHAudio for the ALC! The marketed premise says this is fast paced and they did not lie, yay! I want to be the person who enjoys cozy mysteries but they do tend to be too slice of life or slow for me and this book struck a great balance. We follow the FMC, a professional proposal planner, who gets roped into planning a high school classmate's proposal, someone who she hasn't talked to since high school, and somehow ends up on a pre-engagement trip with the "bridal party". Then someone at the resort turns up unalived.

The premise is honestly perfect for the whodunit of it all because the FMC is in the social group, but also a part of the staff so she gets to see both sides of the resort operations and ends up with all the info. The group she is with she's not close to whatsoever (having met most of them for the first time on the trip) and they are vapid, material and status obsessed kind of crowd who of course are very messy and secretive people. This book is great for people who enjoy season 3 of White Lotus because it's a lot of mess and gossip and the FMC's inner monologue snarking on everyone.

There's actually a bit of a romantic subplot. I didn't go into this expecting one and that was the right way to go, but it was a nice balance for the FMC to have someone to trust- the broody resort chef. I didn't see any of the twists coming, I rarely do, but of course in hindsight you can see how the author weaved this story together.

The narration was perfect for the character. Delivered her humor perfectly.

A Proposal to Die For was so much fun. Jessamine's career was unique, and watching the chaos involved with her high school associate's wedding proposal was the best kind of chaos. Adding a killer into the mix was just the icing on the cake. The only negative was the insta-love arc didn't completely work for me, but the rest was so good I was able to just let the romance go where it may. I give this book a 4.5/5 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper. All opinions are my own.

I am very upset that I didn’t like this one. The summary sounds so good but the build up was a drag. I became very uninterested in the story and kept reading because then the mystery started and I wanted to know who did it. But I feel like the story should’ve been about the FMC being apart of this world already of BFFs with the bride .. so it would’ve made more sense about the other characters involved with the bride.. it just felt like there was so much information and not even suspense or romance.

The story follows a marriage proposal planner (yes, that’s a real job and now I want it) who suddenly finds herself juggling not just champagne flutes and rose petals, but actual dead bodies. Yep, murder shows up to crash her carefully planned event. Talk about a worst-case scenario.

It’s fast-paced, super witty, and honestly perfect if you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery with a little bit of sass. I loved the main character—she’s smart, relatable, and just the right amount of chaotic. Plus, there’s a charming love interest thrown into the mix, which never hurts.

The twists kept me on my toes, and I totally didn’t see the ending coming. It’s one of those books you can devour in a weekend, especially if you're into light-hearted murder mysteries with quirky characters and a touch of romance. Definitely recommend it if you're looking for something that’s equal parts fun and mysterious.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My current favorite genre is mysteries. I've always enjoyed this author and narrator so I was happy to try them in a new genre for them. The start was a bit slow since some of the characters were over the top cliché which, honestly, I accept more easily in paranormal romance than I do in contemporary romantic mystery. The main character, Jess, was a nice person in a tough spot most of the time.

I enjoyed how creative Jess was in her business and her strong family relationships. Dean, as the chef at the resort was obviously going to be of interest because I'm always interested in food. I loved the way they teased each other. Dean's various family relations who owned and ran the resort were an amazing group and a bit of a found family for Jess.

At least when the dead bodies started showing up, they were people I was happy to see dead. Unfortunately, Jess knew too much and got on the killer's list. In the end, Jess figured out everything and her efforts to help were successful.