I loved the idea of this book but the execution left me feeling somewhat disappointed. Many of the miscommunications between the characters could have been avoided with some basic maturity, which left me feeling annoyed, rather than enchanted

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me at around page 60 pages. I struggled with the writing style & overbearing annoying side characters.

2.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for offering me an ARC of this novel!

what it’s about
—> Priscilla has just been fired from her job when her best friend asks her to plan the perfect proposal, with an unlimited budget. But then, her best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend (who she hates) gets in the way when it turns out he is helping her best friend’s boyfriend plan a proposal. in the heat of trying to put a stop to that particular plan, they decide to coordinate their efforts, take a relationship, and fall head over heels in love

my honest first impression
—> while the story was an easy read, the writing style felt a little like every other romance book I could pick up in a bookstore. not exactly memorable, but it had its charming and funny moments.

the characters
—> were quite unlikeable to be honest. Tina (the best friend) felt like a privileged rich white girl many a time, and Oliver (the love interest) was just downright mean the first quarter of the book. Ryan (the best friend’s boyfriend) barely had a personality even though he played an integral part of the book. I quite related to Priscilla at certain moments, but I also think she had quite an ego at certain points.

the romance/plot
—> I didn’t quite enjoy this, to be totally honest. the issue which sparked Oliver and Priscilla’s friendship into enemies felt very forced and not quite natural. The miscommunication could have been easily fixed if only they had talked to each other, and overall the way it came to its climax felt like quite a high school situation. I also feel like their story then turned into more of a lust situation than a love situation. Oliver really annoyed me with the way he seemed to deal with the fake dating scenario, clearly liking Priscilla but keeping her in the dark about this.

overall, I enjoyed it but didn’t feel it was the best story I’ve ever read, and I lacked a connection to the romance and the characters.

*update* this was unfortunately a DNF for me. I couldn't get through the poor communication of the characters and the plot wasn't compelling enough to make me push through.

This was a really cute premise but the execution and characters fell a little flat for me. I'm not a fan of miscommunication (or lack of communication as the case may be) trope because it's just so frustrating.
I'm partially through currently but struggling to finish. Will update further once/if I am able to finish!

I loved the idea behind this story, it was a fun and easy romcom overall, but the way the FMC and MMC behaved left me frustrated and disappointed. There was just so much miscommunication that could have been avoided, and the relationship between the two fell flat and felt immature at times. Again, loved the idea and there were definitely some charming moments between the characters, but the relationship needed some work.

My second book of Donna Marchetti and it definitely did not disappoint!


After getting fired from her job, Priscilla made the bold decision to finally start her own business—with Tina becoming her very first client. She's gonna plan her proposal to her boyfriend, Ryan. It has to be huge, something similar with how her mom proposed to her dad. There's one complication though, Ryan is also planning to propose to Tina! That's how Priscilla and Oliver ended up teaming up with each other to plan their best friends' proposals to each other!

Priscilla. She’s incredibly supportive, always cheering people on even when she's struggling. She doesn't deserve what happened to her, but sometimes, the thing that we didn't want to happen is the one that will lead us to a greater life. There’s just something so beautiful about watching someone thrive when they’re doing what they truly love.

Oliver. A man completely obsessed—and I could easily recognize that. He’s so supportive in every way, always standing behind the people he cares about. He’s definitely someone you could depend on without hesitation. I absolutely adore it when a man does something meaningful for a woman and doesn’t feel the need to immediately broadcast it—that’s when you truly know he did it for her, not for the sake of recognition.

As for the story itself, I absolutely loved how Priscilla and Oliver teamed up to plan their best friends’ proposals—it was such a sweet and heartwarming setup. The misunderstanding between them genuinely confused me at first, but thinking about it now, if that moment hadn’t existed, we wouldn’t have had this story at all. Their little moments together were so precious—each interaction held so much weight. I also loved how Ryan and Tina acted like matchmakers for Oliver and Priscilla—it was so much fun to watch it unfold. If there’s one thing I wished for, though, it’s that Priscilla and Oliver had even more moments together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a free copy of this book. My thoughts are my own!

This book is a rom-com that is filled with all the tropes you want to see! It's chaotic, filled with humor, and doesn't really take itself seriously, which is what makes it a great read! It's lighthearted, cute and pokes fun at itself. You have two friends helping to come up with competing proposals that have to find a way to work together without the proposers finding out. Of course, they have to find a way to explain being together, especially since our FMC has made no secret of the fact that she doesn't like our MMC. Thus, fake dating comes into the chat which gets more out of control when a cabin vacation comes into play.

I loved the planning aspects of the plot. Seeing Priscilla helping her best friend to create the proposal of her dreams even when Oliver is trying to help HIS friend plan a proposal. Priscilla is an overachiever and despite the estranged dynamic, she does put aside her feelings to do the best she can for her friend. The banter and bickering was one of my favorite parts of the book, overall just well written and developed. The relationship itself could use a bit more development and planning, as the miscommunication trope seemed to be the main plot point used. For all the planning, they really didn't talk to each other.

I loved the spring/summer vibes of the story, especially with the farmers market scene.

This was an easy read that took less than two days and was a nice palette cleanser.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this arc!
Priscilla and Oliver have a unique chemistry, their banter exchanges are hilarious and will make you laugh with them, the spicy scenes are well written and not overdone 🥰
The supporting characters give that extra edge to the story and don't annoy, in fact I found them great!
I gave 4.5 ⭐️ only because the miscommunication trope is not on my favorites but as always Donna is the best at writing rom-coms!!! 💘🐰🌷🎀

The two leads had great chemistry and were likeable characters. The banter between them was fun and the romantic storyline was well paced and sweet with a touch of spice. The supporting characters also added to the story. Overall a fun and engaging read.

This is one of those times that I really wish Goodreads let you do .5 ratings. Because this is definitely more of a 3.5 ⭐️ read. But I digress. I was so excited to finally read my first ever Donna Marchetti book. She’d been on my romcom radar for a while but for whatever reason kept getting passed up. But I’m happy to report that I’ve finally read one of her books and I had a really fun time reading it.

The Proposal Project is a light, fluffy romcom perfect for anyone looking for a fun beach read. We’ve got several of my favorite tropes all bundled up in this book. From fake dating, enemies v lovers, and slow burn romance. The plot and characters are relatable and super easy to follow along with.

I think my only complaint and reasoning for not rating it higher was Priscilla and Oliver’s relationship. Now don’t get me wrong I love the two of them together. However, I wish their relationship could’ve been more fleshed out. The majority of the book was them working together to plan their friend’s proposal with a sprinkle of growing relationship. And then in the last 20% it was boom relationship full steam ahead. Which there’s nothing wrong with but I just wanted more out of Priscilla and Oliver's relationship.

Overall, I had a great time reading this and could easily recommend this to anyone. So do yourself a favor and pick this book up when it releases later this fall!

I know and love the work of the author who did the art for this cover so I had to pick it up because she’s always does the art for the best books. I know I had heard the authors name before and I checked and she wrote “Hate Mail” which I really enjoyed. I would say I preferred “Hate Mail” over “The Proposal Project” because this book relied a lot on the miscommunication trope and that just isn’t one of my favorites. However, this is a light rom com story with fake dating to make each other’s partners jealous to get them back. Including fake dating, forced proximity and enemies to lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read overall, with a fun premise and a lighthearted vibe.It's a fun and super cute rom-com

This was literally so much fun and I can a fantastic time with it. I loved this and will definitely be checking out Marchetti’s other and future works.

Ohhh gosh I loved this book and story. It gave me ALL the warm fuzzies throughout, had me literally smiling and giddy with the slow burn anticipation.

Such a beautiful cosy romance.

- enemies to lovers
- fake dating
- miscommunication
- slow burn
- personal spice rating: 2 🌶️ 👌
- fun banter!

The relationships between all the characters were really well fleshed out, and I loved the #girlboss focus as well.

Did not enjoy this book at all. The characters were acting like total kids with the endless miscommunication. The book was really repetitive and the romance was overly packed with tropes it almost felt staged. Tina really got on my nerves because what type of best friend is she even, horrible friend.

The Proposal Project, by Donna Marchetti, is a fun rom-com with banter that will keep you laughing. Interesting (sometimes meddling) characters and a bit of competition kept me turning the pages.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

The Proposal Project is one of those super tropey rom-coms that doesn’t take itself too seriously—and honestly, that’s exactly what I was in the mood for. You’ve got a chaotic double proposal plan, two best friends scheming behind their partners’ backs, and a healthy dose of forced proximity (including the classic “one bed” moment, of course). It’s light, fluffy, and full of flirty tension—basically a perfect weekend or beach read.

Priscilla and Oliver, our main duo, start out with some serious miscommunication and mutual dislike—which, obviously, means they’re destined to fall for each other. I enjoyed their dynamic overall, especially once they got past the bickering, but I did wish we got a bit more depth from their relationship. It’s a slow burn (which I actually love), but their romance only really kicked in toward the end, and I would’ve liked more development earlier on. Also, since we only get Priscilla’s POV, Oliver felt a bit flat at times—I wanted more insight into who he really is, his background, what makes him tick.

The miscommunication trope was used a lot, and while I get that it’s part of the fun, it did make the characters feel kind of immature in places. Like, just talk to each other, please. That said, there were still plenty of cute and swoony moments that made me smile.

If you’re after something deep or emotionally intense, this probably isn’t it—but if you want something light, fun, and full of rom-com staples, you’ll have a good time. It’s an easy, feel-good read that I flew through in a few hours.

this was my first book by donna marchetti and i absolutely devoured it!!! i read it in two sittings and loved how fast-paced it was. there weren’t any boring or unnecessary parts which i really enjoyed.

i really loved priscilla and oliver together. their chemistry was so fun to read and i especially LOVEDDDDDDDD the practice kissing and fake dating scenes. the pretend “they’re watching” momenta when no one actually is just so they can kiss eachother? perfect. i think the whole plot of this book is genius. two people planning their best friends joint engagement together is so funny and cute.

the only thing i will say that i didn’t love was the grudge priscilla held. it felt like it was based on something small and i wish there had been more to it. but overall this was such a cute, fun romcom and i had a great time reading it <3 i reccomend to anyone who needs a fast faced romance book to get out of a slump !!!

thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review <3

Normally I'm not a fan of slow burns and oblivious FMC's because I just want them to get on with it already. However this is the perfect slow burn and I couldn't put it down!

This book had everything. The tension, the yearning, the banter. I could've done without the miscommunication but I understand why it was there.

Priscilla and Oliver team up to work on their best friends proposals and end up fake dating along the way to make sure their plan goes off without a hitch.

This was a light hearted, easy read that would be perfect for anyone!

I just wish this was a dual POV so we could've seen things from Oliver's perspective the entire time!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

After getting fired Priscilla want to start her own event planning business and her first client is her best friend Tina who wants to propose to her boyfriend. The only problem is that Ryan also intends to pop the question soon. Priscillas left with one choice, secretly teaming up with the best man to plan the proposal of the year.

A couple planning on proposing to one another and their best friends making their dreams come true. How cute is that? And then adding in Oliver and Priscilla who’ve never been that friendly to coordinate the whole thing. The different couples dynamics makes for an interesting read.

If I could change something it would be the miscommunication, theres quite a lot of it and personally I’m not a fan of that trope. There’s enough deceiving going on with the fake dating scheme and proposal.

Love the rest of the tropes, the group dynamic, spice level and off course the big finale. Who doesn’t love a grand romantic gesture.

Read this if you like
🩷Fake dating
✨Forced proximity
💍Grand romantic gestures
🔥Enemies to lovers