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A review by munro_reads
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I read the Proposal on my Libby app as an audiobook.
I’ll preface this by saying I don’t typically read a lot of adult romance, so that may have slightly tainted my opinion of this book. That said, I did recently read The Unhooneymooners and In a Holidaze and really enjoyed those!
For the sake of honesty I was quite disappointed with this book - I’ve had a lot of luck in the past with Reese’s book club but unfortunately this fell extremely short.
This book’s diversity is its saving grace. The author did an excellent job of having characters of all backgrounds explicitly present throughout the book.
Overall - my biggest qualm with this book was the use of dual perspectives, and I think that ruined any feelings of anticipation or mystery throughout the book. Typically, romance books are from a single perspective that lends to romantic build-up - in this book we are told both protagonist’s feelings/headspace early on. As a result, there was no build up or romantic tension in the book. Frankly it felt like there was no plot at all...
I think the book had a lot of potential. The characters were cool and complex, but the dialogue was often cringey and the story went on weird tangents that felt like didn’t serve any real purpose to the overall story. There was this female empowerment narrative weaved throughout that felt forced down my throat and awkward in execution
Was I entertained? Sure. But it did take me 3 weeks to read this book because going to listen to the audiobook felt like such a slog - but I’m not one to leave books unfinished.
The Audiobook was overall well-read, I was easily able to distinguish between characters and I liked the reader’s voice and cadence!
I’ll preface this by saying I don’t typically read a lot of adult romance, so that may have slightly tainted my opinion of this book. That said, I did recently read The Unhooneymooners and In a Holidaze and really enjoyed those!
For the sake of honesty I was quite disappointed with this book - I’ve had a lot of luck in the past with Reese’s book club but unfortunately this fell extremely short.
This book’s diversity is its saving grace. The author did an excellent job of having characters of all backgrounds explicitly present throughout the book.
Overall - my biggest qualm with this book was the use of dual perspectives, and I think that ruined any feelings of anticipation or mystery throughout the book. Typically, romance books are from a single perspective that lends to romantic build-up - in this book we are told both protagonist’s feelings/headspace early on. As a result, there was no build up or romantic tension in the book. Frankly it felt like there was no plot at all...
I think the book had a lot of potential. The characters were cool and complex, but the dialogue was often cringey and the story went on weird tangents that felt like didn’t serve any real purpose to the overall story. There was this female empowerment narrative weaved throughout that felt forced down my throat and awkward in execution
Was I entertained? Sure. But it did take me 3 weeks to read this book because going to listen to the audiobook felt like such a slog - but I’m not one to leave books unfinished.
The Audiobook was overall well-read, I was easily able to distinguish between characters and I liked the reader’s voice and cadence!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent