A review by allingoodtime
A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is this author’s debut publication and I must say she did a bang-up job. While I found the pacing a bit off (the beginning seemed slow, but the last half flew by), the emotions and connections were great. Her descriptions gave me a clear picture without being too wordy and the dialogue had a lovely flow.

Kamilah and Liam are both wonderful characters. Childhood best friends who grew apart through the years, they’ve still always been in each other’s lives. Their grandfathers have been best friends since their days in the military. While they lead separate lives, they still have always known what was going on in the others. But Liam has a humongous chip (or two, or three) on his shoulder and has pushed Kamilah away while also having deep feelings for her.

It surprised me a time or two when I went from loving Kamilah to being so upset with her. There is a lie, more accurately a “let’s hide the whole truth”, she tells Liam after they have resolved their past problems. That’s something I’m never a fan of, but that’s not why she upset me. Kamilah doesn’t always think about how her actions will affect those around her. She thinks she’s doing the right thing and helping everyone, but that’s not always the case. To be fair, her family can be quite harsh with her and it’s almost as if she has become this way to counteract their dismissal of her. I loved the way she was written because the author didn’t ignore Kamilah’s faults. Instead, she had her confronted with those faults and made her deal with them.

Of course, Liam has his faults too. Most having to do with childhood trauma. Even after he and Kamilah open up about wanting to be together, he often shuts down when his anxiety gets the best of him. I appreciate the mention of therapy and Liam’s grandfather admitting he didn’t handle Liam’s grief in the best way when Liam was younger.

I’m very much looking forward to more books in this series. I loved the cast of characters and there are many to work with. If this author can build on the solid foundation she seems to already have, I see many good things in her future. 
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