The author of The Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn't turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one on her own...
When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn't come as a surprise--or happen in front of 45,000 people.
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn't the hard part--they've only been dating for five months, and he can't even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans...
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik's rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He's even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik's social media blows up--in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can't be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes...
Source: advance e-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I read The Wedding Date earlier in the year and thought it was a super cute romance featuring a couple that was unexpectedly thrown together and it somehow worked out. The Proposal featuring another couple thrown together by circumstances while cute, didn't quite hit the spot for me in the same way.
Here's what I enjoyed about The Proposal. Once again Guillory has an interracial couple, Nik and Carlos (yes, Carlos from The Wedding Date). Their initial meeting at the baseball game is awesome when he rescues her from further humiliation after she turns down her boyfriend's very public and unexpected proposal and he left her stranded. Guillory adds more diversity in the form of Nik's Korean best friend, Courtney and a gay best friend, Dana. They're both supportive friends who help Nik see clearly when she can't. Carlos is a catch. He's smart, funny, caring and cooks which would make me propose to him. The theme of female empowerment is also explored as a subplot and is one that I appreciated. Guillory even takes advantage of this to introduce another diverse character with a history that'll resonate with many women, and I liked feeling that girl power.
I struggled with the book whenever I felt that the story was moving away from Nik and Carlos. There's a subplot involving his cousin's pregnancy that serves to demonstrate how devoted Carlos is to his family. However, I thought that it came up so often becoming a third central character that I felt overshadowed Nik and Carlos. I'd much rather that some of that space had been used to learn more about one of Nik's previous relationships that makes her so squeamish about declarations of love. It's alluded to but barely and without that insight I felt I lost out on gaining a better understanding of her. To me it's an important missing piece of who she is that affects her and Carlos later. Nik just winds up feeling kind of flat to me as does Carlos.
The Proposal is a cute story that does contain a powerful message about female solidarity which I'm totally here for, but I didn't get completely wrapped up in the romance this time.
~ Bel
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