This is one of those books that has a trope I enjoy (friends to lovers), diversity in its cast of characters (lead and supporting), and it hits all the beats that it should....so why does it not sing to me? Well, there's the rub.

What will always draw me to a romance is ....you guessed it, the romance. Here, it was...fine. Just fine. That spark that takes a romance to another level and has me invested in the characters is missing from this. I didn't feel invested in their feelings towards each other, or that they were so wrapped in the other that their HEA is inevitable. The Firsts that normally fire up my imagination just fall flat, because they didn't come to life in the writing. It was a good friendship turned sexual that I could easily see fizzling out. I think it's just a lack of compatibility between myself and this writer, which is no shade, just not my cuppa. But if you're a fan of Ms. Guillory's writing, you may enjoy this.

**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**

This was super cute and really fun to read. I love how Jasmine Guillory brings her characters into one cohesive world. Plus who doesn't love baseball?

Guillory has a talent of writing “cute” stories and bringing them to the next level. I have read all of her books and will continue to do so!

I started The Proposal and set it aside for a few months (okay it was 8). I don’t often circle back to books that I have put down, but in this case, I am so glad that I did! I loved the characters, from Nik and Carlos to best friends and family members, they are people that you want to climb through the page to spend time with.

The story itself is all manner of brilliant. What does happen in the aftermath of an event that goes viral? While Nik was no damsel in distress, she certainly needed someone to run interference (sorry for the sports reference) for her. Fortunately, Carlos was more than the cliched knight on a trusty steed, he could read the situation and was ready to react.

But where I fell hardest for The Proposal? It was everything that happened between Nik and Carlos after the dust had settled. Jasmine Guillory wove a relationship that felt so completely organic. Their chemistry was so good and REAL. As it heated it up, I was a swooning mess. I had a similar reaction to The Wedding Party (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) - which I also adored.

I had a galley for The Proposal but it expired early (booo technology) and didn’t get back to until now. (Weekend of finishing half-read books, yay!) I loved The Wedding Date, and was entirely charmed by pediatrician Carlos and his love of food, so I was happy to see him get his own story. Nik was a great introduction to the series as the heroine – a freelance writer with a squad of awesome besties who is also into good food (prepare to be hungry most of this book, I am not kidding). The only hitch with this book, for me, was the conflict. I get that both Carlos and Nik had baggage (Nik with both the shitty actor ex-boyfriend and a shitty doctor ex-boyfriend and Carlos with his father dying young) but the length of time both characters protested about not wanted a serious relationship…the lady doth protest too much. The late-book “conflict” between Nik and Carlos needed more teeth, some of the lines juvenile as if they were two kids in their first relationship instead of successful adults in their late twenties-early thirties. But aside from that, so much of Carlos and Nik getting together was how good they were as friends. I’m coming to find that I love romances where the central couple enjoys just hanging out together and being with each other, it’s so fun to read on the page (yes, I like the sexy-times, too, but it’s so cozy when the characters are getting pizza and watching a movie on the couch).

Compared to The Wedding Date, I didn’t enjoy this one AS MUCH (there was a lot of telling and less showing in terms of emotions and the prose felt very underdescriptive) but the characters were hilarious and the romance was really sweet. (Once again, though, everyone eats so much food that I couldn’t decide whether I was hungry or overwhelmed by it!)

The Proposal was a cute, quick, romantic-comedy about two people not ready to be in a relationship, but who fall in love. I loved the characters of Nik and Carlos and the easy way that they fell in love. But for me , It was Predictable .

DNF @8%

Such a silly thing but this story at only 8% had way too many for my liking exclamation points and that is a huge problem for me. It wasn't to my liking at all. Wishing well with this author.

*ARC provided by publisher*

*All my DNF get a one star review*

This second novel from Jasmine was a great sports romance that I adored. I loved all the references to food in this novel and it always kept me hungry. I cannot wait for her next novel.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

I liked a lot of things about this book. The ease in which Carlos and Nik became friends and slipped into a casual relationship, the minimal outside forces causing drama, the friendships and familial relationships and the easy banter and honest, open communication. However, I never really connected to either Nik or Carlos in a way that I was really rooting for them to get together. I didn't feel connected to them and I definitely didn't really feel the connection between them.

I think that Jasmine's Guillory's writing is great and I LOVED The Wedding Date but this story just fell short for me. It won't stop me from diving right into The Wedding Party, the next book in the series though!!

Such a great read! Carlos and Nik are both great characters--their banter back and forth was very enjoyable to read. The more minor characters of Nik's friends and Carlos's family members added a lot of fun and humor to the story. Will definitely be reading more from Jasmine Guillory--can't wait for her next novel!

A cute sweet read. Her dialogue seems effortless. My second book by Guillory and based on this, she may start hitting my auto buy list.

When writer Nikole "Nik" Paterson attends a Dodgers game with her shallow boyfriend, he proposes to her after their 5-month courtship, complete with misspelling her name on the jumbo tron. She's humiliated and has disappointed a stadium full of fans when she refuses him. Dr. Carlos Ibarra, while attending the game with his sister, saves the day and rescues Nik just in a nick of time :) After deciding to go out with Carlos and keep things casual, Nik finds herself breaking the rules and falling for him. What should this couple do? I enjoyed this novel just as much as her first one, and I feel like I definitely have a new favorite author. For Guillory fans who read The Wedding Date, you will notice that Carlos is Drew's best friend from that novel. Her next novel, The Wedding Party, will come out in July and it features Alexa's (Drew's other half from The Wedding Date) best friends Maddie and Theo who hate each other and are a part of her wedding party. I can't wait to read this one and I love how she continues the stories of each of the characters in her novels. This is such a well-written, funny, and amazing love story.

Absolutely loved this book just like the first one. I liked how we got to see the MCs of the first book as well. It was more of an insta-love but I expected it just based on the description.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory is a fun follow-up to her debut, The Wedding Date. Nik, a successful freelance writer, finds herself being proposed to in the middle of a Dodgers game by her boyfriend, Fisher. Unfortunately, Nik thought they had a more casual relationship and turns him down, live on the Jumbotron. A few seats back, Carlos, who was a secondary character in The Wedding Date, and his sister decide to rescue Nik when camera crews begin to descend on her. Carlos and Nik are drawn to each other, becoming friends as neither wants a serious relationship...or do they? I loved Carlos in the first book, so I really enjoyed this book. Guillory writes a great modern romance here- fun and light, but not so filled with romance tropes as to get bogged down. I appreciate a book that keeps me reading without bogging down. I'm looking forward to more from her in the future.

I really loved The Proposal! The character kept me interested from start to finish and the story was cheesy but cute. I really want to read The Wedding Date now to see how the book is different from the movie. Speaking of movies...The Proposal needs to be made into a movie. Read this book if you want a cute adult romance novel.

The Wedding Date didn't work for me, so I was nervous heading into The Proposal. Thankfully, Guillory's sophomore novel did work for me.

This book will probably be a bit divisive with readers, because it's a quiet romance novel. There's pretty much no drama and the characters face only the most realistic in romantic obstacles: their own hearts.

The inciting meet cute, where Nik's casual boyfriend proposes to her at a baseball game on the big screen only to storm off when she refuses and Carlos and his sister pretend to know Nik to help her escape a film crew, is the most dramatic scene in the whole book really. If you're someone who likes a lot of high tension and melodrama in a romance, this book probably won't be your speed.

Carlos and Nik both suffer from pretty severe commitment-phobia, Nik because of a past toxic relationship and Carlos because he doesn't feel like he can take the time away from his family. The two feel an immediate attraction and, despite both having some hesitations, begin fooling around pretty quickly. Without talking about, aside from occasionally having a talk to make sure they're both still on the same page about everything being totally casual, they start seeing each other several times a week for sex, yes, but also for meals and conversation. They make each other laugh and sleep over any time they're together basically. Carlos moves a few things into her apartment. It's all very easy, so long as they both ignore the fact that this has moved past casual and into the relationship phase.

For me, this lowkey romance works, because I do prefer romances on the lighter, more humorous side, over melodramatic ones. I do think this one could have used a bit more fire and more dynamic subplots to add a bit more fire, but I did like it. Carlos and Nik have a connection that's believable. It doesn't make me feel shouty or squeal as I'm reading, but they get along, communicate like adults, and seem like they truly could last the long haul and be very happy together.

A couple of my favorite moments were:
[- Nikole cutting up peppers without gloves and touching her face, setting it to burning. They have to put sour cream on her face to cool the burn, and they both end up having a major laugh about it. Sour cream ends up being a romantic thing for them, and it's really cute and silly and so dorky as to be really believable.
- Everyone around them totally ships it. That's one of my favorite little romance tropes, though it's better when they start interfering but this was cute anyway.
- When Drew and Alexa come to down and Nik's dreading meeting them, but then dinner turns out to be fun and Alexa and Nik give the boys a hard time for not informing the girls ahead of time that they were both black.
- The fact that Carlos realized he was in love first, and that he accepted it and communicated his feelings openly. Men who are in touch with their feelings and can communicate are the sexiest. And, of course, I have such love in my heart for my commitment-phobic heroines. (hide spoiler)]

While this book could be defined as predictable, sometimes that is exactly what I need to read after reading something dark. This was a fun, fast read, and I love the diversity among the cast of characters. I will definitely be buying this book for my library.

I thoroughly enjoyed “the Proposal” by Jasmine Guillory. The novel is rich with strong characters, independent women, lots of realistic humor many of us can relate to, and the kind of vulnerability you can appreciate without seeing a person completely lose themselves in the other person. I have the upmost respect for her ability to create and share a satisfying romance novel that avoids being prosaic, one that celebrates diversity and satisfies as a good read.