While I thoroughly enjoyed this book it took me forever to read. It felt slow getting into it and until about 30% I had to force myself to want to read it. After hitting that point however I booked it through the rest in no time. The characters got stronger as the book went on and I actually liked reading about their growths.

"The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead…..."

That line from The Proposal grabbed hold of me immediately and wouldn't let go!

Pippa is a reluctant teacher by day and struggling author by night. All she wants is to fulfill her dream of becoming a best selling author. If she could just find some inspiration......
Then, a knock at the door. In steps inspiration, Ryan.

While put off by Ryan, his disheveled appearance and questionable background at first, Pippa soon starts wondering what his story is. He intrigues her enough to want to know more. She is used to taking risks so she can talk herself into feeling fairly comfortable allowing this stranger into her life. Will she live to regret this decision?

The Proposal is told through blog posts and journal entries by Pippa. I found at first they were a bit hard to piece together but the devil is in the details and in paying attention they completely worked together. The 'business/friendship' that ensues between Pippa and Ryan is, without a doubt, dysfunctional at best. It was, personally, a weird experience for me as a reader as I was surprised by the way *I* wanted things to turn out. I was really very clueless throughout most of the book and wondering where it was headed. It was INTENSE for sure! I finished it in a day because I could not put it down! There is a HUGE creep-factor to this book and while at times it made me a little squirmy, the creepiness was essential.

The Proposal was definitely an out-0f-the-box refreshing new plot read! I haven't read anything like it before and that was a very nice surprise!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Proposal.

Brilliant! Madness! Magnificent!

This book was a complete mind F***and I loved it! And if you love crazy you will love it too! It’s the kind of book that you read the ending of twice, because your just looking like 🤯 what the actual f??? I generally do not curse in my reviews, but this book.... there are no words!

From the moment that Pippa opened the door to Ryan I was on the crazy train with these two! Neither of these characters were likable, neither of these characters were relatable, but wow were they addicting! I had no idea what these characters were going to do next or what direction this book was going to take.... it was like walking through a hall of mirrors, because nothing was ever quite as it seemed....Pippa was the perfect unreliable narrator, because she was even lying to herself most of the time.... or maybe she wasn’t lying, maybe she was really that out of touch with reality....

Even the structure of this book added to the overall madness of the puzzle to the book.... with blog posts and journal entries and audio recordings it was as disjointed and disconcerting as everything else about the book.... but for me this was part of the brilliance of this book.... seriously at times I felt as mad as these characters were!

I’ve been purposefully vague about the plot anything you need to know is in the blurb... all you need to know is this is a crazy rollercoaster of a book... it will twist, it will turn, it will flip you upside down, it will leave you feeling a little dizzy, a little uncomfortable, but most of all it will leave you exhilarated, and leave you wanting more!

Absolutely recommend to fans of a dark psychological thriller with characters that are a few stops south of Cray Cray!

*** A huge thanks to Bookouture for my copy ***

Omg that first line! What an opening! I had no qualms in becoming gripped by S.E.Lynes' latest novel thanks to that intriguing first page. A brilliant, brilliant start.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, and I'm probably not the first person to say this, BUT, oh my flipping goodness - this author's mind is as mad as a box of frogs! Yes, that is actually a compliment! I spent a good portion of the novel with the words 'what on Earth....' and 'wtf?!?!' going through my mind on repeat. Seriously. The main character, Pippa, is dead, yet she's talking to us like we know that she is dead. Don't get me wrong, the storyline was bloomin' clever, that's for sure, but again, what the heck?! Like I've already said, i'm meaning all of this complimentary. I may have been dumfounded by Pippa's escapades, yet I couldn't put the book down as I had to know how she became deceased, and why.

Of course the author introduces us to a lot more characters than just Pippa, each with their own intriguing yet highly colourful personalities. Well...except Ryan. He's a bit of a....welllllll, let's just say that my opinion of him is in no way as complimentary! Again, very cleverly written and very well thought out, but I still thought he was a donkey.

'The Proposal' is brilliantly written and has so much substance in the storyline which is most likely to keep readers on the edge of their seats in suspense....and confusion! S.E.Lynes clearly knew what she was doing when she wrote this book as it seemed to tick several boxes I never knew needed ticked. If you're after a highly gripping, intense, suspenseful, and twisted novel which will leave your jaw dropping and lightbulbs waiting to have their 'lightbulb moment', then 'The Proposal' would be the perfect read for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if I did end up confused by Pippa, but in all honesty, I think my confusion added to my enjoyment of the book as it meant I was focusing 100% on every conceivable little detail (well, or so I thought!).

This is my most favourite book S.E.Lynes has written so far! She has certainly set the bar high with this one, that's for sure!

This is one of the most difficult reviews I would have probably written. The book was so different, gruesome in places that I had no idea of what I was reading. The story started innocently enough about a not so successful author Pippa opening the door for the ex-criminal salesman, Ryan/Gary, and then putting forth a proposal to him - his life story for 200 bucks. Then came obsession with Pippa, stalking, ultimately death.

My first book by S. E. Lynes, and I am not sure what I felt about this book. Pippa was totally unreliable, she destroyed every good thing in her life. I thought she liked when Ryan became obsessed with her. Ryan, on the other hand, had his own dark secret. I felt both the characters were damaged enough that they deserved each other.

The narration of the book was in three formats, blog posts, audio excerpt by Ryan, and Pippa's journal entry - a unique concept.

My niggles are just that I didn't like the book, I couldn't connect with the characters, their emotions, their darkness. I felt I lived so far away from them in a land of sanity. The darkness pervaded too much!!

The book was fascinating, the reason I say this is though I didn't like anything, I couldn't put it down. Sometimes things can be so gross, that one had to know how this ended. I read this in one breath with widening eyes and thumping heart!! No more of such stories.

"...momentous events, be they good or bad, catapult us from our core, leave us floating, weightless, lost."

Pippa Gates has no idea what is going to happen to her after she opens the door to a wandering salesperson hawking cleaning supplies and invites him into her house. Pippa is a teacher and struggling wanna-be author with a less than stellar published book to her name and a synopsis of her next one due to the editor -- tomorrow! Instead of actually working to meet the contract, she is procrastinating and drinking heavily. Seeking some kind of inspiration, she makes an unusual proposal to the shabby, down-on-his luck man -- tell her the story of his life for 200 pounds. He agrees and sits down at her kitchen table and she hits gold. How could she know that this evening will lead to an insane obsession that will leave her...NO SPOILERS.

This psychological thriller is, without a doubt, the most bizarre, messed-up story I have ever read, and believe me, I've read some humdingers. But I mean that in a good way! The characters of Pippa and the man at the door, Ryan Marks, are two deeply disturbed individuals that defy explanation. The narrative is told in an unusual format -- part being the private journal written by Pippa and the other main segments are blog posts by the author Pippa that are on social media. In addition are a few italicized ramblings recorded by Ryan. Trust me, it all makes sense when you read it.

I'm not sure when a book has hooked me so completely while all the time I'm wondering what the heck it is that I'm reading! Pippa shares a very twisty tale that could only be told by someone who is or must be totally warped. The things she thinks and says and does surely defy the concept of normal! I think you'll enjoy the crazy ride as much as I did. Don't miss it if only to be able to talk about it with a fellow reader after you finish reading it!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this e-book ARC to read and review. This is not the first book that I've read by this author and after this, I just have to see what she comes up with next!

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww this book! Kim and Noelle at Bookouture have done it again, shocking does not cover it! This book! I think this is a new book hangover that I have, I just don’t know how to convert my thoughts in to words!

You know when you are in for a treat when the opening lines of the book tells you that the narrator is dead. No that is not a spoiler, you are told in the blurb, still seeing words is still equally shocking! How can she be dead, know she is dead but be writing to us? Head spinning yet?

Pippa, well she did a bit of a slap sometimes the silly girl, isolating herself from her friends out of what seemed spite sometimes, all because of Ryan. I mean why would you invite this door-to-door salesman in your house and give him a glass of a wine, and he has a shower I mean WTF! Run and run bloody fast, what are you doing *face palm*.

God Ryan was just one creepy messed up guy! Nervous when he might make an appearance and disrupt Pippa and her life! He is in proper stalker mode, in his head never the stalker because apparently he has the green light from Pippa.

Ms Lynes writing was damn right chilling, telling a story from the point of view of Pippa and occasionally Ryan, through Pippa’s journal, blog post and Ryan’s dictaphone recordings. Seeing things completely different, the unreliable narrator that we all love.

The story of obsession and self-worth comes in heavily here. Ryan believing he owns Pippa and all the time Pippa justifying her worth and her life. Always trying to make out she was better and happier than she really was, constantly proving herself to her best friend Marlene.

I felt for Marlene I think the most, such an innocent person in all of this! To be dragged into the mess Pippa created, in my opinion was just not fair. (Yes, I sound petulant here!)

The twists and turns keep you going in this book, and even though you know the apparent end, it is still all too shocking and frightening with the realistic elements in the story.

I loved the setting of Wiltshire, as I lived there a few years ago, right next to Salisbury plains, I could picture the areas spoken about clearly and it is picturesque as it was described, just stay away from Tidworth! (I can say that I lived there! Lol)

I think this is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone by jove, it turns the pages so quickly you might get a paper cut if you are reading an actual book, thankfully I had a kindle so I was safe lol. It is definitely a book where you tell yourself one more chapter, just one more chapter…..that does not happen!

Hands up to being a broken record, but I need to get more books by Ms. Lynes on my list and get them read, talking about sucking me, spinning me upside down and spitting me out when she was done. Excuse me I think I need a drink……

I love the cover of this story and how the story is told through audio extracts, blog posts and then the chapters themselves. I absolutely loved this story and enjoyed every minute of it.

I must say that I felt Pippa brought it all on herself. She’s a fearless character, likes the thrill of the unexpected, feeling scared and revels in the attention she does get. She’s also a lonely person… But the further into the story I got I started to feel sorry for her, she becomes truelly helpless… I must also say that I never did like Ryan from the start a very shifty, unsure character.

I love how the ending explained the whole story for the reader as it does mess with your head. Like woah. Wait a minute. This is brilliant. Well and truelly hooked. A well deserved five stars from myself. Highly recommend.

What the h*** did I just read? Seriously, who thinks of something like this? I have to give it to S. E. Lynes, this is so far afield from anything you have read yet. Not in a bad way. But a disturbing, I will never forget kinda way. If you like creepy and original stories - this is for you.

Well, that first line certainly got my attention!! The Best First Line of 2018 award will definitely be heading S.E. Lynes way!! And weirdly enough, that first line put me in mind of my most favourite opening line ever which is from Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, which coincidentally is a book that is mentioned here in The Proposal. More than that I can not divulge but let’s just say that there are more connections to that literary masterpiece than I would ever have thought possible.

My first thought when I finished The Proposal was WTAF??!! Now I don’t swear often but both the characters and the storyline here are seriously f*cked up!!! But happily I relished and adored every single moment from start to finish! I have to say though that after that first line shocker, it did take me a while to get into the style of the narrative as I wondered how the hell everything was connected. But this author is very, VERY clever in the way in which she slowly builds up her plot and develops her characters so that the shock value of her twists and turns is then multiplied tenfold!

I thought Pippa being an author brought an authentic touch to her character although she really wasn’t an incredibly likeable person (unlike pretty much every author I’ve ever met before!!) and I found her attitude towards people unpleasant as she was ill mannered and self centred without a thought for anyone else’s feelings or happiness other than her own. But when she invited an ex con door to door salesman into her home, I did feel a little sorry for her as Ryan seemed to interpret it as an open invitation into her life. Why she didn’t click when he dictated what she had to write as the dedication in his signed copy of her novel I do not know!!! But if ever there were an unreliable narrator then it’s Pippa-although I found what she DIDN’T say just as intriguing as what she did. You’ll understand when you read it yourself.

The ending really does have to go down as one of the authors best yet! My jaw was firmly on the floor at the unexpected twists that didn’t seem to stop coming and those final few pages were just a perfect resolution to what the storyline had been building up to from that very first line. It was “car crash” fiction at it finest!

If you loved Valentina, the authors debut novel, then you will also love The Proposal. Both involve a gripping exploration of the darker side of relationships that will make a deep and lasting impression on you. I really can’t manage to convey to you all just how much I loved this book but hope you’re intrigued enough to give it a go!

Highly recommended by me!

My word...oh my word....oh my goodness!
I was immediately drawn in.
Providing tension,intrigue, suspence The Proposal has been a great read today.

Great premise and well written. I will be looking out for other books by S.E.Lynes.

I am pleased to already have a notice of my front door saying it is not opened to cokd callers!

3 Stars

Pippa is dead. Or at least that is what her first private journal entry exclaims if it is being read by members of the public. The reasons? The contents thereof.
Sounds intriguing.

Pippa is a romance novelist. Albeit not a very successful one, according to book sales and reviewers - and we all know how harsh those can be! She is also a divorcee in her mid-thirties, whose attempts at dating have been epic failures.

When a man shows up at her door, she recognizes a opportunity instantly. Ryan is an ex-con selling door to door cleaning products and she has a proposition for him. Tell me your story she says - and that my friends is where it gets interesting.

This novel is told via Pippa’s private journal entries and blog posts, which unfortunately, I found a bit hard to follow. The character of Pippa is certainly a pip and her actions are wild, while also a bit frustrating at times. The suspense is ratcheted up high with this novel and well, it just might kill you, if it doesn’t kill her first.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and SE Lynes for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 9.22.18.

I have reviewed this book and I thought a lot of it . It was never dull or boring at all .
I think that S E Lynes is a fab authoress .
I recieved an ARC

This is the first book I have read by SE Lynes and I'm sure that it won't be the last. This was an interesting idea and kept me thinking, the plot is complex, twisting and turning until you are not sure what end is up.

The Proposal is a page turner and kept my attention all the way through, very dark and creepy and the twists in the tale caught me completely by surprise. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes reading psychological thrillers.

"The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I'm dead"

Pippa Gates is a full time teacher but wants to be a full time author, she has written a book which sadly did not do as well as she expected and she's under pressure to write another, but she's struggling, that is until there comes that knock on the door.  Enter Ryan, a man that is down on his luck and trying to rebuild his life, he is currently a door to door salesman selling cleaning products.  He ends up inside Pippa' s home talking about his past and while they're talking an idea begins to form in Pippa's mind, could this man be the answer to all her problems?  So she makes him a proposition, what Pippa doesn't realise is that her life will never be the same again.......

This is the latest book by this author and once again is very different to her others, it's a story that is told in three ways, Pippa's private journal, her blog post and audio excerpts by Ryan and is a tale of trust and deception, of friendships, relationships and casual acquaintances and has the reader questioning how some of the events relate to their own lives.  At times I sympathised with Pippa, other times I was shouting at my kindle for her to wake up and smell the coffee, could she not see what was happening right in front of her? 

Without doubt Susie Lynes has created another book which is a pure, unadulterated work of art that grabs the reader from that very first opening line and consumes you till the very last word.  I struggled to put this book down, every waking moment that I could possibly spare was spent reading this book and I stayed up till the wee small hours this morning, determined to finish it in time for publication day today.  If you haven't read any of this authors books yet, you are really missing out, and I urge you to get yourself over to Amazon and check them out.  They are pure genius!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for the auto approval and will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Pippa Gates is fed up. She feels stuck in her job as a teacher and is desperate to write an amazing bestseller so she can tell the Head to stuff her job. Unfortunately, after her first novel was 'less than succesful', she is now under pressure from her ever-patient editor to deliver her follow-up, but she has got nothing. Also, after recently divorcing and going on several dodgy Tinder dates, its safe to say her love life was nothing to brag about either. In short, Pippa's life needed a swift kick up the arse, when there is a knock at the door.

After initially being repulsed by the ex-con standing at her door selling cleaning products, something about him and his story intrigues her and, against her better judgement, she invites him in.

I must admit to being an S. E. Lynes virgin, but have heard lots of great things and have all her other books on my teetering TBR pile! This book was most definitely not what I was expecting when I started it, but any book that starts with 'The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead…' is going to make even the most reluctant to keep reading! After the initial grab, I struggled to keep track of what was going on and whose perspective we were reading from for the first quarter of the book, but once I had that sussed, it was such a good read. Using personal diary entries, public blog posts and a few audio excerpts, this creepy story follows what happened after Pippa let Ryan into her house and offered him £200 to tell her his life story. 

Both Pippa and Ryan are brilliantly written characters. I admit to not liking Pippa at the start, feeling that she was self-sabotaging and not even trying to better herself, content with wishing for the big break or the lottery win and having a total disregard for other peoples feelings. But further into the story I found myself feeling sorry for her and almost understanding the situations she was putting herself into. Ryan, on the other hand, scared the crap out of me! Creepy, damaged, but attractive in a very weird way that makes me feel unsettled even thinking about him!

A creepy, twisted story of obsession and loneliness that will absolutely ensure that you check who is there before you open your front door.

I enjoyed Valentina, and was looking forward to reading 'The Proposal', without really having any concept of what it may be about.

It turned out that it is an incredibly creepy and uncomfortable book to read. The characters are horribly real, I can still imagine Ryan now. I felt a sense of unease throughout 'The Proposal' which kept me hooked.

The story is well written, rapidly moving forward with one twist after another, using a number of different, very effective techniques; blog, diary and comments from Ryan.

We are told from the beginning that if we're reading this book, our narrator is dead, which makes us complicit in the story, but all the way through I kept wondering if …...maybe not? After all we were in the presence of an unreliable narrator.

The ending is clever- and answered my many questions.

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC

I have been a huge fan of SE Lynes since her debut Valentina and have been eagerly awaiting the next release - as always I wasn’t disappointed! The Proposal is the perfect example of a psychological thriller, all the ingredients are there to create an explosive read and one that left me feeling like I needed a hot shower.

The main character of Pippa is someone who I loved to hate; Self-centred, selfish and pretty moral free. Her behaviour got serious eye rolls from me throughout the whole of the book. She is a teacher who has published one novel and has serious writer’s block over her second. An ex con (Ryan) turns up on her doorstep selling household wares so what’s the sensible thing to do? Well, if you’re Pippa (already half sozzled) you invite him in and after feeding, watering and clothing him end up with an agreement (the proposal) to use the details of his criminal past and weave them into your new novel. No strings attached. Yeah, how did you envisage that would ever end well Pippa!? She is so desperate for success she is seemingly oblivious to the chaos that follows her around, divorced from her husband, picks up then drops her best friend as and when and now indebted to a potentially deadly individual.

The Proposal is told in various ways; Pippa in the future looking back on these events via journal entries, blog posts from her author page extolling about her perfect life as a best-selling author at Cairns Farm with the inimitable housekeeper Mrs Danvers and voice recordings from Ryan detailing his spiralling obsession with Pippa. This book is a serious lesson in not trusting everything/everyone at face value. I am loathe to spoil this book for future readers but just be prepared and DON’T miss the editor’s note at the end.

If you’re looking for a novel packed full of suspense, shocks and a sting in the tail then The Proposal is the one for you. Five stars for this outstanding read!!

(Rounded up from 3.5)

The story starts with Pippa dreaming of writing a bestseller and escaping her boring life as a teacher, after her previous book bombed but the problem? She has no idea what to write about and with a deadline looming she’s desperate for inspiration.

Then there’s a knock at the door.

She finds Ryan Marks on her doorstep, an ex-prisoner, selling cleaning products in a bid to make some money. She knows she shouldn’t but Pippa invites him, offering to pay money for his life story. Then her nightmare really begins…

So this is my first S.E Lynes, and I probably sound like a broken record, because I say this so often when I discover a new author, but this certainly won’t be the last book I read of hers!

I genuinely don’t know where to start with this unique and creepy novel. It’s told in diary format, like the protagonist Pippa is talking directly to you, interspersed with cheery blog posts about her life in the country and unsettling recordings from Ryan.

The characterisation is this novel is so good, they almost feel like real people. There’s something almost like watching a car crash (you know you should look away but you can’t) about Pippa. If you imagine a more sarcastic Bridget Jones, with impossibly high standards, a love of dodgy puns and putting herself in danger plus a whole heap of abandonment issues.

I did feel sorry for her best and seemingly only friend Marlena, a busy mum who would rush over to Pippa, worry about her and generally be there for her. Although she did feel a little more like her mum than her friend.

Then there’s Ryan. The less I say about him the better, because frankly he creeped me out so much! I’ve just shivered a little writing this and thinking about him.

I have to be honest though, the first 30% or so I had absolutely no clue what was going on, I did only persist because the character of Pippa was so realistic and there was that sense of wanting to know how her story ends. She also had a tendency to go on slightly philosophical rants that I found a little tedious at times.

The Proposal is a unique story about loneliness, twisted love and obsession that will make you doubt your own sanity.

It all starts with Pippa, a teacher who has written an unsuccessful novel, announcing that she is dead. We then learn about the events that have led to this statement via Pippa’s private journal.

I really enjoyed the way this book was written, mainly in the context of Pippa’s private journal but we also have extracts from her blog and an audio excerpt. Eventually the story becomes clear and all three give the details of what has happened.

I really don’t want to say too much else about the story as I think it is definitely something you should read without knowing to many details. I do have to say that if you love psychological thrillers with lots of creepiness and suspense you will absolutely love this book.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.