This was a creepy, and at times, downright scary thriller. I was a little confused during the first half at the timing between the journal entries and blog posts, but once I started putting things together, it made sense and I actually went back and read the blog post sections again, with this new knowledge.

I didn’t care for Pippa very much. I couldn’t understand her actions most of the time. Some of the things she said toward the end of the book though were definitely true.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for this review.

A good read but not as good as previous books by this author. The plot seemed very muddled and the chapters got confusing. I did not like Pippa and that made it harder to get involved in the book. Sorry this book is just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Cracking read, this author in my opinion just gets better and better. It starts off at a slow pace but soon picks up and then you're in it and can't stop reading.

So hard to review without spoilers! Pippa has had a lot of bad things happen to her but she's settled now and trying to make it as an author. Then she meets Ryan, the bad boy (one quibble- what's with the door to door sales? Is this still a thing?). This starts off with a bang, slows a bit, and then ramps up. Is this an unreliable narrator? What's really happening? There are some very twisty twists and don't ignore the note at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the aRC. This is a plot driven fast read that's perfect for fans of the genre.

Never invite a salesman into your home ...

OMG! This book is simply too crazy for words and I mean that in the best possible way. If you want to have your head turned upside down, inside out, back to front, this is the ideal read for it. And when you think you knew it all, the ending leaves you with your mouth wide open.

Only one thing left for me to say : you have to read it for yourself!

Thank you, S.E. Lynes, Bookouture and Netgalley

How do you write a review on a book when the first line informs you that the lead character is dead? I was hooked from page one as it is such a unique story. Not often do you dislike the main female character. As the story progresses I began to feel sorry for her though but never really got to the bottom of why she was the way she was. No friends and falling in love with a door to door salesman. The story is told from many angles that keeps you guessing and hoping the first line isn’t true. A must read.

I found this book hard to get into. However I’m glad I persevered as about halfway through it just clicked and I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t really like Pippa, the romance writer who invites an ex con into her life to tell her his life story. In fact I wanted to shake her at times!! Great book, but do keep going past the slow beginning.

SE Lynes proved herself a story-teller extraordinaire with her first three books. She does it yet again with this one. Wow! Where does this woman get all her ideas? The Proposal is one of those creepy, horribly foreboding stories that you know isn’t going to turn out well. Actually, it’s there in black and white in the very first line: “The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead.”

I read this book trying to work out how Pippa got herself into such an unbearable position, and who on earth the mysterious Mrs Danvers was. And then we hear salesman Ryan’s point of view for the first time. And the discomfort really increases. Pippa herself is complex, cynical, flippant and sarcastic. Her outrageous, often risky, behaviour gives her best friend sleepless nights and often has her helping Pippa out in the middle of the night.

The story gradually unfolds through a number of different threads, most from writer Pippa Gates’ point of view. SE Lynes cleverly delivers the story through different vehicles: a public blog, a private journal and – just to mix things up – audio excerpts. Apart from being refreshingly different, this really pulled me into the story, ensuring I was fully engaged. And to top that, she talked directly to me, her reader. This all makes her writing totally compelling.

There’s also her fabulous writing style which is intelligent, eloquent and effortless. An example (Pippa is thinking about her father, who changed from being loving to absent): “How do I fit these men together? The latter throws a shadow of doubt so dark over the former that sometimes I struggle to see the first him at all.” The author is also incredibly funny at times. I mean real, laugh-out-loud funny. (Pippa eats a packed of Kettle Chips – “one of my five a day because potatoes”.) If psychological thrillers are your thing (and even if they’re not) this is well worth a read.

This author is already firmly cemented on my watch list so I was quite excited to see what she served up for me this time. And to say I wasn't disappointed would be an understatement as she got right under my skin from the very first page...
Pippa is a teacher by day and an aspiring author by night. Sadly her aspirations remain as such as she can't really get to grips with knuckling down and actually coming up with the goods, the illusive second book having fallen by the wayside somewhat. Until that is the day she meets Ryan, an ex-con selling cleaning goods door-to-door. Intrigued both by him and his story she offers him a proposal, she will pay him for his life story, changing enough to preserve his anonymity of course. But is he all he says he is, it soon becomes evident that he wants more from her, but is she willing to give it to him, or will he take it for himself?
Have to mention at this point that I really didn't like Pippa. Maybe she is a product of what others have made her but she really doesn't help herself at times. She has a bit of a warped attitude to her life and the people in it and several times through the book I was actually hoping she'd get her comeuppance! #sorrynotsorry!
The book is told in hindsight by Pippa herself; in a "if you are reading this, then I am dead" journal. All the way through we are in the present and then flash back to the past to when she first meets Ryan. And then we have her blog which adds a whole other side to the shape of the book. It all sounds a bit disjointed the way I am explaining but it really isn't. The past complements the present very well with only her word for how she expects it all to end. At a point towards the end of the book, the past and present merge. I say merge, I mean collide in an explosive kind of way! But it's the journey, the how we got to that point, that held me in its thrall throughout my time reading.
Ryan, well, we do need to talk about him. Oh my, what a deliciously dark and creepy character. But also, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, one that I do have a quiet appreciation for. The impressive way that he inveigles himself into Pippa's life, chipping away slowly and carefully until... well, you'll just have to read the book to find out.
It's a book where I thought I knew exactly where we were going but, in reality, took me places I never thought I'd visit. I really needed to know what was going to happen. The tension ramps up nicely throughout, interspersed with some deliciously dark humour that did make me giggle. As someone else mentioned, I had questions in my head along the way and then lo and behold, I turned the page and there was the answer, like the characters knew what I was thinking. Spooky indeed and a little scary to be honest.
And that ending... When it all comes together... Oh My! And that's all I'm saying about that! To be honest, if this book even stands at the periphery of your reading taste, stop reading the reviews and do yourself a favour and just dive right in.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This book was a bit hard to get into, but once it grabbed you, it had a death grip. I thought that the author did good at getting me to spin my brain and question everything. While, I didn't give it 5 stars because of the slow start, I have to say it did make up for it during and at the end. Will use in a daily challenge in Chapter Chatter Pub, as well as recommend!

Wow! What a page turner! Great characters, great plot! A big 5 stars and highly recommend!
Never read anything by this author but will surely look more up. If you like twists and turns this one is a keeper.

Oh my. I didn’t really like this book until about half way through but then the pace ramped up and I was dragged right in ! And how it picked up ! - oh my ! Brilliant writing from SE Lynes, brilliant !

To weave such a clever story with two such unattractive central characters and such a weird premise takes real skill! Just couldn't put it down. Crazy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review! Definitely recommended.

I really love this author - but this did not tick all my boxes.
A really unusual concept - but I really couldn’t get onboard with Pippa, or the first half of the book.
I didn’t like the way it jumped around, and it wasn’t easy to keep up at times. The second half was much more enjoyable, with me hankering to find out what was going on.
I find it really hard to enjoy a book when I cannot relate to it like the subjects, hence the 3 stars!

Pippa is a romance writer, and is having a hard time coming up with her next book. When she meets an ex con, she invites him into her to tell his life story. This book was very gripping. It was hard to put down, and I'm still reeling from all the twists and turns in the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 3.5 star for me. On the positive side, it was definitely a unique book. I had no idea it would go where it did and once it started going in that direction, my interest increased, but it took a little too long to get there and for the first 50% I just wasn't that engaged and didn't care where it was going. I thought Pippa was a just really unlikable and so I just had trouble caring about her story. I also thought the blog posts were very confusing. That all was explained in the end, but it made me wonder what the heck I was reading. I rounded up to 4 stars rather than down to 3 because it really was a unique book and I was certainly surprised at how things worked out. It ended up being a worthwhile read, but took awhile to realize this was the case.

Very odd but addictive read. Not ever sure what was going to happen next. Had me tense but couldn't put it down.

Definition of psychological thriller: The Proposal by S.E. Lynes

Holy book hangover! I stayed up until 5 am reading this book, telling myself just one more chapter. It was so worth it.

Pippa Gates is newly divorced, a teacher and has published her first book, that failed miserably. She tends to have a very impulsive, self destructive personality. Always setting herself up for possible failure, living a bit on the wild side. Pippa is distraught that her publisher is demanding a rough draft of her second book by tonight. She has not even a clue as to what she is going to write about. Then the doorbell rings...

Ryan Marks is selling cleaning products door to door. Pippa is aware that most of these guys are ex convicts. This doesn't deter Pippa from inviting him in, sharing a bottle of wine and food with him. Asking him for his life story. Then Pippa gains herself a stalker. I almost think Pippa on some subconscious level enjoys being stalked. Let's see what you think.

This is my first book by S.E. Lynes and I was completely surprised at how quickly this turned into a dark, crazy read. It went from a girl gets a creepy stalker book to a hold onto your seat, this is one crazy ride. I loved it! Now that I have "discovered" S.E. Lynes I can't wait to read the rest of her books. I have Valentina waiting for me on my Kindle. Fantastic, chilling, creepy 5 stars from me! This is my kind of book!

Thank you so much to S.E. Lynes, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC. I loved it!

The storyline revolves around Pippa a once published author who is desperate for a follow up and heading for a deadline she's struggling to meet when a stranger knocks on her door and she invites him in.

Broken into excerpts from a journal, blog and audio extracts I found it disjointed and initially wasn't sure what to make of it. Never one to give up on a book I'm glad I stuck with it as I found it gained pace midway through and the ending had me totally absorbed unable to but it down. It also gave some much needed clarity.

A strange read, and a difficult one to rate. Overall I liked it, it was certainly different and parts of it, in particular the ending were really good.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance reading copy

S.E.Lynes book 'Mother' was one of my top 20 books last year so I was really excited to get hold of The Proposal. Sadly I'm afraid this one will not be on this year's list.

Pippa is recently divorced. She is a secondary teacher who seems to have no interest in her work or her students and regards it as just a way to pay the bills until she is recognised as a bet selling author.She has one published book but is struggling to get the second one written until she meets an ex-con selling door to door. Ryan has a story to tell- that story can shift her writer's block but what is the price?

I think the problem for me was Pippa, the main character. I found her so dislikable that I found it very difficult to care what happened to her. I persevered to the end to see if I was right about certain things I suspected. All in all this book was a disappointment for me, but from other reviews I seem to be in the minority. Read it & see what you think.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. Thank you for the Arc. The Proposal by SE Lynes is my first book by this author and hope to read more in the future. I will not give any spoilers. I’ll just say you won’t want to put this one down. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery or thriller type of novel.