The Book Proposal
by K.J. Micciche
3 stars

I read this book super fast but I didn't connect with the characters of any of them it just kind of annoyed me how it just went and uhh not for me. This book had email correspondence in it and that was my favorite part of the whole book was the corresponding.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this eARC for an honest review

This is a difficult one for me to fully review because there were things I loved but things I didn't love. I felt very relatable to Grace and she was such a genuine character and deep. I loved the banter between Grace and Colin so much; I love second chance romance. Something that I wasn't a huge fan of was some of Colin's issues with his father wasn't really solved? I like everything to be solved by the end of the book so I don't have to figure it out and make my own assumptions about it. I like definite answers.

Overall I did have a good time but yeah, there were things that made it fall a tad bit flat for me. I would still recommend though.

I think this was a case of the plot drew me in but the execution of the story fell short. The writing style felt a bit immature for the characters. Both Collin and Gracie were in their 30s navigating the struggles that come with adulthood but they felt as if they were in college, living for their next beer. I couldn’t really connect with Gracie and Collin because they were written to feel like characters.

The short chapters help push along this read, making it fast and easy to read. I adored the emails at the beginning. There’s something that makes the connection special when the characters bond through different ways. But overall, I just couldn’t enjoy this book like I had hoped. I wanted the scenes that gave me butterflies and the emotional attachment to Collie and Gracie. It had all the potential, but in the end this fell short for me

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC

Overall this book was really cute. Gracie is a romance author who has recently had her heart broken. In a drunken moment, she sends an email to her old high school crush. She hardly remembers doing so until he responds. Both have been recently unlucky in the love department and as they exchange emails they find themselves drawn to one another.

I liked how their relationship developed and how they interacted with one another. They made each other laugh, they were attracted to one another, and they tried to support one another as they each moved on from their past.

There were a few reasons the book lost stars for me though. There was more mention of things like burps, farts, and vomit then there was kissing in this book. A joke or awkward moment here or there to be relatable cringe would be one thing, but the amount of times and way it was written was just off putting and really took away from the story. This was also a closed door romance, which normally I would say is fine, but when the book goes on about how sexy the character writes, and how she writes with her door wide open it was a little disappointing when her door was shut. When I'm reading a romance I don't want to spend more time hearing about how her burp tastes than how her romantic partner kisses.

The story itself was fun an relatable though. We all had crushes in high school that might make us wonder what if. It was fun to see Gracie get her chance and watch both of them move on from their heartbreaks.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early copy

This book is a great romantic comedy with lots of silly and crazy stuff happening. I thought this book was fast paced with a dual POV and that the characters were relatable and felt real. Grace is a writer and she is trying to finish a book for a great book deal but she doesn’t have any ideas and her life is terrible right now. She emails her high school boy she had a crush on while drunk and that is how the book starts. Colin is able to relate to her love life and they start to email more and get closer together. The details in this book are awesome and Gracie has the worst luck ever.

If you like Romaric comedies with great dialogue and one liners this book is for you.

The Book Proposal is a fun and feisty rom-com read! The characters are interesting, and the story is well-written. If you're looking for a fast and fun read, I definitely recommend this book.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First of all, I have to thank SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca to give me the chance to read this book in advance.
That said, I was really intrigued about the plot, because that sort of enemies to lovers it suggested, plus the fact that it talks about a writer, and I love to read about the writing process itself (there's no doubt two of my favorite books are Beach Read and The Roughest Draft). I have to say this was one of the most interesting parts of the book
I quite enjoyed also the chemistry between Colin and Grace, looking forward to their enocounters.
Unfortunately, the rest of it (for me) is a big no.
The writing style is not my cup of tea, I suppose. The fun parts for me went a little bit too far compared to what I like (and I love hilarious scenes and a narrator with humor or sarcams) and the romance soon became flat and the rest of the elements that composes the plot irritated me or bored me. Not to mention the fact I didn't relate with Grace's behaviour at all.
I'm really sad about it, I had great expectations about this book. A real pity.

I had mixed views on this one.
I enjoyed the alternating views from Colin and Grace and I enjoyed the format with email communications scattered throughout. Grace and Colin reconnect after Grace sends Colin a drunk email. Colin, a hot shot lawyer recently divorced from his wife decides to write back.
Through Grace, an author, I liked learning about the process of writing a book, although I found Grace's initial book very weird and a bit confusing. Then Colin starts helping her with her novel. The twist was predictable, but added excitement into the story.
I found some parts quite cringe worthy - for example Grace shatting her pants and her razor incident, along with many of the jokes. These parts just didn't do it for me. The ending left me happy so overall I was pleased to have read the book.

I had fun and enjoyed this story about second chances and going back to your first love. The characters are bit juvenile but i enjoyed and rooted for them.
An entertaining and compelling story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book definitely is something that caught by attention based upon the premises. Having an author get drunk one night and email the high school hottie and then use him as inspiration for her new book… insane. But then all of a sudden being able to reconnect with him based on a drunken email … even more insane! It was so interesting to see what Gracie pulled from real life for her book, which is one of the reasons why I love books about books. I must say however that I do not think I would indulge in her books solely because I would not want to read about someone stabbing someone else in the butt with scissors LOL.

Nonetheless, this book was captivating especially with including the email exchanges between Gracie and Colin. It was amazing to see what banter they had. The one thing that I wished the book had would’ve been Colin’s POV especially since he emphasized the importance of it when editing Gracie’s book. This book was also ironic in the sense that Gracie writes mostly smut books but the bedroom door is closed within her and Colin’s relationship. However, I think it worked out tho because I was so intrigued by just their dynamic that would’ve been unnecessary.

Overall, I thought this book was funny and helped me get out a reading slump!

When I first saw this book, I immediately had to read it. The premise is such a sweet idea, but it missed the mark for me on a few elements. I think Gracie was written to be relatable and fun, but just came across as messy (and not in a good way). I struggled to be engaged with the story and couldn't connect with it.

Thank you so much NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Book Proposal has a cute premise, and I was excited to read when my wish was granted!

It says right in the blurb that romance writer Gracie is a hot mess, and man is that the truth. She is struggling to write a second book after her agent works a deal for two books with a publisher, and she begins to use her new boyfriend Colin’s past experience as the plot of her new book. Colin was her high school crush who she has recently reconnected with after a drunken email. Things go amok, and Gracie is forced to start her writing anew.

Things I loved: the humor, the story within a story, the emails back and forth between Gracie and Colin, the small twist in the plot.

Things I didn’t love: the pacing- the entire story happens too quickly! Colin and Gracie meet up once and are basically an item, and I really didn’t feel any deep connection between the two. It felt very surface level, like Gracie was only with him because he was so good looking and had been her high school crush. It almost felt like they had regressed to high school. Also, her anger at him for her high school nickname seemed a little silly- the nickname in her story was much more hilarious! I found it hard to feel connected to either character with the little we got of them.

There were also a ridiculous amount of potty humor style jokes, which partly led to the immature feeling of the book as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Title: The Book Proposal
Author: KJ Micciche
Publication Date: 05/16/2023
Publisher: Sourcebook Casablanca
Pages: 336
Genre: Rom-Com
Format: Kindle
Amazon Rating: -
Goodreads Rating: 3.65 ⭐️
My Rating: 5.0 ⭐️

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for granting my wish through NetGalley for this ARC! From the get-go this book had me laughing out loud. The banter, oh my gosh the banter… it was such a fun read. Micciche has earned her spot on my auto-read list moving forward!

Romance writer Gracie Landing’s life is a chaotic mess. She went from planning her wedding to watching her x-fiancé plan his happily-ever-after with their wedding planner. How is Gracie supposed to write about romance when she doesn’t believe in romance anymore? Leave it to Colin Yarmouth, Gracie’s high school crush to turn her already chaotic world upside down. Does Gracie push through her writer’s block to land the deal of her dreams? Does she get her own happily-ever-after? You’ll have to read it to find out!

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Broke up with, broke, and with a vicious case of writer's block, romance writer Gracie Landing is a hot mess. She can hardly be blamed for drinking one (or a few) too many when out with her besties in an attempt to cheer herself up. Sometime in the foggy wee hours, she recklessly emails her unrequited high-school crush, Colin Yarmouth, who is now a successful attorney harboring regrets of his own. When she receives an intriguingly friendly (not to say flirty) response, her acute embarrassment is overcome only by her fervent curiosity—what would a hottie like Colin be like as a grown up? The two forge an unlikely friendship that's unmistakably headed for more. Colin's tales of his own woeful break-up become fodder for Gracie's fertile imagination and her current work-in-progress takes off. With the deadline looming and her checking account dwindling, Gracie has no idea that borrowing Colin's story could wreak havoc on her life, her career, and her own chance at happily-ever-after.

I really, really wanted to love this. The premise sounded interesting and there was just so much potential, but unfortunately this one really fell short for me. The characters, although in their 30s, felt immature (the frequent jokes about bodily functions didn’t help). There were also things that were mentioned and then just…never really saw a conclusion? The love letters written to him in high school for example, while a somewhat important plot point in the beginning, were not really brought up again which really confused me.
If you enjoy a romance with relatable characters and don’t mind fart jokes then you might love this one, but it just wasn’t for me! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A romance novelist pairing up with her high school crush to write a book sounded like it would a wonderful and funny romcom, unfortunately this just didn't hit the mark for me. Gracie and Colin were very immature for people supposedly in their thirties. There's also very little character growth for either of them, and their chemistry was lacking.

I was not a huge fan of this book. I really tried to get it through it but it just was really not my style. I felt like the story was alittle forced and very miscommunication trope. The premise was a great idea. The language and repeated jokes about farts and STDs just really made me put it back down. I repeatedly tried to pick it back up but every time I was getting disinterested. The characters are very one dimensional for even a romance novel. I appreciate the ARC but it was just not my style.

This had such a great premise, blurb and cover.
Unfortunately, it really missed it for me. I found it hard to connect with the characters.

DNF at 56%. This book just wasn't doing it for me. I guess this was supposed to be a romantic comedy, but it came across as joyless. And kind of gross and scatalogical. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.

I liked the premise of the book when I spotted it on Amazon. Sadly, this wound up being a DNF for me. I just couldn’t get into the characters and did not enjoy the dual POV. I’m disappointed because I really wanted to liked it.

A book with all the tropes I usually hate, which combined made the book very much in my comfort zone. A male character I fell in love with. A female character who partially represents every person on earth. A writer and a lawyer, former classmates, who meet after years due to an email sent in a moment of poor sobriety. Light, flowing, and fun characters. The characters are over 30 but sometimes act like teenagers, perhaps because of their past. I would have liked to have talked more about the letters from their high school days and the growth of the two, but overall the book is very enjoyable (considering that it is also a debut)