I really wanted to like this book. I am a huge rom-com lover and the synopsis of this one sounded delightfully fun. However, I quickly learned that I did not appreciate this author’s writing style. In her attempt to make the characters relatable she retorted to making them, well, unlikeable and unrealistic. At about the 10% mark the female main character “sharts” herself. Now, I have a 5 year old, potty humor is a given and constant in my house – and often times – it is hilarious. But when we are talking about a 30 year old woman who poops herself on her run because she knew she made some poor food choices and went anyway, just didn't work for me. The male main character uses Rogaine hair gel, just because – he doesn’t need it, just because. Just something about these characters was grating.

As I did ultimately DNF this book I will not be leaving reviews outside of netgalley. I want to thank the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I knew from the prologue that I was going to absolutely love this story. I felt an immediate connection to Grace: she was so relatable and just a genuine likeable character. There are authentic humorous moments throughout and I adored the witty correspondence between Grace and Colin. I love a second chance romance and was rooting for this couple throughout especially when their backstories were uncovered, I needed them both to find their HEA. I enjoyed the concept of the plot a romance writer seeking inspiration for her next novel only to drunkenly contact her old high school crush.

Although I enjoyed this story and would recommend it, there are a few disappointing factors. Colin’s relationship breakdown with his father was never resolved. Colin’s divorcee? He was finally going to take a stand after everything she did, but it was never explicitly revealed to the reader what he did. Did she finally get her comeuppance? I just felt that Grace’s story was all tied up, at the end, but Colin’s wasn’t fully resolved. Which was frustrating to me as they had equal importance throughout and both Ellie and Colin’s father were pivotal to his character development.



Read of you enjoy:

Second Chance Romance
Dual POV
Romantic Comedy
Relatable characters

I pushed through the urge to DNF, but unfortunately this book was not for me. I would describe everything I disliked about this book, but I wouldn’t want to turn off anyone who might actually like it. It may be their cup of tea, but sadly I found little to enjoy in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Source Books Casablanca for the ARC of The Book Proposal. If you are looking for a cute, witty, intelligent, fun, lovey-dovey, drama-induced yet not over the top book, this is for you! I loved the email conversations Colin and Gracie were constantly sharing after reconnecting years later! I feel that nowadays, quick texts are so impersonal and even though it’s extremely convenient, a letter whether it being by mail or email, makes it personal. Receiving full on conversations are so heartwarming and that’s what these 2 characters had! It gave me great vibes! It made me think about the time that I spoke to my high school crush years after high school! I totally related to Gracie’s freaking out emotions and expressions of, “I can’t believe this is happening!” If you know, you know!

I absolutely loved this book. The dynamics. The storytelling. The love story. The obstacles. It had it all and maybe made me fall in love with a new trope.

You’d never guess this was KJ’s debut novel. Feels like she’s been writing for years.

Unfortunately this book became a DNF at 31%.

The Book Proposal catfished me. The blurb is incredibly cute and sets you up for what you think is going to be a cute, mature rom-com. That is not at all what you get and I really wonder if the author used an editor for this book. This book COULD have been so, so good and has so much potential.

For what is supposed to a mature romance book, this reads an awful lot like a YA novel. The amount of gross humor used really made me think that perhaps a teenage boy was writing this. Seriously. You hardly, if ever, need poop/fart/burp/STD jokes this constant in a book. What was I even attempting to read?! I was cringing the entire time.

Colin is the worst. End of discussion. But news flash! So is Gracie. There were no characters to relate to or even enjoy honestly. Also, Gracie is said to be curvy at 5'6, 145 pounds... Excuse me while I hurl myself off a cliff if the author thinks THAT is curvy. Why even mention that? Why even bring up her height and weight when it so vastly differs from the description of curvy?

tldr; MFC sharts herself 9% in and it doesn't get any better.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk on The Book Proposal. Read at your own risk.

When I saw that this book was about a romance author and her unrequited crush, I was excited to read it, because it sounded like it would be right in my wheelhouse, but for me, it failed to deliver. The lead characters acted like teens, despite being in their 30s, and there was no character growth. There was a lot of oddly delivered jokes in here. There was so many comments about STD's throughout the entire book and how Connor got one from his ex. This was a little skeevy to me. Also a lot of poop, fart, and burping jokes. It just seemed really unnecessary and made the characters feel much younger than they are. There were a number of plot holes and the chemistry felt superficial and forced. I didn’t believe their romance because I couldn’t understand why they even liked each other. The MC’s hang out once before deciding to “become official” and the rest of the entire story happens over a week? It’s kind of unbelievable. I felt that neither of these characters were likeable. Basically, I really wanted to like this book, but it came up short in many ways. I think I will still check out what KJ Micciche writes next. Thanks to KJ Micciche, Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

I think this had a lot of potential and was going in the right direction but it just didn't quite get there. For me, the main characters were not super likeable. At times, they felt real and honest, but then other times almost too real (like giving detailed descriptions of bodily functions), and then they would be completely unbelievable. There's definitely a variety of ways to write contemporary romance but I usually prefer something that's a little more sugary with an err of mystery.

I did like the email exchanges between the main characters, those were cute. I also liked the FMC's friend group a lot and I wish they were included more.

I didn't understand why some background scenes were included in the story as they didn't move the plot forward or provide any interesting context. They felt like they were just there to be there.

I think this book definitely has an audience, it just wasn't for me.

ALSO slight spoiler so don't read if you don't want to know but this really bothered me. How are you going to have the FMC be the MMC's secret admirer in high school that wrote him very descriptive love notes everyday and then not have her tell him or have him find out as adults??? It was brought up multiple times, that she wrote these notes and we got his perspective on how he felt about them but then they just never discussed it?? That felt like a missed opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I like books about writers and the stories they tell. This book is full of crazy and waggish situations. Almost everyone had their own school crush and dreams of dating together. Gracie (by accident) meets(emails) her crush, Colin, who is a cute, charming, and attractive man. Isn't it great? They share candid stories from their past without each other. The story of the lost time that they could spend together is even a bit sad. This book gave me a lot of funny moments on the verge of embarrassment. (Perhaps there are too many jokes that are usually made by teenagers. It would be better if there were fewer of them.) I like that Gracie is trying to deal with difficulties and herself as she writes the book. The dual POV allows you to view the story from all angles. It helps us understand the characters better. To relax and enjoy your evening, I recommend this book because it is really easy to read and hilarious. Thank you NegGalley for this book.

The premise was cute. Grace needed help with her writers block for her new novel and her former high school classmate was willing to help her. Unfortunately, the execution of it was a bit messy. I liked Grace but I thought she was a bit immature for a 31 year old. For instance, all the fart references. It was too much. Like I don’t need a sweet romance with so much gas. Another was references to STDs, big sigh here, but why do I need to read jokes about that? I think it was added for the humor but one can do that without grossing me out. I was a bit upset that curvy was referenced to a 5'6 146 pound woman?! Thats not curvy!! That's slim. I’m hoping it was mistyped. Colin was okay but clearly had his own issues to work out. The ending was too abrupt for my taste. Overall, it was a sweet, and (a bit) gross romance between two people that needed a lot of healing. I’m thankful that the publisher granted my wish for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an immediate request for me, however once I started reading. I'd realised the mistake I had made.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy any part of this one. Writing for an older audience, yet making everyone still act like they're in highschool is not enjoyable for me. The chemistry felt lacking between our main characters, it left me thinking that there would be no way these two people could ever fall in love.

Maybe I'll try again after it's release? I try to give books more than one go - just in case I was just not really in the mood to read that style. I would however still recommend this one to people who I feel may enjoy it.

I truly hate to leave bad reviews, but I found the characters to be rather unlikeable and the story wasn't well-written. I found myself rolling my eyes and skipping ahead multiple times in a desperate bid to make it to the end.

I liked this book.
The characters are reliable even if sometimes they are really set into their mind and intentions and can become annoying to me . Nobody is perfect and I loved that they are actually so different in some ways.
The romance story plays a big part in here but I found it gravitating more towards women fiction and one very well done.
Their interactions are hilarious at times, the secondary characters are great and bring more out of the main ones in terms of personality traits.
It’s an easy read and one that many readers will enjoy

Its a rare thing, but I had to give up on this book. I read the first quarter and both main characters were just so unlikeable. I could barely make it through the sections when Gracie was writing her romance novel, and their email exchanges were terrible. It's possible it gets better farther in, but life is too short for bad books.

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and I was excited because the premise really intrigued me. I love a romance author struggling with love only to find love in the end.

Unfortunately, my excitement dwindled very quickly and was completely gone around the 10% mark when the main character actually sharted herself. There's essentially a story in the story here because Gracie's book goes into immense detail leading to long paragraphs that don't really serve a purpose. It was just extremely frustrating to read this entire thing. Gracie was cringey from the start, and I'm not sure if it was supposed to make her seem relatable or quirky but it just missed the mark. I did not need pages of her shaving herself for a date and proceeding to cut herself and bleed all over her bathroom.
Colin was boring and completely uninteresting and had some questionable morals.
And the whole thing took place in a matter of just over a week? I'm sorry ... what?

Plus, I found the whole "wrote him secret erotic love letters" a little out there because she was supposedly 14 when it happened, maybe it's just me but they were supposed to be these well written letters that she left and he was excited about, which okay I'm sure getting a sex note at 14 made him happy, but I don't know it just didn't do anything for me. You're a child at that point.

I wanted to like this so bad but, for me, the whole thing was just a mess.

This may be someone's favourite book, and for that I am so happy, because finding something you love is exciting and gives you the warm and fuzzies, but this one wasn't it for me.

It took me forever to trudge through this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A love books about books and book authors so this one was right up my alley! I loved Grace and Colin (and not just because I have a daughter named Grace). I was looking forward to reading their story and it did not disappoint!

This was a fun read. Several laugh out loud moments. I could totally relate to Gracie. Liked that you got Colin’s perspective as well.

I’m dissapointed that I didn’t end up enjoying this as much as I thought I would. The synopsis made the story interesting but after reading it, I couldn’t care less for the characters of the romance.

Wow, this book was so annoying to read. The writing style was so juvenile and both Gracie and Colin act as if they were still children. They don't have any chemistry at all, and the plot was just boring.

The Book Proposal was so-so. I really wanted to love it, but I didn't get there. I liked the beginning interactions between Gracie and Colin. There were some weird moments that focus on bodily functions...not my cup of tea.

The best part about The Book Proposal was the main character, Gracie Landing. She has a gift with words. She speaks the truth and she speaks what is on her mind. I admire that about her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this advanced copy.