this book was it for me. very drawn to it and wanted to read more of it. now i will read more. had it all. I just reviewed The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche. #NetGalley

I loved the idea of this book, but I think the execution was poor. Both characters are in their 30's and are acting like a they are in still college. Colin give massive frat boy vibes, with a healthy side of misogyny "those girls are sloppy and overdone. Plus its dark and what looks good in the dark might not look quite as appealing in the light of day." His good friends are just as bad and I think the mark of a man is the company he keeps. It also feels like he's only interesting in Grace because she can help him get revenge on his cheating ex.

Grace has little to no growth throughout the book. Rather than learning from her experience with her ex, she fall into the same trap. She keeps saying she needs to reinvent herself but doesn't expect to put in the work that would require.

There wasn't much romance or build up of their relationship, and the only spice was in the book Grace was writing rather than between the character we are supposed to be invested in. Which to be fair it would be hard to make a believable scene as the chemistry just isn't there.

Thank you to NetGalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and KJ Micciche for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion,

Based on the title and cover, I thought I was really going to enjoy this one, but it just wasn't the one for me. I did really enjoy the email concept of this book. For some reason, I really like when books include emails or texts. But I did not like Gracie, I often found her very immature.

This is my second time reading this masterpiece; it was just as good as the first time! I love everything about this book, and I CANNOT wait for more from the author!!

It was lovely, intriguing, sweet, and even witty at times. Absolutely stunning. I don’t think I’m capable of coming up with a cohesive and well thought out review. There is so much to love in this book.

Diving into the found family I find myself incapable of putting feelings into words. I wanted nothing to happen to all the characters because they are all so near, dear, and precious to my heart.

I have so many more thoughts but it’s hard to put everything into words. This book was perfect in so many ways and I will greedily snatch up multiple copies!!!

A funny "second chance" rom-com about Gracie and Colin, high school classmates and fresh off relationship failures (she, a failed engagement, he, a failed marriage) who come back into each other's lives when Gracie drunk emails Colin. She's a struggling romance writer who thinks Colin is good source material for her next book. But putting his life into her stories will become perilous for both of them.

A great pick for lovers of contemporary romance served with a side of offbeat humor. Thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I’m going to be honest here, maybe somewhat brutally, but I struggled with this book. Although a seemingly quick read I felt I had to push myself to keep going.

I had difficulty connecting to the characters who seemed like they hadn’t grown past 15 years of age with all the burping, farting and and crude behaviour. I could not picture Grace as a 30 year old woman and a writer no less – her ‘book’ if you could call it that required more than a little help from an old high school crush. And who does that anyway? I understand taking inspiration from the world and people around you but to copy someone’s extremely embarrassing personal story (only changing the names) is a no from me.

Which brings me to….What’s wrong with Colin sharing all of that with someone on a first date, not even a date, a ‘business’ meeting. Self-respect…anyone?

Aside from the characters, I didn’t find the book to be either romantic or funny… kinda ruling it out as a romcom for me. Instead I found it to be quite cringe-worthy and completely unsexy, warranting only 2 stars.

With thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

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The Book Proposal - Author: KJ Micciche
ARC - Publication Date: May 16, 2023
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The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche is a cute story about a female romance author who gets dumped at the altar. In a drunken pity party with her gal pals, Gracie e-mails the only guy she ever wanted, Collin, the gorgeous jock from high school. They begin a relationship over email that becomes more as Gracie tries to finish her latest novel for a big payday. The former high school beau is amazing but overcoming post-divorce struggles. Collin shares an idea with Gracie for a book that closely resembles his former married life. She doesn’t realize this will make her life very difficult when his ex-wife realizes he is publicly slut-shaming her with some bad but actual life choices. It causes utter chaos and the possible end of Grace’s writing career. Shenanigans ensue, ex-partners find out, nefarious behavior, lots of eating, barfing, drinking, more barfing, and even more bodily fluids than I have ever read in any novel. Seriously, tone down the urps, toots, and tinkles. Who thought I would ever write that in a review?#TheBookProposal #writer #publisher #romanceauthor #callingAA #comfyS-E-X #disappointment #promise #future #love #redemption #book #books #bookstagram @netgalley @sourcebookscasa
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I received a complimentary copy of this e-ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley, and the authors for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: May 16, 2023.

While reading The Book Proposal I found myself laughing out loud, and that doesn’t often happen when I’m reading a book. Sure, books I read are funny on occasion, but very few actually get an audible snort or loud ‘HA’ out of me. This one did.

Gracie is a riot and while we were so different in nearly every way, there were at times when she was really relatable and I think that’s because of the way that Micciche wrote Gracie’s character. The everyday nonsense of life is played out so wonderfully in this story that you couldn’t help but empathise with the characters. Not all the time, of course, but enough to make me enjoy it a lot.

Colin was an interesting character, and while Gracie’s chapters were more enjoyable to read, it was still nice to have the alternating point-of-view chapters between the two main characters. Their lives are very different, but after the infamous email that Gracie sends in the first few pages, they’re suddenly thrown back into each other’s lives, and there’s more in common than first meets the eye.

There were, of course, things I didn’t like, too, as is the case with all books. There were times when it dragged a little bit, or I got a bit bored of Colin’s chapters, or it was too predictable and I thought ‘okay, just get on with it’. But not enough ‘didn’t like’ things to warrant it being a bad book.

If you’re after a fun, lighthearted romance book about romance books, about high-school unrequited crushes becoming friends (and more) in their adult years, and quirky characters that probably aren’t that similar to you but somehow you can relate to pick this one up!

Just after finishing this, I'm still conflicted about my feelings towards this book. I'm extremely hesitant for my rating, but it would definitely sit somewhere between 3 and 4 stars!

As a book lover, I absolutely loved the integration of excerpts from the main character's novel. I always feel more connected to characters that have a connection to books, and Gracie was not an exception. Micciche's writing was effortlessly funny and I loved to see both main character's point of view.

However, I thought that the 3rd act conflict of the book was a bit predictable and lasted for too long. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, on the contrary, but it definitely could have been resolved faster. Also, I was shocked when I reached the acknowledgements and realized that the book was done. The end was really cute, but I would have loved to see more of their happy ending!

This book was cute. I didn’t really think anything stood out to me. But it was a good closed door romance book. I liked this one and would suggest.

The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche is perfect for Sophie Kinsella and Louise Rennison fans. It has a quick, exciting plot full of laugh-out-loud moments, outrageous situations, and an endearing yet messy heroine.

Meet Gracie. She’s a romance novelist who, after several alcoholic beverages, emails her high school crush. Gracie finds herself thrown for a loop when he responds, and the two have a less-than-ideal beginning but work towards becoming friends in adulthood. Then their worlds collide in unforeseen chaos. Will her crush be swoon, sweet, and charming? Or will he be toxic and avoid the HEA we all want?

I enjoyed Micciche’s scene-stealing, down-to-earth, and deeply relatable cast of characters. The story is full of relatable moments and laugh-out-loud scenarios. Again, I must tout the well-established characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Very stream-of-consciousness and bordering on information overload. Funny, relatable, and enjoyable. A quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

What is not to love when reading about a romance writer whose life is in chaos and is trying to finish a book for a deal of a lifetime. Then add in a high school crush, a crazy ex and who knows if a happy ending is in sight or not.

This got progressively cuter as it went on, however (and I cannot stress this enough) the amount of information these people are willing to share with each other after knowing each other for what feels like mere moments (I know it’s been longer) is ABSOLUTELY BANANAS. You could not waterboard some of this stuff out of me. Bewildering. Happy for them though because they are clearly on the same wavelength.

I feel like it’s getting more common (and this is no exception, thankfully) for apologies in the media we consume to be actual and genuine. No “I’m sorry, but” or “I’m sorry you feel that way”. Real apologies and communication!!! IT’S WHAT WE NEED.

I did genuinely enjoy this even if I was going 😐😟 at some of the experiences they chose to share with each other. Couldn’t be me. Glad they found their matches 😌

Oh my goodness--this is KJ Micciche's debut, and it freaking SPARKLES. (I've never described a book that way, but it's true!) While I do love romance, it's not the main genre I read, but Micciche is officially an auto-buy for me after this fantastic debut. Her humor is so raw and honest, but she's so funny that even when it's cringe-worthy, I don't mind. I loved how authentic her characters were, and how we could see how they were perfect for one another in all the ways that make them unique. I also am a writer, so I loved that her main character was an author struggling to get a book written! I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could!

Thank you to NetGalley and KJ Micciche for the ARC of this book. It was a cute read with a happy ending, what more could you want?!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alright, this one is a DNF for me. The premise and cover were very promising, however, the writing didn't hold up for me. I found a lot of it quite cringey, and the letters that the FMC wrote while in high school, to be frank, made me feel weird and kind of icky. To each their own on this one, but reading about a 14-16 year old girl watching the boys soccer team change ON THE FIELD because they don't have changing rooms, and then fantasizing about him and sending him REALLY graphic "love" letters was just a no for me. If this had been a one off then maybe I could have moved past it, but it wasn't and I didn't.

I thought it would just be the flashbacks that didn't work, but even the modern day setting was weird. The MMC has a friend that was the typical douche-canoe that is really crass and misogynistic. That was enough for me to put it down and walk far, far away.

2 Stars While The Book Proposal had a great premise, the actual story left something to be desired. Mostly it came down to the personalities of the main characters and the lack of character growth. The MCs were in their 30s, but acted like immature teenagers. It was hard to find them likable and relatable. The book tried to be funny at times but fell flat (see: sharted herself). This was hard to get into and sadly, just not my cup of tea.

I was excited for this book--who doesn't love a book about books!--but it ended up being a let down. The reconnection between Gracie & Colin was cute and easy to get into; however, there was too much superfluous information embedded in their journey. Why did I need to learn about the issues that Colin had with his father and the softball team? I really do not know. How did these characters not have the obvious conversation about book agents? I can only suspend disbelief and remain engaged in irrelevant storylines for so long!

Great fun romance story. Story of two school sort of friends meeting back up 20 years later. Loved the writing including the emails between them. Loved the story of their relationship.