Member Reviews

I would like to thank NetGalley, KJ Micciche and the publishers for providing me with a free ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The first thing that Gracie did when she found out that her fiancé and wedding planner are having a child together, she goes out with her two best friends, and drinks away her pain. Harmless, right? Not that harmless when she recklessly emails the boy who she had a massive crush on throughout all of high school, on his work email of all! Collin is now a divorced attorney who finds humor in Gracie's email and decides to reply by sending a much nicer email of his own. After emails of getting to know each other, Gracie tells Collin about her major book deal which can set her finances straight ahead. Collin decides to help Gracie by giving her his opinions on her writing material, but what he doesn't know is that the male love interest is solemnly based off of him, and that Gracie might have also been the person who sent him the many anonymous love letters in high school.

I went into thins book thinking that I was going to read this fluffy romance book about an author with the second chance trope. I was a bit wrong about that. I didn't really feel any connection towards the characters and because of that, it took me really long to finish it. The plot was all over the place! There were just things being added to the plot which created a lot of unnecessary drama and I feel like the author was so focused on creating a plot and development that she forgot some small elements that were mentioned in the very beginning of the book, which I thought would have to do with them getting to know each other better. Did he ever find out about who the sender of the letters was? It's these small observations that really caught my attention.

I felt like they were moving a bit too quickly. They skipped many stages of a relationship and, once again, the drama was really not needed. Sometimes a simple fluffy romance book is better that a kind of spicy book with a lot of drama for book content.

This definitely wasn't one of my favorite books that I've read this month but that's simply my opinion. Many people will think otherwise and that is ok!

Was this review helpful?

"The Book Proposal" by KJ Micciche is an insightful and practical guide that demystifies the process of creating a compelling book proposal for aspiring authors. With her wealth of knowledge and experience in the publishing industry, Micciche delivers a comprehensive resource that offers valuable advice and step-by-step instructions for crafting a persuasive book proposal. The book takes readers on a journey through each component of a book proposal, from the query letter and synopsis to the author bio and marketing plan. Micciche's writing style is clear, concise, and approachable, making the content accessible to both novice and seasoned writers. Her expertise shines through as she shares insider tips, industry insights, and real-life examples that help readers understand the nuances of a strong book proposal. One of the standout features of "The Book Proposal" is its practicality. Micciche not only provides guidance on what to include in each section of the proposal, but she also offers exercises and prompts that encourage writers to think deeply about their book's marketability, target audience, and unique selling points. This hands-on approach fosters a deeper understanding of the publishing landscape and helps authors craft a compelling proposal that stands out to agents and publishers. Micciche's emphasis on the importance of research is another commendable aspect of the book. She stresses the significance of understanding the market, analyzing comparable titles, and tailoring the proposal to fit the specific needs and interests of agents and publishers. This attention to detail and strategic approach sets "The Book Proposal" apart from other writing guides, giving authors a competitive edge in the publishing industry. Furthermore, Micciche's engaging and conversational tone makes the book an enjoyable read. The author's passion for the craft of writing and her genuine desire to help authors succeed shines through in every chapter. It feels like having a knowledgeable friend guiding you through the intricacies of the publishing process. If there is one area where "The Book Proposal" could be further enhanced, it is in providing more examples and case studies. While Micciche does offer a few illustrative examples, additional real-life proposals and success stories could further enrich the book's practicality and provide writers with concrete models to follow.

Was this review helpful?

'The Book Proposal' is a funny, lighthearted romance that makes for a great read Whenever I hear that a book's main character is an author, I'm down. And this one is about a romance novelist, which is even better!

The FMC is hilarious, a bit crazy, and many of her jokes and awkward situations had me laughing through half the book. But also the side characters were lovely and always contributed to the plot in a positive way, especially Evan! He was my absolute favorite.
The love story between Gracie and Colin made for a wild ride with many twists and turns that were to die for. While some of the story's turns were to be expected, they still provided an entertaining plot.
Overall, this is a sweet and fast-paced rom-com that will have you flying through the pages!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

Was this review helpful?

This was a very cute little romance. Very easy read, light hearted, and really great banter. I really enjoyed this, and it was a lovely little palette cleanser book

Was this review helpful?

Gracie reconnects with Colin after a drunken email to him. What they don't know if how their lives are connected already. A great read, I would have liked to have seen more of an epilogue though.

Was this review helpful?

This book wasn’t for me. It was pretty cringey at times. I definitely liked the idea and I did like the writing style but overall it was just too over the top.

Was this review helpful?

I went between a 3.5 and 3 stars for The Book Proposal - I LOVED the idea it, but I struggled with some aspects of it.

Gracie is a ghostwriter and is struggling to finish her next book. She’s been working with an agent who is convinced that she can get her a 6 figure two-book deal but she needs to see something as soon as possible. Gracie is also not quiet over a high school crush, Colin - who she just so happens to drunk email one night.

Colin responds the email and two embark on emails back and forth - creating an unlikely friendship, growing love - all the while he’s helping provide her ideas for her new book. Who’s ex-wife is her unknowingly her agent.

I LOVED the back & forth emails and I loved the friendship but I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters to make me feel the love. I also didn’t really love the characters themselves - in my books, I want more depth. I want to be in their head. I want to see growth & development and I didn’t really notice that. I also didn’t love the third act breakup that was due to miscommunication/ lack of communication.

This is a debut novel by KJ Micciche - I would absolutely give more books by her a try because she has great ideas.

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

Was this review helpful?

The Book Proposal lured me in with a gorgeous cover. The premise follows Gracie, a struggling writer who drunkenly emails a former high school crush. When she receives a reply, she is initially horrified and then strikes up a correspondence with him. As they build a connection, Gracie begins to get ideas for a story once again…but what if the story doesn’t belong to her?

While I loved the premise, I struggled with the execution of it. I found it difficult to connect with Colin and Gracie, as at times they could be pretty uncompelling. Colin’s dialogue and inner thoughts felt cringey, making it difficult to hope for his happiness. I also disliked some of his inner musings about women. When conflicts arose, I felt the second-hand embarrassment of being trapped in a public location and forced to bear witness to an argument. While this wasn’t my cup of tea, I think there are readers who will love the pure shenanigans Gracie gets up to as she fights through writer’s block and strives for her happiness.

Thank you to KJ Micciche, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Reading a book about a romance author’s journey of writing a book was definitely a little meta at points. This book felt a little long winded at points but overall I enjoyed it. There were some unexpected moments that kept me interested!

Was this review helpful?

Overall, I liked this one! There were a couple of points in the middle where I wasn’t sure it was for me but I really enjoyed the second half and the end! There were some cringy parts, but also some parts that made me laugh out loud. Give it a try if this is your genre!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and author for giving me a chance to reviewing "The Book Proposal".

I enjoyed the dual POV and the banter between Gracie and Colin. However, some of the jokes felt repetitive and forceful. While it was funny in the first couple of chapters, it became a bit too much later on. The romance was too instant for my taste. But great for readers who are into that trope.

Was this review helpful?

DNF 9%. I reached the words “Alfredo shart” and knew I was done. This book is gross. Evens before this particular scene, there was more than one poop joke and the descriptions of people are body-shamy. It felt like a 12 year old boy wrote the book rather than a romance between 30 something’s. It’s a no from me and I will not be returning.

Was this review helpful?

3.75 Stars

Gracie is a hot mess. She was recently dumped and struggling for money. To cheer herself up, she got drunk with her friends. In her drunken haze, Gracie thought it would be a brilliant idea to email her old high school crush, Colin. Even though it wasn't the friendliest email, Colin was intrigued and emailed Gracie back. Soon they were emailing each other daily.

This was cute and fun. However, I didn't care for Gracie's immaturity and irrationality. I understand it was to add conflict to the story, but it felt forced and unnatural. Other than that, it was an entertaining read. I would recommend it to fans of contemporary romances.

***Thank you to NetGalley, K.J. Micciche, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Was this review helpful?

I found this book very hard to read. The prologue occurs when they are in high school and she leaves him these weird, creepy secret admirer messages. We then skip to the present when they are 30-years-old and she sends him a random hate email when she gets drunk one night. Though they're in their 30s they act as if they never left high school. Not to mention the uncomfortable amount of poop jokes.

Was this review helpful?

Gracie is a rising author with a current case of writers block, with an approaching deadline and her livelihood on the line, Gracie can't help but what to celebrate little victories and go out with some friends. Enter Colin from high school, varsity athlete all 4 years and totally out of Gracie's league, or so she thought..
After a few too many drinks Gracie reaches out to Colin through his work email, and to her sober self's surprise he responds.
This book had me hooked from the moment I started it. I loved Gracie and how fun she was to read. Her second chance relationship with Colin was so sweet to read and I enjoyed how their relationship formed and developed through emails, phone calls, and dates. This is a great book for someone looking for a great read centering around second chance love.

Was this review helpful?

This one was a lot of fun! Thanks for the ARC Edelweiss and Net Galley!

Gracie was a funny heroine, I loved her voice! I also enjoyed Colin, and I really enjoyed the way they interacted, first through email and then phone calls. It was so much fun to watch unfold. It was funny, really funny. But also sweet and really very relatable to me.

Overall, a fun summer read!

Was this review helpful?

"𝘐𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 '𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥' 𝘰𝘳 '𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰'."

This book was fantastic, and honestly, I didn't really want it to end!

I connect highly with Gracie, with her quick wit and inappropriate jokes, and her love of Starbucks! I also know the feelings of the unrequited high school love, and slipping those secret notes into lockers (although mine were not as... depictive 😂)

I need end up with a friend from high school - about 12 years after we graduated - so definitely a lot to connect to for me!

I'm also a huge fan of the email communications throughout the book. And I can honestly say I did not see that plot twist coming (no spoilers)... like I knew something was coming but not to that extent LOL

But KJ - I NEED AN EPILOGUE! I need to know what happened?! Does Colin still have her letters? Does he ever share that he still has them?! I NEED ANSWERS!

Thank you to @sourcebookscasa and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #kjmicciche #thebookproposal #romance #bookreview #advancedreadercopy #whatsnikkireading #book32of2023 #childhoodcrush #unrequitedlove #oppositesattract #literarymaincharacter #athleticmaincharacter #emailcommunications #threecheersforevan

Was this review helpful?

The Book Proposal- KJ Micciche
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 3.58/5
Synopsis:
"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 cocktails 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.
Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this book!
Congrats to the author on their debut novel. The premise was very intriguing. The FMC was super quirky and had a very unique sense of humor. I like how "real" she was.

Was this review helpful?

After the birth of her ex-fiancee's love child with their wedding planner, Gracie is suffering writer's block with her current manuscript with the deadline looming. After a drunken night out with the girls, she sends a humiliating email to her high school crush. To her surprise, he sends a reply which turns into a series of back and forth flirty messages. When he offers to help with her latest novel and gives her juicy details of his split with his wifeshe includes it in her book. But neither could imagine the disastrous results of this decision on her career or their budding relationship.
The characters in this book, especially Gracie, are so real. From the outside Colin seemed so cool and confident when actually he was awkward making friends and struggled with a judgemental father. And Gracie... she's socially awkward, food loving, and clumsy. Several times I was snort laughing out loud at her hilarious antics. My only problem was that the ending seeming a little rushed. I wanted more of a reaction from Colin about the letters in high school or a response to her apology manuscript. But overall I really liked this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this debut novel by K.J. Micciche. While the story itself was good, I felt like it had the potential to be so much more. I am really conflicted…it started a little slow for me but then I loved the emails between Gracie and Colin. They were my favorite parts of the book! And then I had a problem with the end - I really wish we got more details of their HEA.

I love books about bookish stuff so I was super excited about reading this one! It was a sweet romcom but I wasn't a fan of all of the STD talk or excess farting, burping, vomiting. I felt like the MC's didn't act their ages, at times were annoying and I really didn't really vibe with them. I really wanted to though! There were so many twists and turns - some funny, some unnecessary, some that should have been talked about more. It was kind of all over the place. I really liked Evan - he needs his own book!

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?