The Broposal is a fun, LGBT take on the marriage of convenience trope. Kenny and Han (and the rest of the characters) are well developed and easy to root for. They're real and relatable, which makes it easy to immerse yourself in the world that Reyes has created. Though there were moments that felt a little rushed or disjointed, the drama added to the excitement of the book and make it hard to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” so I was excited to read Sonora Reyes’s adult debut.

Han and Kenny are childhood best friends and roommates. Han is an undocumented citizen and Kenny is the only person outside Han’s family that knows this. Kenny is in an unhealthy long-term relationship with Jackie. Han’s romantic life is virtually non-existent due to his fear of commitment. Han’s undocumented status limits his opportunities and jeopardizes his safety. As a result, Kenny offers to marry Han so he can attain his green card. Their family and friends thought it was only a matter of time until they got together anyway. Han and Kenny’s journey to the alter awakens feelings that they just might have had for each other all along.

I couldn’t put this book down. Kenny and Han’s struggles pulled at my heartstrings. The way they cared for each other was so sweet and the progression of their relationship had me hooked. However, Jackie made me want to pull my hair out. I didn’t really buy that she worked in a DV shelter and behaved the way she did toward Kenny. I was also a little put off by how many things went wrong all at once just for them to be quickly resolved. I did appreciate the author’s note at the beginning about how their story isn’t an accurate depiction of every undocumented citizen’s experience, along with the content warnings.

Such a fun story that's not afraid to get into heavy topics.
As an avid read of MM romance, I jump at the chance to read anything that doesn't involve two white characters who look like bodybuilders.
I know the premise for this novel was silly, but that is part of its charm. When reading the synopsis I was reminded of Adam Sandler's I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry.

I loved both leads in this book and I loved how they were both oblivious to their attraction toward eachother. It was very much that "bromance" that a lot of men have. What Reyes did amazing with was the characterizations. These characters truly felt alive and I found myself rooting for them.

If this novel had truly been about Han and Kenny, I would give it five stars. Sadly this gets a 3 from me for one reason and her name is Jackie. Some authors tend to ruin their work by introducing terrible side characters with terrible subplots. Jackie was one of these and anytime she came on the page, I wanted to skip it. Even though she does experience trauma in this book, I couldn't help but feel like she didn't belong. It was almost like Reyes had conceived this character and her story elsewhere and decided to just make it fit into this book.

While nitpicky, I do feel like the abundant use of "Bro" was too much. It came across as a caricature of what someone thinks two male bestfriends say a lot.

This book being a debut novel was incredibly cute . It had that new adult, upper YA feel to it. and was a very well-balanced story for me. I was
into this book because of the trope and plotline and the only thing that made be uncomfortable for the mmc's girlfriend. Overall, it was a super cute read, and I’m excited to read more books by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please keep in mind the following content warning: ice, racism, physical/emotional abuse, homophobia, and injury.

Despite some of the heavier themes and topics of this book, I had so much fun reading it. I loved how Han and Kenny were different yet complementary. I loved how strong their friendship was and all the supportive people they had around them (except Jackie, of course). Reading this book reminded me of the importance of being honest with one's feelings and not being afraid to seek help.

It was also refreshing to see a male survivor of domestic abuse being treated with the support and care that they deserve. Oftentimes, male survivors are treated as jokes or as weak, and I'm glad this book was above that. It serves as a reminder that domestic abuse can happen to anyone and come in so many ways. I am yet to read Sonora Reyes's other book, The Luis Ortega Survival Club, but given the reviews I have seen so far I shouldn't be surprised that they put so much care into it.

This book is perfect for fans of Sonora Reyes, people who are obsessed with idiots-in-love stories and can't help but laugh at the one character who realises that maybe they aren't as straight as they thought despite being so bloody obvious to the reader from page one.

I love Sonora Reyes’ books so I was very excited to get to read this early! The Broposal was a great read. It did a good job of being a romcom at times but also handling a lot of really heavy topics and moments with the characters. Loved the book and absolutely will continue to read their future releases!

One thing Sonora Reyes is going to do is make me sob!

The premise of this story is two best friends decide to get fake married so one of them can obtain a green card and through the process they realize they have romantic feelings for one another.

Kenny and Han were such great characters who I was rooting for the entire time. I loved them independently and together as a couple. In the story they are both working their way through trauma and the way they comforted and encouraged each other was so sweet! One character I could NOT stand was Jackie. The other characters felt genuine and she just felt cartoonish with her villainy.

Because I’m familiar with the authors other works I knew this was going to be an emotional read and tackle some important topics. This book dives into abusive partners, US immigration, sexuality, mental health and pregnancy/abortion. I appreciated all of the representations and topics but it was a lot for one story and did weigh down the book. I think I was wishing for more balance of the sweet and serious.

Overall I think this is a really important read and I’m really happy that books with these topics are being published.

This was a beautiful book about growing up, and realizing who you are meant to be, and who you want to do it with. In this story we have two best friends Han and Kenny, who everyone always jokes they’re husbands even though Han insists he is straight. Han is single and terrified about his undocumented status. Kenny is working a job he kind of likes, stuck in an abusive relationship that he feels he deserves. When Kenny and his girlfriend finally break up, he gets the idea that they should get married, so Han can get his green card. But what neither of them expected is how pretending to be together would feel. I loved Han and Kenny and the growth they both had during this story, but I had to take off a star for the ex-girlfriend Jackie who was so terrible she slightly ruined the book for me. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book before you read, as this book tackles many difficult topics. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance in which two friends enter into a marriage of convenience to save one from deportation but everything changes when they unexpectedly fall in love.

1/5 stars: This is Reyes's stand-alone which is a BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance that follows two friends who enter into a marriage of convenience to save one from deportation but soon they two find everything changing when they unexpectedly fall in love. Reyes's writing and character work are nicely done; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Reyes does takes on some very serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, I'm just not in the mood for this romance at this time; leading me to DNF it at 22%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes is an adorable gay romance.

Han and Kenny are life-long friends. Although Kenny is bi, he has been in a long-time with his high school girlfriend, Jackie. Han dates around but he does not want anything to do with committed relationships. But after Kenny calls it quits with Jackie (at LONG LAST!), will Han change his mind when his best friend asks Han to marry him so he can get his green card?

Kenny is a great young man but he lets Jackie walk all over him. He has long ignored or made excuses for her abominable behavior. But once he reaches the end of his rope, Kenny knows it is time to cut her loose for good. He also finally realizes just how precarious Han’s situation is so he comes up with the perfect solution.

Han is a bit socially awkward and keeps his worries to himself. He came to country when he was just a child to live with his aunt and uncle due to his mother’s instability. Han remains close to his extended family and Kenny’s parents. Han struggles with emotional situations which makes it that much sweeter and powerful when he finally speaks his mind.

Kenny and Han’s relationship undergoes an unexpected transformation after their engagement. Although their friendship has always been close, there has never been any type of romantic feelings between them. But their attempts to ensure everyone believes their romance is authentic leads to very unexpected realizations for both Han and Kenny.

Although some of the issues in the book are serious, The Broposal has plenty of light-hearted moments to balance out the heavier elements. Han and Kenny are both wonderful characters that are fully developed and relatable. The men’s families are absolutely delightful and incredibly supportive. Jackie causes no end of problems for Kenny and Han but the resolution is worth the aggravation she stirs up. With a heartwarming epilogue, Sonora Reyes brings this wonderful gay romance to a sigh-worthy conclusion.

I like that the book represents different minority groups and helps bring to light the issues that they must face. The writing style was not exactly for me and I wish that there were more moments when Han and Kenny were being a couple instead of talking about how they can act like a couple.

3.5 stars

Thanks so much to Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!!

Kenny and Han (short for Alejandro) have been best friends since the second grade, and both would do anything for the other. As roommates, they support each other, with Kenny’s executive dysfunction disorder and Han’s autism.

The biggest stress for Han is that he is undocumented, and he’s always worried that a situation might occur that will end with him being deported. When he gets a job at the restaurant where Kenny is assistant manager, his fears intensify, because the manager is always angry and threatening to fire people.

After Kenny and his on-again, off-again girlfriend break up, he gets an idea: he and Han should get married, and this way Han can get a green card. All of their friends and Kenny’s family think they’re in love with one another anyway.

Even if the marriage is just for show, Kenny loves the idea of being with Han, who has always struggled with relationships. But as they work to convince immigration officials that their marriage is real, their feelings start to blur. They’ll need to be worried about Kenny’s ex-girlfriend, though, as well as the government.

Kenny and Han really make a good couple, although Kenny is definitely wishy-washy. I wanted to love this book, but Jackie’s character is just awful—a person who works at a domestic violence shelter yet is abusive herself. She really made me consider DNFing the book a few times. But I loved Kenny and Han too much.

Let me just say… HOW DARE YOU!

This book ripped just about every damn emotion out of my soul.

This was a one-sitting binge read for me (literally, I just finished it and had to rave about it!), and I loved just about every minute of it. I knew there were trigger warnings, but I was not expecting this book to be as heavy as it was. I wanted to just hug and hold Kenny for everything he went through in his relationship with Jackie, and I, like Han, hope she chokes on a grape. I loved how supportive Han and Kenny’s family are towards their relationship/situationship, and I could live in their love forever.

I honestly don’t have the words to describe how this book made me feel, and I wish I did. I will, though, be recommending this book to anyone looking for queer or Latin-related romances as well as looking excitedly towards Reyes’s next book.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

I really wanted to like this one. The cover was super cute and the marriage of convenience is always a fun trope for me.

This book was not my cup of tea. It's Sonora Reyes' adult romance debut, but it reads like a young adult novel. The style of writing, the dialogue, the story - it was very YA and immature in some senses. I am not a YA fan, so this book was not for me.

The villains in this book were cartoonish. I quickly tired of their meanness and their antics and I felt like the book focused too much on them.

I loved A LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL, so needless to say, I was unbelievably excited to read Sonora Reyes's adult debut, THE BROPOSAL. Let me tell you: this book did not disappoint. I absolutely loved every bit of it (even the parts where I wanted to fight Kenny's ex-girlfriend). This book had so many of my favorite tropes and every single one of them was a hit. Thanks to NetGalley and Read Forever for the advance copy!

4 stars

Sonora Reyes - of course - has done it again! What Reyes has done *differently* this time is write for an adult rather than teen audience, and the end result is, well, charming and memorable.

Kenny and Alejandro, who is known as Han throughout the novel, have been close since childhood, but their relationship has evolved into a surprise (sort of) romance after external factors bring them together and internal ones draw them closer. This relationship is made for swooning, and these guys are impossible not to root for. Reyes makes a believable, solid connection between the two of them and simultaneously creates one of the grossest villains I've seen in a minute. The hovering, sinister presence of this young woman (the aforementioned gross villain) made me cheer for the guys even harder.

In addition to writing great characters and developing complex relationships, Reyes always comes with The Issues, and I appreciate that while educational, Reyes's books never feel didactic. This one comes with a characteristic list of content warnings, which readers will be well served to read and process in advance of enjoying this wonderful grown folks' debut.

I'll recommend this one to fans of romance and fans of Reyes's YA works, along with just generally fans of good books.

Fake dating and marriage of convenience are two of my favorite tropes. So often though, in contemporary romance, the reason the couple has to get married is for an inheritance of some sort. But a more realistic reason to get married? Needing a Green Card. This storyline feels so authentically urgent. It made this book stand out among others with these tropes.

I adored Kenny and Han. I loved the dual POV, so we got to understand both of their personalities. Both of them were such sweethearts. Their friendship to lovers arc felt so real, with years of childhood and teen friendship and amazing chemistry that just naturally led to something more. There dialogue was perfect. And when they finally made it to the spicy scenes, there was no holding back. No closed doors here!

The side characters were great as well. Very well developed despite limited time on the page. And there were so many serious issues driving the plot that were portrayed with such candor and sensitivity. Racism and homophobia, the struggles of being undocumented, and the fact of female-perpetrated abuse were all woven into the story in a way that was completely natural and yet gave me new insights into these heavy topics.

I highly recommend this romance and plan to purchase a copy for myself!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @readforeverpub and for the chance to review this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. Sonora Reyes does it again in this new romance that tackles difficult topics with such love and respect. Sonora Reyes writes words that you can feel. They have an incredible gift for story telling that makes you feel each word you read.

Han and Kenny have been best friends most of their lives and when Han loses his job, a job that promised assistance with a visa, Kenny comes in to help Han. Two best friends who love each other dearly but is it more than just being bros? Can the two come to terms with how they feel?
Each come with their own trauma, hurt, and insecurities. As the book unfolds you swoon, laugh, get mad, and teary eyed. This is a beautiful story about friendship and love.

Thank you to the author, Sonora, for a copy of the book as thanks for being part of the street team and allowing me to write an honest review.

Representations: https://trello.com/c/3YDDdUHv/128-the-broposal-by-sonora-reyes

Funny, a bit raunchy but very heartfelt and pretty serious when it wants to be.

I love both Han and Kenny SO much!! They both played off of each other super well and really fit so perfectly together. Both were surprisingly deep and complex and just had so much going on, but it was really easy to know what they were feeling and thinking. The side characters were also great - Leti was fantastic and needs their own book!!
Not every character was loveable, but that's by design. Jackie is certainly very much someone you want to strangle but even her character is very well handled.

The plot, there's not too much of one but what there is is quite solid. The "fake dating" trope isn't really quite as strong as it first seems since they're kinda obviously in love from the start lmao. There's a fair bit going on, domestic abuse, immigration and citizenship, identity and queerness but it honestly works really well. There's some hilarious moments, there's some tense moments, there's some moments where I just wanted to wrap Han or Kenny - or both - in a big hug. The comedy never overshadowed how serious it gets though, never felt like it was making those moments too light. It was really a perfect balance imo.

I think my only issue is the descriptions, I like pretty visual writing personally and while there was a basic level of description, there wasn't quite enough for my taste. For example on the drag parts, I'd have loved so much more time detailing out the scenes and the outfits and make up (especially that one couch-drag scene! Release the make up description!!) but that's a personal preference.

Overall, very solid, very cute, very emotional.

Kenny and Han have known each other for almost all their lives and were even elected "most likely to get married" in school. However, Kenny has a girlfriend he plans on marrying and Han never committs to anyone or anything like that, as being undocumented has him always fearing deportation at any moment.

After a disastrous breakup, Kenny comes up with a plan to get Han citizenship: a fake marriage. Should be easy to pull, right? They've been around each other their wholes lives, know each other really well and are both comfortable with the fake dating... But somewhere along the way, real feelings start to grow and they both have to sort through them.

As a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I was absolutely spoiled with this book. I just love the intimacy from those kinds of stories and the way it keeps growing as the relationship evolves from one thing to another. With Han and Kenny, that evolution maybe felt a little unnoticeable at times because they were already so close to begin with, but I loved following them as they helped each other work around their biggest flaws, fears and insecurities.

I also loved how the fake dating in this book did not feel too forced: the denial of feelings wasn't kept on for too long which made the pacing really good and never boring.

This book touches on quite a lot of serious topics, as I expected from the author, and I really liked the level of nuance that was brought into the portrayal of those topics, especially when it came to abusive relationships. Some might say that the antagonist was too villainized but I think there was a good balance between acknowledging her trauma, the areas in which Kenny had responsibility towards her, recognizing her abuse and establishing boundaries in relationship to that.

The themes of family, memories and belonging were also approached in such a touching way. The characters were all lovely - save for one, you'll know who.

Overall, I think this was a good story on all fronts, it was approached with a lot of care even if the writing often felt like it didn't match the seriousness of the topics. However, there were references that I really wish hadn't been there and they were extremely triggering for me, which made me feel a bit stressed out anytime I picked up the book because I really didn't expect to see them in a book that is so aware of cop and military violence. I will be looking into the published version to check if those references were edited.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.