This highly enjoyable and very believable take on the fake-dating trope handled heavy themes with a careful touch. While I cried for almost the entire second half, a lot of those tears were happy ones. The support the MMCs demonstrate to each other, as well as the support of their families, is so touching. I think it's still rare to find explicitly autistic characters in fiction and I really appreciated Han's character and the way his autism affected his dating life and understanding of his sexuality. There are a lot of miscommunication moments in this book, due to the secrecy of the fake-dating plot and Han's autism, but the payoff feels worth the frustration. Now very tempted to break my 'no-YA novels' rule to finally read 'The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School'.

I received this digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

CWs - Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Kink content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Blackmail, Deportation, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Queerphobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Mental illness, Vomit, Abortion

Whew.
I really was rooting for these two but Sonora sure did make it hard. I usually love their writing but this one had me rolling my eyes almost constantly. For a "no bullshit" pact, these guys were on some real bullshit. I struggle with the miscommunication trope a little bit but this was full on less than zero communication. I feel like the constant worrying and insecurity about their agreement would've worked better if the guys were in their early/mid 20s instead of full on 30s. But I guess when you completely repress all emotions, you really don't gain any emotional intelligence at all.

I really appreciated that Sonora addressed domestic violence perpetuated against men and that experiencing trauma does not excuse traumatizing others. I also really appreciated that both main characters had such supportive families.

I loved this book so much! This is my first read by Sonora Reyes but it definitely will not be my last. Han and Kenny were both so loveable. I loved every character in this book except JACKIE! But, considering she was the villain that was a good thing. I feel like the title was misleading and I expected a low angst friends to lovers romance but this was so emotional and had my cold dead heart feeling things. I did not expect to love this so much and will definitely need a physical copy for my bookshelf!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

I was so excited to read this book. I loved the concept and have heard good things about Reyes previous works. Overall, I really enjoyed The Broposal. I liked the characters and the storyline. It showed us the terror of being undocumented in America, which is an experience that has become all the more relevant due to the election. This book also explored domestic abuse in its many forms and how difficult it can be to seperate yourself from that person. But despite all these struggles, our two main characters at least always had one thing: each other.

Han doesn't do relationships. Kenny can't seem to function outside of one. These two best friends could not approach relationships more different;y. But now that Kenny has broken up with his long-term girlfriend he sees an opportunity that will help Han'd problem of being undocumented permanently: marriage. What starts as a marriage of convenience slowly morphs into something more. As lines between friendship and love begin to blur, and with outside forces intent on tearing them apart, Han and Kenny have to decide if the potential for true love is worth the risk.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading Reyes other published works, as well as any upcoming projects they may have!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Two childhood best friends wind up in a engagement of convenience so one can gain citizenship, The Broposal turns The Proposal on its head in all the best ways. Han and Kenny know each other better than anyone else (their quirks, their tells, and all their nitty-gritty details). all the fake dating, practice kissing scenes are downright hilarious and heartwarming. I love these two!

Like previous works by Sonora Reyes, this one doesn't shy away from harder topics. I really enjoyed it overall. It was at once heartfelt and down right hilarious. I loved their friends to lovers story.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Alejandro "Han" Torres was sent to the US to live with his aunt and uncle when he was just a young boy because of his mother's struggles with drug addiction. Now 23 and still undocumented, he lives every day in fear of being deported, wishing he could have the life everyone else has. A job that was supposed to sponsor his work visa has just fired him, and he's been ignoring his high school soccer ankle injury because he can't get health insurance to see a doctor.

Kendrick "Kenny" Bautista is Han's best friend and roommate, who also has some troubles of his own. He's dating an abusive girl named Jackie who none of his friends or family approve of. Kenny fears being alone, and who he would be without Jackie, so he reminds himself of the good things to convince himself it's worth it to stay, including agreeing to marry her. However, everything changes when she gives him a second ultimatum: who he would choose if he had to pick between her and Han? It's obvious to Kenny that the answer is Han, and he dumps her immediately.

Kenny finds out Han has been fired, and is able to get him a job at Joe's Cheesecake, where he is assistant manager. Everything is not a piece of cake though, because Daniel, the manager, knows the power he holds over his undocumented employees. When a disgruntled customer threatens to call the authorities after an unsatisfactory resolution to a problem, it becomes too real for Kenny the kind of life Han has been forced to live all these years.

His solution? They should get married! They both agree, and have the support of their closest friends and family. What could go wrong?

However, someone does not approve of this marriage, and they aren't willing to hold their peace. When a life-changing secret is revealed and things don't go as expected, a new threat is made - one that could ruin everything.

This book talks about something I don't think is mentioned nearly enough - that women can also be perpetrators of abuse. What's most ironic about Jackie is that she works at an abused women’s shelter. She is afraid of being alone, and clings to the one person she thinks won’t actually leave her no matter what she says or does: Kenny. She is also desperate for control over something in her life after her parents’ divorce, so she chooses to take advantage of Kenny’s executive dysfunction by making all his decisions for him. At first, Kenny thought this came from a place of love, but he finds that he is being manipulated. She had a say in everything: where Kenny went, who he was allowed to hang out with, what he was allowed to do, essentially who he was allowed to be. When she didn’t like what was happening, she would resort to physical violence too. Jackie doesn’t think she is doing anything wrong, so she’s not trying to get help. At one point, Kenny mentions that Jackie told him she was going to get into therapy, but that never happened. Someone even pointed out the fact that given where she works, she should have plenty of resources. Jackie’s situation reminds us that we are not our parents (or whoever else hurt us), and continuing the cycle of abuse is ultimately a choice. “Hurt people hurt people” but it doesn’t have to be that way.

This is an angsty new-adult romance with a serious subject matter. The cute, fun cover doesn’t really match the tone of the book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Kenny and Han have been best friends since they were little kids. Kenny is bisexual and in a horrendous relationship with an evil woman. Han is an undocumented immigrant living with constant dread and anxiety. When Kenny’s relationship implodes, he offers himself to Han in marriage so the Han can get his green card. I loved both of these characters so much. I wish, though, that the story moved slower so that we could explore some of the important themes that the author introduces; the stress of being undocumented in the country, falling in love with your best friends, finally exploring your femininity. Instead we get insane drama with Kenny’s ex that is way too over the top. I liked the bones of this story so much and wished the author stuck with that. I received a digital arc of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:4.75

Sonora Reyes you have done it again. You have brought me to tears with the your characters. Absolutely obsessed with Tatiana and Letti (I need a sequel or a spinoff with them in it).

Reyes has such a way with characters. Every book that I have read by them, the characters are always my favorite part. They always feel so genuine and this is especially true with Han and Kenny. I felt so many emotions when read this.

I do however think that the plot dragged on a little bit in the end. I feel as though Han and Kenny should’ve realized they both like each earlier in the novel mainly because I feel like they should’ve done more “real” couply stuff in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for this read!

That being said - f*ck Jackie, I have literally never hated a fictional character more I truly hope nothing good ever happens for her like may you have your worst day ON REPEAT miss girl take ur biggest hater and times it by a million that is me

I really wanted to love this book because I loved Reyes’ other 2 books, but this one just wasn’t it for me. Between Jackie and Kenny’s indecisiveness, I really couldn’t get behind these two.

I’d absolutely give this author another shot, this just wasn’t the story for me.

I have loved Sonora Reyes' other books, but this one just didn't hit like the others did for me. The overall tone felt different than their YA books. The spicy scenes felt out of place to me. I don't mind them normally, but it just wasn't written the right way for this book. A few other characters felt generic and ultimately led me to not enjoy reading the second half of this book.

I enjoyed most of this book, but would be hesitant to recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of this ARC.

Oh man, all the tropes! Best friends to lovers, bi-awakening (gay awakening?), fake dating, marriage of convenience, idiots in love, mutual pining , and they were roommates... And while it's a rom-com but also has some pretty heavy themes, so make sure to check out the content warnings.

I really loved the relationship between Kenny and Han, and how they just know each other on this soul deep level and automatically do what they can do accommodate the other person's needs. Like Han hates doing the dishes, but not as much as Kenny does, so he straps on some rubber gloves and powers through and does them. And Han doesn't really talk about or express his emotions, but Kenny knows his behaviors that indicate he's upset and puts on a Disney move for Han so he can cry and let his feels out.

I also really loved some of the side characters, especially Leti and Tatiana (also, gonna need a book for them, thanks!) The main detractor for me was Jackie, who was incredibly one-note. I know she's a villain, but I wish she'd had a bit more depth and dimension.

CW: Racism, domestic violence, emotional abuse, death of a parent (off-page), childhood neglect, ICE, deportations, pregnancy/abortion

I really appreciated the representations and intersectionality present in this book.

Kenny and Han have been best friends since childhood and when Han loses his job that was going to sponsor his work visa, they decide to get married so Han can get his green card. As they are fake dating to convince friends and family of their relationship, the feelings get to be very real.

I loved Kenny and Han and was rooting for them from the beginning. Han especially felt very relatable and his inability to read people I felt led authenticity to the story. My biggest complaint was Jackie felt too cartoonish of a villain for a very serious story and I hated that she threw such a wrench in the second half of the book.

Tropes
* Fake Dating
* Marriage of Convenience
* Manipulative Ex
* Friends to Lovers
* Gay Awakening

3.5 stars

I truly sat down and read this in one sitting (which I haven't been able to do in awhile)! It was so fun and I loved that Han had his queer awakening in his adulthood (because that's valid too!!! and felt really relatable to me!!!) I did wish Leti and Tatiana and honestly the rest of the family could have gotten more page time, just because I loved them all so much. I loved that Han and Kenny both had a supportive family and a found family, it just filled me with so much joy. I did find Jackie to be a bit cartoon villainy and I have never been in an abusive relationship like this so I can't really say that it was for sure, I think I wish there would have just been more fully fleshed out female characters so that the only main one didn't feel so obviously evil and could have been a bit more quietly insidious I don't know...

just two bros chilling at home watching Disney movies 5 feet apart because they’re not gay (but they are). I freaking loved this so much, what a phenomenal first read of 2024. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a new romance to pick up!

I finished reading this book a few hours ago, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It made me feel so many feelings and cry so many tears.

There are a lot of trigger warnings for this one, so take care of yourselves, folks. This is probably not even an exhaustive list, but the ones off the top of my head: racism, on page physical and verbal abuse, threats of deportation, and parental death.

I really enjoyed this book. We had two best friends agreeing to a marriage of convenience so that one of them would be able to get his green card after living in the US most of his life. And naturally, there are a lot of feelings along the way. Kenny has a literally evil ex-girlfriend who is still actively abusing and blackmailing him, and Han is going through an identity crisis. But these two boys have a beautiful friendship that evolved into something more, and I was here for it.

Honestly, the only reason I ended up deducting one star was because of the spicy scenes. I love spice, but the scenes in this book really felt out of character. It kind of felt like they were going for the shock factor and didn’t really add to their character development.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a hard one to rate because I absolutely loved the first half of the book. It was so fun watching these two idiots slowly realize they love each other. It's exactly what l expected based on the title and cover.
Unfortunately second half lost me a bit. I didn't mind that the tone was more serious and tense than I expected, but I didn't think it was done particularly well.
There is just so much going on between Jackie, the restaurant, the family stuff and the injury. I also really disliked the sex scenes. They just felt very generic and not specific to the characters at all. Even the way they talked about sex felt weird. Han has never been with a man before but it doesn't read that way at all.
Overall, I really loved these characters and there is a lot of sweetness in this book. I think it is worth a read, just be sure to check the author's content list at the beginning

This was an early DNF. I am a big fan of Reyes’ YA novels, but there wasn’t the tone shift I was expecting for an adult debut. I don’t expect the writer to necessarily change their voice for YA vs Adult, but I do expect certain changes and they just weren’t quite present.

3.5 ⭐️

The plot of marriage of convenience for a green card interest me. However, the author brought so much to the story regarding deportation and being undocumented. The emotion someone goes through.

The love was always there. They had been best friends from since childhood and they both would do anything for them. The gay-awaking for Han was consuming. He truly didn’t understand his feelings, then one day he blurted it out and knew it was true. But the story was so much more.

The crazy ex of Kenny’s. I couldn’t stand her. Tough conversation where had about domestic abuse and racism. But the story read sooo easy, it was so simply the read though. I stayed up until 1am reading 80% of and then finished it right when I woke up. I threw my kindle multiple times as well as smiled when Kenny and Han embraced their feelings.

I do think we missed out on reading about Han getting naturalized, I think that would have brought the story full circle as that was the point of the marriage. It was great seeing he did get his degree. I also felt like Jackie was just a past thought, after everything she put them through and her threats, nothing happened to her. I’m not sure where that could have gone, however it just felt to easy to push Jackie out after all she did

This book was so funny but also so heartwarming. I loved the relationship and the way the story panned out