I apologize for my late review but I would like to thank @netgalley, @hachetteaudio & @readforeverpub for an opportunity to review this audio-arc.

Congratulations to author Sonora Reyes for making me a fan of the Friends to Lovers trope—something I honestly thought was impossible.

The Broposal is a beautifully written, tender story that delves into dark and heavy themes. In times like these, it’s so important to engage with these issues—whether through fiction or nonfiction—so we can better understand the gravity of the situations affecting people’s lives. I could feel Han’s fear in my bones, and it motivated me to become more involved in my community, to better support my neighbors.

As for the romance, I can only describe it with phrases like “idiots in love,” “gay angst and domestic fluff,” and, of course, “it has always been you” (very dramatically). The chemistry between Han and Kenny is so natural, given that they’ve been best friends their entire lives. The story had me gasping out loud (both in shock and in delight)—and yes, this happened on the public bus (yay!). My face contorted in a grimace of pain at the audacity of a certain character.

Overall, the pacing of the story is spot-on, with twists and turns that keep you engaged. The drama and emotion are high, but it makes perfect sense in the context.

The narrator did a perfect job conveying the story and the emotions behind the characters.

That being said, if you’re not a fan of “other woman” drama—or just lots of drama in general (which, admittedly, I didn’t think I was)—this might not be your cup of tea. But even though that particular theme ranks high on my list of least favorites, I was so thoroughly engaged and invested that it didn’t matter. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
When I read the synopsis for The Broposal I was so excited. Fake dating?? Friends to lovers?? Queer rep??? What’s not to love??? Unfortunately…a lot was not to love. The main characters never felt like they were in love. Not once. The ex girlfriend was so incredibly annoying and a very large part of the book. The dialogue was not my cup of tea. Idk it felt like too many ideas stuffed into one story and they all sort of fell flat. I just didn’t love this one.
2.5⭐️

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes is a beautifully complex, dynamic, and deeply current queer love story that captivated me from start to finish. From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Reyes has a remarkable way of creating characters who feel real, with emotions and struggles that are relatable and genuine.

The story explores themes of identity, friendship, love, and navigating relationships in a way that feels fresh and authentic. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and their journey is one of self-discovery, growth, and connection. I was particularly drawn to how thoughtfully and sensitively the book handles queer relationships, making it a memorable and impactful read.

The audiobook narration was exceptional, bringing the characters to life with emotion and personality. The narrators did an incredible job capturing the depth and nuance of the story, adding an extra layer of immersion to the experience.

Tropes:

- Friends to lovers
- Fake dating
- Queer romance
- Slow burn
- Coming-of-age

If you're looking for a heartfelt, engaging, and modern love story that will stick with you long after you finish, The Broposal is a must-read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever and Hachette Audio for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

that was a cute book and very now with the fear of ICE and deportation. It was tastefully done. I will read more by Reyes. I recommend this book.

I loved this book so much! I listened to the audiobook (huge thanks to @hachetteaudio for providing me with a copy!), and it was nothing short of incredible.

Sonora Reyes wrote this book in response to 🍊’s first term, and it ended up being released on the day of his second inauguration—so it already deserves all the love.

The story follows Kenny and Han as they navigate abusive relationships, the path to citizenship, and the roadblocks of racism and ICE raids. At its core, it’s a love letter to queer communities holding space for each other in times of crisis.

After a breakup with his abusive girlfriend, Kenny suggests that he and his roommate, Han, get married so Han can become a citizen. They’ve been best friends since childhood and know each other better than they know themselves. In fact, they were even voted Most Likely to Get Married in high school. So, they figure the process should be easy. And it would have been—if not for that abusive ex.

This book is both angry and tender, joyful and terrifying, with a villain that’s easy to hate. The intimate moments between Kenny and Han are beautifully written, and the audiobook narrators bring them to life brilliantly. One particular scene was so gut-wrenchingly beautiful that it completely wrecked me.

It’s only February, but I already know this will be one of my top reads of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of this book! I loved the dual narration and both narrators did a fantastic job bringing their characters to life!

As sad as it is that this book is so timely in our current climate, I felt it was a really important and special book for this moment.

Han is undocumented and recently fired from his job and just generally down on his luck, and Kenny, his roommate and best friend for many years, is recently single after having broken up with his abusive girlfriend. (Can we all agree Jackie is the absolute worst no redeeming qualities whatsoever)

After a close call at a traffic stop Kenny proposes to Han that they get married so Han can get his green card.

Han has always thought he was straight and Kenny is out as bisexual but when KENNY AND HAN KISS, Han realizes he's never felt like this before.... and his awakening is tender and precious. Protect these guys at all costs!!

When Jackie tries to come between them their love will be tested and the turmoil felt across both families. The side characters truly shine in this book and I loved the found family and real family alike.

This book has a cute cover, and adorable, easy to love main characters, but it does include heavy topics and conversations that were treated with the most care. From an addicted parent, to an abusive girlfriend, to grief, immigration fears, and more. It is an emotional read and I was not immune to the feeling it invoked.

Absolutely loved it. Highly recommend.

This book is heartwarming, fun, and full of love and self-discovery, but it also touches on some heavier themes like trauma, immigration, and abuse—so definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.

The narration was engaging, bringing the characters to life in a way that made the story even more immersive. Han and Kenny’s journey from best friends to something more had all the right emotions, and I loved how their dynamic evolved.

That said, the pacing felt a bit rushed, especially toward the end. It almost felt like there wasn’t enough time to properly wrap everything up, making the conclusion a little messy. But overall, it’s a sweet, heartfelt romance that balances humor with important themes.

If you love friends-to-lovers with a unique twist, this one is worth picking up!

I listened to the audiobook and I have to say the narrators were really great! However, I did have some issues with the story, especially the almost cartoonish villains of the story. Jackie was especially caricatural as the scorned ex and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Daniel was a more typical villain and behaved as expected, but Jackie really went over the board and it felt harmful to portray a woman like that. I also was not prepared for the serious themes of this book what with the funny title and cute book cover. That being said, I think they are important themes to read about, especially in the times we are currently living in. I was very moved by the way undocumented immigration was tackled as well as how substance abuse issues were described. All and all, if the character of Jackie had been more nuanced (and if her storyline hadn't dragged on for so long, especially in the second half of the book) and if there had been more content warnings for the dark themes of this book, I think I would have given it a higher rating. But making Jackie such a one-dimensional cartoon villain really put me off as a woman reader. Will I still recommend this book? Yes because again, the themes are unfortunately very timely right now and it's important to read more about the struggles of BIPOCs around us.

Thank you NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for an honest review

I got approved for the ARC the day after it got released. This instantly became one of my favorite books of the year already, if I could give more than five stars I would. This was such a beautiful story! It did go over some tough topics and there is a trigger warnings list at the beginning.
5/5⭐️

I don't know who cut onions while I listened to this book, but I balled like a baby. OMG!!!! The writing, the story, the narrations, the climax, and the drama. OMG, I did not want this book to end. This book is one of my favorites in 2025. WOW! Just WOW! With everything going on in the world and the current administration, this book is so on point. OMG!!! I AM SO SPEECHLESS. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for a copy of this book. Thank you so much!!

(2.5 stars, rounded up due to the audio narration)

This book should have worked better for me than it did. I enjoyed the characters of Han (Alejandro) and Kenny and thought their long-term friendship was excellent. But somehow this never really pulled me in fully.

Han has lived in the US (New Mexico) for most of his life, having been sent there to live with extended family after a near-disaster with his drug-addicted mother in Mexico. But he’s undocumented and so his life is pretty precarious - jobs are hard to get and keep, he doesn’t have a driver’s license, he worries every time he’s near a police officer, etc. He and Kenny are roommates and have been friends since they were very young. Kenny helps Han as best he can, driving him places, etc. Kenny has a girlfriend, Jackie, who I absolutely hated. She was abusive to Kenny and I hated that he felt he couldn’t stand up to her. When he broke up with her, I was so relieved. I guess i just didn’t buy that whole relationship. Jackie was so incredibly evil and Kenny was a real sweetie.

Kenny then figures the best thing he can do for Han is to get him his citizenship by marrying him. (Kenny is bisexual and Han believes he’s straight, but isn’t interested in women at all.)

The topic of possible deportation and all the struggles Han was experiencing were well done and are important topics for people to read about in this personal way.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read - or when I could not listen. The audiobook has two distinct narrators who both do a wonderful job: André Santana and Alejandro Antonio Ruiz.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

🎧🎧Audio Book Review🎧🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
I wish I knew what chapters were spicy but unfortunately I do not

‼️‼️TW/CW‼️‼️
- ICE mention
- Racial profiling
- Injury
- Queerphobia
- Physical and mental abuse of partner
- Addiction related death

💕💕Tropes💕💕
- Found family
- Gay awakening
- Friends to lovers
- Marriage of convenience

✨✨notes about audio book✨✨
- Dual narration; André Santana and Alejandro Antonio Ruiz
- Publisher is Hachette publishing
- 10 hour long audio book


🎧🎧Onto the Review🎧🎧

First of all thank you to Forever Friends and Hatchett publishing for sending me this audio book!
I really enjoyed this friends to lovers marriage of convenience story! Our MMC’s Han and Kenny have been best friends since elementary school. They met when they were 6 years old but Kenny immediately had a crush on Han and was too shy to approach him.
Han is an undocumented immigrant who came to America under unfortunate circumstances. Him and Kenny one night get the idea for them to get married for Han to get his green card. They already know each other super well since they grew up together, they were voted most likely to get married in highschool and several people were convinced they were in love anyways so what could go wrong? Right? It’s just for fun and after three years they could divorce. But what happens when both boys start finding themselves wanting this to be real and not fake??
This book has the best amount of pinning and drama! Also the spice? -chefs kiss- there are things I cannot describe because it is NSFW but the spicy scenes were beautifully written! I ate up every second of it! I also really loved that this was Dual narrated and that each narrator did a great job performing their parts! If you’re wanting to read a m/m childhood friends to lovers book I think you should give this one a shot!

🌵I wasn’t prepared for how giddy and happy this love story made me feel. It caught me completely off guard and I loved every moment from Han realizing his true feelings to Kenny always choosing Han even from the beginning when they were best friends. It’s an adorable love story and you can’t help but fall in love with the characters and their supportive friends and family.

💔This book has also ruined the name Jackie for me (sorry to any Jackies out there). The level of pettiness and toxicity, I was livid the entire book.

👏🏽Also can Leti be my cousin? They’re the cousin we all need. They didn’t mince words with any of the characters and had Han’s back. The family and friends in this book were such a beautiful kaleidoscope of Latinx culture and queer culture.

💕I really enjoyed how @sonora.reyes portrayed the fears and struggles of undocumented people. As an immigrant myself and one that grew up around a lot of people that weren’t as lucky to become residents/citizens, this story felt like I was back home and was so authentic to what that experience can be. At the end of the day, the story was about two best friends realizing they belong together but it also weaved beautifully the pain of being undocumented.

🫶🏽Thank you @sonora.reyes for writing such an authentic and heartfelt story during a time where we need to humanize each other.

🎧I read this book along with the ALC and the narrators @andreonthemic and @alejandroruizvo were amazing! Definitely recommend listening to the audiobook!

Thank you to Dana and Alli from the @readforeverpub team for sending me my first physical ARC and the final copy! This will always have a special place in my heart!

🦮Blurb: Alejandro (Han) loves living with his best friend, Kenny and they’ve been inseparable since elementary school. After a breakup from his girlfriend, Jackie, Kenny comes up with the idea of helping his bestie, Han, become a citizen by marrying him. What starts off as a friend helping another results in them realizing that they have always been more than just friends.

This was such a timely read (*gestures broadly*). I love friends-to-lovers and fake dating, and this book offered an emotional take on those tropes that I really appreciated. The stakes of the fake dating felt much higher than in a typical romance, adding real weight to the story. I think it’s so important to read romance novels that highlight the real-life struggles of people whose lived experiences are different than my own, and this one did so beautifully. The friendship between the main characters was incredibly strong, and I loved the representation—undocumented immigrant experiences, bisexual and gay identities, domestic abuse, and drag culture were all thoughtfully included. Because the story was so heavy at times, I do wish we had gotten more moments of happiness with them. That said, I loved that Han and Kenny had such a strong support system in their families and friends and I am so happy for them (yes I know they aren’t real lol). Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

✨ Fake Engagement
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Friends 2 Lovers
✨ Latinx X Autism Rep


It’s about time roommates Alejandro and Kenny get married. Or at least, that’s what all their close friends and family think when they announce their engagement. The kicker? The two are faking their whole relationship so Alejandro can get a green card. But if Han was going to marry anyone, it would be his ride or die since second grade.

✨Review:
I loved how Sonora Reyes mixes in disability representation, race, queerness, among other things! All handled really well and will have you rooting for Han and Kenny! Highly recommend! This MM story will have you turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down.

This was a nice, easy listen that I blazed through in a single day! I loved following the relationship between Han and Kenny throughout this story. They both learned so much about each other and themselves. They learned to support each other through difficult situations, they each grew so much individually, and they persevered through some extremely challenging situations.

This book was so fun to listen to but also highlighted the struggles of so many marginalized communities within the story. We explore the struggles of undocumented immigrants, the challenges of navigating an abusive relationship, compulsive heterosexuality, and so much more. It was informative, yet hopeful, and I appreciated how thoroughly these relevant cultural topics were addressed.

I enjoyed both narrators of this story so much! Their personalities fit Kenny and Han perfectly and helped to add an extra layer to the story. I look forward to listening again!

Thank you so much to Forever for providing me with an ALC of this book!

So cute!!! Anyone who knows me knows I love The Proposal. This is basically a younger, gayer version of that. Han and Kenny are so adorable, and I loved the found family they created. Their stories and growth are so tender and fun to watch play out. Also, Sonoro Reyes created such a great villain. I was FUMING every time she came on the page. I truly didn't want this one to end, and I want to give each of the boys a big hug.

4.5⭐

It's a beautiful journey that explores the highs and lows of a friends-to-lovers relationship with authenticity and depth. It also had such great representation! Highly recommended for anyone seeking a heartfelt and inspiring romance.

This novel was absolutely fantastic! The narrators killed it. I loved the way they brought life to Han and Kenny. I adored their friendship and their romance. They were perfect for each other and their feelings for one another were so pure.

Thank you Forever / Hachette Audio for this ALC!

I went into this thinking it was your typical rom-com but was met with so much more. The book was sweet, funny but also touched on serious topics like immigration and DV.

I think the narrators did an amazing job at portraying each character and their emotions. I definitely felt all the emotions while listening. We watch the two MCs go through different struggles but somehow always leads back to each other. The way the understand each others needs like no other. 🥹🥹🥹

This was such a good slow burn too. And the tropes - I ate it up 👏🏻