Take a photo of a barcode or cover
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Deportation
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Blood
Minor: Abortion
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“If I couldn’t have Kenny for real, at least we could enjoy the pretending.”
I was so sure this would be the queer autistic romance of my dreams, and I am absolutely devastated that this book didn’t blow me away!
That being said, I greatly appreciate the incredible representation and important themes present in this book, and I’m grateful to @readforeverpub for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
While this didn’t quite do it for me, there are so many things to love about it, and I’m sure a lot of readers would absolutely adore this. You might be one of those if you love:
🩵 friends to lovers romance
🩵 realistic autistic representation!!!
🩵 themes of abuse and trauma
🩵 marriage of convenience
The main reason I didn’t love The Broposal is that it had too many side-plots, and attempted to explore too many themes at once. As a result many of the plot elements weren’t satisfactorily resolved by the end, and none of the significant moments hit me as hard as intended.
Because of the many plot elements I also felt that the characters lacked depth, and I found myself struggling to understand the reasons behind their actions and thought processes. Both Han and Kenny are emotionally stunted, but I didn’t feel like this was properly explored, and as a result I was just mildly annoyed by both of them.
I was also incredibly frustrated by Jackie, Kenny’s almost cartoonishly evil ex-girlfriend, who is the driver behind the primary conflict of the story. I felt that the exploration of domestic abuse would’ve felt more nuanced and been more hard-hitting if there had been more depth to her character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Deportation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book! I could not put it down. Loved all the characters (except two, you know who you are). Sonora Reyes has the gift of making you feel all the emotions within one story and this was no exception. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Books for this arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Abortion
emotional
tense
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Overall, I thought this book was very thoughtful and sweet.
Han needs a way to be able to stay in the US as a citizen and after his job falls through. His best friend Kenny figures out the predicament that Han is in and offers to get married so that Han can stay.
Going into it, however, I was expecting a bit more of a romcom, and that is definitely not what this is at all. It is very serious and very emotional, definitely check the content warnings before you go into it. Also, based on the synopsis, I thought that Kenny's ex would only be in the beginning of the book and that is not true at all, they are in the majority of the book, which unfortunately I really didn't care for.
While I appreciated the harder topics and the discussion around them, to me the relationship/romance was underdeveloped. They had too many other things going on to really have a lot of time to transition from friends to lovers and so I didn't really feel the romantic tension or connection between them. It also felt like there was a lot squeezed in having to do with the ex that maybe didn't all need to be there, I think the story about trying to get married without ICE figuring out what's going on would have been plenty and allowed the main issue and the relationship to take center stage.
I did think the friendships and family relationships were very well done and I loved how everyone tried to look after each other. I also really enjoyed the representation in the book and how much of it there was. I definitely felt how deep the friendships were, including Han and Kenny, and how much the characters loved each other in the friendships and being able to talk to each other and call each other out when needed. Also how they tried to protect both Han and Kenny.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Han needs a way to be able to stay in the US as a citizen and after his job falls through. His best friend Kenny figures out the predicament that Han is in and offers to get married so that Han can stay.
Going into it, however, I was expecting a bit more of a romcom, and that is definitely not what this is at all. It is very serious and very emotional, definitely check the content warnings before you go into it. Also, based on the synopsis, I thought that Kenny's ex would only be in the beginning of the book and that is not true at all, they are in the majority of the book, which unfortunately I really didn't care for.
While I appreciated the harder topics and the discussion around them, to me the relationship/romance was underdeveloped. They had too many other things going on to really have a lot of time to transition from friends to lovers and so I didn't really feel the romantic tension or connection between them. It also felt like there was a lot squeezed in having to do with the ex that maybe didn't all need to be there, I think the story about trying to get married without ICE figuring out what's going on would have been plenty and allowed the main issue and the relationship to take center stage.
I did think the friendships and family relationships were very well done and I loved how everyone tried to look after each other. I also really enjoyed the representation in the book and how much of it there was. I definitely felt how deep the friendships were, including Han and Kenny, and how much the characters loved each other in the friendships and being able to talk to each other and call each other out when needed. Also how they tried to protect both Han and Kenny.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I tell you I have never clicked so fast on a "Read Now" on Netgalley IN MY LIFE! I've also never immediately started reading an ARC after downloading it, but with this one, how could I not???! Sonora Reyes has become one of my favorite authors this year, and for good reason. I fell in love with their books because of the queer, mental illness, and autism reps (OwnVoices), all focused on Mexican-American characters.
Like Sonora Reyes' other books, The Broposal is not without trauma (pleeeease check content warnings!!), so don't go in expecting a just light and fluffy fake dating/marriage of convenience romcom. Like seriously, this book is HEAVY. Of course, Han and Kenny together are FLUFFY PANCAKE MAGIC (pancakes have nothing to do with the book or their relationship, but the word fluffy reminds me of pancakes because who doesn't love a fluffy pancake). If you're not a fan of friends to lovers romance books, I still think you'd like this one! The way Han and Kenny slowly come to realize their feelings for each other is beautifully done. The buildup in tension was just... UGH. Chef's kiss. At so many points I just wanted to (consensually) smush Han and Kenny's faces together and be like "WAKE UP ALREADY, YOU'RE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER GOSH DARN IT." Han's realization that he was in love with Kenny was also complicated by the fact that he thought he was "straight," LOL.
When Han loses his job that promised him a green card, he fears impending deportation to a place he hasn't been to since he was a young child. His best friend and roommate, Kenny, offers to marry him so Han can get his green card and eventually become naturalized. Kenny has been in an on-again-off-again abusive relationship with a girl named Jackie since high school. Abuse is about power and control, and I loved how Sonora Reyes depicts its cyclical nature and how it typically gets worse over time. They made it clear that no matter the reason for it, there is no excuse for Jackie's abuse. She is a grown woman making her own choices. Ironically, Jackie works at a shelter for women escaping abusive relationships; I appreciated this detail because a) I'm sure there are more employees who abuse their partners working at shelters than we'd ever be comfortable with knowing, and b) it made it that much harder for Kenny to acknowledge the abuse (not that I wanted it to be hard for him, but it was that much more realistic in showing how abuse can have a stranglehold on so many people).
I also loved the jellyfish motif, and how it kept repeating itself throughout the book!
Last point: I was endeared by Han's emotional constipation and his overuse of the term "bro" to avoid expressing any type of vulnerability. I loved that he watched Disney movies to make himself cry (relatable, honestly).
I can't wait to read whatever Sonora Reyes writes next (which will apparently be out in 2026)!
Like Sonora Reyes' other books, The Broposal is not without trauma (pleeeease check content warnings!!), so don't go in expecting a just light and fluffy fake dating/marriage of convenience romcom. Like seriously, this book is HEAVY. Of course, Han and Kenny together are FLUFFY PANCAKE MAGIC (pancakes have nothing to do with the book or their relationship, but the word fluffy reminds me of pancakes because who doesn't love a fluffy pancake). If you're not a fan of friends to lovers romance books, I still think you'd like this one! The way Han and Kenny slowly come to realize their feelings for each other is beautifully done. The buildup in tension was just... UGH. Chef's kiss. At so many points I just wanted to (consensually) smush Han and Kenny's faces together and be like "WAKE UP ALREADY, YOU'RE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER GOSH DARN IT." Han's realization that he was in love with Kenny was also complicated by the fact that he thought he was "straight," LOL.
When Han loses his job that promised him a green card, he fears impending deportation to a place he hasn't been to since he was a young child. His best friend and roommate, Kenny, offers to marry him so Han can get his green card and eventually become naturalized. Kenny has been in an on-again-off-again abusive relationship with a girl named Jackie since high school. Abuse is about power and control, and I loved how Sonora Reyes depicts its cyclical nature and how it typically gets worse over time. They made it clear that no matter the reason for it, there is no excuse for Jackie's abuse. She is a grown woman making her own choices. Ironically, Jackie works at a shelter for women escaping abusive relationships; I appreciated this detail because a) I'm sure there are more employees who abuse their partners working at shelters than we'd ever be comfortable with knowing, and b) it made it that much harder for Kenny to acknowledge the abuse (not that I wanted it to be hard for him, but it was that much more realistic in showing how abuse can have a stranglehold on so many people).
I also loved the jellyfish motif, and how it kept repeating itself throughout the book!
Last point: I was endeared by Han's emotional constipation and his overuse of the term "bro" to avoid expressing any type of vulnerability. I loved that he watched Disney movies to make himself cry (relatable, honestly).
I can't wait to read whatever Sonora Reyes writes next (which will apparently be out in 2026)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Homophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Deportation
Minor: Infidelity, Abortion