The Proposal
The Proposal
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Published: October 30, 2018
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Jessica’s Rating: 2.5 stars
Dates Read: October 17-29, 2019
Book Description:
The author of The Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn’t turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one on her own…
When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise–or happen in front of 45,000 people.
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part–they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up–in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…
Jessica’s Review:
My friend Devin told me about this one and that it was not for her… She warned me, but did I listen to her???? Nope, not at all and I should have! The premise of The Proposal is what made me want to read it. Can you imagine that happening to you!?!?!
I liked how there was diversity for the characters, but most of it came off as cliché to me. Fortunately diversity is growing in novels now whether the diversity is race, religion, sexual identity/preference, or even disability. Unfortunately, I was not attached to these characters as they really were not likeable for me. Once the novel starts going in a certain direction you know how this story is going to ultimately end.
There was a lot of foul language in the novel, which did not seem necessary. I do read romances from time to time and I guess I like the sweet romances a ’la Katherine Center (which hers can have some intensity to them) . I did not need all the details with the sex that occurred. We get it, Nik is having some great sex.
The reason I gave it 2.5 stars versus just 2 stars was the beginning, I loved everything about it! Nikole was not even expecting a proposal and what happened afterwards that day was the best part of the novel. From the beginning I thought I was in for a novel I was going to really enjoy. Sadly, the rest did not deliver for me.
This is one I just cannot recommend.
Jessica’s Thoughts on Hope and Other Punchlines
Kim read and reviewed this one a few months back and her review caused me to want to read it! My local library had it available on audiobook, and I was able to listen to it.
Kim’s review is here.
Hope and Other Punch Lines
Author: Julie Buxbaum
Published: May 7, 2019
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: September 25- October 4, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.
Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka “Baby Hope”) wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.
Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She’s psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.
Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it’s a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers?
Jessica’s Review
All I can say about this book is this: WOW. September 11, 2001 is a day we will always remember as it is the day that changed the entire world: It was my senior year of college and I was in an 8am class. We had no idea that anything had happened until people started showing up for the 9:15 class. We still had that class but then I ran to my dorm room and saw the second building fall. I ran to the campus safety class where I was a student worker as ‘my boss’ the campus safety director was from New York. I spent the rest of the day in the Student Union Building.
Hope and Other Punch Lines is a powerful book that talks about that day and its aftermath. Abbi Hope Goldstein is “Baby Hope” who was one year old at the time of the attacks. She is ‘famous’ for a picture that was taken of her while in the background one of the World Trade Center buildings is collapsing.
Abbi just wants to live as normal a life as possible despite being sick at times and not being recognized for this picture she had no control of. She is trying to have a normal summer being a camp counselor when she is recognized as Baby Hope by Noah. The two team up to find out more about the picture of Baby Hope as Noah also experienced tragedy on that day that he will also not remember. As they work together they discover things they never even imagined possible.
Hope and Other Punch Line is very powerful for those who experienced 9/11 and will also help those who will only learn about that terrible day from history books. We see the attitude difference just 15 years makes between those who lived it and those who have to learn about it.
I did not cry while listening to the audiobook, but you can’t help but remember that day and the emotions you felt, and characters in the book experience these same emotions.
This is a book everyone should read.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Michigan vs The Boys
Author: Carrie S. Allen
To Be Published: October 1, 2019
304 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: September 8-12, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
When a determined girl is confronted with the culture of toxic masculinity, it’s time to even the score.
Michigan Manning lives for hockey, and this is her year to shine. That is, until she gets some crushing news: budget cuts will keep the girls’ hockey team off the ice this year.
If she wants colleges to notice her, Michigan has to find a way to play. Luckily, there’s still one team left in town …
The boys’ team isn’t exactly welcoming, but Michigan’s prepared to prove herself. She plays some of the best hockey of her life, in fact, all while putting up with changing in the broom closet, constant trash talk and “harmless” pranks that always seem to target her.
But once hazing crosses the line into assault, Michigan must weigh the consequences of speaking up – even if it means putting her future on the line.
Jessica’s Review:
Michigan vs The Boys is not a light – hearted read. It is a realistic portrayal of a teen girl joining a boys’ team and the consequences of that (positive, yet mainly negative). This is a novel about a girl and girl empowerment. You can’t help but root for Michigan to succeed despite the many setbacks that occur from her own ‘team mates’.
Michigan is a strong female character who goes through many emotions and experiences. I hated she kept silent throughout most of the abuse she endured. She is great at hockey and did everything to stay on the team, which included keeping quiet as long as she could. There is also a sweet romance that doesn’t take away from the story.
I did not like the coach. Yes, he put her on the team, but it was obviously not willingly. A coach should be someone you should be able to come to in times of trouble, but he was not that for Michigan. To me, he was just as bad as the boys were and most of the problem. He did not support Michigan. For example: making her change into her uniform in a broom closet!?!? Come on, there has to be a girl’s changing room somewhere in the school. After all, there are still girl’s teams in the school, just not a hockey team anymore. And extreme rules that only applied to her? It seemed that coach did everything he could to keep her out of the team.
You know an assault is coming while reading as it is mentioned in the book description, but for me an assault happened more than once. I was expecting something graphic, but it was not, yet still achieved what it meant to.
I would love to see another book with Michigan, to see what happens next in her life.
Allen worked in sports medicine and knows her sports lingo! I did not understand all of the vernacular, but she gets the point across.
I would recommend this for older teens (14+) due to the violence against Michigan along with some foul language and extensive mentions of teen drinking. This is an important book that should be read.
Many thanks to KCP Loft for my arc copy that I was sent.
Pre-order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK