The Wedding Date | The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory | Reviews

THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER#5 LibraryReads Pick

One of...Entertainment Weekly's "12 Romances for V-Day"Cosmopolitan's "2018 Anticipated Reads"Elle's "2018 Must Reads"Harpers Bazaar's "New January Must Reads"The Fug Girls' "Best Books of the Year"Elle UK's "Books to Get You Through 2018"Nylon's "January Must Reads"Hello Giggles' "New Release Recs"Electric Lit's "Books by WoC to Read in 2018"Bitch Media's "2018 Must Reads"BookBub's "2018 Romance Must Reads"Bookriot's "Must Read 2018 January Releases"RetailMeNot's "2018 Must Reads"

"A swoony rom-com brimming with humor and charm."--Entertainment Weekly (The Must List)

"What a charming, warm, sexy gem of a novel....One of the best books I've read in a while."--Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Hunger

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty multicultural romance debut.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...

They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want...

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory is one of those books that had a cover that immediately caught my attention. I am such a fan of illustrated classic looking covers. It reminds me a little of the cover for The Hating Game and also The Kiss Quotient. Clearly, we are in a golden age of contemporary romance and I AM SO ALL OVER THIS. So, after really wanting to read this book I finally committed and put a hold on it at the library. As it turns out, while my library is AMAZING at YA, it kind of isn’t as great with adult romance. I made the hold in February and didn’t actually get to pick my hold up until June. MONTHS later. Apparently my library needs to get on ordering additional copies of romance books by authors of color stat.

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At least The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory was worth the wait. The book opens up with main characters Drew and Alexa getting stuck in a hotel elevator. They eat cheese and champagne. One thing leads to another and Alexa ends up agreeing to go as Drew’s date to his ex’s and best friend’s wedding. The two end up hooking up and they have this super fierce chemistry. Unfortunately, Drew lives in LA and Alexa lives in Berkley. There’s all these barriers between them. However, where there is a will, there’s a way.

So, Drew and Alexa are both fascinating characters. Drew is a pediatric surgeon, if I am remembering correctly. I am writing this review in September when I read the book back in June. Anyways, Drew has some issues with commitment. Alexa though, she could be the one. Alexa also has some trust issues too. I loved that Alexa kind of calls Drew out on microaggressions. I like that she is this successful, wonderful Black woman who wants to give back to teenagers. Alexa is chief of staff for the Berkley mayor and she is so high powered and cool. She is immensely likable and just a superb main character. Drew’s okay too, I guess. But really, Alexa is the one who drove the story for me.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory is WELL worth your reading time. It’s a good romance to pick up if you’ve been avoiding romance because the aisle looks like a bunch of mayo and wonder bread. The main characters are compelling. The chemistry is there. This book really just made me so happy and I cannot recommend it enough.

Other reviews of The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory:

• Rhapsody In Books – “an entertaining, fast read“
• Book Binge – “didn’t live up to the hype“
• Angieville – “pretty freaking cute“

Purchase or Preview The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory:

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

"There is so much to relate to and throughout the novel, there is a sharp feminist edge. Loved this one, and you will too."--Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author

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...

After experiencing this massive joy at reading The Wedding Date, I knew that given the opportunity, I would one hundred per cent read The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. You see, The Proposal takes on one of the minor characters from The Wedding Date. So, I like when books revisit certain characters and give them their own stories. Guillory’s follow up does this in quite spectacular fashion.

The Proposal follows a woman named Nikole who is a freelance writer and Carlos who is Drew’s friend, but also a pediatrician and director of a teen clinic. Anyways, Nikole goes to a Dodger’s game with her boyfriend whom she’s thinking about ending things with. She knows it has been a couple of months but isn’t anything too serious. Only, that boyfriend, he proposes up on the jumbotron. Nikole says no. It goes viral.

Carlos, sitting pretty close by, comes to Nikole’s rescue along with his sister, Angie. They pretend to be long lost friends and whisk Nikole away from the cameras. So, Nikole’s relationship ends in spectacular fashion. She then ends up becoming friends with Carlos and then hook up buddies. Will it develop into something more?

I really think that Guillory has a true knack for chemistry. The chemistry between Nik and Carlos is off the charts. At first, the two kind of resist it. Nik is just getting out of a relationship and there’s the whole proposal drama. Carlos is not one to settle down (kind of like Drew). Over time though, their hookups become something more. The two have to get over this whole relationship fear and reluctance otherwise, they may lose a really good thing. I LOVED it.

Overall, if you’re looking for a book that is sweet with characters who are true to life and diverse, get your hands on The Proposal. I think Guillory is fast becoming a MUST read author for me. Now I know that when I want a guaranteed good romance book, I just have the next Guillory book to look forward to. And also you 100% do not need to read The Wedding Date to be able to enjoy this book — the previous characters show up in like one or two scenes. However, it will enhance your reading.

Other reviews of The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory:

• Novel Gossip – “such an adorable read“
• Shelf Rated – “a light, fun romance“

Purchase or Preview The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory:

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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