We love a good slightly chaotic fake relationship. Even more so if it’s between childhood friends and roommates! Bring on the emotional angst, catching (and questioning) feels, and drama. The Broposal fits the bill while also being supremely precious. Keep reading this book review of The Broposal for my full thoughts.
Summary
Alejandro (Han for short) has never been in love. He purposefully keeps his heart at arm’s length from anyone who might want it, which he lets his family and friends think is due to commitment-phobia paired with a heavy dose of emotional constipation. Now, though, he’s coming to learn that it might have more to do with his fear of looking too deeply inward, whether that be his sexuality (he’s straight, right?), or the looming anxiety about being undocumented in an increasingly hostile environment.
On the other hand, Han’s roommate and best friend, Kenny, is stuck in a soul-sucking relationship with a woman who wants nothing more than for Kenny to ditch Han and marry her. Kenny can’t stand being alone, and has always been afraid of being punished for making the wrong choice, so his girlfriend happily makes most of his decisions for him. But when she forces his hand and makes him choose between their relationship and his best friend, he finally knows without a doubt who the correct choice is.
But things aren’t as easy as they should be with Kenny’s ex out of the picture. When Han loses the job that had promised to sponsor his work visa, it leaves the two of them anxious as ever. In order to give his best friend a chance at security (and ok, maybe to make his ex a little jealous), Kenny asks Han to marry him. But neither of them are prepared for the very real feelings pretending to be madly in love stirs up.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
With questioning representation, The Broposal is emotional from head to toes. It features some characters which deeply rooted themselves in my heart. I loved these small gestures, the ways we show our love and care, in every moment. All the ways we bend our lives, walk on the opposite side of the street, move the salt shaker, for someone whose presence in our lives matters to us. That’s before they even get fake engaged! But you can tell that The Broposal is deeply committed to character work and history. From before page one, Han and Kenny jump off the page. It makes the connection even quicker and more intense than otherwise.
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And you fall even more in love with both Han and Kenny. Kenny has such a big heart and he’s so used to sacrificing himself for the ones he loved. But what happens when that leaves us high and dry? When we sacrifice so much of us there’s nothing left? Being dual POV, The Broposal firmly situates ourselves in Han and Kenny’s mindsets. We see all the miscommunications and the words they wish they said. In many ways, The Broposal is about all the ways they have clicked before they even saw the picture in the puzzle.
Vulnerability is terrifying. Even more so when we don’t know if we can risk it all, if we can handle it crumbling. The Broposal is emotional from start to finish. While there were a few moments that felt a bit rushed, overall the emotions were high in this one and I enjoyed it! Find The Broposal on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.