Cute enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romance
4 stars

Having loved Donna Marchetti’s debut novel, Hate Mail, it was an absolute no brainer that I’d want to give her second book a go, too. And that was before I read the blurb. I do love an enemies to lovers and this sounded amazing. And I adore the cover, too.

Priscilla and Oliver hate each other. Okay, they once thought that they liked each other - but that ship has sailed and now they’re very much in the enemies camp. But that’s before an unfortunate set of incidents involving dual proposals lead to them to mistrusting adversaries, to co-conspirators, to in a very real fake relationship together.

I really liked Priscilla from the first page. She’s a bit down on her luck and seems surrounded by people that don’t value her or love her for being herself. She’s excitable, exuberant and sassy with it - especially when it comes to Oliver. I liked her a lot and it was easy to root for her. I hated the way she was constantly berated for being obsessive. It was some sort of running theme throughout the book. Who cares if you put your heart and soul into everything you do? Priscilla just needed better friends.

The story is told entirely from Priscilla’s point of view so it’s really no surprise that I didn’t much care for Oliver at the start of the book. It took me more time than I’d have liked to get over my dislike and start to see him as leading man material. Had we had his point of view - I know I would have liked him from the get go. But having only Priscilla’s point of view did lend itself to understanding how Priscilla was feeling - unaware of Oliver’s feelings towards her. But when I got over it, I did really like Oliver. He was cocky, funny but also a bit unsure.

I love how much time Oliver and Priscilla spent together and from so early in the book. Sometimes books take so long to set up the story and back story that it’s ages before things get going and we get into the story. There’s an obvious chemistry between our pair even if it takes until the last throws of the book for them to get together. And that’s nice and steamy when it finally occurs. I did feel there was a wee bit too many times that they both spoke of their relationship as fake just as they’d kissed or were about to kiss etc. It got a bit annoying - just realise that you’re actually dating and actually like each other already.

I didn’t much care for Pricilla’s best friend, Tina. She showed herself time and time again to be a poor friend. Telling Priss to start her own business and then berating her when it looked like she was getting her first real client. Because it would take her focus away from Tina’s proposal. And it was actually Tina’s fault that Priss and Oliver were at odds with each other in the first place. Priss told Tina a secret about Oliver, Tina told Ryan and Ryan told Oliver. Bad enough but Tina had absolutely zero regret over what happened and what she did.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, interesting and kept me reading. Oliver and Priss were a wonderful pairing and I adored their ending and happily ever after. In fact, I was smiling through the last chapter - it was so sweet. Donna Marchetti’s writing is just my style and I’m definitely looking out for what she’s writing next as it’s sure to be another winner. 4 stars - and that’s mainly just because of Tina!

Spicy, male female, 1st person single point of view, contemporary romance. This is a fluffy romance with a happy ending. Lots of tropes - misscommunication, forced proximity, one bed, enemies to lovers, fake dating.

I embarrassed myself laughing out loud while walking my dog listening to the audiobook, the part in which they trek up a trail and find the initials Ryan and Oliver carved when they were younger. I could not control my laughter. This is my kind of book, it’s hilarious, MCs liked each other until one of them “wronged” them and now they hate each other. The banter was fun and witty.

Thank you Netgalley and Donna Marchetti for this ARC. After reading Hate Mail, I was interested in reading more books from Donna.

This book was very reminiscent of early 2000s rom-coms. Priscilla and Oliver, who despise each other, need to work together to create the most perfect proposal for their best friends. They have to trick their best friends into thinking they are dating (since they are covertly working together), which leads them to spending more time together, and ultimately falling for one another.

It was a sweet story, with a good amount of spice, however, it was the miscommunication trope that deterred me from fully enjoying this story. There were SO many moments in which they could have discussed what went wrong between them, that I wish I would have seen them working out through it earlier in the story. Overall it was a good read, with feel-good moments.

It’s crystal clear to me that this book is something special. A perfect example of a cute rom-com with amazing characters and banter.

Pricilla Cain and Oliver Edison are frenemies, but when Pricilla is given the chance to plan an event for her best friend we find out it’s not as easy and one two three… because Oliver is planning his own scheme with his best friend— the proposals.

Gosh I could not put this book down. Such a well described plot! I could heavily visualize the scenes and characters in my head, all the little details about the planning, their group moments and the love story between Pricilla and Oliver. Such a beautiful read, would definitely recommend.

I came to The Proposal Project with high expectations. After all, Donna Marchetti’s debut, Hate Mail, was one of my favourite reads last year—a sharp, emotionally satisfying romcom that stuck with me long after the final page. So I dove into her sophomore novel, ready to be swept away again. And while Marchetti’s writing is still lean, witty, and compulsively readable, this one didn’t quite deliver the magic I was hoping for.

From the start, I struggled to connect with Oliver, the love interest. Where I expected swoon, I found red flags—subtle but persistent behaviours that kept me at arm’s length. I even began to wonder if the problem was Priscilla’s POV, and for a moment, I almost gave him the benefit of the doubt. But their relationship is built on a house of miscommunication (and when they do talk, it’s so clunky it might have been better if they hadn’t). It’s frustrating, especially when you know Marchetti is capable of writing such vibrant romantic tension.

Beyond the central romance, a few elements just didn’t land. The subplot involving Priscilla’s former boss feels unresolved, and the conclusion doesn’t quite match the character dynamics established earlier—Malcolm, in particular, doesn’t react in a way that makes narrative sense. There are also minor but nagging plot holes, like the introduction of Oliver’s notebook, which is dropped without any follow-through.

And yet, despite all my reservations, something shifted for me in the final stretch. Somewhere in the last 30% of the novel, I found myself rooting for these characters—against my better judgment, perhaps, but genuinely invested. Marchetti’s strength is in those small, intimate moments that ring emotionally true, and even in a book that didn’t quite work for me, she manages to deliver just enough of them to keep me turning the pages.

Will I read whatever she writes next? Absolutely. But The Proposal Project was a bit like a mismatched date—charming on paper, but not quite right in practice.

The Proposal Project is a fun summer read, perfect for warm days and very swoonworthy.

I really enjoyed reading Priscilla and Oliver's journey from 'enemies' to lovers as they try to coordinate their best friends' proposals and find themselves in a fake dating scheme. Although I didn't really enjoy the reason they were enemies, I did really enjoy the way we got crumbs about how they've been feeling about each other for a while and how their relationship grew. Shameless flirting? Count me in.

The book is easy to read and it's also quite a short story. The downside of this is that I felt like some depth was missing within the story and the characters. The side characters also really made the story and I honestly would love to read a book about Tina and Ryan.

Overall, I'd recommend this book, especially if you're a rom-com lover! I can't wait to read more from Donna Marchetti in the future.

An enemies to lovers romance, the story of Priscilla and Ryan. Can they work together to make their friend proposals work out, even fake dating to avoid suspicion? A fun read.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, I loved Hate Mail so I was eager to read this new one by Donna Marchetti. It did not disappoint. I loved the characters and their developments. The storyline was easy to get into and I just loved everything about it. Donna Marchetti's writing style is easy to follow and get swept away. A great read.

I loved Hate Mail when i recieved an arc for it and was so excited to read The Proposal Project! This was so fun and the main character's had so much chemistry. If you are in the mood for a sweet rom-com, this is the one for you

It took me a minute to get hooked on this book. I think I had too much noise going on around me and I kept starting the book to just abandon it a few pages or even a chapter or two in.
However, once I really sat down and focused, I started to get into the meat of the story and I was drawn in somewhere around the 15% mark. The banter and flirtatious energy between Pricilla and Oliver was a good distraction. I had a few LoL moments and I found myself swooning at the tension.
This is one of those books that, if you give yourself permission, you can get lost in and finish in a day or two. Find yourself a quiet afternoon to read the majority of the book. It's an easy read, and the writing is well done. I have The Hate Mail by Donna on my TBR, but I still haven't read it; however, after reading The Proposal Project, I will make sure to have the other book be a priority. It's quick, fun writing. Granted, I am going to say that this is targeted towards mood readers. I think I wasn't able to finish it the first time that I was reading it because I had too much going on in my real life, and I wasn't able to just sit and lose myself for a few hours. However, when I finally had a moment to sit and needed a feel-good moment, this book was perfect. With that said, I don't think this is something I would reach for again, and if I ever did, it would need to be during one of those times where I need a "pick-me-up" moment.

The plot of the story is cute, as both help their friends plan surprise proposals for the other. The fake dating, one bed in the cabin, was slightly predictable but entertaining. Pricilla was a relatable character for me...her constant internal monologues just felt like I was being portrayed in the book. And you can bet your horses that, if I were to find someone with Oliver, that flirtatious and slightly infuriating, swoony charmer, I would be head over heels. It's full of your classic tropes and, as I said earlier, it's not groundbreaking and really is one of those feel-good in the moment type books.

Thanks to Netgally and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book

I loved this book, love secret romance and helping to plan someone’s most romantic moment while getting yours! So great! Perfect amount of spice and romance!!!

Sadly, I dnf-ed this one at around the 30% mark. I couldn't really get into it, and the plot felt weak to me. I'm sad because I really loved Hate Mail by this author.

Having absolutely loved Donna Marchetti's Hate Mail, I felt a little let down by this book. The premise was interesting. However, I found Priscilla to be quite selfish and immature. Also, I wish Oliver had some kind of character development or even a few chapters told from his point of view as his character felt quite flat. There were also gaps in the story- what happened to Malcolm? What was the journal about as there was no mention of them ever again.

This was such a fun read, Priscilla is enlisted by her friend Tina to help her plan the perfect proposal to her boyfriend Ryan, only for Priscilla to find out that Ryan is also planning to propose and so she teams up with Ryans best friend so they can try and plan the perfect joint proposal...it's just that Oliver may be gorgeous but he also drives her bonkers!

I loved the banter and lightheartedness between the two and yes it was a bit cheesy at times, but aren't all the best romances?

Loved it!

✨Book Review✨ 4/5
This book is one of both silly & sweet moments as Priscilla & Oliver come together as they help their best friends propose to one another. With the best of intentions to make this all work out perfectly, Priscilla & Oliver have no choice but to work together in order to make the proposals intertwine & meet the wishes of their friends.

Olivier is Ryan’s best friend & is planning his proposal for Tina. Priscilla is Tina’s best friend & planning her proposal for Ryan. They figuring it is best to form an alliance & call a truce (yup, there are some unanswered questions here) and it take quite some time for the reader to be discover this mystery. In order to justify all their time together, Priscilla & Oliver end up fake dating. Now, all kinds of things Priscilla never thought would are happening & she does not know how to processes the entire situation.

As everything falls into place, the lines of fake dating & developing true feelings has the lines blurring quickly. As the lines blur, the spiciness cranks up! As always, the best part is the HEA that has the reader smiling all the way to the end of the book.

🎙️Also available as an Audiobook: Narrator: Kelly Burke🎙️

❣️Thank you HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter & NetGalley for this book❣️

3 stars
Content warning: toxicity from a male within the workplace, strained family dynamics

As someone who read and enjoyed this author's debut romance novel Hate Mail, I had anticipated Marchetti's sophomore release. It's rather difficult to write a review for The Proposal Project, however, because I didn't love it, but equally, I read it all in one sitting, so I can't have hated it either.

The concept was cute enough, and I enjoy fake dating as a trope, so I was willing to overlook my initial reservations about the character setup. Of course, this book is extremely predictable with how one character feels about the other, and the miscommunication from the past leading Priscilla to "hate" Oliver is lukewarm at best. However, I really struggled with the dialogue in this story. It came across as immature and crude, not really depicting people of the characters' age group at all. If it was just a smattering of it here and there, I would have been able to move past it without it bothering me, but it was difficult to relate to almost all of the core characters. Somewhere, though, they got more enjoyable or from adjusting my expectations drastically, I accepted the read because I found myself falling for the cliche of their love story. Whilst I never warmed up to the best friends or was fully convinced of Priscilla as a relatable narrator, I did appreciate how Oliver continued to show up for her, and in turn, helped her pull off the epic proposal event.

I also found there to be a lot of places where editing could have polished this story further. Oliver smirks <i>a lot</i>, and once I acknowledged it, I was exasperated just how much this man only had like two default settings - smirking or being annoyed. There was a missed opportunity to diversify the word choices, and instead, made the writing feel simple and incomplete at times.

The romance was a saving grace because it was the one aspect built well. With the right tension from sneaking around, faking it, and *definitely not* faking it, I liked how it made for believable obstacles to overcome and the spice was paced well enough that it didn't hinder the delivery of the plot, which I was worried it may do. In fact, the intimate scenes matched the pair very well, and I appreciated that.

I think, had this story been dual POV, it would have hit harder. As it was, this was just an okay read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

“Maybe it wasn’t her throat I wanted to rip out,” Oliver says. “Maybe all this time, what I really wanted to do was rip her clothes off.”

This was such a fun and feel good read! I could see the spark between Oliver & Priscilla right since the beginning. I loved how they provoked each other and it was clear that they were meant to be together! Even Tina & Ryan's relationship was so adorable! The whole scenario of how they were roped into planning both of the proposals was really well done and the slow burn was perfect! Priscilla was so cute and her monologues about overthinking were so entertaining lol. Oliver really made her feel lovestruck at times with his swoony moves and it was so amusing. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's just that I felt like the misunderstanding between them was kind of stretched out and it could've been resolved with just one simple conversation, like they did towards the end. But overall, this was a very delightful read! I finished it in one sitting!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

I ready this book really fast. The obliviousness of the main character, Priscilla, was accidentally funny and her awkwardness reminded me of a bunch of my friends growing up. Once we met her parents, I understood why she was so insecure. I really loved they way that she had to take a hard look at her life and her misconceptions so that she could come into her own, learn her worth, and find happiness. Ryan is a really great person with moments of the joking child peeking out in his personality. I also love that he is able to get his own story off his chest so he can also find happiness.

Thanks to the moments I laughed out loud, I'm definitely going to recommend this book. And I'm going to have to check out other books by this autor.

Such a great book! I loved Marchetti's last novel, but I think I loved this one even more! This was a really fun, sweet read. Perfect for summer!