Queen B’s Decree: I had very high hopes for this one. Friends to lovers, gay awakening, fake dating, POC characters, LGBTQ+…what is not to like?
And it started off pretty good. Han is undocumented, so he lives his life exceptionally cautiously, trying to always stay under the radar. And his best friend (and roommate) Kenny is like this anxious chihuahua with separation anxiety, stuck onto the first girlfriend he ever had—even though she is emotionally and physically abusive. After Kenny breaks up with the horrible girlfriend, he proposes (har de har har) a marriage of convenience to get Han a green card.
But here’s the thing, the (ex-)girlfriend Jackie is what ruined so much of the story for me. I felt like all the characters just let her get away with everything. I know—I KNOW—that both recognizing and leaving an abusive relationship is hard. But does her storyline have to take up so much of the book? Isn’t this book supposed to be about Han and Kenny?
Bah, until I was writing this, I don’t think I realized how much that bothered me. On the plus side, the narrators were fantastic and they are the reason why I enjoyed listening as much as I did. The Broprosal was the first from this author, and I’d be open to giving them another try.
Book: The Broposal by Sonora Reyes
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Plot Devices/Tropes: friends-to-lovers