Promposal

by RaeChell Garrett

Overview

An overachiever must decide if risking her heart by working with her former crush turned enemy is worth the reward in this snappy rom-com, perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. 

High school senior Autumn Reeves has been waitlisted at her dream school. Determined to move to the top of the list, she must find a way to stand out. When a promposal she planned for a friend has half the senior class asking for her help, a brilliant business idea that will look great on her application is born: Promposal Queen. 
 
Autumn has no clue how to start a business, so she joins the Young Black Entrepreneurs group and finds herself face-to-face with Mekhi Winston, the boy whose unexpected freshman-year kiss—a kiss that meant everything to her and nothing to him—cost Autumn her best friend. He’s the only person with the experience to help her, but how can she possibly trust him?
 
With her dreams on the line, Autumn’s willing to risk it. After all, Mekhi could be a good business partner without being a guy she would ever let near her heart again.

But when working with Mekhi jeopardizes her only chance at rekindling a friendship with her ex-best-friend, and secrets long buried threaten to ruin Promposal Queen, another broken heart may be the least of her worries—her entire future is on the line.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316371704
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,029,465
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

RaeChell Garrett has written everything from marketing plans to health insurance benefit schedules, but she much prefers writing novels about the ups and downs of carefree girls finding their way in the world. She lives in Michigan where she’s likely to be found trying a new recipe, talking sports with her husband, or philosophizing on life with her two teenagers. Promposal is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

02/20/2023

Focused, driven Autumn Reeves, a high school senior in southeastern Michigan, has her heart set on attending Mercer School of Business at Great Lakes University in hopes of becoming an event planner. Autumn is convinced she’ll be a shoo-in, especially since Mercer already awarded her a scholarship. After she’s waitlisted, however, she schemes to grab Mercer’s attention through her budding start-up, PROMposal Queen, a service for teens looking to make an event out of their prom-date ask. Except Autumn doesn’t know how to start a business, so she joins her school’s elite Young Black Entrepreneurs club and begrudgingly requests help from Mekhi Winston, her former best friend and freshman year crush with whom she had a disastrous falling-out. Mekhi agrees to assist, and word of PROMposal Queen spreads quickly, garnering positive reviews and a swiftly building client list. But while Autumn can’t deny that her and Mekhi’s business partnership works well, she’s not sure if she can move on from their hurtful past. Balancing romantic, lighthearted fare with the often anxiety-inducing drama of college admissions, debut author Garrett presents an endearing second-chance love story brimming with grand depictions of devotion, forgiveness, and friendship. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"I would say yes to this book every time! Romantic, fun, and heartfelt, Garrett's debut shines!"—Kasie West, author of Sunkissed

"I swooned while reading this! PROMPOSAL has a heroine to root for and enemies-to-business partners chemistry that's off the charts."—Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and XOXO

"Garrett balances romance, friendship, and self-discovery, with the theme of second chances running throughout the story. An entertaining twist on college admissions stress."—Kirkus

"Balancing romantic, lighthearted fare with the often anxiety-inducing drama of college admissions, debut author Garrett presents an endearing second-chance love storybrimming with grand depictions of devotion, forgiveness, and friendship."—Publishers Weekly

"...a spirited story filled with sparkling banter and relatable ups and downs, including unexpected romance and pressures felt by many high-schoolers. An inspiring read for rom-com lovers."—Booklist

“Promposal is a wonderful breath of fresh air, to be enjoyed on a warm spring day. I truly adored it from beginning to end. Now, I wonder how many teens will be incorporating this book into their own promposals this year!”—NPR

From the Publisher

2023-01-25
High school senior Autumn Reeves’ plans come to a screeching halt when she gets waitlisted at her dream school.

Despite what her parents think, Autumn only applied to one school, because Mercer School of Business at Great Lakes University is where she wants to be. She was confident that with her 4.0 grade point average she was going to be accepted, and now she is questioning everything she believed about herself. When a promposal she planned for a friend garners her attention from other seniors looking for help, Autumn decides that turning this idea into a business proposal will definitely help her stand out. But she doesn’t know how to start a business, so she joins Young Black Entrepreneurs, a student group where she has to enlist the help of her freshman year crush, business whiz Mekhi Winston, with the business plan for PROMposal Queen. Autumn and Mekhi have a complicated history—it cost Autumn a friendship and broke both their hearts—but she is willing to do anything to move to the top of the waitlist. The secret history around the events of freshman year is revealed at a good pace, keeping readers engaged. The main characters, all of whom are Black, are well developed. Autumn experiences complex emotions related to feelings of inadequacy because her self-worth is tied up in her overachiever status. Garrett balances romance, friendship, and self-discovery, with the theme of second chances running throughout the story.

An entertaining twist on college admissions stress. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews