Review: The Proposal by Tasmina Perry

A magnificent, moving epic with a haunting secret love story at its heart, which will sweep you from present-day Manhattan to London in 1958 - the year of the last debutantes. 1958. At eighteen, Georgia Hamilton is sent to London for the Debutante Season. Independent, and with secret dreams to be a writer, she has no wish to join the other debs competing for a husband. But when tragedy strikes, her fate appears to have been sealed. 2012. Hurrying to meet her lover, Amy Carrell hopes tonight will change her destiny. And it does - but not in the way she imagined. Desolate and desperate to get out of London, she accepts a position as companion to a mysterious stranger, bound for Manhattan - little knowing she is about to unlock a love story that has waited fifty years to be told. And a heart waiting to come back to life...


I had never read any of Tasmina Perry's other books prior to starting The Proposal, so I had no idea what to expect! The book was very well written with great characters; I only wish we had seen more of Annie, I loved her! The dual narrative structure worked well, though I found myself enjoying Georgia's story of her debutante season a lot more than Amy's modern day romantic troubles.The story dragged a little in the middle up until the completely unexpected reveal about why Georgia is estranged from her family-I certainly didn't see that plot twist coming! For the most part I liked Amy- aside from one stupid decision she made that made me want to shout at her for being so naive and forgiving. New York at Christmas is portrayed in film and literature as one of the most magical places on earth, and this novel is no exception. I'll make it there one day.

I have no criticisms on writing or characterisation in this novel, but I just wasn't that keen on the plot. The ending also felt a bit abrupt and I would've liked to read more about what happened to Amy. Times may change, but the enduring themes of love and heartbreak stay the same. 3/5 stars.

*Thanks to bookbridgr and Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review!*

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