From the internationally bestselling author of Any Trope but You comes an enemies-to-lovers rom-com about a hopeless romantic wedding planner and the cynical divorce lawyer forced to help her plan her ex’s wedding.
Gracie Holland lives for Happily Ever Afters—just not her own. After a crushing breakup, she’s thrown herself into planning weddings at Larkwood, the ivy-covered Rhode Island estate where she also lives in the guest cottage. But when her beloved boss passes away and leaves the estate to her grandson, Gracie’s carefully rebuilt life is suddenly on the line. Jude Larkwood is everything she’s sworn ruthless, practical, and immune to romance—he’s a divorce lawyer, for crying out loud! Worse, he plans to sell Larkwood by the end of the summer.
Jude has spent his life cleaning up other people’s romantic disasters—and he has no interest in watching another love story fall apart on his family’s lawn. But inheriting Larkwood comes with one its maddeningly optimistic wedding planner. Gracie’s sunshiney faith in love unsettles Jude almost as much as her ability to push through his defenses. He’s built a life on keeping emotion out of the equation—but something about her keeps slipping past his guard.
When Gracie’s ex calls out of the blue asking her to plan his wedding, she sees an unexpected opportunity. Jude reluctantly agrees to give her until the wedding to change his mind, and in exchange, she drags him into a two-month crash course in love to make even the most hardened cynic start to wonder if love might not be such a scam after all.
But as cake tastings and vendor emergencies give way to late-night confessions and undeniable chemistry, Gracie and Jude must confront the fears they’ve spent years avoiding. But can a hopeless romantic and a confirmed cynic find a future they both believe in?
Gracie Holland lives for Happily Ever Afters—just not her own. After a crushing breakup, she’s thrown herself into planning weddings at Larkwood, the ivy-covered Rhode Island estate where she also lives in the guest cottage. But when her beloved boss passes away and leaves the estate to her grandson, Gracie’s carefully rebuilt life is suddenly on the line. Jude Larkwood is everything she’s sworn ruthless, practical, and immune to romance—he’s a divorce lawyer, for crying out loud! Worse, he plans to sell Larkwood by the end of the summer.
Jude has spent his life cleaning up other people’s romantic disasters—and he has no interest in watching another love story fall apart on his family’s lawn. But inheriting Larkwood comes with one its maddeningly optimistic wedding planner. Gracie’s sunshiney faith in love unsettles Jude almost as much as her ability to push through his defenses. He’s built a life on keeping emotion out of the equation—but something about her keeps slipping past his guard.
When Gracie’s ex calls out of the blue asking her to plan his wedding, she sees an unexpected opportunity. Jude reluctantly agrees to give her until the wedding to change his mind, and in exchange, she drags him into a two-month crash course in love to make even the most hardened cynic start to wonder if love might not be such a scam after all.
But as cake tastings and vendor emergencies give way to late-night confessions and undeniable chemistry, Gracie and Jude must confront the fears they’ve spent years avoiding. But can a hopeless romantic and a confirmed cynic find a future they both believe in?
Title: Not That Kind of Proposal
Author: Victoria Lavine
Publisher: Atria
Expected Publication Date: July 21, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I truly enjoyed Lavine's debut book when I read it and knew she would go on my auto-read author list as soon as I finished it. I was excited to be approved for this one because I knew she would make my heart stutter with this story just as she had with the first one, I didn't even have to read the blurb. I just requested it because it was written by her. And I was not disappointed in the least.
I will admit, I didn't read the author's note prior to starting. I didn't want to have any spoilers since I also didn't read the blurb. So I went into this one completely blind of what the tropes might be. I have zero triggers so I was ok with doing this. But if you are one who needs to know triggers, I highly suggest reading the blurb and the author's note so you know what this book includes because I can see how the themes might be hard for some to read: implied physical and emotional abuse. Lavine includes serious and real topics that need to be spoken about.
Gracie Holland is a wedding planner for the last three years after her bridal dress business tanked. She loves what she does. But when she suddenly finds herself fighting for her job after the death of her mentor, she is determined to ensure her mentor's vision continues. Jude Larkwood has other plans. Having inherited the wedding venue, he plans to sell it off to a private client. He has no love of marriage or weddings as he's seen more than his share of dissolution in his job as a divorce attorney. Gracie and Jude are enemies from the start but agree to work together to see if things can be salvaged. What they don't expect is the connection they feel or how it will change what might happen in the end.
Lavine just knows how to write complex and deep characters that grab your heart. Gracie is a people pleaser. She's messy and has so much baggage. Having grown up in a family who don't seem to appreciate her, she is determined to ensure everyone is always happy. It drains her battery but she feels like this is the only way people can love her. I loved her outlook but also felt so badly for her as people totally stepped all over her. She just wanted to be seen and known for how wonderful she truly is, but ended up being taken advantage of at so many turns. I wanted to hug her and slap her all at the same time.
Jude, ugh! He's a total cinnamon roll. You absolutely do not get this from him at the start. He's stoic and closed off. He is a no holds barred kind of person who jumps in and gets what he wants. He has no time for love or romance. But he also holds a huge secret. Lavine chooses to keep this from us for most of the book, which is fine by me as it really helped build the tension between him and Gracie.
Add in a slew of amazing side characters that truly add so much to the story. Best friends, family members, mentors, and others. I enjoyed them all. I never met a character that didn't somehow add to the story. Lavine uses her side characters well in creating tension and side information in the story, adding to the over all plot.
THE BANTER! If you love a true enemies to lovers story, this is it. Lavine does banter so very well. I had so many laugh out loud moments in this book. The ire between Gracie and Jude was palpable. Every scene where they interacted was fraught with tension and fun. You could feel their attraction and chemistry despite how much they tried to hate one another.
I had a hard time putting this one down. The pacing was on point. If I could have stayed up all night to read it, and not totally ruin the next day, I would have. It was very fast paced and had me turning pages quickly.
And the spice! OOF! Lavine has written what I would call one of my all time favorite spice scenes in a romance. These two were so freaking sexy together. I loved Jude's kink (not going to spoil it but let's just say it's a green flag). And I loved how Gracie came into her sexuality in this book, realizing what she liked and what she needed from her partner. I was squirming in my seat whenever the two wer together.
If you're looking for a book where hurt people hurt people, this one is it. It's strewn throughout this book. While I did give this book all the stars, there were some betrayal themes I wasn't 100% happy with. At the same time, I truly understand the FMC and MMC's inability to stay away from each other.
Lavine has cemented herself as an auto-buy author for me. I devoured this story just as I did her first book. She has top tier yearning her books for sure. I love her characters, her themes, and how she can absolutely make me laugh despite her tough tropes. I cannot wait to see what else she brings to the page in the future.
Author:
After many years and bookshelves crammed with Romance novels, Victoria has finally taken things to the next level by writing her own. When she’s not reading, writing, or enjoying the great state of Maine with her family, you can find her coming up with excellent reasons to make the next pot of coffee.
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