An Unlikely Proposition

An Unlikely Proposition 

by Rosalyn Eves 

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2024. 298 pages. Young Adult Fiction. 

Seventeen-year-old widow Eleanor devises a plan to survive the Season and keep her fortune intact, while Thalia, after a disastrous first season, struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer but instead finds herself smitten with a man from her past. 

This is a sweet book with a main character, Eleanor, who is hesitant to trust people and learns that she can have a family and people who care about her through both her fake engagement and the friendships that ensue. The secondary story, Thalia, is about a woman who has sworn off love after a scandalous failed elopement, but comes to learn what real love is, and has a fun adventure into the poet society of London (with plenty of mentions of your favorite poets from that time period). This is a wholesome read with complex characters, recommended for fans of Sarah M. Eden, Bridgerton, and the like. This book is the second in a duology (the first book is listed below) but can be read as a stand-alone. 

If you like An Unlikely Proposition, you might also like: 

 

An Improbable Season 

by Rosalyn Eves 

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2023. 346 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

In this extravagant, 1817-set Regency drama by Eves (Beyond the Mapped Stars), teenage cousins Thalia, Kalliope, and Charis—each with ambitions of their own—together arrive in London for their first collective social season . Each teen’s plan is quickly derailed by a series of curveballs. Thalia’s hopes to impress the literary cognoscenti to make inroads for a career as a poet lead to her swooning for a disreputable rake; softhearted Kalli’s goal to make waves as the life of the party until she ensnares the right husband is upended when she finds herself accidentally engaged after her first event; and bookish Charis, who wants to make connections in the scientific community, unexpectedly becomes a social butterfly. As scandal arises and the trio’s loyalties are tested, they are forced to reconcile their initial desires and current predicaments if they hope to move forward together into their uncertain futures. 

The Davenports 

by Krystal Marquis 

Dial Books, 2023. 379 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

This stunningly wrought historical fiction debut follows a group of Black teens navigating classism, familial expectations, gender norms, and racism in 1910 Chicago. William Davenport is the formerly enslaved head of one of the city’s few wealthy Black families. As such, his children—Olivia, John, and Helen—and their associates are constantly in the public eye. While Olivia is courted by a proper Black Englishman, she meets a civil rights activist who makes her question her privileged upbringing and encourages her to face ongoing postslavery horrors. Olivia’s best friend, Ruby, is in love with John, though his interest has always been fleeting. But when it becomes clear that marrying John would benefit her family, Ruby starts plotting a scheme to win his heart. Meanwhile, Helen would rather work on vehicles than conform to traditional gender roles, and the siblings’ childhood friend turned maid, Amy Rose, has ambitions to start her own business. Marquis perceptively explores the history and momentous impact of Black achievements and wealth during an underreported period in U.S. history. 

Yours From the Tower 

 by Sally Nicholls 

Walker Books, 2024. 297 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

Tirzah, Sophia, and Polly are best friends who've left boarding school and gone back to very different lives. The year is 1896, and Polly is teaching in an orphanage, Sophia is scouting for a rich husband at the London Season, and Tirzah is stuck acting as an unpaid companion to her grandmother. In a series of letters buzzing with atmosphere and drama, the friends air their dreams, hopes, frustrations, and romances. The three friends want such different things-- the security of marriage, the chance to help others, the excitement of love. Can they find happiness in a world where their opportunities aren't as open as their hearts?

Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows
By Ariel Slamet Ries
HarperAlley, 2025. 275 pages. Young Adult Comic.

In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you're more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed. None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control--from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world. Oberon's newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot) than Oberon remembers. Kon makes it his mission to turn Oberon's life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own--dangerous ones. Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams--even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with--the only way to find happiness in reality?

The title and cover of this book made me wonder if I would like this book, but I absolutely fell in love with it!  Easily my favorite graphic novel that I've read this year, Strange Bedfellows has diverse, lifelike characters, a plot that keeps the pages turning, and stunning, full-color artwork.  My first instinct after reading this was to recommend it to everyone I know!  If you like friends-to-lovers stories, science fiction, or superheroes, definitely give this one a look!  It's well-written and well-worth the reader's time.

If you liked Strange Bedfellows, you may also like:

Dreamover
By Dani Diaz
Top Shelf Productions, 2025. 308 pages. Young Adult Comic.

Amber's a headstrong goofball with a temper. Nico's a shy, self-conscious emo boy. But they've been best friends since third grade, and she can't hide her feelings for him any longer. At the end of their eighth-grade beach trip, she confesses... and the feeling is mutual! Thus begins a glorious, blissful summer of first love. But once high school starts, life gets more complicated. Faced with early mornings, bullies, homework, and other stresses, Amber and Nico cling to each other, neglecting their friends. Soon, Amber starts to wish she and Nico could escape from it all. One night, as they fall asleep playing video games, Amber gets her wish...

Every Day: The Graphic Novel
By David Levithan
Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 198 pages. Young Adult Comic.

A graphic novel adaptation of the groundbreaking, beloved New York Times' bestselling novel about a teen who wakes up in a different body each day and the love that eludes them. Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone they want to be with--day in, day out, day after day. But can Rhiannon love someone who is destined to change every day? 

ERB