The Sleeping Beauty Proposal struck a chord with me, though (in reality) the heroine and I have very little in common. I think other single women might agree with me (though married women might vehemently disagree) but from the outside, getting married looks like a really good deal. For one thing, you never get invitations addressed to Kate and guest. Your guest? Pretty much assured. You always have something to do on Saturday nights. Even if you spend it on the couch watching DVDs, if you’re in a couple that’s okay. For singles, though, it comes across as a bit pathetic. Then there are the gifts. And the parties. And the dress! All your friends and family gathered in one place for one reason – to celebrate you. Like I said, from my corner? Looks good.

From Genie’s corner, getting married also looks very good. Especially when her boyfriend of four years, English-accented writer Hugh, proposes to someone else on live television. But Hugh’s out of town for the rest of the summer. And her best friend Patty is here. With lots of alcohol and what seems like, after the consumption of said alcohol, a very good idea. Genie decides to fake her engagement. After all, everyone assumes it’s true. And why should she, as a single woman, not get the attention, gifts, and privileges that, say, her younger sister gets because she managed to find a life partner?

Faking it, though, gets harder and harder as plans start to progress. Chaos results. Hilarity ensues. And then there’s her brother’s hunky co-worker Nick.

This is a very warm story, and I really liked Genie. The story is written from her perspective, which helps given the book’s somewhat questionable plot line. Handled badly, it could easily have come out as TSTL, but being provided with Genie’s thought process helped to ground the plot and make it reasonable to me as a reader. The supporting characters are fun too, especially her best friend Patty and her immediate family. A secondary love story builds nicely through the book as well.

My only concern is the speed at which Genie jumps from one relationship to another. Especially as the plot centers on her becoming a strong person in of itself. I think Strohmeyer pushed it just a little to guarantee a traditional ending to the detriment of all of Genie’s character growth through the story.

But, for a bit of fun, and a bit of a nose-thumb at all those who consider a woman more deserving when she comes with an “other half,” The Sleeping Beauty Proposal is a great read.