“Promposal,” a time period born inside the final dozen or so years, is precisely what one would think about it to be: an invite to the promenade that is wedding-proposal-level romantic and sometimes very public.

From rooms stuffed with balloons and lockers full of ping pong balls to tune and dance routines that might make anybody’s coronary heart soften, promposals have develop into an everyday, spectacular highschool occasion. In RaeChell Garrett’s pleasant e-book of the identical title, Black teen entrepreneur Autumn Reeves launches a start-up known as Promposal Queen, the place she is paid to assist conceive and execute these elaborate proposals for her fellow classmates.

The enterprise itself initially comes about as an act of desperation. Autumn is waitlisted for her dream faculty: Mercer School of Business, Great Lakes University. It’s an unbelievable notification, since overachieving Autumn had all the appropriate packing containers checked and a scholarship that ought to have made her a shoe in. Unfortunately, Mercer was the one faculty to which Autumn utilized.

Autumn’s saving grace is the flexibility to submit any “additional materials” which may sway the reviewers towards acceptance. So she shortly joins the Young Black Entrepreneurs in an effort to be higher than common, and sideways pitches Promposal Queen with the assistance of fellow senior Mekhi Winston, Autumn’s former-crush-turned-enemy. An sudden kiss between them freshman yr value Autumn her greatest good friend. She has no intention of revisiting all that trauma.

But Mekhi acquired into Mercer, and he has a knack for enterprise plans, so he is precisely the vice chairman Autumn wants for her enterprise. She totally intends to select his mind and never let him into her coronary heart. Happily for us readers, issues do not go as deliberate.

The promposals Amber and Mekhi concoct are so fantastically entertaining that I discovered myself wishing for extra, however the duo would not have numerous time. Autumn wants to point out success and profitability earlier than a spot opens up on Mercer’s waitlist. Prom is quick approaching, and Amber’s thoughts and coronary heart are at struggle. Over and over once more, Mekhi’s presence makes her seemingly not possible mountain virtually simple to climb. But contemplating their tumultuous previous, how can the 2 of them presumably have a future collectively?

The extra time that passes, and the additional away a Mercer (and Mekhi) acceptance feels, Autumn begins to give attention to the truth that going to such nice lengths to deliver individuals collectively is bringing her pleasure. I consider that is really the lynchpin of Garrett’s novel: the oft-overlooked significance of pleasure in a pushed younger particular person’s efforts to attain their objectives.

I used to be shortly swept away in Garrett’s playful narrative, and her true-to-character dialogue usually had me laughing out loud all the best way to the e-book’s satisfying ending. Of course the reader is aware of what must occur ultimately — a e-book titled Promposal is basically its personal spoiler. The level of the story is just not the ultimate promposal itself however the marvelous journey we’re allowed to take with Garrett’s well-developed and diverting teen characters. I additionally appreciated how concerned and supportive Amber’s dad and mom had been — a refreshing change from the usually dysfunctional relationships we see.

Promposal is an excellent breath of recent air, to be loved on a heat spring day. I actually adored it from starting to finish. Now, I ponder what number of teenagers will probably be incorporating this e-book into their very own promposals this yr!

Alethea Kontis is a storm chaser and award-winning writer of greater than 20 books for kids and teenagers.