Proposal by Meg Cabot
Fans of Meg Cabot’s MEDIATOR series thought it was over back in 2005 with Twilight, but in 2016, Cabot published this novella as book “6.5” before publishing another full novel (Remembrance) that year. This review will have some spoilers for the series, so please don’t read further if you intend to read MEDIATOR.
Suze is now in college and Jesse is in med school. Theirs is a long-distance relationship, so Suze is not expecting to see Jesse on Valentine’s Day. Instead, she’s dealing with some young ghosts who want revenge on their killer. So, when Jesse shows up to surprise her, she’s kind of busy.
The earlier stories in this series are better than the later ones. The books are starting to focus more on Suze’s romances (a sort of love triangle) than on the ghost stories. This is probably fine for many of Cabot’s young adult readers, but those who are looking for a solid plot in addition to the romance may be disappointed, especially because the plot of Proposal is not different enough from previous MEDIATOR stories; even some of the plot elements are the same (e.g., teenagers in a car going over a cliff).
Also, Suze, despite being in college now, seems less mature than she did when we first met her. She’s actually becoming obnoxious. I’m upset about this because I really liked her in the first few books.
MEDIATOR fans who, like me, were disappointed in the past couple of books, may want to skip Proposal. Back in 2016 this short work may have been a nice way to get back in to the series after an 11-year gap, but I don’t think it adds much to the story unless you’re particularly interested in the romance.
I listened to Johanna Parker read the audiobook. She’s so good. The audiobook is 2.5 hours long.
Published in 2016.The last place Suze Simon expects to find herself during Valentine’s Day is a cemetery. But that’s what happens when you’re a mediator – cursed with the “gift” of communicating with the dead. That’s how Suze has ended up at the graves of a pair of NCDPs – Non-Compliant Deceased Persons – whose drama didn’t end with death. It’s Suze’s job to make sure they move on—for good. But the NCDPs aren’t the only ones with problems. The reason Suze is spending her Valentine’s Day with the undead instead of her boyfriend, Jesse, is because he’s having so much trouble adjusting to life after death . . . not surprising, considering the fact that he used to be an NCDP himself, and now his girlfriend busts his former kind for a living, while he tries to cure his kind of what used to ail him. Can Suze use her mediating skills to propose a mutual resolution, and bring all these young lovers together – including Jesse and herself – especially on the night Saint Valentine declared sacred to romance? Or will she end up alone—and possibly undead—herself?
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KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.
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Thank you for waiting over 7 years for my answer, Kat :) Now that the series is finished, I went…
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words, Steve! And I am very envious of that first edition!
Dang it, I missed out because the giveaway notification subscription *still* isn't working, and you stopped posting Thoughtful Thursday giveaways…
A very informed review. I am pleasantly in possession (right word?) of a Macmillan 1912 1st edition and just read…