⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 “I want more than friendship. I shouldn’t. It goes against all the ground rules I set for myself when I moved here. But I can’t help but want more of you.”
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If you enjoy:
💻Office romance
✔️Romantic comedy
💻Strong heroines
✔️Female friendships
💻Dual POV-Third person
Then this may be the book for you!
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Three women become fast friends when a disastrous first date live tweeting makes them realize they have all been duped by the same man. They vow to spend the next 6 months taking care of themselves. No men. But when Samiah meets Daniel at the office she decides he just may be worth the risk. Or is he too good to be true?
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If this book had a playlist- chapter one would be Beyoncé- Who Run The World. And I am here for it. Woman supporting woman... Absolutely! Loved how these women presented a united front despite being complete strangers. The friendship that transpired was honestly my favourite part of this book.
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I adored how strong Samiah was. Working twice as hard for everything she had achieved. The way in which the author wrote the very real inequality woman of color face in the workplace made it that much more powerful. I admired her work ethnic and enjoyed reading the following through of her dreams.
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The relationship between Daniel and Samiah was more of a slow burn. But certainly had some steam eventually. I would have liked to see more romance. A little more dialogue. But overall an enjoyable read with minimal drama. Look forward to reading more by this author.
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I received an ARC for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise is so fun: 3 women come together when they find out they all have been dating the same jerk. They decide to focus on themselves for the next 6 months rather than on men. I really wish this book had built upon those friendships more rather than again be distracted by a male romance. It had a lot going for it, but I really wish there was more character building on all sides. ⁣⁣
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It's also possible that I've been reading too many romances and am on romance burn-out. This one had similar themes as other books I've been reading recently where the male character gives the female reasons to doubt him and his commitment. ⁣⁣

The Boyfriend Project is a great read! The book opens with Samiah discovering her "boyfriend" has actually been lying all along and seeing other women. She and two of the other women confront him and become the unintentional stars of a viral video. This book has several of my catnips: women who have each other's backs, a secret identity, and a slow burn.

I will admit, I had a little trouble getting into the story. At this point in 2020, whether or not I can pay enough attention to read something is very hit or miss. Once I hit around the 1/3 mark in the book, I was completely sucked in. I don't blame my difficulty reading it on the book, more on the insanity going on in the world right now.

4.5 Stars - Will definitely recommend

So far so cute I am loving this story!! Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub
For my e-galley! This novel is so cute and it happens to be the 1st of a Trilogy!!! I have been meaning to read more romance lately and this is just perfect! What really like about this books is that it's not just about the romance but also about female friendships as well!! Definitely worth picking up!!

This was a super fun read. I mean the way Samiah, Taylor, and London meet was so entertaining! I was laughing out loud from when Samiah was with her sister, to how she handled everything at the restaurant. It was fun to see these women develop friendships. I just feel like this was very female driven and you wanted to root for all of the main characters! When Daniel appears, you just know he's going to be exactly what he needs to be. It was just nice to see two smart and kind people develop a relationship! I would definitely recommend this one.

Thank you so much to Forever Pub for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Farrah Rochon, and Grand Central Publishing for providing a review copy!

This book is about Samiah who discovered that she was being cat-fished by her boyfriend Craig, along with two other women Taylor and London. Samiah found out about it through Twitter because Taylor was posting the details of her date with Craig. When all the 3 ladies confronted Craig at the restaurant, another person has recorded the whole thing and uploaded it on YouTube for the world to see, and it became viral.

I honestly love the story line of this book and how the 3 women were very much empowered. I adore Samiah for being such a strong and fierce woman who was not afraid of the world. I enjoyed the bond that she, along with Taylor and London, had formed because of what they all have been through. This is the kind of bond that women all over the world should practice because it supports fellow women and encourages them to do things that will make them feel better and happy in life.

However, I deducted one star from my rating because I am a huge fan of romance and this book somehow lack of it. I would have given this 5 stars if the office romance was much more narrated because who doesn’t love that, right? The details of Samiah’s work was a little too boring for the story and I felt like it dragged on a bit, but other than that, I enjoyed this book.

I would still recommend it to anyone who wants to read this! Happy reading, bookworms!

The Boyfriend Project brings a fierce female friendship trio that I am LOVING! 3 women who find friendship after unwittingly dating the same man brought such a great girl squad vibe. Also, all 3 are smart, professional success stories. Other than dating a moronic idiot, these ladies are mind blowingly winning at life!

Samiah works for a hot tech company in Austin and she is killing it professionally. I loved the portrayal of a woman who is intelligent, professional, and yet still accessible.  Knowing that she has one area of her life where she isn't perfect (dating) made her relatable. And I know I mentioned it already, but seeing her, London, and Taylor develop and grow a great friendship was empowering. Also, we see Samiah struggle with racism in the workplace. I think this is such an important topic and Rochon shows how it occurs in even simple, daily interactions.

Daniel is undercover at Samiah's office, which added an interesting layer. While he and Samiah are obviously attracted to one another, she has decided to take a sabbatical from dating and he can't get involved with anyone when he won't be sticking around. The chemistry was solid and I enjoyed their interactions. He does screw up though and I wanted to shake him. Samiah is hurt and angry, but he grovels good and she is smart-she understands the logic and necessity in his decision, even if she wished it could have been different.

So, I actually had 3 copies of the Boyfriend Project-an e-ARC, an audio copy thanks to Libro.FM, and a hardback from Book of the Month! So, let me say the audio is GREAT! I loved the narrator, Je Nie Fleming. She did a wonderful job giving each character their own voice. It was easy to get caught up in the story and block out everything else.

The first thing that makes this book so endearing is its characters. Farrah Rochon really gave us some great insight and even the characters with smaller roles are multidimensional and well-personified.

Samiah’s character in particular is strong, ambitious, kind, and completely believable. I love her level of self-awareness and honesty with herself and others. She is a Black woman working in the male-dominated tech industry, and there is a lot of timely social commentary about how hard she’s had to work to make it to where she is in her career.

And Samiah isn’t only looking out for herself. She also talks about how important it is to exceed expectations in the office to help pave the way for other women of color in the industry.

This provides insight into discrimination in the workplace and the systematic racism that too often goes unnoticed by those who aren’t subject to it. Additionally, there is discussion that no matter how successful a woman is in her career, society still puts pressure on her to find a man.
Rochan manages to incorporate all these important social themes while still keeping the tone of the book fun and exciting.

Another thing in this book that stands out about The Boyfriend Project is female friendship in the book. It warmed my heart to see these women come together and build each other up. I love seeing books that show women supporting and uplifting each other and this girl group was absolute squad goals. The other two women in the group have stories just as interesting as Samiah’s.

This book provides a lot of insight into what’s going on in the character’s heads. While I loved much of what this exposed, I feel that on Daniel’s part, this was a bit overdone. I do understand why Rochon had to include this element. Because of Daniel’s deception, we readers need to believe that he had good intentions and feels bad about betraying Samiah. Unfortunately, at a point, it seemed like he was harping on himself. I feel that Rochon could have made this point without being so repetitive.

The steamy bits of this book are HOT! There was some real passion, and definitely more explicit than some romance novels out there. I did notice a few phrases that were repetitive here too. Still, overall very sexy and the chemistry between Daniel and Samiah is strong and believable.

At times the pacing of the story in The Boyfriend Project seemed a bit off, and I had to review the previous pages to see if I’d missed something because the previous scene ended abruptly.

Still, the book worked overall and I love the way the elements of the novel come together for a smart, sexy, and fun read.

If this review of The Boyfriend Project tells you anything, it’s that you should go order a copy right now!

I rated this book four stars, with only a few of the above things keeping me from giving it a full five stars. Still, it’s an enjoyable and smart read and discusses a number of relevant social issues.

This a fantastic romance full of witty dialogue, strong female friendships, and a steamy modern romance. After a disastrous date ends up with Samiah and her two new besties becoming viral sensations, the three women make a pact to focus on themselves. But like all things in life, plans don't always go the way we planned. While she should be focusing on her dream of creating an app for finding platonic friendships, the perfect man enters her life. Daniel may be intelligent, handsome, caring, and respectful, but Samiah has a career and new friendships that wants to focus on. But the chemistry between Samiah and Daniel is too strong to ignore and the two begin a beautiful romance. When secrets threaten their future, Samiah and Daniel have to decide how strong their relationship really is.
Samiah is an amazing character and I love how Rochon portrayed her strength and sense of self-worth. Samiah knows she is amazing and knows how hard she has to work for everyone to know she's amazing. The friendships between the three women couldn't be better and I would love a book just about their margarita dates.
Amazing book and I couldn't recommend it more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

This was cute but read more like women's fiction. I will say it was similar to The Right Swipe but better because this author is actually Black and respected her heroine enough to make her stand out.

I was so excited to read this book that I actually did a swap for it before I was approved on Netgalley. I'm glad I had both versions though so I could take this with me anywhere I went.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so much more than the name makes it seem. I enjoyed seeing a strong female character live her life with the sole purpose of doing something to better herself. Yes, she falls in love along the way, and that story line was great, but most of all she looks out for herself. We need more of that in books. I've already heard that we are getting 2 sequels and I couldn't be more excited.

This was my first read from Farrah Rochon and I must say she has a way with words. This book had me laughing within the first couple pages, and captured me right away. Farrah created characters that I couldn’t get enough of. Not only do we have romance, but three women who form a strong friendship.
Samiah was an awesome heroine. Driven, witty and intelligent. Her character was refreshing and motivating. Daniel is working undercover at Samiahs tech office, so no office romances wanted. But the attraction is strong.
📚🍷👯‍♀️
This book highlights strong independent women, women of color and female friendship. If you are looking for a contemporary romance/women’s fiction/ romcom, go and grab this one.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only is The Boyfriend Project a fun, charming novel with the perfect amount of steam; it also features a strong, intelligent, and admirable protagonist. I enjoyed reading about Samiah’s experience in the male-dominated tech world and her determination to be a true role model for young women of color in her field of work. I found her drive and dedication very inspiring. If you admired Liya in The Trouble With Hating You, then you will love Samiah just as much. I found a lot of similarities between both characters. The next time you’re in the mood for a romance with some depth and substance, be sure to pick this one up.

Samiah Brooks was blindsided when she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. What was maybe more unexpected for Samiah is the friendship she forms with the other TWO women - Taylor and London. Together they decide to help each other work on themselves, their goals and their dreams sans looking for a boyfriend - hence The Boyfriend Project is born.

Samiah is on board with this until she meets Daniel Collins - a new hire at Trendsetters, the tech company where Samiah works. Daniel and Samiah immediately click and he has her wanting to throw The Boyfriend Project out the window, except she can't put her previous boyfriend's betrayal behind her. It's not the only circumstance in Samiah's life that keeps her from openly trusting. Should she put aside her past experiences? Or is Daniel Collins really a little too good to be true?

The first words I would use to describe The Boyfriend Project are Fresh and Refreshing. For me, it upped the romance game big time.

I was really impressed with how Farrah Rochon was able to balance all the varying aspects of the story. When I sit down and think about it, there are quite a few, which is why I'm so impressed that the author was able to give every aspect its due. I didn't feel like there was anything skimmed over or quickly brushed aside.

I know that many will view this as a romance first. And to be fair it is. I truly loved the build up of Samiah and Daniel's feelings for one another. It was paced and teased just right. It also lends itself well to the overarching conflict within the story which I won't talk about too much in order to keep a few things a surprise! But I will say that the conflict is expertly built and integrated throughout the story and I felt like it was handled in a way that didn't feel too rushed.

But there were a couple things about the book that overshadowed the romance for me - in a good way. One being the female friendships. This is probably the thing in the story I could have done with more of. As it stands I love seeing women empower each other instead of used as competition. Taylor and London and Samiah provide that support system for each other and I think their relationship is more important to the story than the romance. It's the touchstone for all that Samiah does. When she's hesitant about starting a new business venture, she talks things out with London and Taylor and gains much needed perspective. The same when she confides in them her feelings for Daniel. Without setting up these women, the story would have been very different. I would love to see more interactions between them, but I'm pretty positive that in setting this up as a series, there'll be plenty of time for that when Taylor and London inevitably get their own books.

The second thing that I thought was completely on point is Samiah herself. Specifically, Samiah knowing her worth, knowing what she brings to the table in regards to her job and her capabilities and not being afraid to acknowledge this and not being afraid to demand her worth. I loved that Samiah works in technology. I am not a tech person so I'm may bumble through describing things in this part so bear with me. I loved seeing a character being successful in her job, loving her job, knowing she is the BOSS when it comes to her job. So often I feel like we don't get to see these aspects because they can be used as another way to convey conflict or tension in the story for our main character. So instead of seeing someone own their capabilities readers are coming in at a point where they're slipping. Not here. Here we see Samiah thriving in her work even when things personally seem to be going downhill.

It's also encouraging to see women in IT. I know that it's a burgeoning field and I think that Farrah Rochon does a great job in making sure that readers know that computers and technology can be a girl thing too. She takes it a step further by talking about Samiah being a woman of color in a male dominated field. How much harder she has to work to be taken seriously and to get to where she's at today, but making sure that we know she is there because of her capabilities. Adding layers, relevancy, and a voice, but not making it seem like boxes are being checked.

This is the first book I've read by Farrah Rochon, but it won't be the last as I'm pretty excited where she plans to take Taylor and London's stories.

There are so many things that drew me into this book. Obvs, I love STEM representation in romance and really appreciate characters who are career-focused. Samiah is the best of the best at her company and she is very aware of how much she can help young Black kids get an introduction into STEM fields. Ok, now Daniel. I love a broody, alpha, damaged hero but sometimes you just need a well-adjusted hero! Daniels is allll cinnamon roll. He was caring and considerate of Samiah and her goals. But Daniel has a secret and it could make or break their relationship.

Samiah has a good job with a tech firm in Austin. Her love life however, is not as good. She discovers via twitter that her new boyfriend also has 2 other women. The 3 women confront him and they become a viral sensation. A true friendship is born between Samiah, Londa and Taylor. They support each other. Samiah develops an office romance with the new guy at work. But Daniel has secrets. He also has a job to complete that this job involves deceiving Samiah. Bad guys are exposed, secrets are revealed and Samiah takes steps to advance her dreams. There could have been more groveling. Danial was forgiven too quickly. 4 stars for the female friendships. A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley for review.

Contains: tech geeks, strong female friendships and intrigue.

Awwww!
I just finished The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
It was my first Farrah Rochon and probably won't be my last! ;)
This book is the story of Samiah (a strong, independent, intelligent and gorgeous woman) and Daniel (handsome, kinda mysterious and charming as hell!).
Awwwww! It's such a woooooooonderful book about strong women, friendship, love, selfcare and suspense! Ha! Such a wonderful storyline!It was the right book I needed at the moment!
I can't stop swooning and smiling right now!
Thank you Farrah Rochon! ♡♡♡

Good read!! Samiah & Daniel’s story was refreshing and well written. After being cat-fished and creating a pact to ward off men, Samiah is conflicted at what to do with the attraction to Daniel but she let’s go and let love set in. I would recommend this read to any avid romance reader!!

A cute and quirky office romance with solid female friendships, a sexy book boyfriend deep undercover, and a sizzling relationship with great tension and banter. A refreshing and trendy tech-infuzed read.!

Blurb: When Samiah discovers her boy friend is cheating on her and several other women to boot, not all is doomed. She develops a deep friendship with two of the other girls who got dooped.

The friendship develops into “The Boyfriend Project,“ a plan where the three friends try to focus on themselves instead of on a relatioship.

What Samiah doesn’t expect is a blossoming friendship with her new cute co-worker Daniel. The two are instantly drawn to each other, and even though neither one of them has time for a relationship, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

This was such a pleasurable read! Daniel was tender and thoughtful, while Samiah was the very definition of what I look for in a female lead. Rochon created some kick ass female characters who are intelligent, kind, and supportive of one another!

It was empowering to watch these three women lean on each other and I also like how the author shed shed some light on the struggles of black women in the work force. The ending is hilarious and I’m really hoping we get Taylor’s story next. This was a total delight!

The Boyfriend Project has the ideal mix of fun, friends, and romance that make for a perfect summer read.

When Samiah Brooks’ boyfriend cancels dinner at the last minute, she plays it cool. She knows what it’s like to have to work late and besides, he’s taking her to a fantastic club later that night. As she’s perfecting her smoky-eye in anticipation of their rendezvous, her sister begins reading live tweets of a girl named Taylor about her date from hell. Taylor’s acerbic wit makes the tweets prime entertainment, but her descriptions of her companions’ car, home and habits have an eerie familiarity. By the time Taylor describes her date’s favorite dish Samiah’s not laughing. That meal can only be found at one local eatery- and given the other information the lady has tweeted, the man on that date can only be Samiah’s boyfriend. Samiah is all about confronting her problems and fortunately, the restaurant is right down the street. Her arrival is a welcome distraction for Taylor and as the two bond over their hatred of “Craig” (probably not his real name) they are joined by London, a third lady being catfished by the liar currently choking on his sushi roll. Luckily, the guy has excellent taste in women and Samiah and the two other ‘girlfriends’ have a great time taking the jerk down a peg in public. The three leave together, headed for the club Samiah had planned to visit with “Craig” later.

They never make it. Instead, they wind up having drinks at Samiah’s house and creating “a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men and no dating.” Naturally, that’s the cue for Daniel Collins to enter Samiah’s life.

Daniel is used to the whole first-day-at-work experience. As an undercover agent for FinCen (Financial Intelligence Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Treasury Department) his job is to infiltrate suspect corporations and figure out how they are committing their dirty deeds. Trendsetters, a snazzy tech company, is the latest of his assignments. His plan is simple; be an outstanding employee, and crack their security system so he can discover who in the firm is laundering money. He hadn’t counted on Samiah, though. Her fame via a viral video of her confrontation with “Craig” is the talk of the office during Daniel’s first hour there, and when he meets the lady in person he realizes that his usual policy of maintaining a polite distance from his coworkers is definitely not doable in this instance. He is completely fascinated by Samiah and wants as much time with her as he can get.

Samiah and Daniel’s relationship is a complicated dance from the beginning. She has just had a very public fall-out with a man who was lying to her, and Daniel is in no position to be honest with her. Someone at the company is working with some very dangerous people and it’s extremely important to shut them down as soon as possible. While Daniel believes Samiah is not involved, one person working with FinCen on the issue has already been hurt, and he won’t tell her who he is just to have her become the next victim.

Samiah doesn’t want a rebound relationship. She hadn’t been serious with “Craig” but she had been hurt by what he’d done. She also wants to be true to her new friends, and their pact. Her successful career has left her little time for girlfriends and she realizes this is a massive need in her life, which means her relationship with her recently acquired besties is a priority. She also takes to heart one of the key ideas in the pact: investing in herself. She’s wanted to create an app for years but hasn’t taken the time to do any serious work on it. However, doing that and hanging out with her friends won’t leave her much time to develop a relationship with Daniel.

Which leads me to one of the things I love most about Ms. Rochon’s novels: the way she is able to deliver a realistic romance. Samiah and Daniel are fully fleshed-out human beings and in the 21st century that means they are busy people. They are essentially working two jobs, and in addition to that, they have family and friends who matter to them, so they have to make time for their relationship when they can. This means they start out simply, by getting to know each other at theTrendsetters coffee bar and over lunches. I also appreciated that during this office romance they spent lots of their time actually working. The story emphasizes how hard Samiah had to strive just to get where she is, the setbacks she’s had along the way and the responsibility she feels as a black woman to excel in an industry that is predominantly male and white.

Daniel has also worked hard to get where he is and is concerned about how dating someone at the company he’s investigating will affect his position. He’s too strongly attracted to Samiah to walk away from her but his job is not conducive to romance. The best case scenario is that things work out both with his case and Samiah, but since he won’t be assigned locally again, that will mean a long distance relationship. I felt his anxiety over these issues was very realistic and I enjoyed the way the author addresses them in the story.

I always think of Farrah Rochon’s books as being romances about grownups because of how maturely her leads handle their affairs. Samiah and Daniel are human beings who have reached a good place in their lives and are ready to share that spot with someone special. They are able to (shocker!) talk through their issues and reach an acceptable compromise. The melodrama is kept to a minimum, allowing the passionate love story to shine on center stage.

While that was a big plus for most of the tale, my one quibble with the narrative is that Samiah is a tad too mature, forgiving and understanding when the whole denouement and resolution regarding the money laundering comes about. Daniel takes a step which has consequences for her and she is a lot more understanding about that than most people would be. I also wasn’t as convinced as he was that the action was necessary. That is just a small foible in another wise stellar work, though.

The author does a nice job of creating a great secondary cast in Taylor and London. Like Samiah, they are strong, independent women but they differ enough from her to provide a nice contrast. I liked them both, which is a good thing since I am pretty sure we will be reading their stories soon. This novel ends with a cliffhanger for one of them, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s resolved.

Relatable characters, solid writing and a charming love story make The Boyfriend Project one of the best romances I’ve read this year and I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance novels.