I can think of no better way to rate a book about two analytical people than a pros and cons list (especially being an analytical person myself)!

Pros - good discussion on sexism and racism, especially in white, male dominated professions;

Cons - cliche story of finding someone when you stop looking for love; slow start; not quite what the description implies (female friendship as a side story, not the main story)

Every once and a while I have a friend that I do a buddy read with. We both love romances novels so we tend to pick one we both plan to read around the same time and read it together. Normally what we do is read 5 chapters and chat about it, 5 more chapters and chat about, and so on. We have read about 3 or 4 books together this way and had a lot of fun so when we both were planning to read The Boyfriend Project we decided to do it together. And while we both agreed on what we thought, I’m glad to have read it with her.

The Boyfriend Project was first brought to my attention sometime in 2019. It’s the story of Samiah who unexpectedly finds out the guy she is dating has been dating 2 other women at the same time. When the girls confront him together they end up becoming friends and decide they should work on hobbies and things they love and leave guys out of it. Unfortunately this is the exact time Samiah meets Daniel, the new hire at her job. She tries not to like him but he makes it so hard that she has no other choice but to give in. What she doesn’t know is that Daniel is keeping a secret from her, one that could change everything.

My feelings are complicated when it comes to The Boyfriend Project. On one hand I liked the writing style and the characters a lot. Samiah and Daniel had amazing chemistry and the 3 girls, Samiah, Taylor and London, had a fast friendship but it was believable. All of that and the theme of women being important in their jobs were all top notch. What I didn’t love was how Daniel’s secret was dealt with. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give it away, but that really bugged me when I was reading. I just felt like it could have been handled differently and instead it took away some of my enjoyment. That was truly my biggest issue with the book.

In the end The Boyfriend Project was enjoyable and something I would recommend even if it did just miss the mark for me. It was a quick read and one I say to add to your TBR. Maybe do a buddy read like I did and discuss what you think with friends.

The Boyfriend Project is the type of rom-com that is right in my comfort zone. It has characters I liked, the perfect amount of chemistry and just enough misunderstanding to keep things interesting.

I loved Samiah’s quick wit and drive to become not only a success professionally but also someone who is willing to help those who will follow her into a field that has very few women of color. I also love the bond she creates with London and Taylor as they develop a supportive and strong friendship. When Daniel starts working in her office they are immediately intrigued by one another. With Daniel’s drive to do the right thing and help others it’s clear why he and Samiah are so drawn to each other. There were many things about this book that felt expected but there were enough surprises to keep it interesting. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

3.5/5 Stars

This book is very cute, but the plot summary is somewhat misleading. The plot is made to seem to be a story about female friendships and the importance of it in life. However, Rochon's novel is mostly focused on the office relationships between the two leads, with a cursory glance at the friendships advertised. If this were a different book/plot advertised, it wouldn't be an issue. However, as it is advertised as being a story about female friendship, I would have like to read more about the female friendships.

I would rate this book a 1.5, rounded up to 2 because I skimmed to the end.

Samiah Brooks is a confident, smart and successful woman working for a technology company. Upon finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her and confronting him in a video that goes viral (oops!), Samiah befriends Taylor and London, the two other women being two-timed by the aforementioned boyfriend. The three become fast friends and decide to complete the boyfriend project, focusing on only themselves and each other for 6 months. Enter Daniel, he begins working at Samiah's tech company and they have an instant connection. A couple of problems arise, one being that Samiah has sworn off men, and two being that Daniel is really an undercover agent working to find out who at the company is laundering money.

I have so many thoughts on this book. I read it closely for 50% but then couldn't do it anymore. I wanted to not finish but I pushed through and skimmed to the end. On a positive note, I do think the story had a lot of potential, the writing was good and the characters were good, well-developed enough and likeable. I appreciate the author writing a very diverse and inclusive story. However, it was too much. It was too long, there were too many stories, too many details, too many characters, too many directions... It was just all too much. From the beginning I kept thinking, I like the characters and the story, but I never wanted to pick it up and read it, I was basically only getting through a chapter a day. Another major problem I had is with the language surrounding anything sexual in the book. I thought there was a lot of unnecessary swearing generally, but the sex talk was next level cringe. It was so awkward and made me feel so uncomfortable I couldn't read it. Most of what Samiah and Daniel thought about one another fell into this as well. I also didn't like how Daniel lied the entire time, then they just made up at the end. That went against really everything Samiah was standing up for, even though it was for his job. This book really wasn't for me in the end. I hope others enjoy it more!

Thanks to the publisher for granting my wish!

What a fun, multilayered book! It is a story about friendship among women. It's a romance. It is a thoroughly modern story about strong women rising above the constraints society tries to box them in due to race and gender. And there's a bit of mystery too! Samiah, Taylor and London are fantastic characters and I am looking forward to all their stories. Daniel was also very likable and added another interesting layer with the mystery component. This book has so many good elements and they all build up a great, relatable, story.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Despite three smart women discovering they have been duped and 'three-timed' by the same man the feelgood factor coms more or less at the start when the women make a pact not to date anymore They become friends and basically have a load of fun. A brilliant summer (and lockdown) read!
Thanks to netgalley

This book started out promising, but the middle fell kind of flat. I found myself getting bored and tired of the character's story, and by the end of the book I just didn't really care how the story got tied up. I just wanted the book to be done so I could start something else. I wish I could have seen more of the other two women (London and Taylor) and how they were all developing in their own lives. The few interactions weren't enough for me, especially because of how the three women met in the first place.

I read the extended preview for this one, and then downloaded the full book when I saw it was available on netgalley.

I think the best part of the book (to me) was the friendship formed between our scorned women-Samiah (our strong and independent heroine), Taylor, and London. I love that rather than turn on or get catty each other over he-who-shall-not-be-named, they bonded over it and formed their own little squad. Female friendships are so important, and this definitely highlighted that. They are supportive of one another, and there to encourage each other when they need it.

I also appreciated that the author shows on the page just how much more pressure women (and especially in this case, a women of color) face in male-dominant fields.

I wasn’t crazy about the length sometimes of the inner dialogue, and what felt like over-descriptions of things. Like her makeup routine near the beginning of the book felt kind of unnecessary, at least to me.

The romance wasn’t enough of that slow burn I tend to prefer, but that’s not to say it won’t be for other readers. On top of that, Daniel gave me a bit of whip lash with his hot and cold behavior, and I just never got fully invested in their relationship. I wish things had been a bit more built up between them, I guess?

I honestly can’t say the book was bad, I just think it missed the mark for me personally. I do plan to read more by this author though!

This is one of those romances with a group of friends where I wish they were real-life people so I could hang out with them in person. I was so caught up in the beginning and watching a new friend group find each other that when the hero showed up I was a bit surprised — like “oh yeah, I forgot this is a romance!” Farrah Rochon’s gifts for realism and vividness of setting are unmatched, and I cannot wait for the next in the series. The book’s climax irked me a little—I will spare you my several pages of me yelling at Daniel for his foolishness—but on the whole this is a solid summer read and a great escape. Bonus points for being the first romance I ever read with a programmer hero that actually mentions GitHub!

Farrah Rochon is one of my favorite authors when I want well developed characters and the Boyfriend Project was no exception. This book starts with a bang and doesn't let up. But, my absolute favorite thing was seeing a woman of color succeeding, thriving, in the tech industry AND actively helping young girls of color get into the field. THAT WAS AMAZING! MORE OF THAT, PLEASE!!!

The romance is well plotted, the writing is tight, and several points had me laughing out loud. This book was a slam dunk for me and I look forward to reading more books like it very soon.

REVIEW | The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

When Samiah and two other women find out they’re being cheated on by the same man, they develop a true friendship involving an anti pact to focus on themselves. Of course, the pact happens just when Samiah meets Daniel - a seemingly perfect man.

Things I loved:
💖The portrayal of strong female friendships- I loved the friendship between the three women. Taylor and London were great characters.

💖The relationship between Samiah and Daniel was really well portrayed- as was the maturity in how they handled their conflict.

💖The POC representation of course

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for this lovely ARC!

Three women discover than they were being duped by the same man in the name of love and dating and the discovery leads to flowering of a beautiful friendship between the three.

Reading this in 2020 and the fact that a woman is writing this story, and the fact that she makes sure that this friendship stays as one of the main threads of this novel makes this book so good. Samiha is a coder and developer and she has realised via Twitter that the man she is dating is dating two other women. She walks on him and meets these two ladies, both very successful in their own right. The night which should have been a painful one spent sobbing about lost love is instead spent on getting drunk, making a pact about life and boyfriends and laying the foundation of a friendship that sees you through thick and thin. Of course, there is a man who might be just too attractive to ignore!

The characters and situations are identifiable and like me I think most of us know how hard it is to find friendship as soon as you are out in the big world of professionalism. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon was indeed a refreshing read not only because of the subject of female friendship but also the freshness that came through in the writing. It does not get boring and there are a few really nice twists and turns that I am sure you will enjoy reading. I would not put this under chicklit category because the book is meatier than just that but then it also doesn't weigh you down with emotion and for that Rochon must be applauded.


Thank You Net Galley, the publishers at Grand Central Publishing and the author for extending me the ARC.

Samiah has just gone viral for yelling at a three-timing con of a boyfriend (plus side: She met two great friends this way.). Daniel, who's just started at Samiah's company, is drop dead gorgeous, and definitely up to something. There's coffee and emotional awareness.

The characters are vivid and the friendships are great. Both characters have people to talk to. One character is lying/not telling the whole truth for much of the book, which may be a non-starter for some readers. But they have the decency to feel REALLY conflicted about it.

I enjoyed this book. I'm here for this trio of ladies and curious to see what's in store for Taylor and London.

The one thing that I wish was wrapped up in this book is the app that Samiah was working on. But I assume I'll get the update on that in the future books!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

I really wanted to love this one, but in the end I only liked it. I was so in it from the first chapter, where three women converge on a dirtbag man when they realize in a moment that goes internet viral that they've all been had by him. Our story follows one of the women, Samiah. She's a black woman in tech, and I was really interested to read such a character, but it all felt very "tell" and not "show" when she explained to her love interest was her experience was like. Still, it's a valuable perspective to see.

All in all, I felt like the ratios were off in this book. Between her job, his job, her newfound friends, and their romance, it felt really skewed toward job stuff, which was the least compelling part about the book. Her job stuff felt jargony (and I have worked in tech???) and his job stuff just never pulled me in.

I was SO INVESTED in her new friends, and I wish there had been a real arc to their story in this book, but I was happy they were there nonetheless.

The last thing I'll say is that the sex in this book was wildly unsexy to me. To each their own, but each scene would have some word choice or turn of phrase that just made me say, why.

All that said, for an afternoon by the pool or whatnot, it's perfectly cromulent.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

ARC Review

What happens when your cheating boyfriend gets caught thanks to a viral tweet? You become immediate friends with your fellow scorned lovers! Seriously guys, I LOVED the friendship that developed between Samiah, London, and Taylor. It’s possibly the best part of this book. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the relationship between Samiah and Daniel, but Squad Goals (their self-appointed group name) are my type of strong women that I love to read about. I’m really excited for their future books!

As for the romance, it felt a little instalove and I had some issues with Daniel’s hot and cold behavior as well as his numerous slip ups. But I’m getting ahead of myself! The big conflict in their workplace relationship is that Daniel is a government agent working undercover in Samiah’s office. He wasn’t supposed to get distracted, but he’s immediately enamored with Samiah so he takes the risk...when he’s not pumping the brakes.

The way that this all comes to a head lost me a bit. Both character’s dealt with the big reveal in a weird way as they dealt with the subject of trust and lies. All in all, cute story and I’m excited for the next one!

Loved the beginning of Farrah Rochon’s new series with its first book: The Boyfriend Project. This book opens with a group of three women discovering through social media that they are being cheated on by the same guy. Loved this opening. It was super fun and so fitting with today’s culture. I was totally with this crew. The female relationships were one of the strongest elements of this book. And I can’t wait for the rest of the series.

From that opening, three friendships develop. And we begin to Samiah’s story. I fell in love with Samiah and was totally into Daniel, the leading man as well. The Boyfriend Project was such a fun and unique take on romance. Though heavy on technology in some parts, I was so engaged in Samiah’s and Daniel’s stories. Samiah is such a strong and career driven woman. I totally loved that. And I loved how Samiah’s and relationship developed. So many heartfelt and tender moments. And some great steamy scene. Definitely pick this one up!

2.75/3 stars - I wanted to like this book much more than I did. I struggled to get into the story, which is why is took me four days to finish. The plot was intriguing and I liked the characters, but the love story/romance aspect of the book just did not grab me or make me squeal/laugh/cry like a really good love story does - ya know? I was rooting for the characters the whole time, but also checking my phone or looking at the other books in my tbr longingly.

I did enjoy the emphasis on female friendships and the struggle to find those friendships in a new city. I loved the representation and conversations about POC in the workplace/tech industry, especially women. Also, loved that the book is set in Austin, Texas.

The epilogue set up a next book for Taylor (one of the best friends), so I could see a series situation similar to Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series. I would probably read more in this series, because I am a sucker for getting glimpses of past characters in new storylines.

Honestly, I was super excited to start reading this book and I am so glad that I did.

This was not my first book by Farrah Rochon but it honestly is now my favorite of hers. I love when books about black characters from black authors get so much attention. It warms my heart. I also enjoyed that it featured a strong black independent woman who was working in the tech field. I don't think there is nearly enough about women of color who work in the tech field. So overall I enjoyed reading this book so very much.

The book is about Samiah Brooks who goes viral after finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her with multiple women. Those women get together and bond over their shared experiences and decide to take 6 months off from dating until they are able to accomplish some of their other goals without men taking up space in their mind.

Samiah decides to use this time to work on an app she has had dreams of creating for a while. But incomes handsomely as sin secret agent Daniel Collins, who is now working at her job to solve a case. While he knows he should not get involved with Samiah but who can resist such a beautiful and smart woman. Not Daniel, he finds himself falling for her, and even though Samiah has taken a vow to not date for a while she finds herself falling for him as well.

The Boyfriend Project teaches us more than just romance, it touches upon the sexual and racial inequalities that face women and people of color who want to go into the tech field. It gives us an insight into how much pressure women of color want to be in the tech world face.

The Boyfriend Project shows us what happens when women of color stick together and encourage each other, the realities of what it's like to be a minority woman in tech, as well as provide us with a real love story.

I loved this book and hope others love it as well. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book. I hope this becomes a series and we get a book about London and Taylor soon.

You know what they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me," and Samiah was far too intelligent to let that happen again. After being catfished by her alleged "boyfriend", Samiah and the other two women he was stringing along, agreed to take the next six months to eschew men, and use that time to put themselves first, calling this plan The Boyfriend Project. But, then she met Daniel, and began questioning their plans.

This was a workplace romance with a twist, and I rather enjoyed it. This book had all the makings for a story that was sure to win me over.

• It was funny. The set up premise alone had me chuckling, but there was humor throughout the book, which kept me smiling.

• Samiah was an incredible woman. I think if I only saw that viral video, I would have been intimidated by her, but the more I learned about Samiah, the more I admired and respected her. Samiah rose up through the ranks of her tech company due to her intelligence, hard work, and grit. She also KNEW she was phenomenal at her job, and was not ashamed to claim her crown. I love seeing that in a woman, because we have been conditioned to not flaunt our skills, while men can crow all they want. So, good for Samiah! But, it wasn't enough for her to just be amazing at her job, she wanted to support and encourage other women, especially women of color, to reach for their dreams, and she wanted to help them realize these aspirations as well. Her ambition and desire to give back made her a standout heroine.

• Samiah + Daniel = Something Special. I loved these two together. They were both fighting the attraction for so long, but the whole time, I was treated to their spectacular banter and electric interactions. Daniel presented as Samiah's unicorn man. She had shared a list of things she wished she had gotten out of other relationships, and there was Daniel, doing those things, checking all the boxes. I loved it! They also had this mutual respect for each other. Combine that with all the little things they did to show affection, and I was fully onboard this ship. Watching these two together was such a pleasure, and it made me wish there was a bit more of the romance in the story.

• Female friendship for the win! Though they were brought together under less than desirable circumstances, an incredible friendship formed between Samiah, Taylor, and London (the other catfished women). They joked around, calling themselves "Squad Goals", but they really lived up to the name. The beauty of their friendship was in how different they were, yet how much they complimented each other. They pushed each other out of their comfort zones, and supported one another as they took those chances. The focus on friendship filled that romance hole for me, and I was happy it was a bigger part of the story.

Overall: I felt like this book had it all. A standout heroine, fabulous unicorn-man hero, sweet romance, and a fantastic friendship were the driving forces for me, but I also appreciated the author taking on issues of gender and racial inequality in the workplace. Rochon expertly combined all these elements to produce a wonderful story, which has me eagerly awaiting the other Boyfriend Project books.