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.

I really enjoyed the friendship aspect of this book, and I think these three newfound friends showed the importance of having a supportive sounding board who can let you rant and will lovingly push you when you might be making decisions for family or status or what makes sense rather than what will make you happy.

Unfortunately the relationship part fell a bit by the wayside. I enjoyed the beginning, when they were flirting and interested in each other even though both had reasons why they couldn’t get involved, but when it grew into a relationship it felt like it stagnated, it was really hard for me to get past the lying (even if it seemed necessary), and there was a bit too much focus on the job and the investigation over the two of them. I’m learning that I like workplace romances, but only when they don’t delve too deep into the actual work! Their brief sex scenes seemed rushed and they went much too quickly from sexual tension to couple who doesn’t seem to have anything new to learn about each other. As a romance, it unfortunately didn’t work for me.

Loved this one! It was fun, witty, and engrossing! My favorite kind rom-com: the characters were vividly drawn and the set up was unique. Can't wait to read more from Rochon!

Thank you @readforeverpub
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I’m baaaaaaaaaack 😍. Going to talk about a lil Romance for a bit.
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Feels good to be back with my beloved #romcombooks . The Boyfriend Project was no different. I freakin loved this story. As an added bonus, this was a buddy read with @kourtneysbookshelf and my goodness. She is fun to talk to.
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Let’s talk about book boyfriend kryptonite for me...strong, sexy, sweet and genuinely good guys are always a win for me. Throw in the fact that Daniel was an ex Marine (cue panty drop 🤣). We also meet Samiah who I just adored. Fierce female characters are my jam and this one was no different. Smart and a low tolerance for crap, yes please. Together this couple worked well for me. They were believable, had fantastic chemistry and I really felt their relationship was not rushed. I always appreciate when a writer lets us fall in love with the characters without hurrying through the getting to know you stage!
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Overall, this was a great choice. I am going to recommend if you like a good work Romance with a side of highly intelligent, diverse characters....this is a fantastic fit for you.
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Let’s talk steam. I felt like it was a good amount of steam...but easy to pass through if that is not your thing. I’d let my mama read it with a bit of a steam warning 🤣. The characters are just too delightful to let a little ol steam get in the way!

This book was not what I was expecting in many ways. And I mean that quite literally! When I first started reading this book, I realized that in the two months that had passed I had gotten approved on NetGalley, I had mixed up the storyline with another romance. Thankfully after re-reading the synopsis, I remembered why I was interested in this book, and I became less confused about why the plot wasn’t taking the direction I thought it would.

In case like me, you need a synopsis, The Boyfriend Project about a woman named Samiah who discovers that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with several other women. She confronts the boyfriend and befriends the two other women that were duped as well. The three women make a pact to spend the next 6 months focusing on themselves with the time they normally devote to dating and romantic relationships. Of course, the very next day there’s a new hire at work, and not only is he beautiful, kind, and super smart, he seems to like Samiah just as much as she likes him.

That’s me paraphrasing the synopsis that’s on the dust jacket. But honestly, this book is so much more than your average romance. In fact, I kind of feel like the romance takes a backseat to everything else that goes on in this book. I’d classify this book as an adult contemporary with a heavy romance storyline. I know that sounds really similar to a normal romance book, but there’s something about this book that makes me hesitant to call it a romance novel.

I think that at the core, this book is about a bad-ass woman of color, proving to everyone what women in STEM can accomplish. Maybe this resonated more strongly with me because I’m majoring in engineering, but the fact that Samiah is a computer engineer is definitely a major part of this book, and I loved getting to see all the ways she was able to prove to both herself and others that she was a smart, capable, and just all-around awesome woman.

This book made sure to take the time to discuss how difficult it is to be a woman of color in STEM, and how that forced Samiah to work so much harder than the average computer engineer, because she knows that her mistakes are judged differently than mistakes by most people.

There were a few things that led to me not enjoying the romance to its fullest. The first thing has to do with the love interest, Daniel. There are some surprising twists about Daniel that we learn that heavily impact the plot and conflict of this book. I don’t want to go into too much detail because it can get spoilery very fast, but those twists led to some barriers to communication which in turn turns into part of the conflict of the book. Because of this, I enjoyed the romance way more before Daniel and Samiah actually got together! I thought the buildup was fantastic! There was a time that I had to put the book down to Awwwwwwwww from cuteness during their period of flirtation. But once they got together there was a lot more conflict that I wasn’t too happy to see.

The second thing that kept me from enjoying the romance to its fullest was the ending. I feel as though there wasn’t enough resolution to make me happy. There is an epilogue, but it could have just as easily been the last chapter in the book. I would have loved to see an epilogue a bit farther in the future with a stronger resolution. Obviously, since I’m talking about the ending I don’t want to delve into spoilers, but if you’ve read the book I’m curious as to what you thought about how this ended.

Now, I know it seems as though I hated the romance, and therefore hated the book. But that’s not true at all! I gave this book 4 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn’t get the majority of my enjoyment from the romance, as I normally do from books that are marketed as romances. Instead I loved the female friendships, the sisterly bonds, the discussion about WOC in STEM, the focus on workplace interactions, and the way Samiah always reached for her goals and dreams.

I think there was wonderful characterization, and we really got to know both Samiah and Daniel as multi-dimensional people. I enjoyed how we not only got to know them from reading in their respective perspectives, but that as they opened up to one another we learnt more about them as well.

I think there’s a lot to love about this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone who has any interest in STEM! The only thing that I would caution is to adjust your expectations of the romance. It is definitely present and definitely a major plotline, but to me at least, it took a backseat to all the wonderful other plotlines that made up this book.

I love it when a setting is immersive and well-drawn, and that is definitely the case here. The dialog was snappy and the characters compelling. Overall, I thought it was a really enjoyable read.

Samiah is a coder/software developer and is swearing off men after finding herself hoodwinked along with two other ladies by the last guy. They form a friendship and decided to take a "boyfriend project" -- to pursue an activity of interest and not date for 6 months. Of course after making such a pact, dreamy Daniel starts at her work, Trendsetters. There is instant attraction between the two and an office flirtation begins. Daniel has his own reasons for why a relationship is not on the table, but the attraction between them is too strong to deny.

This book takes place in Austin, TX. The work place is one that had put a lot of thought in how to motivate and inspire employees. Both settings were well-drawn and immersive, something I truly appreciate. The romance was lovely, with two characters that I was really rooting for. The only thing that kept this from 5 stars for me was the ending felt rushed.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next in series. It was my first by Farrah Rochon, but certainly won’t be my last.

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.

Whatcha reading:

I’m in the middle of Farrah Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project (out June 9). I’m loving the female friendships that anchor the book (the heroine Samiah and her friends meet in a viral encounter when they realize their asshole date is three-timing them). I also like how work-oriented the story is; Rochon doesn’t scrimp on details about the tech startup/app development. However, I’m concerned about the deception storyline; the hero Daniel is undercover for work reasons when he meets Samiah. It’s not my favorite plot device, but I have faith that Rochon will resolve it well.



Review:

I’m just disappointed. THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT has so many great aspects (strong female friendships, Samiah’s app ambitions, work-oriented storylines like how Samiah’s Blackness affects her standing in the industry, etc), but the romance ended on a weak note and I don’t love them as a couple. Samiah is awesome and I’m meh on Daniel. I never warmed up to him, so it’s not like his shitty grovel (explained in greater detail below) is the only mark against him.

My favorite part of THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT is Samiah’s friendship with London and Taylor; I wanted more of that because I loved them so much! And honestly, this perfectly sums up my three-star rating. I liked the female friendship more than the actual romance, which felt lackluster and boring. It didn’t help that I never liked Daniel. Something is wrong when your favorite part of the romance novel isn’t the romance. This is why I’m three-starring THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT despite other positive aspects.

The resolution to the deception storyline is terrible. I mean, come on. Daniel is lying the entire book (which is fine! That is the premise) and his POV scenes are unrelenting angst/flip-flopping over his lying. The deception is revealed at 87%, but there is one added lie that is TERRIBLE (not merely Daniel’s original false identity, but a personal betrayal of Samiah’s trust). It’s bad.

How does this get resolved, you ask? Samiah is pissed, and rightfully so. There is an apology attempt a chapter later, but Samiah doesn’t want to hear it. There is another apology attempt one more chapter later, and again Samiah doesn’t want to hear it at 94%. Then there’s... what, a weak grovel attempt/explanation and Samiah gives in so easily in ONE CHAPTER!?! She refuses to speak to him at the beginning of Chapter 28 and then suddenly there’s an HEA at the end of Chapter 28? It makes zero sense. The epilogue doesn’t improve it.

I’d still rec THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT to interested readers because the writing is decent and you might have a more positive reaction to the deception storyline. I’ll check out the next book as Samiah’s friends are awesome (I’m guessing Taylor is up next?).

There have been so many great releases from Forever this year and Farrah Rochon's latest, The Boyfriend Project, was another one of them! These contemporary romances have been a great distraction during COVID and I'm loving every minute of them. Samiah is a strong, intelligent, and independent woman who everyone would benefit from having as a friend. I love that this book started with bringing 3 women together who were all catfished by the same guy. Samiah, Taylor, and London quickly became close based on their shared experience. Their friendship quickly grew and that was refreshing to see since it's not always easy to find close girlfriends as you get older. This is an office romance trope that you'll definitely want to pick up! I just found out it's going to be a series and can't wait for the next stories!

This is one of my favorite rom coms of the year. First of all, I really enjoyed being able to read this story from Samiah and Daniel’s point of view. It was really adorable to see how they both felt about each other, despite all of the reasons they should not be together. Secondly, I loved how empowering this story was on so many levels. Rochon, through the main character Samiah, brought up great points about the way women in color are viewed in society and how difficult it is for them to break into STEM fields. I also really appreciated how this book was just as much about the friendship blossoming between 3 women as it was Samiah and Daniel’s relationship. Lastly, I loved the mystery and white collar crime that was going on behind the scenes of the whole story. It was a small added element but it made the story unique and interesting. All in all, I really enjoyed this story and will definitely be recommending it to friends!

When Samiah Brooks discovers the man she has been dating has also been dating two other women, rather than compete, the three team up and start a friendship. One of the goals of this friendship, is that they focus on their own goals rather than throw themselves back into the dating pool. For Samiah, this means she will finally finish the app she’s been dreaming of, but when a charming, new employee is hired at her tech job, Samiah has a hard time keeping her focus. Daniel knows he’s should get entangled with a coworker but he can’t talk himself out of coffee breaks with Samiah. And while he seems to seamlessly fit into his new job and Samiah’s life, there is more to him than he’s letting on.

I enjoyed this book, quite a bit. Samiah and Daniel were complicate people with a lot going on in their world beyond their interest in each other, and that is always important to me for world building. I look forward to getting to know the other women in the boyfriend project, and I am thrilled to have another author of color to highlight to patrons. For fans of The Right Swipe, this is another ensemble romance series I will be watching!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*.
I have been looking forward to reading a book by this author. I enjoyed how the book started. Three women make a connection when they discover they are all dating the same man. Someone videos it and posts it online. Instant celebrity. These new friendships were awesome! However, this is the best part of the book.
For me, the romance fell flat. So much if it takes place off the page. I find that extremely irritating. I want to see the initial parts of a couple falling for one another. I don’t want to be told about weekly meetings at a coffee shop. I need to see the build up to buy into the couple.
I enjoyed the writing but telling not showing is a real no no for me.

I really enjoyed this book! I love how it jumped right into Samiah confronting her boyfriend, who turns out to be a catfisher! You knew right away, you were getting a badass heroine! And not only that, she made friends with the other ladies who had been catfished as well! The friendship that develops between Samiah, London, and Taylor is amazing! And felt completely realistic as they each were adults with jobs, and couldn’t hang out and call each other at work regularly! They caught up with each other on Friday nights. The three decide that they are going to take time for themselves to be single and focus on their careers and goals and help hold each other accountable.

Of course, things never go as planned when a new hire, Daniel Collins, starts working with Samiah. Daniel and Samiah have an instant attraction to each other. The relationship was natural and flirty and I really enjoyed seeing the two grow close. However, considering Daniel’s secret, I was nervous as to how that was going to play out. To not spoil Daniel’s plot, I won’t say what the secret is, but I was happy with the end result. It was both satisfying and refreshing that there wasn’t any unnecessary drama that lingered. Daniel and Samiah communicated with each other - which was refreshing!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. In an era of catfishing and on-line dating this novel has a very timely plot. Samiah Brooks finds out on Twitter that the man who had just canceled their date was on a date with someone else. She decides to go to the restaurant and confront him. Little did she know that the confrontation would go viral and she would become best friends with the other women, yes-other women that were all cheated on by the same man! Samiah, Taylor and London form a pact to take a break from dating and focus on being the best people/friends they can be. This was actually my favorite story line of the book!! But, as in life, whenever you decide you don't want to date anyone, you can meet the man of your dreams. For Samiah it is Daniel-a new coworker that she ends up working with on many projects. Trust is a huge issue for Samiah, and when suspicious things begin to happen at work can she rely on Daniel or will she regret giving him her heart? This was a great story with diverse, driven female characters and a fun romance tied into it. There have to be follow up stories for Taylor and London!

Quick snyopsis: Daniel is hired at an innovative tech company, Trendsetters, where Samiah works in Austin. Daniel isn't your average employee through-- he's on an undercover assignment through the US Treasury Department, as someone at Trendsetters is likely laundering millions of dollars overseas. Despite the huge conflict of interest, Daniel can't resist Samiah, who is going through some struggles of her own when she's the subject of a viral video, and a relationship blossoms.
Overall: Fans of The Wedding Date series will especially enjoy this as there were some similar elements: strong female friendships, kickass smart women, and dating in today's world of social media and going viral. I loved Samiah as the super smart female lead (in STEM!) and the strong female friendships protrayed. This also made me add Austin to my travel list!

The Boyfriend Project was a book that I was excited to read because based on the premise, an office romance, I thought I would really enjoy it. While there were definitely things I did enjoy, there were other aspects that just didn't quite hit home for me.

Samiah Brooks was in a new relationship and things were going well at work until she discovers that her new boyfriend is cheating on her with not one, but two other women. After outing him in a restaurant with the video going viral, what ends up happening next was pretty cool. Samiah forms a bond with the other two women, Taylor and London, and they decide that for the next six months they are going to focus on themselves and not on romantic relationships. In theory that sounds great until a new guy starts at Samiah's work.

Daniel Collins has just landed a job at the tech firm where Samiah works and he's ready to get to get down to business. What he doesn't anticipate is being taken by the gorgeous, accomplished woman. While he has sworn off relationships himself, he finds any reason to be around Samiah. Will he really be able to resist starting something up with her even if there could be other consequences?

I enjoyed the friendship between Samiah, Taylor and London. It was everything your relationships with your girlfriends should be. There were several things I struggled with throughout the book, but I think the biggest thing is that it lacked romance and then when it was there it felt very rushed. There were a couple of times that I felt like I had whiplash because we went from point A to point B so quickly. I wanted to love this book, but while it was enjoyable, it missed the mark for me.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**