We are living in the golden age of romance novels, and I am so here for it.
Incredible storytelling. Diverse and well-developed characters that resemble the people I know in my life versus stale caricatures. Beautifully paced plots that keep my full attention - even when my kid is yelling “Mommy-mommy-mommy-mommy-MOMMY!” And the best of them weave a serious issue into the story seamlessly, and I feel so incredibly happy and smarter and have a better understanding of how to be an ally after reading them.
Farrah Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project has joined the list of security blanket reads. It’s EXCELLENT.
Samiah is a protagonist that I sympathize with deeply and have also learned a lot from. Daniel is from Philadelphia and proudly rocks our team’s merch while being empathetic and kind and the type of man we need more of in real life. And even though he’s got his own secret, I love the instant connection between these two. The chemistry jumps right off the page and left me smiling and flipping through the book furiously all day long.
@bookofthemonth literally delivered this early release, so it’s a good time to join if you haven’t already!
My mild disappointment of not knowing about Farrah sooner was quickly replaced by the glee to read all her previously published books.

Thank you to the author/publisher for an advance copy of this novel! Opinions here are my own.

The Boyfriend Project is just a super cute effing novel. The end.
I'm just playing, but it IS really cute. Absolutely loved the main thread of romance through the novel-- Daniel, who's licking his wounds after the end of a long relationship and Samiah, whose last breakup was so public and horrific that it went viral. Both have every reason to avoid each other... and I just love when two characters are so drawn to each other that they throw all of those reasons to the wind and come together.
The external drivers in this story are as powerful as the romantic plot-- I love a book that is about more than the hero and the heroine wanting to do the horizontal mambo. I need more than characters staring out the window and talking to their own reflections-- though there is plenty of surmising and psychology that makes sense.
I love the stakes-- the status of Daniel's job and what he needs to do to call his mission complete; Samiah's need and desire to prove herself at work and get ahead, not to mention her personal passion (and needed to be the best, not "good enough"); and her friendship with the ladies she met as her last relationship was imploding that led to the formation of the Boyfriend Project.
At one point, I thought all the stories were getting hard to manage... but by now, I've read Rochon enough to know that she is skilled at weaving storylines together so they dovetail with perfection.
All that analysis aside.... this was a cute story! It'll definitely put a smile on your face.

Samiah Brooks works at a tech company and is currently dating a guy she met on a dating website. While getting ready to go on their date, she realizes via Twitter that he is on another date with another woman! Samiah decides to head down to the restaurant and confront him. This is where Samiah meets London and Taylor. The two other women who were also dating the same man!

I loved this relationship meet cute between Taylor, Samiah and London. Their interactions and weekly dates were so much fun. I could definitely see myself meeting with my girlfriends just like this!

I also really enjoyed that all three friends were very independent and successful in their own professions. I absolutely love it when strong females are written in romances and Samiah, Taylor and London embody that.

While swearing off men for the time being along with her new girlfriends, Samiah happens to meet Daniel at work. He's a new co-worker at Samiah's tech company and they casually start seeing each other.

What lacked for me was the romance equation of The Boyfriend Project. The romance really took a back seat. Samiah's relationship with her girlfriends and her ability to write a new app were a big part of The Boyfriend Project as well as the reason Daniel was at the company. I enjoyed the suspense surrounding Daniel's profession, but the reveal and ending tied up a bit too neatly for me. I enjoyed the relationship between Samiah and her girlfriends, but I wish I was more invested in the romance.

After learning via a Twitter rant that the guy she was seeing was also seeing not one, but TWO other women, Samiah finds Internet fame when her epic takedown goes viral. With each refresh the views multiply. While gaining two besties out of the ordeal was a huge perk, as a Black woman at the top of her game in the tech world, Samiah does not need her newfound fame following her to the office.

Unfortunately, by the time Monday rolls around, everyone has already seen it. Multiple times. Including the jaw-droppingly gorgeous new guy, Daniel. Although there’s an instant attraction – mutual, if Daniel’s gazes and not-so-subtle trips to the coffee machine are anything to go by – Samiah is most definitely not looking for another relationship. For starters, hooking up with a coworker, especially a new coworker, is a big no-no. Secondly, Samiah and the other duped ladies, London and Taylor, have decided on a six-month period of no guys, just focusing on themselves and living their best lives with not a thought on dating.

Easier said than done, right?

With quarantine life making it near impossible for me to focus on anything for more than five minutes, I desperately needed something light and fluffy. And what could be fluffier than a rom-com? I dove right into The Boyfriend Project fully expecting to come out with a Top Read of 2020. And while I did enjoy it, I’m sad to say it was just okay. Just decent. One I doubt I’ll ever reread and I’m not sure how interested I am in the sequel.

The book started out great and I was 100% on board. Things opened with Samiah getting ready for a date while her pregnant sister scrolls through her Twitter feed. When she notices some poor woman on a horrific date, she begins reading the tweets aloud. Eventually Samiah realizes the guy on the date is the guy she’s dating – ironically, Craig pushed back his date with her to go on his current one – and marches right down to the restaurant to confront him. Not long after, the third jilted girlfriend shows up and Craig is kicked to the curb.

After those initial chapters, things slowly went downhill. Not to where the book was bad or that I was forcing myself to read, but it didn’t have the momentum of its opening. Throughout the novel, Samiah keeps saying these woman are her closest friends, but I never felt that connection come through on the page. Same with the romance. I was told they were attracted to each other, but never felt that chemistry.

There’s a secondary plot that’s almost a mystery if you squint. Daniel works for the Treasury Department with a special unit doing financial undercover work. His resume is a total lie, a backstory concocted to secure him a job at Samiah’s company. There’s some money laundering scheme going on and it’s up to Daniel to get to the bottom of it. I’ll be honest, if this was a different story by a different author where the sole plot was the corrupt group hatching a nefarious scam to rake in cash…I’d be all over that. But this is not a thriller and any time Daniel or his real job or his roommate came up, I was tempted to skip ahead. I went into this book looking for a fun romance, not some government agent schtik.

Because of Daniel’s job, his entire relationship with Samiah was built on lies. He can tell her bits and pieces (he comes from a military family, his ex wasn’t happy with his choice to turn down a high-paying job across the country), but the Daniel she knows doesn’t exist. He’s there to do a job, no matter what needs to happen…like stealing her badge when she’s one of the few employees with access to specific high-security areas of the building. His actions weren’t forgivable for me, and it looked as though Samiah felt the same. Unfortunately, things end with a nice, neat bow in true rom-com fashion.

The Boyfriend Project started off so strong, but that momentum began to wane a few chapters in. It’s a very easy-to-read novel that honestly flew by. I read this on my Kindle and I felt like every time I glanced down, the percentage was further and further. I rejoiced at Samiah being a Black woman in a STEM position and loved how she boosted other women around her…but was dismayed to see her contradict herself when it came to a female coworker. (Another scene that really rubbed me the wrong way was when Samiah went to the hospital to visit her sister right after her niece was born. Her sister just gave birth, and the first thought Samiah had upon seeing her sister is that she’s in desperate need of some eye cream and a hairbrush..) There was a tad bit too much showing, rather than telling (I never really bought the three ladies’ BFF connection nor the romance) and I could have done without Daniel’s super secret government job subplot. While this wasn’t a homerun for me, I did get through it very quickly and I know it’ll find plenty of fans this summer!

For me, the best part of this book has to be the friendship between Samiah, London, and Taylor. The circumstances that brought them together are unfortunate but amazing and I love the vibe they have. It's true camaraderie and I'm here for it.

The romance aspect was cute. I wouldn't say I'm a diehard Samiah/Daniel fan but they work well together. The complications in their relationship aren't like ones I've read about in the past so I enjoyed the twist. I also haven't read many books about women in STEM and I really enjoyed how passionate Samiah was about the topic and her POV as a woman of color in the field.

There were a lot of great qualities in this book, but nothing really stood out to me as amazing. I really liked the friendship between Samiah, London, and Taylor and can't wait to read more about them, but that's about all that I really loved. The rest was interesting but ultimately didn't make me fall head over heels.

A strong premise, but the characters were a let down. Ultimately, the romantic relationship and the steamy scenes were not for me.

I have to be honest, The Boyfriend Project just wasn’t for me. I picked up this book because I saw so many wonderful reviews and posts on bookstagram about it but I had a hard time finishing it. (It was actually almost a DNF.) Unpopular opinion, I know.⁣
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There were times in the book that instead of being shown with descriptive writing the emotion of the situation was, we were just told, which isn’t nearly as effective. The writing felt too simple in that way. It was predictable, ⁣
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I love stories with immediate attraction, but I felt a little uncomfortable at how quickly Daniel became almost obsessed with Samiah. The connection didn’t feel real, like all the important moments of love and their building relationship happened off the pages. ⁣
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I did, however, like the friendship between the strong women in the book. ⁣

Great diversity was showcased in “The Boyfriend Project” and a decent assembled group of characters, so kudos to the author! Minus that, everything else was <i>meh</i>. It was a pretty mediocre read and there wasn’t anything besides what was listed above that stood out. I just wish there was that something something to win me over but there is potential for sure so I look forward to seeing what else this author releases in the future.

I got a free ARC of this on Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

Samiah Brooks is getting ready for a date, while her pregnant sister reads her hilarious updates from another woman's disastrous first date on Twitter. Samiah is mortified to discover that not only is the man she's getting ready to meet at that very moment seeing another woman, but they're at the very restaurant he took Samiah on their first date. She storms over to confront the creep, and during the confrontation, a third scorned woman appears as well. The three women take turns telling their cheating companion what they think of him, then go off together with take-away sushi (paid for by the three-timing scum) to get drunk. The morning after, they nurse their hangovers, promise to keep in touch, and discover that their confrontation with the dude has gone viral in a major way.

Samiah, London and Taylor decide that they are swearing off men and working on themselves for the next six months. Only then will they give the dating scene another chance. Samiah is finally going to develop the app she's been thinking about for years, and if it weren't for the new hire at her work, the handsome and charming Daniel Collins, her vows to stay single would be easy to uphold.

Daniel Collins is a federal agent, trying to figure out who at Samiah's tech company is funnelling funds for money launderers. He's working undercover as a computer programmer, and while he normally has no problems staying objective and focused on the task at hand, he's smitten with Samiah the first time he sees her. The more time he spends with her, the more blown away he is by her intelligence, her drive, her passion for helping other women of colour succeed in her field. It's always nice to see the protagonists of a romance fall for more than the other person's looks, and in this book, both leads are extremely good at their jobs and professional to the point that it might get in the way of the romance.

I thought the book was a bit slow to get started, and in the beginning, more focus is given to Samiah's new friendship with London and Taylor than in building her relationship with Daniel. However, neither of the women clearly have a big support network and so desperately need each other, and it was really encouraging to see three women who may have seen each other as rivals instead embrace their found sisterhood and support and build each other up, rather than tearing one another down. Support from other women is especially important to Samiah, as, in order to be seen as a good colleague and a valuable team player at work, she keeps having to keep her mouth shut about a scheming female co-worker repeatedly taking credit for her work (there is a very satisfying scene later in the book where Daniel steps up and defends Samiah during a presentation, and the other woman is called out most deservedly).

There is a strong element of competence porn to this book, both protagonists are career-minded and very good at what they do. There is an instant physical attraction between them, but they are both reluctant to act on it right away (Daniel because he knows his assignment is temporary and he'll have to keep lying to Samiah about his true identity, Samiah because she's sworn off dating and men for the next six months). So they spend time getting to know one another, starting with work lunches and the occasional hike, before eventually giving in and taking the relationship to the next level. For readers who want a lot of *insert funky bass line here*, be aware that it takes more than half the book before the couple gets to that point, the focus on this book isn't exactly on the physical.

I've previously mentioned in reviews that romances, where one or both of the protagonists are lying to or deceiving the other, makes it harder for me to like them. In this case, Daniel is working undercover, and it's part of his job not to reveal his true identity or motives to anyone at Samiah's company, and therefore it didn't bother me. He's not doing it out of self-serving reasons. The closer they get, the worse he feels about having to continue his deception and the steps he has to take to use Samiah to achieve his goals. He does some quality grovelling to make up for it, even though (unbeknownst to him), she's pretty much forgiven him already, as he was doing an important job and making sure some very bad people were brought to justice.

This is my first Farrah Rochon novel, and based on the epilogue, I'm assuming that Taylor is the next heroine we'll read about. I am absolutely going to check out the next two books in the series, and will also be looking into Rochon's back catalogue.

Strong and supportive female friendships for the win! The romance was delightful, but I love that this story found its legs on an unlikely group of girlfriends. I really appreciate the fact that this book and its characters are smart and have a lot of important things to say and learn. It warms my heart to know that a younger reader might be pulled in by the promise of romance and then end up on the other side feeling empowered about the value they bring to the table.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC!

I absolutely loved The Boyfriend Project. Samiah is a strong, capable, smart woman who gains two best friends after they all find themselves being played by the same guy. The novel follows Samiah through her professional life, her friendships, and when Daniel is hired at her company, her romantic life peaks. But what if Daniel is not exactly who he seems. Can Samiah forgive and move on, or should she write off men all together?

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel!

I absolutely love a good rom com book! I wanted to love this one, but I can't say that I fell in love with the characters. They both felt more surface level than I had wanted!

This was a really cute read! I enjoyed it all the way through, and am really glad I had a chance to read it! It wasn't super memorable, but it was good while I was reading.

As a BOTM pick, I know this book is popular right now, but I thought it was just okay. Samiah Brooks works in the Austin tech world. Daniel Collins is a new employee for her company but no one knows his real job is to find the source of a money laundering scheme. The first half of the book seemed to be Samiah and Daniel going over their individual reasons why they should not get together, even though the attraction was strong. There was also this ordeal about Samiah and two other girls catching a guy in a cheating scandal and all becoming YouTube sensations for calling him out. That drove the title of the story but it all seemed like fluff to me. Samiah is an awesome female protagonist, strong, smart, driven and I enjoyed the case Daniel was trying to solve. But the whole long winded internal dilemma of should they hook up or not just really wore me out. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an early copy of this book!

The Boyfriend Project was a fun, fast, and flaming hot romance that had it all!

Smart and strong women with an emphasis on female friendships along with a romance? What more could you ask for?

Samiah and two other women find out they have been conned by the same man... a true friendship is formed quickly. Can I just say how much I loved London and Taylor?! I just love strong female friendships!! These ladies build a pact not to date men for 6 months.... but Samiah finds herself with a hot new sexy hire Daniel... this tends to put a bend in that pact.

This dual timeline shows Samiah trying to fight for her goals with her career while fighting off a strong romantic connection with Daniel. Can she do it? ;)

What a fun, sexy, sassy, and quick romance that I just devoured!! I'm definitely a fan of Farrah Rochon and highly recommend you checking this romance out.

4 stars!!

Thank you so much to Forever Pub for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: 6/9/20
Published to IG/GR: 5/17/20

I knew I wanted to read The Boyfriend Project when I found out that it featured three women who bond over a loser that catfished them all at the same time. I didn't even care if it had a romance or not because I'm that much of a sucker for books with strong female friendships!

Luckily for me, the female friendships in this book are what dreams are made of! Samiah, London, and Taylor were by far my favorite part of The Boyfriend Project. I loved how these ladies came together and became important support units in each others' lives. The three had such wonderfully distinct personalities that meshed well together. I had a ton of fun watching them interact and just generally be awesome around each other. Samiah's sister was also another character I really loved. She added a ton of humor to the story and I liked the sweet relationship the two shared.

I also really loved Samiah as a protagonist. She is just the kind of character that I love reading about - smart, hardworking, and a complete badass at her job. Her dedication towards wanting to make the tech world more diverse, in particular, was super admirable. She could be tough on herself occasionally, but it was easy to see where she was coming from and I would be lying if I said I didn't relate to her bullheadedness.

Daniel, Samiah's love interest, was also a complete sweetheart who was too charming for his own good. Daniel is undercover at her company and he obviously was not able to open up to Samiah about his reasons for being there. Despite it being a bad idea, he kept being drawn to her. I will admit that I am not a fan of the lie-of-omission trope, so I was initially conflicted by it in The Boyfriend Project. I do think the revelation should have come earlier and there should have been a more in-depth conversation between Daniel and Samiah once the truth came to light and lots more groveling on Daniel's part! I would also be lying though if I said that I wasn't a little bit charmed by how he asked for forgiveness. In the end, I was able to see past Daniel's lies because I did believe that he and Samiah worked well as a couple.

Ultimately, I read this book for the female friendships and it delivered on that front. I grew to really love Samiah, Taylor, and London and I can't wait to see the other two women find their own HEAs.

I'm going to preface this by saying, fundamentally, there was nothing wrong with this book, but it just did not pull me in like I thought it would. For being a dual POV story, I thought it was much too reliant on Samiah's POV than Daniel's (when Daniel ended up being the more likable character in my opinion), starting with the fact that with no chapter heading clueing into whose POV a chapter is in, I got to the first Daniel chapter 4 or 5 chapters in and it took me two whole pages to realize it wasn't Samiah's POV. Talk about confusing.

And what confused me the most was the title - The Boyfriend Project. This wasn't about a Boyfriend Project, it was about a group of three women putting themselves first and not focusing on men. So the fact this book is literally CALLED The Boyfriend Project made no sense to me and felt like a random catchy title the publisher pulled for a rom-com to pull readers in.

Despite the above however, the premise and plot were well crafted - I liked the idea of the app Samiah was making being about making friends instead of dating, it was great to read about - the diversity in the leads and characters brought different perspectives that sometimes get hidden in romance, and the pacing was on point throughout. It was a fast read and, overall, I did like it. Not enough to re-read it once it's released, but I was grateful for the ARC.

The friendship (and set-up for that friendship) at the center of The Boyfriend Project was great. However, it felt more like women's fiction to me--the focus was on Samiah's job, her side-project (an app) and her character arc overall. I would have enjoyed that if it was only written in her POV, but we had a second POV for the hero, who I ended up totally uninvested in. Admittedly, I didn't finish the book, but I've very rarely been uninvested in a book at 30% and gone on to enjoy it.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.

The Boyfriend Project starts out with Samiah finding out with two other girls about the man they are dating is a cheater and scammer. She chews out the guy and the video goes viral. The three girls become friends and create a boyfriend project of swearing men off for six months so they can work on themselves. However, what happens when a handsome man name Daniel starts working at Samiah’s work?
I really enjoyed The Boyfriend Project. It is told in the point of views of Samiah and Daniel. I loved the romance. But, I especially loved the friendship in the book of the three women. I highly recommend this for something cute, funny, and as a fast read.

The Boyfriend Project's premise drew me in right away, along with the cover of the book. The cuteness of the characters and the story blew me away. I was drawn in to continue consuming the story. I usually do not read this type of book, but I enjoy The Boyfriend Project thoroughly. As the author is a Black woman, herself, I loved that she could portray the struggles black woman go through in life. The representation of black women in computer sciences (and STEM in general) was refreshing. Samiah and the friendship that springs up with Taylor and London made me so happy! I love when strong women have reliable female friends to lean on; their friendship reminded me of mine with my own friends. The beginning of a book reminded me of the premise of John Tucker Must Die, and I found that funny because I had never fully watched the movie before. The romance was very predictable, BUT I still enjoyed where it brought me anyways. The ending was pretty abrupt, but if the book had gone on any longer, it would have been dragging the plot out for no reason.