The Boyfriend Project follows tech mogul Samiah after finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with multiple other women through a Twitter thread. Scorned, these women develop an unlikely friendship and decide to spend six months focusing on themselves instead of on relationships. It just so happens that right after this is when Daniel enters the picture, a man who intrigues Samiah and their pairing develops from there.

I thought that this book was interesting from the beginning. The synopsis reminded me of The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai which also follows a strong female lead who works in the tech industry so I was quite excited to read The Boyfriend Project seeing as The Right Swipe was one of my favorite books of 2019.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and enjoyed my time reading it. It was an easy read and I finished it quickly once I started. The one qualm I had with the writing was how unbalanced the switches were from narration between Samiah and Daniel. Sometimes it would switch from chapter to chapter, other times Samiah would get a few chapters to herself, other times they switched in the middle of the chapter. It was a bit confusing and sometimes jolted me out of the story as I tried to figure out who was narrating what.

The characters in this, while each unique, I didn't feel like they all got the time they deserved. This makes me look forward to the other books that are to be published in the series following Taylor and London, the other two girls that Samiah befriends. The trio of girls was such an unexpected group but I enjoyed seeing how they got along and interacted as the book progressed. Samiah was a strong lead character with clear ambition and I thought this was a really good example of how hard women (especially women of color) have to work to make a name for themselves in tech.

The story itself was pretty by the book romance. I thought that there was chemistry between Daniel and Samiah but the situation that brought Daniel into the story gave cause for concern from the beginning. I felt like the way the book ended didn't make a ton of sense considering how scorned Samiah was at the very beginning due to lies told by her cheating boyfriend. Daniel spent the entire book lying to her and she ended up forgiving him so quickly. Considering how strong Samiah was in her feelings and actions throughout the rest of the book, this just felt unrealistic for who she was.

Unfortunately, something that I've noticed happening with a lot of these newer romance books is that they focus so heavily on the sexual nature of the couples in them. This might not be a big issue for some people and others might enjoy it but I personally like romance that is not centered around sex. There were so many moments throughout this book that mentioned something sexual when I felt that it really wasn't central to that scene. I tried not to let it get to me too much but it did leave me feeling more than annoyed more than once.

In the end, I did enjoy The Boyfriend Project a fair amount and I do intend on picking up the next book in the series when it eventually is published.

A viral story starts a trio of women on a new path… When Samiah, London, and Taylor find out through twitter that they’ve all been seeing the same man they come together in an attempt to figure out what’s been going on with their lives. Each is at a crossroads with dreams that haven’t quite worked out yet—though each is successful in their way. And they decide to make a pact to spend six months investing in themselves—no relationships. For Samiah, a gifted programmer, the meeting pushes her to reconsider developing her dream app. But the plan is complicated by a new, gorgeous man at work. This is funny, thoughtful, and I’m intrigued by the possible stories of the side characters. I’m definitely looking forward to Rochon’s next book!

The Boyfriend Project starts of with something that has become very common in our society--the viral video. Samiah finds out the guy she is dating has also been dating other women and confronts him about it. Samiah's biggest humiliation is filmed for public consumption, and as I was reading, I realized that if this was real life, I'd definitely have watched that video. I'd have probably cheered her on.

But our entertainment is Samiah's agony, and Rochon does a great job of setting the stakes by showing how angry & vulnerable Samiah is. She is not going to trust easily again--and after reading the first bit, who can blame her? Enter... Daniel!

Pheeew Daniel. Even reading about him gave me hot-flashes, and the chemistry between them leaps through the pages. The realistic high-stakes plus off-the-charts chemistry makes for a promising story and Rochon delivers. Watching Samiah and Daniel interact were arguably the best parts of the book, maaaaybe tied with Samiah's interactions with her new friends.

There were some issues that I didn't love. Daniel's part of the plot, and his subsequent wishy-washiness about being with Samiah was not my favorite. It dragged on for too long. I could understand it because Rochon did an excellent job of setting up her character's motivations, but I didn't enjoy it. But in the end he more than made up for it and I loved watching these two work towards their HEA.

I also really appreciated the discussions around race & gender in the tech industry/STEM. Samiah as a Black woman has a completely different experience than Daniel, who is half-Black, half-Asian, and I appreciated that reality & those conversations being part of their relationship.

Read The Boyfriend Project for great female friendships, a strong MC who is not afraid to be vulnerable, and fantastic chemistry. I am looking forward to the next books in this series.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

I really liked Samiah, the main character in this book, she is a smart, hard-working and successful woman working in a tech company, which is a very white and male environment. This book did a good job of showing all the hardships that she, as a black woman, faces in STEM and how those hardships are different than the ones faced by other people of color like the love interest, Daniel, who is part-Korean and part-Black.

Samiah’s relationship with the two women that she meets at the start of the book when they all find out they were dating the same guy without knowing it, was the highlight of the book. Their support for one another and their unconditional friendship were things I really enjoyed reading about. And the first 10% of this book when they all find out the truth was hilarious and maybe my favorite part of this book.

My main problem with this book was that so many moments between the main characters when they are getting to know each other and start flirting and liking each other happened off page and I was so frustrated! I’m reading a romance book, I obviously want to see them fall in love, I don’t want to be told that they fell in love in all this little moments that I didn’t get to read about. Also, the fact that he lied to her for almost 90% of this book didn’t sit well with me.

Despite not loving the romance in this book, I loved the female friendship so much that I will read the rest of the series to get the other two women’s love stories.

There are a few authors who are able to grab my attention from the first page. Farrah Rochon accomplished this for me in The Boyfriend Project. How have I lived my entire reading life and not experienced a Farrah Rochon novel? This injustice will be corrected immediately.

I absolutely loved Samiah Brooks character. It is refreshing to read stories about black women in non-traditional fictional roles as in the tech industry. Samiah was strong and assertive and she was aware of the cultural biases she faced in this world and made a conscious effort to always look and be her best. I especially liked how her character lifted as she climbed.

Samiah was dating a guy and she had some misgivings but they were solidified when her sister, Denise found this joker on a date that was being shared in real-time via Twitter. Samiah shows up to the restaurant and gives this fool a piece of her mind, along with the two other ladies. Samiah, Taylor, and London have an instant connection and become fast friends. It was refreshing to read a book where the women recognized that the man was the REAL issue and they created a friendship from the embarrassing situation. To their horror, the whole exchange is recorded and goes VIRAL.

When Samiah gets to work the next day she meets a handsome new employee, Daniel Collins. They have an immediate attraction to one another. We all know that workplace romances are a no go but these two couldn't fight their attraction to one another. Daniel was a dream but was hiding a major secret. I am excited to know that there are future books in this series. I just hope the wait is not too long.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun and lovely book! Hilarious and tons of chemistry, too. Would recommend it for those looking for a lovely romance book to get them through these uncertain times we live in.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

What a treat to watch a woman of color work her way up in a tech firm and to be respected. Love the financial crime plot which I learned so much from it. The friendships where everything. I really loved this book so much.

I will be sharing this book in the Summer Reading Guide.

I particularly enjoyed how important the main characters' careers were to them in THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT. I also liked that the main couple never denied their attraction for each other, as often happens in romance. There was no "Oh no, s/he'll never like me" wailing; the attraction was obvious and both characters admitted it! How refreshing. Of course there were still stumbles (there has to be a plot after all), but that particular tired roadblock wasn't one of them. Overall: This was a fun, fast read featuring a woman of color in STEM. I originally accepted this novel from the publisher because I thought it sounded like a grown-up version of John Tucker Must Die haha. Sadly, I was wrong about that, but I still enjoyed the book!

What do you do when someone live tweets their date with YOUR boyfriend? Do you go ghost or do you show up at the restaurant to call him out? When Samiah Brooks finds out that her man is not only two-timing, but THREE timing her and two other women, the moment - and the women - go viral. Bonding instantly in this tragicomedy of an experience, the three women vow to spend the next six months working on themselves and not worrying about men, relationships, or dating...

Samiah takes this time to work toward launching the app she's always dreamed of creating. As she bosses up at work, she meets the new guy at work - the delectable Daniel Collins. He's smart, funny, supportive, and fine as hell. How is a woman supposed to resist?

This book is a sweet, smart read about a woman who chases her dreams in all aspects of her life, with a little help from her friends. In addition to the slow burn romance between Samiah and Daniel, who may just be too good to be true, you have a wonderful story about the building of a lifelong friendship between three fantastic strong women who just need a little support to go after what they really want.

You can't go wrong with this book and I'm looking forward to the future stories of the other women in this series.

This is my first Farrah Rochon book and will not be my last. Vivid characters, strong emotions, and a solid plot lead to a fantastic debut in this new series!

A great, unique romance novel! I loved the development of the characters, especially Samiah, throughout the story. The storyline/concept is completely original which is a tough feat. It seemed like a slow build in the beginning, but the build was worth it! Overall, this was a cute and bubbly read and one I’d definitely recommend.

First book by this author and I enjoyed it! Great characters, fun story. I loved that the women in the book had no time for men’s foolishness!

I had no idea what to expect from The Boyfriend Project because I went into it completely blind. I knew it was on several highly anticipated release lists for this year and it one hundred percent deserves to be on them! Farrah Rochon created a thought-provoking, charming, and heart melting tale of struggle, empowerment, friendship and love that was utterly wonderful to read. She made falling in love with the characters, particularly Samiah and Daniel, feel absolutely effortless. The Boyfriend Project draws you in, captures your heart, and brings out all of your emotions. It touched my heart, gave me that giddy/breathless feeling and I just wholeheartedly adored it — I can’t wait to see what Farrah Rochon comes up with next!

As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint! I love how strong female friendships was at the forefront of this book, along with the romance of course.

As the only female attorney in my office, I enjoyed reading about women working in male dominated fields. I think the author did a great job of bringing this out and showing strong female characters.

Overall, highly recommend, very witty and cute!

A warm and bright contemporary romance.

I thought the intersection between premise and character was dynamic. Samiah--a smart, confident, and in-control woman--goes uncontrollably viral on social media after she and two strangers mutually confront their catfishing cheat of a boyfriend. The three women ditch the liar and forge a friendship with each other, making a pact to focus on themselves and their dreams and goals instead of wasting time with men they know aren't worth their time. And, of course, the very next day, Samiah walks into the break room at work and meets her new coworker, Daniel, a man who is both worthy of her time and knows & respects Samiah's worth at all. Only he's no ordinary coworker: he's an undercover federal agent (from the Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), tracking down who at Samiah's company is enabling their company's technology to be used for money laundering. Daniel himself goes into this operation believing it'll be straightforward, but he didn't expect to fall for Samiah.

A couple notes about the premise. 1) At no point does Daniel--or anyone else--suspect or believe Samiah is involved in the crime. This is never part of the conflict of the book, and I appreciated that SO MUCH. Her trustworthiness is never in question. I'd hate that dynamic, and I wanted to point that out for other potential readers who may be wary of the premise. 2) The narrative never undermines Samiah's intelligence, even when she's being fooled by Daniel's lies. She picks up on discordant details about Daniel, and she makes and accepts reasonable explanations about them. I appreciated this SO MUCH as well, because Samiah <i>is</i> so smart, and I was right with her, not wanting her to be lied to ever again after that awful boyfriend, but oh boy, was Daniel full of lies, even if it was for a good cause. The premise and plot of the book requires Samiah to be fooled and hurt again, but it did so in a way that didn't make her foolish.

In case the previous paragraph didn't make it clear enough, I really liked Samiah, and I felt very protective of her. She's determined, she's kind, she's funny. I liked all the characters--I liked Daniel's determination, too, and his struggle to find a way to keep falling in love with Samiah while not hurting her--and I'm looking forward to Taylor's and London's books, too.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance and look forward to the books I'm assuming will be forthcoming about the other two women who were two-timed and then became friends. It was a unique and funny premise that cleverly both set up a trio of women for a book series and set up a catalyst for why all of the women are at a relatively introspective point in their lives where they are actively trying to make changes to themselves and their circumstances.

The romance was lovely, and managed to walk the balance that I find contemporaries sometimes don't mange for me, of finding ways in which the couple struggles to be together. I may have rolled my eyes a little that they both repeatedly state it's a bad idea, then do it anyway, but I loved it at the same time. I also liked that the heroine was allowed to be angry and upset when it's revealed all the ways the hero has been lying. I think she forgave him a little too fast, but I also think it was within character, and she had clearly thought it all out. If it had been an emotional reaction I wouldn't have trusted it as much, given her character traits.

I loved the relationship between the heroine and the two other women who discover that they are all dating the same man. Rather than pitting the women against each other, the author gives us three strong women who become good friends.

While I was reading the book, I kept thinking that this is a romance about adults. The characters have real lives and real careers. We see the characters in a work setting actually doing work. The heroine is smart, successful and knows what an asset she is to her company, but at the same time, she also has doubts and insecurities like a real person. The hero and heroine are attracted to each other, but they both think about the consequences of having an office romance and don’t just jump into having sex at the first opportunity.

I also liked the gradual development of the relationship between the hero and heroine as they slowly fall in love (even though we know that things are eventually going to blow up in the hero’s face). My only complaint was that the heroine forgives him too quickly.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely read the next book in this series.

I was given access to an ePub of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This book is fantastic. Samiah is a fully realized character who makes tough decisions, loses her temper, and holds her cards close to her chest. Yet through the course of the book she learns trust and opens up her circle. On a personal note, I really liked her emphasis on how no one succeeds on their own.

Daniel was Not My Type because of the military thing but his goodness shone in his every scene and his chemistry with Samiah practically melted the screen of my eReader.

The author did an excellent job locating the story. This book had great descriptions of the work environment, outdoor parks, and food. Oh, the descriptions of food were glorious. The author’s writing style really kept the story rolling as did the excellent pacing.

I highly recommend this book.

The struggle Samiah faces is so relatable - when to make a relationship a priority over professional goals? Daniel's dilemma echoes hers, pitting work versus love. The relationship development felt natural and the resolution satisfying. The establishment of Samiah and her friends as strong women in their own right is exactly the format needed in our current culture. Wonderful representation of a modern relationship!

So this book is about this girl Samiah Brooks who lives tweets about a horrific date *smile* (we all been there) only to discover her horrible date has duped two other girls and they end up becoming friends. So they make a pact to stay off men and work on themselves but we all know how that goes (Cupid pretty much likes to make a difference). It’s such a feel good book y’all