The Boyfriend Project was a fun, fast read. With smart women, strong emphasis on female friendships, a bit of intrigue, and a great romance? This book truly had it all!

When Samiah and two other women learn they have been conned by the same man, a fast friendship is formed. The trio make a pact to work on their individual goals and to swear off men for a few months. In a case of imperfect timing, Samiah's new co-worker Daniel enters the scene and provides all the temptation. In this dual timeline story, we watch Samiah work to balance her goals, while fighting off strong romantic feelings. Daniel has his own career motivations, unknown to the company, and this places him at odds with both his personal and professional ethics as he is immediately drawn to Samiah. What ensues is a witty, sharp, sexy, and fun entanglement.

This was my first book by Farrah Rochon and will not be my last!

Completely enjoyable start to a new series! The Boyfriend Project involves a strong female lead, Samiah, who makes friends with two other women after they are all deceived by the same man. All have decided to avoid men for the next 6 months to work on themselves. Samiah is moving her way up the ranks at an IT company but also has an App that she has wanted to design for some time. In walks Daniel, a new coworker at the IT firm. However Daniel is just not any worker... he works for the Feds under the Treasury Department investigating financial crimes.

I love this story for a few reasons. Rochon portrays not just strong female characters but strong female friendships. These are not "perfect" women... they have flaws, they have doubts. But they don't let those doubts or flaws rule their lives.

Also I love Samiah and Daniel as a couple. I fully believe in their happily ever after. There is nothing more frustrating for me than reading a romance or romcom and not believing in the couple (I'm looking at you The Unhoneymooners!) But Samiah and Daniel, besides the passion and eventually love they have for each other... They also have RESPECT for each other.

This is my first book from Farrah Rochon but not my last. I enjoyed this and look forward to the second in this series!

This was just the kind of book I needed to distract me during this pandemic. Samiah meets London and Taylor after Taylor tweets a bad dad and they realize they’re all dating the same man. They tell him off and the video of this goes viral. The three women swear a boyfriend pact to take time off dating and to focus on themselves. Of course Daniel starts at Trendsetters with Samiah immediately after this. Their chemistry is palpable but he is there on a mission.

I loved both characters. Samiah is such a strong independent woman. She is checking goals off of her list but would like someone to share her life with. I was sucked into the story and it was a quick read. There was just enough steam.

Definitely grab this when it’s released. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Pub for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hope Taylor and London will get their own books.

First, I would like to thank Farrah Rochon for making this book available for immediate reading on Netgalley. As someone who is looking to review more books, but is limited by my lack of reviews, this was such a gift.

Second, I would like to offer this review:
The Boyfriend Project was a lengthy trip with pining. I love pining. Ms. Rochon made it fun. With sweet moments and satisfying conclusion, this was a wonderful first novel by Farrah Rochon and I am excited to see what they write next.

The Boyfriend Project is a light and breezy modern romance - but this story was more about the project and a lot less about the boyfriend.

Samiah Brooks is focused on her career, but still trying to find love. When a ripped-from-the-headlines video of Samiah and two other women taking down the guy who tried (and failed) to date them all at once goes viral, Samiah joins forces with her fellow scorned women to focus on a new project - themselves. No boyfriends allowed. Samiah throws herself into developing a new app, while balancing her day job (including her passion for philanthropy). Meanwhile, Daniel joins Samiah’s company - but he’s really there undercover to root out fraudulent activity. The attraction between Daniel and Samiah is palpable but off limits for both. Can they keep their hands off each other and stay focused on their work? (The answer is no.)

If you can’t tell, what I thought stood out about the book was the plot - not the romance. The friendship that created “The Boyfriend Project” was a nice plot device but also less of a priority. But the plot was excellent - it was fully fleshed out, not an afterthought like some romances. In fact, I could have used a little more steaminess! I was really interested in Samiah’s focus on her career, and I really liked Daniel’s spy plotline. The writing is really well done, clean and neat - but if I have one complaint is that it skipped forward, glossing over stories I wanted to see. It’s like a PG romcom where they fast forward to the next morning. It wasn’t only love scenes; there was a plot with a conniving coworker who finally got her comeuppance - but we only got told about it, not shown. Sometimes, the fast forwarding left me confused about how far in the future we went - a little more explanation of timing would have gone a long way.

I will definitely check out the next two books I this series, featuring Samiah’s fellow members of Hashtag Squad Goals - but with different expectations than I had for this one. This was a solid 3 1/2 stars for me - something I’d recommend as a beach read.

This was my first time reading Farrah Rochon and I loved her voice! The central friendship between the women was believable and heartwarming, and the chemistry between the hero and heroine was spot on. The author did a great job of showing us how the heroine might be stable and have a good life on her own, but these new relationships really add a layer of richness to her days. I'll be searching out other titles by this author, knowing I'm in for a treat.

Because the Boyfriend project focuses on the crazy world of dating it is definitely relevant for today's modern woman. Anyone whose ever bumbled or tindered will understand Samiah's struggles. Despite the book's interesting premise, it still lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. It often feels like Samiah is simply observing the world around her. She doesn't truly come alive as a character. While the book has some funny moments, I found it lacked that extra spark.

This isn’t my typical go-to genre, but I wanted to take a break from thrillers and read something light and fun. I really tried to get into this book for a week, but I never connected with it. I really appreciated the strong female lead, but most of the story seemed unrealistic so it was really hard to get into.

Three strong, successful women find out that they have all been lied to by the same guy…so what is the first thing they do? Make a boyfriend pact, of course. They all promise to waste no more time on jerks for the next six months, and instead, decide to put more time and effort into their own passion projects. After the pact has been sealed (over many alcoholic beverages, of course), our main character Samiah Brooks meets her company’s newest employee Daniel Collins. What starts as harmless flirting at the office coffee bar turns into feelings neither of them can ignore…despite Daniel hiding a big secret from Samiah. Will Samiah throw the pact out the window? Will Daniel tell the truth or forever hide his secret?

I LOVE that this story takes place in Austin, Texas! I enjoy reading about Texas cities in general and appreciated the accuracy of Austin that was described in this novel. There was chemistry, steam, amazing gal pals and even a little bit of mystery. All things I love to have featured in the books I read. The thing that I loved the most though? The girl power! It was incredibly refreshing to read about a leading female character who works in the STEM field, puts her friendships as a top priority along with her romantic relationship, and helps teach young girls that they can be anything they aspire to be – no matter what their background is!

This was my first book from author Farrah Rochon, but it most certainly will not be my last! I can’t wait to see what Farrah writes up for my other favorite characters, Taylor and London.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Boyfriend Project is one of the most heartfelt, <i>real</i>, most adorable romances I have ever read! I identified so much with Samiah. I’m not in STEM, and I don’t have to think about every little thing I do because of the other women trying to climb up behind me. However, she was just so incredibly <b>real</b> to me.
And Daniel *sighs* he was such a fantastic hero! He had to fight with his own conscience so many times - and his work just had to come first. It was completely heart wrenching to read his inner thoughts as he fell for Samiah all the while not being able to be fully honest with her!
FRC

I found this wonderful book on Netgalley courtesy the author's tweet and it was the best decision I made this entire week. I can't stop raving about this book and the sheer joy with which it embraces, uplifts and celebrates women.
Samiah discovers via twitter that her recent boyfriend is dating two other women. When she goes to confront him, these 3 women form an unlikely friendship that changes all their lives.

Seriously, Samiah might be one of the best poc characters I've read. She is unabashedly proud of her success, while still deeply aware of where she came from and the micro-aggressions she has to face on a *daily* basis. And while her and the the other 2 women (London and Taylor) start an unlikely pact to help each other achieve their goals, it is her new co-worker Daniel that kickstarts her way back to love.

Daniel is just swoony. I can't begin to tell you how much. How utterly aware he is of the deception he is carrying out, how tortured he feels when he lies to her and how lucky he feels when she looks at him, laughs with him, spends time with him. If this isn't wish-fulfillment, I don't know what is.

Plus that ending!! Perfect.

Please go and find this book however you can because your life will be better for it.

This book was so fun! Loved seeing a twist on a contemporary romance. Huge fan of the girl power, and I loved Daniel. Samiah and his relationship was so cute and realistic.

The only issue I had was a few descriptor words that I hope will be changed during editing. For example, on page one Samiah's sister is described as "lumbering" which to me seems like a weird way to talk about your sister. Besides those stylistic issues, it was great.

There were several things I liked about this one: the diverse characters, the girl power, all the feminist vibes, but it just fell short for me. I’m bummed because it was so promising and I wanted to like it more, but it was too light on the romance and heavy on the tech stuff for my taste. I also felt that the pacing was choppy and omg it took forever to solve the big issue and then it was just resolved with the snap of a finger. I did enjoy the steamy bits, though and would be interested in reading more by this author if the story was based around something more interesting to me.

|✨ #bookreview ✨| I’ve come to learn that I really enjoy a good rom-com with strong willed characters and a little steaminess. In fact, I like the steam factor turned all the way up and I got a little bit of that in this read! Thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the gifted eARC of The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, set to be released June 2020!! ✨I loved that Samiyah was in the tech field, and I love her take on representation within her industry. She held true to her goal of setting the right example and paving the way for those to come after her. Another strong black woman character that wasn’t afraid to go out and kill it and maybe even get her some while she’s at it (😏💁🏾‍♀️😎)! With her new girlfriends by herside and possibly even a new love interest, we’re taken on Samiyah’s journey to invest in herself! I would definitely add this book to your TBR!!

This was a book that left me smiling after reading it. I loved these characters. They are all strong well developed characters that I find myself rooting for. I loved the different relationships in the story and I thought the storyline was so much fun. I am new to this author, but I will definitely be reading more from them.

I really liked the characters in this story. I loved the bonding Samirah makes with London and Taylor (and will be looking forward to reading their love stories down the line... there's no way the author can't be planning them). The romance between Daniel and Samirah was sweet and realistic. I liked that it had more depth and didnt feel like a Hallmark movie or fairytale.

Features a diverse cast of characters, which I also loved. And final perk, it's set in my home state of Texas! :-)

I enjoyed The Boyfriend Project. The big win for me in this quarantine life is that it held my attention and I wanted to find out what happened next. I liked both Daniel and Samirah and I really enjoyed the friendship between Samirah, Taylor and London. I am super excited that this is going to be a series and that we will get more of them. That being said, I get super frustrated when conflicts could be changed by a conversations. This is addressed in the book, but as a reader it drives me bonkers. Putting that aside, I am very excited to read the next book and think that The Boyfriend Project is a great read for anyone who likes a series, needs a light rom-com for their already busy brain and loves a happy ending.

Thanks, Forever, for letting me read and review!

DNF (50%)
This book doesn't work for me. To be honest, I think the issue is mostly me rather than the book.
There's something about the style of writing that doesn't connect with me and I'm not sure what it is. There might be too much tell instead of show. The characters are a little too perfect. The suspense subplot doesn't really make sense to me (but that might just be my lack of familiarity with this type of business). These are all little things but added up they prevent me from getting invested. I just don't care about these characters and what happens to them.
I've been trying to get through this book for days now and I still don't feel connected to it in any way so I'm giving up. Again, this doesn't mean it's a bad book.

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I read the premise, because that it’s an amazing idea and I just had this instant feeling that the book would be a lot of fun. So, when I got the ARC, I was very happy and just waited till the right moment to pick it up. And I’m so glad I did.

The loved the way this book started. Despite the fact that the three woman are catfished by a guy and their whole encounter goes viral on the internet (it’s my worst nightmare and I’m pretty skeptical about going viral plot lines), I liked that the author concentrated more on the friendship that develops between the three of them and the feeling of solidarity it provides. I know how hard it is to find genuine friendships as an adult, so I really loved seeing such a good one develop between this trio. As most of the story takes place in a tech company, I really enjoyed the workplace vibe that the author managed to create, and it felt like something I would love to work at. Along with the friendship and a very fun romantic plot line, we also get some mystery elements but they do remain mostly in the background and never takeover the story. The writing is very easy to breeze through, and I didn’t wanna put it down at all because I was having so much fun.

Samiah is a great character. An accomplished black woman in the tech industry, she is hardworking, smart, driven and ambitious, but she also wants to do everything she can to help other young women of color succeed in the industry and provide them the support that she didn’t receive. She sets too high expectations, beats herself up for not achieving them even though it’s not her fault, and takes on all the weight in the world - but she also knows her worth and doesn’t let anyone question or undermine her credentials. She is a role model and someone to look up to, and any tech company in the real world would be lucky to have someone like her as an employee.

Daniel on the other hand is almost perfect - sweet, sensitive, thoughtful, and just the right kind of charming. I really liked that he always listened to Samiah and understood her POV and where she was coming from, and never invalidated her experiences. I loved the flirtation they had going, and the witty banter made me very happy. The romance development was more on the sweeter side than steamy, but I think that’s what I wanted at this time. There is of course the mystery surrounding Daniel which leads to some back and forth between them and bit of a heartache, but I can’t talk about it much without going into spoilery territory. But I felt that playing up the mystery element more could have been fascinating.

As I mentioned before, I adored the friendship between Samiah, Taylor and London. They just have this instant connection and the way they motivated each other, and also called out when something was wrong, was amazing and as a woman reader, it naturally reminded me of my girlfriends. I also loved Samiah’s sister and the dynamic they shared, though we don’t get to see them together a lot.

In the end, I can just say that this was a fun love story with great characters, and a solid friend group that’ll remind you of your own. And apart from the friendship element, it was the main character’s accomplishments and goals as a black woman in tech, and the way she handled any obstacles in her way that was the highlight of this novel for me. This was my first book by the author but I know it won’t be my last and if my guess is correct, the next book is gonna be Taylor’s story and I’m already excited for it.

This was a wonderful book which made my start reading all of Farrah Rochon's back list! I enjoyed the friendship to lovers storyline and that we really got to know the 2 main characters, But I also enjoyed the setting of Austin big tech and the conversations around being a female person of color in that field. I loved the friendship that sprung up between Samiah, Taylor, and London - it felt so real and authentic. The only weak part, for me, was when Daniel "forgot" that he had to hide his real job at the end. No self respecting undercover agent would do that, right? That being said, I enjoyed seeing how Samiah and Daniel resolved their issues to find their HEA.