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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars for Farrah Rochon’s newest romance novel. I’ve never read any of her previous titles but like most romances, it was a quick read and a great break from reading historical and literal fiction back to back. The book starts out with a bang. Its main character Samiah finds out she’s getting two timed by the guy she’s currently seeing. All 3 girls he’s simultaneously dating all find out at the same time and somehow end up being friends, vowing to only work on themselves and their lives. But then... insert Daniel Collins. Samiah and Daniel were far too perfect and overdone in my opinion. The story gets very corny at times and also just downright unrealistic. Overall though, it was a cute read and I’m glad I had a chance to take a break from heavier books. A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy.

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.

What I liked:
The opening scene in which Samiah (protagonist) confronts her three-timing boyfriend is delicious, righteous comeuppance.

I enjoyed Rochon’s portrayal of female friendship, including the relationship between Samiah and her sister. The dialogue was amusing and authentic.

The author displayed detailed knowledge of the tech industry. What a fun fantasy, working in a place like Trendsetters, with its rah-rah teambuilding rewards like on-site massages!

Excellent grovel! Charming, sweet, picturesque, and I loved the way the author involved Samiah's new friends.

What I didn’t like:

In my view, the pacing could have been tightened quite a bit.

Sure, Samiah and Daniel (hero) need reasons why they can’t be together, but a lot of ink was devoted to each character reflecting on why it could never work. This got repetitive.

Uneven tone. The dialogue read as fun and casual, but the narrative between was often stilted and formal, with sentences like this: “Samiah relinquished her perch on the desk, rising slowly as she mentally fended off the escalating trepidation brought on by Amy’s pronouncement.”

I’d like more of a balance between the plot line of Samiah’s work and Daniel’s work, and the romance plot line. The work plot line dominates this story.

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.

This was a really superb, unique and engaging read. It is exactly the sort of book that I needed to read in today’s climate, Miss Farrah has done an amazing job of creating characters that are flawed but still so easy to root for. 5/5 for me.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a tremendously fun book, filled with female friendship as well as romance (I nearly always demand big female friendships with my romance and this book delivers on both fronts). The tech and law enforcement settings were very detailed and immersive and the worldbuilding in general was excellent. I really got that sense of being very new to a city (his POV) and halfway new, halfway settled (her POV).

The .5 ding is for what I felt was a rushed, unexplained ending. The sudden capitulation was a little unresolved for me.

I was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Boyfriend Project follows thirty-year-old Samirah, who discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her with at least two other women. Samirah goes to confront her cheating boyfriend and ends her night befriending two other women catfished by her ex. The three women make a pact to try to better themselves before deciding to date again. The timing of this pact could not be worse, as shortly afterwards Samirah meets her company’s new hire, very good-looking, very single, Daniel.

The Boyfriend Project is The Central Park Pact but with a lot more diversity and a lot more lust. Its first instalment follows a woman in a STEM field, working an extremely desirable and successful job at a tech company. While I very much appreciated the diversity The Boyfriend Project had to offer, much of The Boyfriend Project did not work for me.

My first issue with The Boyfriend Project was the characters. I think characters make up the backbone of any romance novel, and without good characters you really can’t have a good romance novel. Samirah came across as a bit too cocky for my tastes, and both she and Daniel were too perfect. Flawless characters really aren’t my thing and to me often come across as one dimensional. Another strike against The Boyfriend Project was that I didn’t believe in the chemistry between Samirah and Daniel. They were both hyper-focused on looks and how attractive they found one another, but with none of the sexual tension needed to make me invested in whether or not they got together.

Not all sexy scenes are going to work for every person, and this was an instance in which the steamy scenes did not work for me. I personally find nothing sexy about describing making out as having one’s tongue down someone else’s throat.

What I did like about The Boyfriend Project was the importance of female friendships in the novel. I like that Samirah was able to balance a romantic relationship while also maintaining female friendships (and maintaining a career too!). Unfortunately, I again did not believe in the chemistry between Samirah and her girlfriends. I wanted more depth to their friend group. Ultimately, this novel didn’t work for me.

Glorious!!! Ownvoice black rom com is sometimes all you need to ignore everything.

Boyfriend project follows Samaiah Brooks who has found out she's been catfished after a viral tweet and meets her scum bag boyfriend to give a verbal bashing. Turns out he's been doing this to three other women. This verbal bashing video goes viral and Samaiah is a rising star of Austin.

After this incident all the women meet up and form a sisterhood to catch up with their dreams and hobbies they put on hold to date.

-Samaiah is the witty and loveable mom friend every group has. I fell in love with her in the first page. She's a queen. She's workaholic , beats herself down for others being douche , and has the heart of gold.

After the sisterhood creates a pact , (i.e , The Boyfriend Project ) not to date for atleast 6 months and use those six months to get a hold of their lives , ... BAMMM🎇🎇🎇🎇 Daniel enters.

-Daniel is hot , sweet and sensitive. He is the new hire for Samaiah's tech company and he asks after her metal health while everyone else doesn't.

The plot takes on a mystery element along with the romance which makes the book even more interesting.

I thank NetGalley and Forever for granting me with the e- ARC in exchange of my honest opinions. This hasn't affected my opinions.

After Samiah Brooks finds out--through Twitter--that the guy she'd just started dating is catfishing her, she and the two other victims form a friendship and decide to put relationships with men on hold. The goal is that each woman will put herself first and after she has revealed "her best self," will each set about finding a boyfriend, and only one who is worthy.

But then Samiah meets Daniel Collins at work and all thoughts of forgoing a relationship go out the window...

Did I mention it's also a meet-cute between a young Black tech whiz and a Korean/Black hotshot federal agent? Yeah, they're adorable.

I've never been a huge fan of the romance genre, but the summary reeled me right in. I loved that the emphasis was on girl friend empowerment from the get go. Instead of a cliched cat fight among Samiah, London, and Taylor, the three instead form an alliance and become fast friends, supporting each other's goals and career ambitions.

I also loved Samiah and her strength and smarts. She's a great heroine, and not your typical down-on-her-luck 20-something that usually appears in these types of books, with her sights only on the guy. Yes, there is plenty of heat in this one, but Samiah stands on her own. Daniel is secondary to her career. And I love how she stands up for herself in every scene.

If you're into romance or are just looking for a story with and for a change of pace, I can't think of any reasons why I wouldn't recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making this review copy available.

I thought this was a really good romance. It was really nice to see women connect over being catfished and becoming great friends. Also wonderful seeing Samiah in a STEM based field and rocking it. It'd very rare in romance to see the heroine in any type of STEM job and it was awesome learning about Samiah's job a software engineer.
The romance book was a slow burn but the sensual tension these two exuded was flammable. Did enjoy the somewhat mystery aspect of why Daniel started working at Samiah's workplace. I'm so excited for Taylor and London's books!.