Live tweeting review:

I'm in the middle of reading Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project, out 6/9, and it is DELIGHTFUL. I'm a big fan of her Holmes brothers books so this is unsurprising to me but Samiah is incredible and I can't wait for everyone to read this book.

Samiah is this Black female Software Engineer and the way she expresses how she to be perfect in her industry because she's under the microscope is just so incredibly well done and I hope that so many women see themselves in Samiah.

And the female friendships are perfect. I love them. Everyone has nuance.They're just so great. Farrah's writing is excellent here.

I finished this last night and wow I loved it. It's one of those books that lives up to the hype. I am a heroine-centric reader and Samiah is just wonderful. You want this book!!

The premise of this book is a lot of fun and I think that it created a great start of a series.
Samiah Brooks comes along a viral tweet thread about a terrible date. The only problem is that the date described is identical to the first date she had with her boyfriend who she should be meeting tonight. Samiah decides to go to the restaurant to confront him, only to meet his current date and another girlfriend. The three women decide to ditch him and end up starting The Boyfriend Project.
This book was a lot of fun. It deals with some serious issues as Samiah is black woman in the technology field and it doesn't shy away from the issues she faces at work. I liked the relationship between Samiah and Daniel which seems very natural and grows over time.
I'm looking forward to the next books in the series which I hope will feature the other two members of The Boyfriend Project.

Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project was exactly what I needed this week. Fun, fast-paced, and full of compelling characters.

A quick, snappy, read that is perfect for these end days of summer at the beach. Vaguely reminiscent of Swipe Right by Alisha Rai this new series is sure to be a hit with Gen Z and beyond. Featuring quick witted characters with chemistry. This book is extra delightful because of the strong female friendships making it the best of both chick lit and rom com. It is so refreshing to see more modern novels featuring women in STEM. Can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Synopsis: Samiah Brooks has no time for a boyfriend. Especially after she just found out that the guy she was casually dating also happened to be dating two other women at the same time. Samiah finds herself to be the victim of catfishing, and even worse- the horrendous date is live-tweeted, making her and the other three ladies a trending viral sensation.

Samiah forms an unlikely friendship with the other two “girlfriends”, London and Taylor. They make a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves and swearing off dating and men. This should be easy for Samiah, she has been trying to find the time to finish developing an app that she has been working on, and now she has the perfect excuse to work complete the project. One problem though, Samiah ends up running into Daniel Collins, the new guy at work who happens to be very attractive and smart, just the type of man Samiah is looking for. But could it be too good to be true? Turns out Daniel is hiding his own secrets.

Review: This was such a fun read with a unique storyline. Samiah’s character is strong and smart, she doesn’t take anybody’s crap and works really hard to have the life she wants. Overall the character development is great. The characters are culturally diverse and the story is full of strong females. Farrah has such an engaging and witty writing style and gives this intricately plotted story a heartwarming tone.

There isn’t a lot of romance or steamy love scenes in this story compared to many others I have read but it’s definitely a feel-good rom-com revolving workplace romance and with an emphasis on strong female relationships. There’s a joke in the story where the girls call their friendship Squad Goals, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s the type of friendship group all women are looking for.

“The thought of eventually leaving her, of having to live without that smile, caused an ache to settle deep in Daniel’s chest. How could he contemplate giving her up until he absolutely had to? She was like a drug, his own sweet addiction.”
― Farrah Rochon, The Boyfriend Project

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and fun read.

I have another recommendation for y'all! .
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If you're looking for some long angst, low conflict stories with characters that stay with you even after you're done reading the book, I highly recommend The Boyfriend Project by @farrahrochon
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I've covered another book of Farrah's before and her books never failed to make me happy.♥️

3.5-4ish I enjoyed this one - good chemistry - I felt like it was more women's fic than romance ( would've liked more of the romance) but overall very good. I felt the ending was WAY too abrupt (I guess leaving room for more) but we spend half this book hearing about her app creation & then nothing even comes of it - I understand this is a series but wish that had all been wrapped up in Samiah's book.

This is the first book I've read by Farrah Rochon and I can see why she has such an ardent fan base. Her two leads are extremely intelligent, masters of their disciplines really, without being pedantic. Add to that Samiah's timely and relatable work/life balance and ambition struggles, and the leads' well written chemistry and you've got a really enjoyable romance. The ending felt too pat and the friendship of the trio of women who will lead the series was a bit underwritten, but neither of these issues were major enough to keep this from being a smart, fun opener.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It had fun characters and a great premise. I couldn't get past the fact that these smart, capable characters kept doing things that they themselves admitted were out of character and they didn't want to do. So many times characters thought one thing, said the opposite, and then bemoaned their actions to themselves. I just couldn't buy that these brilliant and ambitious people would behave this way, particularly when a point was made that they never had before.

I appreciate a romance novel that takes a broad view of happily ever after and attends to the personal and professional growth of its main characters right in tandem with the developing romance. The Boyfriend Project does this especially well and offers an accessible entry point to readers who enjoy women's fiction but haven't been reading much romance.

It is very much Samiah's book, and the early pages focus solidly on the female relationships in her life: a close bond with her snarky/sweet sister and the birth of a great girl squad. The hilarious confrontation gone viral that brings the squad together rivals any romance meet cutes I've read. Watching Samiah, London and Taylor process their mutual betrayal by the smarmiest of dudes, deal with the resultant notariety, and grow closer as they confide their fears and challenges to one another was one of my favorite parts of the book. Their sex-positive banter, the consistency with which they show up for one another, and the way they encourage each other to move beyond life as a checklist and into seeking happiness on their own terms is a total delight!

Samiah's career also plays a prominent role in the novel, and it's a real treat to read about a heroine for whom work is a driving passion. Samiah is intelligent, motivated, and determined. As a result, she's risen quickly to a prominent position in the tech industry. While her workplace is a dream with perks like massages and brownie bars, the book doesn't shy away from depicting the obstacles she's faced as a Black woman in STEM, including a lack of mentorship and implicit biases that demand perfection of her but give the office uber-Karen a pass.

As for the romance, Daniel is great from the get go. He’s not threatened by her success, sees the challenges she faces and finds ways to be supportive on her terms. It's a slow burn, but the eventual sex is hot! The conflict between them hinges on a lie of omission that feels inevitable given his pre-existing loyalties, but his scruples, clear desire to do the right thing, and obvious remorse work in his favor. Moreover, his grovel includes a recognition that she has no responsibility to hear him out and demonstrates a real knowledge of who she is.

One sour note in a story that does such a good job with inclusivity in other regards is the exchange between Taylor and Samiah that seems to make a joke of Taylor having a same sex encounter. It's a small moment, but Samiah's commenting that she's learned not to be surprised by anything Taylor says implies that not being heterosexual is something outrageous. Given that it's the only queer reference in the book, it's a particularly disappointing choice.

Aside from that, the book really hit the mark for me. I enjoyed the skill with which the aspects of social commentary, personal and professional growth, and romance were interwoven and am very much looking forward to Rochon's next!

4.5




CW: racism, microaggressions, secondary character mention of fertility treatments/pregnancy

Multicultural RomCom with a touch of undercover work. Samiah is a kick-butt software engineer at a top company who meets who she thinks is another coworker (newly hired), Daniel (who is actually an undercover Federal agent). Both are drawn to each other immediately. Will they continue to get closer or will job responsibilities get in the way of their sparks? Love the character interactions (some steam erupts too), believable storyline (this author knows her way around corporations and computers and secrecy). Good read!

Thanks @netgalley for an ARC of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 by @farrahrochon⁣
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After a public breakup, Samiah promises to stay away from men & relationships. She makes a pact with her cheating ex’s lovers that for 6 months they will swear off men and focus on themselves. That is until the new guy Daniel, starts working at her company. What Samiah doesn’t know about Daniel is that he’s at her company with a big secret. ⁣
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There was so much hype surrounding this book & I can see why! Samiah is a bad a** strong willed woman who knows what she wants. She works at a tech company and creates an app for heavens sakes, how cool is that?! Daniel is also incredibly swoon worthy!⁣
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If you like office romances that have good banter, strong female friendships & steam, I recommend 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭!

This was my first Farrah Rochon read, and it definitely won't be my last.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this story and her writing. For one, it's an office romance. The heroine kicks ass at her job, one that traditionally doesn't employ Black women (tech), and the way her character was written made it impossible to not root for her. Samiah rocked!

The Black-Asian hero is an undercover federal investigator looking into a suspected white-collar crime at her employer. Daniel's hired unbeknownst to anyone at the company that he's a Fed and is immediately attracted to the heroine. They both have reasons to not get involved with each other, but their chemistry is potent, and that push-pull between them is done well.

This story hit a lot of sweet spots for me, but at the same time, I struggled a bit with some of the pacing. There was a lot of repetition in the internal narratives, especially the hero's with his one big conflict: he isn't just her coworker, and he can't tell her the truth. There were a couple of other interesting plot threads I wished had gotten more page time, too.

Overall, the setup was great. I just think there could've been a better connection to her issues with trust/honesty, as well as giving the hero more to his characterization so his GMCs weren't so one-dimensional. *slowly removes my editor hat*

That said, I enjoyed the writing and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

RATING: B

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, & Hachette for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

This is delightful for a couple of reasons - one, it's just plain delightful. Two, it's the beginning of a series that I cannot WAIT TO HAVE THE REST OF. (Isn't it so awesome when you read the first book in a proposed series and it sets it up so freaking well and you just can't wait??)

More than anything this book had to offer, I loved the friendship that was created by these three women. They took such good care of each other in such real ways after knowing each other for so short a time, and it was so cool to see.

Secondly, the romance. Here for it in lotsa lotsa ways, but also at times left something to be desired. And the conflict between the two of them at the end (although admittedly different than lots of standard tropes) just didn't feel AS BIG to me as I think it was meant to feel. (Could have just been a me thing.)

Overall this was one I really enjoyed and hated to put down - I can't wait to see where Rochon goes next with this series!

The Boyfriend Project is a 2020 must-read for any romance lover. I could not put this one down. I am so looking forward to more from Farrah Rochon!

Wow! What a read!

Samiah finds out from Twitter she is dating the same guy as 2 other ladies, Taylor and London, and they team up for revenge!

And what forms is a beautiful friendship. With that friendship comes goals and promises and the boyfriend project is formed! But a spanner is thrown in the works in the form of Daniel Collins!!

I loved this book. It has some powerful messages, was so well written, had the best characters (Taylor, I love you!!!) and I am absolutely besotted with their new found friendship.

**3.5 Stars**

**I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but actually read a finished copy acquired from Book of the Month which I pay for**

This is one of those books that I have a mixed feelings about it. Overall, I liked it and definitely appreciated several details in it, but when I look at it closely it didn't 100% gel for me.

The stand-out for me was the characters. Samiah and Daniel are really likable and I enjoyed the beginning of their relationship. I love that Samiah is in STEM and the book addresses being a Black woman in the field. Samiah is an accomplished, self-assured woman and I love to see it. I also really liked Taylor and London. They both have distinctive personalities and I look forward to reading their future books (which I am assuming they are getting).

Where the book fell flat for me was the romance. As I said, I liked the beginning with Daniel and Samiah's banter and getting to know one another, but when it came to actually exploring those feelings, it was lackluster. I just didn't feel the chemistry between them.

I guess I just wanted more from the book. More romance, more scenes with Samiah, Taylor and London as a whole. Female friendship is one of the selling points of the book, but it's not in it as much as I thought it would be. As a contemporary romance, it hit all the basic notes, but I wanted more.

I loved the intro to this book! I thought the concept of a viral Twitter moment, especially with three girls joining together against a guy cheating on them, was such a fun way to start off. It really cemented the emphasis & strength of female friendship throughout the book. I thought that Samiah was such a good character. She was so smart & driven, and consistently met her goals. I liked how she explained multiple times throughout the book that she had to work twice as hard for all that she did, being a woman and a POC in the tech world. This is the reality of so many women out there, so to see her succeed was wonderful. Daniel was such a great guy, and I was envious of his job! I loved their stories & how everything came together throughout the book. I definitely will be reading more by Farrah Rochon!

I loved this freaking book. Strong women, friendships, swoon-worthy hero, a dash of mystery. The Boyfriend Project literally had everything I needed. It’s steamy and so fun.

OK so this was hilarious and super cute. Not only was the romance cute but I really liked the friendships that were made in this book. I really enjoyed how it wasn’t just about getting revenge but also about building relationships. I loves the representation in this book and all of the people of color that was represented. I definitely am looking forward to reading more from this author and so happy that I have a physical copy. 10 out of 10 would recommend!