Woah! Talk about jumping right in with a heavy hitter. The fact that Samiah had to go through the humiliation of being Catfished was an eye opening read that truly shows you never really know someone until you do. First appliances can be deceiving but genuine people are out there. I immediately felt Samiah's pain, to find out that they guy you were starting to like, even just a little, is a cold hearted liar makes you question everything else around you. Yet regardless of that set back, I am impressed with Samiah's confidence and will power to push through even when her coworkers start putting her on display.

Daniel's introduction says more than I anticipated. He's observant, yet doesn't want attention from others, he understands Samiah's situation and respects her for doing what she needed. I feel like their relationship going forward will progress with real chemistry and misunderstandings. Hopefully the author doesn't dive down the hill of unrealistic situations just to add some drama to the novel. I give the extended excerpt a 4 out of 5 star rating for the strong development of Samiah's character. I'm really intrigued to see how her and Daniel's relationship progress's from here. Thanks Netgalley for the sneak peak!

This was a wonderful start and taste into the whole book. The voice immediately pulls you into the story and Samiah's life. But above all else what really tickles me so in contemporary romance, it is the presence of a good female friendship, even one born out of the infidelity of one man. Women supporting women, more of this please.

This book caught my interest right from the start. It sounds cute, funny and like a quick read. I'll have to pick up a copy.

The Boyfriend Project is a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to gain some insight into what black women (and other women of color) experience in the professional workspace. While there is an element of romance in the book (and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect), my biggest takeaway from the experience is the glimpse I got of the burden and responsibility women like Samiah feel and that is invaluable in the climate that we're in as a society right now. I also enjoyed the emphasis on platonic female relationships, work/life balance, and the different definitions of success. If you enjoyed Lauren Layne's Central Park Pact series, I highly recommend The Boyfriend Project and I hope that Farrah Rochon plans on making it a trilogy as well because I really want Taylor and London's stories as well! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

I really loved the premise- John Tucker Must Die strong female vibes going on. I would have loved it if the characters had more depth- they seemed stuck in 2-D instead of leaping off the page; I didn’t stop and think “wow, I wish they were my friends.”

RATING: 3.75/5 STARS

The Boyfriend Project is a cute romance book detailing how our badass business-gal heroine, Samiah Brooks, finds herself falling for the new and mysterious employee at her company, Daniel Collins. But is Daniel hiding something that could potentially end up blowing up in his face? This book is a great mix of lighthearted fun and the reality check everyone needs and is great for all aspiring career gals, hopeless romantics and people who want to learn more about the genuine struggles of a black minority in the workplace.

I really enjoyed Samiah and Daniel’s story! The banter between our two leads was flirty and cute. I do feel as though Daniel’s character could have been fleshed out more as he seemed a bit two-dimensional but that’s my main critique. While I wish we got a bit more of an epilogue between our two leads, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more from them in future books.

But onto the better stuff - the romance was not what made this story shine. The friendship amongst the newly formed trio really showed how powerful girl power could be and how you can find friendship and genuine connection in the least likely of places. The support that the girls provided one another made me wish I were also a part of their group! Additionally, Farah Rochon did an incredible job detailing the struggles and battles of being a black woman in the tech industry which really opened my eyes to the hidden politics within the business world. That open rawness and transparency is what more books need.

Overall, it’s a super cute read and will leave you smiling after you finish! Rochon did a wonderful job and I’m excited to read more books from this series once they’re released!

While I already read the full book, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing the preview. #TheBoyfriendProjectEXTENDEDPREVIEW #NetGalley

This is a really good book that caught me from the very beginning! I can't wait to read the entire book!

The Boyfriend Project has been on my list of “To Read” summer romances. While waiting for my hold to come up at the library, I took advantage of reading the extended preview.

The book starts out with Samiah, a driven career women, finding out that the guy she is dating is playing her and dating other women. There is a confrontation that goes viral. She classically swears off men just as she meets a new colleague who peaks her interest.

I loved that the scorned ladies bonded over a shared terrible experience. I’m also a sucker for a good sister relationship and can’t wait to see what happens with London. This preview has gotten me excited to read the rest of the book in the coming weeks.

Thank you #NetGalley for the #TheBoyfriendProjectEXTENDEDPREVIEW

3.5 stars. Pretty good, though a bit on the superficial side for me. I liked it enough, but didn't totally love it.

This was adorable in some instances but it felt so flat. I read a ton of amazing reviews so unfortunately, I think the problem is with me. Maybe I'm not in the mood for a romantic story or maybe I had my expectations to high. Sadly I don't see myself continuing this one.

The characters never felt real or three-dimensional.

Daniel is, well, we'll get to that.

Samiah is incredibly self-centered -- which is fine as a trait and definitely necessary to be successful as a woman in a tech field, but doesn't make her likable/lovable at all. It's like she works overtime to ignore the emotional needs of the people around her, even people she claims to care about. Is she deliberately obtuse, or....?

So. Daniel. Yes, Daniel is perfect: he's hot and funny and attractive and a genius(™) and hot and thoughtful and attractive.
We. Know.
You. Told. Us.
In completely unsubtle and annoying ways you TOLD us how perfect he is. And you TOLD us how fast their relationship was developing. And you TOLD us how attracted they were to each other.

Luckily for her, I guess, Samiah is also basically perfect, except for that she completely ignores Daniel's emotional trauma, struggles in the workplace, and completely human need for reassurance and support. Oh, no, no: those aren't important because he's a cardboard cutout in the shape of a human.

One conversation in particular bothered me. Daniel spends ONE MINUTE talking about how he struggles as a POC in a tech field in two ways:
As a black man, he's perceived to be inherently worse at the job than his white male counterparts.
However, when people find out he's half-Asian, that instantly negates the hard work he puts in: "OH, he's good because he's <i>Asian</i>." No, he's good at his job because he's smart and also works hard.
He shares his frustration as a way of empathizing with Samiah. Like, "I see your struggle. I also struggle." And her reaction, instead of acknowledging his share and empathizing back was, "Oh good. So you know I have it way worse."
Yeah, okay, maybe you do, but that doesn't mitigate the negative perceptions he experiences and it was a prime opportunity for the characters to grow closer in shared experiences. Sorry, correction: A TOTALLY MISSED <s>PRIME</s> OPPORTUNITY.





Also, and this is just nitpicking, why the hell is an undercover federal agent using his real name? And why the hell does he spend half his time at work hiding under a hoodie with music blasting in his ears? He can neither see nor hear the information he is literally there to see/hear. I can see him <i>pretending</i> to do those things, but actually doing them undermines his purpose.
It's almost like his job as a federal agent was just randomly picked out of a hat and added a thoroughly unnecessary conflict for the sake of conflict.

I really enjoyed this book. Samiah is a smart and strong woman, who, when she’s not busy kicking ass at work, gives back to the community and helps encourage girls interested in STEM — you can’t help but root for her. She also highlights the way women in tech, especially herself as a Black woman, have to constantly prove themselves and be perfect to get the same opportunities at work. It was an important reminder of equity in the workplace.

I also love the female friendships — when the girls realize they were dating the same man it could have easily turned catty, but instead they bonded over it and it helped them each focus on becoming their best selves. The romance was slow burn with lots of up front flirting and eventually some steam, and Daniel ends up being a secret agent which adds a fun mystery element to the story.

I recommend if you want to read about strong females, friendship goals, and a hottie secret agent. I feel like this would also make a great movie!

I had high expectations, I heard so much positive about this book, and I really was intrigued by thr reviews and the blurb. But the book wasn't a good "fit" for me..
I really wanted to like it, but sadly sometimes it's simply a no.

Aww, is it too soon to fall for Daniel the minute he talks to Samiah? When everyone is making fun of Samiah, Daniel is the only one who showed his concern and they just met for less than 5 minutes! Isn't he a keeper!?

And I loving the blossoming friendship between Samiah, London and Taylor. Who knows a friendship can be formed in the least unlikely event. London and Taylor seem to have an interesting and cool personality. How Craig managed to date all 3 wonderful and brilliant ladies is a mystery.

The preview of the book definitely grab my attention and I find myself hoping for more to read at the end of the preview.

There have been so many great releases from Forever this year and Farrah Rochon's latest, The Boyfriend Project, was another one of them! These contemporary romances have been a great distraction during COVID and I'm loving every minute of them. Samiah is a strong, intelligent, and independent woman who everyone would benefit from having as a friend. I love that this book started with bringing 3 women together who were all catfished by the same guy. Samiah, Taylor, and London quickly became close based on their shared experience. Their friendship quickly grew and that was refreshing to see since it's not always easy to find close girlfriends as you get older. This is an office romance trope that you'll definitely want to pick up! I just found out it's going to be a series and can't wait for the next stories!

What an awesome preview - I can’t wait to read the entire book now! I immediately loved Samiah’s character and her relationship with her sister, what appears to be a friendship with fellow women who were used by “Craig” and the brief introduction of who appears to be her future love interest. I enjoyed the flow of the author’s writing style.

What’s a girl to do when she finds out the man she’s been seeing is seeing 2 other women at the same time? Samiah Isn’t exactly the cry in the corner over a no good man type. Instead she becomes besties with the two other women as they bond and commiserate over the lack luster dating scene. Together they decide that taking time away from dating is a great way for them to focus on their individual goals and quit wasting their time in undeserving men. Naturally after swearing off men Samiah would happen to find a man that she likes. My favorite part of the book was the friendship she developed with Taylor and London because it really is hard to make new friends as adults. It’s nice that they all knew exactly who to blame for their meeting and didn’t do anything ridiculous like blame each other or fight with each other. Yeah there was romance and some other things too but I like a good friendship story too. My first read from this author but definitely won’t be my last.

The Boyfriend Project 💙

Who’s in need of a good BIPOC romance read?!
This book is adorable and hysterical and such a cute romance reads.
It was a combination of John Tucker Must Die mixed with The Other Woman mixed with a nice mystery to tie it all together!
I loved the flow of this book and the banter between all the characters, I just wish that it had lasted longer!
The characters were so well developed and the steam level was 🔥🔥🔥 that I just didn’t want it to end. I felt like I could have read at least another 100 more pages by this author!
I also really loved how much the main male character understood or at least made a huge effort to try and understand the main characters struggles.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are some of your favorite BIPOC romance reads?!

I absolutely loved this extended preview of The Boyfriend Project and I cannot wait to get my hands on the whole book! The main character is such a strong woman and a bad ass. I love how Farrah writes the descriptions in this book, she describes the apartment, the makeup looks and some of the characters so far, really well. I loved it and cannot wait to read more. I am also intrigued by Daniel - why does he have dossiers on his new colleagues? I'm definitely curious to find out.

This preview was lovely. I enjoyed reading it. The whole vibe of women sticking together plus the witty humor and the whole emotions peeking out of the first few pages I read made me happy. I definitely want to read the complete book and more books from this author.