I want to thank NetGalley and Atria for this gifted ARC I’m exchange for an honest review.

The Referral Program is a multiple POV of 3 girlfriends who refer men in their lives for each other to date in order to find their forever partner. I was enjoying this book up until about 40% through and then it lost me. The spicy scenes were great, but the terminology used for a woman’s v@gina turned me off. For one woman it was called “kitty”, for the other it was “flower”, and for the last one it was “blossom”. It was just a strange way to describe it when you had no problem speaking about a man’s shaft or wetness.

Although this book was multiple POVs it was hard to tell. Outside of the use of the characters name, and the man that they were dating, it was hard differentiating between each of the three women. I believe it’s because we don’t really get to know each of them outside of what they do for a living. Their history/dating experience was only briefly described. There’s also an incident that takes place towards the end of the book. That was just a little confusing and overexaggerate it for me.

Just a reminder, just because this book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean someone else won’t like it. It’s out on 8/29/23 if you want to give it a try! It’s also still available on NetGalley if you are looking for a sneak peek 😉.

The Referral Program by Shamara Ray
In the olden days, people didn’t find dates on Tinder or other social media programs. They met potential mates at work, church, school, and through friends and acquaintances, sometimes on blind dates. So, I was a bit skeptical about where this book was going when the three protagonists thought their “Referral Program” was something “new” that had to be kept secret.
Sadly, my opinion went downhill from there. The three protagonists, Ivy, Brooke, and Dylan, where indistinguishable from one another. They had different jobs, yes, but they were all beautiful, shapely, ambitious black women with high expectations for relationships. But … they didn’t have anything that differentiated them from each another. Likewise, the male characters they “referred” to one another. All successful, handsome, wealthy, fit black men. Everyone was experienced in dating and relationships, and suddenly, they all had the same goals. Only one, discarded character was “less” –and that was because he was nine years older and sold cars for a living (though of course, he owned three dealerships.) Buzz words like Faith, Integrity, Loyalty are present throughout, whether through the mouths of the male characters, or the female.
First dates are painful for most people, tenuous at best, especially blind dates. I hate to say the reader struggles through no fewer than seven first dates in this novel, each painful. And when a couple finally gets to sex, these bright, educated, mid-thirties women refer to their own genitalia as “kitty” or “flower” and it was … for the reader…awful.
Finally, the author had trouble with point of view throughout the book, jumping from one woman to the other …and since they were indistinguishable in language or goals, it was difficult to follow. At one point, we even switched to one of the men’s point of view mid chapter and without warning. When anyone tried to have a conversation with a potential mate, the “dialogue” turned into preachy monologue. Three lines from one character at a time is a rule many writers have been taught. This one missed that lesson. It is not unusual to read 10-12 lines with no break, and sometimes, honestly 22-25. I have no sense of the setting and very little sense of the characters actions, habits, distinguishing features, etc.
I hate to leave a less than stellar review, as I know it takes so much to write a novel. I believe this writer has the skills to do a better job. The book is The Referral Program, and it will be released August 29, 2023. Thanks to the publisher, Atria Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

They (whoever “they” are) said this was “an engaging novel about a group of single women who come up with a plan to try and meet Mr. Right” and holy man, they were right! I was a little sad there were no “bad date” stories involved (they were always my favourite part of my teen magazines) but I know that was not the story Ray was trying to tell. I am here for the one she did tell!

Meet Dylan, Ivy, and Brooke. They’re best friends in their 30’s decide they want to find Mr. Right and all have male friends who they’re close to, but they’re just not the right fit (you know the ones?). So these women have a very enlightened idea: what is they introduced the men to their friends and see if any sparks fly? The adventure really kicks into high-gear once the ladies each refer men who they think will be matches for their besties. The women will each setup the date and if it’s not a good fit, move on to the next man on the list hoping to find that perfect match.

I loved the plot, characters, even the various POV’s! I found the multiple perspectives helped the story, never confused me, and added to the beautiful tale. Each character had their own unique personality and each complimented the other (gotta love besties, amirite?). It’s been said by other reviewers, but I felt like I was watching a movie versus reading a book. Such a treat! This isn’t just a beach read, it’s a year-round read my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Strebor Books for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book! Brooke, Dylan, and Ivy have been friends forever. All established career women in their own respect, they have now reached the point of borderline give-up in their love lives. It feels like no one can meet their standards and expectations in a partner for this stage of their lives. So is born the Referral Program. Each girl picks men in their life that they themselves wouldn't date, but think would make a great match for one of their best friends.

The premise is fantastic! But the execution fell flat. There isn't specific POV changes, with just chapter numbers designating shifts. I could only tell the girls apart by career or man they were seeing. It got to a point where I just didn't like the characters anymore, with their potential matches becoming more developed and interesting.

As some other reviewers have mentioned, the smut scenes are literally so cringe I couldn't get through them. I wanted to love this, but overall, I would not recommend this title.

This book is a fun pool side read. It's a bit cliche at times and some of the characters start to run together in terms of personality, which makes it a bit hard to keep up with who is who. Overall an easy summer read, but don't expect anything spectacular.

I thought the premise and idea of this book was great! The blurb for it had me itching to read it! Unfortunately I felt it just did not hold up to my expectations. In my opinion the three FMC’s were way to similar to the point I got confused too easily. The extremely child like nickname of the female body part threw me a fast ball. If you aren’t comfortable enough, at the very least, calling it what it is, then maybe it shouldn’t be discussed at all and the steamy scenes should have just been fade to black scenes. I would have found it much more enjoyable and entertaining than reading about her “dew-drop covered flower” or even “his masculinity deep within her femininity”. That was torture to read. Other than those issues it was a pretty fast paced book and like I said I loved the idea of it. I just don’t feel like the author captured this book quite the way I had been expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cute easy read you’d expect from a romance novel. Takes you out of reality for a spell. Just a sweet story about friends helping each other find love and navigate their entanglements. There’s a little conflict to keep it interesting but nothing that takes away from the story and happy endings all around!

Perfect propaganda to ditch Tinder and just ask your girlfriends to find the perfect guy for you. It was a cute fast paced read that had me rooting for all the women involved.

Dylan and her girlfriends have hatched a plan to find a way to meet Mr. Right. They are all mid thirties, which is usually the age when women start to worry about things like having kids, and getting married.
When they were in college, they never thought that this would be their destiny. This becomes a topic of hot discussion , which is how they came up with the "referral program".
I found this to be a cute, quirky book that I think is ok for both young adult and adult. It was a quick read, and I think it also makes for a great beach book.

This was a fun read! You really jump in right from the beginning and see what inspired the referral program. You read about each of their journeys with the men their friends set them up with. They each had different experiences and even learned something about themselves along the way.

I really enjoyed this book! I had to re-read some parts at times, there were multiple characters and POV’s and I would get lost but I don’t feel it took away from the book.

Thank you to Atria for inviting me to read an early copy of this book.

Had to DNF pretty quickly, unfortunately.

I liked the concept but there was poor execution. The book concept hinges on the trio NEVER thinking to set up the others with the men they know ESPECIALLY since they're all down about not having a husband and kids.

I couldn't after that.

I really wanted to love this one, but I felt like it fell flat for me, I can definitely see other people loving this book though. I just was missing something that connected me with the characters. I will still be recommending this for purchase in my library.

The premise of this novel is intriguing - 3 friends create a list of curated referrals for dating. The rules are clearly laid out and the dating begins. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stilted and unnatural. It gets a bit preachy at times and these women have a bit of a "holier than thou" attitude. In the end, I finished it just so I could write a review and probably would have abandoned it halfway through.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Shamara Ray, and publisher Strebor Books for providing this eARC. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
.
.
.
I wanted to love this book. I saw the low ratings, and thought, "How bad could it be?" and boy did I find out.

The three POV characters, Dylan, Ivy, and Brooke, were shallow at best. I sometimes got lost in who was speaking when or which POV I was reading. They way I kept them apart? <i>Their men</i>. Sebastian (Brooke's), Barrett (Dylan's), and Daveed (Ivy's) were more varied, complex, interesting, and compelling to read about.

While the premise was cute, the execution was not. What was the point in having a list of six men for each girl to date, if she was going to stop at Man Number One, or Man Number Two? The potential for awkward dates was through the roof, but we get one cringey date, and a second that is just kind of... pitiful. There could have been up to 15 bad dates! Or hell, add some *spice* and one of the girls could have liked three of her six picks and had to pick one! And why make a rule that the ladies couldn't talk about the program, but then never have the program accidentally get revealed? Why mention the ladies meet up monthly for brunch, and only show brunch happening twice? I'm pretty sure this book goes over the course of about six months. There's a pattern here of plot devices being added to the plot and then not being used in the plot!

The book ends with one of the girls getting engaged, and calling an end to the referral program officially, declaring it "a success" because if you're over 35 and single, that's (somehow?) a problem. This feels almost like an attack on feminism: she's got the job, the car, the house, but no man, and therefore, her life isn't good enough.
Disclaimer: I know it's just a book and it ain't that serious. Let me be salty.

I Loved this I was intrigued from page 1 all the way till the end. It definitely was given Run The World vibes.

The Referral Program by Shamara Ray is my first read by this author and I’m very happy I was able to be drawn in the the way that I was.
This book drew me in and the main characters were likable and totally engaging.
I enjoyed bring with these characters.
It made me smile and it kept my attention the entire time.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books & Strebor Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I wanted more to love this book. The premise of the book sounded so good but the execration of this book fell flat. There was too many characters in this story there was way too much going on. I wish there was more development in the ideas of this book but in the end it just didn't do it for me.

Just not good overall. Too many characters and none are described physically or with distinguishing personality. You could switch any of the women and any of the men and nothing would change. I couldn’t keep the couples and women apart because they were all so similar. There is also a lot of strange misogyny and negative social commentary that is out of place. The largest conflict was something that would upset a middle schooler. I’m sure some will like it but this is not a quality romance novel for me.

Three friends, Dylan, Ivy and Brooke cook up a plan to inventory all the men they know -- friends and co-workers -- and create a list of six eligible bachelors to set the others up with. Each woman is responsible for finding six men; three for one and three for the other; that way in the end, each woman has a list of six guys to date. They start at the top of the list and if it doesn't seem like a match with that guy, they move on to the next. Simple enough right?

Dylan's last relationship ended badly after, what she thought, was going to be a loving proposal on Christmas Day with her entire family around. Even though that relationship went sour, Dylan did not give up her quest for companionship.

Brooke, on the other hand, has seemingly given up on this idea of Prince Charming. She has put her head down and worked her butt off and considers her professional successes all that she needs to sustain her. Brooke has her walls all the way up.

Ivy is somewhere in the middle of the two. She's not indifferent to a relationship but she's not super open either. She goes into the Referral Program with an open mind -- not too eager, but not too closed off either.

The concept of the "referral program" is cute, if there were more eligible men to date, I think women all over would do this. My only complaint is that I have a hard time coming to the reality that some of these men have never met these women before! Not to spoil it but, one "eligible man" is literally childhood friends with one of the women, how has he never been to a housewarming or birthday party? How have they never crossed paths before -- do people keep their different friend groups separate?

Another "eligible man" is one woman's neighbor. You can't pay men to believe that he would have never met any of her other friends.

This was a quick read. The dialogue and writing were not terrible. I do feel like the main characters' development was lacking: To me, the men had more personalities than the women. Two of the three men were more emotionally mature than their women counterparts. And the big 'TO DO' that comes out as the "plot twist" was boring and over-blown. At their big age and with their long-standing friendship, they all should have behaved better.

Excelllllllent! What a cute storyline with an even better set of characters. I loved the various POVs that not only help move the story along but add to its richness. And the change in who was sharing their POV was never confusing. You felt like you were watching a movie versus reading a book. Each characters personality was unique and complimentary. No one over/under shines. It allows for the reader to find her/himself in a character. I loved the romance and how the relationships developed and each at their own pace. Great book! Great beach read! Heck, great year round read!!!!