I loved the first half and the passion project dates. The book lost me in the second half though. They way both characters dealt with conflict made me start to dislike them.

Bennet is a very relatable character. She lost the love of her life and doesn’t want to leave the house or get close to anyone. She’s afraid to feel that pain again. She is meant to go on a blind date with a guy named Henry and she ends up ghosting him, but these two end up meeting up accidentally after Bennet has a rough day. Henry is there to make her day better and they start something called a “Passion Project”.

I enjoy friends to lovers. And the Passion Project was such a cleaver idea, I might have to start one myself. There were times I wanted to slap Bennet, and tell her to get over it and let herself be happy, but I know how hard it is when you feel you don’t deserve to be happy. I enjoyed this book and would recommend to my friends.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC. I appreciate you letting me get a chance to read this ebook.

This was absolutely adorable! The FMC makes sone questionable choices, but don’t we all. Overall a solid 4 star read. The perfect summer romance book.

Thank you Penguin Books and NetGalley for the DRC of Passion Project! All I pinions in this review are my own.

To say I loved this book is an understatement! Sperry writes with so much heart and humor. In addition to being a romance, Passion Project is an exploration of grief and how to continue to honor people who are no longer with us without holding on to grief. I can't wait to read Sperry's next book!

Passion Project by London Sperry is a sweet, introspective rom-com that gently balances humor and heartache. Bennet Taylor’s struggle to find joy in the wake of personal loss is relatable, and the premise—using weekly adventures to reignite her passion for life—offers a charming structure that keeps the story moving. Henry is the kind of love interest rom-com fans will root for: patient, funny, and emotionally grounded. Their banter is light and believable, and the slow-burn chemistry that builds throughout the “just friends” premise adds a satisfying emotional arc.

That said, the pacing can feel a bit uneven at times, especially in the middle, where the grief themes occasionally outshine the momentum of the romantic and comedic elements. Some readers may wish for a deeper exploration of certain emotional beats or a more dramatic payoff. Still, Passion Project succeeds as a hopeful, compassionate story about healing, self-discovery, and learning to let love back in. It’s a thoughtful feel-good read that’s equal parts cozy and cathartic.

What a debut! I’ve been on a run of self-discovery, healing from grief romances, and this pushed to the head of the class. I loved the depth of these characters, the romanticism of New York, and the journey to find one’s passion.

4/5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of this book. I had been anticipating a rom-com type book but it was a much deeper look at grief, guilt, relationships and love. I’ve recommended it to multiple people since finishing it.

Why did I wait so long to read this book?! PASSION PROJECT is a sparkling and heart-warming debut that has me anxiously awaiting whatever London Sperry publishes next. Combining friends-to-lovers and a book where the setting (New York City) felt like another character, this was a warm hug of a book I'll definitely read again.

Filled with friendship, personal growth, false starts, and healing from a tremendous loss, I was hooked on Bennet and Henry's story right away. When Bennet ghosts Henry and realizes she isn't ready to date yet after losing her boyfriend, I felt so much for her. I just wanted to tell her it would be okay! I really loved how she went from dreading her standing Saturday plans with Henry to looking forward to them to falling for him.

Definitely check this one out!

Passion Project was sharp, sexy, and surprisingly emotional—in the best way. The chemistry? Instant. The banter? Flawless. And the slow unraveling of feelings had me hooked. I devoured it and loved every minute.

I loved passion project! The setting and adventures were perfection and the character development was spot on

Passion Project was an engaging story that hooks you right from the beginning; in the restaurant bathroom. The dynamic between the characters had me rooting for them from the get-go. Bennet was a complicated and nuanced character, who, even at her lowest and most self-destructive had me rooting for her. Sperry constructed and navigated the reader through the choppy waters of Bennet's grief and guilt with a masterful and careful hand. Henry was the ultimate romantic lead in his care and patience; there should be more bespeckled romantic comedy leads named Henry. Passion Project carves its way into your heart and encourages the reader to hope and be brave to take the leaps that feel the scariest...and reminds us that sometimes the scariest leap is getting out of our own way.

I love a book set in NYC, and this delivered! I loved Bennet's story and her depiction of mental health as well as grief. I can relate to a main character when they are struggling through the grief and loss of a loved one, and it honestly makes me way more connected to them while reading the book. When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. and oh how I loved Bennet and Henry, the chemistry was top notch and I just adored how Henry wanted her to find her passion again, which he helps her with. the slow burn and build up of these two had me giggling and rooting so hard for them!! overall, such a fun story, even with the heavy topic of grief and losing a loved one. I would highly recommend this one! thank you to the author and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one was a really fantastic read packed full of emotions. It also helped that it contained my favorite trope... strangers to best friends to lovers.

I found Bennet being so unmotivated by her life so relatable, and I think Sperry did a wonderful job capturing the reality of living with anxiety/depression. Reading through Bennet try to find her spark for life again was sweet and hard to read at times. Some of her decisions made me irrationally angry, but I think that nailed why this worked for me. Bennet and Henry are complex characters that felt real.

Their love story was beautiful to watch unfold and it was so beautiful to see an MMC handle the FMC with care and also put up boundaries when he needs them (wow the bar really is in hell for men).

Thank you to Penguin Books for an eARC of this book.

I loved this book. I was so happy that Book of the Month picked it as one of their monthly selections. The premise is so fun and the main character is deeply relatable and enjoyable to read about. One of my top of the year!

"Having your shit together is not a prerequisite for love."

What to expect:
💵 strangers to best friends to lovers
💵 sunshine x grumpy
💵 cinnamon roll mmc
💵 love after loss
💵 slow burn
💵 only one bed
💵 open door spice (🌶)
💵 NYC setting
💵 romcom
💵 HEA

TW: grief, loss of a loved one, multiple panic attacks, depression, sexual harassment, and car accident

Passion Project felt like a realistic early 2000s romcom movie - in every best way possible. 24-year-old Bennet Taylor is failing miserably - a temp worker with no passion, no relationship, no social life, and is having a panic attack in an NYC restaurant bathroom as she's trying to ghost her date, Henry Adams. Except, they keep meeting by chance, and he proposes an idea: go on adventurous, random outings to find Bennet's passion.

I was shocked to see Passion Project as the author's debut novel. I'm an avid reader of the romance genre, and this easily became one of my favorites. Sperry wrote like a seasoned pro. The writing was simple yet enthralling, the pacing being consistent, the comedic timing was impeccable, and the chemistry between the couple was natural.

Do yourself a favor and read Passion Project before the summer is over. You'll be inspired to complete your own passion project!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and London Sperry for this beautiful ARC!

If yo enjoy character driven slow urn romance set in a familiar backdrop, this debut novel by London Sherry is a feel good read that you might just love like me!

This is one of those books that I needed to sit with for a little while before being able to get my thoughts on it out. I was really expecting to love the Passion Project because the plot sounded unique and I usually love books that explore grief in all its many forms. Throughout the story we not only get to see the expected sadness and tears but also the ugly self-sabotaging guilt side of the grief. I loved how real the grief felt while reading. So Sperry definitely delivered on the grief exploration with the Passion Project. My struggle with this book was with the FMC, she got more and more unlikable as I kept reading. Despite Sperry doing a great job making me sympathize with the grief the FMC was feeling, I didn’t get to see enough on page work put in to make me feel like she had done enough to excuse her awful treatment of the other characters by the end of the book. This left me feeling like something was missing when I finished.

Thank you London Sperry and Penguin Books for the early reader copy of The Passion Project.

I’m literally just a girl. you give me a book based in New York, it’s emotional, it has the most green flags mmc AND it makes me cry? 5 stars, I can’t fight this.

I honestly can’t believe this was a debut novel, it was truly so good, I loved it.

it discussed grief, anxiety, panic attacks.

don’t get me wrong, Bennet was driving me insane, especially the wedding situation, I was so sad for Henry, the patience of this guy was out of this world but everybody has their limits. what he overheard felt cruel and I felt like he deserved better.

but I think that Bennet managed to redeem herself, she understood how wrong this all was, got some closure, decided to reach out for help and got her life together and I’m so proud of her for doing that.

am I still mad at her at how she treated Henry? yes, but I also believe in second chances and I’m so glad that this is how it ended, even if the road there was pretty rocky.

this reminded me a lot of promise me sunshine, in a good way. based in New York, grief, a guy tries to help the girl get her life back. loved it.

Passion Project is one of those reads that hits like a slow exhale. It doesn’t scream for your attention—it quietly crawls under your skin, settles in your chest, and refuses to leave. And honestly? I didn’t want it to.

The vibes? Immaculate.
The emotions? A tidal wave.
The chemistry? I’m talking giggle-into-your-pillow, blush-so-hard-you-have-to-close-the-book kind of chemistry. At one point, I literally paused just to clutch my heart and grin at the ceiling like a teenager in a coming-of-age romcom. Zero shame.

The main character? Devastatingly real. She’s grieving hard and raw, completely convinced she doesn’t deserve a second chance at happiness—which makes watching her learn to let love in again feel like its own kind of redemption arc. You’re not just reading her journey; you’re feeling it. You want to crawl into the book and give her a pep talk, a hug, and probably a snack.

Plot-wise, it’s the perfect kind of slow-burn: a story that unfolds gently but deeply, like someone telling you a secret they’ve never said out loud before. It’s sad. It’s swoony. It’s full of the kind of hope that feels earned.

Bottom line?
If you’ve ever felt a little lost, a little broken, or a little too human—this book will find you. And maybe, just maybe, help you find yourself too.

I loved this book. I found myself thinking about it when I was not reading. The main characters are messy and relatable. I am not the biggest fan of a third-act breakup, so that did bring my rating a bit down. 3.75/5 rounding up