This book completely snuck up on me. The adorable cover definitely pulled me in, but I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did.
At first, I struggled to understand and have patience for the main female character, Bennet, especially through the first half of the book. But having lost my dad, I know that grief is something you can’t really explain, it overtakes you and holds you hostage at times.
That said, this story... my god, it was so good. I tag-teamed it between reading and listening because I couldn’t put it down, and the narrator did an incredible job. I finished it last night, lying in bed next to my sleeping husband, sobbing.
What a phenomenal book. 5 stars from this girl!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cozy, sweet, and full of heart!

Passion Project by London Sperry gave me all the warm fuzzies. 🥰 The slow-burn romance was so genuine, and the little moments between the characters? Pure magic. ✨

It dragged just a tiny bit in a few spots, but honestly, the heart and realness more than made up for it. I closed the book with a happy sigh. 💛

If you’re a sucker for tender, real-life love stories, add this one to your TBR!

✨Passion Project ✨
By London Sperry

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: 📖
Steam: 🌶️
Published: 4/8/25

Stuck and grieving in New York City after the death of her first love, Bennet Taylor has lost her spark for life. When a chance (and slightly awkward) reunion with Henry, a man she stood up the night before, leads to an unconventional offer. Bennet finds herself embarking on a "Passion Project", a series of weekly adventures designed to help her rediscover joy and purpose. As she and Henry explore the city and new experiences together, their platonic arrangement begins to blur, forcing Bennet to confront her past, her fears, and the possibility that finding a new passion might also mean opening her heart to unexpected love.

The core concept of a passion project and the journey to uncover what truly lights you up resonated deeply with me. It's so easy to get swept up in life's challenges and lose touch with the activities that feed your soul. While Bennet's specific experience with grief is not one I share, that feeling of misplacing a part of yourself amidst stress is entirely relatable. In many ways, this Bookstagram account has become my own passion project. It has become my creative outlet to connect with others and share my love of reading.

I was completely captivated by this book for the vast majority of it, though the final stretch (roughly the last 15%) proved a bit challenging for me to fully embrace due to some questionable actions from the FMC. I knew going in that it tackled heavy themes of grief and depression, and I deeply appreciated the authentic mental health representation throughout. Woven through it all is a love story that is undeniably complex, beautifully messy, incredibly sweet, and ultimately quite moving.

I recommend giving this book a read, but be aware that Bennet, the FMC, can be quite challenging at times to root for. On the other hand, Henry, the MMC, is very lovable. He embodies all the best qualities you'd hope for in a book boyfriend: he's funny, charismatic, outgoing, and genuinely thoughtful. My heart goes out to Bennet for the significant challenges she's faced and her journey with grief and depression. However, seeing her treat Henry poorly made it hard to champion her in those moments. There were instances where her grief seemed to be presented as justification for her missteps, and while some were valid expressions of her pain, others felt less so and impacted those around her unfairly.

The book also heavily relies on her relationship with Henry as the catalyst for her healing journey. I would have liked to see more mental health resource supports explored within the book. While supportive relationships are vital, navigating significant mental health challenges often necessitates more than just a partner's help.

📖Read Passion Project if you like reading about:
-Grief & depression
-Slow burn
-Grief journey
-Mental health representation
-Strangers to friends to lovers
-Identity
-Single POV
-Debut novel

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓🙏 Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Books, and London Sperry for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Passion Project published 4/8/25. 💖

⚠️ Triggers: Loss of partner, depictions of anxiety and depression

4 stars- Loved this! This book was exactly what i needed and I know others will love it too. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The New York setting was so cute! The message behind this romance is very cute and it is well written!

What do I think about Passion Project? I think I smiled and cried through reading this book in one session. I think the mental health rep was excellent. I think Henry is a perfect book boyfriend. I think I really loved this book.

Bennet is grieving the loss of her college boyfriend Sam. She’s depressed and isolated herself from the world. As someone who’s dealt with depression for most of her life, I can tell you the author portrayed it in a heartbreakingly real fashion.

Henri pops up at the right time and seems completely perfect. Which he is, but he also has his own issues and flaws. He befriends Bennet at a time when she’s pushed away everyone who cares about her.

Every character is fleshed out and felt so real. I loved the way they all loved Bennet, even when she wasn’t always easy to love.

If you want to read an emotional romance about a girl who is struggling to put her life back together again, I highly recommend you read Passion Project. I can’t wait to see what this author does next. 🍈

Bennett Taylor is living in New York City working as a temp. She is stuck in a rut after her first love died and she can’t find her passion in life. Her best friend talks her into a date and when she ghosts she still ends up running into the guy, Henry. He talks her into finding her passion with his help and every Saturday they do something new in NYC. As friends. Her grief finally starts to slowly fall away and they start to develop a connection.

I really enjoyed the NYC setting and all the fun things Bennet and Henry did together. Henry is so sweet, fun, patient and kind. He’s the perfect book boyfriend:) I appreciated the look at loss and grief but honestly I found Bennet was insufferable. I was rooting for her until last few chapters and the way she behaved at the wedding was cringe. I kind of wanted better for Henry.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc copy of this book!

Love the New York setting! Very reminiscent of Cara Bastone, who I love her writing. Hope this author continues more.

I love this book so much! I loved the adventure, the personal growth, and the banter. The way Bennet overcomes her grief and finds happiness in her life again is such a relatable story written in the most delightful way possible. I rated this 4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the how focal the romance aspect was, while still incorporating themes of grief and Bennet finding her passion! I think being lost in what you’re passionate in early adult years is so common, yet not talked about enough and I loved seeing the characters navigate through this.

I absolutely loved Passion Project — I couldn’t put it down! The banter between Bennet and Henry was top-tier, making me laugh and swoon at the same time. The emotions hit so deep and felt incredibly real, I genuinely felt them in my soul. Such great writing, such a beautiful, unpredictable love story — I already want to read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and London Sperry and her team for the ARC!

This was a great book. I felt like I was enjoying a summer in New York right along with Bennet and Henry. A good love story! There was some depth to it with the element of grief but I like that they learned to embrace it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this one! The NYC setting, dealing with grief, and finding love

I CRIED. I never cry. Usually that will catapult my rating to five stars but I’m blaming hormones. I loved this book. Bennet’s narration is witty, fresh, and depicts depression perfectly. I don’t want to spoil anything so you’ll have to find out the cause of her grief on your own but it’s truly heartbreaking. Henry is so sweet to her, giving her both space and encouragement when she needs it 🥺. There’s major character development in this one and I really enjoyed Bennet’s transformation. I could totally relate to her shy demeanor loved that she learned to put herself out there more because of Henry.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 rounded up for this debut! The story sucked me in right from the start. However, I got frequently annoyed with the FMC and she almost made me DNF due to her overreactions to seemingly small events. I tried to remember that she was dealing with grief, though, and we all handle it differently, which is possibly part of what the author was trying to demonstrate. Overall, I loved the setting and the “passion project” storyline!

“Passion Project” by London Sperry hits all the right notes of your typical romance novel. The couple get together and break up and it all ends happily. There is an interesting theme of grief that makes the novel stand out. It has a fairly low level of spice if that is a concern.

This was the perfect feel good read. I struggled to put it down and you've myself wanting to get back to it as soon as I could. I am so hopeful this is only the beginning for London Sperry because this book was one of the best thing I've read this year..

It’s crazy sometimes how a book can say exactly what you need to hear.
“You showed me love doesn’t care about whether or not you have your shit together, or if you’re a grieving mess. Love doesn’t care if you’re anxious or depressed or drowning in every day life. Love just loves.”

Passion Project follows Bennet as she attempts to navigate crippling depression and guilt in a city she should be living in with her boyfriend. After her friends swipe on a dating app and convince her to go out with the ever charming Henry, we find ourselves on their adventure with them as they go on different adventures throughout New York City trying to find what Bennet’s passion is. Eventually she does find it, but on the way she starts to address the guilt over the death of her boyfriend and the depression that accompanies it as she grows close with Henry.

Death is, well, death. And it sucks. And carrying the guilt of thinking maybe it’s your fault that person is gone makes it so much worse. I lost my dad 15 years ago while he was home alone. I was out with my nana, and he was alone. I was 12 and sometimes I still think about what would’ve happened had I been there. The grief comes in waves, and I’m only now as an adult getting to the point where I’m actually trying to handle it the right way instead of bottling it up and existing. The way this book hit just really resonated with me. Love comes in different forms—romantic, familial, platonic. And love doesn’t care if you have your shit together. Watching Bennet learn to lean on the people around her, the ones that love and care about her, just hit me. Her friends didn’t care that she was so depressed she could barely get out of bed some days, they loved her anyway. Henry didn’t care that she was still grieving Sam, he loved her anyway and helped her as she worked through it. He was patient and kind. Bennet learned you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love. And sometimes, we all need that reminder. I know I did.

Passion Project is captivating and beautiful. Bennet is relatable, and grows throughout the months we are with her. So does Henry, and so do all the friends around her. They’re all learning to deal with their own shit in their own way, just trying to figure out how to be an adult in NYC. The characters are incredibly well written, and even ones that don’t play a ~major~ role evoke such strong imagery and feelings that they are just as memorable as Bennet and Henry. The way the setting is described can really make you feel like you’re standing on the top of a skyscraper with Bennet and Henry, or tanning on the rooftop oasis with Jamie and Sonya.

London Sperry addresses really tough issues in a way that is still compassionate. There’s never a point where I felt that the topics were not addressed with careful thought and consideration. The writing was not simple per se, but it was written in a way that everything is easily understood, while still delivering an amazing story from the characters to the scenery to the message. I cant wait to read more of her work.

I really cannot recommend this book enough. It was easily a five star read for me. I laughed and cried. I felt connected with the characters. I want to go live in their New York and be their friend.

I did receive a review copy of Passion Project, and am leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.

I loved this book for the first 75%, like really loved it. But then Bennet changed and I was not here for it. It felt like a total 180 from the beginning and I just had whiplash. Henry deserved more and we deserved more for this ending. I’m bummed.

Passion Project follows Bennet, a woman struggling to work her way through some deep grief, and Henry, a man she meets who offers to help her find her passion. I was immediately pulled in to Bennet and Henry’s world – their connection, their adventures, and the evolution of their friendship into maybe something more. The writing is excellent and I flew through this book. I really appreciate how the author explores and handles Bennet’s grief, as well as how Henry’s character is developed over time. For a debut, I found this to be an exceptional read and one that surpassed my expectations. My only significant criticism is one that I’ve seen other reviewers mention – there is a specific trope that romance novels often include and I really disliked it here. In general, I felt like Bennet made some questionable decisions and treated people fairly poorly, to the point where she was straight up unlikable at certain points. The ending felt a bit rushed but, overall, an entertaining read and one that will be a great fit for the beach this summer.