Henry is a dream. This was a fantastic debut! I loved the setting, plot, characters…everything! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

Passion Project is a lovely debut from London Sperry, a deft portrait of grief and life after loss. I’ve inadvertently been on this cool kick where I keep picking up books that make me cry (it’s fine, I’m totally fine) and now I get to add Passion Project to that list! Sperry’s debut tugs at the same heartstrings that remind us how alike we are, fumbling through life beside each other. This novel is a testament to the human spirt and a love letter to platonic and romantic relationships. It reminds me of Cara Bastone’s Promise Me Sunshine and I would highly recommend this book to fans of Bastone’s heartfelt contemporaries.

What endeared me so heavily to this novel was the incredible depictions of grief and anxiety. When we find main character Bennet, she is struggling in the aftermath of an unforgettable loss. Some moments are heavier than others and the way she wavers between light and dark felt very relatable for anyone who has felt profound sadness. My one hang up is that despite all her growth, Bennet takes a bit of a back step emotionally, in a moment that felt like it was only there to facilitate a third act breakup. By the book’s conclusion though, Bennet does enough maturing and apologizing to set this plot line right.

Bennet and Henry’s relationship was the highlight of my reading experience. I just adored their grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Henry’s character was full of warmth and even when we uncover his deep-seated struggles, his optimistic attitude left me feeling hopeful rather than pained. He was a wonderful counterpart to Bennet, which proved how capable he was at pulling her out of despair. May we all be so lucky as to have a Henry in our lives.

London Sperry’s New York City is a gritty, vibrant, and believable place. As someone who lives here, I can attest to the conflicting emotions that Bennet has. She feels lost in a sea of people but through Henry, Sonya, and her other friends, she is able to find joy again. It’s always fun to read about places you can picture in real life and I loved all of the insider NYC locales that were incorporated.

If you’re looking for a story that paints an honest, messy picture of grief and relationships, add Passion Project to your list! I was so impressed with London Sperry’s debut and if this is any indication, we are in for some beautiful pieces of fiction from her in the future!

Thank you Penguin Books & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this one! It was very fast-paced and I read it quickly.

As a woman in her 40s though, there were parts of it that just felt a bit young to me. Some of the conflict felt obvious and avoidable.

The best parts were the exploration of grief and the passion project itself.

i love that the premise of this book is that you don’t need to have your shit together to find love.

this follows Bennet, who is in a deep grief spiral from losing her college boyfriend, when she meets Henry who helps her find her passion in life. i found bennet to be infuriating at times (namely, the third act conflict - understandable, grief is a bitch) and loved that Henry is the sweetest most patient man to exist on this planet. they are perfect for each other. this hit home in certain aspects and had me sobbing, but was also a really hopeful story too. also - absolutely adore Sal.

As someone who loves rom-coms set in NYC, this one was perfect for me! I really enjoyed the dynamic between our FMC and MMC and think this is perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Katherine Center and Abby Jimenez. The characters definitely had depth to them!

I downloaded Passion Project thinking it would be a typical upbeat, easy to read romance novel. Bennet is trying to make her way in New York City but is dealing with grief from an event that happened years earlier. Henry sets out to help her find her passion and community in NYC. Through a series of friend dates they go around the city trying workshops, volunteering, and seeing what will click for Bennet. I think I'm in the minority here (based on other reviews) in saying that for me Bennet and her grief just got....old after a while. Yes, she's clearly suffering from anxiety and grief, and shutting out people trying to help her, but I wasn't keen on having that be the underlying tone of the novel. I prefer romance novels to be more of an escape, and less a constant confrontation with a really sad and struggling main character. Obviously there's a happy ending, but the journey to get there was just not enjoyable for me.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

i went into this book with zero expectations. as a debut book, there’s always a chance that it’s good, but not great. boy was i wrong. london sperry completely knocked it out of the park and will now be an instant buy for me.

the BANTER in this book, oh my gosh. this book felt like if you bottled up the feelings of first meeting someone and falling in love; how it starts as a crush, the anxiety of what they’re thinking, the anticipation of seeing their name on your phone, looking forward to every small second you can spend with that person.

there is also a through line of grief that i think is one of the best portrayals i’ve seen. the way sperry personifies grief — a non linear process that some days has you feeling on top of the world only to come collapsing down again that night, that finds memories in all that you do, sometimes welcome, sometimes unwelcome — brought me to my knees with emotion multiple times.

i will be waiting with bated breath for her next release!

Wow what a love letter to NYC!! I really really enjoyed this book and I loved Henry. Our FMC Bennet is so prickly and hard to love, but I really love that we’re growing with her. It’s just so realistic to be as cautious and ready to pull away as she was. Henry was such a sweetie and I just loved him so much. I can’t believe this was a debut because I ate it right up. It was that good! I’m so excited to see what this author does next.

I chose 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 based on the vibrant cover and stayed for the engaging, funny and sparkling story. It didn’t hurt that the female lead is named Bennet, for Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Our 19-yr old. daughter is named Bennet for the same reason.

“𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.”

NYC Setting
Strong female friendships
Slow burn
“passion project” - trying new things and pushing boundaries
Friends-to-more
Overcoming loss/grief
Debut @londonsperrywrites
Open door romance/2🍆🍆
Audio- great balance of levity and heft.

Thank you to @prhaudio for the free audiobook.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

It took a while for me to become invested but I enjoyed Passion Project. Bennet was a great representation of someone rediscovering life while processing grief. I’d be happy to read more works by London Sperry.

I may be an outlier here as I know many readers adored this book, giving it a full 5 stars. However, it didn’t reel me in quite as much as I hoped. It was sweet and relatable and I think the author did a great job capturing what depression and grief looks like.

I have been deep into a rabbit hole of books centered on both grief and romance. Passion Project fell into my lap and COMPLETELY blew me away. Bennet is so real to me. She is a fully fleshed character who is just struggling to move on with her life and Henry is EVERYTHING to me. Their chemistry, friendship and romance was such a joy to read and I cannot wait to reread this book.

I’ve seen the grieving from a past romantic relationship trope a lot lately, however, this book makes it less cliche and gives the main characters a lot of heart. I almost don’t want to label it a romcom because it reads more like contemporary literature. 5 stars all the way

Great book! If you like Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez, I think you'll enjoy this one. Henry is a sweet cinnamon roll, and his patience and big heart are so endearing. Bennet is a little lost and grieving, but lucky to be surrounded by people who care about her. Somewhat similar to Promise me Sunshine if you liked that. I really enjoyed this story and the vivid descriptions of NYC

I laughed, I cried and I enjoyed every minute of this book!
5/5 🌟
4/5 😭

Reading how Bennet's depression manifested and how she dealt with it was highly relatable.
You can really feel her hurt through the page and it was painful to read but also cathartic.
I felt like London Sperry did a great job at portraying what I and a lot of people deal with on a day to day basis and through her beautiful writing I was forced to remember that I'm not alone.

I loved Henry! He was a great friend and just the person Bennet needed to help show her that she is more than just her pain and that she is capable of loving again.

I will be recommending The Passion Project to everyone!!!

3.5 rounded to 4 because I’m only finding the faults awhile after finishing. Bennet Taylor is a temp worker in New York City. She somewhat recently moved to the city with her childhood friend. Bennet is pretty stuck. Her roommate/friend sets her up on a dating app, and Bennet proceeds to have a panic attack during the first date. But the golden retriever date, Henry, decides that he wants to help Bennet find her passion and they embark on a friendship with weekly adventures around NYC. Yada, yada… they fall in love.

This is most of the things I want in a romcom. But honestly, our female lead was starting to get on my nerves a bit toward the end which kept it more toward 3 stars. It felt like the story arc was complete and then the author took us on a different ride for the last 20% where our main character was annoying. This is a great debut, but started to go astray toward the end. But all in all, this was a fun, well-written romcom.

3.5/3.75 stars.

An ambitious debut that explores the nature of grief and the hopelessness it leaves in its wake, love after tremendous loss, feeling directionless in your 20s, and what it means to lean on those around you.

When we meet Bennet she is in the throes of grief over the death of her first love and failing to “making something of herself” in the city they planned to live in post-college. Living with her childhood bestie, she is avoiding the people who love her and dealing with crippling depression and anxiety that overtakes almost every decision she makes. When her friend attempts to set her up on a blind date, she ends up ghosting the guy—Henry, at the last minute, only to run into him at an Italian restaurant later that same night. When they run into each other, again, the next night, she tells him she can’t handle anything more than friendship and throwing her a lifeline, he proposes friendship and a plan to get her sparkle back. What follows is a summer full of activities to try and find her passion. From auditing an economics class, to volunteering with a dog shelter, Henry and Bennet develop an unlikely friendship that spirals into more.

I thought Bennet and Henry were super cute. Henry understood some of Bennet’s grief and consistently met her where she was, allowing her space to shed some of that sadness off for a time. But after a while Bennet’s behavior made me want to reiterate Jamie’s statement from earlier in the story—“you have to get over yourself.” Her inability to see others as going through equal or worse things really stunted the connections with those around her.

Also, I was disappointed by the one steps forward, three steps back of it all in relation to the wedding. I was really hoping to see Bennet grow in that moment and it was such a let down, as she not only did a disservice to herself but to Henry and to her relationship with the Chase family as well.

I felt as though the ending of the book was rushed, with the double conflict and relied heavily on telling rather than showing the audience the growth the characters had embarked on by the time we reached the epilogue. I would’ve liked to see Bennet and Henry happy in their relationship for longer than we did before the HEA epilogue.

[My Critiques]
- I think the portrayal of grief and depression and the self sabotaging behavior that can arise as a result was well written but I didn’t appreciate the cruelty in the third (fourth?) act conflict. At this point, Bennet had hurt Henry like three times and could not see past herself to consider his feelings and then when they reconciled it was all we both said hurtful things and I’m like you repeatedly denied and played off his importance to you in front of other people while asking him to make a good impression and cover/co-sign your lies???
- We never see Bennet (re)connect with her mom/parents although it’s implied later that reconciliation happens and it would’ve been nice to see that actually unfold
- Sonya and Jamie kind of disappear towards the end
- I don’t believe Bennet would’ve left the baseball, sorry
- I would’ve rather seen vignettes of Bennet meeting Henry’s mom and dad, her therapy appts, her reconnecting with Andy and strengthening her relationship with Sonya, her and Henry living together, etc. rather than being told in a rapid fire “and here’s what you missed on Glee” kind of way.

However, despite my issues with the book, there were some beautiful moments, and much needed life lessons/reminders as a 20something year old still figuring things out.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably. She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love. 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. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.  As their “passion project” continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. 

Thoughts
I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this, with tears running down my cheeks at one point. This story is about finding your way out of the fog of grief and realizing you can’t do it alone, you need your support system. I loved how Henry made Bennet realize this and how he could be part of that for her. It wasn’t all sad though, I giggled and I smiled through most of their story.

May I present to you Promise Me Sunshine’s younger sister. That is exactly how this book felt. I did really enjoy the story- I am a sucker for complete and utter emotional destruction so obviously a dead boyfriend is gonna do the trick. Any book with grief snatches me up instantly. Henry was an absolute sweetheart and a reason I am not rating this any higher (3.75 rounded to 4) is because I do not like the way he was treated. Grieving or not, Bennet was not a good partner to him for the majority of the book and every instance of that broke my heart. Because that occurred throughout most of the book, the ending where she had a complete turn around felt rushed to me. I am only willing to trust the happiness in the epilogue for Henry’s sake and Henry’s sake alone 🫶

Thank you Viking Penguin, NetGalley, and London Sperry for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

It's really unfortunately, but this one didn't click for me.

I liked the idea of the plot. I liked the idea of the characters. But it was... a bit rough going. Bennett is a lot and I understand her self- sabotaging it a lot where the plot hinges on but it wasn't pretty to go through and watch her make similar mistakes even at the end.

I loved the idea of Henry but in practice, I felt like I didn't know him as much as I would've liked.

There was a dramatic reveal about 70% of the way in that made me feel like I missed something major with how angry the characters got about it.

The side characters though? Absolute gems. Sal had my whole heart and I loved reading about his family.

I had a lot of questions for the character in general but I hit a point where I realized that this book just wasn't going to be for me, and that was alright.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the chance to read and review.