Bennet is a grieving mess who is holed up in her own head. After the loss of her first love, she moves to New York City with her best friend. She then spends all of her time working with a temp angency and just existing, pushing everything and everyone away.

This story is full of grief, guilt, self-sabotage, experiencing love after loss and the beauty of finally allowing happiness and magic back in.

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

The intertwining of grief and love is a story of endurance and I think this book encapsulates that perfectly. It is a story that needs to be told with care and tenderness and I felt so safe while reading London's writing. In my opinion, the intricacies of grief and the unique ways in which each person experiences it is something that's hard to capture in one novel but this was so well done. Bennet and Henry's love story perfectly balanced the heavier tones of grief without diminishing its importance and validating that these two experiences can, and often do, exist and be tended to at the same time.

After seeing this as a Book of the Month, I was excited to receive this as an ARC! Full disclosure: this is very similar to Promise Me Sunshine.

What makes this book unique, to me, were the Star Wars references. We get Darth Maul rock (lol) and several Star Wars versions of F/Marry/Kill.

My fave scene was the one bed trope scene. Having the dolls around the bed brought back memories. As a preteen, I also had my grandmother's porcelain dolls around my bed. Why, I will never know, because it is truly nightmare fuel.

Fave Quote: "Being up here makes me feel small, but being with you makes me feel significant."

This review will be posted on my booksta, toomanyfivestarreads.

Passion Project is not only a great romance, but a journey through grief and self discovery. I loved everything about this book. The well developed characters are real and relatable. Henry is lovable, funny and d that cinnamon roll guy we all want to date. Bennett starts as appearing weak and whiny, then grows to a strong and capable human with Henry’s guidance. This would make a fabulous addition to your beach bag for summer!

What a great way to incorporate grief into a romance. Bennett losing her college boyfriend in a very pivotal time in her life where she was evolving into her adult self with him made her very real and raw character. Then there was Henry, who is seemingly very full of life person who also has his own struggles with family and grief. I think that it bennnet and Henry meeting at the time they did and fulfilling a a gap in each other’s world that they really needed is such a real expression of love. I have to say the only thing I didn’t like in this book was how Bennett broke up with the college boyfriend and ultimately hid things from him and lied to him when she could’ve just chose honesty.. I feel like there was a better way to create. That story without having Bennett makes such a poor choice overall, a really great story of self discovery after grief.

I really tried to like this. I did, but I just didn’t like the heroine. She was too much of a hot mess. Flat, toxic characters

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of Passion Project. I absolutely loved the NYC setting and the idea of the passion project as a concept to help Bennet out of her funk, but something just fell flat for me. I loved the character of Henry and honestly thought they should have just stayed friends at the end of the book.

4 stars! This debut novel from London Sperry gives Cara Bastone, Promise me Sunshine Vibes. Bennett is grieving the death of her ex boyfriend when she meets Henry, the biggest cinnamon roll in the world! I absolutely loved this book up until the wedding scene, which seemed so out of place and manufactured. It won’t stop me from reading her next novel though.

Thank you Penguin Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

4 stars!!!! ⭐️ I went into this expecting something tender & lighthearted, and it ended up being way more layered. it’s really a story about grief and healing, and if you’re a fan of emily henry, the writing definitely scratches that itch!! (I can’t believe it’s a debut!) the pacing worked really well, and it hooked me from the first few chapters.

i’ll be honest, I didn’t always love bennet as a main character. she frustrated me a lot, but in a way that felt very human. she’s hurting, she’s stuck, and she pushes people away. even though that made her hard to root for sometimes, it also made sense. I just wish therapy had come into the picture sooner. I think stories like this could be even more powerful if healing wasn’t saved for the final chapters. henry (the love interest) on the other hand... perfect. maybe too perfect?? the side characters were also such a bright spot, and the new york setting was absolute MAGIC! it felt vivid and alive, almost like its own character.

i’d absolutely read more from london sperry!

thanks to penguin books and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

70% of this book was beautiful and moving. And 25% was exhausting. And 5% enraging. but books like this are what makes reading so wonderful.

Cute RomCom book.
The story was good and it kept me engaged but it wasn't a binge book.
It was a nice easy read, if you have nothing else to read and just want something to pass the time.
Characters were good and the descriptions were great.

Very cute rom-com and about loving someone after death. It just didn't have anything that really wow'd me but overall, good story line.

I absolutely love a feel-good read, and Passion Project delivered! An MMC (Henry) who’s a fantastic communicator? Sign me up!

Passion Project is a beautiful exploration of finding love and healing after loss, thoughtfully portraying the FMC, Bennet’s, emotional landscape.

The story kicks off when Bennet’s friend tries to set her up on a date. Bennet doesn’t show, but as fate would have it, she later runs into her would-be date, Henry, at his restaurant job across the street. He agrees to help her find her passion, and just like that, their unique friendship begins.

The witty banter between Henry and Bennet as they tackle their “Passion Project” is fantastic and truly makes this book! An incredible debut novel!

- first person pov
- strangers > friends > lovers
- slow burn
- love after loss
- NYC setting

I LOVED this book! It’s one of the best romcom type books I’ve read in a long time but it also felt like so much more than that. What Bennet was going through felt so real and frustrating to watch happen. Henry was a big teddy bear and I loved him a lot, which made how Bennet got in her own head even more frustrating. I will recommend this book to everyone, I’m obsessed!

No public review as this isn't a positive review.

On the plus side the character arc for the FMC was mostly good, and the MMC was enjoyable. The writing was easy and pulled me along.

Unfortunately the FMC just didn't feel worthy of the MMC in the end. The final conflict was hideous and made me feel as though the romance wasn't earnt or tennable which ruined the entire book for me.

Passion Project is a story about love, grief, and self discovery. I really enjoyed how the author handled these topics with care, and shed light onto the process of choosing to love through grief.

From the synopsis alone I thought I was going to love this book, but it ended up being just okay for me - Henry, the MMC, is the dreamiest book boyfriend and I loved everything about him. However, I really struggled with Bennet, the FMC. I wanted so badly to root for her, but her choices/actions made me incredibly frustrated, even while viewing her through the lens of someone in the thick of grief. So much so that I began questioning why Henry even liked her😅

I was happy to see Bennet grow by the end of the story, but would’ve liked smaller bits of that growth earlier in the book!

This book! WOW! I was so pleasantly surprised and read it so fast I even was astonished. It captivated me from the very beginning and had my heart tugged by strings all the way through. I almost could feel the emotions the characters were diving into and that is a beautiful thing when an author is able to evoque that in me. Highly recommend!

I felt like I read this book so fast, and I really enjoyed it! Henry was just my absolute favorite - a total golden retriever who does nothing wrong. He was so sweet and friendly and earnest and I loved him so much. And I really liked Bennett, too. I felt like I could relate to her in a lot of ways. After having just been to New York a couple months ago, I really loved the setting and feeling like I was back in the city. And I think the author did a good job handling how guilt and grief really impacts someone. I am very impressed by this debut, and I look forward to seeing what London Sperry writes next.🌆

Content Notes: Open door content in chapters 25, 26, and 28. Strong language. Trigger warning for death of a significant other and parent with dementia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for sending me an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

I absolutely adored this rom com! We love a flawed MFC! Bennet and Henry reminded me a lot of my husband and myself. A good reminder that we bring our past relationship experiences and hurts into our present day and sometimes that helps and sometimes that causes unintended pain too. If you’re looking for a romance with a bit more emotional depth this one is for you. 💖