This is a fast paced romance that also deals with heavier themes of grief and mental health. Bennet is grieving the loss of her first love and in a dark place in her life when she meets Henry. They embark on a sweet journey to uncover her passion by exploring new adventures in NY once a week together. I absolutely loved Henry, their friendship, and the ode to NY in this book. I could empathize with Bennet and her struggles, and loved her at the beginning and middle of the book. Towards the end she started to annoy me but ultimately I was satisfied with her character growth by the end. I enjoyed the overarching themes in this book of discovering your passion and holding a lost loved one in your heart but still being able to move forward. I loved all the female relationships as well. This was a quick, heartwarming romance, with some emotional themes that really worked for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

HENRY IS A SWEET ANGEL BABY AND MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. 🥹

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin books for the eArc!

And we have another book added to the tear tracker!

Okay let’s dive in:

The deets:
Bennet is trying to get back out there after a big loss in her life. But she finds herself at the restaurant across the street from where her first date ( in about two years) was supposed to take place, puking in the men’s restroom. 😅 Enter Henry, the man she stood up. When Henry and Bennet cross paths again a deal is made and the passion project begins! Bennet has the summer to find her passion. Will Henry be the one to make her push the boundaries of what she has accepted in her life? Or will the grief and baggage she is still carrying be the thing that holds her back from living again?

My thoughts:
I think I have a thing for men in glasses. 👀
(But also tattoos… maybe I can convince my husband to try a temporary tattoo just to see if it holds up off page 😈).

I will ALWAYS be a sucker for a book that recognizes the masterpiece that is the 2005 Pride and Prejudice

The adventures around NYC and the banter between Henry and Bennet is so good. Made me want to write down their journey, move to NYC for the summer, and copy everything they did. London did an excellent job of portraying Bennet dealing with her grief and overthinking everything.

Bennet being weird (affectionate) is so relatable cause I too find myself to be weird quite often and truly see it as a term of endearment. Side note: when I was dating my now husband one of my friends were grilling him and asked him his favorite thing about me and he said how goofy I was and I think that was when I fell in love with him.

Overall an enjoyable read, if you like real characters that are imperfect and make mistakes and have to learn through trial and error this book is for you. If you want your characters to be perfect and have no miscommunication then you might struggle with portions of the book.

BUT I LIKE MY CHARACTERS TO HAVE ISSUES AND GROW FROM IT 😘.




SPOILER ALERT:



I did get frustrated with Bennet after it felt like she had so much growth toward the end of the book, but healing from grief is a process and Bennet needed to go through it.

Passion Project was so funny, heartfelt, and surprisingly emotional! Bennet is grieving and unsure of what’s next and sets out on a journey to rediscover passion. She’s guided by the charming and endlessly patient Henry. Their banter and chemistry were soo good! This is a story about healing, growing, and giving yourself permission to want more. I finished it smiling, wishing I could sign up for my own Saturday adventures in the city!

I loved reading about Bennet’s journey through grief, finding herself after loss, and of course falling in love with Henry.

This story touched on friendship, death, romantic relationships, and navigating your twenties in a relatable and entertaining way. Traveling through NYC with Bennet and Henry during all of their passion project adventures was such a treat. It’s is a story that reminds you no matter what happens or what you’re going through the most important person in your life will always be you and it needs to be prioritized.

Unfortunately, many aspects of this story did not work well for me. First of all, the act of completing items on a list/going on adventures to break out of grief or depression is a trope that has been used many times in other books, so it felt unoriginal.

Secondly, I found the primary relationship and characters to be somewhat immature and lacking in depth. This made it hard to connect with these characters.

I can see this book working well for younger readers, but it didn't resonate at all with me.

This was so hard to review!
There are so many things I LOVED about this. I’m shocked this is the author’s debut and I would have never guessed they didn’t have 5+ titles in their backlog, this was such a solid story with an awesome premise.
Henry is a picture perfect main male character to me, he was kind, funny, sexy and thoughtful without being alpha or grumpy. 10/10 on him, no notes.
Bennet however was extremely frustrating. While I empathize with her on her grief and depression, as the story progressed, I just couldn’t root for someone who continually hurts people on purpose.
The setting itself was magical, this whole story is a love letter to New York City and I LOVED that.

Squeeeee!!!! This was an absolutely delightful rom-com filled with adorable banter, a heartfelt message, and just the right amount of GET TOGETHER ALREADY energy. To say I devoured this book would be an understatement. For lovers of perfect book boyfriends, NYC, and just the right amount of quirkiness, this is the one for you. There's loads of sexual tension and chemistry without it being spicy, and I just really felt the warm and fuzzies with this one. Thank you NetGalley & London Sperry for an advanced copy of this ebook. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Passion Project was an okay read. I thought the writing was solid and the plot was decent. The main characters, Bennet and Henry, were alright. I empathized with Bennet and her situation. I understand she was going through a lot; however, I wasn't a fan of how she treated those around her. Bennet was a crappy friend at points. It was rewarding to see her make amends and heal those relationships throughout the book. For the most part, I enjoyed Bennet's character growth. I thought Henry was a great match for her. I liked how patient he was with Bennet. All of the passion project dates he chose for her were fun. The side characters were up to par and important to the overall story. Sal was my favorite side character. I liked the scenes in New Jersey with him. I didn't care for the last 20% of the book. I did not like how Bennet treated Henry near the end. Her behavior at the end knocked this book down a star for me. I felt like with every step forward, Bennet would go back three more steps. It was frustrating to see her progress diminish at the end. I wasn't as captivated as I should have been with Bennet and Henry's relationship. The chemistry wasn't fully there for me. I would give this author another chance. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! In this story we meet Bennett who is dealing with grief after the death of her first love. She has depression, and we meet her at this point in her life where she is lost and aimlessly drifting. Her childhood friend roommate is trying to be supportive and encouraging her to start her life again, so she helps her find a date through a dating app. Bennett does not show up for the date, but ends up running into Henry later. This sparks their 'passion project' of trying to find anything that Bennett is passionate about. It leads to such a lovely friendship and to a lot of growth for Bennett who has been stuck for years. Henry is the most perfect cinnamon roll MMC you ever did meet, and honestly the only reason this wasn't a 5 star read for me was because I didn't love how Bennett treated him towards the end of the book. I understand she was on her own journey, but it felt disingenuous and only inserted to create that third act conflict. I think the book would have been strong enough on its own just focusing on Bennett managing her grief and path forward.

Overall I really did love the story and Henry is 5 stars, while the overall story is 4.5 stars. Fantastic debut and I'm looking forward to reading more books from London Sperry in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was honestly so so good i’m in awe that it’s a debut!!! i am a sucker for a good romance x grief story and i just think that love is such a powerful and beautiful vessel for
navigating loss and all the emotions that come with it and this book does it SO well!! bennet was so deeply relatable to me and it was so comforting to see a character go through life with such similar thought processes to my own. and sweet my sweet boy henry deserves the world and then some for that big and loving heart if his. i loved every second of this!!

thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin for the eARC!!

I’m actually so surprised this was a debut novel! The writing is GOOD for a first timer!

The story is about a girl, who has been in deep depression since her boyfriend died 2 years earlier, who is set up on a first date by her roommate to try to cheer her up. The date does not happen but girl and guy still meet & end up becoming friends. And then fall in love.

Set in NYC, their outings were very fun to read about.

Sometimes the depression and grief were hard to read about and as someone who has not experienced depression as described in this book, I found myself annoyed with the FMC at times.

But the MMC is pretty great. I love their banter and the sense of humor in the book. There are also SUCH good, honest conversations between characters. Well done!

4.25 🌟

Team Harry forever.

I loved this book.
I loved the passion project.
I loved Harry.
I.... got frustrated with Bennet

There was so much good in this book - so much was done right. But towards the end I wanted to grab Bennet and shake her. I can't fully understand her grief but I can understand not intentionally hurting people.. especially those that have gone out of their way to be kind to you. Does that mean I didn't love this book? Absolutely not.

🚕Book Review🚕
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Thank you so much @prhaudio for the advanced copy of Passion Project! This one really took me by surprise. Book of the month put this on my radar and I was super excited to check it out but I ended up LOVING this! It was just such a wonderful depiction of grief and new love. The romance, the story, the characters, I just really fell in love with it all! If you’re looking for a great romance this month (and there are tons coming so you’re in luck) I highly recommend this one! Bennet and Henry are just kind of perfect, I hope you fall in love with them just like I did! 😍
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Summary- If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? 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. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. 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.  
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QOTD- what’s a new skill or passion you would love to learn?! I’d love to be good at running long distances or know how to communicate through sign language !

London Sperry’s Passion Project is an absolute standout—an emotional, electric debut that blends grief, healing, and slow-burn romance into a story that will have readers swooning one minute and wiping away tears the next. Set against the vivid, ever-moving backdrop of New York City, this novel isn’t just a love story—it’s a journey of rediscovery and rekindled passion.

Bennet Taylor is stuck in a life she didn’t choose and barely surviving under the weight of loss. Her world is quiet and gray until a failed first date with the charming and disarmingly kind Henry Adams flips the script. After a few too many drinks and one vulnerable confession—she hasn’t felt passionate about anything in years—Henry makes her a deal: every Saturday, they’ll try something new together, from pottery to rappelling, in hopes of helping her find her spark again.

What begins as a series of innocent adventures quickly turns into something deeper. Their connection is immediate, their banter sharp and warm, and their chemistry undeniable. But this isn’t a rushed romance—it’s a slow, deliberate unfolding of trust, joy, and emotional rebirth. Sperry handles grief with tenderness and truth, illustrating that healing doesn’t mean forgetting, and that love can be both a balm and a beginning.

What elevates this novel is its effortless blend of heart and humor. The dialogue is electric, the emotional beats hit hard, and Henry Adams? Quite possibly the sweetest fictional man to grace the rom-com scene in years. A patient, soft-spoken rock collector (yes, really) with a knack for showing up exactly when Bennet needs him, he’s the kind of character you’ll wish existed in real life.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut—Sperry’s writing is confident, fresh, and emotionally grounded. Fans of Lynn Painter will feel right at home here, but Passion Project holds its own as something special, something unforgettable.

Expect to see this one everywhere when it drops April 8, 2025. From bookstagram to beach bags, Bennet and Henry are about to steal hearts across the board. Don’t be surprised when it becomes the romance everyone’s talking about—and don’t wait to fall in love with it yourself.

This has such a good premise not to give it a try.

You can gather that this is a debut book, but it was overall good, probably not the best piece of literature you’ll read, but it is just that, nice and cute.

I will probably read something else by this writer, I think she’s just getting started.

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the e-arc.

Wow. I haven't felt this conflicted about how to rate a book in so long! On one hand I absolutely loved it. I devoured this book whenever I could and
when I wasn't reading it, I wanted to get back to it ASAP! I loved the writing style, the dialogue, the NYC vibes (which I don't usually like), and of course, Henry.

Henry was such a sweetheart and I think that's why I'm so conflicted. I felt like Bennet treated him so horribly and he deserved better. I understand that grief and anxiety makes you say things and do things that you wouldn't normally do, but I just felt like Bennet self-sabotaged so much that it was difficult to root for her. This would've been a 5 star for me, however, the conflicts towards the end just left me feeling not great. While the last 25% of the book was pretty disappointing, overall it was a fantastic and beautifully written book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What an utter joy—& I don’t say that lightly. There is nothing I love more in a story than the absolute marriage of love & grief. It’s something that I think gets a lot of traction nowadays, but isn’t always done RIGHT. Cause the way is, in fact, narrow. But this? Well done London Sperry, a perfect love story about the tension of living & loving life in the face of loss & uncertainty.

Bennet Taylor & Henry Adams are the opposing poles of magnets. Not in a way that is simply, “she’s mean & he’s sweet”, but in the way that means they complement—click together cause there was no way that they couldn’t, it’s a scientific fact. Reading their love story felt like watching the most perfect romantic drama comedy. I actually need an indie movie pronto. The growth of their friendship & the way that Bennet begins to see color & goodness again was just SO lovely to experience. Perfect pacing, perfect emotion, perfect characters, just what I love in a book. I think that many people might say this lacks in the romance department in comparison to typical romance novels, but I had no problem with it. Full transparency, but the story felt very much centered around Bennet & her grief, & the love story was the medium in which she learned to navigate it. BUT IT CERTAINLY IS SO PRESENT, JUST WITH A TAD MORE SUBTLETY.

5 whopping stars for this debut. We love her, we need her. Passion Project, London Sperry—you got me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & to Penguin for this eARC!!

The writing in this book absolutely blew me away! I still can’t believe this is a debut—it was fast-paced, completely engaging, and not once did I feel bored. The passion project plot was so fun and heartwarming—it really helped me connect deeply with the characters. I felt such a strong bond with them, especially Bennet. I just wanted to reach into the pages and give her the biggest hug. They were imperfect in the most beautiful way—real, relatable, and so easy to love because of it.

Henry was an absolute sweetheart of a MMC—charming, kind, and genuinely so fun to read. He was everything Bennet needed, and I adored the person he was for her. Their journey from strangers to friends to lovers felt so natural and real, like I was watching two beautifully flawed people find love and joy in each other. The character development by the end? Phenomenal. I know some readers might get frustrated with Bennet, but to me, her choices felt so true to her circumstances, and I appreciated the authenticity so much.

The way this book handled mental health and grief was stunning—so tender and thoughtfully done. Bennet’s journey brought tears to my eyes more than once. I also adored the NYC setting—it added such a fun and vibrant energy to the story. The passion project plot was delightful, the romance made my heart do little somersaults, and I just loved every single second of it.

I’m seriously obsessed with this book—it’s one of those stories I know will stick with me for a long, long time.

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of Passion Project last week and ADORED it! This is the story of Bennet, a young woman who moved to New York and is struggling to find joy years after the death of her college boyfriend. Her roommate and childhood friend see Bennet unenthusiastically going through the motions of life day to day and decides to set her up on a dating site to try and get her out there and living a little. Enter the lovable Henry Adams, who she ghosts, but then ends up meeting in the most embarrassing way right after ghosting him. They decide to become friends and embark on the Passion Project, for a way for Bennet to get to know both NYC and herself better. Henry starts taking her all over the city for so many random experiences, and Bennet’s heart starts to heal and she’s letting in more and more happiness each day.

This book is a sweet romance, but it’s also a beautiful coming of age story of a young twenty-something finding herself as well as her working through the pain and grief over losing her first love. And Henry? The most perfect book boyfriend and so patient and thoughtful. This book had me crying hard and cheering on Bennet in her journey (and wanting to yell at her at times 😅). I highly recommend this debut romance with depth!

Let me be very upfront before I get into the real bones of this book that this book may not be for everyone. It is, as some would term it, a Sad Girl Romance ™. (I don’t know who coined that phrase, it certainly wasn’t me). It is also a CAPITAL S Slow Burn romance – there is an open door sex scene but the first kiss doesn’t even occur until 70% in so again, if all that is not your jam, then this book is not for you. It’s a single POV first person book (again, I know a lot of people have opinions and are very particular about that, I’m just not one of them). I just want to be clear that even though SPOILER ALERT, I’m giving this book an A, it is very much a “your mileage may vary” type of book and I understand that under current times, a book that deals heavily with grief and depression may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Frankly, I’m shocked it was mine and I don’t mean for that to come out as a backhanded compliment. I’ve just been really leaning into fun and frothy romances lately and did not expect a romance with such heavy themes to grip me the way it did.

The Sad Girl in this book is Bennet Taylor, named by her mom for her favorite Jane Austen heroine. To call her a Sad Girl is really underselling it because there are some major on page depictions of depression. Bennet is living and working as a temp in NYC, fulfilling her late boyfriend’s dream of moving to NYC. Unfortunately, Sam never got the chance to live out his dream so Bennet is essentially living his dream for him even though she herself has no real passion, not for the city or for her dead end jobs or really even her very existence.

Enter Henry Adams, waiter/bartender by day (and night) and also a photographer. When Bennet’s friend and roommate sets her up with Henry, she stands him up for their first date only to run into him at the restaurant he works at in the most awkward way possible. One thing leads to another and Henry offers to be her friend and help her find her passion, leading to various fun adventures, one of which cemented the fact that I am indeed very afraid of heights. (Seriously, props to the author for vividly describing one of their planned activities with such specificity that just reading about it actually made me a little dizzy and I was like “NOPE, NOT DOING THAT EVER”).

Bennet makes it very clear to Henry that she is not looking nor is she ready to date. She is still grieving her first love who passed away a couple of years ago. She is deep in mourning and unable to allow anyone into her life. She has alienated herself from her closest friends, including her roommate, from her parents, has dropped out of college, and finds herself lost and scared that everyone else in her life is just leaving her behind.

Henry, despite his charming affability, also has some baggage of his own, related to his father who has dementia. While Bennet seems perfectly content to wrap herself in her grief and sadness, Henry puts on a facade of delightful exuberance, covering up the inner angst hiding beneath.

The depictions of grief and depression in this book aren’t sugar coated and there’s a particular line about grief that resonated so strongly with me for very personal reasons. In comparing her grief over Sam to Henry’s grief over his father, Bennet has this very astute realization:

“I realize just how different our experiences of grief are. Sam was gone in a second. Before I knew it, he was a memory. But losing someone slowly must be like having the person and the memory of them alive at the same time.”

As the weeks turn to months, the two grow closer and closer despite Bennet’s assertions that she’s not ready, could maybe never be ready to love another as she loved Sam. Adding to the complications are the fact that her alienated best friend Andy, is also Sam’s sister, and things between Bennet and Henry (and Andy) come to an emotional head when Bennet and Henry head to California for Andy’s wedding.

For the longest time Bennet feels unworthy of love, maybe even of life, and part of the reason she pushes everyone away is a form of punishment she’s inflicting on herself. While this is very much a romance, it’s also about Bennet’s emotional journey, about the discoveries she makes, by herself and with Henry, about how resilient and strong she is, about the importance of opening up and surrounding herself with the ones who love her.

This is a book that made me feel and ache and there were parts of it that made me think about my own grief journey. This isn’t a book I can just blanket recommend to all because of the heavy themes but for me, personally, it absolutely worked.