There’s something so pure about a person who loves someone through grief. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that you can’t help and having someone love you along side that isn’t an easy feat. Bennet makes some bad decisions, she’s selfish, she made me angry but also want to give her the biggest hug. There were definitely a few moments where her self sabotage was extremely frustrating, but the way Henry gives her the space to feel her feelings all while supporting her was major green flag energy. I loved all of the passion project dates these two go on, it helps what is a heavy story feel a bit lighter and more hopeful. Watching their friendship and trust develop while they are running around NYC was such a good way to rewrite the idea of the city for Bennet. I loved how raw all of the emotions feel throughout this story and how much healing these two go through by the end.

It doesn't take a day, a week or a month to experience.
It can take years.
A single moment can trigger it.

What's that the reader may ask? Grief.

As much as this is a romance novel, the author realistically portrays how grief can unmoor you from prior path, how it can shrink your world to the most minute routines and how it can unravel friendships.

Bennet Taylor of the two first names is challenged by Henry Adams, also of first two names. Their relationship is like a bud in the spring, slowly unfurling but not without some thorns along the way.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Penguin Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#PassionProject #NetGalley

First of all, a moment for this beautiful cover! 💗 I think my favorite part of this book was its love letter to NYC.

To be honest, I had a hard time deciding on my star rating. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. I think what I struggled the most with was how much miscommunication was used in the plot with her ex-boyfriend's family, her best friend from college, her roommate/friend, and her love interest. I got to a point where I was so frustrated with how many of her problems could be solved with a five minute phone call or even a text. Henry, the love interest, is the world's most understanding man. 😅

Bottom line: Cute, but I would like to have seen less of a reliance on the miscommunication trope.

Bennett is depressed and living in NYC. Her college boyfriend died a few years ago and she's yet to move on. Her best friend who is also her roommate insists on setting her up on a date with Henry. Bennett has so much anxiety she doesn't even go, getting really drunk in a restaurant across the street. The next day she realizes she left her wallet in the bathroom and is forced to return.

However, Henry actually works as this restaurant and has her wallet. For reasons she doesn't really understand he wants to befriend her and help her find her passion. So every Saturday, they'll meet up and try something new. She's terrified but agrees and slowly starts to fall for Henry.

I overall enjoyed it. There are a lot of sensitive topics but they are handled in a way of care at the same time and well done with being informative and raw/ real.

I loved the MMC, Henry, he definitely added so much to the story as he handled his own grief and helping the FMC through her anxiety etc. it was lovely to see and pills at the heartstrings.

Romance was the center of this book but it was just enough throughout the book to keep you supporting the characters and their growth together.

I loved the concept of this, but I wasn’t a fan of the execution at all.

I didn’t believe the chemistry between Bennet and Henry. I feel like he wanted to be with her more than she wanted to be with him. Sometimes it felt like she didn’t even like him at all. The spice wasn’t even good and made me cringe.

I really did not like Bennet. It felt like she was constantly making decisions she knew would hurt the people around her and then got defensive if they called her out. It felt like she was using her grief and depression as an excuse for treating people horribly. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at her actions and words. I literally liked every side character more than I liked Bennett, which is a problem…

The character development was nonexistent. I like to see characters evolve and grow both personally and in their relationships and it simply didn’t exist in this book. Just when I thought there might be a smidge of development from Bennet, she’d go and do something that put her right back where she was.

Henry is too damn good for Bennet and deserved SO much better.

The only two things I liked about this book were the NYC setting and the message that you don’t have to have your life together to deserve love.

PASSION PROJECT review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌆What a debut. 👏 I picked this one up solely because the plot synopsis sounded sad and tbh sad books are my jam. While it definitely had some sad moments, it was also heartwarming!

🌆Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Bennet is grieving the death of her boyfriend and feels like her life has no purpose. When she meets Henry, he decides to spend every weekend helping Bennet trying new things to discover her life’s passion.

🌆I loved the NYC in the summer setting! Honestly this book made me want to go back to New York. The third act conflict wasn’t my fave and I didn’t feel it was totally necessary? But otherwise I really enjoyed and can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Bennet is a twenty something floundering in New York City. She's paying the bills by working temp jobs, she has become disconnected with her childhood best friend/roommate Sonya. and she's still grieving the death of her college boyfriend, Sam. When Sonya and her girlfriend Jamie encourage Bennet to try dating apps, she matches with Henry. Only she can't actually go through with the date and ends up drunk at the Italian restaurant across the street where she leaves her wallet. When she goes back to retrieve her wallet, she finds Henry behind the bar. After the two talk about the events of the prior night and what led Bennet to bail on their date, Henry convinces Bennet to let him help her find her passion - hence The Passion Project is born. The two spend the summer trying new things together and getting Bennet to come out of her cocoon of grief. But what will happen when Bennet invites Henry to be her plus one to Sam's sister's wedding at the end of the summer?

This was a story of finding yourself and finding love amidst living with grief. It's very similar to Cara Bastone's "Promise Me Sunshine." However, I had some problems with Bennet's constant tendency to self-sabotage. In fact, if the wedding scene at the end had happened earlier in the book, I probably would have DNFed it because I was so frustrated with Bennet at that point. However, Henry was a patient cinnamon roll MMC and I kept coming back to the story for him. We all want to find someone who loves us even in our worst moments and that's what Henry was. In full transparency, I also read this title while grieving the loss of a pet and dealing with a friend's cancer diagnosis so that may have affected my reading.

Loved this quote: "Having your shit together is not a prerequisite for love."

Overall: 3.75/5 rounded up
Spice: 1.5/3

Passion Project by London Sperry completely stole my heart. Henry’s unwavering loyalty and quiet strength were such a grounding force throughout the book—his gentle encouragement for Bennet to actually sit with her feelings instead of pushing through the pain was so moving. It’s rare to see a friendship portrayed with such tenderness and care, and Henry’s presence felt like a soft, steady light in Bennet’s storm. His patience wasn’t just admirable—it was healing to witness.

What really stuck with me was how honestly the book handled grief. It didn’t try to wrap everything up in a neat little bow or pretend there’s a finish line to mourning. Instead, it showed how grief morphs and lingers, sometimes silently, sometimes like a tidal wave. And the writing? Absolutely stunning. Sperry’s words made me feel like I was right there with Bennet and Henry—I laughed with them, cried with them, and rooted for their healing every step of the way. I closed the book feeling like I knew them, like they were real people I had the privilege of loving for a little while.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Henry Adams is a dream come true. He’s fun, flirty, gentle and kind. He immediately saw something in Bennett that he had to know more about. The depiction of anxiety and depression after a traumatic event and the grief that comes with it was raw but tender. These sensitive subjects were handled with care. The passion project activities were all very thoughtful and different and some of them have made it to my list of things to try. It was a good reminder that the worlds we create in our minds are often considerably scarier than the reality we are living in. I was satisfied by the ending, both frustrated and empathetic towards Bennett and overwhelmingly grateful for never having experienced the depth of her grief.

4.25⭐️
Wow i loved this one!
The depiction of anxiety & grief was so well displayed in this story. The FMC deals with very realistic forms of grief after loosing her “one true love” and the way that our MMC really understands in his own way and through his own struggles & really just wants to help her is endearing to read through!
The passion project that they come up with and follow through with through the story really inspired me to do some of my own soul searching, passion finding! Thanks NetGalley for an e-copy of this lovely book!

I loved this one so much! I pretty much binged it in a day. I just couldn’t stop listening! Alex Finke is an amazing narrator. This story was just so sweet. It handles the topic of grief so well. I found myself tearing up multiple times through the book. I just loved our MMC, Henry. It was so fun to see all of the ‘passions’ he and Bennett explored. I really loved seeing how Henry was able to help Bennett through her grief and find herself after loss. I’m so impressed by this debut! Highly recommend checking this one out!

IN LOVE!!
"Passion Project" is a heartfelt, humorous journey of rediscovering joy and purpose through unexpected connections. Bennet Taylor, adrift in her twenties, is grappling with grief and a sense of unfulfilled potential when she stumbles into Henry Adams, a man she had previously stood up on a date. What starts as a tentative friendship, full of self-deprecating humor and awkward honesty, blossoms into a series of spontaneous adventures designed to rekindle Bennet's passion for life. From carpentry to rappelling off skyscrapers, each new experience brings them closer, and sparks fly between them in the most delightful and genuine way.

The story balances deep emotional resonance with light-hearted moments, offering an authentic portrayal of navigating loss, opening oneself to new experiences, and finding love when least expected. Bennet's messy journey feels relatable and real, while her chemistry with Henry is electric and full of delightful banter. "Passion Project" is an absolute winner—a perfect blend of romance, personal growth, and hope. The slow burn and witty dialogue will have you rooting for Bennet and Henry until the very end.

This book was so good. Maybe its because I have been in Bennet’s shoes with grief - I know how much it can change you? But from the first few pages I was hooked. London Sperry’s writing is great too and I'm seriously impressed this is a debut. You can’t help but love Henry, he is like the perfect cinnamon roll book boyfriend. Henry helps Bennet find joy in life and rediscover herself again and realize that you don’t need to have your shit together to be able to love. For a book about crushing grief and depression it was incredibly uplifting. I think Sperry did such a great job portraying grief and depression, while also giving this character a solid support system and making them all so relatable. And the friendships in this book were just as strong as the romance was. I found myself laughing out loud many times, but also crying along with all the characters. This is a beautiful and raw story that might break your heart a little, but it will definitely put it back together again too.

4 Stars

I was captivated by the cover of Passion Project as soon as I saw the bright colors and city in the background. I enjoyed the story for the most part! It lagged a little bit at times and sometimes the main character, Bennet really drove me crazy. But overall it was a good read— heavy on grief recovery, friendship & the romance wasn’t the center but was sweet. The main male character Henry was such a little sweetie pie!

If you recently have read Summer in the City by Alex Aster and Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone, I think this was a mash-up of the two. All three take place in NYC! It’s a bit less depressing than Promise Me Sunshine but also grief heavy & friends-to-lovers. And it has a similar romance arc & “summer of experiences” storyline like Summer in the City!

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Viking for the ARC of Passion Project in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I appreciated the in depth look at how hard grief can cut for some, while others seemingly move on without problem, and all the things that are often not said. I really enjoyed both the FMC and MMC and watching the romance develop in its own time. My one critique is that, while it is known the FMC is dealing with grief which highly influences her actions, she was often just not likeable.

This book is a bit of an emotion bomb. Despite being frequently frustrated by Bennett, I couldn’t help rooting for her. Henry was a delight - a well done foil for Bennett who helped propel the book forward. The slow burn was a bit back and forth in a way I found frustrating, but overall this book was lovely. It made me cry like 4 times.

It might seem like books — even romance books! — that are also about grief are everywhere these days, and it’s not a trend I personally mind. In fact, I prefer stories like this that combine emotional fantasy and the truly tough stuff.

And yet … often, I felt as if “Passion Project” was unable to find a way to balance both and also round out outside details that didn’t fit either mold. (Or, a long way of saying, I missed things that felt like they should be there, like getting to know Bennet’s family more, or a much more charitable take on a supporting character like Sarah, who is treated like a monster for no good reason.)

Also, the book often slips into high drama that’s way too much — and also makes a lot of characters, especially Bennet — feel both unlikable and unreal. The two third act fights/upheavals/revelations speak to that. Grief is messy and healing is hard, but these beats felt entirely contrived to move the story. They felt false, and obscured what was good about the book (like Bennet, its warm take on NYC, Sonja).

Passion Project! I fell in love with Bennett and Henry and their wholesome friendship & slow burn romance. This story was raw and real and emotional, uncomfortably so at times, but in a way that will have you rooting not just for them together but for their individual development too. The growth was exquisite.

I can’t wait to read more from this author! She’s a true talent.

Thank you Penguin for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Enjoyable romance. Not a traditional rom com as there is an underlying storyline that deals with the death of the female protagonist’s college boyfriend.
The author does a good job working in local NYC color and locations.