The Boyfriend Project is an adult contemporary romance that is more than two strong personalities growing feelings for each other as it dives slightly into the trope of an undercover agent falling for the colleague at a workplace he's inspecting at; and brings a confident woman to the front and center as she fights the themes of misogyny, sexism, and racism in the tech industry through an insightful narration.

Representation: Black MC woman; half-African American, half-Korean MC man; BIPOC side characters.
Trigger warnings: Unfaithful boyfriend, microaggressions, misogyny, cheater colleagues at workplace, lies in a relationship.

Two strong main characters and you'll be loving them both.


Samiah is an ambitious Black woman whose hard-work and talent has gotten her far into the coding industry, but her dream of launching a self-coded app is still blooming everyday. Her portrayal is so pleasantly surprising through her love for make-up—especially a smoky eye—and her dry humor. She's clearly not one to let go off what's evidently wrong and that is boldly, unapologetically put forward throughout the story.

Daniel is the biracial son of a Korean mother and an African-American father who is now working for a government agency that employs him to gather intelligence and information around financial crimes by stepping into undercover personas at different offices. His hard-work and sheer dedication has brought him to the heights but he's also had to not even say goodbye to potential relationships due to the nature of his job.

This romance is hot, hot, hot and sweet, sweet, sweet.


The two main characters typically meet at the coffee station of their office every morning, and soon the quick little chats—and fun flirting—turn into dates. Though, this budding session is even more interesting since the two have their own reasons to stay away from this potential workplace romance that is clearly not on either of their agendas.

Samiah and Daniel are so compatible that it hurts at time if you're super single and the easy conversations, innocent jabs, humorous sequences, or long discussions are evident enough. They can and do talk about all the themes that this story wishes to explore and not only does that give the readers more than the romance but also strengthens the emotions of these two. Plus, the kisses and more will leave you flustered.

Female friendships beautifully uplifts the main character.


Right off the bat, four women—including Samiah—coincidentally come together when they all find out about their cheater boyfriend, the man who four-timed them: courtesy of Twitter. And soon they connect over more than just an unfaithful man. They share their dreams and insecurities, and collectively decide on The Boyfriend Project, a six-month commitment to not be romantically committed and work on oneself. It's refreshing to see these friendships, especially in contrast to a woman at Samiah's workplace who steals our protagonist's excellent ideas and passes them to the top heads by herself.

Important themes like women empowerment, sexism, racism, and how corporate uses diversity as checkboxes to be filled.


This story perfectly includes the reality of marginalized representation in workplaces through Samiah's stance at her office and outside, where she supports her ideologies by actually dedicating her success or opportunities to those women of color who need to see someone like them in great places and with great possibilities. She's also vocal about hardships that she and so many have to face for being different in the white-dominated sectors, especially through transparent conversations around diversity at her workplace—or the lack thereof—and being the 'rarest of rarities: a diversity unicorn' according to the corporate world of coding.

I'm in no place to give detailed comments on the representation of the ethnicity/race of main characters in this book so please pay heed to the ownvoices reviews for these representations above mine.

I really enjoyed this fun office romance with good characters, an intriguing plot that I didn't see coming, and great chemistry. Samiah and Daniel were too much fun and their workplace sounds like a dream!! I can't wait to read the next couple of books in this series (I hope!!)

Solid 4 stars for #TheBoyfriendProject

An empowering, low-angst romance with real-life diverse characters that click. This is a great start to a new series as the female friendships established in this book grow my intrigue as to what's up next.
It was my first book by Farrah and won't remain the only one.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Samiah is a software engineer living and dating in Austin, Texas. Things turn sideways when the person she's been dating is caught two-timing (three-timing) her with two other women, Taylor and London. After calling the bozo out in a viral video, these three women form a pact to swear off men and romance for six months. Just as Samiah is really diving into her pet project, a mobile app called "Just Friends", a steamy guy named Daniel is hired at her company. Despite the pact, Samiah finds herself drawn to him, but is he really right for her, and is he just another mistake waiting to happen? ⁣
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I loved this story for placing a Black woman front and center as an educated, intelligent career woman in the tech industry. This story examines the struggles women face in the tech industry and the office in general, and Samiah stands strong in the face of misogyny and sexism as she strives to make a name for herself. Daniel's just trying to do his job, but he can't resist the allure of Samiah's strong, determined personality. He also knows that the nature of his responsibilities could tear them apart. Taylor and London are fun independent women who are there for Samiah as part of a great budding friendship. I liked how the story twisted and turned a bit as it wore on, and it was interesting to see how this Black romance played out. This is meant to be the first in a series of books, and I highly recommend it.⁣
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⭐⭐⭐⭐💫⁣/5

I enjoyed this book so much. I've read and enjoyed Farrah Rochon in the past and I'm so happy that she's becoming a big name in the romance world. The Boyfriend Project was a really fun read. I loved the hilarity of the Craig situation and I really loved how it brought Samiah, London, and Taylor together and I think it's something that could happen in the real world. I think female friendships are really important and I thought Rochon did a great job making them so supportive of each other.

I really loved Daniel's character. I'm a huge fan of cinnamon roll heroes and I love that the author managed to make him a combination of nerd, romantic, and alpha lawman all at once. Samiah was very well written as well. I love that she was so smart and tough and good at her job, but that she had the same vulnerabilities and insecurities that most of us, especially black professional women, face.

I really like Daniel and Samiah as a couple. I'm usually not a fan of insta-love and you have to admit that Daniel fell fast. But I think it really worked in this case because it led to the major conflict in the story with Daniel having to chose between compromising his work over keeping Samiah's trust. I really liked that both Daniel and Samiah had to make really tough decisions about their priorities in life and that the author really made them address these issues and it wasn't just some Deus ex machina magical happily ever after. As a lover of the grand gesture, I thought the ending was so sweet and romantic.

Overall I definitely enjoyed the Boyfriend Project and I'm anxiously awaiting London and Taylor's stories.

I loved this humorous story that featured 3 strong women of color who realized the importance of friendship elven though they are brought together under negative circumstances. It’s a good story and I recommend it.

5 Stars!

I LOVED this book for so many reasons. Everyone should go pick it up, right now!!

Samiah is a woman in tech, so she already has to work harder when it comes to her career. She also wants to find a partner. She is seeing someone and thinks it may work, until she starts reading someone's "disastrous date" tweets and she realizes this is the man she's been seeing. Her and 2 other women (who have all been seeing him at once) confront him at once and form an unlikely bond. They make a boyfriend pact and agree that all 3 of them will focus on what they want to do for the next 6 months and not worry about dating.

Until Samiah meets Daniel, then it all changes. As much as they may want to resist one another it is becoming too difficult. As they work together on themselves and in work projects, a bond starts to form, however that doesn't come without secrets from both of them. Can their relationship last once the truth spills out?

I've been looking forward to reading this book for awhile and I'm so glad I decided to pick it up now. It was way more than I thought it would be in all the best ways. I loved this book because Samiah is a women in tech (like me) and therefore has to work harder at her job day in and day out to "prove herself". This book exhibits how women who are pinned to be unlikely friends can become your best confidants and most trustworthy friends. It also shows the struggle of the BIPOC community and what Daniel & Samiah have to go through in their daily lives. The author does a great job of laying it out very clearly for the reader of the additional struggles. I felt sad and upset for Samiah and Daniel and I think that made my reading experience that much better.

I had never read a Farrah Rochon book before but this will definitely not be my last. This will easily be one of my favorite books this year and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one by Rochon. This one is out now and I highly recommend you pick it up.

Thank you for Forever publishing for my copy of this book!

I had a harder time getting into this book for some reason, but I loved how strong and smart and confident Samiah was and how much she valued her female friendships. I also appreciated hearing about her experience as a black woman in the workplace.

This is my first book from Farrah Rochon, and I can guarantee it won't be my last!

The Boyfriend Project is smarty-written, well-crafted, witty romcom with so much heart and and engaging story line that keeps you reading. You keep saying "one more chapter" or "five more minutes" and then before you know it, you've been up all night reading.

Samiah is a strong woman dealing with drama in her love life (hello, cheating ex-boyfriend), while trying to be a total rock star in the workplace. Daniel, her love interest, is engaging, and the attraction is instant. But Samiah has been through enough and doesn't want to look for love! In the end, you can't control when you find your soulmate, and Samiah embraces the opportunity for what it is.

Samiah's friendship with Taylor and London is also a large, very important part of the story. I can't wait to read more in this series because they are fantastic characters in their own right.

***3.5***

This was a fun office/work romance read for me. First, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook! It was sooo fun to listen to!!! The narrator is amazing!

Why only 3.5? It’s cause I wanted more from this one. Also, there were moments where I felt a bit bored. My favorite and probably the funniest part is the beginning when the girls found out the truth hahaha! Rather than loving the romance this book has, I was more in love with the friendship it has. I actually wanted more of the three girls hanging out. I felt like it wasn’t enough lol and I want to have friends like them especially Samiah!

I did love the romance between Samiah and Daniel but it was just not enough for me! I want more more more!

I love how strong Samiah is!!! I admire her and how passionate she is at what she does. They also mentioned how Black women are treated unfairly in a work place and they have to work extra hard just to be where they want to be which is true now that I’m thinking about it! Anyways still highly recommend this one! 🥰

Heck yes! Three girls brought together by a mutual cheating boyfriend in a John Tucker Must Die/The Other Women fashion made this a great start. The fact that these girls stayed friends and inspired each other to work towards achieving their goals made it even better. Never mind the chemistry between Samiah and Daniel!

I liked this well enough, but it didn't have QUITE the same level of charm as a Jasmine Guillory novel. Also, the storyline was really different from what I was expecting based on the synopsis.

The Boyfriend Project is the kind of sweet and smart romance I've been craving. Samiah is savvy and successful, and it was so refreshing to be rooting for her professional successes and her new friendships just as much as I was for the victories in her love life. I've seen a few comments that suggest they wish there had been more about the girls getting revenge on the guy who played them, but frankly I'm so happy that Farrah Rochon didn't give another crappy guy a book. Thank you for the focus on good men and smart women! I'm so excited to read whatever Farrah Rochon does next.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Boyfriend Project sees three women bond together after they discover they are dating the same man and a video of Samiah goes viral of her confronting him. Professionally, Samiah and London, Taylor is still working her way there, are excelling but feel pressure to have the whole package, a significant other to share their life with. This has lead to them lowering their standards and ending up going viral on YouTube. They decide to make a pact to focus on other aspects of their lives for six months and leave off dating. Samiah has an app that she has wanted to develop and is excited to focus on that. However, a newer hire at her work, Daniel, has her wanting to break some rules.

And even as he told himself they were just two coworkers grabbing a bite to eat, he knew what he wanted it to be.

Daniel, a former Marine, now works for the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. He's undercover at Samiah's work, Trendsetters, because the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network— FinCEN, detected activity that makes them think that a hotel chain is laundering money with software developed by Trendsetters. In a joint effort with the Department of Homeland Security, Daniel is covertly working to find the employees at Trendsetters responsible for the laundering.

He held the driver’s side door open for her and draped an arm over the top of it. “But I should warn you, I’ve also heard that I tend to grow on people.” He winked. “Be prepared.”

With two people who are mentally and professionally not wanting to get involved romantically, Samiah and Daniel can't deny their potent chemistry. I thought the author did a great job setting these two up and their initial physical attraction that deepened into a friendship and eventual romantic and sexual relationship. Samiah's weakening on her no dating rule didn't quite hit as hard as Daniel's with the seriousness of fraternization while undercover on a job. I did enjoy the fullness of the characters, we don't get a ton of background on Samiah but that worked as her character's issues were more in the present. Samiah's trust issues, because of the two-timing guy that ended up bonding her with London and Taylor and her co-worker Keighleigh who tries to steal credit for Samiah's work (Keighleigh's comeuppance might feel a little therapeutic for a lot), drive Samiah for the slice of life we're reading about. We get a little more on Daniel's background and that worked to give the reader an idea of the kind of man he is, codes he lives his life by and why he wouldn't want to tell Samiah his true purpose at Trendsetters. I also have to say I would read the heck out of Daniel's parents' story as their romance sounds amazing.

A potent, electric charge sizzled in the air between them, a sensation so strong he felt it on his skin.

The beginning of the story, I thought the author worked overtime on minute descriptions that didn't so much enhance the story as slow down the pace with stuff I didn't really care about, for the most part, this disappeared as the story went on. I don't know the Austin area but I think for people who do, they'll enjoy the shoutouts to spots they'll recognize and enjoy that connection. This does have a small twinge of romantic suspense, just think more mental instead of run and gun. I found Daniel's job and the aspects of it fascinating and thought the author described enough for understanding but stopped short of text book. The mystery of Daniel when he first comes on screen, his mental dossier thoughts on co-workers he's never meet before, created an intrigue that sucked me into the story and I loved that.

For the first time in forever, Samiah felt as if she could relax and just …be. There was no pressure, no pretense. She could just exist in this undemanding, enjoyable place they’d discovered with each other.

I did think some of the tension between Samiah and Daniel was more soft than electric, they don't fight too hard to stay out of each other's presence and their relationship reminded me of Grace Burrowe's couples; they fit and click in a way that has them immediately together. Their first sex scene was hot but went a bit too quick for me. Daniel not compromising his job does put Samiah through the ringer but I thought the author did a great job giving Samiah time to process her emotions, leading to a more believable happily ever after.

Maybe it was time she accepted that plans changed. And sometimes they changed for the better.

The importance of women having female friendships was wonderfully put on display here, having shoulders to lean on, understanding and connection to personal struggles and triumphs, someone to push you, and friends to laugh, eat, and drink with. The creation of the HashTagGoals Boyfriend Project also did a good job of setting up future books in the series, I can't wait to read London and Taylor's stories. Most importantly this also showed how while the romance enhanced Samiah's life, it wasn't the be all and end all of it. Samiah and Daniel had a sweet friendship that built to a sexy romance and I had a great time getting to read about it.

I was really looking forward to this book after hearing some early buzz about it, and while it does a lot of great things, in the end it didn't particularly work for me. For starters, the intro is amazing and I really loved seeing Samiah meet London and Taylor and the three of them forming this important bond. I wish the focus had stayed on them, because once it left, my interest in the story really dropped and I found myself reluctant to pick it back up. Daniel's great and all, but he just didn't hold me interest the way Samiah did. Mostly, I just wasn't very invested in this story, though I did seriously love seeing Samiah being a badass coding boss. As someone searching for their first job in a software engineering role, she was super inspiring, and highlighted some important issues about the role of women, especially Black women, in tech.

I was mostly bored by this book until the end, when Daniel made a colossally stupid decision that kind of made it impossible for me to root for him anymore. SPOILERS AHEAD. We know fairly early on that Daniel is an undercover financial crimes investigator, and while I wish he had shared that fact with Samiah earlier, it could have worked for him to keep it secret. But when he specifically stole her key card while she was sleeping naked in bed and knowingly put her job at risk, I lost it. I was so furious! He knows how hard she's worked and how much it means to her, and he couldn't give her the courtesy of asking for her help and letting her make the decision? Seriously?! While I recently read a book that had a similar plot involving an undercover officer, that one had the hero make a seriously huge and personal gesture to the heroine, and he expected nothing of her for doing it. In contrast, Daniel barely apologizes, let alone grovels, and Samiah basically forgives him without him needing to say much of anything! And he ropes her friends into it and gets them to lie to Samiah so he can make his super bland apology! I was pretty disappointed in how the ending was handled, and it left me unhappy with the book overall. END SPOILERS.

Ultimately, while I wasn't a fan of this book, I know an awful lot of people love it and can't stop raving about it. So if it's caught your attention, give it a shot and see what you think! I hope you love it!

This book was such a great read, I loved the friendships formed between Samiah. London and Taylor. They united in girl power after they all got played by the same guy. Samiah is also such a strong female lead as she is finding her way up the career ladder that as a black female is more or a struggle then it should be. She does not let that her in her way as she thrives to be at the top of game and reach her goals. I really enjoyed the build up to the romance and the support these three ladies had for each other even though they met through less than ideal circumstances. I Loved the authors writing style and can’t wait to read more from her.

the boyfriend project was just such a fun read. when samiah brooks realizes that her no-good boyfriend is stringing her along with two other women, they band together and take him down. going viral is no joke, and the women swear off men for six months.

but this is a romance, so you know that just as samiah is set to hold on to her pact, she's going to meet someone who challenges her. daniel collins starts working at her tech company, and all of a sudden he's everywhere. and their attraction is unavoidable.

what truly gives this rom-com some depth is the way the female friendships build and grow alongside the romantic relationship. all in all, a truly enjoyable read and an excellent start to a new series.

**the boyfriend project will publish on june 9, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publshing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Samiah was such a relatable character. I love when authors write stories about complex women who have more going on outside of their love lives. This was a great romance, but it was also a great story about a woman discovering her career goals, her friendship goals AND her boyfriend goals!

Samiah is a successful software engineer, working on living her best life in Austin, Texas. She's got the dream job, and dream apartment, and is living her dream of being able to help others in need just like others helped her growing up. Now all she needs is the dream guy. But does she really? After an embarrassing cheating scandal with a luke-warm kind-of boyfriend, Samiah makes a pact with her two new best friends to put men on the back burner and to focus on themselves. Hence, The Boyfriend Project is born. Just one snag: she didn't plan on meeting Daniel. Daniel, the new hire at the same trendy tech company where Samiah's climbing the career ladder, whose irresistible dimples that threaten to melt Samiah from the inside out. Daniel is kind, handsome, smart, and heartwarmingly sympathetic to Samiah's plight when she finds herself a viral video for the world to see. But unbeknownst to Samiah, Daniel has his own secrets. Daniel works for the Treasury Department in their Financial Crimes section, and his latest mission is to figure out who's using the tech company as a front to launder money. Working undercover, Daniel can't get close to Samiah... yet he can't seem to stay away from her, either. With chemistry pulling them towards one another, they'll either strike up a fire together or both see their careers go down in flames.

y’all this book was just wonderful! I did a half read and other listen! The start had me lol with how the girls meet and made me love Twitter even more ❤️ Loved the girls friendship and how that played out and grew throughout the book! Strong female leads and STEM ones as well! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

You can just picture Daniel in his blue windbreaker and sunnies at the end-right?!?! Love that the romance was steamy but also very real after the break of trust! Post-it notes also for the win! Great romance to add into your piles!

I can't wait to read more of this series as London and Taylor or to get their own books!!!