This was a slow burn, leading to an intense romance between two ambitious characters. What I appreciated most was a strong Black female character with a strong work ethic and goal to be successful in STEM. It was interesting to read the tech industry and a Black woman's place within a major corporation. I sensed the chemistry between both of the characters. I think my only disappointment was the conflict that could have driven them apart. But the act of contrition by the hero was charming and I felt the sincerity in their love and hope for a happily ever after.

I'd like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this Romance.

Is life meant to be planned out or do we live as freely as possible? For Samira, a strong and determined tech guru, it’s all about the lists. The book starts with a very unfortunate date where Samira is in the process of getting ready to meet Craig, a guy she’s been seeing. But when her sister finds a Twitter thread from a woman live tweeting a terrible date she’s on, Samira quickly realizes that she’s also seeing the same man! This unfortunate event led Samira to form two very strong friendships with London and Taylor, the other women in this catfish scheme. The next week at work, Samira meets Daniel, a new employee at her company. Their chemistry is instant, but can she trust him? Is he really who he says he is? And can he fit into her plan that she has for herself?

I loved this book!!! It’s a book of strong female friendships and swoon-worthy love!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What starts as your typical date night for any woman in her 20's, turns into internet stardom and two new girlfriends for tech genius Samiah Brooks. Learning that all that all 3 women have been dating the same man, Samiah's new friendship also leads to a pact of self-care and self-discovery- but no men. Samiah spends time working on her own passion project and being super successful at her day job- infiltrating the tech world one project at a time. All is going well until she meets the new hire, Daniel Collins. Can she stay friends with the handsome and brilliant new guy at work? Or will he turn out to be too good to be true? A steamy romance with a little mystery, The Boyfriend Project is a must read for summer!

This was such a fun story. However, I will say it is a bit unrealistic. I really liked Daniel. I definitely needed this fun, light read right now.

Liked the female friendships and the chemistry between the main characters a lot. Though the blurb and the way it was promoted made it seem like a scenario where the girls who were scammed by the one guy would take revenge on him, it was more of a story about female friendships and an office romance, which I loved way more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever, Libro.fm, and Hachette Audio for the complimentary e-arc and audiobook.

With The Boyfriend Project, Farrah Rochon delivers a top notch romance. I loved the heroine of the novel. Samiah Brooks is smart, successful and works her tail off as an African American woman in the tech industry. I enjoy books centered around women in the tech industry because I think it is a field where the barriers to entry and acceptance are high for women in general, much less a woman of color. I also loved her friendship with two women, London and Taylor, who she meets as a result of a cheating boyfriend (this early scene in the novel is hilarious).

I went into this book not knowing a whole lot about the plot and honestly I think that's the way to go in. The story was unexpected for me and I really enjoyed the element of intrigue that the plot brings in.

If I have a criticism of the book it is that the romance element of the book seems a bit rushed, especially at the beginning. I'm not entirely sure why. I do think this aspect of the book improves as their relationship develops throughout the story.

So long story short, I loved this book and can't wait for London and Taylor's stories. (I'm assuming there are going to be London and Taylor stories. Please let there be London and Taylor stories! LOL)

I was really entertained by this, particularly the friendship aspect between the three women who all find out they’re being catfished by the same loser! In some respects I think the lady friends dynamic was a little better for me than the romance at the start, but then once Samiah and Daniel’s relationship really started progressing I was more invested in their journey. There’s a little suspense element involved with Daniel’s undercover gig, but overall this was the light, funny romance read I was hoping it would be.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

The Boyfriend Project has been on my radar for most of 2020, and I was so excited to finally read it. What I liked best about this book was the heroine, Samiah. She’s the type of woman I’d love to be friends with - smart, funny, driven, independent. I’m so glad to see more and more books featuring women in STEM, and I especially loved seeing a Black woman in technology, which is largely a male-dominated field. I appreciated learning about the challenges and roadblocks women - especially women of colour - face in that field. Samiah continually had to prove herself, stay on top of everything, and excel at her job in order to get the recognition and respect that was given to other people (especially men) so freely.

My other favourite part of the book was the friendship between Samiah, London, and Taylor. I swear I wanted to applaud when the women all came together after realizing they’d been catfished by the same guy. The typical reaction you see in most books, TV shows, and movies is for the women to turn on and blame each other. Not here. It was so refreshing, and I loved the instant camaraderie and connection between the ladies, despite the strange circumstances of their meeting. I also really appreciated how they made a pact to work on themselves before getting back into the dating world. Of course, Samiah met Daniel a hot minute later, but it worked in this case. So often you see a woman saying she wants to work on herself without a man in her life and then in the next minute she meets a guy and her life becomes about him. That wasn’t the case here. Samiah kept her standing weekly date with her friends, she continued to work toward her goals, and she got to do some of the things she loved doing but didn’t have anyone to do them with. I loved this quote: “He made her feel bold and playful and so many other delicious things. When was the last time she'd felt so carefree, so content? Samiah was falling in love with the person she was when she was with him."

What stopped me from loving this book was how drawn out it felt. There was a LOT of detail, especially about the tech stuff - yay for Samiah being a total boss, but all of that stuff is mostly over my head and had my mind wandering. There was also a lot of inner dialogue from both Samiah and Daniel, and a lot of repetition about why they shouldn’t be together, work stuff, and how Daniel was lying to Samiah. I also kind of wish there’d been more to the relationships. I felt this weird mix of wanting the book to be shorter because there were parts that dragged, while wanting MORE - more of the female friendships, more of the relationship between Samiah and Daniel, and more to the ending.

Overall I enjoyed this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to romance fans. The tease at the end hinted at another book to come and which of the friend group it would be about. I hope that's the case because I’d gladly return to Austin and these characters!

I really enjoyed this one!

What I liked:

The Premise- Three women bonding over the jerk that played them all. It was fun to read and empowering. I loved the concept of TBP. To focus on yourself for a bit before jumping into another relationship. I did read The Central Park Pact Series by Lauren Layne and found it similar but not completely the same. If you like this book you may also enjoy that series and vice versa.

The Friendships- Samiah, London and Taylor were great friends. I loved seeing them bond and support each other. If London and Taylor are getting their own books ( fingers crossed ) I am here for that.

The Characters- They were all very likable but I'd like to take this time to shine a spotlight on Samiah. I loved her so stinkin much. She was smart and ambitious without the hard, cold exterior that I have read in other books. She was very kind but not a push over. She was outspoken and stood up for herself and what was right. She was all the things I want in a main character.

The Conflict- The conflict was realistic and well handled.

The Narration- I listened to this book on audio. Thank you so much Libro.fm for my ALC.
Je Nie Fleming is amazing. I loved this audio and a narrator really can make or break a book.
It didn't even feel like Je Nie was reading a book to me. It felt like a production. She really brought this book to life for me.

Why it lost a star-

Although I could appreciate that this book is centered in the tech world- I was kinda bored when we reached portions of the book that highlighted Samiah's career.

I also would have liked to see more of the friendship's.


Overall- I highly recommend this book to fellow readers and romance lovers. I cannot wait to see what this author publishes next.

Thank you so much Grand Central Pub, Forever Pub and Farrah Rochon for my advanced copy of this book . I am so grateful to have read this book prior to its publication.

The cover is adorable and the premise is great, Samiah finds out through social media that the man she is dating is also dating two other women. Samiah immediately dumps this man and sparks a friendship with the two other women. They decide that they are going to spend time working on themselves, making their lives and careers the priority, instead of focusing on dating. Almost immediately after making that decision, Samiah meets Daniel at work.

Samiah is a Black woman working in the tech industry. That is a main focus in this book. We get to see her triumphs along with some challenges. I am not a Black woman nor do I work in tech, but this part of the book felt very realistic to me. It wasn’t overly done or traumatic, just seemed like things she was going through.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop from work friends to lovers. Daniel does a thing that causes some hurt feelings but I thought it was handled well.

I recommend this book particularly if you are looking for strong female relationships.

Samiah works as an engineer at a tech company. She is a young successful woman ready to take the world. Her peaceful life changed after being catfished by her boyfriend in front of the whole world through a live tweet going viral. Along with her new friends, she decided to make a pact; no dating, just time to focus on themselves. But with the arrival of Daniel Collins the new employee, things will not be easy for Samiah to handle.


"I thought we all decided we were no longer living our lives based on what other people think we should be doing. Or because it’s what society says we should do."


I have been impressed by Samiah’s character. She is an inspiring ambitious young black woman with the desire to pave the way for young black girls in the tech domain which is mainly led by men. Through Samiah’s character, the author shows how it can be challenging for black people to have the same opportunity than others. In fact I felt the pressure she always put herself in. She wanted to set the way even if it means forget her own happiness. But fighting for your dreams doesn’t mean you have to neglect yourself. It’s all about finding a balance.


"I am not afforded to the luxury of making a mistake. When I mess up, it just makes it that much harder for the next bright, youg black girl who has much to contribute to this field"


The boyfriend project is more than a love story. It’s about friendship and chasing for your dream, and your happiness. Samiah’s journey with her new friends was funny to follow, each one trying to find their way and supporting each other without any judgement. A true friendship goal. The love story between Samiah and Daniel was intense, sexy, sensual and refreshing. The relationship between them will be surprising. The storyline about Daniel was a bit predictable but nice to follow.

The boyfriend project is definitely a story to read, especially in this sensitive time. It pictures important topics in a funny and easy way. Just read it please.

I really enjoyed this novel. I finished it it one day! It was a very cute Contemporary romance. I enjoyed reading about a strong black female woman as the lead character. I also enjoyed how the author included Strong female friendships. It greatly added to the plot.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

The Boyfriend Project is an entertaining contemporary office romance set in the world of hi-tech industry. It has a lot of elements I like: a smart heroine, great female friendships, women in STEM, and a steamy romance with a touch of mystery.

Samiah, Taylor, and London form a friendship after they discover that they all have been dating the same douchebag. After kicking him to the curb, they swear off dating and form a pact to work on their other life goals, with Samiah planning to work on developing and selling her Just Friends app. As soon as she commits to not dating, she finds herself attracted to Daniel, a new hot guy in her office. Can Samiah stick to her pact with Taylor and London and not succumb to Daniel's charms, the man who may not be who he says her is? The Boyfriend Project was a fun read, one I would highly recommend to all romance readers.

3 star read!
Expected it to be more about the friendship between women, the goals, careers, and a storyline of them being happily single. This book also took me a lot longer than I thought it would take. The language used in it was easy enough, but the story never really experienced a moment of culmination, it was steady. The friendship-building part was exciting at the beginning, then it sort of became dim.
Plus points for writing about a woman successfully working in the tech industry.

DNF @ 9%. I also won't be reviewing this one on my blog.

I felt this book was bogged down with way too much description, and the scene where everyone finds out they were dating the same man felt very short and anti-climactic.

Thank you for the ARC.

Synopsis: Samiah, along with two other females, become "insta" famous after a tweet of their confrontation with their "boyfriend" Craig goes viral. Samiah, Taylor, and London then form a friendship in which the boyfriend project arises. The boyfriend project is a pact in which the girls will not date for 6 months in order to focus on themselves. Samiah for the first time is putting herself first. She begins working on the app she has wanted to develop for years, just did not have the time or confidence to create. Things are going well for her at work. And then she meets Daniel, the cute new co-worker in her office. Things seem perfect, but are they? Is Daniel the "real deal" or is something else going on.

Review: I'm giving this book a 4/5. I loved the easy banter and flirting between Daniel and Samiah. Their relationship was fun to watch grow. I loved the friendship formed between the girls despite the circumstances that brought them together. I admit I cried when Samiah met her niece for the first time as I remembered what it was like seeing my nieces/nephews as well as having my children. The ending, that was where it got me. I applaud Farrah Rochon on her writing and making me fall in love the characters throughout the book, but especially at the end. You won't be disappointed reading this one.

Thank you netgalley and Hachette Book Group for the advanced readers copy for my honest opinion in return.

Samiah finds out the guy she's been seeing has been three-timing her...on Twitter. After confronting him in public, all three women go viral and form an unlikely friendship. They decide to focus on their own individual passions for the next six months - no men. But two days later Samiah meets a new hire at her job, Daniel, and it becomes a lot harder to stick to that agreement.

I'll start by saying I found the romance story line itself to be a little underwhelming - I could sense the chemistry between Samiah and Daniel but wanted a bit more from it. Everything else about the story I absolutely loved. Seeing the friendship formed between Samiah, Taylor and London was great; they were all very different personalities but played off each other well. I hope we get to read their stories soon! The focus on Samiah's career as a black woman in the tech industry was fascinating and I thought it added a great setting to the story. And the mystery with Daniel and his role at the company added an interesting element to the story and relationship.
4/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Boyfriend Project is the first in a new contemporary romance series from Farrah Rochon. The series, which is set up at the start of the book, follows three women who become friends after they discover they’ve all been dating the same guy, something that is captured by social media. Samiah invites London and Taylor back to her place for drinks, and they become fast friends. They form a pack to work on something that makes each happy before starting to date again. This wouldn’t be an issue for Samiah, who makes finishing the app she’s been developing her goal, however new coworker Daniel is too good to be true.

Daniel is taken with Samiah’s beauty and intelligence from the moment they meet, but he’s not in a good place to start any type of relationship: he’s actually working undercover for the federal government. The pair flirt yet try to keep a distance, something that doesn’t work too well, and eventually they end up dating.

Samiah and Daniel make a great team. They are kind and respect one another, and they just click because they get each other. I love Samiah! She’s a woman in STEM; smart, sensitive, caring - and carries the load. I love how Daniel listens and doesn’t minimize her concerns. It’s wonderful to see them connect, even though both are trying to fight it at first. Ms. Rochon builds real characters, and we witness the internal conflicts arising as they develop a relationship. They both experience guilt: him for keeping a huge secret about his real job and purpose, and her for the pact she made with her new friends. She also feels guilty to spend anytime socializing and not working on her app. Yet, they work through the turmoil, finding a healthy balance, eventually.

I loved the mix of slow burn romance with a dash of a mystery. Overall, The Boyfriend Project is a well written, character-driven story. Ms. Rochon has created a world with people I want to get to know better.

My Rating: B+

Farrah Rochon was a new-to-me author, and while I enjoyed this story a lot, I loved the friendship between the three women even more than the romance, which was surprising to me.

Samiah Brooks is a BOSS. She's a rising star in the STEM world, and works as a computer software engineer at an amazing company that most people would kill to work for. While everything in her work life is great, and financially she's comfortable, her dating life has been a total bust lately. Her sister is happily married with a baby on the way, and that makes Samiah want that happiness for herself too. But, when she finds out that the guy she's been dating is a scam artist, and has been dating at least 2 other women, the video of the three of them confronting him about it goes viral, and her life starts to spiral out a bit. She doesn't have any interest in being internet famous, and just wants it all to go away.

Daniel Collins starts a new job at Samiah's company, and is drawn to her from the start. I can't say too much about him, or his reasons for taking the job without spoiling some things about the plot, but he was a good man, a former Marine, and he was great at his job. He and Samiah had a strong connection and flirtation from the start, but it was a completely terrible time for both of them to even be considering a relationship. How will they be around each other every day and ignore that pull??

Daniel and Samiah's flirty banter and chemistry were awesome to witness. I loved how they connected on so many different levels. I enjoyed watching their relationship flourish. But, even more than that, I ADORED the connection and unexpected friendship she struck up with the 2 other ladies from the viral video. London and Taylor were boss ladies in their own right, and seeing the connection and friendship the 3 of them formed, after having such a strange beginning upon meeting, was amazing. They each brought something unique to their triad, and they were consistently there for each other, while chasing their dreams via the pact they made together.

There was a situation in the epilogue that sets up Taylor's book next, and I can't wait to learn more about her, and her overachieving family, and her up and coming small business. Daniel and Samiah's relationship ended up winning me over, but there were things along the way that caught me by surprise, and that I wasn't expecting. Ultimately this book was a win for me due to these awesome women, even when there were aspects of the romance that weren't my favorite. But, I am fully invested in these 3 women and I look forward to Taylor and London's stories!