A warm and bright contemporary romance.

I thought the intersection between premise and character was dynamic. Samiah--a smart, confident, and in-control woman--goes uncontrollably viral on social media after she and two strangers mutually confront their catfishing cheat of a boyfriend. The three women ditch the liar and forge a friendship with each other, making a pact to focus on themselves and their dreams and goals instead of wasting time with men they know aren't worth their time. And, of course, the very next day, Samiah walks into the break room at work and meets her new coworker, Daniel, a man who is both worthy of her time and knows & respects Samiah's worth at all. Only he's no ordinary coworker: he's an undercover federal agent (from the Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), tracking down who at Samiah's company is enabling their company's technology to be used for money laundering. Daniel himself goes into this operation believing it'll be straightforward, but he didn't expect to fall for Samiah.

A couple notes about the premise. 1) At no point does Daniel--or anyone else--suspect or believe Samiah is involved in the crime. This is never part of the conflict of the book, and I appreciated that SO MUCH. Her trustworthiness is never in question. I'd hate that dynamic, and I wanted to point that out for other potential readers who may be wary of the premise. 2) The narrative never undermines Samiah's intelligence, even when she's being fooled by Daniel's lies. She picks up on discordant details about Daniel, and she makes and accepts reasonable explanations about them. I appreciated this SO MUCH as well, because Samiah <i>is</i> so smart, and I was right with her, not wanting her to be lied to ever again after that awful boyfriend, but oh boy, was Daniel full of lies, even if it was for a good cause. The premise and plot of the book requires Samiah to be fooled and hurt again, but it did so in a way that didn't make her foolish.

In case the previous paragraph didn't make it clear enough, I really liked Samiah, and I felt very protective of her. She's determined, she's kind, she's funny. I liked all the characters--I liked Daniel's determination, too, and his struggle to find a way to keep falling in love with Samiah while not hurting her--and I'm looking forward to Taylor's and London's books, too.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance and look forward to the books I'm assuming will be forthcoming about the other two women who were two-timed and then became friends. It was a unique and funny premise that cleverly both set up a trio of women for a book series and set up a catalyst for why all of the women are at a relatively introspective point in their lives where they are actively trying to make changes to themselves and their circumstances.

The romance was lovely, and managed to walk the balance that I find contemporaries sometimes don't mange for me, of finding ways in which the couple struggles to be together. I may have rolled my eyes a little that they both repeatedly state it's a bad idea, then do it anyway, but I loved it at the same time. I also liked that the heroine was allowed to be angry and upset when it's revealed all the ways the hero has been lying. I think she forgave him a little too fast, but I also think it was within character, and she had clearly thought it all out. If it had been an emotional reaction I wouldn't have trusted it as much, given her character traits.

I loved the relationship between the heroine and the two other women who discover that they are all dating the same man. Rather than pitting the women against each other, the author gives us three strong women who become good friends.

While I was reading the book, I kept thinking that this is a romance about adults. The characters have real lives and real careers. We see the characters in a work setting actually doing work. The heroine is smart, successful and knows what an asset she is to her company, but at the same time, she also has doubts and insecurities like a real person. The hero and heroine are attracted to each other, but they both think about the consequences of having an office romance and don’t just jump into having sex at the first opportunity.

I also liked the gradual development of the relationship between the hero and heroine as they slowly fall in love (even though we know that things are eventually going to blow up in the hero’s face). My only complaint was that the heroine forgives him too quickly.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely read the next book in this series.

I was given access to an ePub of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This book is fantastic. Samiah is a fully realized character who makes tough decisions, loses her temper, and holds her cards close to her chest. Yet through the course of the book she learns trust and opens up her circle. On a personal note, I really liked her emphasis on how no one succeeds on their own.

Daniel was Not My Type because of the military thing but his goodness shone in his every scene and his chemistry with Samiah practically melted the screen of my eReader.

The author did an excellent job locating the story. This book had great descriptions of the work environment, outdoor parks, and food. Oh, the descriptions of food were glorious. The author’s writing style really kept the story rolling as did the excellent pacing.

I highly recommend this book.

The struggle Samiah faces is so relatable - when to make a relationship a priority over professional goals? Daniel's dilemma echoes hers, pitting work versus love. The relationship development felt natural and the resolution satisfying. The establishment of Samiah and her friends as strong women in their own right is exactly the format needed in our current culture. Wonderful representation of a modern relationship!

So this book is about this girl Samiah Brooks who lives tweets about a horrific date *smile* (we all been there) only to discover her horrible date has duped two other girls and they end up becoming friends. So they make a pact to stay off men and work on themselves but we all know how that goes (Cupid pretty much likes to make a difference). It’s such a feel good book y’all

I requested this on NetGalley completely on a whim because I liked the cover and I liked the description. It was only after I had been approved that I started to see good reviews pop up on my timeline.

This book is about Samiah and Daniel, who meet at the tech company they both work for. Of course, Samiah just had a video of her confronting her (ex) boyfriend for cheating on her and Daniel, well Daniel is not all that he seems, so things are a little more complicated than they appear. Along the way, Samiah makes friends with the 'other women' that her boyfriend dated and we see their friendship growing as they support each other through expanding their lives outside of finding crappy dates.

I found this a very enjoyable book. I liked how we got POV chapters from both Samiah and Daniel's points of view and I especially love seeing how they are both very satisfied with their lives and regard romance as a bonus, even if it is one that would impact both their jobs. Their relationship was built on mutual attraction and a quick friendship and I liked seeing the two of them getting to know each other. Separately they were fun characters and I liked them as a pairing as well as apart, which is always a good thing on my part. However, I feel like the additional plot (with Daniel's job) sort of ate into the time when we saw them getting to know each other. I enjoyed the plot and I enjoyed the romance but it felt like both of them could have been a little better if some more time in the novel had been spent on them.

The plot - I found this interesting as well. The boyfriend project plot was one I have seen before, though it was done in a slightly different way, but Daniel's plotline was not one I had ever seen combined with a self-improvement/swearing off men plotline. It was definitely a very good reason why Daniel would need to lie to Samiah, as well as causing hurt and conflict without making either one of them out to be a horrible person, because to save people's lives, he had to do his job but he still lied to her. I did like how it was resolved in the end, though I wish Samiah's character arc had been a little more defined considering it seemed to be related to her wanting to control everything, but that felt like more of a mention than actually related to what was happening with the character. And the way everything worked out so nicely for at the end - it was unrealistic but I really liked it actually.

I liked the characters, I liked the romance, I liked the plot and the resolution at the end. The only bit which let me down with this book was that I wanted more of Samiah, London and Taylor. I loved what we did get, with these three different women who had different lifestyles but had found a common ground and had found an unexpected friendship. I loved seeing the three of them giving each other advice and just really enjoyed the female friendships (Samiah and her sister were also delightful). But wow, considering that was how the story started off, there definitely wasn't as much of the three of them as I wanted.

This was a book I enjoyed and would recommend, and with that ending I definitely want to check out the rest of the series, but it is not a book I wholeheartedly adored.

4 stars!

This was my first time reading Farrah Rochon. I enjoyed the story, especially the friendship that developed between Samiah, Taylor, and London. In a short amount of time, they really bonded and were there for each other. There were humorous lines in appropriate places throughout the book. I also enjoyed the romance that developed between Samiah and Daniel. Initially, when Daniel was introduced, I was somewhat confused, so that transition seemed abrupt. Once, I made it over that hump, they're story developed quite well. I am intrigued enough to read a sequel should there be one written in the future.

Oh, I LOVED this one! A fierce and brilliant female tech lead combined with a secret agent male tech-y love interest equal a wonderfully smart romance. I loved the Austin tech scene setting and the Boyfriend Project friendship storyline was a lot of fun - I'm hoping the series continues following Taylor and London!

Thank you for my ARC of this book. I did not like this one as much as I had hoped. It was hard to follow at times and the writing style was not my favorite.

I loved this book and hope we get some companions from the other two ladies in the pact!

Samiah is hanging out with her sister and getting ready to meet her boyfriend at a club after he had to cancel their dinner plans, her sister spots a viral Twitter thread from a girl on a date gone bad. As her sister is reading the tweets Samiah knows the date the girl is on is with her boyfriend at the restaurant they had dinner reservations to that he had to cancel. Samiah head to the restaurant to confront him along with another girl he was dating. They join forces and make a pact to spend the next six months focusing on themselves.

Enter Daniel Collins new to the company Samiah works at and she feels an instant connection to him. What about the six-month pack of focusing on herself? Is bad to date a coworker, a very handsome coworker? And Daniel isn't exactly what he says he is...

Scrolling through twitter, Samiah's sister comes across a woman live-tweeting a date with a total jerk. It was really entertaining until Samiah realized that said jerk on the date was the same guy SHE was dating. She showed up to the restaurant they were at and cursed him out along with the woman on the date AND another woman who showed up that he had duped. The video goes viral and these three woman form an instant bond.

Samiah, London, and Taylor are the BEST part of this book. They were all head-strong woman who had goals and weren't going to let anything or anyone get in their way... or at least that was the plan until there's a new hire at the tech company Samiah works at.

Daniel Collins is working undercover at Trendsetter to get to the bottom of a money laundering scheme so this is a classic workplace romance that shouldn't happen. Honestly, I wish the book was focused on female friendship more and just left Daniel out of it entirely. He sucked. Samiah deserved better (honestly - all women deserve better). So, while this was mostly an enjoyable and empowering read because of the focus on strong women, the love interest was totally blah and kind of took away from the strong female theme it carried throughout.

Thank you to Forever Pub, Farrah Rochon, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my free review!

Special thanks to Forever for providing our copy of The boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon in exchange for an honest & fair review.

There are so many things I love about this book. Here goes!

I really love the opening. Farrah, you are too clever. If there is ever an opening that sucks me in, it's this one. A twitter feed that quickly identifies itself to be about Samiah's "boyfriend" to be a cheating & scheming liar. Even better, she bands together with the women he dupes & creates a solid & likely friendship with them. For real, the book could have stopped there & I would be happy. For me, it was reminiscent of the strong female friendships I loved in Lauren Layne's Central Pact series.

The Boyrfriend Project has some tension. Samiah's love interest Daniel is not who he says he is. Well, kind of. He's working undercover at her company to gain intel. I have not read a romantic suspense novel, but after loving this aspect of the story so much, this may be my next venture in the romance genre. This hidden secret creates underlying tension throughout & I think Farrah does a great job with this aspect.

This story takes place in my hometown of Austin, TX. Farrah nails the humidity, the Hill Country & the downtown scene. There are so many familiar places & it warms my heart.

I am rooting for Samiah & Daniel throughout the novel. For me, this romance is believable & takes a more natural course. I really liked it & wanted to see them both be happy. They are both such upstanding citizens! I sound like an old Grandma saying that, but I just really love both of them. I want them to succeed.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! This is my first Farrah Rochon novel & I can't wait to read more of her books. Also, I hope we get more stories from Samiah's newfound friends. Read this if you're in the mood for a believable romance with a side of suspense & a huge helping of badass females.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020, and boy do I wish I’d loved it. I really wanted to, but it ultimately was a let down on most fronts, and this hurts my soul to say.

The premise of The Boyfriend Project set it up to be a new favorite of mine, and through all my excitement and even when I started the book, never once did it cross my mind that this is a book I might dislike. Three women who form a strong bond after being cheated on by the same asshole? Friendship? Office romance? Literally none of that sounded to me like something could go wrong along the way, and although the book did deliver in some aspects, ultimately it failed when it mattered most for the genre: the romantic relationship.

So let’s start with what the did right: the female friendship. I love how quick Samirah, London and Taylor took to each other. Eventhough they all come from different backgrounds and have different hobbies and aspirations, they bonded over going viral and from then on formed a steady and reliable support system for each other, might it be in the matters of the heart, work or anything in between, they always made time for each other and that warmed my heart to see. This book especially put emphasis on how important it is for women to have girl friends they can count on and how hard it it feel to make time and maintain them as you grow up and have responsibilities, but it ultimately shows that if those are relationships that matter for you, you have to treat them the same way you treat every vital aspect of your life and I appreciated that.

I also appreciated the way this book tackles the pressure women face in STEM work places, especially Black women and that no matter how close the experiences of other women, or even Black men can be, those specific experiences are unique to those intersecting identities. And this is sadly where my appreciation of this book ends.

The romance starts harmless enough (not that it gets harmful later, per say, but just stick with me), I even was enjoying it in the beginning when Samirah and Daniel first meet, then tension and circumstance induced push and pull between them was well done, I even liked them individually as characters. But then around the 30% mark it fell flat for me and I can pinpoint the exact reason that happened.

A lot of the relationship build up, the moments where we’re supposed to see the bonds form, the chemistry, the banter, etc, happen off page and we’re left with a lot of telling instead of showing. For example, instead of showing us the characters start this habit of meeting up for coffee every morning we just get a line that says that that’s what happened. And this happened in, what are to me, the most important parts of the relationships. Even if they’re small, they matter, and the author seemed to think that only the “significant” moments that have something happening in them deserve to be shown. It got so bad that at one point, there was a time jump of several week between two chapters (16 and 17) in which a lot of “getting closer” happens, and I legit had to go back to make sure I didn’t skip anything because I felt like a lot was missing.

My issues do not stop there, sadly. For a book that is set on promoting friendship, when it comes to the romance it’s very aro-antagonistic, the author uses the classic “more than friends” setting quite a few times, and while I can definitely let it go if it only happens once as I know these kinds of things are hard to unlearn, there was so much emphasis on it that it got jarring at one point. The sex scenes also didn’t work for me, although they didn’t happen until very late on in the book, which in and of itself isn’t an issue, the way they were written was way too flowery for me. I don’t want to read about three scenes involving foot massages (true story, what’s up with that?) but then have the author rebuke at the word pussy, calling it “between her legs” and “her heated center”. If you want to write sex scenes, you gotta be fully prepared to name genitalia adequately.

The Boyfriend Project was a fun, fast read. With smart women, strong emphasis on female friendships, a bit of intrigue, and a great romance? This book truly had it all!

When Samiah and two other women learn they have been conned by the same man, a fast friendship is formed. The trio make a pact to work on their individual goals and to swear off men for a few months. In a case of imperfect timing, Samiah's new co-worker Daniel enters the scene and provides all the temptation. In this dual timeline story, we watch Samiah work to balance her goals, while fighting off strong romantic feelings. Daniel has his own career motivations, unknown to the company, and this places him at odds with both his personal and professional ethics as he is immediately drawn to Samiah. What ensues is a witty, sharp, sexy, and fun entanglement.

This was my first book by Farrah Rochon and will not be my last!

Completely enjoyable start to a new series! The Boyfriend Project involves a strong female lead, Samiah, who makes friends with two other women after they are all deceived by the same man. All have decided to avoid men for the next 6 months to work on themselves. Samiah is moving her way up the ranks at an IT company but also has an App that she has wanted to design for some time. In walks Daniel, a new coworker at the IT firm. However Daniel is just not any worker... he works for the Feds under the Treasury Department investigating financial crimes.

I love this story for a few reasons. Rochon portrays not just strong female characters but strong female friendships. These are not "perfect" women... they have flaws, they have doubts. But they don't let those doubts or flaws rule their lives.

Also I love Samiah and Daniel as a couple. I fully believe in their happily ever after. There is nothing more frustrating for me than reading a romance or romcom and not believing in the couple (I'm looking at you The Unhoneymooners!) But Samiah and Daniel, besides the passion and eventually love they have for each other... They also have RESPECT for each other.

This is my first book from Farrah Rochon but not my last. I enjoyed this and look forward to the second in this series!

This was just the kind of book I needed to distract me during this pandemic. Samiah meets London and Taylor after Taylor tweets a bad dad and they realize they’re all dating the same man. They tell him off and the video of this goes viral. The three women swear a boyfriend pact to take time off dating and to focus on themselves. Of course Daniel starts at Trendsetters with Samiah immediately after this. Their chemistry is palpable but he is there on a mission.

I loved both characters. Samiah is such a strong independent woman. She is checking goals off of her list but would like someone to share her life with. I was sucked into the story and it was a quick read. There was just enough steam.

Definitely grab this when it’s released. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Pub for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hope Taylor and London will get their own books.

First, I would like to thank Farrah Rochon for making this book available for immediate reading on Netgalley. As someone who is looking to review more books, but is limited by my lack of reviews, this was such a gift.

Second, I would like to offer this review:
The Boyfriend Project was a lengthy trip with pining. I love pining. Ms. Rochon made it fun. With sweet moments and satisfying conclusion, this was a wonderful first novel by Farrah Rochon and I am excited to see what they write next.

The Boyfriend Project is a light and breezy modern romance - but this story was more about the project and a lot less about the boyfriend.

Samiah Brooks is focused on her career, but still trying to find love. When a ripped-from-the-headlines video of Samiah and two other women taking down the guy who tried (and failed) to date them all at once goes viral, Samiah joins forces with her fellow scorned women to focus on a new project - themselves. No boyfriends allowed. Samiah throws herself into developing a new app, while balancing her day job (including her passion for philanthropy). Meanwhile, Daniel joins Samiah’s company - but he’s really there undercover to root out fraudulent activity. The attraction between Daniel and Samiah is palpable but off limits for both. Can they keep their hands off each other and stay focused on their work? (The answer is no.)

If you can’t tell, what I thought stood out about the book was the plot - not the romance. The friendship that created “The Boyfriend Project” was a nice plot device but also less of a priority. But the plot was excellent - it was fully fleshed out, not an afterthought like some romances. In fact, I could have used a little more steaminess! I was really interested in Samiah’s focus on her career, and I really liked Daniel’s spy plotline. The writing is really well done, clean and neat - but if I have one complaint is that it skipped forward, glossing over stories I wanted to see. It’s like a PG romcom where they fast forward to the next morning. It wasn’t only love scenes; there was a plot with a conniving coworker who finally got her comeuppance - but we only got told about it, not shown. Sometimes, the fast forwarding left me confused about how far in the future we went - a little more explanation of timing would have gone a long way.

I will definitely check out the next two books I this series, featuring Samiah’s fellow members of Hashtag Squad Goals - but with different expectations than I had for this one. This was a solid 3 1/2 stars for me - something I’d recommend as a beach read.

This was my first time reading Farrah Rochon and I loved her voice! The central friendship between the women was believable and heartwarming, and the chemistry between the hero and heroine was spot on. The author did a great job of showing us how the heroine might be stable and have a good life on her own, but these new relationships really add a layer of richness to her days. I'll be searching out other titles by this author, knowing I'm in for a treat.