Member Reviews

The concept of this book and its execution were equally wonderful. The focus on the value of female friendships and the support women can provide for one another was really lovely to read about. It helped the romance unfold more naturally and I felt as though I really got to know Samiah as an individual, not just her interest in Daniel. Moreover, the discussion on setting goals, pursuing dreams and not letting yourself fall to the backburner in a relationship was important and well integrated into the story. Samiah felt really relatable as a character and it felt comforting to slip into her world and read the way she articulated her desires and needs to those around her. In summation, I not only loved this book as a romance (which was very cute and well developed), but also as a story of women of color supporting one another and figuring out how to triumph over many layers of adversity in the professional world (particularly in tech). This felt like a book I'd never read before and it was wonderfully refreshing.

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The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon is a funny, sweet, empowering, and enjoyable story about friendship, loyalty, being true to yourself, and of course about romance.

I loved all the characters in this book. Pairing this with the awesome plot, this is most definitely a winner.

I enjoyed the pact and friendship that develops between the three women that were wronged ( Samiah, London, and Taylor) by the skeezebucket. Samiah could have most definitely went another direction after finding out she was being cheated on by her bf on Twitter no less, but instead banded together with the other gals to swear off men for 6 months and support each other in the process. I love that these are strong and passionate women, and I enjoyed this aspect of the plot most of all.

That is not to say I did not love the romance aspect between Samiah and Daniel as well, because I do and it makes the book that much better. Of course he would enter her life during this hold-out, and of course she is torn between what she feels and how she might affect her friends.

This is an excellent book, with excellent characters, and an amazing and creative plot. This is the first in a new series, and it is off to a great start. I can’t wait to read the subsequent books.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (Links to both are attached) and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

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I am new to Farrah Rochon’s books, and I really like what I read in The Boyfriend Project.
Farrah Rochon has the sass of Alexa Martin and the heart of Jasmine Guillory. (two of my favorite contemporary romance authors) The Boyfriend Project’s initial concept reminds me of Lauren Layne’s Central Park Pact series and then moves forward in its own unique way.
Three women meet because they have all been dating and been lied to by the same man named Craig (if that’s even his real name). When a bad date gets live streamed, all three women descend upon him and become Internet famous. They become friends through this “accelerated sisterhood-development process.” They decide to work on themselves; focus on a hobby, pursue a dream or grow their business, instead of wasting time with the dating scene. That is the Boyfriend Project, to become their best selves and then at the end the boyfriend will be the bonus.
I loved the character of Samiah. She was so competent and bad ass in her job. She is a trailblazer and role model even though she didn’t seek these titles. She has them by default as a woman and POC in the tech industry. This causes her to be a little hard on herself and adds to her stress when making important career decisions.
Daniel does seem too good to be true, he is that dreamy. I was glad to get inside Daniel’s head and hear his conflicting thoughts about falling for Samiah and his duty to his undercover operation.

The budding friendship between Samiah and the other two woman seems authentic. These characters are fully developed, as is Samiah’s sister and brother-in-law.

I will definitely seek out more Farrah Rochon books and am looking forward to Taylor and London’s stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC

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Samiah finds out via Twitter that her boyfriend is not only cheating, but dating three woman at once. When the video of the three woman outing him goes viral- Samiah finds new friends in both London and Taylor.
The woman form a pact- The Boyfriend Project. They vow to have one another’s backs, promote their hobbies and wait for a good guy to date in 6 mos.
When the new new hottie arrives at Samiah’s office, she is blown away. Daniel seems genuine and she is drawn to him. Is this the Mr Right she’s been waiting for? Or is this another creep she can’t trust?
Follow Samiah and her new friends along this sweet, funny and romantic road.

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This was a cute story but I was not as into it as I hoped.
The story was written well and the story line was good. I just felt it dragged on and could not enjoy the story as much.
This was my first book by this author. Worth a read, just not for me

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Three women, after being duped by a scrub of a man, come together and form a pact that they call the 'Boyfriend Project'. Their agreement is that for the next six months, they focus on bettering themselves and staying away from men.

Samiah is all for it until Daniel enters her office, all dimples and charm, making it a little more difficult to stand by her new friends in this plan they've made up. Pact aside, she is an accomplished tech genius with a lot on her plate, and maybe a potential relationship is just not in the cards right now.

Except Daniel is feeling all the things Samiah is feeling and the more the two talk to each other, the more involved in the other's life they want to be.

I loved this. It was cute and fun and Samiah was just kick ass in being great at what she does. I loved her and I loved the little bond her, Taylor and London form after Craig turns out to be a mutual dumb dude in each of their lives. This one was as much about women supporting women as it was about the romance between Samiah and Daniel and it made me love the entire story even more.

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Thanks to social media, three women discover they’ve been dating the same lowlife guy. While one woman is livetweeting her terrible date with him, the other two go to confront him and his cheating ways. Strangers capture the shero moment and the video goes viral.

The three agree to swear off men for at least six months. They decide to focus on themselves, their careers and their budding friendship.

That’s right when Samiah, a super-smart tech whiz, notices how gorgeous Daniel, her new coworker, is. She’s drawn to him but what about the pact? Even if she breaks the pact, does she have time for a new relationship, her intense career and the new app she’s creating as a side project? Daniel seems too good to be true – is he?

I appreciated that Rochon didn’t focus solely on the romance. Watching three strong and smart women support and encourage each other was fantastic and I’m here for it! So glad that her friends, Taylor and London will have their own books in the future.

This is the first book by Farrah Rochon that I’ve read but it certainly won’t be the last! It was fast-paced, sparkling and hot – the perfect combination.

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I would like to first thank Forever Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read the e-arc of The Boyfriend Project. This was my first time reading a book by Farrah Rochon and I was not disappointed.
The book synopsis is
Samiah Brooks never thought she would be "that" girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she's been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other "girlfriends," London and Taylor -- have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .

For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she's always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there's no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

What I loved about this book was the witty humor that Farrah used in this book. I loved the friendships that were formed and I really enjoyed how she used Samiah's voice as a strong, smart woman of color in the tech industry. She articulated just how hard is it for a woman in that field but how especially hard it is for a minority. The steamy chemistry between Samiah and Daniel was just the right amount of sexy. I would highly recommend this for your next TBR when it's published in June making it a Summer Must Read.

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I’m so used to Farrah’s books being set in small towns so this jump to Austin threw me a little but I loved it. Very cute with strong characters. Can’t wait to see where it leads because the ending gives me all the “but wait, there’s more!” vibes.

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This is a great contemporary romance novel. Both of the lead characters are strong and well-written. The plot kept me interested. Definitely recommend!

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This was my first Farrah Rochon book and I enjoyed it! It was a fun romance with layers, and I anticipate it could be the start to a new series following some side characters? Samiah and Daniel's chemistry was palpable and Samiah's platonic relationships with Taylor and London just as memorable. Rochon deftly tackled some heavier issues like sexism and racism in ways that felt smart and natural. I didn't fully connect with the side plot of Daniel's work/the corruption at Trendsetters and never fully understood what was happening there, but it also didn't detract from my enjoyment of the love story. Hoping for future books following the other women involved in the "boyfriend project"!

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I really enjoyed this one. Fun read, and I liked the female friendships that blossomed from a shared, albeit terrible, experience.

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This book is so much fun, and I can't wait for the next in the series! Believable characters and the obstructions in the way of the romance were believable (as much as possible in a romance, at least). Excellent readalike for fans of Jasmine Guillory, with better writing and stronger plotting.

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This was my first Farrah Rochon book, but it definitely won't be my last. Samiah and Daniel were so good together, and I adored her friendship with Taylor and London. I can't wait until they get their own books

Some spoilers- I'm not generally a fan of hidden identity books, so I have to admit I loved this book in spite of that plotline, but I thought it was handled fairly well. The wrap-up at the end felt a bit rushed but still decently believable.

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My favorite part of THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT came at the beginning of the novel. Our protagonist Samiah Brooks discovers the man she's been tepidly dating is ALSO dating two other women. She finds out on Twitter of all places and when she goes to confront him, she and the other women band together to take him down. They go viral, and all three must now contend with the ramifications.

Seeing these characters become friends is almost better than the romance, which for me was lovely, but not what drew me to the story. There's also a bit of a suspense plot involving why Daniel Collins is now employed at Samiah's work. Samiah is also developing an app and I enjoyed seeing her work and her passion for her career.

A great start to a series and I'm looking forward to more.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

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Samiah is an intelligent black woman in the tech world, but she discovers via twitter that her along with two other smart women have been conned and duped by the same guy. They make a pact to focus on themselves and not to date anyone, but literally a day later and a new guy Daniel starts working with Samiah. Daniel is not only a good looking man but he begins flirting with her a little bit, and now Samiah is trying to avoid starting a relationship while staying true to her pact with her new found friends, trying to focus on her job, and creating an app that she is passionate about.

I adored this book! And I'm so excited that her friends Taylor and London will have a story as well!!

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Samiah and Daniel are just...just perfection! I love the way the girls met and bonded, and can’t wait for their books! But, Samiah and Daniel own their book. They’re super smart, funny, sexy, and just awesome! You need to read this book to appreciate all the awesomeness!

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In The Boyfriend Project, Samiah discovers (via Twitter) that the guy she's been seeing has not only lied to her, he's been dating at least two other women. When she confronts him she becomes the unwitting star of a viral YouTube video. She and the other two women he scammed develop a tight friendship and decide to swear off men for the time being. Of course that's when Samiah meets her new coworker Daniel, who is smart, funny, and super into her. This book was unputdownable. I loved the relationship between Samiah and her friends Taylor and London. They're supportive of each other and hilarious, and I particularly liked their discussions about the difficulty in finding and maintaining new friendships as adults. Samiah and Daniel are both well developed, complex characters, and I liked that we're not just told that Samiah is good at her job but we get to see her being consistently excellent despite dealing with microaggressions, idea-stealing coworkers, and being overworked. (The characters kept saying how great Trendsetters was to work at but to me it sounded like kind of a nightmare...) I also really liked Daniel's arc, though I felt he probably should have had to grovel a little harder at the end. All in all this was a great read and I can't wait to continue the series.

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Better than I expected. The male character was as complex as the female. Not predictable like a lot of books in this genre are. Looking forward to visiting Austin after reading this.

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So much goes down on Twitter daily that it can be easy to lose track of what happened but I’ll never forget the live tweet of a date that went wrong as a few women realized they were dating the same man, dumped him, and went out for drinks on their own. If that debacle sounds like the perfect setup for a romance novel, let me introduce you to The Boyfriend Project.

Samiah, London, and Taylor meet when they realize the same guy catfished them and form a strong friendship instead. All three women have struggled to make friends in Austin, either due to work or the plain difficulty of meeting new like-minded people once you’re no longer in school. Samiah has her sister but that’s about it and she hasn’t thought much of it since she’s so focused on her life goals. But when London and Taylor come into her life in this unconventional fashion, she soon realizes how much she needs them. They challenge each other to devote the time they’d spend trying to find a boyfriend to move forward toward a dream. In Samiah’s case, that's developing a friendship app, which honestly sounds amazing. I adored the friendships at the center of this story and I cannot wait to read London and Taylor’s respective stories!

But this is a romance so you’re probably wondering who Samiah’s love interest is. This is where Farrah Rochon tightens the screws on her characters. One would think after Samiah dumped someone who’d been lying to her, honesty would be paramount for her next partner and you’d be right. Only that’s not what we’re getting because Daniel is undercover for work.

If I'm going to read a lie of omission plot, work-related reasons are the only one that work. He can't tell Samiah who he really is or what he's doing at Trendsetters (which seems like the coolest place to work) but he’s intensely drawn to her. Samiah’s not a suspect but dating someone while undercover isn't exactly looked well upon by the higher ups. Plus, there’s the fact that he could get pulled away the instant the case is solved and not even have time to say goodbye to Samiah. It’s a quandary and I did get rather tired of how wishy-washy Daniel was about it. Either accept that you’re being selfish and go after her or leave her alone already!

Even so, I loved their relationship. They were so good together and I really appreciated how they tried to balance their career goals against what they want in their personal lives. The story does a great job highlighting their respective careers, how they deal with racism and microaggressions (Samiah is Black and Daniel is Black-Korean American), and how to not lose sight of what matters. I’m excited to see what Rochon does with the rest of the series!

CW: racism, microaggressions, reference to side character being hit by a bus while riding his bicycle resulting in long hospitalization, reference to side character's infertility and fertility treatments, side character’s pregnancy and healthy delivery

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