Only for Farrah would I read a fake dating romance. *crosses arms, scowls... but then face softens into a smile* because this was sweet and cute and steamy. Excellent work, especially when you can pull me through a fake dating trope, start to finish. Cannot wait for book three!

I've been having some pretty great reading luck this summer (*knocks on wood to not jinx it*), and I'm happy to say this book kept my streak of good reads going. It's another work romance, but this time it features a professional athlete and a fitness trainer/nutritionist, so it definitely had a different vibe from the tech corporate setting of THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT.

I blew through this story. The first half was especially great, with sizzling chemistry and fantastic banter between the two MCs. (The scene in the grocery store is *so* great! Jamar's lines were laugh-out-loud hilarious!) I also really enjoyed the complexity of Taylor's character. She had more layers than I'd expected, and it was nice to see how some of her "flaws" were addressed.

I will say there was a noticeable lack of spark in the last third of the story, though, and for me, it didn't finish strong. Things felt a little more forced, and I missed the flirty, fun feel that had me smiling like a fool while reading the majority of the first half. There wasn't a lot of emphasis on the pretend-boyfriend aspect either, which was a real bummer for me since it's one of my favorite tropes.

That said, overall, I'm really enjoying this series, especially the supportive trio of girlfriends it's built around. I missed a little of that camaraderie here, but I'm hoping to see it finish off strong with London's book next year.

RATING: B+/B (4½ stars)

I love romance series that focus on the bonds of female friendship. When I read Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project last year, I was hooked by the connection between the three women at its center and couldn't wait to read the rest of their stories. I eagerly dove into the audiobook of book two, The Dating Playbook and this fake dating sports romance did not disappoint.

Personal trainer Taylor Powell is struggling to get her business off the ground and make ends meet. When former NFL player Jamar Dixon offers her a check she can't refuse in exchange for private training, she agrees. But things take a turn when they have to pretend to be dating to hide his true plans for trying to get back into the league.

I love when romances feature the main characters working together towards a common goal, and that was amplified here by the fact that Taylor and Jamar were each pursuing something they were deeply passionate about. Rochon did a great job of making their motivations so multi-layered, and I loved the thoughtful explorations of grief, anxiety, ADHD, and learning disabilities as they both worked to overcome the hurdles standing between them and what they wanted and needed.

Readers who enjoy sports and athleticism in romance will find so much to love here.

A fun romance. Loved the characters and the fake romance trope. Can't wait for London's story. I'm not an athletic person and I don't eat all that healthy but Taylor made it seem easy and almost tempted me to, almost. Two very sexy people getting into a very amusing situation. Great story.

The Dating Playbook is the delightfully funny second tale in Farrah Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project series. You can read this without reading the first book.

Taylor Powell experienced her proverbial fifteen minutes plus of fame when her acerbic tweets about a date from hell turned into a viral video takedown of a catfisher in a restaurant. She’s been besties with the other two women involved in the very public incident (London and Samiah) ever since. But friendship wasn’t really what Taylor was hoping for from being buzzworthy. She loves her new peeps, but her business Taylor’d Fitness desperately needs a boost if it is going to survive. Some unfortunate decisions have left her with bills that are piling up, and her lack of a college degree means that she’s not even considered for positions she could easily perform. She’d thought internet fame might result in more clients but alas, that is not what happened. Taylor doesn’t see a way out of her current dilemma.

Then Jamar Dixon shows up at her popup fitness bootcamp. A former footballer who wants back into the NFL, Jamar is looking for a personal trainer who can help him achieve his personal best but keep the information that he’s attempting a comeback on the downlow. Jamar doesn’t want Twitter and the sports bloggers getting into his head with their negative opinions on his odds of recovering from his career ending injury. He’s had enough of that already. He likes Taylor’s style, strength and dedication and figures she can definitely get him where he needs to be.

Taylor would love to use the fact Jamar is one of her clients to hype her business but he’s paying her enough – with promises to promote her company once they are finished – that it is worth it for her to stay mum till Jamar returns to being one of the best running backs in the league. So, when a sports reporter catches them together, Taylor is quick to tell the man they’re a couple. She has a lot riding on Jamar’s success, and she isn’t going to let a little thing like having to fake date a client keep her from getting it.

The only problem is, Jamar and Taylor had a hard enough time keeping their crazy attraction to each other in check before they were a faux couple. Now that they’re spending all this extra time together, will they really be able to keep things strictly professional?

When Taylor’s good friend London learns of their plans she says, “You do realize this sounds a lot like a romance novel, don’t you?” and I appreciated that meta moment. The plot and action that serve as the impetus for our story is a familiar device in the genre. That isn’t a bad thing - the author uses her trope to good effect, creating a genuine and heartfelt romance in her only-in-a-romcom narrative – but I was grateful to see the ridiculousness of the situation openly acknowledged and dealt with.

From the first moment they meet, it is clear Jamar and Taylor are perfect together. They get each other’s jokes, feel really comfortable together, share confidences and support each other through the highs and lows in their lives and have terrific chemistry. This is one of those stories where the heroine and hero don’t have to work hard to be a couple because they feel meant to be. Their love story is joyous and captures perfectly the magic of finding The One.

I always think of Farrah Rochon’s books as being romances about grownups because of how mature her leads are. Jamar and Taylor have some struggles in their lives, but they know how to deal with adversity and pressure without being snarky maniacs toward everyone around them. In Taylor’s case, she is broke. I loved how Ms. Rochon depicted this situation – she captured perfectly that feeling of balancing needs and wants, of watching your friend’s spend money you can’t even dream of having, the dangers of credit card debt and the damage it causes and how living even a really simple, low frills life can be bankrupting in this day and age. I like how Taylor stayed positive through all this but was also very practical about the need for money.
She was a touch less reasonable when it came to her family. She felt they judged her by their own standards of success rather than her own and as a result viewed her as the familial black sheep. Jamar helps her hold some sensible conversations about that and really address those feelings.

From early in the story, we can tell Taylor has an undiagnosed learning disability and Jamar is able to help her with that as well. I liked that he never took control of any of Taylor’s situations, that he never just plowed over her own wants and wishes as he solved her problems but worked with her and cheered her on as she came to her own solutions.

Jamar is in many ways the opposite of Taylor. He’s financially secure, has a good relationship with his family, and excels at academics, financial situations, controlling social media – he seems to have it all together. However, beneath it all he carries a weight of guilt and some unneeded responsibilities based upon events in his youth. I really loved how he was able to work through his issues by talking to the right people throughout the story. I can’t emphasize enough how fabulous it is to read about characters who handle the challenges in their lives in mature, responsible, reasonable ways. This is a happy, amusing, humorous tale but the comedy doesn’t come from crazy characters doing stupid things but from people being able to joke, play and laugh their way through this sometimes-difficult thing we call life.

This series places a lot of emphasis on great gal pals, and nobody could ask for better friends than London and Samiah. I loved how these ladies continued to be a big part of each other’s lives, offering a helping hand or sympathetic ear when needed and spurring each other to greater success. We catch only a glimpse of Daniel and Samiah as a couple, but I was happy to see them still going strong and I loved watching London as she dealt with her two friends being in love while she remained stoically single. I can’t wait to see who she winds up with (her book comes out next summer).

Great characters, solid writing and a charming love story make The Dating Playbook one of the best novels I’ve read this year and I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance novels.

Buy it at Amazon

Jamar and Taylor tried to deny their love for each other but the more they tried to deny it the more they found they couldn’t. This was a cutesy romance. I don’t really have much to say because it wasn’t my favorite book but it wasn’t my least favorite. It was just okay. There were some good parts.
- Taylor spraining her ankle and jamar picking up the tab
The not so good
- Taylor moving in and they didn’t even last a few days without her now being his real girlfriend
- very predictable moments like the mold in the apartment

All in all a decent book but needs some work. I DNF at 68% because it was just getting a little too far fetched . I’m sorry. But thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

The Dating Playbook

Thank you @readforever for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Super quick synopsis: Taylor, a fitness guru and trainer, is recruited by Jamar, a former NFL first round pick, to help get him in shape to make a comeback after a career-ending injury. Thing is, is, Jamar wants to keep it a secret, to avoid the scrutiny from the media that he experienced the last time. When Taylor and Jamar are seen together by a journalist who connects the dots, Taylor blurts out that they're just dating. Enter, fake dating & tension.

I really liked The Boyfriend Project, and this book may have topped that for me. I think my favorite part of this series is the strong, positive relationships between three successful women, each in their own way (and especially how their relationship began with each other!). In this book, we get to see more of their friendship, how it's grown and developed since TBP, and how the women support and encourage each other on their goals. While this book works as a standalone, I think readers will get the most enjoyment (and continuity) reading TBF first - plus we get to see more of Samiah's and Daniel's relationship in this book, which is a bonus.

On to the relationship between Jamar and Taylor - it was a sweet one! Fake dating isn't my most favorite troupe because it's so unrealistic, but in their situation it actually kind of made sense to me. This one fell right in the middle of the steam scale, so there was still some open door action and lots of tension. The story also featured a character with a learning disability and a minor character that communicates with ASL, neither of which I haven't seen in a lot of my more recent reads. Overall, it was a great contemporary romance, and I'm definitely looking forward to London's story next year!

Full review on bookstagram to come!

#theboyfriendproject #thedatingplaybook

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon was for sure the most anticipated read for many people in the book community. I adored the publicity it's getting and how many great reviews it has. Farrah Rochon deserves such a loving response for such a fantastic book.

Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing story.

If you love the fake dating trope and football, this is your chance to pick a book with it. What doesn't a sports romance has? It has what you like.

Not only that it's such a funny and loving story from the start. We have an ex-Texas player and a fitness trainer both at their lowest trying to push through their own struggles. Both get together in such chemistry and vulnerable relationship were both there was communication and understanding. It's such a rare find in books to see two characters like Taylor and Jamar see each other in a light where trust and kindness can help them go along the way. I truly enjoyed The Dating Playbook. It's a sports romance I could not recommend enough.

Please check it out!

A former football star who is kind and caring? Sign me up! I loved the hero in this laidback sports romance. He is sweet, sexy, and easily the best part of this book. I'm having a tough time with my rating for this one, because it had all of the ingredients of a great book... but I frequently found myself bored while reading. I actually set it down for a week and almost forgot to come back to it, which is never a good sign. It was missing the wow factor and compelling chemistry between the characters, though I did like it as a whole. It sits solidly between three and four stars for me - there's not a ton that I didn't like, but it's ultimately a forgettable read.

The story follows Taylor, a fitness trainer whose business is struggling. She doesn't have a formal education and is trying to build up her reputation, but it's been an uphill battle. When the sexy guy from one of her classes requests her services as a personal trainer, Taylor is skeptical. She's used to guys hitting on her, and isn't interested in letting the lines between personal and professional blur. But Jamar seems to be different than the others, and the connection between them is difficult to ignore. As Taylor works on getting the former football player back in the game, the two discover that their relationship is worth fighting for.

That cover is super fun and adorable, and the blurb was equally enticing, so I didn't hesitate to give this a read. It's got a lot of good stuff going for it as well - the representation is awesome, both characters are likable (Jamar more than Taylor), and the romance is central to the storyline. I loved some of the deeper topics that are explored, and the path to HFN is pretty unique. But it was definitely missing a spark for me, from start to finish. There's a lot of focus on the workouts and fitness routine, which didn't make the story feel overly romantic. And even the steamy scenes didn't feel all that intimate to me. Part of that might've just been Taylor's strong personality, but, I don't know, it wasn't particularly compelling. This is solid overall - and I loved Jamar - but there was something missing the whole way through. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this sports romance.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚HAPPY PUB DAY!🎉

The Dating Playbook
by Farrah Rochon

Released TODAY!! 8/17/21
Published by: Forever

Genre: Romance

I received this beautiful finished #gifted copy from @readforeverpub and also received a #freebook #eARC through @readforeverpub via @netgalley for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars

This book is the 2nd book in The Boyfriend Project series.

These women are fierce and strong and are there for each other. They uplift each other to reach their goals/dreams and I love it! #accountability

The writing style and humor kept me engaged and I finished this one pretty quickly! The fake dating trope is definitely one of my faves!

READ THIS BOOK!
✔ Strong female characters 🙌
✔ Working out/Staying fit 🏋️‍♀️
✔ Fake dating/relationship 💖
✔ Kissing in the rain 💧
✔ A love of all things Disney 🐸
✔ Sexy football player 🏈
✔ Stress baking 🍪
✔ Some steam 🔥
✔ Love your veggies 🍆
✔ Learning to succeed with a learning disability 💯
✔ American Sign Language #inclusion 🤟

#bookrec - 👍👍 Yes! Read this book!

🏈🏋️‍♀️🏈🏋️‍♀️🏈🏋️‍♀️🏈

I loved #TheBoyfriendProject and was thrilled to continue the story with Taylor.
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I loved Samiah, Taylor and London in the first book and was happy to catch up with them and really focus on Taylor. She’s struggling, drowning in debt and her fifteen minutes of fame is up. She’s trying to get her boot camp classes off the ground and hosts pop up work out sessions. When Jamar Dixon joins her class he may be the answer to her prayers or the cause of her demise. Either way he is good to look at.
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They make a plan for her to help him get back in football form for the NFL, but he doesn’t want anyone to know. Obviously they need to fake fate and they need a dating playbook to assist them.
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This book is so much fun and it’s out today!
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I cant thank @readforeverpub enough for an ARC!
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As we all know, I’m a sucker for fake dating romance, so it’s no secret why I had to read this one, especially since it’s an African American Romance. While it was a little more intense and a tad angsty in parts than I expected, I was not disappointed. The Dating Playbook, The Boyfriend Project book 2 by Farrah Rochon, is a funny, sweet, emotional, steamy, and engaging sports romance about facing your fears so you can put the past behind you, achieve your goals, make your dreams come true, and move on to the good things in life.

Taylor Powell is a personal trainer struggling to make her work profitable until she can make her dreams a reality. She’s an impulsive, fit, stubborn, driven, competitive woman who tries to stay positive. Jamar Dixon is a football player injured early in his career. Arrogant, handsome, competitive, driven, charming, focused, isolated, and haunted by the past, he wants more than anything to prove everyone wrong and get back into the NFL. Believing her to be his best option, he asks Taylor to train him, but they must keep it secret until he is ready to go. She agrees. When they’re seen together by press, they pretend that they’re dating for cover. Despite the obvious mutual attraction between them, they each personally decide to ignore it and keep things purely professional, which of course, doesn’t last long. The road to letting go of the past and achieving their goals is not easy for Taylor and Jamar, but they help each other by bringing out the best in each other and offering encouragement, support, and love.

Rochon writes down-to-earth, authentic, and relatable characters, dealing with real-life issues we all can relate to. Characters who drive you crazy with their all too human flawed and hot messiness, but who you also admire for their strength, courage, determination, and willingness to adapt and grow. I love Taylor’s relationship with her friends and how Rochon describes their interactions throughout the novel, not just once or twice. Taylor’s squad is as integral to her development and growth as her relationship with Jamar. Just as Jamar helps Taylor grow, she does the same for him, especially as he seems to lack her immediate support system. Rochon has a flair for description and one-liners that are hilarious and memorable and nicely balances the intense, emotional moments – and issues – in the novel with the sweet and humorous ones.

If you enjoy sweet, funny, sexy sports romances where characters overcome the challenges life throws at them and follow their dreams together and with the support of their squads and family, The Dating Playbook is definitely worth a read or two.

I really liked this book! The female friendships that are woven throughout this series make me so happy to read about. I thought the issues the characters had personally and with each other were realistic - which always makes for a good 4/5 star romance. The characters start out mature but grow personally and professionally in a way that is relatable to being in your late twenties. Being a Big 12 fan, I liked the references to the college teams in this one too - just a fun little bonus for me. Love this book series! It can be read as a stand alone but romance fans won't want to miss the first book!

Loved it with my whole heart! This was the perfect fake dating story between an NFL star and a personal trainer. If you're looking for a great romcom to end your summer, this is the one you want.

Taylor has debt coming out of her ears, so when Jamal offers her an insane amount of money and the opportunity to get her business off the ground, in order to get him back into shape, she can't say no.

Taylor is such a fierce and lovable character that a lot of us can relate to. I also enjoyed the flirty banter between the two, and felt the story had the perfect blend of humor, romance and realism. These two are one of my new favorite couples, and I can't wait for more in this series!

She's a broke fitness coach just looking for a break. He's an injured NFL player looking to make a secret comeback. The two combine to help each other out and well... their fake romance doesn't stay quite so fake. The much anticipated sequel to The Boyfriend Project was everything I wanted it to be. It was filled with witty flirty banter and just the right amount of steam and was the perfect fake dating trope romance. It also contained a good amount of character development and backstory for each character and personal inner battles for each that needed to be worked through. Though its not necessary to read the first book (but you should know briefly what its about) why wouldn't you want to?! I'll definitely be picking up the third book in this series when it releases.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions remain my own as always.

I really loved the journey this book took mr on. There was a great, believable build up to the romance along. I also liked the serios topics tackled like dealing with guilt & grief, coming to terms with a learning disability & dealing with family expectations. I also loved the further deepening of tge frienship between Samaiah, Taylor, & London. This book made me even more excuted for book 3 in the series.

The Dating Playbook was so much fun! Taylor and Jamar's fake dating story was heartfelt, real, and had the best banter! I love Taylor's entrepreneurial spirit, and her personal issues really hit home for me as a woman living with ADHD. Can't wait to read London's story!

Jamal Dixon wants back in the NFL despite everyone’s persistence that he becomes a coach. He has a lot to prove and he needs help. He reaches out to Taylor Powell to help him get his career back but he gets more than he can bargain for.

Taylor needs all the clients she can get. She needs money and is struggling to get her company up and running. A high-profile client is exactly what Taylor needs. She just didn’t anticipate falling in love with her client.

Taylor is strong and independent. She is going through a difficult time and I admired that she holds her head up. The banter between her and Jamar is hilarious and spot on. It flows very easily however the steam factor is a bit weak. I expected the author to give more sexiness to the story because they did have chemistry.

While I absolutely adored Taylor, I had to warm up to her at times. The nutrition and exercise chatter became a bit much. I had read a book a long time ago where the heroine constantly spoke of weight and exercise. It turned me off and momentarily Taylor description and inner dialogue gave me the same feeling.

The overall story is fun and entertaining. Even though this is the second book in the series, the author catches new readers up to date so you are not lost one bit. In fact, you will want to go back to read book 1 to get the full understanding of the friendship with the ladies. I love the female camaraderie.

My main reason for not giving this book five stars is the sports talk became redundant. I’m not the biggest sports romance lover. I need that part of the story to be in the background or in this case tick a lot of the other boxes.

Overall, this is just a well-written story which focuses on friendships, healing and so much more. I look forward to reading London’s story next.

~ Samantha

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon is the 2nd in the Boyfriend Project series but could easily be read as a stand alone. 5⭐️!!

I was nervous going into this one because I loved The Boyfriend Project so much with the strong female in STEM component. But have no fear. I loved The Dating Playbook as much if not a tiny bit more. The fake dating trope is like catnip for me. I cannot get enough of it when it is done well like it was here.

As in the first book, I’m drawn to the strong female leads that Farrah writes and the supportive female friends who uplift each other and keep each other accountable. The banter between Jamal and Taylor was excellent with quick pacing that kept me turning the pages. I loved the playful competitiveness between them. I am looking forward to London’s story next!

Thank you to @readforeverpub for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to read The Dating Playbook as I had really enjoyed The Boyfriend Project and getting introduced to the wonderful trio of women this series is focused on. I was especially looking forward to Taylor’s story not only because I loved her personality, but it also seemed like she had some secrets and seeing as how I’m a nosy person, I wanted to know what they were. I didn’t know what to expect other than that I was positive I would have a good time with The Dating Playbook and oh, did I ever! I immediately connected to Taylor and while I loved Samiah’s book, I just absolutely adored Taylor’s — it was so amazing!

It was just so easy being in Taylor’s head and Jamar’s as well. I didn’t expect that because while I did connect to Samiah and Daniel and I was very interested in the storyline of The Boyfriend Project, it didn’t feel as effortless being in their heads like it was TayJar (though I thought their couple name should be Jaylor, but I’m a boring, basic, non-creative person, so what do I know?). Anyway, I’ll move on solely to Taylor and Jamar now and can I just say that I loved them so hard?! Taylor is a total boss, she’s so strong, independent, and determined. She has insecurities, but she challenges herself just as much as she does Jamar and Jamar gives it to her right back, though he’s a little more subtle about it. I really loved him a lot, he was so unbelievably sweet with Taylor and unfailingly kind. He’s such a generous, genuine guy that he totally stole my heart. They were such a marvelous couple, they were so supportive of each other — they just melted me and I completely fell for them!

I thought The Dating Playbook might be a bit hard for me to get into since fitness isn’t really my thing and I’m not the biggest fan of the fake dating trope, but I was pleasantly surprised that while those were obviously key elements in the story, I had so much fun just being with Taylor and Jamar that I didn’t care what was going on as long as I was with them. There were heartbreaking, tear inducing times and frustrating beats, but there were so many light, laugh out loud, heart melty moments too. I just couldn’t get enough and though I have a hard time believe TayJar will never not be my favorite couple, I can’t wait for London’s book next!