The Dating Playbook: 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️.5/5

This friendship is literally #goals. I could not get enough of their instant kindness and love for each other. They’re real with each other and honest and it’s amazing. I love how they celebrate each other’s successes despite their awkward beginning. True meaning of queens fix each other’s crowns.

I always liked Taylor between the 3 the most because she just seemed like every millennial out here struggling. She’s smart, determined, but kind of down on her luck. She’s confident and knows what she wants and what it takes to get there, but she also knows the heart wants what the heart wants.

Banter was unmatched with Taylor and Jamar. I felt like I was out with them and was just watching them flirt and laugh together. Their chemistry was so good. I was kind of weary of a football player type and how Taylor could benefit him, but this was done so well! I also don’t do fake date, yet there I was captain of the fake date squad cheering hard and swooning harder.

I loved The Dating Playbook so much. It was the perfect second book in the series, and has me so excited to see what’s next with London. I think we got more friendship this book, and I loved it. Fans of The Boyfriend Project definitely need to see what the girls are up to next! Thank you so much to @forever for the gifted copy! The Dating Playbook is out today!

3.5/5 stars!

As one of the three women confronting the man who deceived them in a viral video, the heroine has been struggling with keeping her business going as well as the rest of her life from going downhill, she got that miracle from the hero, who wants her to help him train so that he can go back to playing professional football. The two are attracted to each other, but the heroine wants them to keep with the dating playbook, the plan that came up after she proclaimed that they were fake dating after an interview that didn't go as planned. Will the two stay on track or will other feelings get in the way?

This second book in this Farrah Rochon series showed characters facing conflict within themselves and from outside forces. I enjoyed the female friendship that is the core of this series and how the other two women were there to support the heroine. I also enjoyed reading glimpses of the couple's lives, how certain relationships helped shaped them, and how the couple were there in crucial points of their lives. I did liked some characters more than others, especially the hero who is as much of a sweetheart as the hero of the first book of this series. Overall, though it did felt like some parts were dragging a bit, I enjoyed reading this book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more Farrah Rochon books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

True Rating: 3.5 stars

This romance was sweet and fun. Though it has some things I don't love reading about in books personally, (Dieting talk about calories and carbs for weight loss and such) it does make a lot of sense for our characters to be discussing it.
There are lots of amazing discussions within the book about a variety of topics, but the romance still takes center stage! Just what I like to see!

After absolutely loving The Boyfriend Project last year, I could not wait for Taylor’s story to come out! Well, Farrah did not disappoint with the second in the series - I am officially a fan girl for life!! Her writing flows so well, that I fly through her books!

Read it if you love:
•fake dating
•sports/celeb romance
•physical and mental health focus
•great banter
•steamy steam

What I love most about this series is the incredible, strong, supportive female friendships! I absolutely can’t wait for London’s story next year!!

Thanks @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the arc!

Taylor Powell, a personal trainer, agrees to train former footballer, Jamar Dixon, to help him back into the NFL. However, nobody can know wgat they're doing. But when they're outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win... or is he playing for keeps?

I really like this book. I enjoyed the funny banter between Taylor and Jamar, as well as, their chemistry. I enjoyed the strong female friendship between Taylor and her friends. I liked how the book touched on learning disabilities and the struggles. I also enjoyed how Taylor and Jamar supported and helped each other.

Overall, this book was a fun and enjoyable quick read. If you enjoy fake dating, then be sure to pick up this book!

Something I love about the Boyfriend Project Series is that the women are people I would love to know! I seriously enjoy reading about them and I love how they all met (not that it happened, but that they found each other). Now we get an awesome fake dating story, between a personal trainer and a football player?! I was very happy with this one and I'm so glad I got to see the growth of these two as the lines between fake and real blurred! Taylor and Jamar also had some wonderful banter, this one gave me some good laughs!

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for the advanced egalley in the change for an honest review.

So in the first book, The Boyfriend Project, three women meet in a hilarious opening chapter and become friends. That was Samiah’s story. Not even halfway through the book I was already dying for books starring the other two women, Taylor and London. The Dating Playbook is Taylor’s story.

I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book. It’s got a few great tropes, including some of my faves. First off we’ve got a sports romance (🏈) and a forbidden romance. Taylor is a personal trainer running her own fitness company who does not date her clients Her client, Jamar, is a former football star trying to get back in the game after an injury. One thing leads to another and next thing you know Taylor and Jamar find themselves in a fake dating situation. I love sports romance and I love the fake dating trope so Farrah has written the perfect combo for me.

Jamar and Taylor had great chemistry. They made me laugh and they made me cry. One phrase that I loved was “mutual dragon slayage.” You’ll just have to read to find out what that means!

One of the best things about this novel, and the series, aside from the romance, is the female friendships. These 3 women have not known each other very long but they will drop anything to be there for each other. They are so supportive and encouraging of each other’s goals.

This was the perfect follow up to The Dating Project. Now I will sit here and patiently wait for London’s story.

The Dating Playbook is the second book in the Boyfriend Project series, and book 1 was a big hit for me. I loved the female friendship from The Boyfriend Project, and this time we get Taylor's story!

Taylor is a personal trainer who gets sucked in to a fake relationship. She took the job to train Jamar, a football player looking to get back into the game, and agreed to keep it on the down low. When people see them, they assume relationship and Taylor and Jamar roll with it. I really liked these two-both as individuals and as a couple. They have great banter and both have their own goals and dreams that aren't dependent upon each other. Taylor is independent and I love to see independent women in relationships. I think it's really important to show that you can be in a relationship and be independent and The Dating Playbook does that well!

Samiah and London are back and this girl squad is just amazing! They are supportive, caring, and strong. I loved the honest discussions about learning disabilities. As a special education teacher, normalizing this type of discussion helps remove the stigma. In addition to that, Taylor and Jamar tackle other heavy conversations like grief, pressure, and family. And if all that isn't enough, there are GREAT sexy times! The Dating Playbook is the perfect blend of humor, reality, and romance.

Ahh, when I tell you that I loved this book, I mean, I LOVED it. The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon is smart, funny, sexy, and already to be found on my list of all-time favorite fake relationship romances. What's not to love about a strong, sassy, but secretly troubled personal trainer ass-kicking her way into the life of a forcibly-retired-but-desperate-to-make-a-comeback NFL player? What's not to love about banter and flirtatiousness and chemistry that has the potential to short circuit my Kindle? What's not to love about female friendships that are supportive and honest and unbreakable?


This book has all that and more, and although this is my first book by Rochon, it will undoubtedly not be my last. I'm already looking forward to going back and reading The Boyfriend Project, which proceeds this one but isn't essential reading. Yes, it would probably help to have read but I didn't and I have ZERO regrets about diving right into Taylor and Jamar's story. I'm also looking forward to getting my hands on London's story—she seems like someone I'd love to call friend, and I suspect that she's in for an interesting and potentially irritating love interest...

This book was a joy to read. Taylor is a full character on her own, she's not written as a vessel solely designed to be completed by a relationship... even though this is a romance title. Reading about her struggles, her issues, her evolving relationship with Jamar was time enjoyably spent.

I adored this title and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good romance.

My thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this novel. All opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as the first in the series. Part of it was that I think I found Jamar to be a bit too pushy on certain things. I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers but I think he could have been more understanding about Taylor’s job and that he could have been a little less intrusive about her family.

I think book was more descriptive in its spicy scenes but is still on the tamer side.

I loved how the book discussed issues of learning disorders, guilt, mourning, and how they fit in so well with the storyline. This is something similar to The Boyfriend Project, and something I’m going to start expecting from Rochon from now on.

I did love seeing a bit more about Taylor and having her find her HEA. I am also so much more excited for London’s book! I loved getting little peaks into how Samiah and Daniel were doing and overall I am really excited to finish out the series!

This book wasn’t bad, I definitely liked The Boyfriend Project more but it has made me more excited for London’s book so there’s that!


Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to review! All thoughts are my own!

Review will be posted on my instagram tomorrow August 18th!!

This was both a good and disappointing book. I loved the romance and the connection the two main characters had, I loved the friendships, and I loved the family dynamics and representation of learning disabilities. What upset me was how performative the GirlGang friendship seemed due to a rather superficial connection the three had with each other. I also disliked how much this book seemed to throw around neo liberal ideologies like they’re casual fun. I love capitalism/toxic fitness culture of unnecessary food curation/guilt towards institutions that profit off celebrity labour…it all threw off the entire vibe of the book. My mind wandered towards the wrongness of those things being so casually mentioned instead of enjoying the beautiful and budding romance.
But considering this is fiction, I did like the book a lot overall and was happy with how the leads didn’t fall in love after an eight week stint and instead reinforced their commitment to each other. I look forward to seeing cameos of them in the next book of the series!

Once I read The Boyfriend Project, I knew I would end up reading Taylor and London’s stories too. The premise around their friendship is great and I wanted to learn more about them. Taylor is a fitness instructor and tried to capitalize on her 5 minutes of fame to bring her struggling business to the next level. Enter Jamar Dixon, a professional football player who’s injury prevents him from playing. He wants Taylor to train him but doesn’t want the press to know he’s considering a comeback. Things quickly move from training to a public fake relationship and throughout that, Taylor especially is fighting against giving in to the attraction between them. She had be burnt in the past over a relationship with a client and her future and business is on the line.

Both Jamar and Taylor have serious issues in their past and they need to be addressed before they can have a lasting relationship. Jamar has the pressure of waiting to return to a dangerous profession and survivor’s guilt over the loss of a friend. Taylor has a complicated relationship with her family, which shapes her fear of failure. This lends to scenes where Taylor can support Jamar and vis versa. There are supportive scenes between Jamar and Taylor and between Taylor, London, and Samiah which I just love.

The Dating Playbook is a great continuation of the series and follow-up to The Boyfriend Project. The friendships in this series stand tall and keep me coming back for more. Farrah Rochon really knocks it out of the park again with The Dating Playbook! I highly recommend it!

✨ Who here is a sucker for the fake dating trope? I know I am 🙋🏽‍♀️ ✨

If you are looking for a low-key, low-angst sports romance with the fake dating trope, this is a great option.

Summary:
In order to save her struggling personal fitness business, Taylor agrees to train former NFL player Jamar to prepare himself to go back on the field. When Taylor accidentally blurts, to protect Jamar’s image and reputation, that they are dating when caught in public with him, both find themselves in a fake relationship that may not be fake for too long. . .

Tropes:
😏 Fake dating
👫🏿Friends to lovers
🏈Sports romance
🧠Intellectual equals
🍆“Let’s fuck to get it out of our system”
🥺Hero who cries in front of the heroine
🗣Excellent banter
🔥Close proximity
💕Strong female friendships

Sometimes you are in the mood for a romance book with the tropes you love but is super easy to read and digest. I have been in a horrible slump for the past few weeks, and this book pulled me out. This book has all these amazing tropes jam packed into one and I love it 🙌🏼

It was the light and easy read that needed. Maybe if I read this at some other time I may not have enjoyed it, who knows? But this book was just what I needed right now. Normally I love angst in my romance novels. I just love feeling that pain you know. But I didn't understand the beauty of low-angst romance until I read this one. It was simple and straight to the point. I loved it. Perfect for when you are in a slump.

One thing I will warn you about, don't go in expecting this to be sports heavy. I kind of came in expecting those cute scenes in sports romances where one character cheers the others from the bleachers or gives a dramatic hug after a game. That does not happen in this book. The sports honestly isn't a huge part of the story as much it is just background on Jamar and his motivations.

The story was wonderfully layered and deep while still have an easy, readability. I loved watching both develop and come to terms with their struggles. Both character’s personal struggles were written wonderfully, and I am shocked at how Rochon was able to fit it all in while still making it easy to read 😍

The banter was off the charts. You guys know I am a whore for intellectual chemistry. Both being in the fitness industry allowed both of them to wordlessly understand and push each other and I was melting over that 🥴It was written in a way that I understood what they were talking about without getting lost. I was feeling that connection between them. I will say I wanted more chemistry and genuine connection from the two overall though. I felt the physcial chemistry, however, I was just not feeling the emotional and romantic chemistry. I just felt like they were a good fling. I also didn't get that natural progression and realization to love. They were doing their thing and then suddenly they were in love. I like a more natural and realistic development.

My issues with the book mainly stem from how both of them dealt with the other’s struggles. Jamar was kind and supportive of Taylor but had the tendency to be dismissive or unhelpful some times. I also didn’t like how Taylor exploded at Jamar around the end. I felt like he was not that helpful when it came to the issues Taylor was facing. He was kind about it and he provided her words of support and understanding every now and then, but in general I felt like he was pretty absent. He was trying to come to terms with his issues on his own timeline, and he is allowed to do that. He had a lot at stake and issues that he was struggling with for years, he couldn't just turn it off like a switch. I do understand why she was mad, it was out of concern, but I think the way she behaved was not rational. I think calm, communication could have solved their issue. I will note that Taylor, in general, was super supportive of Jamar. I am really, really tired of unnecessary conflicts in the third act and I wasn't a big fan of this one either.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a light, easy read or palette cleanser.

P.S. if you can read this on audiobook I 1000% recommend it. I loved the narrator. They increased my enjoyment ten fold, a huge reason why I ended up enjoying the book so much despite my qualms with the story. Her voice suits the book and the characters wonderfully and she elevated the whole experience.

Recommend? Yes!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars | 🌶🌶/ 5 steam

Thank you to NetGalley, Read Forever Pub, Hachette Audio, and Farrah Rochon for an eARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

The Dating Playbook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All rules go out the window when a personal trainer agrees to fake date her client, and train him in secret. When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle. And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There's just one catch -- no one can know what they're doing. But when they're accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win . . . or is he playing for keeps?

“You know what else won’t change anything? You playing this ‘what if’ game.”

**thank you @grandcentralpub & @netgalley for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review**

This was so fun! I read the boyfriend project last year, and loved it, and was so excited for the second book of the series, following a different friend! This series reminds me of Jasmine Guillory, multiple stand-alones that share characters.

Although this is labeled a rom-com like the last book, it didn’t quite feel like it. I don’t think there was enough steam, and there wasn’t much romantic tension that you’d find in other romcoms.

This book was a pretty slow burn with a little steam. I got the same vibe from this book as I did the last, that it is very much about strong female friendships. However, this book stands out from others because the author included many different important things in this book, including therapy, disabilities and abilities.

This publishes today, and I can’t wait for London’s story in 2022!

A fun story filled with tons of chemistry and great banter that will sweep you away and leave you smiling.

This book was so fun! I really enjoyed the first in the series so I was excited to read this and I'm even more excited to see where London's story takes us next. This romance felt realistic,  or at least as much as it can when someone is falling in love with a star football player, and both characters were so easy to like. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ if you like sport romances, check this out.

To my surprise, The Dating Playbook was a soft, gentle, slow romance - reading about people working out is usually anything but relaxing for me. Although the romance is supposed to be centered on Taylor training Jamar to get back in the NFL, the most enjoyable part was watching Taylor work on herself and conquer her fears and insecurities. To someone with family members with learning disabilities and anxiety issues, Taylor's personal journey rang so true.

Jamar hires Taylor to be his personal trainer in his secret campaign to rehab his knee and return to the NFL. Of course things don't stay secret and they end up pretend dating to save Jamar's plan and Taylor's reputation. Unfortunately, the fake dating trope didn't work as well for me as it felt contrived and forced. Several times Jamar offered to come clean about Taylor's job but she kept insisting they continue with the farce. Given what a past client did to Taylor, this just didn't seem to fit with her new plan to make them the new power fitness couple on social media.

Maybe it was just me avoiding scenes of people working out, *shudder*. After all, my favorite "TayJar" scenes are of Jamar just being there for her in loving, supportive ways, like helping her study for college entrance exams. And Jamar's last line to Taylor in the final chapter (before epilogue): oh such sweetness, he totally gets her.

Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project was one of my best books of 2020. I loved it. I loved The Dating Playbook even more.

Taylor and Jamar are such a wonderful couple. I loved their journey from trainer/client to friends to lovers to lifetime partners. Their relationship is so sweet, sexy, and genuine. I really liked these two and cheered them on from beginning to end. I appreciated the fact that Rochon gave them each complex - and realistic - issues to overcome, and stumbles along the way, before reaching their happy ending. It gave their story a realism that allowed me to view them as people dealing with the anxiety, guilt, fears, and family complexities that so many of us face in life. It made me want to be their friend. I was so proud of Taylor for all that she is and the courage it took to finally face her fears and realize all can be. And Jamar. Wow, what can I say about this guy? Let's go with this: Everyone should have a Jamar in their life. Yes, he is just that special and yes, I adored him. He captured my heart just as securely as he did Taylor's. I'll let you discover why when you read the book. He deserves to be savored, one page at a time. ;-)

One of my favorite aspects of this series is that it not only features romance but also equally important female friendships. The three women - Samiah, Taylor, and London - who meet in book one are the heart and soul of this series. Watching their unlikely friendship (they were all unknowingly dating the same guy when they met) strengthen and grow, alongside each of their romantic relationships, makes my heart so very happy. Kudos to Rochon for continuing to give this very important part of their lives the attention and nurturing it deserves.

Some weighty issues are dealt with in this book yet it is not a heavy or angsty story. Rochon keeps things moving, sprinkling humor (I'm still laughing over the kitchen scene with Jamar and his parents), snappy banter, sizzle, and fun throughout the story without sacrificing the depth of emotion some of those weighty issues demand. It's a balancing act that the author executes with perfection.

Two other facets of this book that I enjoyed are the authentic diversity (a Black author writing Black characters) and the representation (a character with hearing loss, another with learning disabilities), seamlessly woven into the story, not with a blinking "look what I did here" neon sign, but as a natural part of everyday life, as it should be.

For all these reasons and more - football and a love of Disney cannot be overlooked - I not only want to walk in this world and be friends with Farrah Rochon's characters but also with the author herself. I cannot wait to discover what she has planned for London.

The Dating Playbook has my enthusiastic recommendation. The romance is this book stands well on its own but for a full appreciation of the evolving friendship among the three women, I would suggest reading the books in order. Whether you begin with The Boyfriend Project or jump in with The Dating Playbook, you have a great read ahead.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

by Farrah Rochon
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 368 pages⁠
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 4.19
My rating: I loved it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the e-arc! This is out today- 8/17!

SUMMARY:
Taylor is the owner of a personal training / fitness / nutrition business, but recently she's been feeling the stress of running her own company. She is struggling financially, her business in a slump, until she meets Jamar Dixon, a former NFL player looking to get back to the league after a knee injury. Taylor sees this as an opportunity to jump start her company and Jamar wants to shock everyone after they said he couldn't do it. They keep the training a secret, until a reporter sees them and as a cover up, Taylor blurts out that they're dating.

MY THOUGHTS:
🏈 Taylor is the main character! That was super fun.
🏈 I loved THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT (the first in the series) and THE DATING PLAYBOOK reminded me of Jasmine Guillory's books, which I LOVE!! So I think this is another series I'll recommend to friends who want a light and fun romance.
🏈 I love the sports aspect to this book, it was not the focus, but just a neat angle!
🏈 There was a fun level of competition between Taylor and Jamar that I loved!
🏈 I appreciated the inclusivity of a learning disorder as an adult. It made me sad because I think of students that might think the same way as Taylor.
🏈 Overall, a fun, competitive, fake dating trope, romance! I can't wait for London's story!