What a romance novel!!! I loved the love displayed in this book and how the characters were so relatable. Definitely recommending.

I loved the previous book and knew I was going to be reading the rest of these books, synopsis unseen.

I loved Taylor and Jamar. They’re both really good people, sassy af, and have a great chemistry and banter for days. I really enjoyed reading them learn about each other, workout, and flirt like crazy. Of course, seeing the other ladies were some of the best scenes.

Plot wise, it’s good, although it didn’t feel like a huge build up towards anything. There are points that the characters are moving to, but nothing felt urgent. Even the conflict felt mild and didn’t last too long.

Overall, it was fun to read and the characters are some of my favorites. I can’t wait to read London’s story.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

After reading and enjoying The Boyfriend Project, I was curious to see whether The Dating Playbook would be a winner for me. It was! I really need to check out Farrah’s other books, her writing style really works for me.
The friendship between Taylor, Samiah, and London was a highlight of book one and I’m so glad we see them again in book two. They were not a constant on the page but they were not ignored in favor of the romantic couple, which is a complaint I have had with other books. The romantic setup of this book was perfect and I ate it right up! I also loved the Disney references, I am a Disney fan and I know the author is as well.

While I can’t personally vouch for the accuracy of the representation, I was thrilled to see these elements in a traditionally published romance:
Black romance with both characters featured on the cover
Main character without a degree
Main character with a learning disability

This would be a great pick if I needed to introduce someone new to the genre. It is borderline cheesy at times, but otherwise it is steamy, fun, accessible, and has nice emotional depth. It held my attention and I read it pretty quickly! I’d recommend this, and I look forward to future books in the series.
CW: past death of a close friend

I loved The Boyfriend Project and the glimpse of Taylor we got in that book had me wanting to know more of her story. This book is a great follow up to The Boyfriend Project! We are still able to enjoy the strong, female friendships that the first book had and we're given a good fake dating story. Taylor was probably my least favorite of the three women in the first book, so I'm glad I was able to learn more about her. Her feistiness and no bull attitude won me over. She is a ball of fire when it comes to her work and I love that we gad a minor storyline of her wanting to further her education so she can build her business. Jamar is a sweet heart! He is determined to do whatever is takes to get back into tip-top NFL shape. I have to admit, I was a little sour that he is a Texas Longhorn (Sic 'em Bears). But I loved that he stayed grounded and still kept in touch with his coaches. Not to mention, he was a Katy Tiger and if you're from Houston, you know Katy Tigers are a big deal. Overall, their story was super cute and I really enjoyed it.

3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐💫
I really enjoyed The Boyfriend Project, so I couldn't wait to finally read the follow-up standalone, The Dating Playbook. It was a quick weekend read, and a nice mix of fun and sweet with a little steam.

What I loved most in this book was the strong female friendships, as well as the approach and light shed on learning disabilities.
As for the romance, the romantic/sexual chemistry between Taylor and Jamar was good, but could have been stronger, however, I thought the banter between them was especially great!
What I didn't particularly like in the story, was the focus on food, diet culture, and weight-loss.
Overall though, The Dating Playbook was a good reading experience.

If you enjoy the fake dating trope and you're looking for something a little lower on the scale of angst, check it out.


______

*TW/CW: diet culture; learning disabilities; grief

**Complimentary copy for review provided by Forever Romance. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

The Boyfriend Project was one of my favorite books last summer so I was really excited to read Taylor's book. When Jamar approaches Taylor to be his personal trainer, Taylor jumps at the chance for a steady pay check and a chance for further promotion for her business. When the press gets wind of them, Jamar and Taylor create a fake relationship to keep the press from the truth. However, things begin to heat up and lines begin to blur.

I really enjoyed getting to see the friend group again. One issue I had was the fact that both Jamar and Taylor seemed very flat. There was no personality traits other then their jobs and maybe an occasional reference to Taylor liking Disney. This may just be a me thing because I know so many people loved this one.

Overall I really liked this book and I cannot wait for London's book. I would recommend this one to all my friends since almost everyone I know has given this one 5 stars.

I truly enjoyed this one, although it was predictable and frustrating at points. Taylor runs her own fitness company and is looking to turn that into an empire when a former NFL players shows up to her pop up class. And, he offers her the job that could make all her dreams come true: training him for his attempted comeback!. There is a mutual attraction, but Taylor has learned from experience to keep it professional. Until she's startled by a report and blabs that they're dating. Then, they have no choice but to keep up the 'fake-dating' ruse. And we all know how that usually ends up!

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to this after enjoying The boyfriend project. I love how the author writes women and their relationships, and I've found some pretty amusing situations in the previous book.

This one did not disappoint. It was so nice to get to know Taylor, who I could relate to when I was broke and unsure of things in my 20s. I thought this story was fun and cute and really enjoyed it.

Looking forward to more of her books in the future.

I hadn't read the first book in Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project Series, which was, unsurprisingly, titled The Boyfriend Project, but given each book follows a different female friend after they find out they were dating the same guy, I figured I'd be OK diving into the second book. Each woman chose a project to work on after being fooled by the guy they were dating and, given this is a romance series, they each find another (better) man along the way. The Dating Playbook is book two and it was a lot of fun to read!

Here's the book's description:
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?
This was an easy to read, fun and sexy book. I think I had it finished in about two sittings over two days because I didn't want to stop reading. It was exactly the kind of book I needed at the time.

Taylor and Jamar were both really great characters to read. There was a lot more to each than you'd think at first and I enjoyed as Rochon revealed bits and pieces to the reader as the pair learned to trust each other. I knew there had to be more to Taylor's reluctance to go to school as well as the reason Jamar felt so incredibly compelled to get back into shape so he could play football again. The pay off for both was satisfying and I didn't feel like anything was dragged out.

I don't know a ton about football but, as a general sports fan, I know enough to love sports romances. I also really appreciated how Rochon made sure to mention all the dangers that come along with playing football at a high level, particularly when it comes to concussions, as that is an incredibly important topic. On the flip side, it's always kinda fun when the hero of the romance is a pro athlete because money is no object and there are lots of pretty things and extravagant houses to check out along the way! (An aside...anyone know of any romances where it's the heroine who is the pro athlete? I know women athletes don't make nearly as much as men but why am I always reading about the dudes who are amazing at sports?) Plus, what made this novel better is that Jamar has been very careful with his money and isn't into anything flashy (so I really, really couldn't understand why he had such a huge house).

I'd call this an open door romance but, well, the first time the couple has sex they don't so much make it to a room with a door! It's a sexy book without being overly detailed and the tension leading up to the pair finally deciding to sleep together is super hot too. I liked that there was a physical attraction but both Taylor and Jamar were drawn to each other for more than just their looks. There was a mutual respect there and they each thought the other was just an incredible human. And that is super hot too.

The Dating Playbook was a lot of fun to read and I would definitely recommend Farrah Rochon's novel to other romance and rom com lovers. It has heart and laughs and sexy times. What more can you ask for?

*An egalley was provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Rochan delivers a unique sports romance between an ex-NFL player trying to come back from a career ending injury and a fitness guru who is trying to find success with her business.

Taylor has struggled for a while trying to find her footing in a competitive industry. She has officially hit rock bottom - unable to afford rent and having accrued significant debt. She is approached by Jamar with an offer she can’t refuse - train him secretly and help him accomplish his dream of returning to professional football. When a reporter puts two and two together assuming Jamar is trying to make a comeback, Taylor covers by saying they are dating!

I say this book is unique, because I have great respect for any author who is willing to shine a spotlight on the negative aspects of a sport many Americans worship. Rochan doesn’t try to sugarcoat Jamar’s experience with the NFL, or the fact that a second injury could be life changing. And for what?

I love Taylor’s journey in this book. I love that she gained confidence, not through Jamar, but by her own effort. Does she have support? Yes, but she works so damn hard! The best part of this series for me is the trio of friends. I love all of their interactions. They’re all so different, but have developed a support system that is priceless! I can’t wait to read the third book!

The Dating Playbook is a sweet, funny, and steamy fake dating romance. Taylor and Jamar make a sweet couple who are open with each other, and help each other. I liked Taylor's determination, her drive, and her reluctant acceptance of her learning disability and I related to her challenges with her family. Jamar was almost too good to be true - astoundingly loyal, intuitive, respectful, and generous. Rochon wove an engaging tale of love, grit, friendship, and romance. An important part of the story is Taylor's friendship with Samiah and London. Their relationship is a huge part of the appeal of this series for me and Rochoimn does a fantastic job writing it. Taylor and Jamar's story made me smile, and engaged my heart and my attention. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I really enjoyed The Boyfriend Project so I was eager to read this follow up and it didn't disappoint. I loved following Taylor and Jamar, and really enjoyed seeing them grow both together and individually. Plus, they had fantastic chemistry. I might have liked this one even better than the first, which makes me extra excited for book 3.

Thank you so much to Forever and to Netgalley for an arc of The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon!

I absolutely loved The Boyfriend Project last year so when I heard that Taylor was getting her own novel I was so excited and eagerly anticipating this story! I absolutely love the friendship between Taylor, London and Samiah and it was so good to see these 3 ladies together again. I really enjoyed seeing Taylor and Jamar grow as characters and their development throughout the novel. I love how Rochon develops romantic relationships throughout her novel but also focuses on the characters individually as well. This story was adorable and I’m so excited for London’s story!

Content: discussions of financial instability, death of a friend in the past when they were a teen, feeling guilty about friends death and working through grief.

Will add link to IG review

very much enjoyed this book. it was a nice continuation of taylor's story and a wonderful insight into her life outside of samiah's story. i did find that the actual conflict/climax fell short and were somewhat underwhelming but it was still a great read.

The chemistry between the two main characters is OFF THE CHARTS. Dare I say this may be one of my favorite romances of 2021 thus far? While you get the cute, fun, absolutely sweet side of the contemporary romance, the author touched on much serious topics as well. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book of the Boyfriend Project series, but it still fell a little flat for me. While the romance was cute, it was also verrrry predictable. As a football fan, I enjoyed the injured football player plot and was curious to see where that storyline ended up heading.

Even though the first and second books of the series fell in the 3-star range for me, I do still intend to read London's book when it gets released next year.

I haven't read The Boyfriend Project but I heard great things about it, which is why I jumped at the chance to read this. I appreciated that the author touched on interesting themes (learning disabilities, realistic financial struggles) and kept the story diverse, I just couldn't get over some of the other the elements that made it into the page. For example, while I understood Taylor was a personal trainer, I found some of the nutrition/fitness talk unnecessary. I get it, we need to be fit and eat a balanced diet to be healthy. However, I do not read romance books to be preached out about these kinds of things. Also, as a romance reader, I prefer to be shown not told of events/converstations that lead to the development of the MCs connection. I would have preferred more of the flirty banter, bickering and candid conversations and less of the lengthy monologues and the unresolved conflicts that made it into the story.

While it is unfortunate that I didn't love Taylor's story as much as I though I would, I am looking forward to reading London's story.

I really enjoyed this story. It wasn't quite as good as the first book in the series, but it held its own. I liked Taylor and Jamar as main characters, and the storyline was interesting. Overall it was a good read.

4-4.5 stars

This book is exactly what you want to read if you're in an uncertain moment of your life. If you're switching careers or if the path you thought was your path just isn't working out. This book is perfect. It really shows you how to persevere, how to assess why you're not making the progress you want or need to be making and how to improve on that. It also shows you when it's time to change paths. Both Taylor and Jamar are going through transition moments in their life and this book really shows you that it's not simple, and it's not linear. I really loved that aspect of it.

Now, on to the love story, cause I loved it!!! I love that Taylor and Jamar's story feels so light. Don't get me wrong, they definitely have obstacles to overcome along the way. But, their love feels fresh and new and happy and it just really put a smile on my face. I loved watching Taylor attempt to resist Jamar and then loved watching them both realize that they didn't want to resist anymore. I also really enjoyed that they had this great balance between working out and having these cute light moments while also really diving into each other's pasts and problems. They really want to help each other and they're willing to look beyond the surface and really get to know the other. I adore them!

I, of course, adore the friendship between the three ladies and I cannot wait for London's story!! I definitely cannot get enough of this friend group.

DNF at 33%. I really loved the first book in this series and was excited for The Dating Playbook. Unfortunately I’m deciding to DNF based on all the diet culture references. I tried to ignore it but it’s a continuous thread through the book - characters needing to work out more to make up for having extra cheese, being judged for what someone eats on a date, categorizing foods as bad and good - it’s nonstop and not what I want to be reading right now. Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.