Fun concept, but I ended up not enjoying it that much. The three main character's ended up being not that distinguishable for me, and I found it tricky to remember who was referring who and who was being referred who. I think I might have liked this more if it had honed in on just one of the women and their story.

Thank you to Atria Books, Strebor Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
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If I’m being honest, this book has an audience, but I am not a part of it. Three women are tired of being single and decide to start referring dates to their friends from the pool of eligible men they know. There is a list of rules involved, and for whatever reason, this program must be hidden from the men. The opportunity for miscommunication is wide, but when it finally comes into play, the reason is beyond stupid, and for women in their thirties, goes on way too long.
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I actually enjoyed the men more than the women throughout the novel. The men all had separate personalities and characteristics, while the women seemed to share the same voice despite chapters from each of their perspectives. It took me a while to be able to tell the women apart, and at some point I wondered if I even cared to. My desire to finish this book was low, but I powered through and six days later…I don’t think I’ll be seeking out more unfortunately.

First I have to say I appreciate this book a lot as it was the first where I was emailed by marketing manager from Atria Books back in late June to read this. She may never read this review but Zakiya Jamal thanks for reaching out during a rough time period with book.

This contemporary romance was beyond cathartic though at many time cliche everytime I opened it up over the span of almost three months. The dialogue was often obvious but very realistic for this varied plotline to find love for each of the three main characters. It of course also put some obvious strain on there years of close friendship that has made them lime sisters. Overall I'm content I was asked to read this book for free.

Dylan, Ivy, and Brooke are fed up with dating apps and want some quality men to date. They decide to each find three men for each friend to try and date and call it The Referral Program. As they go through their dates, they realize that they are onto something and each finds love from a friend referral.

Some thoughts: this is not new. I know plenty of people that have found significant others through their friends and family. I do like how they tailored it towards each friend. I didn’t like the conflict between Dylan and Brooke. It just seemed immature and inconsequential. I did like the strong friendships between the three of them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC. The Referral Program is out now.

An interesting story, the plot was ok, but i never fully engaged with the characters.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sadly, this was a DNF for me at about 52%. It was feeling very repetitive and not very much happening to move the story forward. I felt that some of the sex scenes and terms used awkward language along with a lot of judgement from the friends about each other's sex lives and whether they should or should not be having sex with their dates. Finally, there were so many uses of referral, referral program, or the program that it was very repetitive.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: a couple mildly open door scenes but OMG THE WORDS during the scenes were truly ICK inducing
TWs: none that I can remember
standalone: yes
final thoughts: I had a very hard time getting into/staying into this book and it took me far too long to finish it. I didn’t find myself caring for any of the characters (except Ivy sometimes) and was hoping for some “girl power” / female friendship vibes but I didn’t feel like it met those expectations for me. I think most of the people in this book settled and didn’t actually find love. It overall felt very flat for my reading tastes, but this might be someone else’s cup of tea!

read this book if you love

💓 slowburn
😬 angst
2️⃣ 2nd chance romance

The Referral Program by Shamara Ray was a disappointment. The premise has been done before but usually an author offers a twist thats new. In this case, the characters were flat and many parts seemed repetitive and redundant. Sorry that this wasn't for me.

Really cute and fast read full of fun twists and turns. I liked the premise and the main characters and would love to see more from Ray.

This was a cute cozy story for me. I was engaged but not as invested in the characters that I thought I would be. If you are looking for a sweet, nice read, this would be the one.

I wanted to enjoy reading The Referral Program and found myself hooked by the premise. However; I couldn't form connections with the characters and found the plot to be one I've read before in other books. I look forward to reading another book by Shamara Ray in the future and am willing to give this author another chance.

I was very intrigued by the title of this book and couldn't wait to get into it. It ended up being just what I imagined it to be. The idea of friend group making a list of guys to set up each other with sounds like a no problem situation... not! I knew somewhere down the line that something was bound to go wrong and upset one of the girls. It just didn't happen the way I thought it would. I will also be honest, the descriptions of the sex were a little too graphic for my liking in a book. I like to use my imagination and there was nothing to imagine, it just right to the point. Overall, it was a cute book and I liked it, the steamy scenes just didn't do it for me.
I received this NetGalley copy for an honest review.

I've been in a mood to read some fun books, and THE REFERRAL PROGRAM delivered! I liked Dylan, IVy, and Brooke's relationship and how they grow together in this new romance/friendship-focused novel. It was what I needed when I needed it — to balance out a pretty gory other read — so there's that! The writing style was fine, but not my favorite. Sometimes, it felt a bit stilted to me, but other times, it was just more direct.

Overall, THE REFERRAL PROGRAM's concept was fun, the friendships were fun, the romance was fun (the "flower" references were...interesting though), and I generally enjoyed reading it!

This book is perfect to get out of a reading slump. It was fast paste. I loved the friendship between the three female main characters. The concept of this book is so clever. It's a short and quick read. I've read it in one sitting. I didn't want to put the book down. It's great that we get to see each one of them getting their happy ever after. This book is in 3rd person which is typically something I'm not fond of but it didn't bother me at all. I sometimes forgot about it. If you like strong and independent women this book is for you! I totally recommend this book. I am definitely reading more of this author. Her writing was so easy to follow. Thank you to the author, the publishing house, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this early read. This book was not that strong of a read. It was not well written and it was trying to be something it could not be.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of The Referral Program.

I feel that the premise of the book was well thought out. I like the idea of the three friends trying to refer dates to the other women. I thought that the drama at the end was unnecessary and overplayed.

I thought this book was going to be maybe a Waiting to Exhale but for our generation. Unfortunately it was quite that which is unfortunate 😕

This was a fun book about modern dating. Definitely something I think would be a great read for a book club and plenty for discussion

Okay, so the idea behind the story is pretty simple - three single pals setting each other up on dates. I mean, why complicate it with a whole "Referral Program" vibe, right? 🤷‍♀️ It got a bit annoying how they kept going on about "sticking to the Program." Seriously, it's just about playing matchmaker for each other. And the whole secrecy thing? Totally unnecessary. The guys they're setting up are in on it too! What's the big secret here?

Now, let's talk about the drama towards the end. It felt like something out of a high school movie, not real-life relationships. I mean, who cares about stuff from five years ago when you're starting something new? We all come with a little relationship baggage, but come on, let's be adults about it. Oh, and those spicy scenes? Let's just say they were more cringey than steamy. I found myself looking away, seriously awkward.

Now, onto the characters and their dating misadventures:

First up, Dylan. She starts off saying she wants to find a man, but when a date asks about it, she gets all sassy. Like, girl, you're in the Program to find a man, right? Don't be so surprised! Then she gets annoyed when a guy wants to do something after bowling. Mixed signals, much?

And Brooke? She needs a lesson in respect. If someone says no to sex, you respect that boundary, no matter your gender. But she didn't get the memo, and that's not cool. Plus, she jumps to wild conclusions, almost wrecking friendships over nothing.

So, yeah, this book had its share of eye-rolling moments. 🙄 But hey, it was an interesting read, to say the least. Maybe give it a shot if you're in the mood for some drama and laughs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC version of this book!

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was really intrigued. We live in a digital age now, so all the focus in the dating world is on apps and websites, so I thought the synopsis of having a group of friends give each other referrals was such a refreshing plot line. However, I found this one to fall flat for me. I thought there was too much seriousness put into the "program." The fact that Dylan, Brooke and Ivy were so focused on the men never finding out about the program seemed over the top for me. There is nothing scandalous about introducing a friend to a man in your life, so what would be the worst that happened if the men found out?
Additionally, I found the euphemisms during the spicy scenes to be a bit cringey. And I found the conflict towards the end of the book to be so childish and immature for a group of 30-somethings.