A smart and delightful romantic comedy featuring fabulous female friendships and ”a great love story.” –Jasmine Guillory, bestselling author of Party of Two
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 … 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 and no dating.
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 Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?
The Boyfriend Project brings a fierce female friendship trio that I am LOVING! 3 women who find friendship after unwittingly dating the same man brought such a great girl squad vibe. Also, all 3 are smart, professional success stories. Other than dating a moronic idiot, these ladies are mind blowingly winning at life!
Samiah works for a hot tech company in Austin and she is killing it professionally. I loved the portrayal of a woman who is intelligent, professional, and yet still accessible. Knowing that she has one area of her life where she isn’t perfect (dating) made her relatable. And I know I mentioned it already, but seeing her, London, and Taylor develop and grow a great friendship was empowering. Also, we see Samiah struggle with racism in the workplace. I think this is such an important topic and Rochon shows how it occurs in even simple, daily interactions.
Daniel is undercover at Samiah’s office, which added an interesting layer. While he and Samiah are obviously attracted to one another, she has decided to take a sabbatical from dating and he can’t get involved with anyone when he won’t be sticking around. The chemistry was solid and I enjoyed their interactions. He does screw up though and I wanted to shake him. Samiah is hurt and angry, but he grovels good and she is smart-she understands the logic and necessity in his decision, even if she wished it could have been different.
So, I actually had 3 copies of the Boyfriend Project-an e-ARC, an audio copy thanks to Libro.FM, and a hardback from Book of the Month! So, let me say the audio is GREAT! I loved the narrator, Je Nie Fleming. She did a wonderful job giving each character their own voice. It was easy to get caught up in the story and block out everything else.
Rated 4.5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed The Boyfriend Project. It’s funny. It’s sexy. It’s amazing. I loved how it focused on relationships not just between Samiah and Daniel but also between Samiah and her sister as well as Samiah and her friends. Another thing I loved about it was that it dealt with women working in male dominated fields, on top of that Samiah is a black woman which adds another layer to it, she’s subjected to rules that don’t apply to anyone else. I think the author did a great job of highlighting these issues. I loved it and highly recommend it to all. I’m looking forward to reading London and Taylor’s stories.
Copy provided by publisher
Adorable! I love the characters. London, Taylor, and Samiah are newly found friends through a common embarrassing, very public, very viral, confrontation. With their new friendship comes new goals on how to better their lives or just make more out of their lives. Samiah a brilliant computer engineer has decided to finally go ahead and create the app she’s been thinking about for the last year, meanwhile at her work a new employee catches her attention, but Daniel is not all what he seems.
It is a fun story with great female bonding and a nice romance. I can’t wait for the next two books. Taylor is such a hoot.
WHAT A BEAUTY OF A BOOK! Farrah Rochon stole the entire show with this first installment in a new series!
The story starts off with Samiah finding out that her “boyfriend” has been basically catfishing her. She arrives at the restaurant where he is, ends things with him, and gains two friends that this bf was also catfishing. This ended up going completely viral, something Samiah wasn’t too happy about and even questioned if she should not be friends with Taylor and London. I have to say that this portion of the book had me laughing and giggling so much! It really set up the premise for the rest of the book.
“She wouldn’t tolerate anything less than world domination.”
Samiah’s character is surely one to admire. Being a woman of color in the tech industry hasn’t been easy. She has had to climb through hurdles and fight harder than anyone else. The perseverance and patience this woman has puts my nonexistent one to shame. She has unfortunately been the victim of people stealing her ideas and even then, she has been a pro at handling these situations). Because of this, she has kept a project of hers a secret. She wants to launch a “Just Friends” app, and doesn’t want anyone stealing this baby.
“He made her feel bold and playful and so many other delicious things.”
Now let’s talk about the hotshot tech! I kind of melted a lot a little with Daniel throughout the entire novel. There’s just something about him that had me swooning at every second. And yes, I just swooned right now thinking about him! Okay, back to this PG review. *ahem* Daniel isn’t necessarily all that he seems to be. Yes, he’s totally a great guy (amazing!), but the reason why he’s at Samiah’s job is not merely because he needs a job. Of course, this is something he keeps a secret from everyone, including Samiah.
I totally understood why Daniel did what he did and why he kept it a secret. I give him props for truly trying to stay away from Samiah, but he just couldn’t help but be so attracted by this fierce and gorgeous woman. I loved how genuine their friendship and then relationship was. It made me root for them so much! They talked! THEY ACTUALLY HAD GENUINE CONVERSATIONS! This spoke volumes for me. The author did a fantastic job with this relationship!
“I don’t mind waking up at the crack of dawn if it means I get to spend the night with you.”
Now let’s talk about the female friendships! Taylor, London and Samiah couldn’t be more different, but they just fit so well together! These ladies are true #SquadGoals despite of how they met. I admired how these ladies supported each others’ endeavors no matter what. They truly believed in each other and I find that so beautiful for women who just met!
“I’m not sure we can call ourselves #SquadGoals if there’s only one person in the squad reaching her goals. We better get our asses in gear.”
Overall, The Boyfriend Project is a wonderful romance filled with outstanding friendship, a strong and fierce and independent heroine, an oh-so-sweet and delicious hero, and it also features talks on racism in the tech industry as well as for women of color. I truly enjoyed that the author had those talks in the book because it added to the depth-level of the story and the characters. Also, that ending has me so freaking excited for the next book!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched a bunch of book events with Farrah Rochon and every time she spoke about The Boyfriend Project, I knew I needed to move it to the top of my TBR list. I’m really glad I did. The Boyfriend Project was a refreshing take on the friends holding off on dating to try to improve themselves. Even better, Samiah’s friend group is new and started with a viral Twitter thread and video when she, London, and Taylor realized they were all dating the same man. Samiah is confident and strong woman when it comes to her job, which she excels at as Black woman in the tech industry. However, when it comes to what she wants personally, from a guy and in her app development, she’s less willing to take a risk. Daniel is a new employee at Samiah’s job and the chemistry between them is instantaneous. But as Samiah is trying to work on herself and her outside goals, is a potential relationship with a coworker a good idea? The Boyfriend Project has everything I wanted in this story. There is humor and heart, passion and good friendship. I think everyone will enjoy it!
I had such a good time with ‘The Boyfriend Project‘ from that attention-grabbing beginning right up until the final page I was hooked on this one. Samiah’s story hits right in the heart and the giggle zone as one three-timing ex gets exactly what he most righteously deserved, and three women find themselves as new best friends with a common cause and goals. I will admit there was some mental fist-pumping going on at my end when a disastrous date video turned into so much more for one sleazy, cheating, loser of a jerk.
There are several things about Samiah, London, and Taylor that I enjoyed. Probably most was the fact that they were all taking no crap, strong women who were not afraid to take down a jerk for all the world to see. No hiding in the shadows for these ladies, they dealt with the problem and moved on. They bonded over the event, didn’t place blame on each other – they knew who was the villain in this situation. They made the choice to focus on themselves with a newly built support system in place and friends at their backs as they put the attention on their own needs and not romance. I liked Samiah, London, and Taylor for different reasons but I liked their strength, their determination, and their belief in themselves which turned easily into belief in each other no matter what comes.
Fate always seems to have a curveball to pitch when we least expect it, and that particular curveball for Samiah was Daniel. She was done with romance for at least six months but this guy clicked all the right checkmark boxes for Samiah. And she was tempted for certain. Trouble was that Daniel isn’t exactly what he’s showing fellow employees right now. Sure, he’s good at his job, a basically nice guy, but he’s also undercover and won’t risk blowing his cover. Watching Daniel and Samiah dance around the friendship, the office romance, the not dating and the undercover lie was a journey well worth taking.
Saying much more would involve spoilers so I’ll simply say that if you love a really good Romantic Comedy, if seeing the perfect revenge play out before your eyes always give you a thrill, if you just love a good love story with people who feel real and are acting in a believable fashion are your Romance reading requirements then you’re gonna love ‘The Boyfriend Project‘. Now comes the wait for the next title in this series, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for that for certain.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Clever, humorous, and sassy!
The Boyfriend Project is a flirty, charming rom-com about the hardworking, driven Samiah Brooks who after facing the humiliation of a date who likes to three-time and a lifestyle that caters to a little too much work and not enough play struggles to stick to the no-dating pact she makes with her new friends when the deliciously handsome, sweet but spicy, Daniel Collins starts at her firm.
The prose is witty and sharp. The characters are focused, amusing, and brazen. And the plot is a lighthearted, funny blend of life, love, introspection, friendship, secrets, deception, awkward situations, embarrassing moments, taking chances, and the ups-and-downs of being an intelligent, successful, African-American woman in a high-tech world.
Overall, The Boyfriend Project is a sexy, simmering, entertaining read by Rochon that’s brimming with empowerment, female friendships, and swoon-worthy romance.
I received an ARC of The Boyfriend Project from Forever Publishing via NetGalley. What follows is my fair and honest review. Warning: this review contains some mild spoilers.
I loved The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, and that’s saying something since it included one of my least favorite romance tropes: secret identity (aka Liars Gonna Lie). Rochon’s secret identity + workplace romance was so well-written, I devoured the romance, despite my trope-induced misgivings. Here’s my quick summary:
After Samiah’s trip into the dating pool ended in disaster—and a viral video—she’s sworn off men. Instead, she and her two new best friends decide to focus on their “boyfriend projects,” those dreams they’d be accomplishing if they weren’t wasting so much time on finding a man. But just as she’s rearranged her priorities, Samiah meets her company’s newest hire, one Daniel Collins, who has an amazing résumé and a sexy, dimpled smile. Samiah wants to give Daniel a chance, but what if he’s just too good to be true?
As I said, secret identity romances are one of my least favorite tropes because I don’t like how lying plays such a central role in these romances. However, I loved Samiah so much as a character, and her budding friendship with London and Taylor, that I couldn’t walk away from her story. In fact, I think characterization is one of the strengths of this romance. Rochon does a great showing Samiah’s drive and her vulnerabilities, the challenges she faces and why she’s equipped to face them. While I don’t think Daniel is quite as well-drawn a character, I really appreciated his attitude towards his own lies. In a lot of secret identity romances, the liars tend to feel remorse and pain that’s centered around how their significant other will react. Daniel has this anxiety, but he also recognizes it’s wrong on its own, beyond Samiah’s reaction to it. It’s a little moment in the book, but it goes a long way for maintaining my respect for Daniel. I also really appreciate Rochon as a writer for including that. And while I don’t think there was quite enough groveling, I never think there’s enough groveling, so do with that info what you will.
I don’t read many workplace romances, so I can’t really evaluate The Boyfriend Project on those grounds. I will say, though the office is the site of some smoldering glances and smoking hot kisses, it’s not really the source of conflict in their relationship. While there are some questions about professionalism, the fact that Samiah and Daniel work together isn’t a hurdle in the path of their relationship.
Finally, I mentioned this above, but it bears repeating: I love Samiah’s friendship with London and Taylor. I think it’s great that Rochon emphasizes that Samiah has important and emotionally fulfilling relationships outside of her romance with Daniel. Seeing Samiah interact with her sister, Denise, and her friends helped build out her characterization. I also appreciated that we got to see Samiah accomplish her work goals, as well as her romantic ones.
I recommend The Boyfriend Project to any contemporary romance reader. Fans of Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering may particularly enjoy The Boyfriend Project.
The Boyfriend Project is an entertaining contemporary office romance set in the world of hi-tech industry. It has a lot of elements I like: a smart heroine, great female friendships, women in STEM, and a steamy romance with a touch of mystery.
Samiah, Taylor, and London form a friendship after they discover that they all have been dating the same douchebag. After kicking him to the curb, they swear off dating and form a pact to work on their other life goals, with Samiah planning to work on developing and selling her Just Friends app. As soon as she commits to not dating, she finds herself attracted to Daniel, a new hot guy in her office. Can Samiah stick to her pact with Taylor and London and not succumb to Daniel’s charms, the man who may not be who he says her is? The Boyfriend Project was a fun read, one I would highly recommend to all romance readers.
Farrah Rochon was a new-to-me author, and while I enjoyed this story a lot, I loved the friendship between the three women even more than the romance, which was surprising to me.
Samiah Brooks is a BOSS. She’s a rising star in the STEM world, and works as a computer software engineer at an amazing company that most people would kill to work for. While everything in her work life is great, and financially she’s comfortable, her dating life has been a total bust lately. Her sister is happily married with a baby on the way, and that makes Samiah want that happiness for herself too. But, when she finds out that the guy she’s been dating is a scam artist, and has been dating at least 2 other women, the video of the three of them confronting him about it goes viral, and her life starts to spiral out a bit. She doesn’t have any interest in being internet famous, and just wants it all to go away.
Daniel Collins starts a new job at Samiah’s company, and is drawn to her from the start. I can’t say too much about him, or his reasons for taking the job without spoiling some things about the plot, but he was a good man, a former Marine, and he was great at his job. He and Samiah had a strong connection and flirtation from the start, but it was a completely terrible time for both of them to even be considering a relationship. How will they be around each other every day and ignore that pull??
Daniel and Samiah’s flirty banter and chemistry were awesome to witness. I loved how they connected on so many different levels. I enjoyed watching their relationship flourish. But, even more than that, I ADORED the connection and unexpected friendship she struck up with the 2 other ladies from the viral video. London and Taylor were boss ladies in their own right, and seeing the connection and friendship the 3 of them formed, after having such a strange beginning upon meeting, was amazing. They each brought something unique to their triad, and they were consistently there for each other, while chasing their dreams via the pact they made together.
There was a situation in the epilogue that sets up Taylor’s book next, and I can’t wait to learn more about her, and her overachieving family, and her up and coming small business. Daniel and Samiah’s relationship ended up winning me over, but there were things along the way that caught me by surprise, and that I wasn’t expecting. Ultimately this book was a win for me due to these awesome women, even when there were aspects of the romance that weren’t my favorite. But, I am fully invested in these 3 women and I look forward to Taylor and London’s stories!
The Boyfriend Project was such a wonderful surprise! It was smart, fun, and even had a little suspense thrown in. I found that it actually fell more into women’s fiction territory for me, but there is also a sweet and sexy romance too.
The book starts off with an incident that sets up one of the most epic friendship meet cutes ever. I loved the sisterhood and camaraderie that developed between Samiah, London, and Taylor. They may have been brought together under less than ideal circumstances, but I appreciated that they didn’t tear each other down and actually lifted the other up. So often characters (especially women) are pitted against one another, and it was beautiful to see these women respond in such a positive and supportive way.
Samiah was such a fantastic heroine. She was smart, driven, knew what she wanted, and didn’t compromise her beliefs. Her struggles and concerns about perfectionism and leaving no room to question her abilities opened my own eyes and I applaud the author for highlighting these issues. Another one of my favorite parts of the book was the flirting and sexual chemistry between Samiah and Daniel. The little gestures and moments as they circled each other really added to the build up. The romance isn’t super heavy in this one, but there are still some very sexy and steamy scenes. I may not agree with how things all came to a head, but I understand why our characters made the decisions that they did. The mystery/suspenseful portion of the book wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly after the amount of build up, but I think Samiah really shined and showed her maturity in these final chapters. I appreciated that Farrah Rochon allowed Samiah the opportunity to take the time she needed to reconcile her feelings and didn’t force the ending into a tidy little bow. I’m really looking forward to reading Taylor’s story next!
*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*
The Boyfriend Project is a success for me – but probably not for the reason you expect!
Samiah and Daniel are both so not in place where an office romance is wanted or even makes sense but fate doesn’t seem to care. I loved that Daniel struggled with his reality every step of the way and wasn’t just “it’s all for the job” tone deaf. Samiah’s desire to be her best self not just for her but for every girl and woman hoping to join the STEM field after her made me love her has much as Daniel does.
But what made this book such a success for me was the friendship between Samiah, London, and Taylor,
the realness of how Samiah and Daniel dealt with the fall out of everything, and Samiah’s explanations of her journey to and truths of being a black woman in a field dominated by men, often white men at the highest levels. In other words what I loved most is that this book feels so honest but also positive, which was desperately needed when I was reading this book for the first time.
Now, if we could find out what happens with Taylor sooner rather than later that would be great!
Farrah Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project is a sweet story with a smart, strong heroine, and a sensitive, thoughtful hero. I loved the fact that it is set in the tech world, and love that there are intersections of how Samiah’s gender and race factor into how she is perceived and received in this typically male-dominated field. I love how real this story is. It doesn’t shy away from navigating through complex dynamics and feelings, and promotes female friendship and strength. It’s a the great start to a new series, and I am excited to read what’s coming next!
The Boyfriend Project started out with a bang, with heroine Samiah discovering that the guy who she’d recently started dating was dating at least 2 other women at the same time and was spouting the same lies and lines to all of them. She discovers this when one of the other women live tweets a description of her horrible date and the guy in question matches up to Samiah’s boyfriend. She immediately marches off to the restaurant to confront him, ends up dumping him publicly, but in return gains the other 2 women, London and Taylor, as new friends. This part of the book was great and I couldn’t wait to dive in and see what adventures were in store for Samiah and her new BFFs.
As the story went on, it lost some forward momentum and started to drag. All of the elements were there for an enjoyable story, but it didn’t fully gell for me. I loved the developing relationship between the three women, as well as the detailed descriptions of the software company Samiah worked for, the projects she was working on, the challenges she faced as a minority woman working in a demanding STEM job. Where the book was a letdown was in the romance between her and Daniel, a Treasury dept. employee who obtains at job at her company to investigate some financial improprieties suspected of being committed (Samiah is not under suspicion). I never felt any sparks between them and didn’t like the way Daniel kept pulling away because he knew it was wrong to get involved with Samiah under false pretenses, but then would turn around and reel her back in as soon as she took his cues and tried to maintain some distance. By the end of the book, their romance felt real, but it was a bit too little too late. In the end, I liked the book, but I didn’t love it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
During this CoVid-19 pandemic, this was a book that added laughter and humor at a time when it was needed.
From the very beginning I was drawn into the book with the opening scenes.
This is an awesome book about three young ladies Samiah, Taylor and London that are strangers who happen to be dating the same guy Craig unbeknownst to each other and meet up at the restaurant that Craig has brought Taylor to after canceling his date with Samiah. Taylor is on Twitter and telling all about her date with Craig and London and Samiah are reading her post and decide to join her and Craig.
London is a doctor, Taylor is a personal trainer and nutrition expert and Samiah is a coder and developer. After all three ladies confront Craig at the restaurant they form a bond and become friends. Since Samiah stays close to the restaurant all three ladies decide to go back to her place and have drinks and snacks and wake up with hang overs.
The ladies hit off very well and form a friend ship and swear off men for 6 months. In the process of swearing off men Samiah meets a great guy Daniel Collins, but is Daniel to good to be true or or is Daniel another Craig.
Can’t wait for the next installment of “The Boyfriend Project” wonder who is next London or Taylor.
I received a copy of “The Boyfriend Project” from the author and I highly recommend it for your reading enjoyment.
Samiah Brooks works at a tech company and is currently dating a guy she met on a dating website. While getting ready to go on their date, she realizes via Twitter that he is on another date with another woman! Samiah decides to head down to the restaurant and confront him. This is where Samiah meets London and Taylor. The two other women who were also dating the same man!
I loved this relationship meet cute between Taylor, Samiah and London. Their interactions and weekly dates were so much fun. I could definitely see myself meeting with my girlfriends just like this!
I also really enjoyed that all three friends were very independent and successful in their own professions. I absolutely love it when strong females are written in romances and Samiah, Taylor and London embody that.
While swearing off men for the time being along with her new girlfriends, Samiah happens to meet Daniel at work. He’s a new co-worker at Samiah’s tech company and they casually start seeing each other.
What lacked for me was the romance equation of The Boyfriend Project. The romance really took a back seat. Samiah’s relationship with her girlfriends and her ability to write a new app were a big part of The Boyfriend Project as well as the reason Daniel was at the company. I enjoyed the suspense surrounding Daniel’s profession, but the reveal and ending tied up a bit too neatly for me. I enjoyed the relationship between Samiah and her girlfriends, but I wish I was more invested in the romance.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
The Boyfriend Project was a book that I was excited to read because based on the premise, an office romance, I thought I would really enjoy it. While there were definitely things I did enjoy, there were other aspects that just didn’t quite hit home for me.
Samiah Brooks was in a new relationship and things were going well at work until she discovers that her new boyfriend is cheating on her with not one, but two other women. After outing him in a restaurant with the video going viral, what ends up happening next was pretty cool. Samiah forms a bond with the other two women, Taylor and London, and they decide that for the next six months they are going to focus on themselves and not on romantic relationships. In theory that sounds great until a new guy starts at Samiah’s work.
Daniel Collins has just landed a job at the tech firm where Samiah works and he’s ready to get to get down to business. What he doesn’t anticipate is being taken by the gorgeous, accomplished woman. While he has sworn off relationships himself, he finds any reason to be around Samiah. Will he really be able to resist starting something up with her even if there could be other consequences?
I enjoyed the friendship between Samiah, Taylor and London. It was everything your relationships with your girlfriends should be. There were several things I struggled with throughout the book, but I think the biggest thing is that it lacked romance and then when it was there it felt very rushed. There were a couple of times that I felt like I had whiplash because we went from point A to point B so quickly. I wanted to love this book, but while it was enjoyable, it missed the mark for me.
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Great diversity was showcased in “The Boyfriend Project” and a decent assembled group of characters, so kudos to the author! Minus that, everything else was meh. It was a pretty mediocre read and there wasn’t anything besides what was listed above that stood out. I just wish there was that something something to win me over but there is potential for sure so I look forward to seeing what else this author releases in the future.
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon a five-star read that kicks off with a boom. This is a charming, witty, filled with amazing characters including some amazing secondary characters that bring the story to life. I really liked how the author manages to give so many messages in this story, as it’s a powerful and thought provoking story, but it doesn’t feel like you’re being taught or preached at, they messages are weaved into the story in a great way. The three women are all so amazing, if they had been different characters I don’t think this story would be as good, their friendship seemed so real it transcended the page.
The Boyfriend Project is one of the most heartfelt, real, most adorable romances I have ever read! I identified so much with Samiah. I’m not in STEM, and I don’t have to think about every little thing I do because of the other women trying to climb up behind me. However, she was just so incredibly real to me.
And Daniel *sighs* he was such a fantastic hero! He had to fight with his own conscience so many times – and his work just had to come first. It was completely heart wrenching to read his inner thoughts as he fell for Samiah all the while not being able to be fully honest with her!
FRC