*I received a free copy of The Boyfriend Project from Forever via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon Series: The Boyfriend Project #1
Published by Forever on 9 June 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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 "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, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .
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, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there's no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?
The Boyfriend Project is one of the most heartfelt, real, most adorable romances I have ever read!
The Boyfriend Project was my first novel by Ms. Rochon, and I’m now a huge fan of hers. This novel is one of my top five favorites in 2020, both because it’s very well written, and because the female friendships started because of a very unfortunate situation for three women. Samiah working in a male-dominated universe also made her so strong, not because she wanted to be strong, but she had to be strong to succeed.
In comes Daniel, a new colleague with a big secret, which is when The Boyfriend Project took on a romantic aspect as well. Even if both Samiah and Daniel tried to resist the attraction between them, for very different reasons, it was impossible for them to stick to it.
I love reading books that have me work a few miles in someone else’s shoes, and The Boyfriend Project managed to have that happen throughout the whole story. I am very different from Samiah, but I still related to her so well. I wanted her to do well, and I wanted her to find love. I also wanted her to keep working on her new friendships.
The Boyfriend Project also included many important themes in my opinion. There was talk about how we can be exposed for something that was not our fault on Twitter, and then having to deal with the aftermath. Samiah, a Black woman in STEM, and how much harder she had to work to reach her goals. How difficult it can be to trust new people once we’re adults. And this feeling many women get once they get close to a certain age that they ‘should’ think about settling down and starting a family.
All of this just happened organically inside the story, and I loved it all the more for that. Sharing her inner thoughts with the women she just met made Samiah stronger, because she realized it wasn’t only her thinking and feeling the way she did. The romance was beautiful, too, I especially loved how Daniel was struggling with his conscience for not always being fully up front with Samiah. And I did shake my head at him a couple of times, while still understanding where he came from.
If you’re looking for a beautifully written romance with characters that move the story forward, look no more! The Boyfriend Project is the book you need right now.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 COYER all year long
- 2020 New Release Challenge
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
I enjoyed this one a ton too! The friendship aspect was amazing. I can’t wait to read more of the other girls’ stories.
It was so good! And I’m so happy it’s going to be a series. I’ve also added several of Ms. Rochon’s books to my wishlist – her writing is amazing 🙂
I enjoyed a novella by her in a holiday anthology. This does sound like a good one. I do adore books with gal pals and romance.
I’m going to have to buy some of her backlist books, because she sure can write!
You know what, I also wanted Samiah to find love. She deserved so much more, than that clown she was with at the beginning of the book. I think that’s why I got so caught up on all the small gestures and little things Daniel did for her, and she noticed them too.
Daniel was such a great guy, too. I loved how he struggled with his conscience, and also how he did little things for Samiah.
And I adored how Samiah had most of everything she wanted / needed in life, and she was good without a man, but Daniel could help her be even happier.
I am so glad you liked this one because I’ve been on the brink of buying this and then I wasn’t sure, etc. I’m going to just do it. Thanks!!
It was just SO good, Sara! I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.
Twitter: Northwomn
Excellent review! I have this on my list to read.
I hope you’ll love it as much as I did, Anne <3
it was bad enough when a bad date was horrible, but now it’s live in the Internet… it will be so hard to live it down. kudos for Samiah and her friends
I know, right? And we know this is something that can happen in real life, too. I think the realistic take on many things in this story is part of why I loved it so much.
yeah.. it will be relatable
Great review Linda. This really was a lovely story. I highly recommend the Holmes Brothers series as well. She’s got a lot of books out there!