First of all a big thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

I loved this so much. I absolutely loved the female friendships and the chemistry between the main characters was so good 😍.

"The Boyfriend Project" by Farrah Rochon is a spicy and tantalising read that follows Samiah, as she navigates her love life and flourish career in tech. The book is easy to read and straightforward, with a hilarious and witty dynamic between Samiah and her friends that almost made me jealous.

The relationship between Samiah and Daniel is pleasant and calming, and there were moments that were sweet. There were also a couple of moments where I felt there were lines being crossed and boundaries that I wasn't sure the relationship could overcome.

I enjoyed the plot twist and Daniel's gesture, which added a nice touch to the story. Overall, "The Boyfriend Project" is a spicy and heartwarming read that's perfect for a lazy afternoon.

The idea of 3 girls meeting and becoming friends over a mutual terrible ex sounded very interesting to me. I also love most of the authors Farrah was compared to. So I jumped at the chance to review it. Supporting a new author with a story that seems right up my alley is something I always try to do. But to be completely honest I couldn't get into it, I'm not sure if it was the writing itself or the characters but this didn't work for me and since I didn't finish it I didnt feel like I should have reviewed it when it came out because maybe it was just me being on a slump. Years later im here to say: I didn't enjoy this particular one but would be willing to give this author another shot since I know she is loved by many people I trust and follow in the romance community.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I really enjpyed this! So I could 100% could see where the stpry was going and what was going to happen but I was ok with that! I did feel like this somehow felt like a short story but written long (if that makes sense) but I did really enjoy reading this and I kept wanting to pick it up!

I had high, high hopes for this book, but I found it a bit lacking.
The story progressed very slowly and I found it quite predictable. There wasn’t all that much added to the plot within the book that I didn’t already know from the blurb.
Samiah and Daniel were both great characters but again I found them lacking depth. I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress, but their difficulties, again, were predictable.
2.5 star rating, rounded up to 3.

In The Boyfriend Project we meet Samiah who unfortunately finds herself on the date from hell. By the end of the night she may not have found Mr Right but she did make two amazing new friends! A pact is made and what follows is a fun and flirty story.

I loved the friendships in this story. The way they stuck together and supported each other was brilliant to see. It was portrayed in such a positive way along with some important messages woven throughout. I have to mention London and Taylor because they were the best minor characters. This trio of friends always managed to make me smile.

So, let’s talk about the romance. Even though this book had romance it wasn’t necessarily the main focus of the plot for me. However Samiah and Daniel did share a strong chemistry. I really enjoyed their witty interactions and they clearly were made for each other. Daniel was the dream hero although maybe a little too perfect. I guess the romance aspect to the plot ended up not being the most important thing to me. However it never actually harmed my enjoyment of the story.

The pacing of the story was good and overall I did enjoy seeing the relationship between Daniel and Samiah play out. There were also a few surprises along the way that made things a little more interesting. All in all a fun filled story with strong personalities that really shined through!

Three and a half stars (rounded up to 4)

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read a free advance copy of this book. Unfortunately I hadn't found time during the year to read this book, and so I will be picking up a paid copy in 2021 to support the author instead as an apology.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Boyfriend Projected, it was a beautifully written rom-com based around strong women and their friendships! As a black woman was at the forefront it gave a magnificent feminist feel to the novel as women should build one another up.

"The Boyfriend Project" is a beautiful rom-com romance with an emphasis on smart and strong women and their friendship. Of course, the focus is also on the romance between the two protagonists.
The protagonist Samiah and two other unknown women, Taylor and London find out that they are being betrayed by a necessary man. The three of them find out about the whole thing on Twitter because one of them tweets the date live there and the other two get it. The three of them quickly became friends and they made a pact to be on their own for the first six months and to be held back by their own man - this is how the Boyfriend Project was born. The three friends were very sympathetic to me, because they did not insult each other decisively, they did.
Samiah Brooks is a black woman who works for a large technology company. I liked Samiah from the start. They work hard, but belong to their friends and family doing everything they can. I really liked the aspect that a lot was heard about privilege and that Samiah, as a black woman, has to work in a technology company to be respected as her own colleagues. I also found it sad that Samiah says that she should be perfect so that she does not have the authority that black women are hired after. I thought it was great to see such a strong female protagonist with great ambitions, who knew her will.
The pact of the three friends is being processed when Samiah's manager has a new employee, Daniel Collins. What Samiah didn't know is that Daniel is a secret agent trying to get the money laundering system hidden in the company extra blankets before it's too late. Daniel was a very exciting character. Daniel was a very personable character. At the beginning he is very into his actual job, but gradually pulled himself further and further towards Samiah. For them he even gives up good property to his cooks. He has to keep this between Samiah and his anti-money laundering investigation. Man really noticed Daniel how he wrestled with himself. In the end, however, he decided on the right thing. I liked Daniel and Samiah very much. You definitely split an emotional force between the two, but I lacked depth in their relationship. I have the chemistry between the two of them that can't work properly, so I found their relationship a little bit superficial. The book was given 4.5 out of 5 stars by me.

This was a new author to me and a book I really enjoyed.

Samoan Brooks has worked very hard to be successful in her chosen field of IT development, successfully working at a great and forward thinking company, and financially stable, she is working on her personal life when she realises her date has been cheating on her, when their confrontation together with his other dates, London and Tyler goes viral, Samoan is horrified, and the reactions of the people around her don’t really help. London, Tyler and Samiah make a pact to concentrate on themselves and their own life goals for six months, Samiah decides to work on her own project an App she is developing herself. When the new join, at work arrives, Daniel Collins is perfectly designed to distract Samiah, and it seems he is equally into her. What she doesn’t know is that Dan is working undercover to catch a fraudster engaged in Money laundering at the company, so their relationship could jeopardise both their goals. So can they trust each other, or is this relationship just too good to be true.

I loved the strongly feminist take and the writing here, I also appreciated the black female perspective- I enjoyed the way the characters developed over the story and the way that Daniel just backed Samiah up all the way was fabulous.

Recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Boyfriend Project! Samiah is ambitious, interesting, and hard working, and it was fascinating to read about the kind of work that goes on in a tech company. The romance was cute, and the female friendships were brilliant. I loved that this explored the challenges Black women face when working in competitive companies, and the microaggressions present in the workplace. Super funny and pacy, I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a witty, smart comfort read.

eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

All I really wanted going into this one was a decent romance but sadly I was let down. It wasn’t a terrible read by any means and there were actually some positive points to it, but generally I was left a little disappointed.

One of the biggest problems for me was the characters. I generally prefer them flawed and I felt these kept trying to be too perfect. They just had it together way to much and that came across as dull.

I also wanted to feel some passion and intensity with a smouldering and flirty build up to more intimate scenes but we just don’t get it. Or at least I just didn’t feel it. I mean he’s and FBI agent, that at least should be sexy right? But I think this leads back to the characters being too perfect, they were rational and sensible, had their perfect jobs and great salaries and even undertook charitable activity. No bad thing irl for sure but I don’t particularly relish reading it. Like I said, I like my characters flawed so these came across as boring. The potential (in the romance dept.) was there but it just wasn’t capitalised on.

Now if you’re looking for a read that is brimming with girl power, strong and empowering female friendships and BLM aspects then this definitely a read for you. It ticks all those boxes! And I’m pleased to say does them well. I enjoyed these aspects but they’re not the reason I initially picked it up.

Overall it was fine, not poorly written or even lacking in plot, but for me, in the endeavour to ensure it was empowering, feminist and representative, it just lost some of the charm of a good old fashioned romance.

An entertaining office romance. 3/5 stars.

I must say first off that 3 stars is a good rating from me! I know some reviewers and authors see it as negative, but I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of the genre.

The Boyfriend Project is a fun contemporary romance that has a lot going for it. I loved the opening which is described in the blurb above. I was particularly delighted that when the three women find they’ve been dating the same man they join forces and turn on him, rather than turning on each other. And then that they go on to become great friends and a mini support network for each other is wonderful.

Samiah – the main female character – is terrific. She’s strong, independent, incredible hard-working and fiercely intelligent. It’s also nice to see a story from the point of view of a young, successful black woman working in the super-competitive and male-dominated tech industry. The many barriers she has faced (and continues to face) as a black woman (and girl at school before that) accessing a STEM field are addressed and are an important part of the story.

Some tension is maintained throughout the narrative through the dramatic irony surrounding Daniel’s big secret. We know that eventually the truth will out and the wait is like watching the countdown clock on a bomb which will go off in the middle of his and Samiah’s relationship.

I thought the regular switching between Samiah and Daniel’s viewpoints worked well and was clear.

But here come the buts… I prefer romances where the relationship between the characters develops slowly over the course of the story as they have to overcome various internal and external barriers to being together. Here the characters’ attraction to each other is so instantaneous, it’s a little close to insta-love, which I felt killed off some possibility for tension or development later in the book.

Also, and this will sound nitpicky, but while Daniel was great, perhaps he was a little too great? I’m all for desireable love interests, but I would have liked to see a couple of flaws, even minor ones!

Overall: if you’re looking for a good office romance story, give The Boyfriend Project a try!

Who could ask for more than a story brimming with a brilliant female lead, a gorgeous and thoughtful undercover agent, a steamy romance, and an engaging plot? The Boyfriend Project was all that and more. Excellent characters and easy reading. I loved every minute of this book about finding true friendship and meeting the right man.

I recieved a digital edition of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions given are my own and given freely.

So this book is a solid 3 stars for me. It wasn't bad or anything but it lacked a little depth for me. For example, I liked the suspense that was added due to Daniel's job but i found that I would have liked more of what he was doing to infiltrate the company... We heard very little considering he was there for a few months... I think for me this stems from watching a lot of acrion and spy films throuhhout the years... I like the suspense.

I really enjoyed the beginning, that showdown was fabulous and well written and handled. However there wasn't a whole lot of interactions between the friends, I think there could have been more but I'm not complaining.

My only real problem was some of the terms and similies used, some just didn't make sense but i would hazard a guess that me being English and the terms American... I just didn't get them.

The pacing was good as was the general plot, I could definitely sympathise with all the characters throughout the book, and even empathise at times. And the characters were all believeable, down to earth and totally humanly flawed. I liked both mcs as narrators, but they both had a lot of internal monologuing... Which at times is needed just not all the time.

I would definitely recommend this book for people that love cute romances with a good storyline.

This definitely got better towards the end! I had trouble with this in the first half, primarily because I was having trouble believing the romance. Honestly, I felt the same way by the end. Because of this, I wasn't able to really connect with Daniel. He came off more arrogant and creepy to me than romantic and thoughtful. However, the pace of the writing really picked up towards the end which is why I was able to enjoy it a little more.

The Boyfriend Project weaves an important narrative of internalised misogyny. It explores the concept of women pitting women against one another really well right from the outset and tackles it head-on. Rochon's novel simultaneously weaves an equally as important narrative which focuses on the way women -- Black women, in particular -- are treated in the workplace. It explores the way Black women have to work so much harder than their male and/or white counterparts to make half the progress. It explores the necessity for more opportunities that create a space for Black women in the STEM industry,

So, while I didn't quite appreciate the romance element of the novel, I loved every other element. Beneath corny meet-cute moments and honestly strange undercover spy narratives, The Boyfriend Project has an important message that I think everyone, especially young Black women, needs to hear.

This was an easy read. Not because it’s simple but because it’s a well written, interesting story.

We begin with our female protagonist (Samiah) finding out that her boyfriend is seeing at least 2 other women at the same time. She confronts him, along with the other women, at a restaurant and a diner records them verbally kicking his ass and the video goes viral. So very early on we learn that Samiah is a strong, tough, independent, clever WOC that takes no prisoners.

Samiah works at in app development and is great at her job. One day a new employee starts, Daniel, and her head is turned. Daniel is a POC with mixed heritage and I enjoyed hearing about that. He should not be getting into a relationship (due to spoilers) but is very drawn to Samiah.

There’s more to this book than meets the eye. Daniel’s situation is interesting and adds an extra layer. This book follows both Daniel and Samiah and the duel perspective helped connect me to both characters. There’s a lot of important discussion about how tough it is being a woman in the work environment, and on top of that, how much harder Samiah has to work as a WOC.

I commented on my Bookstagram that I think the author was thinking of Ne-Yo Miss Independent when writing Samiah’s character. They replied that Beyoncé’s Who Run’s the World is also on the playlist!

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars!
Samiah has just found out that her boyfriend is not what she thought he is-he has been cheating on her with several other girls. She builds a friendship with the other two women, Taylor and London and thus begins a boyfriend project to rather love themselves than looking out for a partner. However, Taylor runs into Daniel (a new hire in her tech office) and they are initially attracted. Samiah is an independent, strong will powered woman of color who is confident and she loves her tech job. But Because of what happened with her ex, she isn’t completely sure to trust Daniel and Daniel for his own reasons cannot be with her so they push each other away. But they still find their way to each other and are in love. Just then, Daniel does something to break Samiah’s trust. However, although it hurts her it doesn’t break her. Samiah is brave, caring and doesn’t back to say “NO” when she feels so.

The book also briefly covers how Samiah as a black woman has worked so hard to where she is now as in how she was treated differently at school or work just because of her race or sex. It is a beautiful story overall but I find some chemistry missing in the romance sector.

It took me a little while to get into this book - having read a preview, I was expecting this to be a story about 3 women being cheated on and making friends and whilst this does happen, it really isn't at the core of the book. To begin with I found there to be a lot of emphasis on the main character's job, and it felt a little slow, but as the book progressed I began to enjoy it much more. The main character, Samiah, is really well drawn and is impossible not to like - she is bright, hard working and strong - and the romance between her and Daniel really works, as does her friendship with the other girls.

What this book is - and does very well - is a steamy office romance, with a bit of a crime thrown in, as well as female friendship, and ultimately I really enjoyed it. I hope this is part of a series which enables us to get to know the 2 other women, Taylor and London, in more depth - I will certainly be reading them.

The premise of this book was really fun, and I loved the way the friendship between the three women became the driving force for the plot (rather than the lies told by the guy who inadvertently brought them together). Having a story with friendship at the heart of it is my catnip, and it felt so realistic for Samiah, a 'workaholic' (for want of a better word) who's moved cities for her job, to be struggling to find people she connects with on a friendship level - it's something I know a lot of people struggle with so I think the next job is making her app a reality!

The romance, which, of course, is why we're all here, was also delightful. I wouldn't usually enjoy a story where the hero lies so blatantly to the heroine for so much of the book, but his reason just works and takes away the potential grossness. He could have been a bit stronger in his resolve, given that he was the one who had all the information - so there were moments that were a bit frustrating - but overall, I loved them as a pair and the way that Daniel supported Samiah's career - which was clearly important to her - was brilliant.


Even so, I loved their relationship. They were so good together and I really appreciated how they tried to balance their career goals against what they want in their personal lives. The story does a great job highlighting their respective careers, how they deal with racism and microaggressions (Samiah is Black and Daniel is Black-Korean American), and how to not lose sight of what matters. I’m excited to see what Rochon does with the rest of the series!

I also really enjoyed the way that the struggles of women in STEM and, specifically, Black women in this field (and others) were portrayed. Samiah's striving to be perfect, the microagressions from her colleagues and the ways she was trying to lift other Black women up to join her were all really great and, as someone who works in digital, really added to the story for me!