I enjoyed this lots, I hadn’t read any of the authors work before and I definitely will be now, only criticism I’d give was that too much focus on sport and I’m not keen on that, iwould preferably bit less focus on it, but a great read regardless

A great book that made me want to read more of the authors work in the future! Love the premise and oh so many great tropes to enjoy

This was fun and a book that really grabbed me and I just loved to see how all the characters interacted with each other

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This book was a fun light read, which at the same time dealt with some difficult topics. Both the main characters face different struggles but they are ultimately brought together because of fitness.

I think forgiveness is a key part of the this book, forgiveness in yourself and as well as people around you. As well as acceptance. (Trying to be spoiler free)!!

It's a sports romance so the vibe can't really go that far wrong.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley ✨

I thought the first book in this series was okay - but I enjoyed this one so much more! I'm not sure why but I think I liked the romance and the spice was more to my taste!

Our protagonist is kick-ass here - honestly she is. I don't say that lightly.

I loved Jamar - he was a little bit of a clichèd person of interest in a romance novel to me - wish he had a bit more individuality in terms of his circumstances but he was so sweet I almost forgive him.

The friendship between women in these books is so worth celebrating.

This was such a fun read! I loved Taylor’s character and the fake dating trope is always a winner in my book.

Jamar and Taylor have fantastic chemistry and I really enjoyed reading their will-they-won’t-they moments, although I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope that always pops up in fake dating.

The friendships are portrayed so well and it’s really nice reading about strong women who have each other’s backs.

Overall, a very fun read!

Great read, flows perfectly. Well-written and completely engaging. I have devoured this book in one sitting with no regrets. I NEED more.

Taylor was a wonderful leading female to read about - she has quite the past when it comes to her love life and when a video goes viral, she believes this will be the 15 minutes of fame she needs to boost her fitness business. Unfortunately, her 15 minutes of fame is over before they really begin and no benefit was made from this video being released for the world to see. She is one boss babe, with a strong passion for her job and is ready to give it her all, no matter the routes that leads her down. An engaging read.

I was really excited about this book because I love fake dating books, and even though I was not the biggest fan of this authors first book, I thought I would give this one a go and give the author a second change. However, just like the first book in this series, I could not connect with the characters or the writing and therefore found the entire book to be a chore to get through as I was bored the entire time.
I would like to think that maybe the authors books will get better overtime or I would get used to her writing and therefore enjoy her books more, however I do not think I will pick up this authors books again in the future as I have other things I would like to read more.

This was a solid romance novel, great as a palate cleanser in between denser reads, with likable characters, some deeper themes such as grief and mental health and a decent fake dating premise for those who are fans of that trope.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This wasn't for me. I liked some of the things this book was doing, like the solid female friendship that was formed when three women found out they were dating the same guy and dumped him publicly. I also liked the way Taylor's learning disability was handled, and there were some nice moments between Taylor and Jamar. They communicated decently for the most part, and the conflict felt realistic instead of overblown. It's the bits in between that make this fall apart for me.

Taylor, especially, feels very wishy-washy to me. I absolutely respect her decision to create firm boundaries between her and her clients, I just think none of the choices she makes throughout the book make sense in that context. She's constantly waffling between wanting and not wanting a relationship, even when the barrier of a pre-existing professional relationship is no longer an issue. And the same goes for Jamar; one moment he decides to stop flirting and be professional, the next he's agonizing about how he'll be able to focus because he's so into Taylor.

A good chunk of the story is told in flashbacks rather than as events unfold, and while I don't mind flashbacks, I didn't see the need for them here, and found myself getting increasingly annoyed with them. I also wasn't happy with how much focus was being put on how it wouldn't be possible for Taylor to become successful without a college degree. It felt very classist/elitist to me, especially in this day and age.

The Dating Playbook is a lighthearted romance with a fake-dating storyline where Jamar must pretend to be in a relationship with his personal trainer Taylor to avoid the press finding out that he plans on returning as a professional player.

I had not read the previous book in this series, The Boyfriend Project, I don't think that inhibited my reading experience too much, both Jamar and Taylor still felt like fully fleshed-out characters. The only drawback to not reading the first book seemed to be that I missed out on part of Taylor's backstory, as I only got a brief summary of the viral video and how she became friends with the other girls.

My main criticism of this book is that it felt a little too long for its plot, I really enjoyed the start with the fake-dating and the tension that comes from being unsure where the line is between real and fake, and where the characters are wondering if the other person feels the same way they do. However after the couple became an actual couple the story started to drag and I found the third-act conflict to be disappointing, somewhat pointless, and resolved in such a way that it sadly meant I finished the book feeling a little bit cheated. I understand that this last-minute conflict is a standard feature of romance novels, but it's still something that so many of them fail to do well.

Things I did love about this book though were:
- Jamar - he's one of the most loveable heroes and was the perfect boyfriend, both real and fake
- I enjoyed the discussion surrounding Taylor's issues with school and also how that impacted her relationship with her family, and also the discussion around the importance of a college degree and how jobs that have it as a requirement don't always make sense
- The fake-dating bit that was done was done well

This was a fun, lighthearted, easy-to-read romcom. If you are in the mood to read something light, this is your book.
Unfortunately, I didn't connect much with the characters or the story. I didn't feel their love story at all. It just needed more development. I felt it was pure lust and not love. Yes, there was instant attraction, and that's totally fine, but that doesn't mean love.
As for the characters, I liked Jamar, but I felt he needed a bit more development, as well. I didn't feel he had much of a personality. As for Taylor, I liked her at first, but then it was hard to like her. She was a bit selfish, dramatic, and self-centred.
But I know many people will enjoy this book, and I'd love to read London's story! It looks like it's going to be quite fun!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine. For some reason that I can't quite put my finger on I didn't fall in love with it. I think it's that the characters were fine but the obstacles to them being together didn't feel strong enough. There was no real reason that they couldn't just actually date. This means that there was a lack of tension for me. I did think many of the other messages were good - but this definitely felt more like a dramatic romance than a rom com and I realised that I really do need the funny side in a romance... I thought this would be funnier.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was offered a free eARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for a free review

When I went into this book I didn’t realise it was the second in a series. This thankfully did not dull my enjoyment of the book, it was a story in itself and all the characters were fleshed out enough that I didn’t feel I was missing anything.

While some aspects of this book were completely beyond anything I could even begin to find relatable (I don’t know how anyone can run 10 miles, accidentally or not) there were so many other aspects I found myself nodding along to. It was a fun book with loveable characters, and it did have me tearing up at points. I now need to go off and find myself a copy of the first book

The Dating Playbook is the second book in The Boyfriend Project series by Farrah Rochon series, and it didn’t disappoint.

It was a fun, heartfelt enjoyable rom-com about personal trainer Taylor who agrees to fake date her hot sexy client Jamar a former NFL football player.

I loved Taylor. She was a strong, sassy character whose strength and persistence shone through. Jamar was adorable, kind-hearted and loyal. Just perfect! These two had great chemistry and are totally hot together.

The Dating Playbook can be read as a standalone; however, I would recommend reading The Boyfriend Project first so that you get to see and appreciate the solid and supportive relationship between Taylor and her best friends Samiah and London. I loved their honesty with each other.

Oh, and speaking of London, her book will be up next, and I am excited to read her story.

If Fake Dating stories are your thing, then you should give this one a try!

This was such a cute and fun read! I loved both Taylor and Jamar as characters, and as somebody who longed to be a personal trainer, it was so lovely to read from Taylor’s perspective! Taylor’s friendship with her two best friends also made my heart feel so warm and fuzzy and left me wanting to read from their perspectives!

Romances that deal with tough topics are always my favourite to read and the added plot of Taylor’s learning difficulties and the grief that Jamar is going through both tugged at my heartstrings.

The only thing that made this a 3 stars, for me was the fact that I just wanted more chemistry between the love interests, I don’t know if I just read it at the wrong time but I much preferred reading about the ladies friendships instead of the romance!

I will definitely be picking up The Boyfriend Project at some point soon though as I love these ladies!

(Thank you Netgalley and Headline Eternal for the E-Arc!)

I love Taylor and Jamar, they are such a cute couple!

This is the second in the Boyfriend Project trilogy and, while I think it would make a great read on its own, I do think it would help to have read the first book.

Warning: spoilers!

Now on to Jamar and Taylor - and just a warning, there will be some mild spoilers for plot below.

Taylor is running her own fitness and nutrition consultancy business and, from the outside, looks like she's doing well. However, unbeknownst to her boyfriend project friends, a range of risky financial decisions have left her deeply in debt and in danger of losing everything. Facing the fact that she is losing out on business due to lack of a degree, she is facing the prospect of going back to college - something that terrifies her - for reasons we learn.

Into this scenario enters Jamar "Diesel" Dixon, the most cinnamon of cinnamon rolls! Jamar once had the world at his feet as a professional football player drafted to the NFL - until a career-ending injury a few weeks into his first season.

Not willing to accept his fate lying down, Jamar plans to give getting back into the NFL one last shot, he needs a trainer that will get him into top shape once more, and he sets his sights on Taylor. The big issue? He needs complete secrecy, tired of being the centre of sports gossip.

Offering a hefty fee, along with endorsement once his training is finished, Jamar convinces Taylor to work with him. However, they've barely gotten started when an intrepid sports reporter guesses at the truth. Hoping to keep him off the scent, Taylor impulsively lies and says she and Jamar are actually dating. Once her declaration is out there, Taylor and Jamar decide they should keep going to convince the public they really are dating.

The fake dating trope is pretty common in romantic fiction, but Farrah Rochon has still managed to put her own spin on the theme and come up with something fresh and charming. A large part of that is how genuine and kind Jamar is - he is willing to put Taylor first right from the start, while Taylor ends up being the one taking the lead.

Another large part is that both Taylor and Jamar are wounded in ways that aren't visible to the outside world, but become clear to each other. Their journey to a happy ending, therefore, is not just a case of cleaning up their inevitable misunderstandings, but also of realising that it's okay to let themselves heal - and that maybe not every wound is as clean-cut as they thought.

This ended up being a wonderful, warm love story, and I heartily recommend it for fans of the genre.

Of you enjoyed The Boyfriend Project, you're going to want to pick this one up.

This book follows Taylor, her quest to take her fitness consulting business to new heights and her journey towards a learning disorder diagnosis as an adult. Simultaneously the book considers the grief, guilt and career of Jamar, a one season professional American Football player.

The two are well matched but I never bought this fake dating trope and whilst I liked them individually, I wasn't particularly invested in the two of them together.