USA Today bestselling author Farrah Rochon launches a new series about three young women who become friends when the live Tweeting of a disastrous date leads them to discover they've all been duped by the same man.
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?
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Samiah is horrified when a public boyfriend-gone-bad encounter turns viral but on the plus side, she comes away with two new friends, London and Taylor. Their friendship makes the humiliation worth it as it's a new experience for her to have friends when she's devoted most of her attention to her career these past few years. As a POC in a competitive tech industry, she has to go the extra mile to prove that she deserves her seat at the table. Her work, her professionalism and her choices are met with more judgement than for most people. As she's continued to thrive at work she's finally, with the encouragement of her new friends, feeling brave enough to work on her own personal project. The three of them agree to swear of men for a while so they can focus on themselves. Samiah's supposed to be focused on her side project but with Daniel, the latest hire now in the picture, her attention is divided. Daniel is great. He's pleasant, considerate, easy on the eyes and appears to be several levels up from her previous jerk of a boyfriend. He's interested in Samiah as well but he has his own agenda at the company and it may affect her work. Getting involved with her would put himself and his secret at risk and also pose a major risk for both of them professionally and personally. So is it worth it?
Reading books featuring WOC who are the full package brings an immense feeling of pride. It's reassuring to know they're out there and that those stories can be inspiring, insightful and entertaining. Samiah, London and Taylor are vibrant, smart, bold and successful. The honesty that's laid bare in how Samiah carries her achievements and feels the extra weight of responsibility is something that POC and WOC feel all the time, no matter their line of work. That continual burden to prove that they deserve their achievement is not an imagined thing. Not only that, but also how a POC/WOC responds when issues arise in the workplace is mentally exhausting. Advocating for oneself becomes an exercise in how to speak up without creating discomfort or offending others, lest one be seen as a "troublemaker". Any reader unfamiliar with this will get a glimpse through Samiah's interactions at work.
As for Samiah and Daniel ... yeah, they're good together. They've met their perfect match in each other and sparks fly every which way. As it's a workplace romance and they tiptoe around the boundaries adding a bit of extra sauciness now and then.
The Boyfriend Project was my first time reading Farrah Rochon and I certainly like her style. Set in Austin, a city that I've visited once briefly and am rather obsessed with, I liked her references to locations in and outside of the city. Samiah has a few surprises up her sleeve and that's one of the many things I liked about her character. Pick this one up for your next read!
~ Bel
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