By Sarah Smith, Adult Services
“The Boyfriend Project” by Farrah Rochon was one of my favorite reads over the last year, and I am genuinely excited that on Thursday, May 20, Farrah Rochon herself will have a virtual event for Carnegie-Stout Public Library! You can learn more about this event, register to attend, and be entered to win a copy of “The Boyfriend Project” at bit.ly/RochonDBQ.
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This past year has been hard in so many ways, and I’ve found great comfort and escape in reading contemporary romance novels. Their focus on a central relationship and its challenges, the lack of a pandemic, and most importantly, the promise of a happy ending, no matter how impossible everything seems.
In “The Boyfriend Project,” Rochon balances the light and the heavy to create a story that provides a believable escape. This is the first book in a new series, and I’m very much looking forward to reading book two, “The Dating Playbook,” in August!
Samiah has had to put in three times the effort to get past the barriers of racism and sexism in the tech world and to build the career of her dreams, but her dating life is still a disaster. When she discovers that the lackluster man she’d been dating is a two-timing scam artist and she confronts the jerk at a local restaurant, the whole scene is recorded and shared online, where it goes viral. Luckily, Samiah gains two new friends from the experience: London and Taylor, the other women duped by the jerk. Together they make a pact not to date for six months, and to instead focus on self-improvement.
Of course that’s when Samiah meets Daniel, the newest employee in her office and sparks fly. Daniel has his own ambitions and secrets, and neither character is looking for a serious relationship, but it’s hard to deny how great they are together. Samiah likes Daniel, but she’s taking a serious look at the compromises she’s made to get where she is and what her priorities should be. Samiah and Daniel definitely have to put in the work if they want to turn this workplace flirtation into a real relationship.