Review: THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT by Farrah Rochon

 

THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT by Farrah Rochon

Publication Date: June 9, 2020

Publisher: Forever

Pages: 345

Source: Netgalley | Purchased

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RATING

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

If you love Jasmine Guillory, Abby Jimenez and Talia Hibbert, you'll LOVE Farrah Rochon!

What happens when three women discover , thanks to the live tweeting of a disastrous date, that they've all been duped by the same man? They become friends of course!

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?

MY THOUGHTS

THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT had me completely hooked from the get-go. Starting off with a Twitter scandal leading to unwanted Twitter fame, Farrah Rochon brings the laughs with entertaining dialogue and interactions between Samiah and her sister and her new friends Taylor and London. I loved this book for the friendships just as much as for the romance.

Samiah is absolutely wonderful. She's an incredible friend; she's witty and intelligent. She knows her worth and doesn't take anyone's mess.  

What I Loved:

• Women in STEM! 
• The Just Friends App - it's a cool innovative idea and I would definitely sign up
• The chemistry between Samiah and Daniel. And that hand massage! I mean how could they not catch feelings?

I enjoyed this book a lot - so much so that I included a copy in a pick-me-up care package for a friend. I hoped that it would bring her as much joy and entertainment for her as it did for me. 

Disclaimer: 

I requested this ARC from the publisher for review consideration. I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. I've also purchased a finished copy for my physical library. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: GRIDLEY GIRLS by Meredith First

GRIDLEY GIRLS

by Meredith First

Publication Date: June 21, 2016

Published by SparkPress

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher

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Synopsis

Sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward.

Meg Monahan feels like she was born to be a secret keeper. From the moment she became a peer counselor in high school, Meg has been keeping her friends secrets – from sordid family drama to their sex lives – that she never wanted to know. Flash forward to adulthood when Meg is a recruiter for the world’s hippest (and most paranoid) high-tech company – and now Meg is a professional secret keeper.

When sudden tragedy strikes before Meg hosts the wedding of her childhood BFF, Anne Calzaretta, the women are forced to face their past – and their secrets – in order to move on to their future.

In 1978, Meg, Anne, Jennifer, and Tonya were such close friends, they were known as “The Group” in their hometown of Gridley, California. But in ninth grade, their lives were changed forever. Loss, lies, and secrets separated them, but could not break their bonds of friendship.

Thirty years later, Meg and Anne reminisce about those days—dealing with parents, school, boys, sex, love, and betrayal. Anne remembers their freshman year as an easier time, but Meg, still feeling guilty about a betrayal of Anne’s trust, is haunted. Even now, Meg is keeping a secret she’s not prepared to face, let alone share.

In her debut novel, based on true events, Meredith First tells a timeless story about the bonds of friendship, loss, and betrayal—and the forgiveness that is within everyone.

Can anyone really keep a secret forever?

My Thoughts

"Meg is a professional secret keeper." This sentence and the book cover is what prompted me to read Gridley Girls. It sounded mysterious and the cover screamed summer, and I love stories about friendships and growing up, so I thought it was a perfect read for me. I'll admit that while I was reading the story and enjoying it, it took me longer than I anticipated to finish it. That had to do more with me and not the story, but once I committed my time to this book, I really got into the story and the lives of Meg and her friends. 

Meg is an interesting and amusing character and there are many things about her that I identified with. Her tell it like it is, honest attitude is refreshing. She is contemplative and sincere and her friends took notice. And while these qualities are her gift, they are also her burden. The secrets she keeps become too much for her. 

What I liked:

• Meg's relationship with her sister Rowan. She found wisdom in her sister's words. Rowan was more than Meg's sisterm she was her friend too.
• The idea of The Virgin Diaries and Meg keeping an account of their high school days and Anne's need to read them.
• Dan Stone - he was "a great guy." I loved the final scenes with him in the story and Meg's "high school romance." Their "romance" was sweet and Meg's uncertainty rang so true when she tried to break up with him because she was scared of being in a relationship. 
• Meg's friendship with Anne and the support and the love that she has for her from childhood into adulthood. 
• Understanding Meg's secret. 

Favorite Quotes

From the prologue: "Join me now, in Gridley, where the land is lush, the fruit is sweet, and the girls are more fun than you would ever guess. Where we might not live happily ever after all the time, but we have each other, and that's all we need.
     Life isn't so boring in a small town." (pg. 2) - This is the hook and a good one!

"I don't believe in sweating." (pg. 6) - Adult Meg at spin class. This line cracked me up and I just knew that Meg was full of personality. And she is and her humor and perspective makes Gridley Girls entertaining. 

"I guess just growing up and getting older scares me. I don't like the unknown. I like to know what's going to happen and that we're all safe. Ever since I started high school, I feel like we're not safe. It seems like bad stuff happens so quickly, . . ." (pg. 227) - Meg pinpointing that growing up is hard. In adolescence, they are dealing with new experiences, making their own decisions, and how overwhelming and scary that can be when they are still so young. 

"No good ever comes from a story that begins with "I was just trying to be cool." (pg 234) - You know that time when you do something really dumb and are lucky you didn't get caught. This is that time for Meg.

GRIDLEY GIRLS is filled with humor and contemplation, and so much honesty about dealing with uncertainity. Uncertainty is scary can be paralizing and this story shows that, but it also shows how to get beyond it. I really enjoyed reading about the friendships and secrets and growing up and getting wiser. It's a fantastic read and I'd recommended it to readers who enjoy stories about friendships and growing up.

Disclaimer:  I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Quotes were taken from the ARC and may differ from the final published copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: MY BEST EVERYTHING by Sarah Tomp

My Best Everything

by Sarah Tomp

Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher

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from Goodreads

You say it was all meant to be. You and me. The way we met. Our secrets in the woods. Even the way it all exploded. It was simply a matter of fate.

Maybe if you were here to tell me again, to explain it one more time, then maybe I wouldn’t feel so uncertain. But I’m going back to the beginning on my own. To see what happened and why.

Luisa “Lulu” Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard behind. So when her father loses her college tuition money, Lulu needs a new ticket out.

Desperate for funds, she cooks up the (definitely illegal) plan to make and sell moonshine with her friends, Roni and Bucky. Quickly realizing they’re out of their depth, Lulu turns to Mason: a local boy who’s always seemed like a dead end. As Mason guides Lulu through the secret world of moonshine, it looks like her plan might actually work. But can she leave town before she loses everything – including her heart?

The summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating. My Best Everything is Lulu’s letter to Mason – though is it an apology, a good-bye, or a love letter?

My Thoughts

From the cover (the couple on the truck), to the setting (small-town Virginia), to the first lines of this book ("The ingredients for moonshine are ordinary. Innocent."), I had high hopes that I would love My Best Everything. I do and not only for these reasons. I loved the characters and their friendships and the fun times they had together, but also all of the complications the experienced. The book takes place the summer after graduating high school and this is their last summer together and they are starting to make major life plans. 

One of the main things I liked about My Best Everything is the setting. She described life in a small town genuinely. I should know, I am from one of the small towns mentioned in this book. And she portrayed summer as a teenager in a small-town perfectly: 

You go tubing down the river with your friends. You take long drives on country roads with no destination, you just drive because it makes you feel free. You hang out with your best friends, doing things that you know will get you in trouble, but luckily, you never get caught. You do to field parties that, for whatever reason, never get busted by the cops. You fall in love with the place you are from and make some of the best memories of your life. But you continue to wonder is this all you will ever know. 

I have to admit seeing the names of towns I know mentioned throughout the book was a head trip for me. (I mean these are tiny towns, really) I tried to figure out if some of the places were real places that I know, places that I've seen. This made me feel connected to the book and absolutely adore it. Because I got it. And I knew this character. She was the teenage me. I knew the desperation she felt trapped in this small town that didn't seem to have a lot to offer. I knew the feeling of wanting to escape and be in a new place where I could be myself where people understood me. And I also knew what it was like to meet that boy who colored my world in unexpected ways and made me reconsider everything. 

I loved My Best Everything for the friendships, the romance, for the fun. I loved it for the nostalgic feeling I had. I connected with this book on such a personal level. I can't wait to find out what my friends think about it and how their experience reading it differs from mine. There is so much to take away from My Best Everything and I think each reader will find their own connection to it.

Disclaimer:  I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.