The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (Extended Preview)

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I figure pandemic is a little like this.  Some things make us sad (cancelled plans), some things make us smile (kindnesses between neighbors), and some things break us open.  What we do after the break--how we change the way we see and the way we act--is what defines us.

We can't avoid the breaks of a pandemic (or any other trauma), but we can control how we live with the soft parts exposed and no hard shell to cover us.

My wish for us all is that after the break we know empathy and compassion.
And that we practice them both.

In the mean time, look what pandemic has done to me.  It has me blogging again.  I've been posting on my work site (gotta keep those college students organized and motivated), and I hacked back into my NetGalley account to get the advanced reader copy of the extended preview of The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon.

I was given a free copy of this preview in exchange for my review.  (The short version of my review? I NEED MORE.  The preview is just a tease, and I MUST know what happens next.  Must. Soon. PLEASE. Sooner.  Soonest.  Please, oh, please!)

The Boyfriend Project opens with Samiah Brooks having her own traumatic event.  She confronts her no-good, three (or more!)-timing boyfriend at a restaurant, and video of the incident goes viral.  Ouch.

How gorgeous is this cover?

Samiah responds with empathy; she befriends the other "other" women.
She also responds with determination.  She's going to focus on herself and her work.

And the very first person to responds to her with compassion?  The new hottie at work, Daniel Collins.  Everyone else has jokes and advice and questions.  But Daniel treats Samiah like a person instead of a news sensation, and that just takes Samiah's breath away. 

Well, the compassion and the cuteness.

And that's about where this preview ends.  We know that Daniel is on a mission, but we don't know what that is.  We know that Samiah has an annoying, troublesome work colleague who is BOUND to create trouble down the line, and we know that Samiah's new friends (the other wronged women) are sure to play a part in this tale.

Oh, and we KNOW WE NEED TO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK. (Link here.)

So where are you these days?  Where are your sads, and your smiles, and your breaks?  Where are you employing your empathy and compassion?  And what are you reading?