Passion Project in Book of The Month

From the Bookshelf of Book of The Month…

Passion Project

London Sperry

Start date: April 1, 2025

Finish date: April 30, 2025

Discussion: APRIL 2025

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 7 topics — 30 comments total

APRIL 2025

* Who got what this month?
By Trisha · 16 posts · 37 views

last updated May 03, 2025 08:29PM

Every Sweet Thing is Bitter : Discussion Thread
By Trisha · 5 posts · 5 views

last updated May 17, 2025 05:24PM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

May 01, 2025 Wendy rated it it was amazing

FIVE EASY ADORABLE STARS! 鉁ㄢ湪鉁ㄢ湪鉁�

Super cute book. 馃┓ Realistic themes and a great plot. 馃挋A twist I didn鈥檛 see coming.馃く Extremely likable characters. 馃ぉIf you love Abby Jimenez, chances are you will love this too. 馃挮
This was a really fun time, I would definitely recommend and I look forward to reading more from this author. 馃挊

7 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2025 Sara rated it really liked it

Bennet is a lost 20 something trying to navigate how to start her life in NYC while being lost in her own grief.
She meets Henry, a tinder date she tried to ghost but their paths cross and a mutual friendship and passion project ensue.
I loved the way this book handled friends to more while still showing the guilt of grief and all of the other emotions.
It weirdly didn鈥檛 pull my heartstrings too much, no tears were shed by me, but I was rooting for Bennet and Henry the entire book.
Im shocked th ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 17, 2025 Marymetobooks rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: source-netgalley, romance, nyc, tbreviewed, botm-main-pick, 2020s

It鈥檚 hard enough to be twenty-something trying to make it on your own in New York City. It鈥檚 almost impossible when carrying an overwhelming burden of grief.

The love of Bennet鈥檚 life, her boyfriend, Sam, died in a tragic accident. Now she struggles alone to live out the plans they had made together. Plans to live in New York City, to become part of the life of the city, to make friends and attend interesting events and to cheer on the New York Yankees. Problem is, she is lonely and depressed an It鈥檚 hard enough to be twenty-something trying to make it on your own in New York City. It鈥檚 almost impossible when carrying an overwhelming burden of grief.

The love of Bennet鈥檚 life, her boyfriend, Sam, died in a tragic accident. Now she struggles alone to live out the plans they had made together. Plans to live in New York City, to become part of the life of the city, to make friends and attend interesting events and to cheer on the New York Yankees. Problem is, she is lonely and depressed and can barely drag herself out of bed to make it to her various temporary jobs.

Her roommate pushes her to get out there again, dressing her up and sending her off on her first date since Sam died. Except that she just can鈥檛 do it. Instead, she drinks way too much alone in a restaurant and loses her wallet in the bathroom.

When she returns to the restaurant the next day to retrieve her wallet, she comes face to face with Henry, the date she鈥檇 stood up the prior evening. He is remarkably normal, oddly nice, and annoyingly positive, and she somehow finds herself agreeing to participate in The Passion Project with him. He will introduce her to various places and experiences in NYC in the hope that she will find something she cares about enough to make her happy, or at least less depressed.

It was fun to watch them as they tried out a different activity each week, especially since the experiences were varied, from a tattoo parlor to a bird鈥檚-eye view of the city. And I appreciated reading about the various temp jobs she juggled, particularly the ones at the New York City Public Library.

The author did a good job of capturing the attraction between the two main characters and their flirtatious dialogue.

Yet I found living in Bennet鈥檚 head, filled with grief and guilt and endless rumination, to be exhausting. And I wish the story had been shorter, with maybe one or two less misunderstandings and bad choices to work through.

But I did enjoy this debut novel, and look forward to reading the author鈥檚 future offerings. 猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍. Available now, and note that this is an April Main Selection with Book of the Month.

My thanks to the author, London Sperry, the publisher, Penguin Books, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. #thepassionproject #netgalley
...more

Like · see review

May 06, 2025 Megan rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, book-of-the-month

3.5 stars! Overall, a fun rom-com read and I loved the premise. Henry is the perfect, swoon worthy love interest. Bennett鈥othered me. But, maybe that鈥檚 what the author was going for! I had a bit of trouble getting through it at times when I was feeling frustrated at the narrator, but I鈥檓 glad I pushed through.

Like · see review