Slow Starter

Strong finish. Narrator was awesome as always. the characters were well written. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments. Like the Yankees and the silicone. bottom line it was nice and light.

5 people found this helpful

Definitely a slow burn!

Writing was well done, humorous. There were some negative comments about misogynistic themes, however, I take issue with that! The two MC's had very different ways of expressing romantic attraction and love toward others. The authors wrote this into the story very clearly! Well done!

2 people found this helpful

Bummer

Lori Prince was the only thing I liked about this story.

Joni is kind of an asshole. I couldn’t stand her.

Hope has potential, and she didn’t come across very well like she was confused about her sexuality as much as she was confused about social interactions of any kind.

I was disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Not best for different sexual orientations

Mysogynistic. While I applaud the truly bold move to address varied sexual orientations, I felt the delivery left much pain in the wake of conflict. Why does a female lead have to address women with such sexual in your face statements - even after being told the other woman was addressing her unchartered sexual orientation? Why does a lead woman have to act like a man to boast her sexual prowess and "conquests"? I tried to complete the book. I really did. I just couldn't continue to listen to the constant badgering and demeaning of the woman trying to understand how to navigate her hits to self esteem. I wanted to see how the woman in such distress came out in the end. Maybe someone can tell me how it ends. Good idea - so poorly detrimental to the subject.

1 person found this helpful

Different in a good way!

I really liked this book. Lori Prince is the perfect narrator for this, too. I am fast becoming a fan of the TB Markinson/Miranda MacLeod duo. I really didn’t want this one to end and am hopeful for a sequel...? Definitely worth the credit!!

1 person found this helpful

Fun story that held my attention throughout.

I enjoyed the story and romance. Refreshing to have a Lesbian romance with a happy ending!

The co-writing is perfect!

The Love Project is so current based on podcasts, dating apps and streaming. “Hopeless” Hope is a beautiful character who cannot read cues or emotions and has been very unsuccessful in the dating arena, although she comes from a very loving, accepting environment. Joni is the daughter of a very successful advice columnist mother and well respected father who is the chairman of the psychology department at his university. She has never felt remotely good enough for her father, even when she’s been helping her mother write the column for the past five years.

When the newspaper business begins to downshift, Joni has a brilliant idea for a web series called “The Love Project” and Hope becomes her first target. Joni immediately develops feelings for the lovely Hope, but remember, Hope doesn’t get it. The more dates Joni sets up for Hope, the more jealous she becomes. These dates are actually hilarious and both authors really seem to have fun with the characters. I certainly enjoyed this book when I read it last year, but narrator Lori Prince brings it to an even more enjoyable level. I heartily recommend this Audible version!

Boring

I love lesbian romances but this was a miss for me. Even Lori Prince's amazing narration could not save this book. It just seems forced , one main character seems more like a bully then a friend, while her counter part just seems sad and pathetic. All I can say is this was not for me.

An Amazing Journey Through Joanie's Life

From the moment I pressed 'play', I was walking along with Joanie, seeing what she was seeing. This is the third book from authors T.B. Markinson and Miranda Macleod that I've listened to, and I can't get enough! Lori Prince does an amazing job bringing these characters to life and adding the realism needed to set the scenes and allow the emotions to flow. The humor, sadness and comedy springs forth from the speakers.
As Joanie begins her Love Project, I could see Hope walking through the door and feel what Joanie felt. Most likely because I've been there! Seeing that special someone for the first time, but denying I even had a chance. Experiencing the pain of watching, while the one you love looks at others, hoping for the chance at love themselves, all the while, unaware you were there, pining away. I stayed awake until 2am listening to the finish, hoping upon hope... and Hope.
I won't give away anymore of the book, but I will encourage you to take the opportunity to step away from life for 8 hours and enjoy a good listen!

One really great character, wonderful narration

i enjoyed this one, but i didn't love it. i was wavering on a rating and almost landed on a 3 star, but i loved the character hope so much that she gets a star all on her own, so, 4 stars but a little bit more in the 3.5/3.75 range, for me.

this was a really fun, if not entirely believable, story. i thought hope and everything that surrounded her arc, her demisexuality, and her falling for joanie was really well done. i really liked kim, joanie's friend, and a therapist helping with the webseries, and honestly i wish we'd gotten to see a little bit more of her. hope's family were fun in the glimpse that we got of them, and joanie's parents made for an interesting and well apprecaited rounding out of the cast. it was joanie's character that i didn't connect with quite as much. attraction and jealousy aren't really things we can help as human beings, they're emotions that kinda just hit us and we have to deal with them, but <i>how</i> we deal with them, we can control, and i didn't love some of joanie's internal monologue and behavior around her feelings for hope all the time. for someone who didn't believe in love, she sure as hell got possesive real fast. some of the ways she talked/thought about hope rubbed me the wrong way a little. hope being a little oblivious and literal didn't make her a child, and joanie going all "protective" often annoyed me. (especially with all the stuff during the dance night and sam). like, again, i get it, emotions are hard and stuff, but her reaction was annoying. this is also possibly a YMMV situation and it might have rubbed me the wrong way more than it will someone else. i did think once she learned about hope's demisexuality, she was really respectful and did a great job checking in with her and stuff, and i certainly didn't hate her as a character, she just wasn't my cup of tea for the most part.

some of the narrative arc around the column and the webseries made me roll my eyes the slightest bit, though it wasn't entirely unbelievable, just a little embellished for the story, i felt. which is fine! i'm not reading romance novels for realism, believe it or not. despite reading a ton of them, and enjoying them, iiiii am kinda more in the Early In the Book Joanie's view on love and relationships, tbh. my parents own relationship mirrors joanie's in a sense, except it's not cute or sweet, it's kind of a bummer, actually. so i'm cool with the fantasy of it all. that's actually what i'm here for lol.

hope was such a delight that i'd recomend this for her alone, but i genuinely think this is a fun sweet one and i love that there is more asexuality representation happening in romance lately. i'd love to see even more. characters like hope are really needed, and really appreciated. she made this novel, for me.