The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon
A Review By: DQ
When a personal trainer agrees to fake date her client, all rules are out the window in this delightful romantic comedy from the USA Today best-selling author of The Boyfriend Project!
When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle.
And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There's just one catch - no one can know what they're doing. But when they're accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win...or is he playing for keeps?
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2021
An installment in a Series? Yes
Narrator (s): Rebecca Lee
Taylor is a personal trainer falling on hard times. I know all about having to try and decide what to pay for since you only have a certain amount of money. Her business Taylor’d Conditioning is in desperate need of a boost if it is going to survive. Poor Taylor keeps running into obstacle after obstacle. After losing out on several jobs because she doesn't have an advanced degree, she struggles to determine if it is time to put up her business and go to college. Taylor doesn’t see a way out of her current dilemma.
On some level, we have all had to make critical career decisions. Some of us not in the direction we originally wanted to go. It was really relatable to see Taylor confront these issues. But she has a reason that she has been dragging her feet and it was eye opening to see talked about.
Enter Jamar "Diesel" Dixon. Jamar used to play football professionally in Chicago for the NFL and is a bit of a star in Texas for the time he played with the Longhorns. It has got to be odd not only being with someone who is always recognized but also being the person being recognized all the time. Jamar Dixon shows up at her popup fitness bootcamp. Jamar is looking for a personal trainer who can help him return to the NFL after a debilitating knee injury. The kicker is he doesn't want anyone to know. How would that even be possible? He likes Taylor’s style, strength and dedication and figures she can definitely get him where he needs to be.
Here are two people that are driven by their principles and are well rounded. I enjoyed the pairing from the very start. They get each other’s jokes, feel comfortable together, share confidences and support each other through the highs and lows in their lives and have terrific chemistry. It wasn't an instance of will they? Won't they? But more of a when will they give in? I was along for the ride.
Both Taylor and Jamar have issues they needed to work through. And it was nice to see that they both were willing to help each other ease burdens. One of the things I enjoyed most was the banter between Taylor and Jamar. It was nothing short of cute. The humor is first-rate, but the emotional journey is also well-crafted.
I also enjoyed the great friendship that Taylor made with London and Samiah. It is great to see a depiction of my own friends in a romance novel, asking each other hard questions and holding each other accountable.
I enjoyed this very much. There was a lot to laugh about and there was care given to serious subject matter.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 5 (I need another one!)
Content Warnings? None
