Passion Project

Fiction

Passion Project

by London Sperry

Romance

Romantic Comedy

Contemporary

368 Pages

"Compassionate and utterly charming—Passion Project balances grief and healing with sparkling banter and swoon-worthy romance, reminding us that love finds us when we're ready."

Synopsis

A compassionate and hopeful romantic comedy, Passion Project is a reminder that love is waiting for us to let it in. If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably—with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where's that zest she keeps hearing about? She's a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love. When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She's not ready to date. In fact, it's been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they'll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course. As their "passion project" continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she's truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.

Our Take

London Sperry's debut novel strikes a delicate balance between honoring grief and celebrating healing, creating a romance that feels both lighthearted and emotionally substantial. Passion Project avoids the trap many grief-centered romances fall into—treating the new love interest as a cure for trauma—by focusing on Bennet's journey to rediscover joy for its own sake before she can fully open her heart. The weekly adventures Henry and Bennet embark on provide both comedic set pieces and opportunities for genuine character development, as each new experience chips away at Bennet's protective walls. Henry emerges as an ideal romance hero: patient without being a doormat, enthusiastic without being overbearing, and harboring his own vulnerabilities that make him three-dimensional. The chemistry between them builds gradually and believably, rooted in shared experiences and genuine friendship before evolving into something more. Sperry writes with warmth and humor, capturing the specific anxieties of being directionless in your twenties while avoiding millennial clichés. The New York City setting provides a vibrant backdrop without overwhelming the central relationship. What makes the book particularly effective is its honest portrayal of grief—Bennet's process isn't linear, and moving forward doesn't mean forgetting. The romance delivers satisfying banter and emotional payoff while respecting the complexity of healing. Readers who loved Emily Henry's Beach Read or Christina Lauren's compassionate romcoms will find much to love here. For anyone seeking contemporary romance that balances fun and heart, that acknowledges pain while celebrating joy, Passion Project is a promising debut that proves love can coexist with grief—and help us find our way back to living fully.