The Soulmate Project. Reese Ryan. 2024. Forever. 304 pages. [Source: Public library.]
I’m a sucker for a friends to lovers story, so The Soulmate Project was right up my alley. The book starts with a New Year’s Eve love confession by “girl next door” Emerie to her best friend Nicholas. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as planned and he doesn’t return her affections. Instead of ringing in the new year in a new relationship, she vows that the next NYE will find her in the arms of her true love … whoever he may end up being.
Faced with changing her plans, Emerie decides to channel her energy into finding the love of her life over the next year. Dubbing her mission “The Soulmate Project,” she’s determined to follow a seven-step plan to find the man with whom she can have a health happily ever after. She enlists her family and friends in her efforts, including her bestie Nick, to his dismay.
An aspect of the story that stood out is that Emerie’s project isn’t solely about finding love. Yes, she wants partnership, but it’s more about finding the right partner with whom she can create a family. Beyond a relationship, her steps are really about investing in herself and personal growth. To do so, she includes a makeover to bring her style more in line with her maturity, more development of her burgeoning business, and leaning into new experiences like online dating, traveling, and more. This is what elevates the story more than just the pining for her best friend. She’s not so wrapped up in needing a happily ever after that she’s willing to be a shell of herself to find it. She’s committed to the idea that she deserves to become the most authentic and best version of herself so that she’s ready for her future partner.
I’ve read several of Reese Ryan’s books and have enjoyed her catalog, but The Soulmate Project fell a bit flat for me. I wasn’t pulled into the story like I was with her other books, and found it meandering and slow at times. I think part of this was due to the back and forth between Nick and Emerie, which felt repetitive and excessive toward the end of the book. I always expect some measure of inner turmoil with characters in this trope, but they both gave me the impression of wishy-washy people who didn’t actually have the solid foundation of a friendship they’re purported to have.
Overall, The Soulmate Project is a book that’s worth reading with managed expectations. It’s enjoyable, but not a story that really sustains the interest piqued in the beginning. It’s probably best suited as a book to read over several days because it didn’t have the kind of pull to keep me up into the wee hours of the morning. That being said, I’m interested in the small town and other characters in this series. I’d be open to reading the first two to see if the stories and style are a bit more ingriguing.
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