The Project: A Novel

“Annie Lord is a phenomenal talent.”—Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love

“Delicious.”—British Vogue

From the acclaimed British Vogue writer and author of Notes on Heartbreak comes a decade-defining rom-com: a funny, sweet, and subversive debut novel about two women, tired of the London dating scene, who decide to transform their most annoying male friend into the perfect man.

When twenty-six-year-old Daisy wakes up next to James Stanley, she can’t believe she slept with the most boorish boy she knows. The black sheep of their friendship group. Someone who once told her that he’d never cried in his entire life—and sounded proud of it.

But sleeping with James is a casualty of a much larger problem—there’s not a decent single man in London. At least, that’s what Daisy and her best friend, Maya, think. All the good ones are taken. Even the average, not-so-good men have beautiful, educated, and accomplished girlfriends with perfect hip-to-waist ratios. Where have all the good men gone?

Fed up with the dating scene, Daisy and Maya decide to stop waiting and take matters into their own hands with “The Project.” They’ll build the perfect eligible match out of some of the most lackluster raw material. And who better to start with than their embarrassingly uncivilized (yet frustratingly attractive) friend James?

Embarking on a series of social and cultural lessons—from art exhibitions to feminist book clubs, designer clothing stores to house parties—Daisy and Maya chaperone James on a journey of discovery.