Passion project
What would happen if I finally stopped running from the very things I’ve convinced myself I don’t deserve?
This was my question as I read Passion Project by London Sperry and honestly, it’s the question I’ve been circling around in my own life for a while now.
Before I get into the book, I will say this book hit so close to home for me. There was a time in the early chapters where Bennet is pushing love away, convincing herself she’s safer without it. And not because she didn’t want love, but because she didn’t trust herself with it. She didn’t trust that she was worthy of it. That someone could choose her without needing to be convinced. That she could sustain it. And I felt that.
I’ve spent so much time healing, choosing myself, regulating my nervous system, and reprogramming my life… but there’s a part of me that’s still learning how to open up, receive, and let love in. I’m still figuring out where I stand with that. I’m cautious. I move slowly. I’m protective of my peace, because peace is still new to me. I earned this level of peace after navigating chaos for years, and now it feels sacred. So reading parts of this book felt like watching a version of myself I’ve both outgrown and am still evolving into.
The Passion Project details a phase of life Bennet is experiencing, a woman who is brilliant, layered, and emotionally guarded. She’s convinced she doesn’t have the capacity to love or be loved in the way people expect. She is just a woman trying to reconcile her past and integrate it with the life she wants. In a real honest way, but she doesn’t believe that life exists fully.
She then meets Henry a love interest who challenges her not in a toxic way, but in a consistent, patient, present way. He doesn’t break her walls. He waits for her to feel safe enough to lower them. And what I appreciated most is how the love story never asks Bennet to abandon herself. Instead, it asks her to meet herself where she is at. That’s what makes the book more than a romance novel. It's a lesson in vulnerability, self-worth, and emotional embodiment. As space that I deeply resonate with and desire that level of care from a man.
I recommend this book because If you have ever dealt with hardship, lost love, and personal healing I think you will enjoy this story. It also ends Happily Ever After too.
Here are my biggest takeaways from “Passion Project” :
Healing doesn’t automatically make you available for love.
The right person doesn’t force vulnerability, they will create a safe space for you.
You can be independent, powerful, and self-sufficient and still crave connection.
You don’t have to have it all figured out to let love in.
When a connection or person feels unfamiliar, it’s not always a red flag. Sometimes it’s just new.