This book was adorable! I loved Jay so much! This is a super cute, ya book that I think a lot of people will really enjoy

When 17-year-old Jay moves to Seattle for his senior year in high school, he's excited to no longer be the only gay kid in town. He finally gets to have all those firsts other teens do: first date, first kiss, and more. But in his eagerness to cross off the items on his Gay Agenda, will he lose sight of what really matters?

This charming YA starts off slowly, but becomes an engrossing read once Jay gets to Seattle. Jay is a sweetheart, but he doesn't always see how his actions affect others. This is a story of teens trying their best in unfamiliar situations and not always making the best decisions. It's an authentic story that everyone can can relate to. There is some (non-explicit) sexual content that may not be appropriate for young teens.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

What happens when you finally get the chance to get everything you’ve ever wanted? You make a detailed to-do list and try to check off all the boxes as eagerly and enthusiastically as possible.

In Jay’s Gay Agenda, Jay Collier moves from middle-of-nowhere town to Seattle where where he finally (finally!) won’t be the only out gay that he knows. He can finally (finally!) hold hands with a boy, date a boy, kiss a boy. So he throws himself into his gay agenda and his lists as he sets off to find the man of his dreams. Finally.

I had been looking forward to this book for months and it did not disappoint. There is more to this than a beautiful cover and a promising synopsis. Jason June allows the characters to be really messy and make mistakes, as teens do - especially teens who find themselves with a lot of new freedom and the ability to go and have experiences that were previously unavailable.

What works best about this book is that for a character who makes a lot of clear-cut lists with very specific details, nothing is cut and dry or black and white for Jay. There is a lot of grey area, especially when it comes to how he handles friendships and new relationships. There is this juxtaposition there that works really well. Jay knows what he wants and he thinks he knows exactly how to make things happen. But when push comes to shove, he’s just as lost as everyone else.

There is a lot of growing and learning about yourself and others on the page. There is a lot of love, discussions of forgiveness, and navigating your way through high school friendships. Jay’s Gay Agenda is a charming book with realistic characters making messy choices. And it’s so much better because of it.

5 stars.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

As the only "out" student in his school, Jay had to watch everyone around him experience all those big "firsts", while he only had a wishlist. When his parents announced the family would be moving to Seattle, Jay finally saw an opportunity to check some items off his Gay Agenda.

I swear! I smiled so much as I read this book that my face hurt. You might say I had a case of instalove for Jay, because I fully embraced him from page one. My heart ached for him as he felt a bit isolated in his rural town, and it burst with joy, when he went west and was able to find a community where he could embrace all the parts of himself.

Things I loved about Jay:

1. The lists - I love lists, and Jay's were fantastic! I looked forward to getting his thoughts in this orderly way.

2. A numbers guy - Jay had a penchant for math and statistics, and the way he would just stick stats in here and there, endeared him to me.

3. Costume genius - Jay loved conceptualizing and fabricating costumes. They were so much fun to hear about, that I wish the book had actual pictures for me to enjoy.

4. Adorable - Jay's did some typical teen things, but he never stopped being pure adorable for me. His enthusiasm and joy for all the little things made me smile, and he brought me back to that time in my life, when there were so many possibilities, and I wanted to try them all.

5. Flawed - I adored him, but Jay was not perfect. He made some mistakes along the way, but he recognized it, atoned for it, and learned from it.

6. A lover of love - It was so sweet the way Jay swooned and waxed poetic about certain things. He may have vacillated between love and lust at times, but he definitely leaned-in to those matters of the heart.

Aside from Jay, the story was packed with great characters. They were quirky and wonderful, and I wanted to spend time with each and every one. Jay found himself thrust into a great group of people, who quickly became his framily.

Overall: This book was pure fluffy fun for me, but there were a lot of meaningful moments too. Though I didn't always agree with the choices Jay made, I appreciated his journey, which left me grinning like a fool.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book!

3.5 stars

Jay is an 18-year-old openly gay boy living in the middle of nowhere, Washington. He's the only out kid at his school, and he spends the majority of his time lately third-wheeling it with his friend Lu and her new boyfriend Chip. Jay's worried he's going to be a virgin forever, stuck in his hometown. But! When his mom lands a promotion and they move to Seattle, he's suddenly immersed in school with a lot of other kids like him. So, Jay makes a list- his Gay Agenda, determined to experience his gay life to the fullest. What could possibly go wrong?

I liked a lot about this book, but it was just not written in a tone that I connected well with. I thought Jay was a great example of a horny 18-year-old trying to experience sex and everything that goes along with it for the first time, but the excessive "ohmigawd"s and "frack!"s (Jay refuses to say fuck) were distracting and took me out of the story often.

I loved the frankness and openness with discussing sex- seriously sex-positive, love that! But, one of the main plots of the storyline is (in my opinion) not exactly something that meshed well with me. Jay and a boy he's seeing never say they're "official," and he sleeps with another boy, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. It's written in a way that is very honest and believable, but just not something I enjoyed.

Anyway, the characters were LOVELY- Albert and Max were absolutely my favorites, and I want nothing more than to protect than from any and all harm ever, I loved the look at an accepting and open high school where everyone is having the same problems and their sexualities aren't one of them.

Overall, I think this will be a great book for YA going through things exactly like this, and it's going to help in some important and open discussions about sex. It was an enjoyable, honest read, and I recommend checking it out!

Somebody somewhere in the editing should have toned down the relentless coyness of this book. It sounds like a middle-aged author's fantasy of what teenagers sound like -- just too self-consciously amused with himself.

What We Liked:

One. Albert has to be the first entry on this list. Albert is both one of the best parts of this book and someone who deserved a lot better than he got. He’s close to a perfect love interest, with how sweet and forgiving he is, while still managing to set down boundaries for himself!

Two. The frank discussions of sex, and actually also descriptions of it. The book does not shy away from those topics even once. Not only in a way that Jay is having sex, but also with multiple talks about how important consent is; how not everyone is ready to and wants to have sex at a similar time; how you really need to be on the same page with your partner, otherwise you just end up hurting them.

Three. Jay being allowed to be messy (although with the caveat that we felt perhaps he isn’t called out on it enough). He makes a lot of mistakes, and he’s very far from perfect. But then, so are all of us. Especially teens, who are still learning and growing into themselves, and actually figuring out what kind of person they want to be.

Four. The genderqueer representation, in the form of Max. Max does more than just simply appear in the story, he also plays a big role. And even more importantly: he openly talks with Jay about his gender identity, what it means, how it shapes his day-to-day life.

Five. Another important topic the book tackles is poverty. Jay’s best friend Lu has financial problems, which just get worse & worse as the book progresses. Those problems are never overlooked, never portrayed as something that should be only whispered about. On the contrary, Jay’s Gay Agenda shows that poverty affects every aspect of a person’s life, from the things they can afford to their personal relationships.

Six. Stereotypes. With the premise that Jay used to be the only gay kid at his old school and then later with introduction of a whole group of gay teens, the book had a lot of room to talk about stereotypes about gay people. Because yeah, sometimes they’re just harmful (especially if perpetuated by cishet people), but sometimes they can be affirming, they can make you feel like you belong to something greater.

Seven. Probably the greatest aspect of the book: it does a great job of showing that every conflict has two sides, that no one is ever really 100% wrong or right. It mostly comes into play near the end, when Jay figures some things out for himself, and when he explains his motives to people around him. But he’s not the only character allowed to share their perspective. For each problem the book introduced, there are two sides clearly shown.

What We Didn’t Get Along With:

One. The cheating. Perhaps this is a bit of a cultural disconnect, but having discussed this, we’re both of the opinion that once Jay has agreed to date Albert, him going to have sex with Tony is cheating. None of this “defining the relationship”. You’ve agreed to a date, you’ve used that exact word, and you haven’t discussed either exclusivity or non-exclusivity. From our point of view, all of this constitutes Jay cheating. So the whole situation, coupled with the fact that absolutely everyone saw this as okay, and the only issue being that Jay hadn’t told Albert? Made it quite hard to get through at points.

Two. It would be fair to say there is a balance to be struck between letting gay characters be sexual, and having pretty much all of their attraction relate to sex. To us — and we would stress that it’s to us — a lot of this fell into the latter case. It’s good for teen books to be sex-positive, don’t get us wrong! But there’s more to being gay than just sex.

Three. Jay is, to be harsh perhaps, a pathologically selfish liar at times. He lies not only to Albert, but even to his best friend. And the lies just keep adding up and up. In the beginning he doesn’t even seem aware of the fact he’s doing anything wrong – he’s just trying to have the best time possible. Thankfully, at some point he does realise he crossed multiple moral lines and he does make amends. Until that moment, his actions make it very difficult to root for him, though.

Four. The style is, of course, very much a personal preference, but it never really feels like it’s a teenager speaking to us through these pages. The language is awkward, the catchphrases outdated (“ohmigawd” is used 21 times, which is 21 times too many, from our perspective), and the jokes barely ever land. Also it’s almost hilarious that in a book this open about sex, which is considered an adult topic, eighteen-year-old Jay always uses the word “frack”. Again, to each their own, but for us personally it was the polar opposite of what we see as good writing.

The writing style is personally not for me, but I absolutely recommend this book still. I think it will make a difference in a kids life. I just couldn't click with the writing and the lists and the way the dialogue was. The use of ''frack'' instead of fuck and ''gawd'' instead of god and ''ohmigawd'' instead of oh my god, was a bit jarring and annoying at time.

nevertheless, this story was sweet and jay was just a gay trying to live his life. i enjoyed it.

After 17 years of living in a small town without any out queer people to interact with, Jay takes the opportunity of moving to Seattle as his chance to make up for lost time. Creating a list of gay experiences he wants to accomplish, his goal is to get closer to queer people, and maybe even find love. I overall enjoyed this story. There were some aspects that made me highly uncomfortable- ie, the collage 'romance', but I think Jason June did a good job of showing young queer readers that they should be weary of situations like that-but overall, I found this funny and worth the read. I was head over heels for our love interest, Albert. I love the friendship dynamics in this, and I'm a sucker for all the pop culture- Star Wars- references! I do believe some aspects of this story are very unrealistic. However, I think queer people deserve to have fun, messy, unrealistic stories out there! I also wasn't a fan of the praise of a known transphobe. Nor the fact our genderfluid character (who uses he/him and she/her pronouns) was never referred to as she/her. However, I cannot criticize the genderfluid rep too harshly due to the fact it's OwnVoices. Overall, I think this is a book that will have a lot of impact on young queer readers.

This was overall a cute book I'll definitely recommend to kids. I didn't find Jay very likable, but I did appreciate his journey to figure out who he was. I just wish I didn't involve him being a lying jerk.

A wonderful sex-positive story full of humor, love, and heart! A wonderful and necessary addition to any YA library

Small-town gay becomes big-city gay and, now having the ability to spread his wings, crams every stupid teenage boy move into the span of a single semester while trying to accomplish the goals in his Gay Agenda.
I finished this book in one evening; it was a very fast read that I did not put down. One of the best parts of this book is the fact that, above everything, friendship is lauded as the most important relationship, even over every other romantic first.
This is a book about a messy teenager, but Jay is messy because he'd never had the chance to be before, so he makes a lot of mistakes in a very short amount of time. As a reader, his blind ambition annoyed me, but that was also how I knew this book had been written accurately from a teenage boy's perspective. I could really feel the anxiety building along with Jay; the writing evolved the tension well.
It was refreshing to see only accepting families in this, the conflict happening amongst the teenagers (& college students) only. In fact, there really was only acceptance in this book, for example the QSA running homecoming, which is refreshing. The parents were welcome moments, but though we saw lots of Jay's dad, there was very little of his mother. Yes, she was understandably busy with her new job, but I think an added moment of her presence would have made her more significant rather than the diminished entity she read as.
Thanks to the character development shown in this book, I would love to read an entire sequel about Max, his relationship to Reece, and friendships with Damon and Cami. But within this book, I would have liked to see more of Albert's friends. They were props for him, not characters in their own right, and when they reappeared near the end (only for the second time) I struggled to remember their significance.
This book is sex-positive, which is great, but it also talks about and shows relationships at all levels of intimacy and at different stages, which I think is even more important.
Overall, 4/5 stars. Quick fun read that queers classic teen romance drama.

Jay Collier is the only out gay student in his small town high school. In order to keep his spirits up while all of his classmates are achieving romantic milestones he creates The Gay Agenda...a list of the things he'll do when he finally meets another gay teen boy. This may happen sooner than he thinks when he moves to Seattle because of his mother's job. Ready to make up for lost time now that he's living in a gay metropolis Jay throws himself headfirst into crossing items off of his list. Unfortunately Jay soon learns that life doesn't always go according to plan...especially when you stop thinking with your heart.

This book was great! All of the characters acted like genuine teenagers. Jay wasn't perfect and when he messed up he owned it. All of the side characters were very layered and interesting. I found myself rooting for them...laughing with them...shaking my head at them. It really felt like I was getting to know them throughout the story. The only part I wasn't crazy about was all of Jay's lists. Yes, I understand that he was a very statistic driven person, but the lists were cumbersome and some of them were repeated several times, which was annoying. But yes overall...would recommended!!!

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for this ARC.

THIS IS SUCH A FLUFFING CUTE BOOK!!! LIKE I CAN'T HANDLE HOW CUTE THIS BOOK IS!

I've been meaning to find a book similar to Felix Ever After or have the same feeling as Felix Ever After. I think I might've found the one. This book was just a good ooey, gooey center of cuteness and it was such a good read. Each page has a different moment that will make you swoon at how fracking adorable Jay is.

You see character development from Jay and how much he understands that living for yourself is the one thing that we all need to do. I love the dynamics that he has with all the characters in the book and the sweet, cute, YA romance is so wholesome and adorable.

I did enjoy this book and I kind of want to get a physical when this book comes out.

I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me an e-book arc in exchange for an honest review.

In Jay’s Gay Agenda, Jay finds himself going from a small town life where the gay population is solely him, to a bustling city where anything is possible. Overwhelmed, he creates an agenda, a list where he organizes what he wants to do in his life as a gay man in a new world. But what happens when things start happening that causes the list to constantly change?

Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June was unlike any other LGBTQ+ book that I’ve read in recent years. It wasn’t just about falling for a guy or about coming out, it was about fully embracing being a gay man. It was a story that made the book stand out in ways I haven’t seen in other YA books. It tackled the gay community and showed the darker side of the world, where hookups and messing around with others is a real thing. And it wasn’t afraid of being sexy in a non-traditional way and show the gay sex culture in a realistic light. It wasn’t something that I expected, but it was something that I appreciated.

Jay went from a town where he was the only gay teen, to an open world where anything was possible so clearly nothing was off the table. We got a flawed character who messed up a lot and almost didn’t know what to do. And like a kid in a candy shop, Jay wanted everything he could get his hands on. It was refreshing seeing a character who tried to have his life together but turned out to be an unintentional ass.

Jay likes to create lists and be organized with his life, which is something that he repeats often in the book. So it was refreshing seeing a character where the only person that truly stood in his way was himself. The problems in the book could’ve been solved had people just been open, but it was so good seeing characters calling each other out instead of just being quiet and letting things go.

And it was interesting seeing him balance both his life in the new city and his world back home. I found that part to be realistic as well, living in the city myself. I’ve met all the people he met and know them all as well. From the sex crazed college roommates, to the person who’s discovering who they truly are on the inside. We met many people on the spectrum of life and I loved them all.

I also really enjoyed the supporting characters a lot and what they brought to the story. Each one had their own life and role to play as well as their own storylines that intertwined with Jay and everyone else. And like Jay, they were all flawed as well which made it even more realistic. None of the characters were these goody two shoes that most books hand out.

I truly loved the way the book tackled the gay culture as well as how the characters worked together. I loved how sex positive the book was and how it didn't shy away from it at all. I think it flowed very well together and gave a great message about what it means to be yourself. And honest. And speaking of honest, I honestly hope there’s a sequel. Jay became one of those characters that I wanted to take under my wing and help him find his path. But it was entertaining seeing him do it on his own. Jason June has a fan for life and I can’t wait to see what else they write.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. My actual review is 2.75/5 stars.

Jay's Gay Agenda is what it sounds like, Jay is the only gay kid in town which annoys him to no end until he finally gets to move to a place with more fellow LGBT+ high schoolers! He can finally start crossing things off his Gay Agenda, which involves him experiencing more of life with another guy he hopefully will have a totally romantic life with.

Warning: plenty of cliche teen/modern speak used in this book. Some of it was sweet, some of it was annoying. The constant "frack" in lieu of the original word got grating after a while but I understand this is meant for younger audiences anyhow, so it makes sense to include internet lingo/etc in with the book.

So, although the story is really sweet, there's a lot of weird elements in here that will definitely turn people off, including me. These are the two main things:

1. Jay sort of dates 2 people at the same time. And doesn't tell either one.
2. Jay's friend blows Jay off because her life is too difficult.

#1 will definitely strike a nerve and really made Jay even difficult to root for. This may just be a personal thing, however.

#2 is a bit odd, since Jay's friend Lu is pretty nice but then Jay gets moved to Seattle and gets to have more of a life with other LGBT+ students and then she starts blowing him off and ranting about how terrible her life is anytime they call each other. It's one of those things where I can understand why Lu's life is awful and she should have someone to rant to, it's overwhelmingly ranty and I don't blame Jay for flat-out ignoring her half the time because she's just such a downer. Jay is trying to tell her things that's going on in his life but Lu drowns it out with how terrible her life is...though again, probably a personal thing.

Not gonna lie, I wish Jay just ditched her...though that's really mean of me, lol.

It's still a sweet rom-com, but like many rom-coms, the protagonist will be infuriatingly ridiculous, so beware! ;)

DNFd 50% in because I COULD NOT STAND the main character. I found him really annoying and he has a thing with the word fuck so he kept saying frack for some reason???? besides, his only personality trait is being gay and being a virgo and it seems like the only thing he wants in life is a boyfriend

I have some mixed feelings about this book. Growing up in the country and going to a school where there weren’t many out LGBTQ+ people I can relate to the reasoning that Jay had his Gay Agenda and I don’t think there was anything on the Agenda that would have set out to hurt people. It’s more the execution of the Agenda that I had mixed feelings about. I think Jason June did a really good job of capturing what it’s like to go from being in a place where there aren’t connections for LGBTQ+ relationships to being in a place where there is so much possibilities. And I think any of us could very easily be Jay. I think the mixed feelings really come from the fact that as a reader you could see the outcome... but overall I really did enjoy reading this book and I think it was refreshing to have a characters point of view that was trying to figure things and how he fits into the LGBTQ+ community! I’m excited to be able to buy this book!

Jay's Gay Agenda is a fun book about a boy named Jay who, after moving to Seattle, finally gets his chance to be a gay kid instead of the ONLY gay kid. He makes a Gay Agenda of all the things he wants to try. Now with all his new friends, new loves, and old friends, Jay must decide who he really is,

I'm giving this a very neutral 3.5 stars! The book is so fun, and I think a lot of LGBT readers - be it old or young - will be able to relate to Jay and his struggles of being a gay kid ready for new experiences. I loved reading about Jay and his friends - Max was my favorite! - but overall I just don't think this book was necessarily for me. While there were times I really related to Jay, there were also times I found myself struggling to stay completely interested in this book. Without trying to sound too harsh, I think there were some moments of "tell, don't show" instead of vice versa.

With that being said, I do recommend this book for anyone who has it on their TBR, and I definitely see myself reading more by Jason June again!

I am truly baffled by how much I enjoyed this book. I think that Jay is the most obnoxious narrator I’ve ever managed to read and I still couldn’t put the book down. The positive and bubbly queer energy going on is everything! I laughed out loud so much while reading it, and I somehow survived the abhorrent amount of puns stuffed into this book because these kids were just so fricking fun to read?! Shout out to Jason June for being a wonderful writer !!

“All that time thinking about bro-couples that should be homo-couples…”

I’m in love with all of Jay’s friends. Jay’s bestie back home, Lu, is indomitable and I’m glad she got the attention that she did (but honestly I’d read a book about just her thanks). Jay’s big city bestie is genderqueer queen Max whom I adore with my whole entire heart. Max is so full of queer love and positivity, and has the absolute worst coping mechanisms for stress so it’s fair to say that I felt deeply connected to her. Jay’s love interest Albert is just a babe. My feelings about Jay himself are mixed. Did I find him incredibly annoying? Yes. I think if anyone else had written this book I wouldn’t have made it past the first few chapters, but it was fun seeing the world through Jay’s boy-toy-obsessed eyes for 28 chapters. Maybe if I’d ever been a horny teenage boy I’d have been exactly like Jay.

“Today, however, I wanted the gay part of my identity in caps lock and bright lights.”

The whole concept of the “gay agenda” is simultaneously bizarre and also made total sense to me. Jay is from a middle-of-nowhere town will no queer comrades to speak of and he’s got stuff he wants to do when he finally encounters The Gays. Wanting a big spoon boyfriend that smells like Seattle coffee shops is a relatable goal. But as the story goes on, Jay gets obsessed with his agenda in a way that’s essentially abusing all of his relationships. I mean this kid is self important like nobody’s business. So Jay has to figure out how to balance his ambitions with real life. He’s got to realize that queerness is a family and not a list of gay performances to do.

“This is why crossing items off the Gay Agenda was so important: not only so I could get all the relationship firsts I’d been lagging behind on, but so I could stop obsessing so much over the lack of boy lips on mine, and get to focusing on what makes me me.”

Jay has the impression (that I think a lot of young queer folks can relate to) that being gay is something you *do* with someone else. There’s a pressure from society to prove your queerness through your romantic relationships and Jay’s story shows how toxic that pressure can reveal itself to be. Being queer is just one part of being a person, and the best part of queerness is the family that comes with it. And I loved the family the teen queers that came together by the end of this book. It felt like I got to live an out queer high school experience that I never had… through an absolute disaster boy. Like I said- baffled.

“No matter where you are on the planet, no matter what boxes or stereotypes society wants to force you into, no matter whether you’re certain about your sexuality and gender or still figuring it out, your life is worth of a story (or two or three or as many as your heart can contain).”
I had to include this quote from Jason June’s acknowledgements !! cause I felt this in my heart. Thank you. And thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book! It was so much fun to read!