I loved this book. I can never write a book review as well as I can say it, so let me just say, “gay teens like myself would have loved this book when we were growing up, and I know the gay teens that I work with now will love it, too. It’s messy, emotional, funny, and really charming and Jay learns a lot along the way. My “Gay Agenda” was definitely something similar, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have made many of the mistakes he did.”

(But I’m definitely more Max in this entire book.)

Content warning for this novel: cheating

Jay's Gay Agenda is a YA rom-com following a teenager who leaves his small town for a big city. His hometown has absolutely no out gay people - literally none. Jay has been searching all his life for his perfect teen rom-com moment that never came; this all changes when his parents announce that they're moving to Seattle. In Seattle, Jay can meet real life gays! He makes a bucket list full of things he wants to do with his newfound gay surroundings: kiss a boy, hold hands with a boy on the first date, have sex with a boy, etc. 
I'm from a small town myself, so I immediately identified with Jay's story. The differences between the small town I grew up in and the city I live in now are vast, and rural spaces can be quite stifling for queer youth, so I immediately felt for Jay's character. 

My problems with this story lie not with the story itself, but with the writing. The writing felt very cartoonish, like somebody was trying to imagine what being a teenager in the 2020's was like, and ended up with a very warped mess of teenage references that real teenagers would never say or do. This surrealism was very cringy to read at times, which is an ultimate turn-off for contemporaries for me. 

I find myself wishing that this novel was longer, so we could expand on the identity of Jay's new best friend Max. Max identifies as genderqueer, and uses both he/him and she/her pronouns, however max is only ever referred to with he/him pronouns in the book. Aspects of Max's genderqueer identity are prominent throughout he book, like her love of makeup and fashion, however his genderqueer identity is only once stated at the beginning of the book, then all nuance with Max's character is forgotten.

Spoiler ahead: nuanced discussion of the cheating content warning
As for the content warning of cheating, our main character, while not in a defined relationship with his main love interest, has sex with another character multiple times without the love interest's knowledge or consent. While their relationship was not yet official, many, myself included, would consider this cheating. If cheating is a hard no for you, you may want to skip this book.
Spoiler end

If you, like me, are a person who has a desire to consume all queer media available, I would recommend you read this book. it will give you queer feels, and overall isn't a waste of time. However, if you're a person who is more selective with your book choices, I wouldn't recommend this book.

I usually don't enjoy YA, but this book has changed my mind. I was laughing out loud and crying right alongside Jay. Every character was so real and endearing and raw and messy that I was constantly reminded of my own experiences and friends. Jay wasn't the perfect protagonist; he was awkward and confused and flawed and made lots of stupid choices, but that was what made him so relatable. I also loved that the author chose to not focus on the "typical" LGBTQ YA conflicts of sexuality and homophobia, and instead depicted a loving and supportive family and friends, while touching on very relevant and often overlooked topics both within the LGBTQ community and beyond, such as the hyper sexualization of gay culture, hookup culture, gender identity, the challenge of balancing romance, friendship, and life/career, and Albert's struggle as a gay Asian man struggling to defy the stereotypes of Asian men being "not sexy." This is definitely a book about queerness, but also about love and friendship and figuring out who you are when the world wants to tell you who to be. A fun, fast, heartwarming read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley. I recommend this book, with some caveats. I really wanted to love this book, and parts of it really are hilarious, but it eventually wore on me. Did I need to see Jay's revised Gay Agenda every single chapter? No. It's a device that got old. Jay is constantly talking about his Gay Agenda, and he's not actually doing much otherwise. I want him to be a more fully formed character. If you are looking for gay male leads that are funny teenagers like Jay, I prefer ones with more depth like from Darius The Great Is Not Okay or What If It's Us. This book is definitely readable, and I know many teenagers who would enjoy it, but I also know that they could set it down and walk away, and then pick it up months later without having missed a beat. It's not one that you HAVE to finish. Is that a weird criteria that I have for a book? I guess I'm just picky because I want characters--gay, straight, non-binary, etc.--to be real and complicated, not just one thing. I want that for Jay.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. I definitely appreciate the premise - it’s not another coming out story, but it’s still a fun exploration of various expressions of queer identities. Jay isn’t always a likable narrator, but he is a teenager trying to figure out how to fit in - or not to fit in at high school. Jay has been in the single gay kid in his town for his entire life, and now has to explore his sexuality with the help of a queer-friendly crowd in a new city. However, his actual actions are often clouded by the narration that made him sound even younger than he is. This may be an issue that’s minor in a hard copy, but the titular agenda, modified and rewritten multiple times throughout the novel, takes up way too much e-book page space than it should and I ended up skimming over it most times. Overall, it’s definitely a fun read, just not the best fit for me.

Rare representation of a rural queer character—although Jay spends most of the book having just moved to a city (finally!). Jay navigates new new options, new friends, old friends, and all the complications between in this lustful but loving read. A voice that jumps off the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is such a giant hug to the heart. Wow, I feel so full and full of love. Jason, this was adorable, lovely and full of real teenage problems with teenage solutions. Add a dash of learning lessons and loving yourself and boom, you’ve got this book.

Following the story of Jay, a boy from a small town and being the token gay, he finds out right before his senior year his mom got a promotion and he now has to move. The pages are filled with Jay learning what it’s like to be gay in a city full of gays, while learning who he is.

What a fantastic story! While it was a little predictable, I don’t think that detracted from the story by any means. It was sweet as sugar, but filled with lessons for a lifetime, like sprinkles on a delicious cupcake. I loved following Jay, Lu, and Max’s journey as they navigated what it was like to learn the tough lessons, make new friends and realize what really mattered.

If you want a story to warm you hug while simultaneously it makes you want to hug the main characters- this is the book for you!

True rating: 4.5/5

I really, really loved this book. I found Jay to be incredibly relatable in all his imperfection, and the other characters in the book were all multi-dimensional, even those with smaller parts in the story. The book is as much about friendship as it is about identity, sexuality, and love, Highly recommend!

I was in the mood for a YA story with plenty of feels, so when I saw this book's cover and read the blurb, I requested an ARC for review, but mostly because I genuinely wanted to read it.

Having grown up quite literally in the middle of nowhere myself, I immediately identified with Jay's circumstances of watching all of my friends begin their romantic adventures, while I waited impatiently for my turn. It was extremely lonely and isolating and not at all recommended.

So when Jay's family moved to Seattle, I was thrilled to see where the story would go from there, allowing Jay more opportunity to grow into the person he was meant to become.

Then my heart did a little happy dance when Jay met a cute, nerdy, gay, Asian guy named Albert and they eventually began a slow and steady courtship.

And then the rains came... : (

I don't want to throw out a bunch of spoilers; *HOWEVER*, this story did not come with any type of Trigger Warnings, which I don't feel was quite right.

One of my very biggest no-no's in romance is CHEATING, which in my opinion definitely happened here and on more than one occasion.

Some may argue that, since they hadn't officially stated their status as boyfriends, it wasn't cheating, but I respectfully (and whole-heartedly) disagree.

At one point, Jay had just had an amazing date with Albert, definitely wanting them to become boyfriends, then, as he was walking home from that date, [GR SPOILER TAG] got a text from the guy he'd been having sex with and -- without even a moment's thought about Albert's feelings -- went to the guy's place and GOT PLOWED like the South 40. [GR SPOILER TAG]

Then Jay continued to avoid telling Albert that he'd been sleeping around, because he thought it "might" affect them becoming boyfriends.

Ummmmmmmm, YOU THINK???

Aside from the cheating and some over-the-top grand gestures, I did like the story's humor and quirkiness, but it never quite approached full-on love, though.

Overall, I'd rate it at around 3.25 stars, but only recommend it once the readers had been provided with a trigger warning about the *repeated* cheating and lying.

I know lots of readers will love this book. It's easy to get invested in Jay's life and those around him. However, it was frustrating to read about everyone's lack of conflict resolution skills. I know they're teens, and these kinds of things are common, but when every conflict could be easily solved by a conversation, I just find myself internally yelling at the characters the whole time.

This book was a TOTAL DELIGHT.

The main character, Jay, is so fun and bubbly and energetic and I LOVED experiencing the world through his eyes. The story zips along and feels fresh and bright and hopeful - if you’re looking for an uplifting YA RomCom this is the perfect choice!

It was so propulsive and easy to read, and I found myself cackling at many hilarious moments. Friendship and found families reign supreme in this book, and I fell in love with every single character.

Jason June did a fabulous job - Jay’s Gay Agenda was fresh and fun and a much needed escape!!

Oh how I wish books like this had been around back in the dark ages when I was growing up. I know so many people who would have found Jay's story so life-affirming. I love a novel where the narrator has all sorts of internal wit and snark and then gets a little tongue-tied when it comes time to actually speak. That's Jay, and he's brilliant. I adored his list making, statistics-loving soul, his humor, and relationship with dear Albert. I laughed out loud throughout JAY'S GAY AGENDA, and got all swoony at the end, which I won't ruin here because it's just too perfect. Thank you, Harper Teen and NetGalley, for the eARC.