Joy has been in love with her best friend, Malcom, for ten years. They have a codependent relationship and Joy is the constant woman in serial monogamist, Malcom’s life. Malcom is type A and Joy is more go with the flow minus her anxiety. They go away for the weekend with Summer and Fox. Summer is Malcom’s new prospective girlfriend. This should go well…

This is told from Joy’s POV. She’s assigned with keeping Fox company and in doing so she’s able to figure out her feelings about Malcom.

This book has amazing Ace representation. If you’re wondering what Ace is you should read this book. If you know what it is but don’t “get it”, you should read this book. If you know what Ace is and think you understand it, you should still read this book. It really does a good job of showing that asexuality is a spectrum and not a one size fits all.

Joy has amazing self confidence, but is still vulnerable. She’s vocal and honest and really knows herself. She’s a multidimensional character and I adore her.

Malcom I love less.

Fox, oh Fox you respectful beautiful man. That’s all.

Summer is a bit one dimensional at first but gains depth throughout the novel.

I really don’t have anything I didn’t like. The pace was good. The characters were interesting. The relationships advanced a little fast (most of it takes place over a weekend) but that’s pretty standard for rom-coms. I enjoyed Joy’s punny humor. I also liked the dynamic between the characters.

This book was amazing! I am absolutely in love with main character Joy and her unfiltered honesty. I found Joy to be extremely heartwarming and just extremely lovable. This book has a little something for everyone with tropes of fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, slight enemies to lovers, etc. There were also a lot of ridiculous pop culture movie puns throughout the book that read as well timed and placed and not too overwhelming.

I found the storyline, writing and main character to be absolutely great. I was very investing in this story from the first chapter. I am not a huge romance person but this book was so cute, I was squealing in delight while reading.

The asexual representation in this book was great as well and I really feel sexuality discussions were handled with care, respect and call outs if needed.. I found the discussions about racism and anxiety extremely interesting. Main character Joy struggles with anxiety and is very guarded because she is a Black woman in a racist world. Perceptions of her as a Black woman fuel some of these anxieties.

I found this novel to be a really powerful story about what loving someone and being in love with someone is and how relationships and friendships change. There were so many amazingly beautiful quotes in this book as well. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did.

Thank you to Books Forward and Claire Kann for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

A book that does ace rep so well! I think the best thing about this book was that it genuinely showed the spectrum of ace rep, which was refreshing and needed.

And while I didn't love the pacing or how certain situation always played out in terms of the writing, I think the star is again the spectrum of asexuality that is represented!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the e-ARC of this book.

I loved this book so much! As a fellow ace, this romance made me so happy and made me feel so seen. I felt a lot of kinship with the main character, Joy (not just because of her being asexual), and loved her so much, and wanted nothing but happiness for her. A lot of the book does revolve around Joy believing herself in love with Malcolm and her believing she cannot love anyone else ever, which got a bit annoying (but actually felt real for someone who was still a bit young and with a more unusual orientation/background). Her relationship with Malcolm is very dysfunctional, and I was glad when she finally started to understand that, and saw that someone else could be very kind and loving and understanding of her.

Despite this book being a lot about miscommunication, I loved the realistic, and at times both stunted and very mature, conversations the four main characters had with each other eventually. Unlike most reviewers, I actually quite liked Summer and how she accepted and tried with Joy. I think she is only considered irritating if you only see her as "the other woman" like Joy does, but she was very mature and she eventually learned how to communicate her feelings to Joy and Malcolm. Fox, our love interest, was adorable and grumpy and so, so understanding. I loved him to bits, and I liked that Joy sort of fell for him so discretely that she barely noticed.

My only issue with this book was that I wanted it to be longer so we could see more of Fox and Joy's relationship! I could use a whole another book of them together.

I loved that this book had a mix of black and white characters, and that we see and male and female ace character both on page. There were definitely some learning moments on the page that could help people better understand what it can be like to be asexual, but that it wasn't heavy on this. The book is light and fun and romantic.

This is a really solid romance. I really enjoyed the asexual representation, the not-heavy-handed social commentary, and the fact that none of the characters were *the asshole.* Yay for adults navigating complex adult relationships more or less healthily. I've read some of this Claire Kann's YA books (I really loved Let's Talk About Love), and will definitely look out for any aimed at older audiences in the future.

Joy is in love with her best friend Malcolm, but is afraid to tell him so. When he invites her along on a weekend getaway with his new love interest Summer and her best friend Fox, she's forced to either bottle her feelings or show Malcolm what he's overlooking.

This book is the epitome of unrequited love, and it was hard to read at times. It started off slow for me as I got used to the writing, Joy's personality, and her obsession with Malcolm, but I quickly grew to appreciate Joy's confidence and quirk of saying exactly what she's thinking. I appreciated learning more about the spectrum of asexuality from Joy and Malcolm. Joy's friendship with Malcolm was unhealthy and lacked communication, so it was great to see Fox help put things into perspective for her.

I wish we got more attention on grumpy, silver-haired Fox, because he charmed me from the start with how he saw Joy and gently got to know her at a level and pace she was comfortable with. Overall it was an enjoyable, slow-burn romance with great representation.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for my advance copy.

Love can be hard and messy and complicated but also so, so fabulous and rewarding.

I finished The Romantic Agenda a couple days ago and have been trying to come up with a review that speaks to level of how much I enjoyed this book.. I can't find the words but here goes my best try. This book was absolutely freaking fantastic.. I loved it. The characters made me happy, besides Malcom.. for whatever reason there was a disconnect with him and I, just didn't really care for him but that did not hinder my love of the plot/ story. . I loved me some Joy and loved who she became around Fox. I'm not an expert on asexuality so I can only base the representation on my experience but to me it felt like an authentic perspective. I love reading books with diverse representation and backgrounds so I can broaden my knowledge and understanding. I liked having multiple characters in the story that identified as asexual but brought different ideas to the table about who they were and how they viewed romantic relationships. The book touched on a few social justice issues but in a way that it gave depth to the story and didn't come across as preachy. It was emotional and funny and everythinga romantic comedy should be. A well written 5 star read. This is my first book by Claire Kann but will not be my last!
🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Release Date: April 12th


Thank you to netgalley and the publisher, berkleypub for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think I ever would have imagined a rom-com about an ace main character but I am so glad it exists. Now Joy is not the kind of ace I am but that doesn’t matter, it’s a spectrum and the representation is excellent. The struggle I had with the book was how awful Malcolm was…..Joy spends about 75% of the book deeply in love with Malcom and all he does it treat her like crap. I understand they have a large communication gap that led to some unhealthy patterns, but he was awful to her. The other characters were fun and I especially loved Fox. I found the writing good and the story flowed fairly well, I just wanted Joy to listen to her sister Grace and Fox about how unhealthy the dynamic was. I gave this one 3.5 stars but I rounded up for the representation.

The Romantic Agenda needs a diagram to keep everything straight. Joy loves Malcom, Malcom could love Summer, Summer loves being in love, and Fox is just along for the ride. Phew. So, you would think this is the story of Joy and Malcom finally coming to the realization they are meant to be together. Could be.

Although the story takes places over a weekend there is a lot going on between our 4 characters. Just when you think you have everything figured out you find out you do not. I wish Joy would have had the conversation earlier with Malcom (but then the book would have been a lot shorter) so when she finally stood up to Malcom I cheered!

Malcom is a list making, rule following, by the book kind of guy. I would love to see this story written through his POV.

Summer is just like her namesake, all sunshine and good times on the surface. Who knew there is more to her once she opens up. I was not a fan of hers at the beginning, but I did grow to love and respect her.

My favorite part of the book was Fox. His gruff exterior is protecting all his loveable parts. His ability to step in and diffuse a situation with his one-liners is pure genius. To be honest, he reminds me so much of my husband.

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect addition to my spring break beach bag.

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Random House, Berkley Publishing and Books Forward for an eArc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book! Joy is such a delightful main character to follow: uber confident, incredibly punny, and self-aware as heck. The romantic entanglements in this book was incredibly interesting, and I found myself furiously flipping the (kindle) pages to find out how everything would be resolved.

Joy is in love with her best friend Malcolm, who announces he's been seeing a woman named Summer and wants to make it official and asks Joy to come with him on vacation to meet her. From there Joy meets Fox, a friend of Summer's, and they decide to form a fake flirtation when Fox realizes Joy has feelings for Malcolm, and suspects he may return her feelings, plus he has his own reasons for wanting to keep Malcolm and Summer apart.

I really love how all the relationship dynamics were resolved ultimately, especially how respectful everyone was when truths and new feelings ultimately came to light. Also, Fox's confession to Joy at the very end was so sweet I found myself squealing and kicking my feet. This was such a great read! I hope Claire Kann plans on writing more books in the adult genre, I'm excited for more Ace representation in Romance!

Yes Yes YES. Everything about this, YES! Grumpy sunshine. Fake dating. Forced proximity. This felt like reading parts of my own life and it was such an incredible comfort. An incredible adult debut - possible Claire Kann's best yet.

Thank you so much to BookForward, NetGalley, Claire Kann & Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on April 12th, 2022.

This book came on my radar after it was chosen to be a future book club book so I was super excited to get my hands on it early,

Joy is a ray of sunshine who would do anything for anyone especially for her best friend Malcolm. They met while in college at an LGBT Alliance mixer and Malcolm was at his asexual/ace book. Joy's lightbulb went off that this might be who she is. Malcolm and Joy have been super close for the last 10 years and nothing more. They kissed one time and never spoke about it again. Joy feels this pull towards Malcolm and they each will do everything & anything for one another. Malcolm springs a last minute trip onto Joy and advised that she will be meeting a potential girlfriend (who also will be bringing a friend). Joy is not happy because she wants Malcolm. Joy's twin sister Grace reminds her that she needs to start doing things for herself & that she could be missing out on other people out there.

Since Joy and Fox are there two friends along for the trip, it only made sense that they would rely on each other while Malcolm and Summer coupled up. Fox knows that Joy is in love with Malcolm and comes up with a plan for Joy to make him jealous by having them fake date. The tension (sexual and frustrated) between Joy, Fox, Malcolm and even a little Summer buzzed throughout their weekend together. Fox was an amazing fake/real book boyfriend. Also loved that he had salt & pepper hair! Who doesn't love a silver fox moment (pun intended)?! I even fell in love with his grumpiness and broodiness. And by the end, my goodness he was just so sweet to Joy & followed her lead and made sure she was comfortable.

I am a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community and over the past year within being in my book club that focuses on LGBT books, I am continuing learning and that included what being asexual meant. It even made me question myself and possibly being on the spectrum. This book really dove into what it means to be asexual from two parts of the spectrum - Malcolm has sex for fun & Joy doesn't feel the desire to have sex with another person. Compared to other books, this gave me such a better picture of what it meant to be asexual.

One thing I loved was how majority of this took place over a couple of days. I like when we are given a short time frame throughout the course of a book. It made the flow of the book go pretty quick.

Joy made me laugh so much and I found a lot of things she said and did so relatable. She was literally sunshine mixed with a few clouds. I loved her banter with Fox and they just made me smile so much.

"You showed your cat videos of me."
"Shut up. Nobody asked for your judgement."

What got old was just her relentless inner monologue and sometimes conversations with Fox on her feelings for Malcolm, We know she loves him but we didn't need to hear about it over and over again.

This will be highly recommended to my romance reader friends and I am looking forward to reading future books from this author!

I am floating between a 4-4.5 rating on this one.

What could go wrong when Malcolm plans a weekend getaway to introduce Joy, his best friend, to Summer, the woman he thinks is the one? Well, the trip involves Joy, who is in love with Malcolm, and Fox, who is Summer’s best friend and believes Malcolm is all wrong for Summer. So everything?!?

I loved how The Romantic Agenda mixed traditional and non-traditional to make a unique, complex, and heartwarming love story.

I enjoyed everything about Joy and Fox’s slow-burn romance. Fox was genuinely interested in Joy as she is, which is something Joy thought she could only find with Malcolm. After pinning for Malcolm for over ten years, patient and gentle Fox likes, accepts, and respects Joy’s true self — exactly what she deserves. Joy and Fox’s banter and romantic gestures are icing on the cake.

Communication is a hallmark of Joy and Fox's relationship. They need it to navigate the emotionally messy situation in which they find themselves, as well as their different perspectives on sexuality. Joy and Fox were a work in progress and didn't have to have all the answers right away. Cheering for them from early on, I was glad they got their happy for now ending. Will there be a sequel that gives a look into their future and provides an update on Joy and Malcolm’s relationship?

Asexuality is a broad spectrum. Being relatively unfamiliar, I appreciated how the author included two asexual characters with two distinct experiences.

The Romantic Agenda is a fun twist on the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding and makes for an entertaining read with a heartwarming ending!

Thank you to Berkley for an early copy of this book. This voluntary review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC! This book was a lot of fun. Parts of it I didn't enjoy but I loved the main character Joy! I appreciated that we got a well-rounded picture of her, her life wasn't just sunshine and rainbows. She was different from most rom-com heroines and I was here for it! She was also unapologetically herself which is great to see, it's empowering to see strong, confident women. I didn't enjoy her relationship with Malcolm, I can't quite put a finger on what bothered me but it wasn't good. So many times I wanted to shake them both and force a conversation. I really enjoyed Fox and how accepting of Joy he was from the beginning. He also didn't have a problem with voicing what he needed from their friendship either. This is going to be a fun summer read!

What I loved about The Romantic Agenda was how deeply rooted in characters, specifically Joy's, it is. Beginning with Joy being in love with her best friend Malcom, Joys' weekend trip forces her to re-navigate her entire mindset. We can become so in tune with someone it transcends words. But at the same time, we can fall into habits, limits we might have passed ages ago, that turn into something we don't know how to correct. What I loved is that Joy has to interrogate not only her own feelings about Malcom, but also herself.

Is she so set on Malcom for the right reasons? The Romantic Agenda is a book that should thrill fake dating romance trope fans! The budding friendship between Joy and Fox was so lovely to see. To see characters who are starting with a new slate, unlike Joy and Malcom who are tangled together, gives us new insight into Joy. Who is Joy when her interactions aren't in the context of her life with Malcom? Most of the book revolves around Joy's character journey.

The Romantic Agenda is a light and funny rom-com that some will enjoy, but for me, not so much. I had trouble connecting to the characters and the plot line.

I really enjoyed Joy's story. We got not one, but TWO asexual characters in this book (and for those of you keeping track, ace rep in literature is sorely lacking). Her journey with Fox was so adorable, though I wish 2/3 of the book wasn't Joy pining for her best friend who doesn't like her back. I didn't love the writing style here either (too much telling, not enough showing) and that detracted from my enjoyment a bit. Overall, a great addition to LGBTQIA romance!

The Romantic Agenda is a phenomenal, compulsive read focusing on two Black asexual main characters, Joy and Malcolm. Joy is very much in love with Malcolm, and Malcolm is so close to Joy that it's been an issue with his past girlfriends. Then comes Summer - the girl Malcolm has been dating in secret - who is willing to accept that Joy comes as a package deal if she's going to be with Malcolm. They head to a cabin for a weekend getaway with Summer's friend Fox. When Joy and Fox decide to fake date, the dynamics of more than one relationship change.

I really enjoyed Joy's open honesty, silly puns, and love for herself. As a main character, I was rooting for her and willing her to move on from pining over Malcolm to find something that was better suited for her. Our Silver Fox was perfection - he's gentle, understanding, grumpy and incredible. While their "fake dating" didn't play out very much in the book, I love how they started to trust each other and open up as they caught feelings. I also really appreciated the discussion about the asexual spectrum through Joy and Malcolm's characters and found it both important to have this representation in a romance novel, and also educational to me as someone who is not on that spectrum. This is a really wonderful romance read.

Read if you:
- Like the grumpy/sunshine trope
- Want a book with ace rep
- Like discussions about boundaries

Thanks to Berkley and Books Forward for the copy of this ARC!

I found this story to be boring and the main character to be super irritating. While the premise sounded interesting to me (and I’ve never read a book with an asexual MC), I just couldn’t get into it. Unfortunately this was not the book for me.

Claire Kann is the queen of great ace rep!! A recommended first purchase for collections where romance is popular.