Really liked this concept. Really loved this couple especially the male lead but they dragged the ex thing wayyyyy too long it was beyond frustrating and honestly embarrassing for him. He and Leah deserved so much better than that nonsense dragging on. Wish we had wayyyy more time as always with the couple at end why do authors always leave like a chapter or two only for them to finally be together?? We want to finally see them together for much longer yall!

This book was a little slow to begin with but overall such a lovely story! It takes the concept of changing yourself for a relationship and evolves it into not always needing the relationship if you need to change who you are as a whole. You have Victoria, our MMC's idea of a perfect girlfriend, and Leah, the actual perfect person for our MMC, taking up constant space in Eli's head. While his friends and family are insistent on helping him with a makeover to help him win back his ex, even if they're not big fans, Leah is constantly there, helping him realize that he may be enough just how he is. I love the eventual discovery that Leah also has of finding out she can belong somewhere and may not be as alone as she's felt all those times. I do wish there was a little more of Patrick getting his comeuppance, but I think her discovering she was loved in a way she didn't know before was beautiful enough to make up for that.

This book is classified as a 'friends-to-lovers' but let's be honest, were they ever going to just be friends?

Leah, not like Princess, and Eli (short for Elias) are thrown together at every drop of the hat - mostly thanks to their (mostly well-meaning) friends and all the small town goodness of this tribute to all things rom-com.

Leah's saving every penny to get out of town and Eli is healing from heart break when his summer girlfriend Victoria left him behind for two semesters in Rome. Eli's sister and gang of friends (they're impossibly close and yet there's still healthy drama and tension) set out to help him become the man Victoria won't possibly be able to say no to (no matter who she's met 'while in Rome'). And somehow that puts him in Leah's path one too many times - and then they begin to get in each other's way on purpose.

One of the gang's ideas is to have Eli follow a regimen of movie watching, rom coms to be specific, so that he's ready for the grand gesture moment when it comes (and believe me it's included!). Leah is the proud owner of one of the only working VCRs in town so when Eli needs a VCR and a movie watching buddy Leah's ready to help.

This small town romance was so, so right without being too cliche. Well done - much enjoyed!

The Rom-Com Agenda tells the tale of what happens when you desperately need to change to meet your love interest. While most romantic comedies tell the story of the female changing for the male: this time Eli is changing himself to be the best match for Victoria.

Eli, left heartbroken after Victoria’s sabbatical departure, cannot get over the love that he once had. His family, noticing his lumberjack Sasquatch looks, quickly delves a plan to change Eli. First stop, makeover and manscaping. Second stop: watching all the romantic comedy movies with swoon worthy heroes. Third stop: get back the woman of his dreams!

Leah needs to get out of small town Willow Cove and out of the shadow of her past foster mother. It’s time to let go of the past and start fresh. Yet, when she witnesses Victoria breaking up with Eli and later runs into his friends helping him get her back, she cannot help but want to help the heartbroken man. But Leah may be getting more than she planned on once the movies start rolling.


The Rom-Com Agenda was a book I went in with high hopes as a lover of everything rom com. Denker delivers with odes to romantic comedies and the search for love when one believes that love is out there. While there were parts of the book that I loved, there were other scenes (specifically Eli’s obsession with Victoria) that made me cringe. I do have hopes that Jayne Denker will continue this series with her other lead characters, especially Grey.

This sweet, slow-burn, friends to lovers wintery romance is for all the rom-com lovers out there!

When Eli gets dumped his friends try to help him out by assigning him a list of rom-com movies to watch in order up his boyfriend appeal. What ends up happening is a lot of one-on-one time with new to the group, Leah. Leah has come to town for the last year to help care for her dying foster mother and is in the process of clearing out her house.

I LOVED this friend group and the way they welcomed Leah whole-heartedly into the gang. An orphan who had been in an out of foster care all her life, Leah has always felt aimless and alone. Plus all the great rom-com movie references and the great friends to lovers tension between Leah and Eli had me savoring every moment!

A perfect wintery read sure to give you all the feels. Recommended for fans of authors like Sophie Sullivan and Sarah Adams. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This was my first book by Jayne Denker and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

This book really had potential. It started out so well, then I just felt it dragged on too much. The characters were not memorable, and the "slow burn" was too slow. Eli took way too long to see what was in front of him. Overall this book just did not do it for me.

Overall I thought it was a good book, but not great. I found the main characters pretty boring and one dimensional. The supporting characters were more interesting to me.

Leah could have been such a great character. She came from a rough past and had some issues to work through. Until the end, i thought she was a really boring and dull character. And Eli is an idiot, and not in a charming way. It felt like we kept going in circles with him and the book got really repetitive.

The ending when he drives over an hour away to pick up his ex from the airport was strange ti me. He said she needed a friend. But his girlfriend was going through a rough time too and needed him. It felt like he chose someone over Leah.

I wish there was more of a conflict between them at the end. It felt like it was lacking something.

I received an ARC of THE ROM-COM AGENDA from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Romance
Heat Level: Fade to black, closed door
Tropes: Formerly rejected one finding love, Friends to lovers, Small town, Snowed in
Representation: LGBTQ with side character

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons.

The couple is so cute together. Leah has always felt like a fish out of water from having survived abandonment and the foster care system. While Eli is secure in his family and friendships, but his love life hasn't worked out as he wanted. In fact, most of the book, he's trying to get back the one who got away. This made for a lot of tension and logical reasons to not share how feelings—the two don't communicate very well, but it makes sense. They end up tackling the list from Eli's sisters to study romcoms to figure out how Eli needs to change for his "true love."

The small town in upstate New York is snowed in. This makes for an isolated community which works really well so we can get to know the other characters and their personalities. It's a fun group of people, and I can see where more stories could come into play as a series.

There are a lot of dynamics going on for Leah. She's come home to care for her foster mom (who has died). She is trying to earn money to go back to Florida. And she knows she'll get evicted by her foster brother, so time is of the essence. But she still gets wrapped up in love by Eli's friends and family before he really pays attention to how he's changing. I thought the progression worked really well.

This book is perfect for all romance readers, people who love small towns, or upstate New York, or for anyone who wants to root for the underdog.

I highly recommend this book.

3.5 Stars. Leah Keegan has had a hard life. She spent her teen years in foster care; She returns the small town of Willow Grove to care for a foster care mother dying from cancer. She is currently living in the house and trying to clean the clutter out as a son plans to fix it up to sell. Leah stays busy working any job she can find so she has funds to leave when she needs it.

Eli Masterson wants the one who got away back. He had a few months with Victoria before she left for a year in Rome. His sister and friends decide to help him reinvent himself. Haircut and new clothes are a start. Better manners and dating habits are on the agenda. As is watching a list of romantic comedies that somehow he has never seen to learn things like a romantic gesture. Leah sells Eli his new wardrobe. And their paths keep crossing as the friend group enlists her often for a practice partner.

This all should have been funnier than it is. The amount of movies mentioned and lessons are fun. And Leah and Eli together are sweet. But for most of the book he is pining for someone else. Leah continually tells him he doesn’t need to change for anyone. But to him Victoria is the one even after his first kiss or two with Leah. You know things are going to work out but the I often found the tone sad because Leah’s life is hard.

I read another book this year set in the Finger Lakes area this year and the descriptions of the beauty made me add it to places I was to see. I was surprised the location isn’t brought out more in the story. This could have been set anywhere that is small town and has snow.

It is a good story but I thought it would be more fun. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eli crashes and burns as he tries to profess his love to Victoria, who is leaving for Rome for a year. Eli’s friends and family give him a rom com makeover in order to win her back. Leah gets roped into helping with the makeover and just might be falling for the guy, who she is helping to win back another girl.

I really enjoyed this cute slow burn, friends to lovers romance. I liked the characters of Eli and Leah and appreciated that the author took the time to build Leah’s backstory. I fell in love with Eli’s friends and family group. The found family trope is definitely one of my favorites.

Overall this book was cute and funny clean romance. A quick and light read that I couldn’t put down

Thank you NetGalley and St. Matin’s Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Eli wanted to win back his girlfriend Victoria. She was the one who got away and moved all the way to Europe. So how to win her back? The perfect answer to Eli is to do a complete makeover and hope for the best when she moves back to the state. However, what he doesn’t expect is to start spending a lot of time with our MC Leah.

This was such a cute story and I absolutely loved the MC, Leah. I thought she had such a great background and was such a good character that you wanted to root for the entire time. Eli on the other hand, drove me crazy at times. Wanting to win back a woman who literally said no to your proposal, got on a plane to Europe, and then only contacted you when she needed someone to go water her plants and watch her cat? Like why would you want to be with a person who won’t give you the time of day and so obviously doesn’t want to be with you. I think this part bugged me the most because it was like he wouldn’t give up, even when everyone in his life told him that he needed to move on. Just so toxic at times.

However, back to the storyline haha. It was such a cute and lighthearted story and I absolutely loved the friend group. They definitely felt like a group that I would love to spend time with and were hilarious. This was such a fun rom com that I enjoyed reading and getting to know the characters! Overall, would definitely recommend!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

The problem with this story is that the hero, Eli, is so stupidly clueless. He decided he was ready for a long-term relationship and fell for an attractive woman with whom he had nothing in common. So he proposed to her and she turned him down. His fun pack of friends decide to help him with a makeover to make him sophisticated enough to appeal to a woman who is an art major studying in Rome while he’s an outdoorsman in the North country of New York. And their methods for the makeover involve giving him a list of old-time romance movies to watch.

Enter lonely Leah who has survived foster care and spending a year taking care of her dying foster mother and now gets caught up with helping out with Eli’s makeover. Of course, they fall for each other even though they think that they’re just friends. She has to get over her insecurities and he has to get over being so clueless. I liked their relationship, but I was too irritated with Eli, sweet though he is, to thoroughly enjoy the story.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

✨(eARC) Book Review✨

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker

This one is for the die hard rom-com fans. It’s an entertaining read, even if it’s a bit much at times.

Foster child, Leah, has spent the past year caring for her foster mom, who was fighting a losing battle with cancer. In the wake of her mom’s death, she’s saving money to leave the place that no longer feels like home. Enter Project Eli—a man who, after being rejected from an abrupt marriage proposal, is being made over and given lessons in romance from his close-knit group of friends and family in order to win back his ex. Soon, Leah finds herself playing an invaluable role in this project, fighting her own feelings of affection, attraction, and comfort.

I went back and forth with this one. At times, I couldn’t read fast enough. Other times, the storyline felt too forced. I found myself wanting it to be a little more tongue-in-cheek. Like there weren’t quite enough winks to the rom-com genre (even though there are several!). I kinda wish it had broken the fourth wall altogether—like acknowledging that it’s giving the reader exactly what they want in proper rom-com fashion. For a bit there, the plot seems to drag on longer than necessary, but I really appreciated the pacing of the resolution.

The dynamic of the friend group is really fun and feels authentic. Eli and Leah feel like a great pair of characters, and his ex felt like an appropriate caricature for the story. Overall, I’d recommend this one, especially for rom-com fans. It really does feel like a satisfying and fun tribute to the genre.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Look for this one on shelves Jan 10th! 🫶🏼

📖: (3.5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.
This was sweet. The characters were well-written and full. I was invested in their development throughout the story. I enjoyed reading their journeys. The plot was interesting though I wish I could have seen Patrick’s comeuppance. He deserved it.

This was such a fun read!! In addition to the sweet relationship unfolding throughout the book it had the added benefit of being a time capsule for 80’s/90’s children with all the references to romance movies! Well written!

A friends to lovers story filled with lots of rom-com watching and found family.

Leah has been living in Willow Cove for a couple of years, taking care of her Foster mother until her death and working odd jobs saving money until the other shoe drops. Then a group of friends start popping up at her workplaces trying to make over Eli. Eli loved a girl but got dumped when she left to Italy for a semester and is holding out waiting for her to come back and take him back. Eli is getting an education in everything swoon worth heroes from every romcom under the sun and Leah tags along helping him become the person worthy of a second chance. Along the way they may discover feeling for each other.

The premise of this one had so much promise, and all the rom com references were so nostalgic. Unfortunately i did not feel the chemistry and a lot of events and hardships were mentioned on one page and then resolved so fast or never mentioned again. Also the ending was so abrupt and felt very unfinished. I will definitely try other works from the author though.

I really enjoyed the found family trope and the friends to lovers trope that's what enticed me to this book to begin with. However, I found this book to be quite disappointing. As the book progresses, Leah went on to heal herself which was very believable, however Eli was just so obsessive over his ex it just got irritating after a while and quite nauseating. I didn't really notice their chemistry or their banter. That just didn't do it for me. I did enjoy the friend group that made up for it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker is a charming romantic comedy with a friends-to-lovers trope.

Story Recap:
Leah Keegan has spent the past year nursing her foster mother with a terminal illness. Now that she’s passed, Leah is working several jobs to save up enough money in order to be able to leave town.

Eli Masterson always believed that Victoria is the woman for him. But, when she leaves to spend a year in Rome, he is determined to win her back. His sister and her friends enlist Leah to help them transform Eli into the man for Victoria. Leah thinks Eli is fine as he is but helps him anyway.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this sweet romance and all the rom-com movie references. I liked the Gilmore Girl references too. Eli nicknamed Leah, Kirk because she has so many jobs and seems to be everywhere at once, just like Kirk from The Gilmore Girls. I liked Eli’s sister and friends and how they rallied around him to help him, and how they pulled Leah into their group. And I liked Leah, she spent an entire year helping her foster mother, who wasn’t particularly good to her,

What didn’t work for me was Eli. His single-minded determination to win over Victoria’s heart was tiring. She made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him, but he still insisted they could work out as a couple. And his willingness to change himself in order to please her was just a bit too much for me.

I did like that Eli’s ex, Victoria wasn’t an awful person. I liked that she knew she wouldn’t fall in love with Eli and she tried to let him know that they were not meant to be. It was Eli, who couldn’t handle the rejection. Overall, this was a fun and light book that I enjoyed.

Recommendation:
I recommend The Rom-Com Agenda to anyone who likes romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5 stars

Eli’s girlfriend Victoria just broke up with him on her way to Rome and he’s under the impression that she is the love of his life. Eli’s friend group helps him figure out what went wrong and how he should change to get her back. Leah is recruited to help with the makeover. Somewhere along the way, Eli realizes that maybe Victoria isn’t the one and Leah is.

While I do like the found family and friends to lovers tropes, this book just fell a little flat and boring. Eli and Leah had little chemistry even though they were constantly pushed together by his friends. Eli was so back and forth about Victoria for much of the book until that one moment and then he decides he’s falling in love with Leah. The plot was a miss for me. The found family trope was a bit forced though I did like the friend group.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. The Rom-Com Agenda comes out Jan 10, 2023.

Rom Com Agenda by Jayne Denker
Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Leah works a multitude of jobs and is struggling with the aftermath of her foster mother’s death. Eli is in love with his ex and would do absolutely anything to get her back, including changing his physical appearance and undergoing an education of the classic romantic comedy movies.

The synopsis kind of reminded me of a gender-bent She’s All That, which is problematic but if you don’t take it seriously, could be done well. The book has “rom com” featured in the title. So I expected this to be a more lighthearted and fun read. It was not. It was heavy and kind of depressing. Eli is so consumed by the prospect of getting his ex back. He is clearly experiencing depression and his friends and family are of absolutely zero help. In fact, they come across as teenagers because despite thinking Eli’s ex is no good for him, they think a change of appearance can help him win her back. From Eli’s feelings to his friends' reactions everything felt superficial and forced.

His friends thrust him into situations and Leah happens to tag along. Eventually she is incorporated into the friend group. I was over 20% into a book and Eli and Leah were only just having their first meaningful conversation and there was nothing that made me think “these two have to get together.”

I DNF’d at 30%. I just didn’t have any reason to keep turning the pages and, as it gets closer to the end of the year, my patience with books I’m not enjoying becomes all but non-existent. I didn’t want to know more about the characters, I didn’t think any of the attempts at punchy dialogue were funny (in fact the pop culture references were delivered in a manner where I imagined crickets chirping) and the “slow-burn” had no momentum. I’m talking no crumbs or small speckles of hope.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.