Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Now let's get into the good stuff -

Being a big fan of rom-coms, this was an instant "I need to read this" choice. While movies were watched and good discussions arose, rom coms are NOT the main focus of the novel. Positives first:

- Cast of loveable characters
- Gets to be rather good the farther along you read
- Set in a small town during the "off season" of tourism
- Sometimes-charming banter, not necessarily between the main love interests

And some things I did not like:

- The beginning is hard to get into
- Had some vocab words that were trying too hard - didn't fit the flow of the story voice
- The interesting stuff came towards the end, especially with Leah's character development
- Eli says "I love you" to every girl he meets apparently
- Major red flags within relationships, not in a scary or abusive way, but obviously flaws are made to be comical
- Time was hard to follow. Some things happened each day, then there would be a jump of a week...? Sometimes two weeks??? CONFUSING

Overall a 3.5 for effort and ultimately getting better towards the end plot-wise

This was a cute rom-com with everything that makes a rom-com enjoyable.

I liked reading about Leah and Eli, and their quirky group of friends. It was a fun read and an enjoyable story.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review.

A romcom for romcom lovers!
Such a cute premise - boy thinks he loves another girl, found family gives him a makeover, boy watches romcoms with new girl, girl and boy fall for each other, and live happily ever after.
I was really hoping for a complete list of movies to appear at the end because, sadly, I didn't keep a list myself. But lots of references to Love Actually. ❤️
The best part of this story was the careful and loving references to foster care. So many books get it wrong, or romanticize it. But this author gets it just right.

I think this was very cute! It’s not perfect and definitely has some elements that I did not love; but, overall, it was sweet and fun to read. A slow burn romance and found family just feels so comfy and warm on a cold day.

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc!

This book is not one for the hater of tropes and pop culture references. The Rom-Com Agenda is chock full of references to all kinds of romantic movies from the last 40 years, Harry Potter, and Gilmore Girls. While that will definitely be a turn off to some it absolutely has its charms.

I really enjoyed this book I thought that the romance was well developed and there is nothing I love more in the world then a found family trope (and this is a damn good one). I will say that the middle dragged on just a bit too long for my taste but I laughed and ended this one in a good mood. I think this book also did a very good job of addressing some of its heavier subject matter (grief, parental neglect, illness), with grace and compassion. However, please check for trigger warnings and if you are just looking for a no pain romance this is not that.

I will say closed door romances are not my personal preference I still had a very good time reading this and would recommend it to the rom-com buff in your life.

Thank you to St. Martin Press and Net Galley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eli and Leah are a sweet couple who took a long time to admit their feelings for each other. Although to be fair, it was mostly Eli’s fault! He just couldn’t see what was right in front of him.
After spending months pining over an ex, Eli then spends months agreeing to various makeover shenanigans to try to win her back. These scenes were fun with lovable side characters and nods to favorite old school romcom movies. However, it did drag on for the majority of the book, and Eli showed very little growth along the way.
Leah has spent a year caring for her dying foster mom and is now trying to save enough money to move on. She runs into Eli and the makeover team on one of her various jobs. I found it odd that the town is super small yet they had never met before? Anyway, the whole bunch befriend Leah and rope her into helping with the makeover. She and Eli become friends but never delve too deep getting to know one another. She falls for him and he eventually realizes his own feelings for her.
I wish there had been less time on Eli-pining-for-the-ex and more time on Eli-and-Leah-getting-together. There were a few unnecessary plot points and the ending wrapped up pretty quickly. However, the story is cute, fun, and an adorable friends to lovers romcom.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Loved the throwbacks to classic romcom movies. It was very cliche and slow burn, but I really liked it. Perfect if you like friends to lovers tropes.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for my eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

Everyone loves a good rom-com and this book is no different. From the cover to the name and the story, I was hooked.

A charming take on the makeover trope with romcoms thrown in as well. Leah has had a tragic year taking care of the only person who has been like a mother to her. Once she passes away, Leah gets ready to leave town because she thinks there's no reason for her to stay. Then she overhears Eli asking his girlfriend to marry him. When Victoria turns Eli down, and goes to Italy, he is left trying to figure out how to become the man she wants. Then ensue the hijinks. Eli's family and friends get involved, and they rope in Leah to help him look and act like someone Victoria might want. You can guess what happens next: Eli realizes he loves Leah, and she realizes she has a reason to stay. None of this is terribly surprising, but it's an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was really great! I went into this expecting a pretty standard romcom, but this has a shocking amount of depth. There's such an intense focus on family and personal relationships, it allows for more than just the primary two characters to have some growth and development. That's not to say that the main characters aren't the most important and interesting - they're so compelling and their chemistry is immediately palpable. It's SO good.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for my eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

This was sadly a DNF for me. It was super hard for me to get into and in the end I just couldn’t keep going with the lack of awareness Eli had. His constant pining for his ex just had the whole plot falling flat for me.

This one gets 2.5 (rounded to 3) ⭐️‘s from me.

This book has the found family and friends to lovers tropes. As a rom com lover, I knew that I had to read this book as soon as I read that the hero gets a rom com makeover. I really enjoyed the author’s writing, the many discussions about all of my favourite 80s and 90s rom coms, and the meddling side characters who stole the show.

This book was phenomenal. I quickly became captivated by these characters and their stories. I can't wait to read something else from this author.

This book is so good! If you love reading slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance books then I highly recommend reading The Rom-Com Agenda!

Eli has just been dumped after proposing to his girlfriend of 4 months, so his sisters are convinced a makeover and some education via classic romcoms will help win her back. Also helping with his make over is Leah, who has recently lost her foster mom and is trying to find where she belongs. The Rom-Com Agenda is a very endearing read. I do wish less time was spend with Eli pining for his ex because it makes his feelings for Leah feel more abrupt. He’s compared at one point to Romeo and I think that’s apt, he’s really in love with love and I would’ve loved a little more growth from him. I did enjoy the family dynamics though and the love his sisters have for him and the stories they have scattered in. Leah is a great heroine too, she’s resilient and brave and I love how she builds to let people in and become vulnerable. I loved the ode to rom coms and the build up for Leah and Eli getting together was was really sweet. Their friendship felt so natural, and I adored the honesty Leah had with Eli. The dialogue was smart and the writing was engaging. It’s a sweet rom com.

3.75 stars!

The first time Leah encounters Eli, she's just overheard his proposal to his girlfriend be rejected. When Eli's ex jets off to Italy, he commits to a rom-com approved total appearance and personality makeover to win her back - something that Leah can't help but get involved in, given her many jobs across town that intersect with that task. What follows is a friends-to-lovers story that's as much about found family/finding a home as it is falling in love.

The characters mentioned Gilmore Girls a handful of times, and that's definitely what this book reminded me of - small town, close friends, good rapport, and plenty of pop culture references! The Rom-Com Agenda is a very sweet book that touches on some more difficult themes, including parental death, cancer, and mental health. I enjoyed several components, in particular the supporting characters and the small town setting. Things also really picked up by the end. However, it took a while for me to get into it and I think I would have preferred more of a slow-burn.

I have read a lot of books over the years, but this is the first book where I can honestly say that my favorite character was that upstate New York cold cold weather. I honestly felt so engrossed and enamored with the description of the weather the snow ice temperature, it set the mood of this book in so many ways. Beautifully beautifully written in.

The premise of the story was better than I imagined, it was like reading Gilmore girls mixed in with friends . It was funny witty and unique.

The main characters were so perfectly
Flawed and real. I enjoyed reading them.

The only reason I can’t rate this higher is because I didn’t feel like the romance was fully developed. Conflicts came and went without full development or resolutions. The ending was too rushed and simplified. After the set up of the premise of the book , i really wanted more angst.

I am the biggest fan of rom coms!! Even though they are all super cheesy and predictable, I love em. That means I also have really high expectations for rom coms.
Eli thought that his ex girlfriend, Victoria, was the one for him. She was planning to move to Rome and broke Eli's heart when she moved. Eli went on and on talking about wanting to get her back and his friends tried to help him get a rom com makeover and of course that included watching numerous rom coms. Leah experienced Eli's failed proposal, but still agrees to help him with his makeover. As she helps Eli with the makeover, she starts to develop feelings for him and he does for her as well.

I was frustrated with how Eli could not see that Leah was for him. He was obsessed with his ex even when she left him. at the end of the day, I am glad that Eli and Leah were able to get on the same page.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me.
I didn't love how Eli spent so much of the book pining for Victoria. The makeover plot, which sounded fun in the synopsis, felt very superficial and often came across as mean from Eli's friends and sister.
I did like the cute business names (Thousand Island Dressing was my favorite!) and the throwbacks to the classic rom-com movies.
I think a lot of people would like this one, but it wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

The Rom-Com agenda by Jayne Denker is a quick, fun, easy read if a slow-burn, friends to lovers romance is your jam. Leah grew up in the foster system, so she’s never really felt accepted or that she really has a family and after a year of taking care of her sick foster mom she’s trying to get back to her life as soon as possible. Enter Eli and his group of friends who are trying to “makeover” Eli via every 80/90s rom com so that he can win back the girl who broke his heart. Leah gets roped into helping and soon a friendship blossoms between her and Eli. I didn’t really love the whole let's make Eli into a different person so that his ex will love him again – he was perfect just the way he was and Leah saw that :) I did enjoy that this book was more than Leah finding a HEA, but her finally finding acceptance and a family too, even if it wasn’t in the traditional sense. I was also into all the 80/90s rom-com talk and it’s made me want to go back and watch all the classics.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Jayne Denker and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book!