3.5 stars - The Rom-Com Agenda was just that, full of hearty rom com references and cliches and set in a small town where the cast of characters is the 20 people who live there. I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a clean/closed door romance! This one took me a while to get into but once I hit the 50% mark, I found that I wanted to find out what happened at the end. Overall, a bit too much of a slow burn for me, and I found in the first half of the book that Leah’s solo storyline was particularly slow and undeveloped until later on when we get some additional backstory. I found myself wishing that the MCs had a few more exciting interactions solo rather than around his family and townsfolk, and would have LOVED more of Alyce (a sassy mom!). Just ok for me, but maybe great for you!

Note for editors: I found quite a few typos and/or repeated words. Just enough to be slightly distracting. Otherwise good book!

I loved this book! While the premise was a bit cliche, the delivery was done well. Leah is someone who was in the foster system at the age of 10. Bouncing through families until she was placed with Cathy. Leah's heart is so big that she came back to assist with Cathy going through cancer. Leah struggles to adjust when she meets some new friends and the mmc. The topics mentioned were pretty heavy but the story itself was pretty light hearted. There was no 3rd act breakup and I think that needs to become more of a regular thing.

The found family trope is one of my favorites and I was so happy to see it included. I definitely wish there were more glimpses into the side friendships that were shown. However, I have a feeling the author may or may not do what most are doing these days and make this a series with a couple of the other characters. I think I wouldn't mind that.

I love how Leah kept an open mind and pushed through her fears and insecurities that surfaced from her past. I do wish she would have opened up a bit more and more than just to Eli. She slowly did by the end. One thing I would have loved more of is the emphasis and importance of mental health, especially because of Leah's biological mother.

One of the main messages to take away from the story is that there is no need to drastically change yourself for someone else. If they can't love you for who you are, then they don't deserve you. It's one thing to better yourself to be better, but doing it for someone else to love you is a big no-no. Be authentic and true to yourself and everything else will fall into place in time.

There's also a cat named Blanche 😁

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it to others. Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I really wanted to be engrossed and engaged in this book however it fell flat. There was no spice and the characters were annoying to me.!8 did like the movie references however. The book had a cute idea that was attempted but again needed more spice and not to feel like a slow burn at the beginning and rushed at other parts.

I loved the small town charm of Willow Cove, especially set in an icy winter like the ones I know and love! Leah and Eli were lovely characters, fun but vulnerable, and the support of Jenna and Delia gave some much needed attitude. Bonus points for referencing Kirk from Gilmore Girls!

Okay,

I’m going to have to give this one 2 stars. I just have more problems with it then enjoyable moments unfortunately. I found myself skimming to to just get through it at a certain point.

Eli. Oh Eli. Honestly, I wanted to like him but this man spent the entirety of the book obsessed with a girl he dated for four months, completely taking Leah for granted and literally being willing to change everything about himself for this girl.

Despite kissing Leah and such, he was still team Victoria. While he claims he was falling in love with Leah, I think the author made the wrong decision in having Victoria get a love interest while she was away. It just gave Eli an out to suddenly choose Leah now that Victoria wanted someone else.

He should have had her come back, wanting him, and then chose Leah. Something else, I don’t know. It just seemed so disingenuous.

Leah just deserved so much better than the story that was written for her, my heart just can’t get behind this couple.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC of this book.

This was such a fun romcom! I devoured this in a day and it left me with a smile. A small town romance is always a good choice for me. This was my first story by this novel but I really enjoyed this!

This is a super sweet, super cute slow burn love story. I love a good rom com, and books that just make me laugh out loud. I typically like thrillers so this was a nice change of pace. I believe that when this comes out on it's pub day people are going to love it. Thank you net galley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of The Rom-Com Agenda in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t even know how to come up with the words to describe this book! I ended it feeling warm, cozy, loved, and part of a fictional family I didn’t even know I needed! This book was the perfect reflection on family made by choice not blood, the friendships and bonds the characters had were heartwarming and gave a sense of belonging. The light hearted humor mixed in with the real world problems was the perfect touch. I loved Eli and Leah and want more of their story…please tell me there’s going to be more!

After four months of dating, Eli proposes to Victoria right when she is about to start an extended sabbatical in Italy. She says no and clearly breaks up with him, but Eli continues to hang on. Embarrassingly so. His sister and friends try to intervene and decide ok, if he wants to be with Victoria, let's do a makeover to make him into the type of man she would want. From wardrobe to grooming to - yes - a list of classic rom coms for him to watch and learn from. Meanwhile, Leah is working multiple jobs to save enough money to move out of town. She crosses paths with Eli and his group and joins their little group. But as they start to get closer, feeling develop. But he is still after Victoria, right?

Overall, this was a 3.5 star read for me so I rounded up. I liked the dynamic with the group and all of the pop culture references. Once he calls Leah Kirk, like Kirk from Gilmore Girls given all her jobs, I was in. I think Eli's stubbornness and self loathing about Victoria is realistic but would like to have seen more character growth as his feelings for Leah developed. His inner monologue didn't always seem to fit the other parts of his characterization. Like, come ON, it's right in your face you fool. I would have also liked to see that the makeover had broader implications and that they were leading him back to himself vs becoming the type of man Victoria would like. It felt superficial even though there were hints of this and certainly them trying to push him and Leah together. Leah's storyline and journey landed for me and was on point. Overall, a sweet contemporary romance that is low spice. I'd read future books from this author.

A sweet rom com, but I'm not sure if there was enough chemistry between our main characters. I love a good romance but I also love to see growth between two people, and the miscommunication (while it happens very often in while life) it was like they weren't learning from it. Overall, very sweet but not my favorite.

How far would you go to change yourself for your dream partner? Eli will do just about anything including letting his friends embarrass him in front of Leah on multiple occasions. Leah is there to support Eli but doesn't agree with him changing himself. Leah is selfless and a very busy working woman. This was a cute read 3 stars.


*****************************************I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion*****************************************

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker is the story of Leah and Eli.
 
Eli recently got turned down by his girlfriend and this left him heartbroken. Some of his friends want to cheer him up and that sounds so sweet. You would expect they would do all the things Eli loves, but in reality, they projected an image onto him that was not true to himself. A lot of that was only based on appearance and even when Eli felt uncomfortable or said no, they still continued. That just was not okay. Because of all of this, his character went under for me.
 
Leah took care of a loved one and now has the chance to do some things she always wanted to, and I loved to see that. Leah was a sweet person, but after reading the book, I still feel like I don’t know her that well.
 
Eli and Leah find love when they least expect it and that just shows the power of romance. At the same time this also creates some obstacles as Eli was trying to win back his ex and Leah got a bit between that. Leah kind of even helps Eli through that even though she thinks that he is already perfect as he is. I wish she would have told him that earlier. I liked Eli and Leah together but couldn’t fully feel what they felt and wish the characters had more depth to them.
 
Overall, The Rom-Com Agenda is a sweet story, but it couldn’t fully satisfy me. 2,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I loved all the characters in this town, especially Eli and Leah, of course. All the pop culture references, especially to so many of my favorite rom-coms added so much fun to the story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

When Victoria breaks things off with Eli before going to Europe for almost a year, he vows to change himself into someone she wants to be with when she gets back. His entire family gets in on the plan and starts a makeover which includes “educating” him on the romance hero through a series of romcoms. Then he meets Leah who likes him just as he is.

This was a cute story but I felt like the plot was a little unrealistic. Eli’s entire family starts this massive makeover plan to help him change who he is to get a woman back who doesn’t want him to begin with. This goes on for MONTHS and they don’t even like Victoria. Eli seems so unrealistically clueless that Victoria doesn’t want him for way too long.

I also felt there wasn’t a ton of chemistry between Leah and Eli, even though it was supposed to be the relationship that gets him away from the notion of getting Victoria back. All of a sudden they kissed and I felt like there was no reason for them to do so.

One minor thing: they meet a former teacher at one point who says “the kids get dumber each year”. This rubbed me the wrong way because, as a teacher I know, a teacher would never say something like this to a former student.

Cute concept but not for me.

thanks netgalley for letting read this book
i liked it but didn't love it i would definitely would try and read another book by the author though it was a sweet romcom that kids may like

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of this book!

Leah is putting her life back together after caring for her sick foster mother. Eli is getting a makeover by family and friends to win back Victoria. Through a chance meeting at the local clothing store Leah gets roped into Eli’s makeover but she wonders ‘does he really need one?’ And Eli starts to question of Victoria is really the one after all.

I really wanted to love this book. I found that I easily identified with Eli at points but struggled with his slow realization of his own self destructive behaviour. I loved the concept and how naturally Eli’s friend group brought Leah into the fold. I really felt for Leah and found her growth compelling. The writing leaned a bit too overly descriptive but did keep pace for the story. All in all, it was a good book and I liked the characters. I’m happy I was given the opportunity to read it.

Pros
-found family
-fun banter
-friends to lovers trope

Cons
-heavy on the miscommunication
-writing overly descriptive at points
-children giving advice/talking way beyond their age

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5/ 5
🌶 /5

Leah has never had a definite home, moving from foster home to foster home as a teen. She goes back to Willow Cove with her old foster mother and ends up meeting a rag-tag team of friends who are on a mission to help Eli win back his old flame, Victoria. Leah is designated to help Eli and ends up realizing that maybe he doesn't need a makeover after all.

This was a fun read, I loved the callouts to classic rom-coms, but I did find that I was hoping for more connection between Leah and Eli. I also felt a bit of the back-and-forth between Leah and Victoria in Eli's mind got stale, but I did love the resolution at the end.

"The Rom-Com Agenda" is as sweet as can be! Jayne Denker has crafted a fun, sassy, and perfectly cute story for any romance lover. This book is fun!

The Rom Com agenda delivered exactly what the title Is!

Leah is an overworking 30 year old trying to move out of a town that she wishes was home but grew up not feeling like It was. She’s also dealing with the loss of her mother which isn’t easy considering she felt like her mother didn’t really love her to the same degree.

Eli , oh Eli. I found myself feeling so bad for this guy. First his proposal gets rejected by his girlfriend after 4 months of knowing each other (kinda his fault) then gets dumps when she basically and literally runs from him to catch a plane to study art in another country. Leah unfortunately overhears this conversation (you’ll figure out how) and gets second hand embarrassment from the awkward discussion.

Pan to a year later- Eli and Leah’s paths cross again while Eli’s sisters are trying to “make him over” so he can try to win his ex girlfriend back. Eli and Leah end up running into each other all over town - seeing as Leah had multiple jobs.

I don’t want to give too much away- but Eli’s sisters end up roping Leah into their plain and her and Eli wind up spending a ton of time together. Making their feelings for one another super complicated.

Pros:
dual pov. This is huge for me. I think it’s so necessary to know what both main characters mindsets are. It adds so much more to the story.
Eli’s character development was sooo slow but sooo worth It. He really ended up being swoon worthy which I was kinda scared he wasn’t going to be.
The banter between Leah and Eli was perfection. It literally leap off the pages.

Cons:
I feel like the rom com aspect which centered the book could have been more discussed. (The movies) I just think as center as they were to the story line they kind of got sidetracked. To me at least.
It was a slooooow burn. I know this is liked bu many people but I kinda feel like if it’s gonna be a slow burn, and we’re dealing with adults as our main characters, there should be some steamy kisses at least or even partial open door romance to It. Again, just me.
I kinda hated that there was no epilogue ! The ended I felt left us hanging! Did she win the house back? Did she end up moving in with Eli or his sister? How long did It take Eli to propose? And how did he do It? I feel like we could have gotten soooo much more and a better idea of their HEA with a epilogue. Totally hope the author decides to write one It before publishing.

I think if your a fan of a true cute innocent love story this is definitely a book to add to your TBR. Or even something just feel good this is a perfect read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the ACR of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley!!

I loved this sooo much!
That opening scene was perfect-I was hooked. Eli…. Oh, Eli…. He was so “stubbornly optimistic” about Victoria. And his friends-what a great crew! Leah-aka Kirk (Gilmore Girls references were a nice bonus) was just lovely.

Now I have to catch up on all her other books! :D