While I adore rom-com’s I have to give this book 3.5 stars. It took me until close to halfway through to really get into the book - but once I did I flew through it. I did really enjoy Eli and Leah’s characters, and I was rooting for Leah the whole time! I love the theme of found family in this book, and while some parts felt cliché I did enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An adorable romance you shouldn’t pass up and perfect for a wintry afternoon when it’s published in January 2023!

Leah has a cringeworthy moment when she accidentally overhears the ultra chic Victoria turn down good guy Eli’s proposal and march off to a 10 month sabbatical in Italy, far, far away from quaint touristy town Willow Cove, in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands (between Ontario and New York). Five months later, Eli is still a “hopeless romantic and incurable optimist”, pining away for the woman he only knew for four months and expecting to win her back when she returns. His sister, Jenna, with her friends Gillian and Delia, know that Eli is in a massive funk and looking like a wild man in a “competitive beard growing” contest. They might not like Victoria, but they know that Eli won’t be happy if he doesn’t get a chance to re-present his case to Victoria. As he is, it’s a long shot. So, the group decides he needs a makeover (physically and mentally) to be the guy that Victoria would want.

So, off they go to Thousand Island Dressing, the clothing store that Leah works at (along with stints at tailor shop Stitch, Please and Magic Maids). Leah is trying to save enough to leave Willow Grove, but she’s surprised to see again the guy she overheard months ago being rejected. Leah gets recruited to be part of “the team” and she’s also very helpful when it turns out she’s the owner of the only working VCR in town since part of the project requires Eli to view all the old rom-com movies he’s never seen.

Of course, this puts Leah and Eli very close together (for basically as long as he knew Victoria), prior to the final test of possibly reuniting Eli and Victoria. Of course, you can sort of guess the trajectory of the plot, but it’s so fun and delightful to go on that journey. 4 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Initially Leah can’t decide if Eli’s eyes are blue or green, but Blanche the cat definitely has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES/NO

I listened to this charming rom-com as I drove my son to work. I enjoyed the premise of getting over a broken heart by re-writing history. What made the story really fun was that I listened to it in the month of July, amid Southern California heat. The story revolves around a Christmas movie being filmed in July, so all the sets are snowy and festive. The characters were interesting and parent/adult child relationships were unique and funny. I enjoyed this light-hearted romance.

Love is never easy. Come on the THE ROM-COM AGENDA, Ms. Denker's new novel and find out how a group of friends turn a guy into a stud muffin. Eli Masterson is depressed when his girlfriend, Victoria, flies to Rome for a whole year. He thought they had something special and clumsily proposed. He's determined to get her back. Enter his sister and her friends who initiate a total makeover, head to toe, including watching rom-com movies to learn the proper romantic hero persona, one that Victoria will love. Will it work?

Leah Keegan is a very pretty lady and a loner. She took care of her poorly foster mother who had cancer for a year. Sadly she passed away. Now, Leah is working multiple jobs, saving up money, to move on again, since she has no family. She likes Willow Cove but with no ties, it's time to relocate. Where will she go?

Eli's sister's group of friends befriend Leah and enlist her help, since she works at multiple stores around town that cater to clothes, hair, manicures, etc. Leah and Eli hit it off when they meet. Eli invites Leah to watch movies with him. Is this a good idea because the whole reason is to win Victoria back, right?

Fate seems to push them together at every turn. Leah is crushing on Eli and he is mesmerized by Leah. They both have choices to make about their lives. Will love be the deciding factor?

THE ROM-COM AGENDA is a touching romance about a romeo makeover, second chances, with small town charm. Sparks fly between lovelorn Eli and lovely Leah in this sweet romance that has all the feels. Leah's personality, her past and all her problems are expertly written. I love how strong and independent she is, standing up to anything. She never had friends, so taking a leap socially with Eli, his friends and family is huge for her. Their romance is tender and simmers slowly.. This is an uplifting journey that makes you feel like coming home. I loved it! THE ROM-COM AGENDA explores second chances and the power of love.

Leah and Eli were cute, and the whole set up with getting him ready to win back his ex was fun. Thank you to the publisher for an arc, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC.
5 big stars. This book is hilarious! Had to stop many times to wipe laughing tears away. The movie references alone are worth the read. Great main characters AND side characters you would definitely want to be friends with, in that small town, Gilmore Girls way. Speaking of, I love that Eli calls Leah "Kirk" because of her many jobs. The slow burn romance was just right, not too slow and not rushed at the end. A quick, perfect summer read.

as someone who loves rom-com movies AND books, i really enjoyed this one!

it did feel a bit bland in the first half but once the pace quickened, i could not put it down

this is such a good-feel read

(thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review)

Leah and Eli's relationship coming so organically was my favorite part of the book. My second favorite part of the book is that it mentioned my hometown more than once, and was set in a place not far away. I feel like some of the story lines were a little bit written to death but overall it was a great read. I will definitely be reading more of this authors books in the future!

The Pygmalion story never gets old. Or My Fair Lady if you are more into Audrey Hepburn. And this was no exception. I truly enjoyed the story and the characters. Leah's odd jobs and the names of the stores injected some humour into the story. As did all of Eli's friends (and eventually Leah's friends). Sure, there were times when the store names and Leah's odd jobs felt like they were there just to feature quirk, but it worked. I genuinely wanted the two characters to figure out their lives and to move forward together, with the cat of course.

I liked that they didn't fall in love right away. That they were able to figure out their relationship over a period of time and in real(ish) situations. Despite that, the book moved along with the story quickly and well so I wasn't forcing myself to read to get to the next part of the action.

I also appreciated the ending (no spoilers) because it worked and didn't seem too off brand for the characters and how their romance grew over time. Also for the side characters ....

The one thing that I could have skipped was the repeated refusal of Eli to recognize that he was forcing himself to pine for Victoria even after he realized he was falling for Leah. Yes, I wanted to slap him. But I also felt like most people would stop the "get Victoria back" the minute they realize that there is someone who is better than Victoria right in front of them. It wasn't that he was in denial per se, but rather that he couldn't give up the Victoria dream even when it wasn't his dream anymore.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a chance at reading / attempting to read this book.

This book is absolutely cringe-inducing. These people are supposed to be in their 30's and they come across like they just got out of High School. I was willing to suspend belief of girls modeling a man off famous rom com films, giving him a makeover, and getting him to win back a lost love... but HIM?

I was getting intense creepy vibes from this guy. His girlfriend broke up with him after a couple months. On top of that, he becomes so heartbroken over this ending that he gains weight, stops caring about his image, and even seems to adapt depression. His friends then decide to prop him up and help him try to 'win her back'... why? He is a whiny, man-child who appears to be obsessed over her like this was his only girlfriend and he has never been dumped before.

Which makes the entire story of making him over and having him watch romantic comedies to win her back absolutely cringe inducing because after slogging through the 30% of the book I got through, I would not want them to hook up again. This guy needs a therapist and or a self-help coach to get over his emotional attachment to a girl he hardly knew and wanted to settle down with asap. She left you, let it go. But he mopes about it for a year. We know nothing about her or if she was a good person, he is also constantly messaging her and at one point his friends ask if she messages back - twice. Only twice, but he doesn't want to come off strong / dependent. Dude. You are. You are literally showing that by the countless texts.

Then, the friends aren't all that great. A 30 year old man should be looking towards his friends for advice (in which they would hopefully refer him to a therapist or a self-help coach), but no, they come up with this ridiculous idea of having him follow through the notion of watching all sorts of movies with romantic leads. (At one point, one of the movies on the list is Labyrinth! WHILE DAVID BOWIE IS HOT IN THE FILM, Jareth IS portrayed as a villain in the film and not to be idolized and or modeled after... )

Do you see? Why should adults, especially adults with lives in their 30's, do things like this which read off at a teenage level.

I couldn't bother to continue this book and will be DNF'ing it.

While I did find the premise of The Rom-Com Agenda to be a little bit cliche at times, the character writing was really strong and the book has the same nostalgic appeal as any beloved early 2000's romcom. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, cute read!

Too cute of a book to put down. It was almost like a "chick flick" movie playing out over pages as I was reading it.

When Leah accidentally overheard a couple (Eli and Victoria) and his failed proposal- she never thought she would see them again. Much less get wrangled into trying to make over Eli to woo back Victoria.
What Leah really didn’t expect was to find Eli so wrong for Victoria and so right for her. The catch? Leah has never fit in anywhere after years in foster care and is making every dime count to make a move.
Will Eli be the one to keep her and make a home at last?

Okay I LOVED this book a lot! It was cute, lighthearted, and romantic and I just really, really enjoyed reading it!

This book was cute but nothing ground breaking. It was hard to like any of the characters too much because they all were pretty one dimensional. But overall not a terrible read

This was maybe a 2.5 star for me, if I'm being generous. I didn't connect with the characters and it took me a while to plod through. Leah was closed off and prickly, due to the nature of her foster care upbringing, but her actions in keeping people at arms length and running away were clichéd. Eli was shallow, fixating on a superficial relationship with Victoria, who he proposed to after only four months, because she was beautiful and couldn't really say much else as to why she was the one. The quirky friends group was too large, and I feel the character of Gillian could be edited out completely, as she barely had any lines and no real backstory or contribution to the storyline except to serve as a foil to Delia and Gray so the group dynamic isn't so neatly paired off in couples. The ending didn't give much closure, just that Leah was going to stay, and ended on a somewhat abrupt note. This was what I would call a "filler" book, something I would read while waiting for other library holds to become available, but not something I would actively seek out again.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4861607930

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! A bit drawn out in parts and Eli was a little unrealistic but I enjoyed the book!

Leah is a hard working, giving person with a sad, tumultuous past. She has been serving as a caretaker for her terminally ill foster parent when she encounters Eli. Eli is completely head over heels in love with Victoria, who has gone on an extended trip to Italy and broken his heart. Eli’s friends decide to help him get her back by helping him with a complete head to toe makeover. After befriending Leah, she joins the group in helping Eli try to become a better version of himself. Ultimately, both Eli and Leah learn what they really want in a relationship.

This is a fun, quick, light hearted rom com. I loved all the references to rom com movies. Leah was a very likable main character. I did feel like it lacked some romance between the main characters, and Eli wasn’t very likable. I appreciated Leah’s kind and giving personality and would have loved her to open up even more about her difficult past. This is a perfect read for lovers of rom com movies, pop culture references, friends to lovers, and slow burn, closed door romances.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such an interesting plot. Story moved along well. A few spots were kinda cringy, but I expect it in a romcom. Basic story that did what I wanted it to do

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book Leah meets Eli one day and is drawn to him. She is not looking for a relationship, but life has a way of changing. This book was a quick read.