I honestly didn’t love how this book started, I kept getting confused but once I got into it, I really started to love the characters. I’m giving this a 3.5 but rounding up to 4. I felt like I wished the makeover portion was cut down a little and that we got a little more with the ending, I would have loved to see how everything ended up going with the house and everything but it really did end up being. Pretty cute book with a friend group I wish I had!

More. I want more of these characters. This book isn’t just a rom-com. It’s a book about family, about unconditional love. It’s a book about insecurities and fears. I love the inclusion. I love how they love each other. I love how real they all feel. I need to know what happens after the book ends. Please. Give us MORE!!!

This book is about a woman who comes home to take care of her dying foster mother and meets a group of friends when they are trying to makeover a guy in their group who is trying to win back his ex. A friendship grows between all of them.

I liked the main characters of the book and feel like it would make a cute movie. I’d recommend this to someone wanting a really light, light read. Personally, I was hoping for a little more depth from the storyline.

Such a sweet and heartwarming book! The characters were all so charming and relatable. Especially, Leah. The world could use a lot more Leah’s in it! I couldn’t put this book down! An adorable and enjoyable read! I look forward to reading more from Jayne Denker!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this arc!

I really liked the concept behind The Rom-Com Agenda! It has a lot of found family aspect that I could appreciate but a lot of the characters needed to be fleshed out. The MC, Leah, was definitely my favorite character. I HATE that this book was in 3rd person.

If you are a fan of romantic comedies on the page or on the big screen, you will get a kick out of this book.

After being summarily rejected by his not fiancée, Eli needs a game plan to win her back. Friends and family join together to “makeover” his rugged appearance and expose him to great rom-cons like Say Anything and Love Actually in an effort to win back the girl.

Along the way, the crew is joined by Leah who happened to overhear the disastrous proposal attempt by Eli. What starts as friendship gets a bit more complicated over time especially as Leah is dealing with her soon to be homeless status, and Eli realizes that winning back the girl may not be exactly what he wants anymore.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy!

Fun story, with enjoyable characters. Pretty common tropes, but the characters carried the story. I got interested in the side stories, and would love another book about Delia and Gray.

Leah is used to people she cares about leaving her. Lucky for her she’s just saving up all her money from her MANY jobs so she can leave instead. Eli is a hopeless romantic wanting to win back the woman that left him for Italy. When his sister and their friends decide he needs a makeover to fully fit into Victoria’s world, he’s thrown into the thick of it and brings Leah along with him since she works at so many places he goes for it. Then something seems to shift for both of them but can they get over their issues to fully commit?

I loved this! So cute and sweet and with both characters dealing with issues it was nice to see a truer adult relationship develop

Leah is a former foster child who just experienced a significant loss, and is working as hard as she can to move on. Eli is a goofball hopeless romantic who just suffered a romantic disappointment, and is anything but ready to move on. Leah and Eli are thrown together when Leah is recruited for the project to help Eli become the man of someone else's dreams.

(For those who want to know, this is a closed-door romance)

I went into this with pretty high hopes, and there were a lot of things about this book that I loved, but there were a few things that didn't feel quite right or left me longing for me.

The good:
-I loved that Leah was a child of the foster system. I hadn't read anything with a character who experienced that, and I appreciated that aspect.
-The idea of "found family" was big in this book, and I believe a lot of people with strained or no relationships with immediate family will find that relatable.
-I was really rooting for Leah. She was a quiet character, but packed a lot of wit and humor when she did speak.
-While I think the friend group was too BIG and some of the characters too indistinct early on, I liked how they supported and rallied for each other.
-Cute cover
-Rom-com references for days.

The parts I found lacking:
-I found it hard to believe that anyone would find a trilby attractive except for Jason Mraz's significant other
-I really wanted to hear more about the North Country and have more of the atmosphere.
-It became increasingly frustrating the more that Eli just didn't "get it."
The cast of characters was overwhelming at points. I could see a new couple that the author may revisit in a future work, but I didn't know enough about them or feel that they were well-round enough in this book that I'd want to seek that out.
-Leah is a character who started out completely alone in a frozen winter. We were sort of told she was alone, but I didn't really feel how lonely she was, and I don't think that the ending ultimately will be enough to make her whole. She tells Eli she was over her time in foster care, but before the book ends, she admits to herself she isn't. I would have liked for her to explore what other things would have made her feel more healed and whole (therapy, etc.), especially given her birth mother's mental health history. As much as I enjoyed reading it, that single thing made this feel unfinished for me.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin.

This book is an absolutely automatic buy! The story and the feelings to the story are so strong! I cannot tell you enough how good the book was!

The book follows the story of Leah and Eli. They become friends in an usual way but they end up enjoying their time together very much. Normally what they do to hang out is watch Rom-Com movies because Eli needs to understand what women want and the grand gesture men make to win over a woman they love. After some time they start noticing their feelings for each other but things aren't as easy as they look.

I can truly say with all honesty that this book is amazing! The feelings that are portrayed here you can feel them deep within you.

5 out of 5 stars for this baby!

Eli wants to win back his former girlfriend, so his sister and their friends decide he needs a total makeover. Enter Leah, who they befriend and enlist to help. Leah and Eli spend a lot of time together watching a list of movies that the group feel he needs to help make himself over. Several of these movies are rom coms. Along the way, feelings develop and choices have to be made.

I love rom coms and I love that the author incorporates some of my favorites into this story. Movies were a great component to the makeover of Eli.

Leah was my favorite character in the book. Every part of her story, including her past, personality, and present struggles, are well written. She is a supporter of Eli from the beginning. She never feels that he needs to change who he is. Leah also takes a leap and lets herself become socially involved with Eli’s friend group. Her growth in this book was huge.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lately, I have found myself picking up a lot of slow-burn romances. There are some books where the slow burn is taken a bit too literally and I find myself getting bored. While this does happen at times throughout this book, for the most part, it is a fun read with a decent pace. I love a book with a good cast of characters that I can get behind and root for. Overall, it was a good read. I would recommend to a friend!

I love romcoms and I’m happy to report that this it did not disappoint! Leah and Eli chemistry and slow burn romance kept me rooting for them to get together sinvce beginning. I’d love to see this book turned to series or as a movie!
If you’re looking for a fun rom-com to make you smile — read this. This is totally engaging and so enjoyable. I easily devoured this in one sitting.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect book for those who enjoy a cute romance, with a touch of sizzle while also providing a couple of heavier themes. In this case - foster care and the affects it can have on a person who grew up mostly in the system.

However, the story does NOT revolve around foster care. It's a romance that starts with Victoria dumping Eli. Our cute, pixie main character, Leah, overhears his embarrassing marriage proposal rejection. His sister and their friends decide poor Eli needs a glam-up. And in order to achieve this, they want to change him and assign a list of rom-com movies to watch. The rom-coms will give him a feel for what he needs to do to win Victoria back.

And his plan may have worked (maybe it did - no spoilers) had it not been for Leah. She spent the last year caring for her terminally ill foster mother. And now she's working multiple jobs to keep up her foster mom's house. Leah is … alone. And that's on top of being lonely. She needs a friend and family in the worst way.

The story takes us on the journey from Eli and Victoria's romance to Eli and Leah's "if these two crazy kids don't get together, I'll lose my mind" romance.

It's a sweet story that shows them pushing each other to change (OR NOT!) and become a better version of themselves. They both had issues to overcome and we really feel for Leah and her past.

I thought the plot was a bit slow at times. However, I appreciated that while the side characters (his family and friends) were a decent-sized part of the story, they did not take over the romance plot with a B plot. This happens quite a bit with large casts of characters in romance novels.

The author did a good job of incorporating these people into Leah's life because a family is what she's always wanted to achieve. It was important to show her being freely accepted by people other than her biological mom.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE ROM-COM AGENDA by Jayne Denker to review.

I rate THE ROM-COM AGENDA four out of five stars.

Jayne Denker's The Rom-Com Agenda is a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the working class protagonists, particularly Denker's hero's imperfections that are perfect. Highly recommended!

This was a cute book! I enjoyed the premise and felt like the main characters had good backstories to them. I'm a big fan of the movie "Can't Buy Me Love," so a storyline involving a makeover really caught my attention.

Eli FINALLY having that big "AHA!" moment was super satisfying. Waiting for him to realize that everything he needed was right in front of him was like pulling teeth. It was QUITE the slow burn, but when we got there, I was cheering from the rooftops. It DEFINITELY took some time.

Thank you to Jayne Denker, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

This book in 3 words: Honest. Lovable. Discovery.

Leah's back in Willow Cove to care for her terminally ill foster mother. Eli is trying to win over the girl of his dreams and gets sucked into a makeover. Leah, working a ton of odd jobs to try and make ends meet, gets pulled into the makeover project and starts to feel what it'd be like to put some roots down.

I adore a strong opening (line, paragraph, first chapter) and The Rom-Com Agenda doesn't disappoint. Right off the bat, we're introduced to our main characters, Leah and Eli, and learn so much in just a single interaction. With consistent and eager pacing from start to finish, this is an easy and enjoyable read. The Rom-Com Agenda has flipped "She's All That" vibes and it works really well. With Eli going through the "makeover", there are many "awww" and "omg" moments for the reader. This is a book where you'll find yourself smiling ear to ear or laughing aloud (one of my favorite things).

Jayne Denker writes strong, lovable, and unique characters that each find their own hook throughout the pages. The cast of characters (most of them) seem like an actual friend group I could hang out with. I loved how Leah came from a non-traditional family and had a complicated past. The author was sensitive but also revealing in Leah's history, which furthered both her character and the story trajectory. This is a crucial piece of the plot and it fits in like a puzzle piece; it was executed so well.

I definitely recommend The Rom-Com Agenda and think it will be a popular 2023 read.

(Note - I won't put this on my blog until closer to the pub date.)

“The Rom-Com Agenda” is a romance comedy book by Jayne Denker. I found this book to be overall cute - which was the main point. This was a fast and enjoyable read. I did like the ensemble cast and how they interacted with each other. I also liked the message of it’s not always what you project to others that defines you, it’s also what’s inside of you that makes you you too.

This book was so cute. His sister's want to change Eli after Victoria breaks up with him. Leah is listening and watching the break up happen. Leah is working in the town in different jobs. Eli meets her at the clothing store where his sister's want to make him over. They also give him a list of movies to watch so he can become better. Leah ends up watching movies with him and being included in with his family. Leah ends up running into him alot and getting to know him. Eli is still hung up over Victoria and doesn't realize that his person is right in front of him. Eli watches movies from love actually to dirty dancing to pretty in pink. Leah is also getting over losing her mom. While this book mentioned so many different romantic movies -- I felt that this book was most like While you were Sleeping because the sister's automatically include her with them and have her help make Eli over. She slowly falls in love with Eli , but doesn't because he is thinking about Victoria. I would love to read about Delia and Gray ( bisexual) and has a triangle with others. I wouldn't mind hearing how the other sisters all found their mate. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I stayed up late reading it. Great romance and loved the family. Heck I would even want patrick to find love .

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!