This is a nice, sweet romance. There is no explicit sex and the steam factor is pretty low. If that's your jam, this is a great read for you. For me, I really missed the steam, hence the 4 stars.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cute, but not breaking any molds for Romance novels. I thought it was completely ok. Not spicy, sweet. The town was probably the most charming character

This story begins when Eli gets dumped by his girlfriend and she gets of to another country. After giving him some time to dwell on it Eli's friends try to help him win his ex back and Leah is recruited to help him.

Leah finds herself falling for Eli just the way he is and doesn't think he needs a makeover and to change in order to be with his ex.

Eli spent way too much time focused on winning back his ex while he was already falling for Leah.

The best part of this book is the references to 80s and 90s rom coms.

A sweet romcom but very surface level! I enjoyed the characters and the story and overall vibes but will likely be a book I’ll forget within a few days

I loved this book! It was so fun to read and I loved learning more about the characters. The character development was great. My only issue is that Eli really would've done anything to win back a girl - is it ever worth it? Wil be recommending to friends!

This was super cute and an easy read. I did struggle with Eli probably because he was so focused on his ex. Just draw me in as much as I hoped. I would read more books from this author though because I do think there was a bunch of potential just missed the mark a bit

This was cute! I enjoyed how easy of a read this was. There were some parts I felt like were either a little confusing because of lack of information or dragged a little too long. I loved how independent Leah was and how determined she was to get out of town with all the jobs. With a history that she had, she could have just called it bad luck but she truly loved Kathy and caring for her and I think that made her as a character. Eli on the other hand I had an issue with because he’s 31 and not only willing but dying to change his entire self in order to win a girl over that he knew for only four months who clearly didn’t want him. Can someone please shake him and tell him to grow up? 😂 Overall I liked the book…it was cutesy and lovely.

“The Rom-Com Agenda” was such a cute and quick read! I went into this one totally blind, having completely forgotten the summary I read months and months ago when it came through my inbox, and was pleasantly surprised.

If there’s anything that will pull me into a book, it’s a pop culture reference and this one is chocked full of them. One of our main characters, Eli, is determined to get back his ex-girlfriend who turned down his proposal and went off to Rome for a year, so he agrees to let his sister and their friends give him a makeover both inside and out. Part of the makeover scheme entails taking notes on classic rom coms and their leading men (side note: the author completely points out the heteronormativity of the rom com list that gets written and it was brilliant). Classic rom coms? Say less. I am all in.

Another reference that is so small but actually made me laugh out loud and very excited was a “Gilmore Girls” reference (if you must know absolutely anything about me, it needs to be how much I love “Gilmore Girls”). Our other main character, Leah, is compared to Kirk from the show by Eli because she has multiple jobs. (I actually lost count by the end of the book how many Leah has.) Leah and Eli then have some banter about how he absolutely positively has not watched “Gilmore Girls” and it was 100% his sister that was into it… Oh, Eli. As if I couldn’t love him any more.

Pop culture references aside, although it is very central to the plot and our characters, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Leah and Eli’s characters. I thought they were very realistic, which sometimes isn’t the case with rom coms. Sometimes our main love interests are the sort of people you’d only find on page, but I felt like they were firmly planted in the real world and I could easily know them in my every day life.

The side characters are sort of where we get our classic quirky rom com cast, but I loved them no less. In fact, I’m optimistic we will see at least one companion novel, maybe a few. I love a found family trope and this family was such a joy to read.

Now, my biggest issue with the book comes from something that drives some–okay, most–of the plot and that is Eli’s need to change himself to get back his ex-girlfriend, Victoria, who 1.) turned down his marriage proposal because he proposed after 4 months and she didn’t realize he was serious about their relationship, and 2.) left the country for a year and ignored his texts and calls. There is a lot more about the situation and dynamic between Victoria and Eli that we learn, and ultimately I am very happy with where it ends, but my gosh. I had to completely suspend disbelief and just accept that this was something that was happening.

For Eli to continuously pine after this woman who clearly doesn’t want to be married or be with him was frustrating. Not only that, every one of his friends told him he needed to move on from her, but he wouldn’t listen so they decided to then support this makeover scheme? A mess.

I liked everything about the book except for this, so I had to ignore the initial reason Leah enters Eli and his family and friends’ lives. Which is a difficult thing to do when it goes on for 75% of the book and is the very reason behind you rooting for the two of them to be together. It’s very convoluted and frustrating. But, in the end, I’d say worth it. It’s a sweet and happy ending, exactly what I expect from a rom com.

4 stars
This was a cute rom-com - a sweet, easy read. Eli is in love with Victoria, who's about to jet off to Italy for a year. IN an effort to solidify their relationship before she leaves, he proposes. It goes horribly wrong! And, worst of all, Leah Keegan overheard the whole thing!

Leah is in town to care for her former foster mother. She has no family of her own, and is planning to leave as soon as she gets her foster mom's house settled up. Yet, little by little, the people of the town, including Elis, become her found family.

Eli is determined to get Victoria to marry him, so he gets Leah to help him become more desirable. How do they find examples of the perfect man? By watching rom-coms, of course! I love how this rom-com is sort of poking fun at all the rom-com tropes!

I don't want to imply that the ending is predictable, but this is a rom-com, isn't it? Of course, all's well that ends well. Sweet and cute and I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalleyfor the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I didn't end up liking the main character or the love interest in this one which made it a bit of a hard read for me. I did however, like the plot and some of the side characters which helped save the book for me.

📼💿Book Review:
Title: The Rom-Com Agenda
Author: Jayne Denker
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

The whole idea of this story drew me in....pulling ideas/tips from past popular rom-com movies to help you find love. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it was utilized to its full potential in the relationship building between Leah and Eli.

Leah Keegan is ready to move on in her life after caring for her sick foster mother and then her passing. She just needs to figure out exactly where her life is headed next. Somehow, she gets pulled into helping Eli Masterson win back the love of his life, Victoria, who left him and flew off to Rome. Of course, in doing so, she herself starts to develop her own crush on Eli.

The problem I had.... does Leah not value her own self-worth?! Eli is clearly very dense and shallow because he's obsessed with an ex that clearly does not want him and treated him poorly! His family and friends even give him a complete makeover to help him change Victoria's mind!!! What?! You should not have to do that to make someone want you! No, no, no, no! Leah, girl, go find yourself who wants you for you! Ugh! This book was a tad toxic imo 🤷‍♀️.

Published: January 10, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love rom coms (this should shock exactly no one). So, when a novel has rom com in the title? I’m intrigued. I cozied up with Jayne Denker’s The Rom-Com Agenda this winter (it was published on January 10) aaaand…it was fine. It was cute and kept me entertained enough but ultimately? It was just ok.

Here’s the book’s description:
You know how the story's supposed to go... but love makes its own plans.
STEP 1: Find yourself
Leah Keegan is used to being alone, especially after taking care of her sick foster mother for the past year. But now there’s nothing keeping her in the sweet town of Willow Cove. It’s time to move on. Again.
STEP 2: Win back the one who got away
Eli Masterson thought he and Victoria were meant to be together until she decided to jet off to Rome for a year. Eli is determined to win her back. But how?
STEP 3: Become a romantic hero
Changing Eli’s physical appearance is easy, but to turn Eli into the sophisticated-yet-vulnerable ideal man, his girl pals force him to watch classic rom-coms. And take notes.
STEP 4: Fall in love?
Inadvertently drawn into the makeover scheme, Leah ends up being Eli’s guide through the wild world of meet-cutes and grand gestures. Even though she believes Eli doesn’t need to change a thing about himself. Even though she just might be falling for Eli . . . and Eli falling for her.
A thing I learned (or maybe confirmed?) when reading this book was…I don’t like makeover stories. Usually the person getting the makeover doesn’t actually need it. They’re just trying to change to suit the desires of someone who does not even a little bit deserve them. Maybe it’s just because I’m not in their position but can’t these people see that if someone doesn’t like them for them then…the hell with them? You are good enough. You don’t need to change your clothes or work out more or become more sophisticated. You are great just as you are. That is what I wanted to tell Eli. Also that he was a total idiot and I wasn’t entirely sure Leah deserved him. But Leah was also kind of a knob and her excuses for not wanting to get involved in a relationship were weak. All in all, this was not a great way to start a rom com.

I did enjoy the whole “watch rom coms so you understand women” thing. Even though everyone should realize that rom coms are not at all realistic. If you’re trying to have a romance that you saw in a movie, you’re in trouble. That’s not real life. That is, however, a really great way to hang out with someone you’re interested in but aren’t really sure how to pursue so the tension starts to heat up and that’s fun. I did think the movie watching was going to be a bigger part of the book but it wasn’t, really. Or at least, it wasn’t as I expected. The absolute best part? They had Eli watching Bull Durham which is the best baseball movie. Yes. I said it and I stand by that decision.



I think my favourite things about this book were the big group of friends the reader's introduced to and the setting. Small towns are fun and this one, which is usually busy in the tourist season but pares down to just the locals in the winter, was fun to get to know. The bit at the beginning with the friends realizing that Leah works everywhere was too funny. While some of the friends had their own issues (and I’m sure we’ll see them in future books) and were a bit too zealous in their makeover plans, they were, at their hearts, amazing friends. I was happy to see that and was thrilled when they took Leah under their wing without making it obvious that they thought she needed friends (even though she really did).

All in all, The Rom-Com Agenda was cute and fun but Jayne Denker’s latest book won’t stick with me for too long. Pick it up if you want to meet a fun cast of characters, feel some nostalgia with the rom com movies mentioned, and get a Happily Ever After.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

The romance fell a little short for me just because I didn't feel like Eli was ready for what he got in the end. I like the found family in this and that side characters really held me in the story.

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #theromcomagenda

The Rom Com Agenda is a fun and sweet romance for fans of romantic comedies and friends to lovers. I like the characters especially Leah and also the group of friends and found family she meets along the way. Eli grew on me a lot throughout the book and just be warned that his obsession with the other girl will grate on you, but it’s supposed to. I was very pleased with the ending and I want more from this town.

I love rom com tropes and thsi book was promising but in the end I just couldn't get invested in the two leads getting together

I really enjoyed Leah and Eli together. They were fun! (At least from Leah’s POV. However, I didn’t feel like Eli’s personality came through at all from his POV.

This miscommunication trope isn’t for me. So that was frustrating. And changing who you are COMPLETELY for another person, also isn’t for me.

I did enjoy the pop culture references and a lot of the banter. Wit and banter is my favorite thing in a story, and this had a solid amount!

This book was so cute. I was so happy with the ending. Her foster brother was terrible and she deserved that ending. The author did a good job at story line and character building. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

I truly wanted to like this book as I found the premise so fun and something right by my alley. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to connect with the story and characters and found myself getting lost in my own thoughts while trying to finish the book.

I wouldn't say it's terrible but I was not engaged enough to care about the relationship developing between Leah and Eli, specially when the later is so obsessed with getting back with his ex in the first part of the book. Overall, I would say that while it's a fast love story, there's not much that I will remember about this book. I think that my favorite thing about it was Leah's friendship with some of the other characters as I can understand how hard it is to make friends as an adult, so it was cure when Eli's group of friends kept including Leah in their plans, so I'd say at least I had fun reading those parts.

I think this was a cute story with good characters that you can't help but feel for. You find yourself rooting for them and though it was fun, there was nothing that will keep me remembering it later

This was a cute romance with the premise of teaching someone how to be a more ideal man to win back the love of his life by watching Rom Coms. While the premise is cute, at times it felt a little heavy handed. At first it was cute and quirky, but by the third movie reference, it was getting a bit old. Not knowing some of the movies mentioned also had some impact on understanding what they were trying to teach.

In terms of characters, Eli's obsession with winning back Victoria was a bit tiresome. Even when it seemed like he might be realizing he should just move on, he reverted back to wanting her. Then, when he finally does move on (slight spoiler coming), it didn't seem like it was because he came to his senses but because Victoria was truly unavailable with a new boyfriend. While it didn't feel like he settled for Leah, I didn't get the impression that his character had grown or realized the folly of his ways. At the same time, with all of the makeover work, it sends the message of changing to be loved. Even though Leah liked him without all of the changes, the message of "I like you just the way you are" is lost. I might not be the biggest fan of Eli's, but Leah was a wonderful character struggling with a sense of belonging after growing up as a foster child. It was great seeing her be accepted into a group of friends and discovering a new type of family. Speaking of the group of friends, there was at least one too many friends. Jillian got lost in the background and could have been completely erased from the story. All of the drama between Delia and Grey, while cute and subtly relevant to the whole not noticing someone in love with you, felt under developed. The first time it was mentioned felt like it came out of the blue. It would have been a cute subplot to explore further.

Ultimately this was a cute but slightly flawed rom com. That, though, just might be nitpicking. The story as a whole worked but it's attempt at being unique felt a bit forced.