Cute premise, fairly lacklustre execution.

Trope-reliant without really expanding on plot elements. (A main character's sole personality trait being obsessing over an ex girlfriend probably needing reviewing)

If you like small town, easy breezy romance that can be read quickly and without much thought, this one's for you. Unfortunately, it's just not for me.

The Rom-Com Agenda was a super cute friends to lovers story!

I loved all of the references to the “classic” movies that they used to help Eli figure out what love looked like. Super cute idea and super cute plot and characters to go with it.

The side plot of Leah’s back story and her conflict with her foster brother was interesting and by the end of the book, I really wanted to see an epilogue where she was renovating the house.

Bring on the love letters to rom coms, the tropes and meta love story. Jayne Denker's 'The Rom-Com Agenda' is a delightful slow-burn featuring a romantic and upbeat hero, and an independent and more cynical heroine.

Life experiences have taught Leah to rely on herself, after growing up in the foster system. She is saving money to leave town. One day she overhears a devastated Eli get dumped after proposing to his girlfriend Victoria. Eli ends up being assisted by Leah so he can win Victoria back. And, of course you know what happens!

This book is a charming debut and I am looking forward to Jayne's next one.

I don’t really think of myself as a romance reader, but there’s no doubt I have a weakness for a well written romantic comedy. “The Rom-Com Agenda” is a warm hearted, fun read which uses the tropes of the genre to advantage.

Leah Keegan is trying to save up enough money to leave Willow Cove. It’s a small town, very dependent on summer tourism, and so it all but shuts down in winter. Leah has spent the last year as a full time carer for her dying foster mother. As a result, she has no real connection to the town – but also no money to leave it. So she’s taking any job she can find this winter to make some cash.

That’s how she comes to be painting the inside of an old boathouse, and accidentally overhear Eli’s girlfriend break up with him. It sounds brutal, and he sounds like a nice guy, but she’s never seen him before and doesn’t expect to ever do so again.

Eli is shattered by Victoria’s rejection. He must win her back! Although his friends and family don’t agree, they agree to help him make himself over before she returns from her European sabbatical. And what’s the best model for doing that? Rom coms, of course…

Thus begins a cheerful romp through most of the tropes of the cinematic romantic comedy genre. Leah eventually finds herself unwillingly enlisted to help Eli out… and here’s a surprise: soon starts wondering if she really wants to help him win another woman’s heart.

This novel not only uses many familiar tropes from the genre (for example, a slightly wacky group of family and friends add humor as well as support for Eli), it quite explicitly name checks movie after movie. Leaving aside the fact that I was slightly embarrassed to realise how many of them I’d seen, this is an effective technique. They’re popular movies, and it’s likely the kind of reader who picks up this book will have seen them. So they immediately evoke images and ideas that then don’t have to be fully spelt out here.

The characterisation is strong, although sometimes sparing. Both Eli and Leah come across as fully rounded, empathetic characters. Some of the supporting characters are more lightly sketched – and perhaps rely a little on our preconceptions from other rom coms – but are still appealing and feel like an integral part of the novel.

The setting didn’t feel particularly vivid or real to me, but I’m not sure that really matters. The characters and their emotional ups and downs are the focus of the novel, and they feel vivid.

If you enjoy rom coms, you’ll enjoy this novel for sure. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s warm and fun, and a perfect entry in the genre it’s celebrating. Even those who don’t necessarily seek out romances may enjoy this – the way the group focuses on movies and movie tropes to help make over Eli will give many a laugh. And you get to mentally tick off the movies you’ve seen as you go!

What a delightful story this has been! The Rom-Com Agenda has it all: a strong heroine, a gorgeous if somewhat misguided hero, a lost love, supportive family and friends and a wonderfully snow-blown location.
Leah grew up in the foster system and has learned to rely on nobody but herself. She’s spent the past twelve months caring for her foster mother Cathy, who has died of cancer and she’s working a dozen different jobs so that she’ll have enough money to leave the charming New York State town of Willow Cove before Cathy’s son Patrick evicts her.
Eli is pining after the perceived love of his life rejects his marriage proposal and flies off to Italy to research for a book. He’s a hairy mountain man whom his family and friends have decided needs a make-over if he’s to win Victoria back.
I loved the way Leah drew Eli out and helped him to cope with the makeover he’s facing as part of his family’s plan to help him win Victoria back. I loved watching Eli fall for her without realising it and I loved watching her unfurl and embrace his family.
This is a wonderful feel-good story. It doesn’t matter if you read it in winter when it’s freezing or in summer when you’re melting and dreaming of ice, this story is guaranteed to make you smile.
Five

The rom com agenda on paper sounds amazing and right up my alley, in execution it was let down a little by the drawn out nature of the main characters romance and some elements just didn’t work for me. The references were Gina me will satisfy many rom com movie fans.

I really enjoyed all the movie and old school references like 80’s seesaw that cropped up throughout the story.

**Spoiler** I really enjoyed the fact that not only did the main character find love, but also the family she had been longing for.

This will make a great beach read if you are looking for a fun easy read.

A big thank you to the Publisher and Author for this gifted copy.

What a cute read! The Rom-Com Agenda featured some of the tropes I love in a romance story and coupled them with great characters and moments that tugged at my heart. I will say that the pacing faltered for me a little and some sections felt like they dragged but overall, this is a solid romance and one that would be great to ease you in to the genre if you aren't a romance reader.

The Rom-Com Agenda is the found family book of my dreams. The relationships and friendships in this book are absolutely adorable. I loved that Leah, a foster child, found her place among friends.

I didn't really like that there was so much emphasis on having Eli become a different person and 'fix' himself to get a woman back. That's not the right message, and while the book addressed that you shouldn't have to change to get someone back, the issue was definitely pushed beyond what I think is reasonable.

Eli was also painfully obsessive over his ex, I felt like maybe this was drawn out a bit too much. Plus all the back and forth between Victoria and Leah gave me a bit of whiplash.

Otherwise, this is a super cute read, with all the found family and friends to lovers feels!

Please hold while I get myself a physical copy of this book ... OH. MY. GOD! I AM IN LOVE! I absolutely adored this "cover to cover", if you will (even though this was from an Arc, which I had the privilege of getting through NetGalley). A must for any rom-com fanatic. Loads and loads of good movie references (which is an entry requirement into my heart - if you don't understand at least 40% of my movie or TV quotes, you may need to be a little concerned!). All jokes aside, I loved this! I could not recommend it enough. A delight to read, and I'm so glad this was my first book of 2023 :)

A super enjoyable slow burning romance filled to the brim with great characters and rom-com movies galore!

Eli has been dumped by his short term girlfriend, Victoria, and will go to any lengths to win her back. Cue a makeover both physical and romantic, thanks to a long list of classic rom-com movies.

Leah is working 10+ jobs over the snowed in winter to save money to get out of the small town once and for all. In walks Eli with his posse of fairy godmothers and Leah is sucked into their circle to help with his makeover.

Feelings grow as they spend more time together, but Leah knows this is all for Victoria, and she can't wait to get out of this town, right?!

Though you know the outcome of this trope, it is so fun going along for the ride. Such a great and diverse bunch of characters, and I loved reminiscing along with Leah and her new friends as they quoted my favourite rom-coms.

I would have liked a little extra spicy time, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Leah just wants to make as much money as she can before she packs up and leaves Willow Cove. After caring for her terminally ill foster mother, she has nothing keeping her there.

Eli thinks his girlfriend Victoria is the one for him, but after proposing and being turned down he decides he’s not good enough for her and with the help of his sister and his group of friends decides a make over is what’s needed to win Victoria back and prove that he is the right guy for her.

Leah inadvertently gets caught up in the makeover, due to working so many jobs in the small town and helps Eli with his makeover homework. She thinks he’s perfect the way he is, and maybe, just maybe there might be a place for her in Willow Cove after all.

This was such a cute book! A will they, won’t they story. It’s exactly what’s in the title, a rom com. It took me a while to get into the book but once I was about 50% in I couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with all the characters in their little group and they all have such different personalities. It’s so nice to see Leah blossom throughout this book and find that she’s deserving of love. There’s not really much spice but the slow burn makes up for it and the adorably cute characters.

How to win back your lover and find a new one in the process!
Leah is a loner. A girl who knows pain having grown up in the foster system and looking after her foster mum, Cathy, until she died from cancer. Her pathetic foster brother can't wait to get rid of her so he can sell Cathy's house. Leah can't wait until she has saved up enough money to leave this annoyingly beautiful small town in rural New York State.
Eli has just had his offer of marriage to his girlfriend of 4 months, Victoria, turned down. What is he to do? He has to win her back! Eli's friends and family rally to start the makeover of the century drawing on romantic comedy movies for inspiration.
Leah is inadvertently dragged into the makeover saga and starts to fall in love with Eli. Will Eli realise the best thing he has ever had is right in front of him? Or will he persist with the makeover and win Victoria back? The big question is who gets the cat, Blanch??
Oh I loved this story! It was so fun to read them both fall in love. The tension and angst created by knowing that Victoria would most likely come back to the USA was delightful. The character development and growth was well written and wonderful to read. I would read this again and again. Great premise, well written and a lovely outcome. Only thing that would make it better for me is some spice, but it was still great with closed door scenes

A quick light read that’s a homage to romcom movies. This book started so well with a quirky beginning and I loved the references to rom com movies. When Eli is dumped during a proposal he decides he will endure makeovers to get her back. Leah is somehow dragged into helping and ends up falling for Eli. Leah was a great character and I loved how she found a family with Eli’s friends. However Eli was to indecisive for too long and I felt sorry for Leah. This could have been a five star but it just fell flat for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️ This was such a fun read! I loved the use of rom-com movies in the storyline and was really invested in Eli’s makeover outcome 😂 A great contemporary-romance addition to your TBR lists! 💕
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A big thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia and netgalley for this advanced digital copy to read and review! The Rom-Com Agenda is available on 4 January 2023 ✨

*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

What you'll find:
♥️ Friends to lovers
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 Forced proximity
🏡 Found family
💬 Great banter
🔥 Slow burn
🥵 Tension
🌲 Lots of pining
💖 Rom com makeover
🎥 Lots of 80s and 90s rom com references

This was a cute romantic read! You meet Eli as he is professing his love and attempting to propose to Victoria, his girlfriend of four months as she is about to travel to Italy for 10 months, but she breaks up with him instead. Leah overhears and cringes the whole way though. As Eli spends months wallowing in his sadness, his friends decide to help him win Victoria back, with Leah's help. And what better way to do this than a makeover!

I loved the premise of this book and enjoyed the character writing. Leah was a great character and I enjoyed reading about her growth and how she dealt with her grief. I did like Eli, but his constant obsessing over his ex, despite his growing feelings for Leah, and the back and forth between the two, was taxing after a while. I thought that Leah and Eli were a great match in the end!

I loved the meddling side characters and the found family aspect to this story.

I really wanted to love this book and tried reading it several different times, because my mood may have been influencing my interest. However, I could never connect with the characters and the make-over was taking forever. Apologies, but I just couldn't get past 21%.

This book was delightfully funny. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of it, and I loved the pop culture references.

This book read like a romantic comedy movie, and I'd love to see it if it happened. I can picture certain actors as the characters and I think that helped a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC for my honest review

In theory, this should have been a fun, quick read, the blurb certainly sounded fabulous.

Instead, we see a super needy MC utterly devoted to his 'one true love', a woman he dated for four months, and a bunch of characters in their 30s who act as if they are teenagers. While a romance does eventually develop between the MC and the FMC, it is such a slooooooow burn, seriously, there are slow burn romances, and then there is this.

While the references to 80s and 90s movies were great, they were not enough to carry this book and as someone who can devour 300 pages in an hour or two, this book was a real struggle to read, and one I had to force myself to finish.

That said, if you like super slow burns, this might be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I really loved the characters!! They were all so we'll written and likeable. They are definitely a bunch of characters that I'd love to read about again!! But I didn't enjoy the slow burn. Argh!!!! I just wanted them to get together quicker. It also lacked a bit of spice which could have made it an amazing read!!

Overall, this was such a sweet and chaming read that will give you all the feels!!! With a swoon worthy main character, it's the perfect summer beach read!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.