There were quite a few clumsy issues in this book - it could use much better editing. It's very clunky in parts. The story itself was great, I wanted Joy to yell at Malcolm and show him that how he treats people isn't great. I liked Joy and how she interacted with Fox. There was a bit missing with the ending in terms of how did Fox get to that point of loving her? I feel like that part could have been shown more.

This is the first romance I’ve read where the characters are asexual. It’s a sexual orientation; ACEs do not experience sexual attraction, but they can be romantically attracted to someone. They fall in love and have the same emotional needs as everyone else.

In this story, Matthew and Joy are both asexual and have known each other for a long time. Joy has always had strong feelings for Matthew. When he invites her to a lakeside vacation, Joy is devastated to hear he wants her to meet the love of his life, but it’s not her.
Another friend named Fox goes along, and Joy after she gets to know him and meets Summer she realizes that maybe Matthew wasn’t right for her after all, Summer is very devoted and goes along with whatever Matthew wants.

I liked Joy’s character, she’s sweet and fun. Malcolm is kind of a jerk, and I was surprised that Joy was so into him for so long, he didn’t treat her very well. I felt Fox’s character was under developed and their chemistry was so-so. I couldn’t get invested in them at all. I liked Summer a lot, she’s very sensible and is right for Matthew. 3.5 stars

Blurb:
“Thirty, flirty, and asexual Joy is secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm, but she’s never been brave enough to say so. When he unexpectedly announces that he's met the love of his life—and no, it's not Joy—she's heartbroken. Malcolm invites her on a weekend getaway, and Joy decides it’s her last chance to show him exactly what he’s overlooking. But maybe Joy is the one missing something…or someone…and his name is Fox.

Fox sees a kindred spirit in Joy—and decides to help her. He proposes they pretend to fall for each other on the weekend trip to make Malcolm jealous. But spending time with Fox shows Joy what it’s like to not be the third wheel, and there’s no mistaking the way he makes her feel. Could Fox be the romantic partner she’s always deserved.”

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh this one had it all!! I am so glad I got a chance to read it because I loved it. I loved the wonderful representation in this book and thought Joy was a great main character. The writing was great and the story flowed very nicely.

My favorite romance of the year. Joy’s story broke my heart wide open and put it back together. I only wish I’d taken a friend’s advice and read it sooner. I bawled so many tears for Joy and her friends and new love.

One of the parts that gutted me early on:
"…her feelings stalk her like some unspeakable deep-sea horror. Every time she thinks she’s free, its lovesick tentacles wrap around her, dragging her back into the depths of the Struggling Sea. Every time she thinks that maybe, just maybe, Malcolm has fallen in love with her too, he chooses someone else."

I've recommended this for coverage in a best list and hope to hear about that soon.

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann is a new take on a romance book. However, I did love this book and believe everyone needs to read it now or add to their list. Not only does it show the ins and outs of asexuality and the ace spectrum, but it also talks about love, both romantic and platonic. It also discusses topics of anxiety, with our main character Joy having anxiety. Overall, a well written book with minimal characters over a short period of time.

Ever loved someone and they DON'T love you back? Are you a reader who's around 30 and want to read books that relate more to NOT having everything together?
Do you enjoy reading titles that show real life, and how messy friendships, love, and being an adult can be?

Joy's confidence and growth in this book made her such an easy to like character. After meeting Malcolm in college, Joy has been holding an unreciprocated torch for him while watching him be in relationship after failed relationship. The latest one has them headed to a cabin for the weekend, and a request to entertain the new girlfriend's best friend. While Malcolm is busy trying to impress Summer, Joy wants to confess her feelings a la My Best Friend's Wedding style.

Once they arrive, the story takes a turn with a fake dating plotline that steals the show with a grumpy/sunshine trope that had me rooting for them to fall for one another. Fox was the perfect character to balance out Joy's personality, making this romance read full of depth and warmth even with tougher topics. (toxic relationships, dealing with grief from a friend's death) What I loved most about these two was how well they communicated with each other, their flirty banter and openness in a new relationship were a joy to read.

Not only do we see the beginning of a relationship between Fox and Joy but changes in Joy and Malcolm coming to terms with how their friendship has to change for the future.

"Now that everything's out in the open, we owe it to each other to be who we know we are."

The ACE representation in this book was everything! I was thrilled at how it was such a big piece of this book, and how easy Kann made it to understand Joy's view of the world; what it's like to have to explain to others how to love, relationships, and even what personal space means to her. I really enjoyed that while two characters identified with the same sexuality, as the reader we saw how real and different everyone can be, that there's no one way to love which was so refreshing.

Thank you to Berkley + Books Forward PR for the advance copy of this book!

Have you ever read a book that felt like a decadent cupcake? Because this is the best way to describe the book. This book was a treat to read and I absolutely love seeing Black Woman Joy. I definitely need to read more books showing Black joy, so I'm glad to start with this.

Joy is in love with Malcolm, has been since they met their first year in college. But over ten years of friendship have left Joy on the sidelines. After Malcolm's fiance left him, Joy thought after an appropriate amount of time, that this would be their moment. Instead, Malcolm comes to Joy telling her he's been seeing someone, Summer, for a couple months now and wants her to come on this weekend excursion with them. Summer has also invited a friend, Fox.

Malcolm wants Joy to come so that way Summer and Joy can be friends unlike his previous relationships. He also wants Joy to come to distract Fox.

During this time, Joy and Fox come up with a plan for Malcolm to actually act on his feelings for Joy by making him jealous. What will happen over this weekend?

There were only a few moments throughout the book that felt like there was a sentence or a paragraph that was missed. I kept going back and forth at the breaks thinking I had swiped past too fast.

Not only was this a joyful (pun intended) romance to read but also to see asexual representation. Not only asexual representation, but Black person who is asexual. The romance between Fox and Joy was a delight to read and experience. It was nice to read a romance that didn't revolve around sex.

I'm definitely needing to check out Kann's other novels!

- Hi, let's have some queer screaming about THE ROMANTIC AGENDA! Two Black asexual characters who experience their asexuality differently! Grumpy/sunshine! Forced proximity! A dash of fake dating! So many feelings!
- I think this book might not be for everyone, given that almost nothing happens except these four characters trying to work through years of tangled thoughts and feelings. But I absolutely loved it. I loved Joy being proud of her identity, and calling people out when they were being ignorant or making her explain herself rather than learn it for themselves.
- I loved that given that Joy doesn't experience physical attraction, this romance novel was less focused on the characters' bodies and more about finding other ways to show your deep feelings to your partner. And I loved how quickly Fox learned how to show his affection while keeping Joy comfortable.
- I'm so glad Kann has made the jump to adult novels. It's tempered the quirkiness of her women characters, but don't worry, the wit and pop culture references are still there.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly April New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Growing up, Joy had one major snag: she knew she was queer, just not in a way that had a neat, ready-made label. Then she met Malcolm at an LGBT mixer at college. Finally, Joy not only met someone whose identity matched her own, but she had a name for it, too: asexual. For Joy, it was thrilling that Malcolm was an asexual like her. From then on, Joy and Malcolm became thick as thieves. And now, after more than ten years as friends and watching Malcolm fall in and out of love countless times, Joy’s ready for her chance to love her best friend. And she couldn’t have timed it better; Malcolm has asked Joy to clear an entire holiday weekend so they can go on a mysterious trip together. Joy is overcome with, well, joy. She envisions a perfect weekend where she finally confesses her long-held feelings to Malcolm just when he seems ready to reach out with a grand gesture of his own.

Except that Malcolm reveals that this meticulously planned weekend is all so his new girlfriend, Summer, can meet Joy. Joy wants to understand, wants to be supportive. She knows Malcolm’s previous partners have been less than understanding of the incredible bond that she and Malcolm share. But Joy is also close to desperate to take what she sees as her last shot at actually having a romantic relationship with the man she’s secretly loved for years. Thankfully, there’s Summer’s friend, Fox. He seems like an eternal grump and it only takes a moment for Fox and Joy to wonder if they aren’t being set up together. Luckily for Joy, Fox can read her like a book. He sees her longing, her banked love for Malcolm. And he also thinks Malcolm is all wrong for Summer. When Fox suggests faking a romance with Joy to make Malcolm jealous, Joy is all ears. But there is one problem with the arrangement: Joy finds herself genuinely liking Fox.

The Romantic Agenda is a sweeping, contemporary romance from author Claire Kann. I loved these characters, especially Joy and Fox. I loved the premise of two sets of best friends going on a trip together. I loved the simple-at-the-start idea of Joy finally deciding to declare her long-standing romantic love to Malcolm. And I loved watching how the trip turned what seemed like a simple “Joy gets her man” theme into a more delicate and nuanced trip of self-discovery.

The book opens with Joy expecting to be invited to a special weekend with Malcolm (she knows this because she and Malcolm are also coworkers in addition to best friends and she basically wrangles his schedule). This immediately seeds the idea and hope that she and Malcolm get together. I thought it was fun that Kann includes a few references to My Best Friend’s Wedding a few times early on, drawing a few parallels there, but also serving as sort of a warning about Joy going too far. Joy may want Malcolm to love her back, but she’s not willing to completely sabotage Malcolm’s weekend with Summer if Malcolm has truly fallen in love (again) with someone who isn’t Joy. One reason Joy is wary just telling Malcolm how she really feels is because Summer is different from Malcolm’s past loves. Specifically, Joy never even knew about Summer until this trip. I liked the extra layer of “something is different this time” Kann conveys by having best friend Joy out of the loop where Malcolm’s newest romantic partner is concerned. Overall, it was fun for me to balance my desire to see Joy to get what she so clearly wanted (Malcolm) with her desire that she also not be That Girl who will destroy anything to get her own way.

Most of the action in the book focuses on the weekend trip Joy, Malcolm, Summer, and Fox go on. The whole weekend is just four days of relaxing in a luxury cabin, but the character-driven story really helped me feel like I got to know these characters. We see time and again just how close and supportive Joy and Malcolm are. Knowing that Joy hates any kind of camping, Malcolm bought her specific gifts to make her time in the bougie wilderness more enjoyable. We also got to know Summer and Fox. Although Summer was a clear threat to the Joy/Malcolm ship, Fox was a real dark horse when it came to his intentions for Joy. His initial off-page introduction is simply as Summer’s friend who Malcolm doesn’t like. When Joy first lays eyes on Fox, she sees him as taciturn and grumpy. I feel like Joy (and I) were consistently impressed with Fox’s ability to read Joy and respond to her exactly how she wanted/needed, be it catching obscure movie references or appreciating the fine craft of dad jokes.

In fact, one of the best aspects of the book was how Fox offers to help Joy. Specifically, Fox quickly realizes Joy is romantically in love with Malcolm. And Fox is convinced Malcolm returns those same feelings for Joy, but has somehow convinced himself that asexual Joy couldn’t return those feelings for him. So Fox decided he and Joy should fake a friendship/romance to make Malcolm jealous. Joy and Fox enter into this charade with clear eyes and one mission. They just never bank on actually enjoying each other’s company, while also maintaining clear boundaries. At first, those boundaries seem reasonable. Why pour your heart out to someone when you’re both only using each other for mutual gain? But the more time Fox and Joy have together, the less those boundaries are invoked…until someone gets a little too close. Personally, I loved seeing Joy so at the center of attention and building something good and healthy with Fox.

Having two pairs of friends with various romantic and personal connections created a delightful confusion of possibilities. Maybe Joy and Malcolm would find a way to be together–it was certainly the first and most ardently hoped for outcome in the beginning. Maybe Joy would actually fall for Fox–there was no denying that these two had chemistry. Maybe all Summer wanted Malcolm for was to make Fox jealous. Maybe Fox hated Malcolm because he was still in love with Summer. It was like a buffet of possibilities, all framed with the long-standing Joy/Malcolm relationship and the budding Joy/Fox friendship.

For readers who love complex relationships with strong characters, or who love messy love quadrangles, I cannot recommend this book enough. Kann does a superb job giving her characters life, capturing their verve and their hearts, and giving everyone a happily ever after.

A beautiful story about asexuality, platonic and romantic love, and the most amazing grumpy x sunshine pairing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

Joy’s in love with Malcolm. Malcolm wants Summer. Fox is Summer’s friend. And now Joy is stuck with Fox.

I loved loved loved the asexuality rep in this book. Both Joy and Malcolm are ace, but their experiences are very different, which I really loved to see. Asexuality is a spectrum! Get with the program!

Because of this, do not go into this looking for steamy sex scenes - you will find none. But what you will find is a blossoming relationship that is sweet, understanding, and just wonderful.

Clearly all fictional men named Fox are truly written by women - Fox is absolutely precious, and I adore him just as much as I love Joy.

I really enjoyed this book, and I really hope people will go into this story with an open mind, and understand that asexuality is valid, and exists on a spectrum. Not everyone’s experiences are the same, and that does not invalidate the experiences of other ace folks.

This was such a fun, flirty, fake dating, road trip summer romance featuring Joy, an asexual main character who has been in love with her best friend Malcolm for years but has never had the courage to tell him.

When Malcolm asks Joy to go on a camping trip with his new girlfriend Summer and her friend and ex Fox, Joy has doubts. Unable to say no though, she puts her best foot forward, along the way finding grumpy Fox has a lot more depth than she realized.

I loved the honest conversations about asexuality and desire and learned so much about the ACE spectrum. It was refreshing to have a mainstream romance with a character like Joy. The chemistry between her and Fox could have seemed forced with how little time they knew each other but it came off natural and organic. I think it helped a lot with how open they were about their feelings - a big contrast to how much miscommunication there was between Joy and Malcolm.

Full of heart and humor - I can't wait to read more by this author! Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for my advance review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this so much!!! I need more Ace romance books ASAP!

The Romantic Agenda follows thirty year old Joy. She's been in love with her best friend, Malcolm, for as long as she can remember, but he's never returned her feelings. When he tells her he's met the love of his life, Joy is crushed. Reluctantly, she agrees to a weekend getaway with Malcolm, Summer and Fox. Malcolm has asked her to keep an eye on Fox and this has Joy curious. The more time she spends with the grumpy Fox, the more she likes him.

This book was so fun. I loved being in Joy's head. The way her anxiety manifests was so relatable. Her hyperactivity and effervescence were so much fun to read. Joy made me feel energized every time I would pick this book up. It was so easy to fall in love with Joy and enjoy her story.

I loved that there's two asexual characters in this! We get to see that while both Malcolm and Joy are asexual, that means different things for their attitudes towards sex. Many times it's felt like all ace characters are written the same and they shouldn't be because the spectrum is so vast. But I think as more stories are written that center ace characters and voices, we'll truly see the diversity of the community shine through.

This book was so romantic. I loved it so much. The grumpy and sunshine trope is at it's max in this one and it was so good. I loved watching Fox and Joy grow closer. Fox's grumpiness was so much fun to poke at and I loved how Joy would easily get under his skin. Not only did I enjoy the romance, but I really loved the in depth look at Joy and Malcolm's friendship and how it had evolved to be something that was holding both of them back. I'm glad they took the time to figure out what they needed from each other and how they needed to make new boundaries.

Overall, I 1000% loved Claire Kann's adult debut and I hope she writes more adult romances like this one! I can't wait for her next book.

Rep: Black asexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black asexual cis male side character, white cishet female side character, white cishet male side character, BIPOC female side characters.

CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), panic attacks, cursing, acephobia/acemisia, alcohol consumption. Moderate: discussions of sexual content/behavior, racism. Minor: car accident.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it a bit tough to get into, but once I was, I was hooked. I was a bit unsure going in to this one, because the last book by Kann that I tried to read I ended up DNFing, but then I really loved her debut, Let’s Talk About Love. Thankfully this fell on the loved-it side. It also had my favourite trope of fake dating, so yay for that!

So, the plot is basically Joy is in love with Malcolm, her best friend of 10 years. Malcolm is maybe falling for Summer. They all go for a long weekend away at the lake and Summer brings along her best friend, Fox, to keep Joy occupied while her and Malcolm get to know each other better.

I absolutely loved Fox, he was by far my favourite character in the book. Plus, he shares a name with my favourite TV character ever, so there’s that (I also considered Fox as a name for my third child!). Anyway, I thought that Fox was a really well written character, I liked how grumpy he was, but that he started to show more of himself to Joy as the book goes on. I also really liked how Joy took his grumpiness as a challenge; not to make him happy/not grumpy, but just to get a smile. It was just really sweet. He also was quiet and would take his time to think things through, so he comes across as very thoughtful, even when he’s grumpy.

I also loved how Fox is so accepting of Joy’s asexuality. Asexuality is a vast spectrum, with different ace folks experiencing their asexuality on very different ways. Joy and Malcolm are both ace, with Malcolm being sex positive and Joy not being too sure yet. I like that she was still figuring things out. Fox asks questions about Joy and what she’s comfortable with and that’s it, he just accepts it. There’s no shaming or wanting more than Joy can give. I also liked that even though Joy was still kind of figuring things out, she clearly communicates what her boundaries are.

In the book Joy is a model (as a side hustle) and has quite a large following on the book’s version of Instagram. When that was discussed I couldn’t help but see parallels to Yasmin Benoit, a black aro/ace model and activist. I have been following her for quite a while and I know she gets a lot of flack for modelling lingerie or other “sexy” clothes because she’s aro/ace. People saying she’s being a tease or isn’t really aro/ace if she dresses that way. I really liked all of the discussions in this book around that issue, how Joy wears what she wants to, what makes her feel beautiful or what she thinks looks good on her body. Do allo folks think that just because some folks don’t experience sexual or romantic attraction that they should be dressing in potato sacks??? That dressing is only for other people, to attract other people? That’s pretty fucked up. And also, just because you don’t experience sexual or romantic attraction doesn’t mean that you can’t dress nicely for another person! Society is just so allocentric and over sexualized, when people think this way. It’s so frustrating!

Definitely liked this book a lot and I think it’s important to have books like this out there, and I’m so happy this one is! Allo folks should read this, because, at least for me, the ace rep is really good.

Overall: I loved the representation and fake dating aspects in this one, but what about the long-term?

Pros:
Representation. I’ve been really enjoy Claire Kann’s asexual rep in her books.
Fake Dating. I love a faking dating trope that seems logical. Like who would be a good fit Joy?

Cons:
Long-Term. There is not a real discussion on how this ends long-term.

This book was really well written, to start off. Very descriptive, colorful, and in depth, it came off very entertaining instead of wordy. Ms. Kann keeps the reader involved the whole time in a realistic manner. The character Joy was, well, just that. A joy to read about. From her amazing line of clothing and her eye for detail, as well as her attitude. I would definitely see Joy in some continuing series that I would absolutely read. You felt what she felt in the book. Other characters held their own with some entertaining twists. Ms. Kann did the subject matters of asexuality and bisexuality justice by giving the reader a bird's eye view of both lifestyles. This included very tasteful questions and answers proving everything is on a spectrum. Very well done. I would buy this book along with any other future books from the author. A true delight.

4⭐️


This was such a pleasant surprise. I haven’t read anything by this author before, so I went into The Romantic Agenda with absolutely zero expectations, and I had a great time <3

Joy is one of my favorite book characters I have read in a while. She is unashamedly herself, self aware, thoughtful, and so funny. I was literally smiling and giggling the whole time — I want to be friends with her. I loved following her journey and seeing her growth! It’s so cool to see a black ace woman as a main character in any book 🤍

If you’re expecting a romance… don’t. There is romance here, but I think it takes a back seat to Joy’s internal struggles and friendship complications. The romance is such a nice reprieve from the (irritating) friendship drama, though. It’s so pure and honest and I loved Joy and her love interest together! If you’re looking for low angst (but great playful banter) and great communication between two people who just honestly enjoy each other’s company.. this is it :)

I will say I wish this book was less about Malcolm and Summer. I don’t care about them. I also don’t understand what’s so great about Malcolm that everyone was so obsessed with him. I’d love if this were to become a series so we could get a full romance book about Joy!! Overall such a great time and I would definitely recommend.

This books was super enjoyable and was very insightful on how individuals who are ACE think and have romantic relationships. I really liked the growth of the main character during this story.

The Romantic Agenda was such an engaging read about an asexual character who becomes trapped in a love triangle that I think toes the line between romance and women fiction. While romance is very central to this plot, the novel also contains lots of reflection into the main characters identity as an asexual woman, and how that has impacted her relationships thus far. The writing is witty and engaging, and romantic aspects were enthralling, and I couldn't put it down.

As best friends, Joy and Malcom have faced relationship issues due to their close friendship impeding Malcom's separate romantic endeavors. Joy has been in love with Malcom since she met him, and when faced with the opportunity to confront Malcom with those feelings while taking a stand against his new serious relationship, she packs up to join Malcom, his new girlfriend, and his girlfriend's friend on a vacation. When Malcom tells Joy to keep Fox, the girlfriends friend, company throughout the trip, Joy finds herself drawn to the grumpy, layered man.

The character and relationship building in this novel is amazing. The main character is given tons of depth, and her relationships to each character and her own asexuality are packed with insight and reckonings that I rarely see in romance novels, which is why I believe this book contains cross-over into women fiction.

My only complaint with this novel was that the narration sometimes swerved into repetitive info-dumping about Joy as a character, and sometimes her relationships, which made the book longer than it needed to be. It was sometimes frustrating for scenes that were otherwise very engaging to experience a pace which was slower than what was fitting of the moment. Still, this is a small complaint I had, and i wouldn't want anybody to decide not to read the book simply due to this criticism, as it isn't a huge deal and the book is still amaaaazing🥰 4.25 stars

The Romantic Agenda is the first time that I have read about an asexual character. The representation was wonderful and I think this book is a great addition for the ace community. Joy was a delight to read about, witty and confident. The only thing in this story that I would have changed was the overuse of the “miscommunication” trope. I wanted to tell them to just talk to each other. However, everything else was so well done, this was easy to move past. This is also a great book for strong friendships. Can’t go wrong with that!