This had a really cute premise and a not very cute execution. Boy gets dumped by girl and spends the time she's away trying to transform into a "better" version of himself via rom-coms and help from his friends. Cute, right?

He spends the whole book trying to win back a girl he dated for four months that doesn't want anything to do with him. He is thoughtless and cruel to the gal who ended up being his girlfriend by the end. I don't have the exact page count but it was over halfway and he hadn't moved on from Girl #1 yet but was kissing girl #2. Girl #2, Leah, only deserves good things.

The writing was find but if this is a series, I'm probably not going to continue. Some of the side characters were cute but I can't deal with a clueless hero like this a second time.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jayne Decker for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

This an adorable rom-com read, perfect for the Valentines Day season of love. What starts as a friendship between Eli and Leah, with the goal of Eli winning back his ex, Victoria quickly seems to turn deeper (maybe before either Leah and definitely Eli realize it). With a cast of fabulous characters in the friend group and fun nods to 80s and 90s rom-com movies, this becomes a delightful read that one could quickly fly through. Now, I hope there will be a book to follow this so we can learn the fate of Gray and Delia's story!

I always love a good rom-com and this book is one that I easily fell for. It easily checks off the list of cliches of romcom like a meet cute, slow burn friends to lovers, a make over and a found family too! It really is the best of best when it comes to the genre.

Synopsis:
"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"
Review:
Firstly, I'd like to thank @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this #gifted ebook.
The premise was really cute: help a guy with a makeover, using classic romcoms, so he can win back his lady.
I just think the delivery was a little lacking. It had all the bones of a great story, just didn't quite get there for me. I think this could actually make an excellent movie.
1 do like the references to all the great romcoms from the 80s, but I really wish that more time had been spent on diving into those and seeing how he made changes based on the information. It was there, but maybe not as much time spent as I would have liked.
Again, as I was reading, I could see this playing out on a big screen and I think it would be fantastic!

DNF @ 37%. My interest waned from the first 5%, which is never a good sign. I found (what I read of) this book to be frustratingly written and full of too many immature, annoying, uncharismatic, unnecessary characters. Unfortunately, it's boring as hell. Eli grated on my last nerve! I wanted to climb through my Kindle and smack some sense into him! Even though Leah is good character with a seemingly solid head on her shoulders, I just couldn't get over my seething dislike of Eli long enough to finish this book. He was so hung up on his very short-term ex that it raised a host of red flags and icks for me. Leah deserves better than Eli. I love the friends-to-lovers trope, but I did not believe for one second that Leah and Eli were friends, nor could they be lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jayne Denker, and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I thought this book was really cute and I loved the dual POV. Lately I've been on a friends-to-lovers kick so this book was perfect! Eli and Leah were characters who I thought played well off of each other and that ultimately led to them being such great friends. And while I do think the whole "makeover" for Eli was a tad drastic - "Never change yourself for someone else." - it worked out in Eli's case just because it meant more time with Leah. Now jumping to Leah, I love that this book created a found family for her. She was a great female main character and she deserved good things going her way.

Unfortunately, I think parts of the middle could've been cut because it started to lose my attention. It was just more of the same thing: oh we like each other - oh wait Eli still wants Victoria - oh wait just kidding he doesn't want Victoria - now he wants Victoria again. I honestly thought about skimming to the end but in hindsight I'm glad I didn't because then I wouldn't have seen the whole fiasco with Patrick, who I think we can all agree SUCKED.

Hoping we get a Delia & Gray book in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for and ARC of this book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was SO cute! There was so much pining and simmering feelings throughout, I was very giddy the entire time! I loved all of the romance movie references and the small town setting. The Rom-Com Agenda was a wonderful read all around.

Read if you like:
💜 Found Family
💜 Friends to Lovers
💜 Self- acceptance
💜 Fake dating
💜 Slow Burn
💜 Great Friend Group
💜 Makeovers Gone Wrong

This one was so swoon worthy and cute! I had all the things and was a perfect rom-com. I love how it had so many things that felt like an ode to the early 2000’s Romcom era as those movies are the peak of Romcom movies in my opinion and will never be topped.

This one also has well developed characters and supporting characters that help bring this story together!

If you are looking for a slow burn, cute romance with all the throwback vibes I highly suggest checking this one out!

I received an e-galley of The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Small town romance, second chances at life and love, a makeover and a list of must-watch romantic comedy movies. This combination that makes up Rom-Com Agenda was the perfect winter holiday light romance read that I was looking for. I really enjoyed the dynamics of the characters in this story aside from the main characters. I also thought that the makeover for a guy who is going to extreme lengths to win back a girl was such a fun and new take on the whole makeover plot. There was also some great conversations about the lengths we go to for love - and whether it is truly love if you need to completely change who you are in order to fit into someone else's life. I enjoyed this one.

The idea of this book was cute, but the execution was very "meh" for me. The plot was not linear- the author kept introducing ideas and topics and not going into detail, just to bring up the topic again 5 chapters later. For example- Leah's childhood and time with her foster mom, and her foster moms passing were a main topic of discussion in the book. But by the end of the book, I still felt I knew nothing about Leah's past and childhood.

And the theme of Eli pining over his ex-girlfriend, it just got so repetitive about how much he loved her, with very little detail of their past together, or any memories or flashbacks.

And Eli and Leah's developing relationship- there was no build-up, no spark, just all of a sudden they liked each other. As told from dual perspective (something I liked about the book!) they both liked each other- never mentioned why, no spice, no relationship building- but at about 25% into the book they just liked each other. And Eli still just kept whining about his ex.

I did, however, enjoy the characters. Leah was strong and independent, and I loved seeing her make friends with Eli's friend group, who were great additions to the book. And I loved the pop culture references.

This novel was really sweet and cozy. I absolutely loved the movie references throughout along with the movie worthy makeover montage.

The aspect of found family was heartwarming. I felt I ended up more invested in the side characters though versus our main couple of Eli and Leah. I didn't initially buy into their chemistry but like a slow burn, it built over time for me.

The premise of “The Rom Com Agenda” was cute which is what initially made me what to give the book a try, however I sadly did not enjoy it.

There certainly were part of the book that were fun to read, but Eli pinned over his ex too much for me! I liked the 90s references and some of the dialogue, however most of the book fell flat.

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker could be and should be a breakout romantic comedy read of the year! I feel a movie coming on!! This was such a cute and fun book. This rom-com was spot on and had me in stitches with its comedic writing. I loved the characters and everything they brought to the table. As an avid rom-com, romance reader, this one definitely surpassed all expectations. LOVE IT! I'm looking forward to more reads from this author!

Thank you to St Martins Press for the review copy of The Rom Com Agenda. There was a lot to enjoy with this read, a lot of delightful connections to tropes many of us love and solid rom com movie references, which I enjoyed. For me though somehow the story didn't get up and going for me, it felt flat despite so much I wanted to love in this book. It's a fine read and escapist fun but I think what I didn't like was Eli's enduring pursuit of someone clearly not interested in him, it felt a little uncomfortable for me especially for an adult (as compared to a younger character learning to manage relationships and rejection/first love). There were a lot of fun moments but perhaps that underlining disconnect for me, and some dialogue that felt stilted, kept this as a like but not love book for me.
I do think it is a fun read and that I would look to see what this author has in the future. This might work better as as well as an audiobook with a narrator who can bring the dialogue to life in an engaging way.

Eli thought he’d met the love of his life in Victoria…so much so that he professes his love and makes a semi-proposal before she is set to jet off to Rome. Things don’t go according to plan, leaving him crushed. Months later a plan is set in motion to help remake Eli into a man Victoria can’t resist. Leah, who was witness to the unfortunate failed proposal, gets caught up in helping with Eli’s makeover. While at times it was a bit frustrating that Eli was so blind to what would truly make him happy I guess sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of Jayne Denker’s The Rom-Com Agenda.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R21Q3B43GLDEWW/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I really enjoyed this book.
Things I loved:
There was no third-act breakup. The characters were very mature, communicative, and trusted each other.
Their relationship built over time; it wasn’t an insta-love connection. I loved how they got to know each other through friendship before they took the plunge into a relationship. Although I do think it took a tad too long for that change in their relationship.
The found family between Leah, Eli’s sister, and friends. I liked that those relationships developed before and outside of Eli, which made it so much better because they saw her and got to know her before she became anything to Eli.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this eARC!

WHAT I LIKED:
Leah was really likable and a great heroine. I loved her sweetness, her heart, and I love a heroine with a pixie cut!

This book had great found family and I adored all of the pop culture movie references.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
This plot seems really cliche and overdone. I didn't like that Eli's family and friends forced this many changes on him. Eli himself was difficult to like. He was a very wishy-washy hero. I like a nice-guy, but Eli needed some backbone.

I found this story much too slow. The pace was really lagging after the first 1/3. I think there was a lot of really unnecessary scenes that just made the book drag on and on.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG / Kissing and awareness that characters sleep together. Closed Door.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: foster care, past death of parent, past parent abandonment
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.

This was such a cute and fun book. This rom-com was spot on and had me in stitches with its comedic writing. I could literally hear myself laughing out loud! First, Eli was very endearing, I did want to smack him on the head a few times, but I still liked him. I had a great time getting to know his family and friends. The stories they shared and the conversations they had were truly enjoyable. It was nice to hear their background stories and be part of their lively banter. Leah was also a likable character and she and Eli were truly made for each other. It is a clean book, meaning it doesn’t have any smut, but I enjoyed it so much, it was cozy, cute, fun, and everything you need from a chick flick type book. The overall plot of the book is perfect and the romance between Eli and Leah is cute, but since the whole book was about rom-com and what they learned from them I was expecting a grand gesture at the end. Other than that, I absolutely recommend this book and I will need a copy for my shelf.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review 

Review:  ️3 .75 Stars

This book begins with Leah unexpectedly hearing Eli being dumped by his girlfriend, Victoria who is going abroad to Rome for a sabbatical. Fast forward to many months later when Eli was at dinner with his sister and husband when his sister proposed a makeover to win Victoria back as he wasn't over her. Thus begins hilarious moments where Eli gets dragged to a clothing store, and hair salon to get a Mani/Pedi. During this duration, he meets Leah, who is working in many odd-end jobs in these places, and she gets recruited for the makeover.  Eli and Leah bonded over the movies that Eli was assigned to watch to understand what heroes do to win a girl back. 

I did enjoy the movie references to Love Actually, When Harry meets Sally, Dirty Dancing etc, while Eli and Leah bonded over this, the wonderful friendship moments and the sweet tension between Eli and Leah. This book was a light and fun read with a supporting cast who means well and loves to meddle in a sweet way. 

However, there were some parts of the book where it fell flat for me, and there were some draggy moments. The writing was just okay where certain parts felt undeveloped and were missing that spark that would take it from okay to amazing. One main part was how long Eli took to get over Victoria and how he waffled between being sweet to Leah and then would go back to thinking about Victoria. 

I would recommend it if you are looking for a sweet and light read as it will check off all your boxes in a good way. Just a note that while there is some sweetness, and love tension, there is minimal spice and would hit closer to a rom-com read. 

Read if you are interested in the following:
- Small town setting
- Friends to lovers
- Familial and friendship bonds
- A nod to romance movies
- Slow-burn romance
- Quirky female lead
- Sweet male lead

I loved this so very much, it was just so very cute, it melted me completely, I loved both Leah and Eli so much, but I also loved the supporting characters too, they were just as well developed and I love a found family book. It was just such a nostalgic read too, I thoroughly and highly recommend this book to all romance book lovers

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion