I really enjoyed the found family trope and the friends to lovers trope that's what enticed me to this book to begin with. However, I found this book to be quite disappointing. As the book progresses, Leah went on to heal herself which was very believable, however Eli was just so obsessive over his ex it just got irritating after a while and quite nauseating. I didn't really notice their chemistry or their banter. That just didn't do it for me. I did enjoy the friend group that made up for it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker is a charming romantic comedy with a friends-to-lovers trope.

Story Recap:
Leah Keegan has spent the past year nursing her foster mother with a terminal illness. Now that she’s passed, Leah is working several jobs to save up enough money in order to be able to leave town.

Eli Masterson always believed that Victoria is the woman for him. But, when she leaves to spend a year in Rome, he is determined to win her back. His sister and her friends enlist Leah to help them transform Eli into the man for Victoria. Leah thinks Eli is fine as he is but helps him anyway.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this sweet romance and all the rom-com movie references. I liked the Gilmore Girl references too. Eli nicknamed Leah, Kirk because she has so many jobs and seems to be everywhere at once, just like Kirk from The Gilmore Girls. I liked Eli’s sister and friends and how they rallied around him to help him, and how they pulled Leah into their group. And I liked Leah, she spent an entire year helping her foster mother, who wasn’t particularly good to her,

What didn’t work for me was Eli. His single-minded determination to win over Victoria’s heart was tiring. She made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him, but he still insisted they could work out as a couple. And his willingness to change himself in order to please her was just a bit too much for me.

I did like that Eli’s ex, Victoria wasn’t an awful person. I liked that she knew she wouldn’t fall in love with Eli and she tried to let him know that they were not meant to be. It was Eli, who couldn’t handle the rejection. Overall, this was a fun and light book that I enjoyed.

Recommendation:
I recommend The Rom-Com Agenda to anyone who likes romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5 stars

Eli’s girlfriend Victoria just broke up with him on her way to Rome and he’s under the impression that she is the love of his life. Eli’s friend group helps him figure out what went wrong and how he should change to get her back. Leah is recruited to help with the makeover. Somewhere along the way, Eli realizes that maybe Victoria isn’t the one and Leah is.

While I do like the found family and friends to lovers tropes, this book just fell a little flat and boring. Eli and Leah had little chemistry even though they were constantly pushed together by his friends. Eli was so back and forth about Victoria for much of the book until that one moment and then he decides he’s falling in love with Leah. The plot was a miss for me. The found family trope was a bit forced though I did like the friend group.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. The Rom-Com Agenda comes out Jan 10, 2023.

Rom Com Agenda by Jayne Denker
Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Leah works a multitude of jobs and is struggling with the aftermath of her foster mother’s death. Eli is in love with his ex and would do absolutely anything to get her back, including changing his physical appearance and undergoing an education of the classic romantic comedy movies.

The synopsis kind of reminded me of a gender-bent She’s All That, which is problematic but if you don’t take it seriously, could be done well. The book has “rom com” featured in the title. So I expected this to be a more lighthearted and fun read. It was not. It was heavy and kind of depressing. Eli is so consumed by the prospect of getting his ex back. He is clearly experiencing depression and his friends and family are of absolutely zero help. In fact, they come across as teenagers because despite thinking Eli’s ex is no good for him, they think a change of appearance can help him win her back. From Eli’s feelings to his friends' reactions everything felt superficial and forced.

His friends thrust him into situations and Leah happens to tag along. Eventually she is incorporated into the friend group. I was over 20% into a book and Eli and Leah were only just having their first meaningful conversation and there was nothing that made me think “these two have to get together.”

I DNF’d at 30%. I just didn’t have any reason to keep turning the pages and, as it gets closer to the end of the year, my patience with books I’m not enjoying becomes all but non-existent. I didn’t want to know more about the characters, I didn’t think any of the attempts at punchy dialogue were funny (in fact the pop culture references were delivered in a manner where I imagined crickets chirping) and the “slow-burn” had no momentum. I’m talking no crumbs or small speckles of hope.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Rom-Com was light in both columns for me, but it was well written with chuckle out moments, great character development, and unexpected moments. It’s not a predictable story—it’s a unique closed door romance.

I really loved reading The Rom-Com Agenda. I liked all the characters in the book and loved the two main characters they felt real and very relatable to and I enjoyed their dynamic. They were both so well written and I really thought the dual POV added to both of their stories loved seeing how the two of them evolved over the course of the story. This was an emotional but not overly and felt more like a cozy winter romance and the movie references for sure added to the fun. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute read with some moments that actually made me lol. It was dialogue heavy which is not usually my favourite style of writing but I did not mind it much. I liked the two leads Eli and Leah and the easy, likeable chemistry they had. A wild and crazy friend group that added to the colour of the book as well. I did think it took too long for Eli to let the Victoria thing go but I was still rooting for him and Leah to work out, 3.75 ⭐️ rounded up)

Overall this book was enjoyable. There were some things I loved. Like how Leah came from the foster care system and found a family amongst friends. Very heartwarming. I loved all of the Rom-Com movie references! However it was the MMC Eli that I struggled with. Like how could he not see how wonderful Leah was!?!?! Also, some of the scenes were kinda long and drawn out.

I feel like this book had great potential. And I did enjoy some aspects of it. But something was kinda off.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[5 stars, not because it's my favorite book ever, because this isn't my typical genre, but because I felt like it did exactly what it set out to do and I didn't feel like it was missing anything]

“You’re a hopeless romantic and an incurable optimist. Uh, usually.”

The Rom-Com Agenda is pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be— light, funny, no twists or turns, happy ending.

It’s the classic: Girl witnesses Guy getting dumped. Guy becomes depressed and goes on a makeover mission to get his lover back. Girl becomes involved in the makeover process. There’s a cat, a fireplace, and a long wait for Guy to realize Girl is the love of his life. A moment of uncertainty to prove himself. And Boom. Guy and Girl are in love.


I was having a hard time picturing the characters a bit. I think I’d like to see this one as a movie.

As best as my brain could do, I picture Guy (Eli) as a mix between Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. Since Girl (Leah) has a pixie cut and I’m currently watching Once Upon a Time, I can’t help but picture her as Ginnifer Goodwin— the Snow White version.


Eli is surrounded by a group of friends that welcomes the family-less Leah into the fold while coaching Eli on his way back to his ex-lover, Victoria… yeah just saying that name and you know she’s not right for him.

Jenna (and her husband Ben who’s kinda just around)- his overbearing and controlling sister who is also a Vice Principal and I’m not sure I can wrap my mind around that one. I kind of picture her like Judy Greer.

Gray- his bisexual friend who is obsessed with working out and owns a gym. “I never joke about getting ripped and you know it.”

Gillian and Delia- “his tough-love and nurturing fairy godmothers, respectively”

Patrick- just the worst.

Fabrizio- Victoria’s new lover in Europe and is not really a prominent or side character at all, but his NAME! My friends had a plastic owl they kept by their pool and we called it Fabriziowl. So I felt compelled to share this.


This would make a good winter read because it takes place in the North Country of New York and there is snow everywhere all the time.

I think my favorite part of this book was that Leah had a million jobs and kept popping up around what Eli or his friends were doing. I immediately thought of Kirk from Gilmore Girls and was affirmed when Eli called Leah that himself. Big bonus points for me!


The main plot thread is that Eli’s friends are trying to change him so that Victoria will take him back.

“He needs to be the whole package by the time Victoria gets back. Looks. Style. Personality. Culture. Knowledge. That’s it… Eli, we’re turning you into husband material.”

How does one do that? Well besides a haircut and new clothes… by watching all the classic chick flicks, of course. He will learn from the best.

So if you like nostalgic references to all your favorite love stories, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. To be honest, I haven’t seen a lot of the movies referenced… is that bad?

“Would someone mind telling me what I’m supposed to be learning from this dude in tight pants on a dance floor?”


I enjoyed this book. It’s a fast read. It’s got pretty good dialogue and banter. It was just what I was expecting and fits the bill of rom-com.

When you read a rom-com, you’re not looking for everything to be realistic or deep and profound. You just want to be entertained and to relive the excitement of new love.


My three critiques are:

- There were two overused words/phrases that annoyed me— ‘Honey’ (every character says this multiple times; there are 30 uses; maybe I’m just not a fan of terms of endearment?) and ‘did, in fact…’ it’s a good phrase if used sparingly, but sticks out like a sore thumb when used too much.

- It got a little dumb how Eli was supposedly still in love with Victoria but would do or say things to Leah that ‘just friends’ definitely don’t do. It made it harder to believe that he was oblivious to his connection to Leah at first or to believe that he cared about Victoria at all. It was like he was trying hard NOT to like Leah, which doesn’t make much sense.

- Patrick is the literal worst. And I can’t fathom why Leah would ever feel like she needed to help fix Cathy’s house. Why would Cathy care what happens to her house, she’s dead. Cleaning and repairing are terrible jobs and if Patrick is a tool, just let him repair everything. I was annoyed by Leah’s compulsion to help. Maybe because I have a very different personality than her but I would never have felt like I owed that. And her friends should have convinced her of that instead of offering to help out stupid Patrick.


In summation, I would recommend this book if you enjoy rom-coms. If you think rom-coms are stupid, you probably won’t like this book.


[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 18 s-words, one sex scene and sex implied toward the end once the characters get together but it’s not graphic]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

Thanks NetGalley!

It is snowy friends to lovers, non spicy, slow burn romance novel.
So even though these are not my buzz words i liked it because characters were likable and it had fun parts.
For the right audience this could be amazing.
Loved the writing style so I’m looking forward to author’s other works.
Give it a chance!

This is a cute winter read. I was reading this with falling snow outside, which definitely helped me get into this winter romance book.
I found the initial circumstances a bit unbelievable, and the characters a little dumb. The characters were well thought out, but Eli had to think “huh I wonder why I think about Leah all the time instead of Victoria” a few too many times before he realized he’s trying to get the wrong girl.
I liked the idea of the book. However, I disliked Victoria, which I guess was the point and I also didn’t really understand the point of Patrick to the story; he felt unnecessary. I feel like the book should have ended at the 75% mark.
I did enjoy the author's writing style and would read another book by her.

I've always been a big romcom girlie so I was sold from the title alone. It was a fun way to take some of the best romcom cliches and give them a twist. I enjoyed following Leah and Eli's slow burn romance, and found myself rooting for them to get together from beginning to end. This is definitely a great book if you're looking for a pick me up or just enjoy reading something to make you smile. I finished this in one sitting.

I was insanely bored reading this and did not like any of the characters. I could not get into the storyline as they all annoyed me. This was not for me but I appreciate the chance to try it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Friends to lovers, found family, slow burn, closed door romance. This book has such great bones! I really wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was just okay for me. There were a lot of fun parts and likable characters though. And I loved all the rom-com movie references. The found-family trope is always heartwarming to read, too.

I think maybe this just wasn't a good fit for me personally, but it was a cute book!

Leah is just trying to make enough money to get away. She does not need any distractions. While working one of her jobs a group of friends come in the show to give Eli a make over. Leah is then roped into the makeover but then develops a friendship with everyone involved throwing a wrench in her plans of leaving. will she be able to leave or will she discover she finally has the family she has been looking for all her life?

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of The Rom Com Agenda. I really wanted to like this book- I really didn’t. I found it lacking enthusiasm. It lacked humor, banter, romance, spice, and memorable characters. It was boring and most of the time I wanted to stop reading so I skimmed (a lot.)
I would not say that this was cheesy Hallmark, it just was not for me.

Leah finds herself overhearing a guy (Eli) asking his girlfriend of a few months (Victoria) to marry him and she turns him down. Eli is distraught and spends the next weeks living like a recluse. His sister and friends decide he needs a makeover if he wants to win Victoria back when she returns from Italy. Leah has been struggling as she had returned to the town to take care of her foster mother who was dying of cancer. Since Cathy's death, Leah's plan is to save money to leave town ASAP. She works several part-time jobs and gets a front row seat to some of the makeover of Eli. A friendship between Leah and Eli forms and turns into more but Eli isn't ready to abandon his desire to get back together with Victoria. Good story. I would definitely read more by this author.

Leah is a woman living in Willow Cave after taking care of her dying foster mother. She is trying to save enough money to leave town and overhears a conversation between a man and woman, where the man is confessing his love and proposing. He gets turned down.

Later, Leah meets Eli when he comes into her work for a makeover. She befriends his sister and her friends, and the story goes from there. Part of Eli’s makeover is to watch romantic movies, hence the title. They watch a few together and end up falling in love.

This book was just okay to me. The romantic movie watching was cute, but the conflict felt extremely forced and went on for way too long. Clearly this man was not in love with Victoria. Leah also tended to feel pretty sorry for herself and thought she didn’t deserve anything good. No spice in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!*

3.5⭐️ this was super cute! Friends to lovers, found family, sweet (closed door) but with some tension. This is a third person narration which I am usually not a fan of at all, but I was able to easily get past that with this story.

I loved so many of the characters in this book, all of Eli’s friends were all super supportive and funny. I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of points while reading. I did feel like Eli spent too much time stuck on his ex and moving forward with his friends’ plan to win her back while also actively trying to pursue Leah and confusing her in the process. But they were so sweet together and it was really just a feel good book!

I really couldn't get into this, and this close to the end of the year i don't force myself to finish books i dont like. There's just too much of character building but also not enough to make me care. like nothings happened expect each character individuals complain about their problems but i dont care about either of them so i don't want to know anything about them yet. you know?

sorry, just not the read for me at the moment.
i appreciate the opportunity to read in advance