Loved this one. I'm a sucker for stories about life not going the way you planned. Because it's not how life really goes. This one made the book that more relatable and realistic.

Cute, cute, CUTE! It’s funny, it’s happy, it deals with some serious issues so it’s not TOO happy, it has great leads and an amazing cast of characters who all require their own books. Light and sweet.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was an interesting one! Leah accidentally witnesses Eli's heartbreak when his proposal winds up with a break up. Then months later, she is unwillingly pulled into his sister's plan to turn Eli into the man his ex would love... while Leah doesn't need to think he needs to change at all. As they work through the list, romance blossoms, and Eli's perspective changes. I enjoyed this one, although I found myself getting frustrated with Eli's character a lot, and I wish he was more developed rather than being all about his ex. It also isn't a rom com itself, despite the title, which threw me off. It actually felt a tad more like women's fiction. It was sweet, but I wish we saw a little bit more of the romance between the characters and less of the pining. But that's a me problem!
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

What a cutie book! What’s not to love? Friends to lovers, found family, romcom galore? So many good things! This book is perfect for those who love classic romcom movies and the warm fuzzy feeling you get from them. Looking forward to reading more from this author! 😊

Absolutely adorable. This friends to lovers romance hit the spot for me big time. Eli and Leah were perfect for each-other and all of the romance movies and references were impeccable. Absolute must read for romance lovers. A cozy read for winter!

Thanks St Martin’s Press & Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars from me, bookish bree

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Now let's get into the good stuff -

Being a big fan of rom-coms, this was an instant "I need to read this" choice. While movies were watched and good discussions arose, rom coms are NOT the main focus of the novel. Positives first:

- Cast of loveable characters
- Gets to be rather good the farther along you read
- Set in a small town during the "off season" of tourism
- Sometimes-charming banter, not necessarily between the main love interests

And some things I did not like:

- The beginning is hard to get into
- Had some vocab words that were trying too hard - didn't fit the flow of the story voice
- The interesting stuff came towards the end, especially with Leah's character development
- Eli says "I love you" to every girl he meets apparently
- Major red flags within relationships, not in a scary or abusive way, but obviously flaws are made to be comical
- Time was hard to follow. Some things happened each day, then there would be a jump of a week...? Sometimes two weeks??? CONFUSING

Overall a 3.5 for effort and ultimately getting better towards the end plot-wise

This was a cute rom-com with everything that makes a rom-com enjoyable.

I liked reading about Leah and Eli, and their quirky group of friends. It was a fun read and an enjoyable story.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review.

A romcom for romcom lovers!
Such a cute premise - boy thinks he loves another girl, found family gives him a makeover, boy watches romcoms with new girl, girl and boy fall for each other, and live happily ever after.
I was really hoping for a complete list of movies to appear at the end because, sadly, I didn't keep a list myself. But lots of references to Love Actually. ❤️
The best part of this story was the careful and loving references to foster care. So many books get it wrong, or romanticize it. But this author gets it just right.

I think this was very cute! It’s not perfect and definitely has some elements that I did not love; but, overall, it was sweet and fun to read. A slow burn romance and found family just feels so comfy and warm on a cold day.

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc!

This book is not one for the hater of tropes and pop culture references. The Rom-Com Agenda is chock full of references to all kinds of romantic movies from the last 40 years, Harry Potter, and Gilmore Girls. While that will definitely be a turn off to some it absolutely has its charms.

I really enjoyed this book I thought that the romance was well developed and there is nothing I love more in the world then a found family trope (and this is a damn good one). I will say that the middle dragged on just a bit too long for my taste but I laughed and ended this one in a good mood. I think this book also did a very good job of addressing some of its heavier subject matter (grief, parental neglect, illness), with grace and compassion. However, please check for trigger warnings and if you are just looking for a no pain romance this is not that.

I will say closed door romances are not my personal preference I still had a very good time reading this and would recommend it to the rom-com buff in your life.

Thank you to St. Martin Press and Net Galley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eli and Leah are a sweet couple who took a long time to admit their feelings for each other. Although to be fair, it was mostly Eli’s fault! He just couldn’t see what was right in front of him.
After spending months pining over an ex, Eli then spends months agreeing to various makeover shenanigans to try to win her back. These scenes were fun with lovable side characters and nods to favorite old school romcom movies. However, it did drag on for the majority of the book, and Eli showed very little growth along the way.
Leah has spent a year caring for her dying foster mom and is now trying to save enough money to move on. She runs into Eli and the makeover team on one of her various jobs. I found it odd that the town is super small yet they had never met before? Anyway, the whole bunch befriend Leah and rope her into helping with the makeover. She and Eli become friends but never delve too deep getting to know one another. She falls for him and he eventually realizes his own feelings for her.
I wish there had been less time on Eli-pining-for-the-ex and more time on Eli-and-Leah-getting-together. There were a few unnecessary plot points and the ending wrapped up pretty quickly. However, the story is cute, fun, and an adorable friends to lovers romcom.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Loved the throwbacks to classic romcom movies. It was very cliche and slow burn, but I really liked it. Perfect if you like friends to lovers tropes.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for my eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

Everyone loves a good rom-com and this book is no different. From the cover to the name and the story, I was hooked.

A charming take on the makeover trope with romcoms thrown in as well. Leah has had a tragic year taking care of the only person who has been like a mother to her. Once she passes away, Leah gets ready to leave town because she thinks there's no reason for her to stay. Then she overhears Eli asking his girlfriend to marry him. When Victoria turns Eli down, and goes to Italy, he is left trying to figure out how to become the man she wants. Then ensue the hijinks. Eli's family and friends get involved, and they rope in Leah to help him look and act like someone Victoria might want. You can guess what happens next: Eli realizes he loves Leah, and she realizes she has a reason to stay. None of this is terribly surprising, but it's an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was really great! I went into this expecting a pretty standard romcom, but this has a shocking amount of depth. There's such an intense focus on family and personal relationships, it allows for more than just the primary two characters to have some growth and development. That's not to say that the main characters aren't the most important and interesting - they're so compelling and their chemistry is immediately palpable. It's SO good.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for my eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

This was sadly a DNF for me. It was super hard for me to get into and in the end I just couldn’t keep going with the lack of awareness Eli had. His constant pining for his ex just had the whole plot falling flat for me.

This one gets 2.5 (rounded to 3) ⭐️‘s from me.

This book has the found family and friends to lovers tropes. As a rom com lover, I knew that I had to read this book as soon as I read that the hero gets a rom com makeover. I really enjoyed the author’s writing, the many discussions about all of my favourite 80s and 90s rom coms, and the meddling side characters who stole the show.

This book was phenomenal. I quickly became captivated by these characters and their stories. I can't wait to read something else from this author.

This book is so good! If you love reading slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance books then I highly recommend reading The Rom-Com Agenda!

Eli has just been dumped after proposing to his girlfriend of 4 months, so his sisters are convinced a makeover and some education via classic romcoms will help win her back. Also helping with his make over is Leah, who has recently lost her foster mom and is trying to find where she belongs. The Rom-Com Agenda is a very endearing read. I do wish less time was spend with Eli pining for his ex because it makes his feelings for Leah feel more abrupt. He’s compared at one point to Romeo and I think that’s apt, he’s really in love with love and I would’ve loved a little more growth from him. I did enjoy the family dynamics though and the love his sisters have for him and the stories they have scattered in. Leah is a great heroine too, she’s resilient and brave and I love how she builds to let people in and become vulnerable. I loved the ode to rom coms and the build up for Leah and Eli getting together was was really sweet. Their friendship felt so natural, and I adored the honesty Leah had with Eli. The dialogue was smart and the writing was engaging. It’s a sweet rom com.