Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC.

Main characters: Eli and Leah
Plot: Eli is dumped at the beginning of a promise to his short term girl friend to have something more when she returns from a trip abroad. Victoria leaves for her trip and Eli embarks on a mission to be exactly what she wants upon her return. With the help of his sister, her friends, and a new friend Leah, they attempt to give him the makeover to impress Victoria. Leah is dealing with the recent loss of her foster mother and living in a state of doom as she waits for her foster brother to come and sell the house she cared for his mom in. Overall, it’s a cute story but moves pretty slow at times.

What I loved: Gilmore girls references. Fierce friendships. Self doubt that felt realistic.

I really did love this book. I think it’s cause if hit kinda close to home for me. Especially losing your mom in such a way. I adored both Leah and Eli. I appreciated how independent and strong Leah was and how unafraid Eli was so show his feelings. It was just such a sweet and fluffy book even if it made me absolutely sob my eyes out in a few spots. I will say that there is no spicy scenes in the book if that’s what you’re looking for but honestly, it didn’t need them. I really need a book about Gray and Delia next tho. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that was looking for a light fluffy read.

A love story… that teaches us learning to love and be loved, can come from a community!

Yes, this is a love story between two people! Leah and Eli have a sweet will they/won’t they romance that slowly burns until the final pages of the book. Their story in and of itself is enough to satisfy most readers, but Jayne Denker, takes things a step further. She uses the community of Willow Cove that Leah has stumbled upon, as the true love story. After all, is only with the help of her new friends that quickly become like family, that Leah is finally able to stay in one place and open her heart to love.

This book deals with some heavy topics in particular; mental health, the foster care system, cancer, death, and learning to accept help from others. To say that the main character, Leah, has had a rough life is an understatement. While the topics are weighted, Jayne Denker uses the plot of the “makeover” as a means to lighten the overall tone. What could have been a depressing story is one that runs the gamut of emotions.

An added bonus is there are lots of lovable side character. Denker did a good job of filling out the community of Willow Cove. She created characters that represent different backgrounds and communities.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley.com for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5 ⭐️- This was a really cute book! Eli gets dumped by “the One”, so his sister and friends make an agenda to make him over and teach him how to be the romantic hero. They quickly bring in Leah to help, who starts to fall for the real Eli, despite the fact that she wants to make no real connections in this town— she wants to get out asap. Eli starts to realize (with the help of a LOT of classic rom coms!) that the thing he’s looking for might have been in front of him throughout this whole process. A sweet, easy read, while cheesy and cliche at times, that has an ending that will make you feel warm and fuzzy. A big shoutout to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

THe reverse of how to lose a guy in ten days meet the proposal! We have a character with as many jobs as the small town allows and the guy head over heels for a woman who does not want them. What do we get? A budding romance that we knew would come all along. Leah and Eli are perfect for each other but too stubborn to admit it. A cute rom-com that ties in all the great rom coms before it. Such a fun read but predictable.

I recieved this arc from netgalley , so thank you<3
Eli and leah are both adorkable honestly.
Seeing them fall in love was so cute , I am oh so very jealous.
Is it a bit cliché? Absolutely, it's what makes it great. Also the entire friendship group is so much fun for real. I also love how Victoria wasn't painted out to be this villain, just a wrong person, wrong time kind of thing.
It was a really fun read.

This book is everything I want in a rom-com! Swoon-worthy, funny, and just an overall great time. I enjoyed this book from the very beginning to the last page, and I think this book would be perfect for people trying to get into reading romance novels who haven't tried out the genre yet. For me, it felt like a breath of fresh air!

I dnf'ed the book at 30%. Therefore, my opinion on this book is solely based on the parts I've read.

I was expecting something fun and captivating at the beginning, but this is a bit slow for my taste. I wasn't connecting with any of the characters. The female character seems boring, and the male lead is too much of a pathetic mc for me. The side characters are not as amusing as I hoped. They are a bit irritating.

A sweet and easy read is how I would describe the Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker. The book focuses on Leah and Eli, who reside in a small New York vacation town, Willow Creek, although the story is set in the off season. Leah, as a teen lived in Willow Creek as a foster child, and returned to care of her dying former foster mother. Once her foster mother passes away, Leah focuses on working many, many jobs in an effort to make enough money to leave. At one such job she oversees a painful conversation of Eli’s, who she did not know at the time. Fast forward several months, where she meets Eli, at one of her other jobs, through a makeover his family and friends are giving him. Leah, becomes friends with the group and her and Eli form a connection, leading her to gain a connection to the town and maybe, even a reason to stay. The book includes lots of great movie references, included to provide Eli with an education as part of his makeover.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute. Being from New York made this book more fun because of the upstate setting. I like that it takes place in an off-season tourist town. The relationship between Leah and Eli was very cute. It felt like I was reading the script for an early 2000s rom-com movie!

Cute read! Eli is head over heels in love with his GF. Except, when we proposes he realizes his feeling aren’t reciprocated. Leah, a stranger, overhears this uncomfortable situation. Fast clears to months later. Eli is still pinning over his ex, and his friend/family group, despite their objections, are helping get her back with a “make over” centered around studying rom-coms. During this journey, he meets Leah, and they begin a friendship.

I enjoyed reading about Leah’s backstory (foster care, parental mental illness), as I felt her gave her character more depth. This book has some major nods to all of the classic rom-coms and gives off some major When Harry Met Sally Vibes. I feel as though Nora Ephron would have totally approved of this book :)

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker was the perfect book to ease back into reading more Rom-Com books for me. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely.

The first word that pops into my head when I think about this book is CHAOTIC. Without giving too much away to those who want to pick up this book, you'll go from wanting to shake some sense into Eli to fighting the urge to protect Leah from any harm in a cocoon.

It's a sweet romance novel that is lighthearted, hilarious, heartwarming and does touch a little on the heavy topic of Cancer. I loved every second of it and enjoyed all of the references to beloved movies from the 80s. It made my heart soar.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for early access to this ARC. I can't wait to hear others' thoughts when this book is released in 2023.

As a lover of rom-coms, this book did not disappoint — I loved it! Reminded me of late 90’s rom-com movies (my favourite). Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The Rom-Com Agenda is a sweet heartwarming story of Leah and Eli things in each other they have been searching a long time for. The found family in this is great, it was so nice to see Leah gain that. I love that Eli found the confidence to be his true self. I think fans of Sarah Hogle will enjoy this one. I really wish there was an epilogue in the near future showing Leah and Eli happy and settled.

This is an adorable story! The Rom-Com Agenda takes place in a small upstate New York vacation town during the off season. The town may be quiet but the book is action packed. Eli has just experienced a devastating breakup, and his family and friends are rallying behind him to give him a makeover to win the woman back. Here they meet Leah, the woman with approximately 58 different jobs throughout the town. Leah becomes a friend of the group and helps Eli with his makeover. From their first meeting it is clear they have a connection, and it is really fun to watch the connection grow to love throughout the book.

While this is a lovely and sweet romance, it also has discussion of more serious topics like the foster care system, death, and more. Practically no spice in this one, but still very entertaining and easy to read. I want sequels about the rest of the group and their love lives!

Good story and good characters with interesting issues - not something I've read before. Readers of original plotted rom-coms should enjoy this,

Thank yo St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for The Rom-Com Agenda.

This book is definitely a very slow burn romance with funny moments but that is about it. However, these are 30 something year old characters and they were very immature. I think that the reasoning behind why things were being done, were not the right ones. I'm always the first to say, it is fiction, get over it. But at the same time this book just was not it for me.

I did not like the makeover aspect, I did not like the fact that Eli was just super whiny. Leah is fine, I guess. I just could not relate to the characters at all. It is unfortunate because I truly wanted to like this book since the premised sounded fun and the cover is absolutely beautiful and I love the title, but this one fell short for me.

I feel horrible not giving this book a positive review because this is me having an opinion on someone's creative process and I know that the author probably dedicated lots of time writing this but this is my honest opinion about the book.

I thought this book was cute! The characters are interesting, and it gives very late 90s/early 2000s energy. Though the story felt a little predictable, I think many people would enjoy consuming this book whole.

As a rom-com movie fanatic, I was very excited to begin reading this book but I was left disappointed. The book did not keep me engaged and I had to struggle to finish it. Usually, it does not take me more than 4 days to finish a book however, it took me 20 days to finish this one. The characters act a bit too young for the age they are supposed to be and I tried my hardest to connect with them and the plot but to no avail.

That being said if you are a fan of 80’s or 90’s rom coms and want to read a book loaded with references to the movies we all grew up watching and love, this would be a good read for you!

I would like to extend a special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, who provided me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet romance, with great characters, a makeover (I always enjoy a good makeover!) and references to some of the greatest rom-com movies ever made.