Name: Sarah Sammis's review of The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
Item: The Romantic Agenda
Rating: 3
Author: Sarah Sammis

Claire Kann

Joy is in love with Malcolm. But Malcolm really likes Summer. Summer is in love with love. And Fox is Summer’s ex-boyfriend. 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?

The Romantic Agenda

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Joy is in love with Malcolm. But Malcolm really likes Summer. Summer is in love with love. And Fox is Summer's ex-boyfriend. 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?

Sarah Sammis

** spoiler alert **
           It's also obvious from their first meeting that Fox is a much better match for Joy. He's not perfect but he's at least aware of his flaws and is willing to learn about Joy. Without pushback from her, he's already respecting her boundaries.

With a clear and positive connection between Joy and Fox, we're left stuck on a trip that neither character wants to be on. We're stuck going through Malcolm's itinerary for the majority of the novel when really what everyone needs, including the reader, is a chance to run away from Malcolm!

The weekend trip should have been a couple chapters max, of a romance where Joy and Fox get to know each other on their own terms. As is, it's unfortunately a slog to read.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...

Abigail

Teeeeeesha

I feel seen. As an ace biromantic, seeing a character who is just as anxious as me experience the same kind of attraction was nothing short of beautiful. It also has a fake dating trope which I love.

Beautiful Ace representation and dealing with the changing nature of relationships and friendships.

There’s a bit of repetitive inner monologue but Joy is working and adapting to so many new things that it’s justified. And Fox. Is. Wonderful. 

It’s a great romance, and so much more. 

Megan BV

This book is gorgeous. 

Beautiful Ace representation and dealing with the changing nature of relationships and friendships.

There’s a bit of repetitive inner monologue but Joy is working and adapting to so many new things that it’s justified. And Fox. Is. Wonderful. 

It’s a great romance, and so much more. 

Latitude Tamarind

CLAIRE KANN BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH AN INCREDIBLE ASEXUAL ROMANTIC COMEDY. It’s Claire Kann! What did you expect? A flop? YOU THOUGHT WRONG. Claire Kann will never disappoint me. Are you asexual? Do you love romance books? You should buy this one. Keep it on your shelf. In hardcover and paperback. Will 100% cheer you up after a rough day. Five stars.

Edited to add: This is probably like, the most useless review I have ever written in my life. Everything’s been rough lately! I really liked this book. I recommend it. You should read it. I love Claire Kann and everything and anything she chooses to do.

I’m giving this three stars since I appreciated the ace representation, but I found the actually plot to be very boring.

Heather Harrington

thank you to berkley and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

have you ever read a book where a character’s past experiences, inner thoughts, and actions speak so much to your own? that’s how i feel about joy.

as an aspec reader, this book has been such a highly anticipated read of mine and i was downright giddy when i saw that i received this arc. and, can i say, this did not let me down. not one bit. this book speaks a lot on the asexual experience and how, importantly, there’s a vast spectrum. while neither joy nor malcolm’s experiences match perfectly with mine, it was incredible to see. their candid and blunt discussions about their asexuality and how they’ve had to fit into a heteronormative and (often) sex-driven world was invaluable. i especially loved how joy spoke about how her dress and “provocative” actions have nothing to do with sex and sexuality. claire kann did an outstanding job constructing these conversations. also, do i even need to mention how appreciative i am seeing two of the four main characters be black and aspec? no? good. because it’s representation that’s important and absolutely necessary for readers to have.

now, moving on to the characters and plot of this book. none of these characters are perfect people. in fact, they’re incredibly flawed. all of them and in major ways. but, you know what, it’s realistic. they all felt like people i know or might meet in my future. and i think that just shows how well of a job kann did writing these characters. malcolm irritated me to no ends (as i’m sure he was supposed to). summer grew on me in the way she began on joy. and fox. grumpy, precious fox. he was so willing to learn, understand, and work with joy’s boundaries. i mean, the consent! they were constantly ensuring that both of them were comfortable in whatever situation they were in. i know it’s a bare minimum, but as joy touched on in the book, it doesn’t always feel that way as an asexual person in the dating world. overall, i just loved seeing their relationship grow.

genuinely, this was honestly one of the best romances i’ve read in a while and easily a new favorite. the feelings and dynamics between these four characters felt raw and real. don’t go into this expecting a spicy romance. it’s not that. but, it’s beautiful and was so so refreshing to read. i cannot recommend this enough. 

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann