Review: The Rom-Com Agenda

I love rom coms (this should shock exactly no one). So, when a novel has rom com in the title? I’m intrigued. I cozied up with Jayne Denker’s The Rom-Com Agenda this winter (it was published on January 10) aaaand…it was fine. It was cute and kept me entertained enough but ultimately? It was just ok.

Here’s the book’s description:

You know how the story's supposed to go... but love makes its own plans.
STEP 1: Find yourself
Leah Keegan is used to being alone, especially after taking care of her sick foster mother for the past year. But now there’s nothing keeping her in the sweet town of Willow Cove. It’s time to move on. Again.
STEP 2: Win back the one who got away
Eli Masterson thought he and Victoria were meant to be together until she decided to jet off to Rome for a year. Eli is determined to win her back. But how?
STEP 3: Become a romantic hero
Changing Eli’s physical appearance is easy, but to turn Eli into the sophisticated-yet-vulnerable ideal man, his girl pals force him to watch classic rom-coms. And take notes.
STEP 4: Fall in love?
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.

A thing I learned (or maybe confirmed?) when reading this book was…I don’t like makeover stories. Usually the person getting the makeover doesn’t actually need it. They’re just trying to change to suit the desires of someone who does not even a little bit deserve them. Maybe it’s just because I’m not in their position but can’t these people see that if someone doesn’t like them for them then…the hell with them? You are good enough. You don’t need to change your clothes or work out more or become more sophisticated. You are great just as you are. That is what I wanted to tell Eli. Also that he was a total idiot and I wasn’t entirely sure Leah deserved him. But Leah was also kind of a knob and her excuses for not wanting to get involved in a relationship were weak. All in all, this was not a great way to start a rom com.

I did enjoy the whole “watch rom coms so you understand women” thing. Even though everyone should realize that rom coms are not at all realistic. If you’re trying to have a romance that you saw in a movie, you’re in trouble. That’s not real life. That is, however, a really great way to hang out with someone you’re interested in but aren’t really sure how to pursue so the tension starts to heat up and that’s fun. I did think the movie watching was going to be a bigger part of the book but it wasn’t, really. Or at least, it wasn’t as I expected. The absolute best part? They had Eli watching Bull Durham which is the best baseball movie. Yes. I said it and I stand by that decision.

I think my favourite things about this book were the big group of friends the reader's introduced to and the setting. Small towns are fun and this one, which is usually busy in the tourist season but pares down to just the locals in the winter, was fun to get to know. The bit at the beginning with the friends realizing that Leah works everywhere was too funny. While some of the friends had their own issues (and I’m sure we’ll see them in future books) and were a bit too zealous in their makeover plans, they were, at their hearts, amazing friends. I was happy to see that and was thrilled when they took Leah under their wing without making it obvious that they thought she needed friends (even though she really did).

All in all, The Rom-Com Agenda was cute and fun but Jayne Denker’s latest book won’t stick with me for too long. Pick it up if you want to meet a fun cast of characters, feel some nostalgia with the rom com movies mentioned, and get a Happily Ever After.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*