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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the diverse asexual representation in this book! Both Malcolm and Joy showed unique aspects of the spectrum of asexuality. I also loved how autism-coded Joy is, and I really related to a lot of her experiences with being 'too honest'.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Mental illness
millie's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
not bad but also not great? i feel like tye characters are very. um. frustrating i would say? there's an unnerving lack of communication between characters and also we don't learn much about them either i mean learn /things/ but also nothing.
malcolm is the biggest presence in the book and we don't know anything about him.
idk what else to say, i think its very well written, the pacing is okay sometimes jumbled but fine but the weakest point might be characters : a main character who spend more than half the book moning iver someone is quite... i wouldn't use upsetting but it certainly put you in a mood.
lots of good points for ace rep, explaining ace spectrum & having an ace black woman. disconcerted by the absence of secondary queer characters.
malcolm is the biggest presence in the book and we don't know anything about him.
idk what else to say, i think its very well written, the pacing is okay sometimes jumbled but fine but the weakest point might be characters : a main character who spend more than half the book moning iver someone is quite... i wouldn't use upsetting but it certainly put you in a mood.
lots of good points for ace rep, explaining ace spectrum & having an ace black woman. disconcerted by the absence of secondary queer characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Not explicitly a panic attack, but a fear of heights greatly affects a character. No explicit sexual content, but there is open and direct discussion of the possibility of and general topic of intercourse. Racism, religious bigotry, and acephobia are touched on in the briefest of mentions. While not explicitly toxic, the friendship explored is acknowledged as unhealthy.thefatpaperback's review against another edition
5.0
Vacation romance with unrequited love and fake dating trope. Joy loves her best friend, so she fake dates his current crush’s ex to make him jealous. Features ace characters and interracial pairings. Love loved loved this book! It’s a great escape.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Death
decklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
trigger warnings: anxiety and panic attacks, racist microaggressions, acephobic microaggressions, sexual content mentioned, alcohol
Claire Kann writes books that consistently reassure me that I am asexual because for some reason she's able to clearly articulate the mind fog of internal doubt and questioning and curiosity that comes with being ace but living in a world that is so sex inclined.
Joy was a pleasure to read about. Her struggles with being in love with her best friend were painfully raw yet her ability to reason with herself were uniquely honest and confusing. I also loved Fox and his calm, grumpy way of worming his way into Joy's and my heart. What a simp of a man. Nary a chapter from his POV yet you could FEEL him falling for her hard.
Undeniably an incredibly unique and loving romance.
Claire Kann writes books that consistently reassure me that I am asexual because for some reason she's able to clearly articulate the mind fog of internal doubt and questioning and curiosity that comes with being ace but living in a world that is so sex inclined.
Joy was a pleasure to read about. Her struggles with being in love with her best friend were painfully raw yet her ability to reason with herself were uniquely honest and confusing. I also loved Fox and his calm, grumpy way of worming his way into Joy's and my heart. What a simp of a man. Nary a chapter from his POV yet you could FEEL him falling for her hard.
Undeniably an incredibly unique and loving romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Acephobia/Arophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
vaniavela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thirty, self-confident and asexual Joy has been secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm for a decade, but confessing it has never been in her options. When he unexpectedly announces he's met the love of his life and invites her on a group getaway, Joy decides it's her last chance to show him exactly what he's missing. But maybe Joy realizes that her crush is making her lose sight of other things, or other people?
I loved the representation. I am not part of the asexual spectrum, but I understand there are many ways people within the spectrum live. I love that we have two black asexual characters who experience asexuality very differently; neither way is better than the other, we should stop invalidating them. I loved seeing this theme foregrounded, especially when Summer, Malcolm, Fox and Joy have the conversation about asexuality. It was nice to see Summer and Fox calmly work to understand about this topic without being offensive or invalidating any of them.
The grumpy/sunshine trope is at its best and I loved it. I loved Fox and Joy's approaches. Fox's grumpiness was so much fun to read and I loved how Joy's personality put him over the edge in certain scenes. The way the consent aspect was approached is also great. Both characters take the time to figure out what each is comfortable with, and this is an excellent example of how consent in a romantic relationship doesn't take the romantic or sexy element out of it. I loved the conversations they had about each other's boundaries and the trust they were building.
As far as characters go, I loved Fox. He's a grumpy looking guy but has the kindest heart. Summer was a literal sunshine, her personality extremely bright and always cheerful. I found her somewhat annoying at times, but it's not personal, so much cheerfulness in one person tends to tire me out. Joy was self-confident and loves herself. She loves the way she is, and recognizes her beauty and talent. I love reading female main characters who love each other no matter what the world thinks. We really need more strong black female main characters. Malcom was difficult to read. He was very controlling about schedules and didn't give others freedom to do what they wanted because if they moved the schedule one minute, he would get upset. Also, not telling Joy about the girl he has been seeing for months, nor any of his other friends, was something that made me feel bad for her. She was supposed to be his best friend; more than half the book we see how he brags about her everywhere, why couldn't he open up to her about all that?
As for negative aspects we have the following. In general, all these characters need therapy. Please go to a session. Another aspect is the timeline. The story literally takes place over the course of a few days, and in that time too many things happen. A problem that occurred due to 10 years of miscommunication solved in five days ? Plus I expected more from the ending. This is one of those types of books where I needed an epilogue with scenes of the characters months or years later. I didn't get it, but I'm not entirely complaining.
Definitely read this if you're looking for a book with asexual representation, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine trope, a self-confident protagonist, and constant puns.
Rep: Black asexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black asexual cis male side character, white cishet female side character, white cishet male side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Major: Mental illness (anxiety), panic attacks, cursing, acephobia, alcohol consumption. Moderate: discussions of sexual content/behavior, racism. Minor: car accident.
I loved the representation. I am not part of the asexual spectrum, but I understand there are many ways people within the spectrum live. I love that we have two black asexual characters who experience asexuality very differently; neither way is better than the other, we should stop invalidating them. I loved seeing this theme foregrounded, especially when Summer, Malcolm, Fox and Joy have the conversation about asexuality. It was nice to see Summer and Fox calmly work to understand about this topic without being offensive or invalidating any of them.
The grumpy/sunshine trope is at its best and I loved it. I loved Fox and Joy's approaches. Fox's grumpiness was so much fun to read and I loved how Joy's personality put him over the edge in certain scenes. The way the consent aspect was approached is also great. Both characters take the time to figure out what each is comfortable with, and this is an excellent example of how consent in a romantic relationship doesn't take the romantic or sexy element out of it. I loved the conversations they had about each other's boundaries and the trust they were building.
As far as characters go, I loved Fox. He's a grumpy looking guy but has the kindest heart. Summer was a literal sunshine, her personality extremely bright and always cheerful. I found her somewhat annoying at times, but it's not personal, so much cheerfulness in one person tends to tire me out. Joy was self-confident and loves herself. She loves the way she is, and recognizes her beauty and talent. I love reading female main characters who love each other no matter what the world thinks. We really need more strong black female main characters. Malcom was difficult to read. He was very controlling about schedules and didn't give others freedom to do what they wanted because if they moved the schedule one minute, he would get upset. Also, not telling Joy about the girl he has been seeing for months, nor any of his other friends, was something that made me feel bad for her. She was supposed to be his best friend; more than half the book we see how he brags about her everywhere, why couldn't he open up to her about all that?
As for negative aspects we have the following. In general, all these characters need therapy. Please go to a session. Another aspect is the timeline. The story literally takes place over the course of a few days, and in that time too many things happen. A problem that occurred due to 10 years of miscommunication solved in five days ? Plus I expected more from the ending. This is one of those types of books where I needed an epilogue with scenes of the characters months or years later. I didn't get it, but I'm not entirely complaining.
Definitely read this if you're looking for a book with asexual representation, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine trope, a self-confident protagonist, and constant puns.
Rep: Black asexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black asexual cis male side character, white cishet female side character, white cishet male side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Major: Mental illness (anxiety), panic attacks, cursing, acephobia, alcohol consumption. Moderate: discussions of sexual content/behavior, racism. Minor: car accident.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Car accident
shaipanda's review against another edition
I had very mixed feelings on this one - much more so than on Let’s Talk about Love which is one of my favoritesss.
Anyways I love Joy and Fox but I still can’t decide how I feel about Malcolm exactly - I think I like the way it ends up playing out based on the character development but it’s definitely a book with complex characters and character dynamics
Anyways I love Joy and Fox but I still can’t decide how I feel about Malcolm exactly - I think I like the way it ends up playing out based on the character development but it’s definitely a book with complex characters and character dynamics
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
kylieqrada's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 ⭐️s. Vibes. Just... vibes. JOY IS MY BLACK ASEXUAL GODDESS AND SHE MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME. This book is so important and you need to read it. I had minor authorial voice/pacing issues with it, but they pale (PALE I SAY) in comparison to how much I love seeing an adult ace romance. I feel so seen its painful. READ THE THING.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident and Panic attacks/disorders
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I loved this so much!!! I need more Ace romance books ASAP!
The Romantic Agenda follows thirty year old Joy. She's been in love with her best friend, Malcolm, for as long as she can remember, but he's never returned her feelings. When he tells her he's met the love of his life, Joy is crushed. Reluctantly, she agrees to a weekend getaway with Malcolm, Summer and Fox. Malcolm has asked her to keep an eye on Fox and this has Joy curious. The more time she spends with the grumpy Fox, the more she likes him.
This book was so fun. I loved being in Joy's head. The way her anxiety manifests was so relatable. Her hyperactivity and effervescence were so much fun to read. Joy made me feel energized every time I would pick this book up. It was so easy to fall in love with Joy and enjoy her story.
I loved that there's two asexual characters in this! We get to see that while both Malcolm and Joy are asexual, that means different things for their attitudes towards sex. Many times it's felt like all ace characters are written the same and they shouldn't be because the spectrum is so vast. But I think as more stories are written that center ace characters and voices, we'll truly see the diversity of the community shine through.
This book was so romantic. I loved it so much. The grumpy and sunshine trope is at it's max in this one and it was so good. I loved watching Fox and Joy grow closer. Fox's grumpiness was so much fun to poke at and I loved how Joy would easily get under his skin. Not only did I enjoy the romance, but I really loved the in depth look at Joy and Malcolm's friendship and how it had evolved to be something that was holding both of them back. I'm glad they took the time to figure out what they needed from each other and how they needed to make new boundaries.
Overall, I 1000% loved Claire Kann's adult debut and I hope she writes more adult romances like this one! I can't wait for her next book.
Rep: Black asexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black asexual cis male side character, white cishet female side character, white cishet male side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), panic attacks, cursing, acephobia/acemisia, alcohol consumption. Moderate: discussions of sexual content/behavior, racism. Minor: car accident.
I loved this so much!!! I need more Ace romance books ASAP!
The Romantic Agenda follows thirty year old Joy. She's been in love with her best friend, Malcolm, for as long as she can remember, but he's never returned her feelings. When he tells her he's met the love of his life, Joy is crushed. Reluctantly, she agrees to a weekend getaway with Malcolm, Summer and Fox. Malcolm has asked her to keep an eye on Fox and this has Joy curious. The more time she spends with the grumpy Fox, the more she likes him.
This book was so fun. I loved being in Joy's head. The way her anxiety manifests was so relatable. Her hyperactivity and effervescence were so much fun to read. Joy made me feel energized every time I would pick this book up. It was so easy to fall in love with Joy and enjoy her story.
I loved that there's two asexual characters in this! We get to see that while both Malcolm and Joy are asexual, that means different things for their attitudes towards sex. Many times it's felt like all ace characters are written the same and they shouldn't be because the spectrum is so vast. But I think as more stories are written that center ace characters and voices, we'll truly see the diversity of the community shine through.
This book was so romantic. I loved it so much. The grumpy and sunshine trope is at it's max in this one and it was so good. I loved watching Fox and Joy grow closer. Fox's grumpiness was so much fun to poke at and I loved how Joy would easily get under his skin. Not only did I enjoy the romance, but I really loved the in depth look at Joy and Malcolm's friendship and how it had evolved to be something that was holding both of them back. I'm glad they took the time to figure out what they needed from each other and how they needed to make new boundaries.
Overall, I 1000% loved Claire Kann's adult debut and I hope she writes more adult romances like this one! I can't wait for her next book.
Rep: Black asexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black asexual cis male side character, white cishet female side character, white cishet male side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), panic attacks, cursing, acephobia/acemisia, alcohol consumption. Moderate: discussions of sexual content/behavior, racism. Minor: car accident.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, Cursing, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free advance copy of this book.
- Hi, let's have some queer screaming about THE ROMANTIC AGENDA! Two Black asexual characters who experience their asexuality differently! Grumpy/sunshine! Forced proximity! A dash of fake dating! So many feelings!
- I think this book might not be for everyone, given that almost nothing happens except these four characters trying to work through years of tangled thoughts and feelings. But I absolutely loved it. I loved Joy being proud of her identity, and calling people out when they were being ignorant or making her explain herself rather than learn it for themselves.
- I loved that given that Joy doesn't experience physical attraction, this romance novel was less focused on the characters' bodies and more about finding other ways to show your deep feelings to your partner. And I loved how quickly Fox learned how to show his affection while keeping Joy comfortable.
- I'm so glad Kann has made the jump to adult novels. It's tempered the quirkiness of her women characters, but don't worry, the wit and pop culture references are still there.
- Hi, let's have some queer screaming about THE ROMANTIC AGENDA! Two Black asexual characters who experience their asexuality differently! Grumpy/sunshine! Forced proximity! A dash of fake dating! So many feelings!
- I think this book might not be for everyone, given that almost nothing happens except these four characters trying to work through years of tangled thoughts and feelings. But I absolutely loved it. I loved Joy being proud of her identity, and calling people out when they were being ignorant or making her explain herself rather than learn it for themselves.
- I loved that given that Joy doesn't experience physical attraction, this romance novel was less focused on the characters' bodies and more about finding other ways to show your deep feelings to your partner. And I loved how quickly Fox learned how to show his affection while keeping Joy comfortable.
- I'm so glad Kann has made the jump to adult novels. It's tempered the quirkiness of her women characters, but don't worry, the wit and pop culture references are still there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident