Reviews with content warning for Racism - Jay's Gay Agenda

While the story deals really well with lots of difficult issues, from poverty to racism and homophobia, it didn't exactly make sense to me. 99% of the time, the characters were incredibly immature, like Jay's single-minded focus on hooking up and having sex, but then for the other 1% they consistently displayed amazing emotional maturity around these issues specifically. Definitely gave off the vibe that the author had an agenda (lol) in those moments, even though the characters didn't demonstrate that maturity elsewhere. Done differently, I can imagine it would have made the characters feel fuller, more real, but it just didn't quite pull off to me. I also can't identify with the sex obsession/using people as a means for sex, and that attitude really turned me off. Though, to be fair,

Jay does figure out that it's problematic by the end of the book, so good for him.

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criticalbooks's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

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melaniereadsbooks's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I will say I read this via audiobook, and the repetition of Jay's list at the beginning of most chapters was...very annoying. I feel like if I had read this physically my eyes would have just breezed over those parts.
There was a lot to love about this. Many parts were very funny and super relatable. Others...I was super annoyed with Jay for a big portion. Seems like he intentionally does things he knows will hurt others and then kind of tries to get out of them and make excuses. I didn't love that. I did like some of the other characters though, and the ending was nice!

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bookcrushin's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have very mixed feelings about this one, as an adult reader, I enjoyed it, and I can see how this book could really speak to teens both in a very sex-positive way, and how to avoid the number one way to ruin a relationship -by lying. However, some things were really great, some things weren't, but overall I think this book has good morals and the MC learns from his mistakes and has good character growth.

Content warnings that are not included in storygraph:

cheating but without a DTR (define the relationship) and the virginity talk was very heteronormative for a very gay book.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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

4.25

Jay is about to be a senior in high school, but as the only out gay kid in rural Washington, he feels like he's missing out on so many formative experiences that his classmates are getting. Jay spends most of his time dreaming about his firsts and with that comes his own Gay Agenda. This list is filled with romantic and sexual experiences Jay is determined to experience one day. Then his parents announce that their moving to Seattle--AKA Queer Paradise--and suddenly the things on Jay's list don't seem that far away. But as Jay tries to balance his heart, his hormones and old vs new friends, he gets a bit swept away in it all.

This book was incredibly cute. I loved the tone and how just overwhelmingly positive this whole book was. I wish I had more rom-coms like this when I was in high school. Jay was a relatable and sympathetic narrator. Every time he would call someone a VSB I couldn't help but laugh. It was just too adorable.

My favorite character is Max (she/he), genderqueer gay guide extraordinaire. Max was effervescent. I loved his instant friendship with Jay and just how well they complimented each other. Also I need more genderqueer people in books. 🥺🥺🥺 Then there's Albert, our adorable geeky love interest. I head canon him as demisexual because of how he talks about how he doesn't feel attracted to people immediately it has to grow from an emotional connection. Albert also plays a version of Pokemon Go but called something else and I just loved those scenes SO MUCH.

I loved that this book talked about discussed stereotypes and why even if they are true, they're also harmful. I loved that this discussion was about both queer people and the BIPOC community, specifically the model-minority myth when Albert discusses what he's faced. It was such a good discussion and I want more YA books to have ones like this.

Jay also leaves behind his best friend in Washington. While she deals with poverty, Jay does his best to be there for her, but he doesn't really know what to do. I loved their friendship even though they had a lot of conflict. I loved the way it ended and how friendship was given the worth it deserves.
Rep: white gay MC, Chinese-American demisexual gay MC, Achillean genderqueer side character, drag queen side character, Black boy side character, various other queer supporting characters.

CWs: Emotional cheating/infidelity, sexual content, discussion of racism/racial prejudice, discussion of homophobia/gay stereotypes.

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mezzano's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Jay's Gay Agenda is the embodiment of what queer literature created by queer authors looks like. Jason June creates a sex-positive and affirming story of a gay teen who leaves his rural home of 17 years to the more queer-populated city of Seattle. Along the way, Jay meets a football team that participates in costuming clubs, exciting social situations, and attempts to stay in touch with his best friend back home. The story is enhanced by Jay's unique voice in the story, with his quirks clearly demonstrated in the first person. The other characters who are queer are also unapologetically so, and stereotyping within the community is discussed and addressed in the story. Jay is figuring out where and how he fits in with the world around him, just like the other characters in this story. Simply put: this is a story many queer people would have liked to have as a teenager.

My biggest problems with this book comes down to lack of content warnings before the story and lack of communication between characters within it. This is another book that's problems could be mostly (if not entirely resolved) from honest communication from the start, rather than assumptions. In the beginning of the story, Jay comes off as very self-centered. This is brought up by other characters, and Jay does learn from his mistakes. The only issue is that

Jay's mistakes include infidelity, lying, and then getting upset when the truth slips out

. At times, Jay's decisions can be made out of jealousy rather than good will, such as

when Jay decides not to help out his childhood best friend by entering in his old school's homecoming contest because she was originally going to go with her boyfriend

. Although these decisions did bother me while reading the story, I strongly feel that characters--especially diverse ones--should be allowed to make mistakes and grow from them as long as those mistakes are appropriately resolved.

Unlike other queer and upcoming books I've read this year, Jay's flaws are fully addressed in the story. By the end of the book, Jay is able to take full responsibility for his actions and also appropriately apologize for them. The characters which are affected hear his apology and respond realistically. My personal feelings towards stories where poor communication drives the drama aside, the story is mostly well done. The only other (minor) criticism I have for the book was certain expressions and dialogue seemed a little too forced, as though the author was making assumptions on how Gen Z students actually talk to each other. This was very apparent when

the characters acted out or referenced IPhone emojis

.

Overall, Jay's Gay Agenda is a great addition to the 2021 queer YA line-up. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for letting me have an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. If you are interested in picking up this book, make sure to preorder or go to your local bookstore on June 1st, 2021.

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