Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

8 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative 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? No
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial 

Fake dating was my favorite trope for a while & I hadn’t read any books with it in so long until this one! This also really felt reminiscent of a 90s romcom with the messiness and goofiness of that era, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Joy has loved her best friend Malcolm forever, but when he divulges that he’s found “the one” in Summer, she is understandably heartbroken. Joy and Malcolm met at the lgbtia+ club at school, with him teaching her what asexual meant & her realizing that it described her feelings about sex! Joy always found comfort in the fact that they shared this experience, and sort of closed herself off to the possibility of finding companionship or romance with anyone else. She had become comfortable with her and Malcolm’s dynamic and never questioned it or pondered if she could pursue romance. 

Fox (Summer’s bestie) was a lovely love interest for her, and after they pretend to fall for each other during a weekend away, Joy begins to ruminate on new, surprising possibilities! I loved the build up to their romance and how Fox not only called Joy in (when it came to the unspoken issues she had with her friendship with Malcolm), but he also invited her to consider a life beyond Malcolm. It wasn’t about “oh you just haven’t found the right person,” which is an aro/acephobic thing to assume; it was moreso, “You’re too close to see that he doesn’t feel the way you do, and that’s not okay for him to use you for constant emotional labor.” I am sure there’s a more eloquent way to frame this, but I really admired that Fox was brave and compassionate in presenting this information to Joy. 

This was such a lovely story to read, and I will absolutely be checking out more of Claire Kann’s work! 

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takarakei's review against another edition

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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

3.5

  • ACE main character(s)
  • MC is in love with her bff
  • kind of a blind date set up (sort of)

It was actually interesting to read a nonfiction book about ACE representation (by Angela Chen) at the same time of reading this. I think that really informed my own ability to understand Joy as a main character. This book reminded me of that movie 27 dresses (only in the like pining after someone kind of off limits and then falling for someone unexpected). The pining over Joy's bff was a bit much at times, and while I did really like the eventual ending it felt a bit convoluted. I cannot speak to the ACE representation myself and if it was done well (and every ACE person's experience is unique), but there were many things echoed from the nonfiction read in this book, so it seemed well done to me...

3/5🌶️

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chaoticnostalgia's review

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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

4.5


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stuckinatimeloop's review

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funny informative 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


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rickireadss's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

i loved so much about this!!! i loved how kann used joy and malcolm to show how asexuality is a spectrum and is not the same for everyone. i learned a lot about asexuality in this and just loved that! joy’s character was AH-MAZING!! she was hella confident, hilarious, and just so cool. and FOX?!?! i love that white man 😌 he was so grumpy and every “hmm” he did had me panting like a pavlov dog 🥵🤭 i do wish we had more of their relationship rather than it just being at the end, but i loved everything we got to see at the lake house. i will say that malcolm and summer could just f*ck off. i don’t like either of them - i didn’t hated malcolm more so. 
 
⚠️: acephobia/arophobia, panic attacks/disorders, racism, mental illness, car accident, death of friend, religious bigotry

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elenushka8's review

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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

4.75


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thefatpaperback's review

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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. 


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alliei's review

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funny
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

WTF?? CLAIRE KANN?? THANK YOU?? I'M OBSESSED?? 

The writing style wasn't what I'm used to, but that did not ruin anything for me, AT ALL. 

First of all, Joy?? JOY?? I love her so much i want to crie. She's literally my favorite character so far for all my 2022 reads. Her goddamn humor and just her entire existence was *chef's kiss*. I better not see anyone talk sht abt her or i will start a fight.

And omg FOX AASASSADJE. I can't believe I get giddy over him just saying "Hmm" like wtf?? AND GODDAMMIT HE'S SO SWEET.

He made Joy a flower crown that matches her outfit. I REPEAT. HE MADE HER A FLOWER CROWN THAT MATCHES HER OUTFIT. 

These characters are just so well-written idk what to do. Nobody can ruin this for me. The ace rep was perfect, the fact that it was explained and shown through Joy and Malcolm that it's a spectrum was definitely a touch that I appreciated. Will definitely check out the author's other works. 💗

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