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A review by vaniavela
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
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