A review by victoriapatella
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have never read a romance book like this, and it was refreshing. I related a lot to Joy when it came to hesitance for pursuing a romantic relationship due to the fear of the partner not feeling fully satisfied. I also understand having a person, your person. Someone who understands you so deeply that you don’t believe anyone will ever compare. Someone who you love so much that you feel like any potential romantic partner would always come second to them. I related to this so hard that it was kind of scary reading it because that meant at least one other person also has felt this way. I know I’m going to contradict myself a bit in the next paragraph, but I really appreciated how Joy always spoken her mind, too. She always communicated how she felt, and expected the same in return. She didn’t accept being treated unfairly or having things being left unspoken. I don’t know if it was intentional by the author, but it seemed to me that Joy was on the autism spectrum.

This all being said, I really hate the miscommunication trope. While I do understand using miscommunication to build up angst (and I love me some angst), this miscommunication between Malcolm and Joy lasted the entire book. And I understand it was supposed to be ironic that Joy can clearly communicate with everyone else except Malcolm, but I found the difference too drastic to really be convincing.
When Malcolm and Joy finally have The Conversation, I was still left unsatisfied. I also didn’t see enough of Malcolm and Summer’s relationship to feel convinced they truly belonged together. Maybe that’s the point, but it still felt frustrating to me.
I loooooved Fox though. A boy who is grumpy to everyone except The One? Sign me up. And the silver hair? Absolutely. 

Overall, I really appreciated the ace (and possibly autism) representation, I just wish there was less miscommunication.
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