A review by bea__reads
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

4.0

In short: this is very authentic ace rep and you should read it!! 💜

I loved Joy. Everything about her and her story felt so believable. I wish she was real so I could be her friend. 🥹

There's this level of fear that comes with watching everyone you love find a romantic and sexual partner, and expecting (waiting) to be sidelined. This was really well explored in this book! Joy goes through it with Malcolm dating as they try to navigate their own close relationship (it's in QPR territory even though they never discuss it). I kinda disliked Malcolm at times but again, he felt like a real person with real flaws. 

Then comes Joy's situation with Fox. I appreciated the way Joy's feelings about sex were handled and how this aspect of her identity didn't mean she was giving less. Just as much value was placed on kissing, hugs, holding hands, etc in a way that was affirming of her aspec identity. Fox accepts and understands her boundaries and I love them together.

Honestly I just felt so SEEN at several points during this book. The asexuality spectrum encompasses a lot of different experiences, and this book is an authentic depiction of ONE of those experiences. I'm sure many ace spec people will find aspects of her story relatable.