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cats_n_plants_n_cats_n_plants's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.25
bookph1le's review
3.0
This one was kind of tricky for me. On the one hand, I really appreciated the ace representation in it and the subtleties explored within the ace umbrella. Romance novels in general usually don't work for me and I don't tend to read them because I'm not fond of the sexy aspects of them, so I definitely appreciate a romance novel that takes a different tack. I would love to see more books like this and fervently hope to see more and more of them on the market each year. Some minor spoilers ahead.
However, I thought this book often did a lot more telling than it did showing, and that didn't always work for me. I didn't want or need everything spelled out for me all the time and would have preferred to see character interactions do more of the heavy lifting.
I also really disliked Malcolm, which made it hard for me to see why Joy was so into him. I thought he was controlling to a really obnoxious extent, and while the book tiptoed up to this it then dismissed it. In particular, it bothered me that he bought hiking gear for Joy and that she took this as a sign of his consideration. Was it? Or was it a sign of his deciding to steamroll her into doing something she didn't really want to do? I get if you're Type A and like to stick to a schedule, but I found it really disrespectful of him to get upset with the other three when they didn't want to go along with his plans. I was glad to see him get some pushback for this, but I still feel like the book cut him a bit too much slack.
While I mostly liked Joy, she felt a little inconsistent to me at times. Still, I very much appreciated the way the book depicted her anxiety and her tendency to self-criticize. It was nice to see a book dissect this and for Joy to learn from it and begin growing.
I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.
However, I thought this book often did a lot more telling than it did showing, and that didn't always work for me. I didn't want or need everything spelled out for me all the time and would have preferred to see character interactions do more of the heavy lifting.
I also really disliked Malcolm, which made it hard for me to see why Joy was so into him. I thought he was controlling to a really obnoxious extent, and while the book tiptoed up to this it then dismissed it. In particular, it bothered me that he bought hiking gear for Joy and that she took this as a sign of his consideration. Was it? Or was it a sign of his deciding to steamroll her into doing something she didn't really want to do? I get if you're Type A and like to stick to a schedule, but I found it really disrespectful of him to get upset with the other three when they didn't want to go along with his plans. I was glad to see him get some pushback for this, but I still feel like the book cut him a bit too much slack.
While I mostly liked Joy, she felt a little inconsistent to me at times. Still, I very much appreciated the way the book depicted her anxiety and her tendency to self-criticize. It was nice to see a book dissect this and for Joy to learn from it and begin growing.
I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.
leighr16_'s review
I really wanted to enjoy this book, since it sheds light on Blackness, queerness, and asexuality! I sadly did not like the main character in this book, which made it hard for me to enjoy the book overall, since I was meant to be rooting for her! I do think that this book will be for some people, just not for me personally
jo_reads_'s review
5.0
WOW.
I have only given out 9 five-star reviews in my years of reading, and Claire Kann's book The Romantic Agenda just made my 5-star list. When I tell you this book gave me everything I hoped for including the fake dating trope. I wish this book would have gone on forever. The second I finished reading I felt the sadness of letting these characters go. Each one of the characters Joy, Summer, Malcolm, and Fox were all very personable in their own way. This will 100% be one of my recommendations for my friends if they want to fall in love with reading again.
Could not recommend enough.
I have only given out 9 five-star reviews in my years of reading, and Claire Kann's book The Romantic Agenda just made my 5-star list. When I tell you this book gave me everything I hoped for including the fake dating trope. I wish this book would have gone on forever. The second I finished reading I felt the sadness of letting these characters go. Each one of the characters Joy, Summer, Malcolm, and Fox were all very personable in their own way. This will 100% be one of my recommendations for my friends if they want to fall in love with reading again.
Could not recommend enough.
afroditi's review
4.0
Loved the ace representation. One star off, because the character development, was too fast to be realistic.
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
- 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
Joy is tasked with running interference on the guy friend (Fox) of Malcolm’s new romantic interest (Summer) during a getaway where he plans to make things official and gets more than she bargained for. The premise of this book loosely reminded me of My Best Friend’s Wedding, but Joy and Malcolm’s dynamic gave codependency rather than unrequited love. Their respective love interests were really the perfect characters to examine the idea of accepting a HEA that doesn’t have to be a competition if there are proper boundaries in place. The quirky writing style reminded me of Tia Williams.
bookishsystem's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book! I liked the amount of communication and conversations there was about what everyone wanted and laying out boundaries! i enjoyed that it wasn’t a last minute short convo and suddenly everyone is happy and everything is perfect.
It ends a little unsure and rocky relationships but it works and they had healthy conversations about what they wanted! And i loved that there was two asexual characters who were on different points of the spectrum to show how varied it can be!!
It ends a little unsure and rocky relationships but it works and they had healthy conversations about what they wanted! And i loved that there was two asexual characters who were on different points of the spectrum to show how varied it can be!!
jaskween's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jadie_berg's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5