TW: anxiety, panic attacks, acephobia, mention of a past car accident If someone as perfect for me as Malcolm, who feels like my match in every single way, doesn't want me, what possible chance do I have with anyone else? I'm not willing to let my heart get broken over and over again to find out. I'm really scared of getting hurt and being mistreated and getting called broken or worse. Claire Kann, thank you for your service. Truly.I never realised how starved I was for more asexual representa...

We truly need so many more asexual main characters in romance! Joy's and Malcolm's experiences being ace are very different from my own experience, which makes sense, because asexuality is a spectrum, and it's important to have a broad representation of that spectrum. That's also why I want more asexual rep in romance, because there are so many different experiences that deserve to be told.It actually took me a while to get into this book, because there was a lot of conflict and a lot of tension...

Buddy read with EkeneI had the pleasure of hearing Claire speak on a romance panel at the LA Times Festival of Books. The panel was hosted by The Ripped Bodice, a local bookstore in Culver City which I’ll be checking out soon. I mean, come on, I’d go in based on the name alone!I hadn’t read most of the panelists’ books yet, except Casey McQuiston’s, but I bought so many books and am eager to start them. Joy is ace, or asexual, a term I’ve heard but didn’t really know the meaning of. Her best fri...

Okay. Picture this: A rom-com. Nice! you are saying, because everyone loves a good rom-com, or if they don't I don't care to know them. We all need some fluff and love and laughs from time to time.In this rom-com, we have a woman. She is quirky and fun, which are good things to be in life and in books, for the most part. She is also asexual, which is excellent, because asexual rep in rom-coms is roughly equivalent to a day you wake up and think it's Wednesday and it's actually Friday, in terms o...

thank you to berkley and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. have you ever read a book where a character’s past experiences, inner thoughts, and actions speak so much to your own? that’s how i feel about joy. as an aspec reader, this book has been such a highly anticipated read of mine and i was downright giddy when i saw that i received this arc. and, can i say, this did not let me down. not one bit. this book speaks a lot on the asexual experience and how, importa

MORE ACE REP FROM CLAIRE KANN HELL YESI am literally so hyped for this because let's talk about love meant the entire world to me and!! ahh!!! I need this!! also this cover is so pretty!!

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 2.5/5 StarsI'm gonna be real honest and say that I expected more from this novel. Joy is lovely, she's funny and has a great sense of humour which I really did enjoy. The only thing I could not understand about her was her very big and long-lasting crush on Malcom, who I hated with all my being. I just couldn't stand the guy, he was so annoying. In the book we're told that Joy and Malcom have been

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)Relevant disclaimers: nonePlease note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyme...

I don’t think I ever would have imagined a rom-com about an ace main character but I am so glad it exists. Now Joy is not the kind of ace I am but that doesn’t matter, it’s a spectrum and the representation is excellent. The struggle I had with the book was how awful Malcolm was…..Joy spends about 75% of the book deeply in love with Malcom and all he does it treat her like crap. I understand they have a large communication gap that led to some unhealthy patterns, but he was awful to her. The oth...

Say it with me: "Asexuality is a spectrum". Good job. I can already see it in the few reviews that are here but people are gonna come for the ace rep in this but we are not doing that! Stop saying that representation isn't good just because you don't personally relate to it. Asexuality is a spectrum. There are so many ways that asexuality exists and intersects with people's other identities. Just because this asexual representation may not look like your view of asexuality, does not make it bad

look here's hoping this author has bettered the portrayal of ace rep (and character personality) bc I LOVED the debut but looking back I realize it wasn't the best rep . . . OH WHO CARES IT'S ACE REP OKAY I AM HERE FOR IT

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.I loved this so much!!! I need more Ace romance books ASAP!The Romantic Agenda follows thirty year old Joy. She's been in love with her best friend, Malcolm, for as long as she can remember, but he's never returned her feelings. When he tells her he's met the love of his life, Joy is crushed. Reluctantly, she agrees to a weekend getaway with Malcolm, Summer and Fox. Malcolm has asked her to keep an eye o...

This book surprised me in a really good way. I didn’t really know what to expect, reading a romance about an asexual protagonist. I don’t know a lot about asexuality, so I thought that aspect of the book was really interesting to learn about. I know asexuality is a spectrum and not everyone experiences it the same, but I liked learning about this character’s thoughts and feelings. This book hooked me in and I had a really hard time putting it down. It was funny and dramatic and didn’t follow the...

Wow, this was fantastic! I wasn’t expecting to relate to Joy as much as I did, and this book brought up a lot of feels for me (as well as providing some much-appreciated validation of my own asexuality). I adored the scene between Joy and Fox that was intimate and sensual, rather than sexual. We don’t talk enough (or ever, really) about how you can have sensual moments and experiences without sex having to be an end goal. You can also have sensual attraction towards someone but not sexual attrac...

I'm surprised this hasn't received more attention. It was SO good.Joy has been pining after her best friend, Malcolm, for years. Both being asexual, she doesn't believe she'll find a connection as strong as theirs, certain he is the one. When Malcom suggests a weekend getaway, Joy is thrilled at the thought. Well, until Malcom introduces her to Summer⁠—his new love.To complete the lakeside cabin getaway, there is Fox, Summer's best friend. He and Joy team up to fake date, attempting to make Malc...

Overall, I loved the representation and fake dating aspects in this one, but what about the long-term? Spoiler-free Review: https://amberinoface.wordpress.com/20... I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.

The Romantic Agenda was such an engaging read about an asexual character who becomes trapped in a love triangle that I think toes the line between romance and women fiction. While romance is very central to this plot, the novel also contains lots of reflection into the main characters identity as an asexual woman, and how that has impacted her relationships thus far. The writing is witty and engaging, and romantic aspects were enthralling, and I couldn't put it down.As best friends, Joy and Malc...

My favorite romance of the year. Joy’s story broke my heart wide open and put it back together. I only wish I’d taken a friend’s advice and read it sooner. I bawled so many tears for Joy and her friends and new love.One of the parts that gutted me early on:"…her feelings stalk her like some unspeakable deep-sea horror. Every time she thinks she’s free, its lovesick tentacles wrap around her, dragging her back into the depths of the Struggling Sea. Every time she thinks that maybe, just maybe, Ma...

2.5 - I really wanted to love this. An adult romance starring an asexual main character? Sounds great! Unfortunately this just did not work for me. The main character’s voice ended up making her sound way younger than she’s supposed to be. I’m not sure if that’s because Claire Kann has previously only published YA books, but Joy sounded closer to a teen than a 30 year old. I’m a total sucker for a fake dating plot, but I think that having this book mostly take place over one weekend didn’t give

The synopsis sold me on reading this book for review; unfortunately it wasn’t quite the book I expected. There were parts of it I truly loved, but there were more parts I didn’t like at all. This book was straight up women’s fiction because I don’t feel the relationship that developed was the focus of the book.I flat out LOVED the heroine, Joy, in this book. She was a spitfire, but also funny and had a kind and loving soul. She is also asexual and in love with her best friend Malcom who has been...