Denker, Jayne. The Rom Com Agenda. St. Martins’ Griffin, 2022. 320 pp. ISBN 9781250821485 $17

***

This completely predictable but very sweet and satisfying romance is about a man pining for the one that got away. Eli’s siblings push him to watch romantic comedy movies so he can make a grand gesture when Victoria returns from her time abroad and more often than not, their new friend Leah becomes his default practice date. A bit of an introvert (and a bit insecure), the more time Leah spends with Eli, the more sure she is that he is pretty perfect as is, and anyone who didn’t accept him doesn’t deserve him. Eli is confused at how he can be attracted to Leah when he is waiting for the return of a woman he prematurely proposed to.

The story has a lot of the heart, and the allusions to many favorite romantic comedies (and the dissection of them!) is a major plot point,. Lots of fan service for Gen-Xers.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheRomComAgenda from #NetGalley