Book Review: Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June

Publisher’s description

From debut novelist Jason June comes a moving and hilarious sex-positive teen rom-com about the complexities of first loves, first hookups, and first heartbreaks—and how to stay true to yourself while embracing what you never saw coming, that’s perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Becky Albertalli. 

There’s one thing Jay Collier knows for sure—he’s a statistical anomaly as the only out gay kid in his small rural Washington town. While all his friends can’t stop talking about their heterosexual hookups and relationships, Jay can only dream of his own firsts, compiling a romance to-do list of all the things he hopes to one day experience—his Gay Agenda.

Then, against all odds, Jay’s family moves to Seattle and he starts his senior year at a new high school with a thriving LGBTQIA+ community. For the first time ever, Jay feels like he’s found where he truly belongs. But as Jay begins crossing items off his list, he’ll soon be torn between his heart and his hormones, his old friends and his new ones . . . because after all, life and love don’t always go according to plan. 

Amanda’s thoughts

Life is fine if a little boring for Jay. He’s headed into his senior year and is the ONLY out gay kid in his entire small school. He came out in 9th grade and figured that, statistically, SOMEONE else had to eventually come out. Maybe he’d make some gay friends. Maybe he’d meet a cute boy. Or maybe he’d remain the only out kid through all of high school. When his parents announce they’re moving to Seattle, he’s psyched to leave rural Washington behind, even though it means leaving his best friend, Lu. But she has Chip, her boyfriend, and besides, it’s time for Jay to go from third wheel to the main character in his own story.

Jay, a huge fan of making lists, makes a Gay Agenda—stuff like make gay friends, hook up with a cute boy, go to a dance, etc. He figures that all of these things are maybe achievable now that he’s no longer in LGBTQuarantine (his term!). But guess what? It turns out that if you move to a much larger city and meet a lot more people who are queer, not only is that list achievable, it’s easy for that list to get really complicated and messy. He’s taken under the wing of genderqueer Max, a new friend who dubs himself a gay guide for Jay. Together, they begin to plan the homecoming dance, which, uh-oh, coincides with the dance back home that he promised Lu he’d come back for. But that’s a problem for Future Jay. Right Now Jay is busy juggling two boys he likes, college guy Tony and high school classmate Albert. What could go wrong?

Well… before long Jay isn’t being honest with Lu or Albert. Max isn’t being honest with Jay. And Tony isn’t being honest with Jay, either. Let downs, lies, backstabbing, reveals, and general catastrophes ensue, leading Jay to eventually understanding that maybe experiences and relationships should be something more than just an item to check off a list. Jay, like all teens, makes bad choices, mistakes, and hurts people. And that’s totally a normal part, unfortunately, of growing up. With a little help and deep thought, Jay learns that it’s what you do after the mistakes that really count. He begins to make amends and figure out who he really is and what he really wants, with the help of some new lists, like the Apology Agenda and the Jay Agenda.

A fun and messy look at what happens when things don’t go as planned when it comes to love, friendship, and finding yourself.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9780063015159
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 06/01/2021
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

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