I am always up for a good retelling just as I am always up for a sapphic romance. Combine them and I think it's pretty difficult to get me to not like it. Which is exactly what happened here. This is such a beautiful story that's not just a romance but more. The way the author celebrates queer culture is so amazing to witness. The romance itself is also really fun and the book delivers on it's promise! 10/10 would recommend.

In this queer Pride and Prejudice reimagining, Liz and her roomies work at a queer magazine that's going under. At their goodbye party, they get word that the magazine has been saved by two wealthy lesbian investors. One of them, Daria, is so budget-focused, she's taking all the fun out of work! Daria is brash and domineering, and she and Liz butt heads immediately. But after spending more time together, Liz realizes there's much more to Daria than meets the eye.

Camille Kellogg's 'Just as You Are' offers a refreshing take on the classic 'Pride and Prejudice', tailored for a modern, queer audience. As Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels, I was along for the ride from the very beginning.

While some reviewers considered this as a negative, I was a fan of the way the book extended beyond the confines of a traditional rom-com, covering serious topics like gender expression.

The portrayal of the main character, Liz, and her nuanced exploration of gender expression adds a depth I have rarely seen in a rom-com, resonating with readers like myself who grapple with identity. This novel is not just a love story; it's a journey of self-discovery, peppered with wit and a compelling if prickly love interest that Austen herself would have adored.

Camille Kellogg is a new voice to me but wow did I ever enjoy it! I really liked the characters and how they developed throughout the book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

A beautifully realized Pride & Prejudice retelling that brings to life a vibrant and nuanced queer community.

Just as You Are, made my Pride and Prejudice heart FULL, and then gave me even more with all the queer and sapphic content. I would recommend this book to any P&P lover, also to anyone who enjoys a lovely RomCom.

If it’s Pride and Prejudice related, I’m going to want to read it or watch it.

Just as You Are is a modern-day queer retelling of the classic that focuses on Liz and Daria at a queer magazine in New York City. Even though they start off on the wrong footing (with Liz finding Daria to be uptight and rude), as they start to spend more time together, their feelings grow and change.

I enjoyed Just as You Are, but there were some elements that missed the mark for me. I needed the story to have more levity, if it’s going to be a romcom. There was also too much of Daria’s aunt in this for my liking. She should be added flavor as opposed to a major source of conflict.

Overall, I’m glad I read it and that a sapphic version of the classic exists.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. It's a queer retelling of Pride & Prejudice so this was high on my list to be read. I enjoyed how the characters were and were not like the original book's counterparts and how we completely skipped over the Lydia being ruined portion. Sweet, cute, and exceedingly queer and wide in its representation. 3 stars.

3.5 Stars - The book does a fantastic job celebrating queer culture, showcasing the importance of chosen family, and highlighting the intricacies of gender presentation. It is also filled with humor and witty banter, which showcases the chemistry between the characters.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reader copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Just as You Are hits a fine line, paying dutiful homage to Austen's Pride and Prejudice while still remaining very much its own story - Kellogg's playfully crafted take on modern queer life in NYC.

There are some fun aspects to this book. I liked the overall set up of The Netherfields as a queer magazine and exploring the different types of writers, and financial challenges, such a publication has. Most of the characters were fun and had some punchy dialogue. I also enjoyed the discussions of femme-presenting vs. male-presenting vs. androgynous appearance and how it impacted Liz. It’s not something I have familiarity with, and I thought it helped to flesh out some of her insecurities.

However, Liz ended up being the reason I can’t recommend the book. The two-minds she gives to appearance makes sense; some other backs and forths don’t. The largest one is her writing. The book opens with her happy the magazine is closing; she’s upset when it gets rescued. Then, not that long after, she gets mad because someone says bad things about her writing that… she herself felt earlier? The reasoning she gives for “fluff” pieces being valuable are true, and they are the top-viewed portions of the magazine – which only further makes it weird that she was so down on them herself when the book opens. I understand that it’s supposed to be about how she wants to do more and different forms of writing, but it comes across weird.

This book would have been 100% better without the romance. This is not a rom-com this is a contemporary fiction book. 90% of this book is about workplace relations and friendship drama. I was so taken aback by the romance at the end because where even was it? Stop calling a book of rom-com if the romance is not existent. The cover of this book is elite and it is tragic that the inside does not match the cover.

Because this book is not an actual romance and instead focuses on a friendship group and workplace, it's no surprise that I didn't feel any connection between the main character and the love interest. It felt like they went from being mortal enemies to kind of seeing each other as human to making out and having sex. What? I just am frustrated because this could have been so good and it was fine if you go into it not expecting a romance. Ugh.

I didn’t feel connected to the characters as much as I wanted to be. I think that this book just isn’t for me.

This is my first book from this author and I loved her writing style. It's witty and steamy. It was a really fast read. The story is so engaging. Great character development. A beautiful retelling of Pride and Prejudice. A really heartfelt story. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read more stories from Camille.

This was a charming, fun, and deeply queer Pride and Prejudice retelling. Centered around a failing gay magazine, featuring a sweet central romance (with a little dash of work-enemies-to-lovers) and a lot of gay friend group drama (delicious!), this is certain to charm anyone who has been (or has wanted to be) young and gay in New York City.

I wanted just a little more development from the side characters, and a little more lead-up into the romance (it felt like it escalated quickly, without as much underlying chemistry as I wanted), but this was thoroughly enjoyable overall! Definitely recommended if you want a fun and light and extremely queer romance.

Thanks so much to Dial Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I absolutely adored this book- it was one of those books that you enjoy so much that it puts you in a reading slump. I LOVE a P&P retelling, and lesbian representation will always draw me in as a lesbian myself. Each character in this book felt crafted with so much thought and care- even side characters did not feel like a side plot. The anticipation was wonderfully done and the intimate scenes also felt both very hot and very natural. I also really appreciate the sensitivity around multiple hard hitting topics within the story. Loved!!

DNF p40

I’ve been seeing a lot of positive response to the book and I am always here for more queer, especially sapphic, books. I did really like how queer this is from the get-go, but the writing just is not working for me. Some of the repeated phrasing that I feel like is supposed to be making a point or being cute and funny is actually irritating me to the point it keeps jerking me out of the story. I may give this another try at a later date, but for now this book isn’t for me.

What a beautiful *queer* pride and prejudice interpretation! I loved the when Liz and Daria first met and how horrible it went. I love reading the inner monologue of someone who hates a person, then slowly sees a totally different side of them. I think the only thing keeping it from a 5 star read is I felt the workplace was too large of a role in the story. I understand why some aspect of it has to be present but it felt like the magazine was the main love interest. Which in a way I guess it was. Overall I loved the journey and any positive queer love story will be a top hit for me.

**Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg was a heartwarming queer romance set in the New York journalism scene.

It follows Liz, a writer for a dying queer magazine. When two wealthy lesbians buy the magazine to save it, Liz and her friends' lives begin to get mixed up with their new owners, including the cold and aloof Daria.

First, I was so glad to finally get to read a romance novel with two gender-nonconforming queer women. Amazing!

However, I generally had mixed feelings about this book. Character-wise, I really liked Daria. She was a very interesting character and made for a good love interest. Some of the plot points that touched the lives of the other characters were also compelling for that reason. I will say that some of the things that the characters grapple with internally are repeated over and over without providing new insight or information about them.

I also was not the biggest of a fan of the plot. The romance was pretty slow, and scenes would come out of seemingly nowhere. So much of the plot focused on elements that weren't related to the romance, but then these things would also randomly be glossed over, creating a feeling of an unclear focus. The last 100 pages were pretty thrilling, though, and I enjoyed those.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people looking for a queer romance featuring masc characters and that enjoy a slow-burn.

i really wanted to love this but unfortunately a miss for me… i didn’t connect with any of the characters and couldn’t get into it. grateful to have been sent this though!