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!

Just As You Are
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Camille Kellogg
GR: 3.85

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her.

Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.

But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.

My Thoughts: This was a cute love story. When the story started off, I was a little unsure. But as the storyline developed, I became to love Lizzy and Daria. I love all love stories, straight, biracial, queer, all of them! I do not discriminate on my love story. Liz and her roommates, and also her co-workers become devastated when the queer magazine, The Nether Fields, is about to shut down. This has been their life for many years. Then two wealthy women come in to buy the magazine, after some restructuring. Liz and Daria are NOT friends at first, they actually hate each other. However, as they are forced to spend more time together, will a love bloom? How does the magazine fare?

The storyline does cover some heavy topics, such as gender presentation and queer topics, but does it in a tactful, graceful way. Some of the characters are older, which I love. The book is a retelling of a Pride and Prejudice in a queer way and it was done very well. The trope spin is a classic enemies to lovers story. The characters were developed well with witty banter, chemistry, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, crisp, swoony, and engaging. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would highly recommend to any reader.

I went into this with an open mind, as this isn't really go to for me when it comes to books. I was intrigued with the Pride and Prejudice retelling. It took me a while to get into it- and I'm not sure if that was just a personal thing or if I was just not connecting with the characters. It took me while to even come up with my review because I didn't absolutely love this book, but to say I didn't like it would not be correct either. I think if you have the right target audience, this will perform well. To me, this felt like it would have been more romance than what it was- and maybe that is my issue and why it fell short for me.

An interesting story about a Queer New Yorker who works for a Queer Magazine that is closing after 19 years. Instead of closing however two woman decide to purchase the magazine to keep a Queer space afloat. Liz's first impression of Daria and Bailey the magazines new owners isn't a good one. She overhears Daria bad mouthing her articles for being fluff. What follows is a precarious relationship between the two, as the two get to know each other better they start to respect each other more (and slowly fall for each other). Without too many spoilers the typical romance novel misunderstanding, fight, break up, and get back together happens.

The only reason this wasn't five stars was because of the ending. The big romantic grand gesture happened for Liz's roommate Jane and her story was just an ending. It also occurred on the last few pages of the book, without much (if any) fanfare. I also wasn't a huge fan of the reactions of the rest of the cast to a few of Liz's mistakes. Despite the author trying to make it seem like a pattern she needed to fix nothing specific is mentioned. Making their reactions seem a little harsh, even after Liz took responsibility for things that really were out of her control they still treated her a little harsher than necessary. If a pattern of mistakes where she only cared about herself was more established this would have felt more justified and natural.

Overall a good read and a worth is Queer addition to your bookshelf.

Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg

I loved every bit of this book!

It was easy to relate to Liz and how she felt stuck, both in her current position at a magazine she worked for and struggling to find herself. Getting stuck in a comfortable work environment is easy, even if it’s not what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s challenging to step outside your comfort zone and try something new, even down to what clothes make you feel comfortable or how you want to appear to certain people.

I loved that rooms throughout the office were named after notable people in the LGBTQIA+ community; the Laverne conference room was named after Laverne Cox, and the Kiyoko Kitchen after Hayley Kiyoko. It added a little something extra that put a smile on my face.

But most of all, I loved the friendships and relationships in this story. Friends looking out for friends. Authentic friendship fights and breakups. And, of course, one of my favorite tropes is the enemies-to-lovers relationship. Liz shows some real growth toward the end, partly because she has some really great people to help her along the way.

Just as You Are was easy to get into and immediately hooked me. The ending was perfect and tied everything together unexpectedly but wonderfully.

Thank you, Dial Press, Camille Kellogg, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved the characters exploration into their gender expression but besides that, no thank you. These characters lacked all mature conversation skills and were super toxic to each other the entire time.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.. LIz is working for a queer magazine that may be shutting down and finds at the last minute is bought by two wealthy lesbians. Her new boss, Daria, is cold, unplesant and Liz cannot stand her, but she's hopelessly attracted to her. Misunderstandings and awkward exchanges abound as Liz is trying to sort out her feelings for Daria. She gets to know her better and finds there's another side to her personality. This story was a fun, page-turner perfect for a summer read. I appreciated that this romance had queer characters (lesbian, non-binary, gender-fluid) but it wasn't made into a story point but was just part of who the characters are.

This was good, but not excellent. I liked the main character but it felt a little forced. Was a fine read, but probably wouldn't purchase it for myself!

Not my favorite, a bit slow. The writing was well crafted and the characters were compelling. I think this book may be for a younger audience than me. I would recommend this to specific people, but not a general audience.

The heroine of Just as You Are was one of the most annoying versions of Elizabeth Bennet that I’ve read–anxious, judgmental, and self-absorbed at times. But I enjoyed Just as You Are once I let go of expecting this to align in any real way with the emotional world of Pride and Prejudice, and rode the wave of a scrappy group of friends in their 20s making questionable choices.

When I stopped trying to clock the ill-fitting Austen references in Just as You Are, I was able to enjoy the found family, the way the story explored gender nuances in queer dating, and an emotionally satisfying romance that kept me guessing. I would have liked to see less of Liz being annoying and more of Jane and Bailey’s love story, or to have learned more about Charlotte and Katie. But despite my frustration that Liz resembled Austen’s Emma more than Elizabeth, I had a smile on my face when she and Daria finally got their hard earned HEA.

I enjoyed that the book had a larger plot outside of the romance, and I was more invested in that than ANY of the relationships. It was hard to buy that the MC hated the love interests and with no build up at all they were having sex and falling in love. That said, gettingnto know the characters gave me more insight into situations I don't have any experience with, and it was all very well told.