DNF 28%
I couldn’t get into this book. There were too many characters introduced in the beginning of the story and not enough personality/background on them to become memorable. The amount of friends Liz had at the beginning served as distraction to my reading experience. I also couldn’t care about Liz. The only interesting thing about her was how her gender expression changed about masculine women.

Oh my god oh my god i was so on the fence at like the 40-60% mark but???? CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT,for once. God I've been reading mlm centric books for a while this was truly a needed break omg thank you netgalley for this beautiful arc. Liz? I don't know what to say about Liz except that? Putting myself in her shoes and feeling angry at myself like 70% of the time was enough to be sympathetic, she was in love your honor (i get her I DO), Daria Loml you deserve to be full of yourself my queen, Never beating the nora is a whore for Mr Darcy retellings i guess. Jane and Liz as a duo was fun to read about too, God i need to go to ny.
I NEED EVERYONE TO READ THIS LIKE the second it comes out. 5 stars and a kiss to the author (&team)

This was a fun read for me! I do think maybe the Pride and Prejudice retellings are getting to be too much, but what drew me to this book was 1) queer and 2) a fun little ensemble cast. I liked how fun and engaging everyone was right from the get go. It's very hard to be able to have multiple characters and do them all justice, but I think this was done particularly well!

It was cute . I love the cover . I like the characters and the plot was fine . The writing was okay too

A modern day queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Don’t mind if I do! The story follows Liz Baker and her three roommates who work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York is on the verge of shutting down... until it is bought by two wealthy lesbians: Bailey and Daria. Liz is has been in a rut: she isn’t really into any of the stuff she writes for her magazine while thinking her own queer blog writing isn’t good enough, she wants to do something more, write something real. But after a not so great meeting with Daria Fitzgerald in which Liz learns that Daria is slashing all the budgets, cancelling bagel fridays, and thinks that all Liz writes is useless fluff pieces that are asinine.... Liz loathes Daria. It doesn’t help that Liz meets Weston, someone who has a terrible past with Daria. While Liz’s roommate and best friend Jane is falling for Bailey... Liz and Daria are forced to spend more time together and soon discover that there might be more... but after a misunderstanding, mixed signals, and a series of unfortunate events, things get complicated and so does their relationship. Unfortunately for me this retelling and inspired story just didn’t really hit the mark for me, despite being a queer Pride and Prejudice retelling (something I am 100% on board) I just didn’t really enjoy Liz and Daria’s relationship all that much and all the toxic drama around them. I was hoping for something more and I guess it just didn’t meet my expectations. I adored the classic story, and I adore a good retelling, but unfortunately this one just didn’t hook me or ever made me actually want to invest in the characters or their relationship. While this one didn’t work out for me, definitely give it a go if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice or queer romances!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Giving this a 3.5/5! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I think at times "Just As You Are" works as a "Pride & Prejudice" retelling, and at other times it doesn't. For the most part though, I was engaged. I thought Daria was by far the best part of the novel, and I guess as a huge fan of Mr. Darcy this makes sense. I felt like maybe some of the secondary characters lacked a certain depth, but the protagonists were done well. Bailey sometimes lacked a certain dimension for me past "sunshiny girl", and I wish I had gotten a lot more from Katie.

I commend Camille Kellogg because this was pretty good for a debut - and my god, writing a novel is difficult and time consuming. Our protagonist Liz sometimes had inner dialogues that made me roll my eyes, but hey, that's "Pride and Prejudice" for you! I would definitely recommend checking this out if anything at all about its description sparks your interest, because it is a pretty good time despite some minor flaws!

this was a sweet romance. so sweet and the LGBT representation was everything. I love how they influenced each other to be better together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it quickly! I liked the emphasis on friendship and the relationship development. Full review to come!

OK, imagine that the bold type was set at curve magazine, but that curve actually started in like 2002 by a queer women of color, and also was sort of now like a lesser version of Autostraddle? Then let’s mix in several overly life enmeshed queer friendships, some she said/she said smith college drama from 10 years earlier, and absolutely no heterosexuals at all. It is like this book was a direct target aimed at me! But! Uh Oh! It is a romance novel about an employer/worker relationship, and don’t I hate that? Totally! Down with bosses! But turns out that my reasonable anticapitalist bias is absolutely no match for the complete eliz-nip this book is. I just loved it so much! This was a delightful ARC and I cannot wait until it comes out so that everyone else can read it too.

Liz and Jane work, worked at a queer magazine located in New York City, however after viewers decline the newspaper is finally closing. However, last minute a wealthy real estate agent and her friend come in saving the day and purchasing the magazine, but do they really save it?

It is very rare that I find a book that genuinely achieves all of what its description claims it will be. This book did not disappoint. It was absolutely everything I was hoping for to pull me out of a reading slump and then some.

It was witty, angsty, but also hilarious and heartwarming. Enemies to Lovers with heavy mix of Found Family. I found myself laughing and crying and every emotion in between as the author took me on this journey.
The cast of characters is wide and diverse and I found myself emotionally invested in all of them right from the start. Everyone is so well developed that even before their layers are pulled back you find yourself rooting for them all. I will admit there was a good chunk of the middle where I found myself absolutely despising the FMC and she came off as so unlikeable I didn't think there would be any chance for my opinion to change. (and truthfully I think my dislike was probably more so due to the fact I found way to many similarities between her and myself.)

In the end I sobbed happy tears as not only the FMC and our protagonist found their happy ending but also all of the other (worthy and notable characters) found their happy endings. This is such a strong 2023 debut and I can't wait to see how big this book gets!

This was one I thought I'd enjoy more than I actually did. At times, I felt connected to the plot and at other times, I felt disinterested. 3 stars- thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this debut romcom! It cracked the door and let you inside the characters' lives, to live and learn and grow along with them. This book didn't shy away from the chaos of life, it put it all out there on the page, no matter the emotion or experience -- disagreements, attraction, confusion, affection, nerves, discovery, and disappointment all included. My favorite aspects of this book were:

* Liz's struggles -- in work, in identity, in life -- felt so familiar and relatable
* Enemies-to-lovers (my personal fave!)
* All the queer vibes my heart yearns for
* Found family!!
* Characters with their whole messy lives on the page -- and the growth that they all experience
* The Pride and Prejudice nods scattered throughout this retelling (some obvious, and some less so!)

A fun rivals-to-lovers slow burn romcom. I enjoyed how Liz and Darcy were both able to grow into better versions of themselves throughout the trials they faced.

I really enjoyed Liz's character, though I do wish Daria and their connection had been fleshed out more. I enjoyed Jane a lot and enjoyed that she had her own arc as well.

I did feel like the conflict was blown out of proportion for what it was, though, especially considering that Liz had no intentions of ever sharing it with anyone. Everyone came down on her WAY too harshly. She was entitled to her own feelings. And like she even said, it was almost like a journal entry, so it was a little odd to me that everyone got so mad at her for her own private thoughts that were written at a very emotionally charged moment.

I also would have liked more showing, less telling. There were parts, especially at the beginning that read like an info dump and had almost too much detail.

Overall, I really enjoyed Liz's character, and ultimately she is the main reason I enjoyed the book. She had that perfect balance of being quirky but not so much so that it wasn't believable. I also loved her tenacity when she realized her feelings for Daria. I would definitely read this author's work again.

As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it, and it didn't disappoint! I'm a huge Pride & Prejudice fan and also queer, so naturally a queer P&P retelling is right up my alley. This book is so clever. I loved how Austen's themes and storyline were reimagined in this modern day NYC young queer context. I found myself rooting for Liz, the main character, immediately, and Daria Fitzgerald really feels like a modern day Mr. Darcy. In other words, swoony and at times infuriating! There were also moments where the characters discussed very real feelings and thoughts I've had that I haven't seen discussed or presented elsewhere. For example, Daria goes into the fear and anxiety she experiences when she enters any space as a queer woman, and how those feelings can color her perception of the world to her detriment. That whole section really spoke to me, as well as Liz's feelings about her own gender representation and identity. This book does what its own characters strive for--representing the queer experience with joy and drama and everyday problems, down to the stress of waiting for someone to respond to your vague IG posting! I really loved it and will be recommending it widely.

(1.5) oh boy, i really wanted to like this book. i really did. unfortunately, i didn’t.
this book is a prime example of why “show don’t tell” is important… and not in a good way. people’s sexualities, races, and hobbies are pigeonholed into their introduction, this also had the added effect of making the diversity feel forced. most of these labels were brought up once in their description and never again. it wasn’t a part of their character, it seemed like they were just tacked in for arbitrary diversity brownie points.
the main romance felt very two dimensional as well. i don’t think the “oh but she was into you this whole time” works very well in this scenarios because there were no hints up until then. it felt like they went from hating each other to professing their undying love to each other in a couple pages.
i know this is camille kellogg’s first book and i think they definitely have potential! i liked the concept and the little nods to new york, i just think this book felt a little amateur.

This book will definitely be going on my list of all time favorites. I don’t even have the words to describe how much it means to me to read about a character figuring out their gender expression and navigating life as a queer person who doesn’t know exactly who they are yet. To have so many characters casually use they/them pronouns was so powerful to see. Gender identity is never made out to be a big deal in this book, which is so refreshing.

I am usually not a big fan of slow burns. I would rather read about a relationship than get invested in two people who don’t get together until the very end. But this time, I loved it. Daria and Liz had such a rollercoaster of a relationship that I couldn’t look away. I was so drawn into these characters and their world that I could not put the book down. Even all of the supporting characters and side plots were incredibly well written. We need more books like this.

I absolutely loved this debut book from Camille Kellogg! The range of characters and the depth of the storyline itself was awesome! Main Character Liz works for a queer magazine that is on the cusp of being shut down until two new owners come into the picture to try and save the day. From there, an enemies to lovers romance! The story of Liz and Daria was so well written that I could picture exactly how everything went down with them and their friends.

I loved how the author put the reader into Liz's mind as she worked through her thoughts and feelings on her personal and professional life. The book wasn't solely about a love story either...there were lots of underlying stories about gender identification, defining queerness and more. The variety of characters you meet throughout the book is lovely and I'd read a book about any and all of them!

Equal parts light and fun and hot and heavy...you'll love this book if you like reading queer stories!

Just as You Are was a delightful and refreshing queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I could not put it down. Kellogg creates this beautiful found family with loveable and eclectic characters in a space you never want to leave. The character dynamics and friendships are complicated and messy and lovely and add to the perfect bit of escapism and levity that this book creates.

Thank you to NetGalley for this delightful ARC, I can’t wait for the next Camille Kellogg book!

Just as You Are was everything you could ask for in a Pride and Prejudice retelling. The angst, the pining, the tension…that scene in the kitchen….Swoon!

This book had me hooked from the jump. It starts right off making you feel so invested in Liz and her tight knit group of roomies/coworkers as they navigate a takeover of their beloved company by outsiders Bailey and Daria. Liz and Daria get off on the worst foot and from there the games begin.

I highly recommend this for fans of enemies-to-lovers, queer romance, and just good books in general. You won’t regret it!

Thank you so much to Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.