Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. Thanks to @netgalley
for providing me with a digital ARC of this one!
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I listened to the audiobook version of Kiley Reid's very buzzy first novel "Such a Fun Age" a few years ago, so I was keen to pick up a copy of her latest release. "Come and Get It" is much more character-driven and less plotty than "Such a Fun Age", but is in keeping with Reid's particular interest in class and racial dynamics, particularly within blurry personal and work relationships. Reid has a penchant for dialogue, and is a careful observer of subtle shifts in social and economic power between and amongst her chatty characters.
Pick this one up if you're interested in smart social commentary on American neoliberalism within the microcosm of a campus dorm, and can tolerate characters making a lot of down-right cringey decisions. Skip it if you think the lack of a strong plot will bother you.
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#comeandgetit #kileyreid #netgalley #recommendedread #bookreview #bookstagram #literature #bookpost #bookworm#booksofinstagram

First, thank you so much to Penguin and NetGalley for sending me the e-ARC of Come and Get It. I was thrilled to receive it. I loved Reid's debut—it was the first book I read in 2020 and remained a favorite throughout the year. Unfortunately, Come and Get It didn't land for me. I started it before the pub date in March and wrestled with whether to DNF or push myself to finish even though I wasn't enjoying it. Ultimately, I've landed on DNF. Here's the good: Reid's writing on a line level is sharp. The word "sharp" really encompasses so much of what I mean: it is precise; it can cut. However, the specific tensions explored here didn't keep me engaged. Some readers whom I respect loved this book, and because of that I may circle back at some point in the future. If I do, I'll be happy to update these thoughts. But for right now, I'm setting the book aside. I'll look forward to seeing what Reid writes next, as she continues to be an author whose voice and perspective interests me.

Really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately it did not work for me and I made me want to DNF. However, I can see the appeal for others.

It definitely falls more in the literary fiction realm, which can be hit or miss. I found the pacing to be very slow moving and not much to keep me captivated enough to draw me back to the book.

There is alot of commentary on racism and socioeconomic class that readers may find interesting. Also, for readers that love a university setting, this offers that and you get to meet many of the students on campus. Though, for me, I found many of the commentary on the students uninteresting even as character studies.

It could have been the authors intent to create a low stakes, slow moving read which is also fine, but it just did not work for me.
I would still encourage others to read it to form their own opinion as others might enjoy It much more than I did.

I enjoyed Reid's debut, Such a Fun Age, so I had really high hopes for Come and Get It. Unfortunately, I was bored with the story and this just did not work for me at all.

This is our Feb book club pick and I'm so thrilled we picked it because it is RIPE for group discussion. Reid's exploration of the ways in which money, the exchange of payment in particular, affect our relationships and inform our development, privilege, and choices is the central focus of this quasi-coming-of-age novel. The pace really hits a fever pitch around 2/3 through and I could not put it down. I also really liked the resolutions or lack thereof for some characters at the novel's conclusion.

At the University of Arkansas, Millie works as a resident assistant who develops a complicated relationship with a visiting professor. We follow the story of Millie, the professor, and three of her residents as they navigate issues of class, race, power dynamics, and desire.

I wanted to enjoy this story, but I could never quite get into it. It had a very slow beginning, and by the time the plot came together, it had lost some of my attention. By the end, I did find moments of interesting social commentary, and though I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, I was compelled enough to see how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another stunning novel from Kiley Reid! If you liked Such a Fun Age, you’ll love Come and Get It. A character-rich exploration of power dynamics, ethics, race, class, and desire, this book was unsettling in the best ways. It was like a car wreck you can’t look away from.

The main characters include an RA in a college dorm, several of her residents, and a visiting professor. This book felt especially raw to me because of my own experiences as an RA in college. I know I’ll be thinking about this story for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Kiley Reid is a master of capturing dialogue, and in her second novel, her sights settle on campus life at the university of Arkansas. The book centers on Millie, a 24-year-old RA intent on scraping up enough cash to put a down payment on a house, and her group of charges, all women who landed in the transfer and scholarship dorm. The focus here is on relationships with money—who has it, who is being gifted large sums by their parents, who takes it for granted. One of Millie's residents, Kennedy, is a transfer who immediately puts off her suitemates with the sheer volume of stuff she has, mostly home decor accumulated from Target. That's all complicated and documented by Agatha, a 27-year-old visiting professor who becomes fascinated with Millie's residents, and eventually, with Millie herself. Come and Get It doesn't have quite the giddy, propulsive energy that Such a Fun Age has, but Reid's sharp character observation carries it through.

"Come and Get It" by Kiley Reid is a deliciously witty and sharply observed novel that offers a fresh perspective on contemporary relationships and society. Reid's writing is both insightful and entertaining, exploring themes of love, race, and privilege with humor and nuance. "Come and Get It" is a must-read for anyone craving a dose of literary escapism with a side of social commentary.

Reid’s debut novel “A Fun Age” was my favorite book the year I read it and I was looking forward to this one. Not going to lie, it took a while for me to get into it because I couldn’t get the characters straight. Reid follows the lives of 4 roomates – Tyler, Casey, Kennedy and Peyton, Millie, Millie’s friends, Collette and Ryland, her bosses, her parents, Agatha, Agatha’s girlfriend, Robin. Okay I’ll stop but you get my drift. It was just a lot of people to keep up with.

I eventually got a handle on who was who and what the backstory was and while I still wasn’t sure where the story was headed, my intrigue was held because Millie lets Agatha stay hidden in her room to listen to the roomates’ conversations as fodder for her new book. Agatha does ask Millie if she is sure it’s okay but Millie is so casual when she says of course it is that I too was like “oh wait, is it?” With more thought, of course it wasn’t okay and because I knew nothing good could come out of it, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how this would play out.

I don’t know how Reid wanted us to see Agatha but she came off as unlikeable to me. I think Reid tried to include layers of race into the story without making it the focal point but I don’t think it ever quite took shape. Any plot that could have led to that was treated casually. Kennedy’s back story seemed to come out of nowhere and it seemed unclear whether we were dealing with a lot more than was led on.

So yes, while I admit that there was a lot going on, I think it’s a book you’d enjoy more if you aren’t looking for a neat ending. Think of it like the show Seinfeld – a show about everything and nothing. It worked for me, but I’d be curious to know what you think

I will say this book was compelling. Even though the plot took a LONG time to come together… it did make me want to keep reading.
However…. It was kind of a mess. MANY characters in this whole college dorm environment.. four RAs, three roommates and then friends of the roommates, oh and a professor. Not a single one of them is really likable. Maybe Millie is a likable character but her behavior doesn’t make sense. No one’s actions really make sense. And it felt like it was all going to come together and make sense and the end… but it really didn’t.

Come and Get It tells the story of Millie Cousins, a resident assistant who has a mucky relationship with a visiting professor and three headstrong residents. All Millie wants is to graduate, buy a house and find a job. When Agatha Paul, visiting professor and writer, offers her a job Millie can't refuse. Thus begins a chain of events that get a bit messy.

There is one thing that I've learned and it's that this author isn't for me. I really struggled to get into this one and found the characters to be a bit immature. They felt more like college freshmen instead of juniors and seniors. Had they been younger I would have said that these characters are well defined and complex. In fact, they were but it just didn’t match the age they were. I couldn't get into the story either.

I tried to listen to the audiobook of this one, but sadly, it was a DNF. I loved Reid's first book Such a Fun Age and did the audiobook for that as well. I really enjoyed the narrator, but found that not much was happening in the plot. I think maybe if I read it it would have been a different experience. I thought about switching, but some others had told em that the plot doesn't really pick up.

I really like Kiley Reid’s character driven novels. the way this played out was fascinating and i’m really glad i picked this one up! I love how complex this story is tackling themes of race, class, ethics, grief, and more. The description of college was very vivid. These characters have stuck with me since I finished this book. I can’t wait to see what Reid writes next!

Thank you to Putnam Books & Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 Stars ⭐️

Thank you to Penguin & Net Galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very intriguing to me. I initially requested it because of the cover I also really enjoyed the synopsis. This story like most Kiley Reid stories were very character driven and this was enjoyable to me! No plot just vibes kind of book that kept me glued to my kindle the entire time.

Kiley Reid does social commentary SO well. I was often cringing over the scenes that played out in this novel- they were expertly crafted. I really enjoyed the dorm life setting and the ethical dilemmas. While I didn’t love it quite as much as Such a Fun Age, I still found this to be a page turning character study.

Books like this remind me of my undergrad English Lit classes. We read and discussed many books with little to no plot. I dreaded every moment of reading this so I decided to put it down. I wish I read more reviews of this before requesting. It's not the book it's me.

I enjoyed this strange fly on the wall book following three friend groups of women as they deal with relationships and college and money. This book didn’t really have much of a plot and felt very slice of life but I was there for it. I really enjoyed the characters in this story they felt so real there were times I adored them and times when I was like what the heck are you doing. I have another book by this author on my bookshelf can’t wait to pick it up after this one. I really liked this authors writing the pacing was great I flew through this book. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

A residential assistant who wants to graduate and buy a house gets entangled with a professor and three unruly students.

I usually don’t read reviews too closely before starting a book but in this case I was glad that I had. I went into this knowing it was a very character driven slow moving story. I think knowing that, I was able to enjoy how all the characters were fleshed out and how it all came together as things got incredibly chaotic. Reid’s writing is incisive and the dynamics she created are deliciously uncomfortable. I do think the right reader for this novel will have to have some interest in college age girl talk and all the bad decisions that come with that and be ok with unlikable characters. I also think this could have been a bit shorter, allowing the story to progress faster.

I found this book easily digestible and enjoyed the characters but the plot was lacking. I’m all for a character-driven novel but when the plot thickened I wasn’t that impressed and it felt a bit over the top to me. I enjoy Reid’s writing but I won’t be recommending this one as much as Such A Fun Age.