Incisive writing that keeps the pages turning -- easy to recommend to readers of literary fiction. Think I'll check out Kiley Reid's debut now.

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the early digital copy of this book.

I read and loved the author's debut novel, but unfortunately, this book did not work out for me.
I enjoyed razor-sharp humor and commentary in this story and understood why the author chose the particular language style, some parts made me cringe but that was the whole point I guess. What did not work for me at all was the story overall, I needed a little bit more of a plot and/or connections between characters.
If you like stories about people, this would be a great fit.

"Come & Get It" delves into power, money, privilege, ethics, and the intersection of race. Set at the University of Arkansas in 2017, the multi-pov novel explores complicated relationships among a lesbian professor, a journalist, an RA, and three students. Smart, dramatic, and compulsively readable, it raises thought-provoking questions about ethics in academia, the intertwining of power, sexuality, and race, and the lasting impact of mistakes. A must-read that follows the success of "Such a Fun Age."

Kiley Reid's writing feels like kryptonite — I couldn't resist being pulled swiftly into the story of Millie and Agatha and all the people in their orbit on the University of Arkansas campus. At its heart, it's a story with questions without clear answers: What does it mean to be good to others? What forms can power take? Kennedy's character sits as the quiet star of the show, written beautifully, subtly, emotionally. In a plot filled with high- and low-key drama, Reid reveals enough of each character's world at just the right pace to make it tantalizing with a mix of mystery, humor, and heart, perhaps leaving the reader with a few open wounds that'll take some time to heal.

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

- Kiley Reid proves once again that she is a master of complicated, uncomfortable, multi-layered situations brimming with unanswerable questions and emotions.
- COME AND GET IT is a slow build of a book, each decisions the characters make pushing them closer to their individual and collective tipping points.
- In additional the race and class dynamics that animated SUCH A FUN AGE, Reid adds with this book gender and sexuality, creating a cast of characters and experiences that feel so real.

This is a solid coming of age character driven novel set at the University of Arkansas. The story kept me engaged and the characters were definitely flawed. I look forward to Reid's next novel.

Thanks to GP Putnam Sons and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of the book.

This book seemed to be more of a character case study than a plot driven novel, but it worked well for me. I enjoyed Reid's prose and exploration of each of the main characters though their moments of crossover didn't feel quite as hefty as they were intended. Overall, an enjoyable and quick read!

I loved Kiley Reid's first book from start to finish. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same response to this one. It is completely character based without much of a plot. My major problem with it was the annoyingness of the characters. If there isn't much plot, you better love the characters, and I just didn't. I do appreciate the ideas of bringing attention to the class and race tensions that exist in dorm/college settings. It starts with a visiting professor who sits down with a small group of woman who live in the same dorm at the University of Arkansas. Immediately there is a clear sense of judgement by the professor. She is asking questions of these young women about the idea of weddings and then veers into questions about their families and that sort of thing. She is basing her judgements on the answers on "what do your parents do for a living?" or "spending habits?", etc. I think this could be done with insight and depth and respect for different backgrounds, but this was not that.
I have heard of others whose reading tastes I trust absolutely love this so it will be for plenty of readers, just not for me.
#ComeandGetIt #NetGalley

We need to invent a new category for "over 18, but still whiney and immature" because that is exactly where this book falls. This book was heavily character-driven, which isn't really my thing. On top of that, I found the characters to be very flat and unrelatable. I also thought the resolution at the end was, for lack of a better description, lame. I went into this one with high hopes, and I'm disappointed that I didn't like it. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC.

Kiley Reid's previous book, Such a Fun Age, was a 5 star book so needless to say I was very excited for this book, even if the subject matter for this one seemed a bit different. I'm happy to say that I really liked this one too, and even though the subject matter of the story was a bit difference on its face, a lot of the same themes from Such a Fun Age, like class and power dynamics, were here as well. I know other reviewers have said that this book was lacking a real plot or direction, but I found the characters interesting and the storylines between each of the characters. I will admit that the plot was not as structured as may be typical in a good novel, but sometimes the setting, characters, themes, and dialogue can stand on their own, as I felt was the case here. I dropped this book a star due to the relative lack of plot, but it is still an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

In Come and Get It, levelheaded resident advisor Millie Cousins allows a visiting professor, Agatha Paul, to interview students in the University of Arkansas dorms about their opinions on weddings. Agatha quickly realizes that these interviews could provide fruitful content for a book, and she and Millie go down a slippery slope of rule-breaking and ethics-skirting while their relationship evolves. We meet the original interviewees, Jenna, Casey, and Tyler, as well as two other students, Peyton and Kennedy, who share a suite with Tyler. The plot evolves in a primarily forward motion while sprinkling in backstories about these characters.

Come and Get It is a fascinating read. I wondered if Kiley Reid had spent any time as an anthropologist, as the way she depicts college students (how they talk and interact) is absolutely pitch perfect. I tore through the book, eager to learn more about these girls and to find out where the plot was heading. While the book focuses primarily on money and what it means to different people, it also brings up questions about race, class, finances, friendship, sexuality, and what it means to be an adult.

Even though I wouldn’t necessarily want to be friends with anyone in this novel, I found myself completely enraptured by each and every one of them. My heart ached for each one as they tried to navigate the beginnings of adulthood to the best of their ability. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what Reid does next.

"It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks and illicit intrigue. A fresh and intimate portrait of desire, consumption and reckless abandon, Come and Get It is a tension-filled story about money, indiscretion, and bad behavior."

The latest novel from Kiley Reid examines communities within colleges, dorms, student life and real life drama. She so clearly examines her characters motivations and their failures that they feel like real, human people you're following.

I really enjoyed being part of the world she created and the trials and tribulations they go through in this segment of their lives. This is the first book I read from Reid and I will definitely keep reading her works.

Kiley Reid does it again! If you liked Such a Fun Age I think you’ll like this one as well. Reid does such a good job of capturing the college experience in such a way that I felt like I was back in college. It’s not looking back through rose-colored glasses, you see all the cringey flaws as well as the good. And her character building is so on the nose! I don’t know how but Reid teleports you into the novel with the characters. I felt like I was watching a slow train-wreck and I couldn’t look away. I was captivated by every word.

I don’t think the character growth itself was strong, as no one really learned their lesson and they all ended up okay anyways without any reflection. But that happens sometimes! Life isn’t fair. I didn’t really mind that as much in this book because the journey to get to the end of the book was so entrancing and I liked the ending anyways. I felt like overall it was true to the characters and the journey they went on and also young adults can be stubborn and refuse to admit their faults. As the book says, I think these characters will reflect back on their experiences in a few years and that’s when they’ll have learned their lesson.

There's a lot happening in the words and actions exchanged between characters about class and race - both subtle and blatant. Reid's writing is smart and the dialogue feels fully realized. I really admire when a writer is able to say so much without having to say too much. This was a very character driven story in a way that didn't totally work for me. There were elements I really enjoyed but I did feel like there were too many characters with not a strong enough background plot to hold my interest through the entire book. I didn't particularly care for the way things were wrapped up in the end either.

A rather messy story following an RA, a professor and three college students attending the University of Arkansas. Kiley Reid for sure knows how to write and develop captivating, multi-layered characters. A story packed with social commentary on race, privilege, class, and gender. We see how micro and macro aggressions shape these characters conflicts and impact their relationships. There's drama and mess. The writing is tense full of witty dialogue. However not much unfolds and it it is like a social study of the characters or a reality series and we're the observers. The novel being so heavily character driven means they are the plot, the story. The characters being so intriguing you want to know what these characters will do next which keeps you turning the pages.

This was a tough read. I enjoyed Kiley Reid's last work and wanted to enjoy it but it's just not there. The story is set at the University of Arkansas, and follows some professors and students. There is some commentary about power struggles and power dynamics - I can sense what Kiley is trying to do but it all fails. I am looking forward to her next book and hope this was a fluke.

Come and Get It is the story of an RA and the consequences of her actions related to privacy and safety; the book dabbles in issues of race, class, sexual identity, and loyalty, yet I found myself wanting more of an exploration of each of these aspects.

In Kiley Reid's new novel Come and Get It, the author of Such a Fun Age offers a story set in 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie is an experienced RA coping with students' concerns large and small. She's got her sights set on graduating and settling down with a job and a house of her own.

She's a black young woman supporting residents who are largely white, and Reid shows widespread entitled behavior but sets them in contrast to situations in which students are struggling to get by.

Then Millie is offered an unusual opportunity to help a journalist and visiting professor by offering clandestine access to the private conversations of the students in her dorm.

Neither allowing such access nor the nominal payments she receives for her help seem questionable to Millie, although I have to think that the RA manual that she must be deeply familiar with--and likely also at least one aspect of one of her college courses?--must have outlined some basic ideas of privacy, responsibility, and culpability.

It seemed very odd that Millie--who is so focused on goals, doing her duty, behaving in a manner that's beyond reproach, and keeping her head down--didn't feel squirrelly about this setup, and that she didn't ever question the ethics or appropriateness of it.

I could imagine a story scenario in which Millie compromised her morals as the situation bloated into the complications that it does: of emotional and romantic concerns, minor class and race clashes, and worries about money and the security of her future. Or that her shift in feelings of responsibility could be part of her cutting loose in areas of her personal life. But instead, the increasingly questionable activities and compromises that Millie agrees to as the story progresses are just versions of what she was willing to go along with--without asking any questions--from the very first. Her character is presented as naïve, but I felt as though she would have paused for a moment during one of her many opportunities to do so and considered the way in which the scenario might impact her important plans.

Meanwhile the students under Millie's watch in the dorm are developing young-feeling (dirty dishes in the common area; spreading hurtful gossip; excluding others from invitations) yet impactful interpersonal conflicts, and Millie's growing interest in the professor distracts her so that she misses all of them, as well as their potential implications.

After an unlikely moment of tragedy upends everything, each character seems to misinterpret it and also to react in unintentionally unhelpful ways (meanwhile the truth of the situation is not revealed by the one person who could do so). Millie is in danger of losing everything, and this culminating situation of neglectful, inept damage that is ultimately inflicted by practically every character seems to embody the ignorance and incompetence displayed by almost everyone in the book.

The banter between Millie's two RA friends was a highlight, yet felt somewhat extraneous to the story. I was taken with how their friendship with Millie was ultimately threatened not by the realities of the secrets Millie was keeping, but by the fact that she kept secret her deepest desires and dreams from those she was meant to trust.

The title of the book sets a tone that feels fast-paced, or sassy, or spirited. The tone of the book felt more measured than this, and while Reid flirts with Big Issues (race, class, exploring sexuality) in the story Come and Get It, for me, the book never fully dives into exploring them, and I felt myself wanting more.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam.

I saw that the author described this as a dorm novel instead of a college novel and I really liked that. Belgrade is the perfect residence hall setting for this satire. As someone who has worked on a college campus for almost twenty years, this novel gets so much of the details and “feel” right. This is definitely a character more than plot driven novel but things still happen and the story moved along at a good pace for me.

This was absolutely not for me. A true literary fiction that plays a 2 chapters of her to know you rather than come and get it.