Millie Cousins is having a hard time. She's coming back to school after a year off, trying to save money to stay on track with her dreams… and navigating who she thinks she is, who she truly is, and who she wants to be. As an RA at the University of Arkansas, her world collides with a visiting professor who offers a glimpse into this future, but may also wreck her carefully laid plans. Also faced with her dorm residents—who have their own issues, desires, and connections—Millie quickly finds out you can't have it all, so you might as well have a little bit of fun.

MY REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
👉 I was OBSESSED with Such a Fun Age, and this was such a strong follow-up to Reid's debut novel!
👉 The entire story is VERY character driven, and while I read some reviews that argued the book had "no plot" and/or was "going nowhere," I STRONGLY disagree—SO MUCH HAPPENED and I was on the edge of my seat dying to know where we were going.
👉 We get a deep dive into all of the central characters, and let me tell you… you'll hate them then love them then hate them again. They were all very real and very fucked up in the best ways.
👉 Read this ASAP if you love literary fiction, light satire on the state of our world, women supporting women (okay, and maybe some feuding 👀), academia and coming-of-age.

Just like Kiley Reid’s first novel, “Such a Fun Age”, Come and Get It, is a winner. Now, I will say this book is not for everyone but let me tell you why.

I love books about nothing. I know that’s a weird thing to say but there is just something about character driven novels with no real plot that I really enjoy. The characters in Come and Get It are expertly written. You will know these characters, you will be able to picture someone who is like each one.

Most of the book it feels like you are getting an inside glimpse into the lives of college students and professors. Like you are watching hidden cameras but not really supposed to hear and see what is happening. Near the end the pacing really speeds up and the book becomes even more absorbing. I would highly recommend this one if you enjoy reading about flawed characters and questionable choices they make.

Also, love the cover!

Kiley Reid’s latest novel, Come and Get it,
takes place at the University of Arkansas. The novel features Millie, a black senior resident assistant, who is in many ways wise beyond her years. She wants nothing more than to make money ($12,000/year as an RA), graduate, get a job and buy a house.

Millie’s dreams are scuttled by the young women living next door in the dorm, who play tricks on her, blame her for all problems in the universe, and describe her in derogatory racial terms such as “ghetto.” Millie is also challenged by Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, who offers Millie a financial proposal while blithely betraying her trust.

The novel is slow to get into as the story is not told in a sequential manner, but feels chopped up before the reader has the chance to figure out who the characters are and how they are connected. However, the novel picks up steam and is well-worth the effort finishing. The novel is well-written, as Reid does a good job capturing both the humor and the pathos of the university experience. It is also socially-relevant. Despite each character’s many flaws, it is money and race that dictate the punishment. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advance readers’ copy of this book.

A bit messy but a decent read. The resident girls were all appalling but Agatha was even worse. Everyone in this story was stepping on someone else to try to get ahead l or at least that’s how it seemed. It’s hard to feel bad for Millie when she made all of these choices herself. 24 is not a child, but in some ways she was more of a child than her resident charges were.

Sadly this book is no longer working for me. I am greatly appreciative of the author’s for the opportunity to have early access. The book began with so much promise. I loved the way the author could talk some everyday mundane fights and feelings and make me feel so seen and understood. However, this book started to quickly fall apart when it began to feel more like an older-YA/“new adult” book. The book began to lag under the unbearable weight of all that petty, college “drama”. The RAs stealing the girl’s idea for Halloween decoration and the confrontation that ensued was the final straw for me. If you like late-teen, early-twenties immature “drama” then this one is for you. If not, steer clear!

I loved Kiley Reid’s first novel, Such a Fun Age, and was so excited to receive an early galley of Come and Get It! Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam for this early copy.

The first thing you need to know is that Come and Get It is completely character driven. There is not a plot. There is a moment when all of the characters converge and honestly, that part of the book was my favorite. But there were so many moments where I thought “where is this going”. And the ending really just left me wanting for more.

None of the characters are good people. In fact I found them all unlikeable. They had their redeeming qualities I’m sure but they were just hard to root for and in a character driven book I need someone to root for.

There is also unintentional animal violence that surprised me. It is essential to one of the characters backgrounds but I can always do without animal violence. There is also an inappropriate age gap relationship, suicidal ideation and blood involved.

This book is readable and I finished it very quickly but it was not for me. I do think that there are readers out there that will enjoy this though which is why I’m rating it 3 stars.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Look, I love a character driven story as much as the next person. I would even go so far to say I enjoy those types of books far more than the average reader. But there is no discernible plot to this book.

Before getting more into that, let me just say that I didn’t completely hate this because Reid is a phenomenal writer. This is an incredibly well-written book. The prose is lovely and relatable.

But the “plot” (which I put in quotes because there barely is one) is terrible. I don’t understand the point of this story at all. It’s just really horrible people doing bad things to one another, and it kind of all gets resolved but I don’t think any of these characters learned anything or grew at all.

I think what I’ve learned from this is that I love a character driven story when the characters don’t suck. But this book was not for me.

Come and Get It is out 1/30

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an eARC of this book.
As someone who was an RA in college, this book put me back in my memories HARD. Millie is an RA at the University of Arkansas. As she navigates her (second) senior year of college, tensions on her hall rise as she becomes involved in the lives of her residents and an English professor on campus. How does money lead Millie astray?

I love how Kiley Reid plays with the grey areas of life. Reid excels in creating uncomfortable chains of events without condemning characters for their actions. Every character's decisions in this book made me full-body cringe (in a cathartic way). Its awkwardness also makes it really funny, if you're into that.

This book is very slow moving but I could not put it down. It takes place over one semester of college, and does not stray far from its main five characters. If you like character studies, definitely pick this one up. Additionally, this books deals with the politics of race, money, power dynamics, and class in a college setting. If you feel like your dark academia books are missing discussions of race, Come and Get It doesn't let you forget how race plays into every character's life. I heartily recommend it.

This was my first time reading anything by Kiley Reid, and I was absolutely blown away by her writing. She could write a grocery list and I would want to read it.

This story was extremely character-driven rather than plot driven, so I would only recommend this to people that enjoy that in books. I thought this story was incredibly compelling and nuanced; so many little details that made each character feel so real to me.

This was a very tense coming-of-age story that is stuffed full of dialogue on ethics, race, financial privilege, and social micro-aggressions. I thought I was going to struggle with reading this book, but the writing was so immersive that I simply couldn't put it down.

This review was posted on my Instagram page (linked below) on 1/25/2024. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

3.5 stars. I thought the novel started well, but it never really went anywhere. More character driven than plot driven, very few of the characters were likeable. So many characters make poor decisions. The book touches on race, but it mostly focuses on money, consumption, desire, and bad behavior.

"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 jeopardised by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks and illicit intrigue."

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I read this one quickly, and loved the writing style. However, for the longest time, I wondered where the story was going. It is very character driven, although there is finally some conflict/plot at the end.

I was really looking forward to this book after loving Such A Fun Age so much! However this novel fell flat for me. What was the point of this novel? It felt really random at times.

This was my first ever ARC and I am such a fan! I have loved Reid’s writing in the past and was equally charmed by the latest story, which was so unique in its voice.
Reid creates beautiful character-driven stories that have such good development of each character that you can’t help but love them (or at least feel sympathetic to them).
I found myself falling in love with Millie, Agatha, Kennedy, even Tyler, and had trouble putting the book down at any point. This one is a whole hearted recommendation from me!

Come and Get It
This wasn’t my favorite as parts of it felt clunky and it was difficult to tell where it was going. In terms of action, not a lot take place until the very end and even then, it felt like somethings were rushed to a close or not fully developed.

On the other hand, what the book did really was highlight how when we give others a narrow view of ourselves, either purposely or through overheard conversations or cursory interactions, this limited view becomes the basis for opinions, conclusions and misses key aspects of our identities. When our whole selves aren’t seen or welcomed, isolation and feelings of loss can grow when connection is what we crave.

If you're looking for a smaller town college sceneset with college drama, a touch of academia, and plenty of ethical quandaries... you will get that with Come and Get It. Set in Arkansas at a college, 38 year old Agatha comes to do research and the way it progresses - what she does, what she takes, and how others live, all come into play through multiple POVs.

I felt while the pace was slower at first, Reid's writing kept me engaged. Many of the characters were hard to like and I found myself sometimes having a hard time believing how adults (college age or not) could respond, but doesn't that happen in real life too?

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC. #ComeandGetIt #NetGalley

I was a little disappointed. I loved Reid’s first novel but this one didn’t quite live up to it for me. It felt incomplete. Reid is a master of writing discomfort, and that’s true in spades here, but the social analysis about class needed a few more steps to come together. The college campus setting felt rich in theory, but I didn’t really understand why Arkansas, and it didn’t quite feel believable as a southern state school. Still, a lot to love, with interesting and messy characters and great writing on the sentence level. Glad I read it, even if I’m not sure I recommend.

Oh how it pains me to write this review. First off, I absolutely DEVOURED Such a Fun Age. I was so excited for Kiley's second novel and I have to say that I was super disappointed. After finishing the book I can honestly say that I have no idea what the plot line of the book was. There were too many characters and absolutely nothing happened. I can't even really say that it was all about character development because there were too many characters that were severely underdeveloped. I think if she had maybe cut the character count in half, she might could have worked with them better. Overall, it wasn't a terrible book but this one just wasn't for me. Thank you so much to Kiley, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Come and Get it - meaning come and get this book and read it!

I had really enjoyed Kiely Reid's debut Such a Fun Age, but this felt a lot deeper and more intense, while still being an easy to read book. Set at the University of Arkansas, Come and Get It focuses on a group of young women living in a dorm. Told from several point of views, Millie is the responsible Black RA, saving up for a house and taking care of everyone else. Agatha is a visiting professor and successful author, reeling from a breakup and solving her problems with money. And Kennedy is a transfer student, severely depressed and ignored by her suitemates. In addition, there are several more RAs and other students. If anything, I wish we would have learned more about them, Peyton in particular. The book does not shy away from issues of class, race and sexuality, as well as age and power dynamics. It feels like real life in a lot of ways. Like Agatha, I was very entertained and interested in how these girls talk and what they are focused on.

I will be recommending this book to others.

COME AND GET IT was a highly anticipated read for me, as I remember loving SUCH A FUN AGE (I did read it pre-book reviewing days though). I enjoyed the academia setting + themes of privilege, race, money, and morality that were so nonchalantly incorporated. The conversations and personalities of the characters were also spot on for what I think she was trying to do with them.

I do sort of feel like I missed something with this book though. The balance of characters and POVs made it hard for me to get into a flow. It came together by the end but I struggled with wanting to pick it up from the pace and direction at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

Having read Reid's first novel, I was excited to see Come and Get It on NetGalley. I honestly didn't have any major expectations going in. I'm grateful for that.

I don't quite know what the point of this book was but maybe that's just me. It was very character driven, which I'm good with. None of the characters were particularly likeable, which in the right circumstances, I'm totally fine with. In this instance, it actually worked somehow. I just wish the point of it was clearer. The ending wasn't all that satisfying, and I wish certain situations were handled better.