Happy Pub day to Come and Get It!
I wasn't the hugest fan of Such a Fun Age, but I did enjoy Reid's writing. When I saw this up for review I grabbed it.
So what I like best about this book was the characters. If there is one thing Kiley Reid is fantastic at, its her character development. Those characters that are meant to be unlikeable come across that way but in a way that you have to respect them. Her likeable character...written perfected.

What I didn't really enjoy was how slow the story was but I think that is because the focus of this book was really on the characters vs the story.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam and Kiley Reid for a digital galley of Come & Get It in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest - the only reason I wanted to read this book is because it took place at the University of Arkansas, which is where my daughter currently goes to college and is a big deal here in Arkansas. I cannot say whether or not I would have picked it up without knowing that.

With that said, I feel like the author bit off just a little bit more than she could chew on this one.

We alternate between Agatha (a journalist), Millie a young RA and Kennedy an extremely insecure student in Millie's dorm. There are other side characters - Tyler, Casey, Peyton, Jenn, Robyn and some other, but the main storylines are those of Agatha, Millie and Kennedy.

Within the alternating character chapters, the side characters also weave in and out of each storyline and they're all interconnected. This was written in such as way that it was not confusing and it was easy to follow the story for each MC.

The Good: I like that we are given a realistic (only in parts) glimpse into college/dorm life and what the RAs and students deal with. I loved that this is an LGBTQ friendly book and that it also gave us a glimpse into mental health issues.

The Bad: I thought Agatha was a HORRID character only out for herself even though the author tried to redeem her at the end. The exaggerated Southern "twang" given to several of the character, especially Casey, was over-the-top and came off more as an insult to Southerners. Not everything got resolved or tied up at the end and I do not think that was the intention. The ending just left some holes and felt a bit messy.

From reading other reviews, it looks like I am not alone in my thoughts. Many compare this book to Reid's previous book, which was apparently amazing. I have not read it, but it looks like I chose the wrong book to be my first from this author.

I have definitely read worse books and I didn't hate it, but wasn't really a huge fan either. I am rating it down the middle with 3 Stars.

I will still run a feature on my IG (without the negative portions of my review), mainly because of the U of A factor.

come and get it is a confusing novel. at first, we are introduced to a cast of characters, seemingly connected at random, and reid appears to want us to care about them. but as the novel goes on and the characters interact with each other (and no plot develops whatsoever), i never really cared.

i don’t hate a plotless novel. i love a character study if done well. at times, it was done well here, but i fear that the good parts were overshadowed by the really bad parts. i think this book could have been edited into a better result. less characters, less perspectives, less meandering backstories.

for 60% of this novel, i had no investment in continuing if not for the fact that i had to write a review (netgalley ratio always holding me accountable lol). i didn’t care about the characters. their backstories were not compelling. and even the campus setting couldn’t keep me hooked.

it wasn’t until things started unraveling in the last third of the novel that i felt hooked, but it felt cheap. the chaotic nature of this novel’s completion did not feel believable or even satisfying. too much was wrapped up without explanation and i was left with many questions.

i will say that millie is a compelling narrator. i enjoyed the chapters we got from her perspective most among this cast of unlikable characters. unfortunately i spent much of this novel wishing for her to get a backbone. she was nice to a fault and i so badly wanted her to express some (rightfully earned) anger.

i feel like this book is worth a read if you, like me, love a campus novel. i was really impacted by some of the isolation of college depicted in these pages. if you don’t mind a slow-paced drama, you might enjoy this one. i don’t think fans of reid’s first novel will necessarily feel the same for this one, but maybe a new audience will appreciate it for what it has to offer.

also agatha deserved jail time ok bye!

I will be the first to admit that I find a lot of character-driven novels boring. I need a plot. I need action. When I started reading reviews and seeing that this was heavy on the characters, I had a tiiiiny bit of dread going into it. But I LOVED this. Absolutely devoured Kiley Reid's writing in a way I was not expecting whatsoever.

Maybe it's because I am feeling especially nostalgic about college these days, but I was obsessed with the way the author transported me back into a dorm setting. The nights getting ready, the tensions with roommates, the sights and sounds of communal living. The character-driven side of this made it so visual and immersive, I couldn't stop reading.

Millie Cousins is a resident assistant for a transfer and scholarship dorm at the University of Arkansas. With an ambition for being a great RA and moving up the residence life staff, she throws herself into helping her residents and keeping the peace.

When visiting professor Agatha Paul asks for Millie's help getting access to observing the students, Millie happily obliges, finding Agatha magnetic in a way she can't quite describe. But as Millie gets pulled closer into Agatha's orbit, her role as super RA finds itself in jeopardy.

I will say I hit a slight slump in the middle, but the plot quickly picks up in a highly redeeming way. If you, too, are looking to relive your college years, Come and Get It is a highly recommend novel for me right now.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book. I absolutely loved the setting of Fayetteville, AR at the University of Arkansas. I thought the details around the setting we spot on and added a lot to the story. Unfortunately, the characters and storyline was a bit all over the place for me to truly enjoy.

COME AND GET IT | Kiley Reid

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Lit./Contemporary Fiction
Format: 🎧 thank you for my #gifted ALC, librofm!
Read if you like: character driven novels // coming of age // sharp writing

There is something that I love so, so much about Kiley Reid’s writing! This is the second book I’ve read by her (I adored SUCH A FUN AGE) and both I have listened to on audio!

This book isn’t going to be for everyone, and I haven’t seen many glowing reviews for it, but despite allllll of that and me not considering myself someone who gravitates towards a character driven novel - I really, really enjoyed it.

A few things I loved and thoughts I had ✨

✨ every single character is developed and it seems like their stories are random and disconnected, but it ends up connecting in a way where each story + character matters
✨ the college setting was a win for me - it wasn’t what I feel like I’m used to but it was done in a way where I felt like I was there
✨ the topics (race, class, privilege, power, ethics, sexuality, etc.) explored and how different things impact these characters
✨ the relationships in this book are messy and I loved it

ALSO ALSO this cover!!!!!!! Perfection.

I have tried to get into this book 3 times and just can't get through it. I loved Such a Fun Age but this has not been my thing! I will not be giving a review. I don't want to give too terrible of a star rating since I did not finish, so I will give this a three, as to not tip the average star rating in any direction.

Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age was one of my favorite books the year it was released, so I was exited to read her follow-up. The writing style is similar and the commentary on class, race, and gender is woven throughout (probably more so in come and get it), The writing and observations are sharp and witty-as in her previous novel. However, as others have noted, there is no coherent plot that tightly holds all the characters together. We mainly follow a trio of characters in a university and come to understand their lives and struggles with different social issues. A well-done character study is great, but there were almost too many characters to follow and delve into here. Also, the fact that there is no strong plot hinders this more than helps it-.it was hard to know why I should care or invest in these characters without a driving force.

I would still recommend this for those who like social novels, or enjoyed the wit and commentary of such a fun age and I will still be interested in reading more from Reid, even though this didn’t fully hit for me.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After Kiley Reid’s debut took the book world by storm, I have been eagerly anticipating her follow up. It’s been a long while, so I have to admit how curious I was to see what this new book would be about.

To start with, this book centers around a relatively large cast of characters. We have the three students, Peyton, Casey, Kennedy, and Tyler; plus Millie, the senior residential assistant (RA), and her fellow RAs and supervisor, Josh; and on top of all of that comes Agatha with plenty of emotional baggage from a breakup with her ex, Robin.

The story itself focuses mainly on three characters—Agatha, Millie, and Kennedy, with the rest playing supporting roles in both present day and flashbacks to the past, allowing us to see their backstories at various points in the books. And while this book is clearly aiming to be a character-driven story, it winds up being more of one of those “no plot, just vibes” books that I’m seeing more and more often. I tend to prefer more plot-driven stories, I enjoy a character-driven story when it’s done well, but I need more than just vibes to enjoy a book. An inappropriate relationship develops between Agatha and Millie over the course of the story, but the connection never felt realistic, and there was never any discernible chemistry between the characters.

Reid brings her characteristic sharp wit to the story, writing banal exchanges between the students that felt realistic and humorous at times. There is a lot of layered complexity within the story that touches on race, socioeconomic class, and sexuality. She also discusses the strange dynamics that sometimes occur when multiple strangers are thrown into housing together in college, sometimes being forced to share their space for the first time, and the role that RAs play in helping college students adjust to being away from home.

I’m honestly not trying to write a hit piece on this book. Was it bad? No. If it was, I wouldn’t have finished it. It felt like more of a missed opportunity than anything else. The characters were interesting, but their development felt underdone. We could have gotten to know the characters so much better and see them grow, especially since there was so much to work with. For some of them, I would have liked to see their backstories earlier in the book, since it made it hard to connect with them finding out who they were so late. As for the story itself, there was so much potential there, but no plot ever really manifested, and the major plot points felt anticlimactic when they finally did occur. I found myself disappointed in the lack of likable characters, and the poor choices they consistently made. Ultimately, I could have just watched The Simple Life, although the characters in this story were more enjoyable, and I don’t regret the time spent reading this book.

This is a character driven story. We follow three women. One is a professor who went through a recent break up, one is an RA who is working towards buying her own home, and the last is a student who is having a hard time making friends and having the college life experience.
I was enjoying the slice of college life and all the pettiness, anxiousness, awkwardness surrounding it. So I was surprised by the last 20 % of the book and the dark turn it took.
All the characters felt real. They had flaws, some were unlikable but I think that's what being human is, we all have an unpleasant side. There's also many great discussions on ethics, morals, race, wealth, discrimination, all centered around dorm life.
I don't think this book will be a favorite for the majority since it's more of a character study with little plot.
I thought it was great.

Similar to Kiley Reid's previous book Such a Fun Age (which I really enjoyed), Come & Get It discusses issues on socioeconomic classes, racism/ethnicity, and LGBTQ representation. Taking place mostly around University of Arkansas between different characters POVs, we learn about a group of women living around the campus and the micro/macro aggressions that affect their relationships and conflicts. While I didn't find much of a solid plot in this book, I enjoyed the character development. I read this on audio via Libro.fm and on my kindle; I personally enjoyed the audio version better of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I raved about Kiley Reid’s debut so I was very excited to read her second book. This story has a relatively large cast of characters so it took me a bit to warm up to them. Millie is a residential assistant (RA) saving up to buy her first home. Agatha is a visiting professor who has just ended a relationship. Kennedy is a student living in the dorm where Millie is the RA. If this sounds a little busy, it is.

An inappropriate relationship eventually develops between two of the main characters that didn’t feel completely fleshed out to me. I loved the themes of this book, and I think they are important ones, but felt that there were too many characters for me to fully develop a connection with any of them.

I must mention that I started this book on audio and then switched to reading because I couldn’t keep all the characters and dialogue straight. I definitely enjoyed the book a lot more than the audio version.

The plot was rather amorphous for me but overall I did enjoy the climax of the book. Reid writes well about the complexities of class, race and sexuality. Her dialogue is extremely realistic. Her sharp focus on social satire is where her strength lies. I am glad I finished this book and definitely look forward to Reid’s future stories.

I was excited to read this, as I did enjoy Such a Fun Age. However, i just don't think this one was for me unfortunately. I did end up DNF'ing it. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, nor did I like the lack of plot. Those who like character-driven books would enjoy this.

This was not my favorite! I loved Such a Fun Age and can see that this is a logical next novel...meaning that it feels like the same author wrote it...I just didn't connect with it as much as I did her first. There were so many characters!

I really enjoyed Reid’s previous novel and was looking forward to this one, however I struggled with this book. Mainly I felt it zig-zagged from character to character without a true plot focus.
There was potential, I’d get to the end of a chapter and think “okay joy it’s going to come together” and then it went in another direction.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As Kiley Reid's debut novel Such a Fun Age was so good and popular, her follow-up novel was of course going to bring a lot of anticipation along with it. Come and Get it takes place at a college, primarily in an unpopular dorm, where Millie Cousins, a returning RA after taking a year off from school to care for her mother, interacts with her fellow RAs and students she is advising. Insert Agatha Paul, a visiting professor who is working on a book about weddings, who interviews some of the students in the dorm and finds herself fascinated with their non-wedding related opinions/interactions. After this interaction, an alternate idea springs up in Agatha's mind, and Millie is intrigued and wants to help.

This book contains some similar vibes as her debut novel, in that the college is very white, and Millie, who is Black has to deal with overt and systemic racism. There are also themes around class differences and acceptance of queerness. I will say this book does not have that much of a propelling plot- there are a lot of students as well as RAs and other side characters that are introduced, some of which had potential to be quite interesting, but I found the backstories spread too thin to engage with many of the characters. Some of the propelling plot points (a prank gone wrong, retaliation, a secret relationship, etc.) were not all the novel or interesting. I know Reid can write a great character, which is why I found this disappointing, especially as I could get shades of interest from characters, but there were just too many of them and there could have been fewer, allowing more of an introspection into their backgrounds and actions.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

I was very excited for Kiley Reid’s sophomore release after enjoying Such a Fun Age, however this book was not the right book for me right now. It is a character driven story that is lacking plot, with the exception of the last 15% of the novel. I found myself unable to root for any of the characters and felt that each of them were so flawed, without any material growth or development. The characters do seem fitting of a campus novel, driven by self-centered, self-benefiting motives. While I was disappointed with this read, I would be interested in hearing what my reader friends thought of it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow- so this book has no plot. Like, none. I don’t think one even kind of developed until I was about 70-75% into it. So I’m not really sure how to go about my review here. The author is funny and rights come kind of interesting characters, but that didn’t really save the story for me. I definitely enjoyed her debut novel more.

Come and Get It, Kiley Reid's second novel after Such a Fun Age, is a unique campus novel following a professor and several students at a Southern university. It didn't immediately hook me the way Reid's writing did with her first book, which starts on such a big note, and did take me a while to get into. I think the book might have also benefitted from a tighter focus. That said, Reid is such a talented writer when it comes to sharp observation about race, class, power, and generational difference - I was amused from the start by the conversation about weddings and the thoughts that provoked to the interesting dynamics with Millie. Reid is also skilled at making the reader have many, many feelings about the actions and thoughts of her characters, and making you think more about those. This would be a great book club choice for a group willing to dig in.

Come & Get It is the much anticipated sophomore novel from Kiley Reid. It's set primarily on a college campus and follows multiple women as they navigate tricky situations. Many of these situations make you question the morality of the actions being taken. It's a character driven novel that won't be for all as its very slow going with everything coming together at the end. Personally, I enjoyed Come & Get It more than Such a Fun Age.

This is a perfect book for book clubs ripe with multiple discussion areas.

Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.