3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
I feel like this book is for the Belletrist Bookclub reader. The cover design and the story is young; a group of dorm mates at the University of Arkansas In Fayetteville and their shenanigans between each other are explored through conversations and relationships.

Kiley Reid is a captivating storyteller. Come and Get It had me hooked from the very beginning. The book follows college student Millie as she chases her post college dreams and accomplished author Agatha as she spends a year as visiting professor while writing her next book. Millie's friends and residents make up a colorful cast of characters. This book make me squirm and be uncomfortable as the characters grapple with real life while being in their early 20s. There's a big focus on money and the way it influences their lives stopping at nothing "to come and get it"

Her sophomore novel didn’t disappoint! Like her first book, this is another brilliant examination of microagressions paired with the intersection of race and class. This read like a “slice of life” event, but with no real character resolution at the end. Did things happen to the characters? Yes. But where they changed? Did they learn? I am not sure. But also, I liked the “unsure” ending. The beginning was slow & I was unsure of the plot direction, but around 45%, I was in it for the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I found it to be poorly written, with stilted dialogue and a title that doesn’t make any sense. This story multiple characters who lacked character and I actually disliked all of them. Peyton’s personality, mannerisms & manner of speaking was as though she was on the spectrum (autism) yet throughout the book she was portrayed as aloof rude and unfriendly.
The plot (or lack thereof) is crammed with a lot of ideas – many of which are left incomplete or forgotten. The reader is lost as to what really matters here. I even wondered if the writer herself was sure. Equally, while the way the characters’ stories come together is gripping, what follows as the novel moves toward its rushed conclusion is rather shocking and reckless of the author.

6/10. Meh. I wanted to love this but it dragged on and on. I feel like it deserves some trigger warnings: attempted suicide, grooming, racism, death of an animal.

I really enjoyed Kiley Reid's first book, but I struggled to get through this one. I think it's because I couldn't identify or empathize with any of the characters. It's definitely well written, and I think some people will enjoy it, but overall it just wasn't for me.

I’m having a hard time describing what I liked about Kiley Reid’s Come and Get It, but I did really like it. It was my first by this author, and it sort of gave me Emma Straub vibes (which is only helpful if you know her work) or Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. There isn’t a lot of plot really, but instead it’s this in depth character study re: age, race, gender, sexuality.

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and didn’t find myself rooting for any of them exactly, but I was still very invested in finding out where their stories led.

I’m not sure I’m doing the book much justice here, but if you vibe with these sorts of books, I think you know you’ll enjoy the reading experience this one offers.

I did this one half audio/half ebook, and found myself preferring the audio, because I could multitask easily while listening. I don’t think the story requires you’re undivided attention to be tugged along by it. I think if I went with just the ebook I’d have found myself less eager to pick it back up.

Thanks @netgalley @prhaudio @penguinrandomhouse for the gift ebook & audiobook! Pub day: January 30, 2024 🥳

#kileyreid #suchafunage #comeandgetit #bookreview #netgalley #arcreview #advancedreaderscopy #newbooks #whatimreading #bookfriends #bookfriendsarethebestfriends #instareads #nowreading #bookishmom #momswhoread #kindle #ebook #sweetbitter #bibliofeatures #bookfeaturepage #bookstagrammer #bookstagram

Kiley Reid's first novel, Such a Fun Age, expertly detailed and revealed microaggressions that ranged from the somewhat subtle to the wildly blatant. Fans of Reid's work will be glad to discover, like I did, that this novel follows in her first work's footsteps. Come & Get It is also a brilliant examination of microaggressions and the intersection of race and class. Honestly, I'd say that Come & Get It is even more critically effective because it details exchanges of money and power that are more casual than those of the employer/employee framework of Such a Fun Age.

Beyond the aforementioned thematic content, one of Come & Get It's other greatest strengths lies in Reid's layered and nuanced characterization. This novel mostly flips between the perspectives of two people at very different positions in life and privilege: Agatha and Millie. Millie is a loveable and youthfully naive protagonist who tries her best to save money while navigating the stresses of her job and daily life. Agatha is a cool-mannered and sophisticated antagonist who initially seems sympathetic but gradually begins to act in an increasingly exploitative manner. Millie and Agatha's lives are juxtaposed yet also overlap in complex and authentic ways.

The only thing that kept me from rating Come & Get It as five stars is that the plot seemed to meander at times - particularly when it came to relationship dynamics with secondary characters. Though the secondary characters are likable and fully fleshed, their side plots ultimately took away from a more consistently flowing narrative.

Kiley Reid’s critically acclaimed debut novel, “What A Fun Age,” was a standout for the way that she candidly discussed white privilege and coming of age in your mid-twenties through an unforgettable cast of characters and in a graceful, forceful, but unforced way. Reid’s sophomore effort, a campus novel, has been highly anticipated, and it does not disappoint. In “Come and Get It” Reid draws on similar themes, again focusing on a young woman struggling to make ends meet who comes to rely on an older woman with ethical shortcomings but financial resources.

It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Ambitious Millie Cousins is a 24 year old senior resident assistant in Belgrade, a dorm that houses transfers, upperclassmen and scholarship students. When we meet Millie, she is taking her responsibilities as an RA more seriously than her peers, creating seasonally-themed bulletin boards, “talking to young women about classes and friends and how they felt,” and diplomatically defusing escalating dorm tension. Millie wants to graduate, get a job, and strictly budgets to acquire the rundown house with “little light and square footage” that she is restoring.

Enter Agatha Paul, a visiting professor teaching creative nonfiction and a media studies course in the graduate program. At six foot one, “her body too tall for most and her face just fine for some,” Agatha had published several books which gave her the financial freedom to purchase an apartment in Chicago. Millie accepts a dubious opportunity from Agatha and her poor judgment throws her neat plans into chaos. As a new dynamic forms between Millie and Agatha, and their relationship grows more complicated, Reid unveils another twisty narrative full of observations about class, power and bad behavior.

Reid has a talent for capturing the nuances and social context of relationships, such as Agatha’s fraught relationship with her wife, Robin, an impoverished professional dancer. “That Agatha had always picked up the check was neither disregarded nor ignored.” Although Agatha was hopeful that their relationship would shift into a more equitable place, even when Robin had a dependable income, Robin was frustratingly unable to manage her money. Or the “Knife Fight” where Agatha stewed because Robin would use Agatha’s expensive Wusthof knives (in the “beautiful walnut block”) to cut a tomato on a plate dulling the knife and stripping the blade.

Briskly told and devilishly well-plotted, smart, and witty, this penetrating social commentary is a highly engaging, fresh and provocative novel.

A character-driven novel that explores themes of class, race, sexuality, and identity. I was excited to read this but ultimately found it to be a bit underwhelming 😕. I appreciate the details in the character development but found myself bored in terms of plot and often distracted while reading. Not a bad read, just not an exciting one.

When I saw Kiley Reid was coming out with a new book, I was so excited, but I have to say this was a little bit of a let down 😕 similar to SUCH A FUN AGE, this book explores class and race through diving deep into the lives a few characters.

… I think I just wanted more? Nothing really happens in this book until ~80% through. Honestly, I don’t usually have a problem with character-driven books (as opposed to plot driven) but I just wanted to dive a bit deeper into each of the characters. There are some interesting observations about class, race, and sexuality in the South but it lacked a certain insight or punch. I really think I would have rated this book lower if I didn’t listen to it on audio 🤷🏻‍♀️

More about this book:
👭character-driven
🎧good on audio
💭thought-provoking
🏫college campus in the South

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid is the story of Millie Cousins, a residential assistant at the university of Arkansas, and her interactions with a college professor, students in her dormitory and her friends. I really enjoyed reading about Millie and her interactions with the various characters. Kiley Reid is masterful at developing characters and their various personalities and voices. However, there ultimately was not much plot to this book, which was disappointing because I loved Kiley Reid’s debut novel, Such a Fun Age. I did find myself rooting for Millie and very much enjoy Reid’s wit and for those reasons I would recommend Come and Get It, with the caveat that if you really want to enjoy this author at her finest, read Such a Fun Age.

I was very excited for this release! Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I usually enjoy character-driven stories, but this one was not it. The characters are one-dimensional, and I felt like there was no plot whatsoever.

If you enjoy character-driven stories and college life drama, then you may enjoy this.

I wish this would have been labeled as "new adult" because even though the characters are in that age group, I expected a bit more elevated writing.

Kiley Reid's follow up to her debut novel hits the mark again. Come and Get It is a little bit of a slow burn and I often wondered where this story was going, and suddenly everything comes together. This novel is about desire and greed, and I really admire that the characters don't wrap themselves in layers of perfection. The characters' inner thoughts are what we all have but we don't say out loud in polite society. Overall, the novel is bitterly humorous and an entertaining read, and definitely one that I'll be thinking about for a while.

⭐️: 4/5

Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, has plans to graduate, get a full time job, and buy a house, when she meets Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, who is researching for her new book. What follows is a messy entanglement involving the two of them, and three unruly students living in Millie’s residence hall.

My overarching feelings toward this book were positive, but it also was one of those books where you’re like, over 50% in and still it feels like nothing has really happened plot wise. That’s not to say that it’s a boring reading experience, it’s just much more of a character study that paints a cutting portrait of the specific characters in the book. It was a little hard to keep straight all the characters, what their names were, and what their specific backstories were, since initially, the change of POV and timeline feel a little all over the place. Once you get a handle on who the main POVs are coming from though, it starts to read a little easier. The snark in this book is absolutely over the top, and I was cackling at a lot of it. I wasn’t expecting it to get so ~funny~ but it really is just an absurd story. By about 2/3 of the way through, I was starting to feel a little antsy, waiting for the climax or reckoning that was coming for the characters, and I wasn’t disappointed by the sheer absurdity of it all. This book was kind of like watching a car crash. You feel kind of icky and voyeuristic but you also can’t look away. I especially loved the way the author captured the speech patterns and vocal tics of the characters in her dialogue sequences, since there really such a strange and particular way girls talk to each other, especially in college, and seeing it written down really drives the point home that it is a pretty nonsensical way of speaking, with the extra words and the “no’s” and “yeah’s” that are don’t mean “no” and “yes” but are actually non sequiturs.

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for this free eARC!

I really enjoyed Reid's first novel and was excited to read Come and Get It. It did not disappoint.

This character driven story was laugh out loud hilarious. Within the first few chapters of the book, Reid masterfully gave multiple characters depth. As the story unfolded, each bad decision a character made ultimately led to a climax that I didn't see coming. I appreciated the ending because while it left a lot unsaid, it was realistic.

After reading Come and Get It, I will read anything Reid writes.

4.5/5

Thank you to Penguin/Putnam Group and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #ComeandGetIt. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Set at the University of Arkansas, the story follows Millie, a Resident Assistant in the transfer/scholarship dorm, and her relationship with her fellow RAs, a visiting professor and the students on her floor over the course of 1 semester.

Ultimately, this is a story about class and race and there are some truly awkward, cringey interactions. Other than the main character, I really didn't like any of the other characters.The plot meandered a bit, but I still liked the book overall.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy to review. I loved Such a Fun Age, it was one of my favorite books of the year it was published. This, is not that. I love character driven stories but this is so character driven there is absolutely no plot. It is also, way, way , way too long. I’m so disappointed in this.

This may resonate with a younger generation than my own. I thought it lacked purpose. The timeline switches were confusing and there were a few characters who didn’t add anything to the story. I really liked her previous book, but this one fell short of that standard for me.

DNF @ 30%

This is my first experience with Reid’s work, with all the hype of the first novel I was excited to dive in. It started out strong; the characters intrigued me but the plot kind of fell short for me. The multiple POVs made it a struggle to keep up with, especially when putting it down and picking it back up. I spent a lot of time just thinking - “what is even going on?”