This character study is about a 38-year-old professor/writer, her early 30s wife, and a group of RAs and college students. The professor becomes involved with the students when she interviews them for her third book. As the story progresses, also we get perspectives from Millie, a lovable, do-good 24-year=old RA, and Kennedy, a transfer student who is struggling to make friends.

What I loved about this was that each person was 3-dimensional. Each perspective was believable. Each character had traits that made you root for or dislike them. The writing, especially the dialogue, was perfect.

This isn't as plot driven as Such a Fun Age, and it's a slower read. I found it interesting and wanted to keep reading, and about 70% in, there is plenty of drama for folks who need that. Each of the characters is important. There are no throwaway exchanges.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

Come and Get It
By Kiley Reid

I did not like this book. I found it to be poorly written, with stilted dialogue and a cast of characters who not only failed to interest me, but actually made me dislike each and every one of them.

I hate writing negative reviews, but I cannot find anything positive in this book to make me recommend it. There are few books that I have ever read that have caused me to have such a thoroughly negative reaction.

This review will be posted on January 30, 2024 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

I liked this novel from the get-go. The characters are rich and robust, the prose evocative. (Millie is so special, the best character in the novel.) Reid draws sharp parallels between those who can and those who can't. Who can give into reckless abandon. Who can get away with unethical practices. Who can take advantage of college undergrads. Who can get away with dorm pranks. Who can talk themselves out of anything. Reid's prose is the sharpest and most revealing it's ever been. 🐖 #ComeAndGetIt Rating: 😊 / really liked it

I should probably start by saying I haven't yet read Such a Fun Age, but it's on my tbr. I know it was well-received and when I heard that Kiley Reid wrote another book, I was curious to check it out. The storyline - a tale of the entanglement of a resident assistant, a professor, and a group of residents - piqued my interest. It was a fun read that brought me back to my college days, though it was a bit meandering at times. I kept wondering where the book was going, which for me led to the build-up and kept me reading, but I could see where a different reader might get bored. I'm still looking forward to reading Such a Fun Age, though!

This is a very interesting character-driven novel that follows three women in very different circumstances. Agatha, a journalist who has moved to a college campus to work on her next book, is dealing with a break-up while Millie is back for her senior year after taking a year off to care for her sick mother. Kennedy, a transfer junior, has just moved to town with a past she wants to forget. These three women intersect in different ways and I found myself staying up late to uncover another part of the characters' identity. Kiley Reid crafts these very real characters and shows us the good, the bad, and the ugly without judgment.

Without giving anything away, this book climaxes in the most shocking way, and the reader is left with the sensation that the best intentions have the most disastrous effects.

Trigger Warnings: blood, (unintentional) self-harm, depression, animal death

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I kept reading and reading hoping the plot would go somewhere, but alas it did not. I think I may be the wrong age group for this book. I enjoyed pieces of the plot- parts of the character development but it never really led to anything except a blundering climax.

This coming-of-age story started off very strong for me. A visiting professor comes to the University of Arkansas to teach while also writing a book (she’s a celebrated author). The female-focused story is definitely more character driven than plot driven (which at times is something I do enjoy). I think, in the end, the sheer number of characters made the read a bit problematic for me.

I do find Kiley Reid to be a very funny writer and she develops characters and relationships extremely well. Ultimately I enjoyed the book but found myself wanting a bit more out of it.

This started off slow and I was hot and cold on Agatha. I saw parts (huge chunks really) of myself Millie which made me uncomfortable in a good way. The stakes were low but at times felt high and I liked that. I liked that book felt like the book version of "a show about nothing."
Reid also does a great job of fleshing out side characters and the slow reveal. The humor is on point and I found myself acting out dialogue. As I write this review, I realize I like this book more than I originally thought.
Colette is my favorite. Just wanted to make that clear.

Come and Get It is an exploration of class, money, race and loneliness within the insular setting of a southern college campus. Our main characters are a hardworking and hopeful RA, a mysterious self-isolating transfer student, and a professor/researcher visiting from Chicago. In addition, there are several side characters that help in mimicking the endless chattering of a campus.

The story itself is in a low-plot, slice-of-life style that highlights Reid’s talent in how she presents microaggressions and awkward interactions.. There are dozens of cringeworthy moments, and a slow, meandering pace that feels very realistic. While the subject matter and topics are much different, this style reminded me of Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau.

While realistic, I found reading the dialogue to be grating after a while, which may have been the point. Most millennials and Gen Z-ers are guilty of saying “ohmagawd” and “And then I was like..”, but there are only so many times I can read them within pages of each other before putting the book back down for a while. Maybe the author is trying to point out how annoying those phrases are, and yes, point taken.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pivotal moment in the book, but am ultimately unsatisfied and a bit confused by the conclusion (or lack thereof). Not needing everything wrapped up perfectly, and Millie’s open-endedness feels right somehow, but Agatha and Kennedy’s ending feels a little unfair. Ultimately, I enjoyed this just fine and can recommend it to the right person. I think it would be good for a book club discussion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for an early copy in exchange for a review!

I was really excited for this one since I was a big fan of the author’s first book. This one struck me as very different and it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was very character driven and not much happened until the last quarter. There were extensive backstories on the characters and in a way they didn’t seem to connect to much else in the book or seem quite necessary (except for maybe one). I kept waiting for something to happen or for the characters/backstories to kind of coalesce into something and it didn’t really happen. I liked the campus aspect but I found the book overall to be a bit perplexing. Maybe I was just missing something so I’ll be interested to read reviews and see what others have say when it comes out. It was well-written and I think it will stick with me despite my qualms with it, and I’ll be looking forward to reading more from the author.

I did not really enjoy this novel. The characters were not relatable and I struggled to follow a plot line.

Come and Get it follows an RA, a group of her residents, and a professor as their lives slowly become entangled over the course of a semester.

As someone who spent over 8 years working in residential life, I was thrilled to find a story set in a college dorm. I very much connected with Millie and her struggles as an RA.

It did take a minute for me to get into this book. We started with a chapter from one character’s perspective and the. Hopped back in time to a different character’s perspective and it took a while to connect how they related to each other. There were also a lot of characters to remember at the top of the book and I found myself mixing up several of them.

Nonetheless, once I got further into the book I found it very enjoyable. I loved finding out how all of these seemingly unconnected lives ended up tangled together, and uncovering everyone’s secrets and pasts.

I will warn that if you prefer plot driven books over character driven, this one might not be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel will be published January 30th, 2024. Putnam and Sons, an imprint of the Penguin Group, provided an early galley for review.

My initial draw to this one was the mention that it took place at a college campus; I have fond memories of my own college days. As far as the author goes, she was new to me (I had not read her debut novel Such a Fun Age from 2019).

First impression: Reid likes to provide a lot of details (in descriptions, background, etc.). She uses those details to ground her story in a very contemporary reality. After an opening chapter which, for me, I was not sure where it was leading, we jump to some flashback chapters to give us Millie's background and how she came to be an RA. I did like the way Reid introduces the other staff members via a game at their first meeting; that really rang true to the whole college expereince (even though mine was nearly four decades prior). And the move-in day brought back major memories for me (I was on a student orientation volunteer who helped move in hundreds of new students each year).

Second impression: lots of characters are introduced with many only having tangential connections. It was like the first chapter dropped us in the center of a spider's web, and then we are shunted to one side for some backstory only to be shunted to another side for different backstory. Just as I was starting to get my bearings and into one groove, I was jerked around and lost again. Not the way I like my stories. Eventually, things settled into the here-and-now part of the plot, but my vested interest had already waned.

With the right audience, I am sure this book will hit. I just don't think I was the right audience for it.

I really enjoyed the characters and the story. The characters, especially their dialogue, and the situations in this novel are quite interesting. Who hasn’t thought of doing something unethical at one time or another? Love them or hate them, the author developed some amazing characters and situations in this book that made for a compelling read. Each time I picked it up to read, I had a hard time finding a place to stop and put it down. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

4.5 stars. I was excited to get the ARC for Come and Get It after really enjoying Reid’s debut, Such a Fun Age. I found Reid’s social commentary and observational humor to be as sharp as ever here.

Come and Get It centers on Belgrade dorm at the University of Arkansas and follows an RA, a group of residents, and a professor who wants to write about them. The decisions that follow entangle them all. Reid excels at creating characters who make bad decisions with really human intentions, which creates really believable tension throughout the novel.

As in her previous work, Come and Get It examines race, privilege, and age, but I found this to be a little less on the nose than Such a Fun Age. I have seen critique that this is not plot driven enough, but I did not struggle with the pace.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I found this novel to be a very quick read, but ultimately this was a miss for me. I'm giving it 3 stars, but that's probably rounded up. I think Kiley Reid is a talented writer, and I enjoyed her first novel Such a Fun Age, but I had quite a few issues with Come and Get It.

I'll start with the dialogue. To start with, there was way too much of it. I felt like the words the (many) characters said came across as trying too hard to be funny or adorable. It was almost as if it were a parody skit about college students talking.

There was also too much description of scenes that didn't progress the story or have enough relevance. Lots of this happened, this happened, also this happened....

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not understanding the meaning of the title in relation to the story? I do like the cover art though.

Too many characters that were similar--was sometimes difficult to remember who Casey was, for example, vs. Peyton. I think this would've worked better with a few less characters involved in the storyline.

Not a lot of plot, which is ok, but I also felt like the main characters, especially Millie, Agatha, and Tyler didn't feel authentic or match their actions. Agatha in particular had behaviors that didn't seem very believable.

I generally like a campus novel, so I was disappointed that this one wasn't a great read for me. I think this novel could benefit from a tighter edit and a little less heavy-handedness on the dialogue amongst the college students.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This novel will be published on 1/30/24.

Not so much a plot driven novel, but more so a book that focuses on character development—COME AND GET IT was different, but in a good way! It takes place primarily in a college dorm in Arkansas and follows Millie, a 24 year old Black RA who dreams of owning her own home, and a few of the residents of the dorm, as well as a mysterious professor.

This book has the same eerie sense that Reid's first novel was excellent at. You can see the progression in her writing for this book. The characters are multi-dimensional, and Reid excellently displays the contrast between the college-aged characters and the 'adults' in the novel. At times, I found the writing of the dialogue of the characters to be drawn-out. I thought I had sense of where this novel was going but Reid surprised me in the end. I will continue to read what Reid publishes and look forward to her next novel.

I was so excited t get this book! I loved the thought provoking nature it had about multiple society norms. I will say the only critique would be that there were two many characters explored at such a deep level. I kept getting some of the girls in the dorm especially confused. I loved Agatha and Kennedy's story the most and wish they actually got to interact more.

This is Kiley Reid's second novel, and after reading her first (Such a Fun Age, published in 2019), I was really looking forward to this one. However, I was a little disappointed.

This book is set in a dormitory at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. There is quite a large cast of characters, but the story primarily focuses on Millie (an RA at the dorm), Agatha (an English professor at the college), and five of the students in the dorm. The novel is character-driven rather than plot-driven, and deals with the subjects of racism, LGBTQ, social inequities, financial goals, and student priorities. I think this book might be better appreciated by those readers in the 20s who can identify with many of the characters.

After her first book was published, I heard Kiley Reid speak at the Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor and was very impressed. Since then she has become an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan English Language & Literature Department. I will definitely be looking forward to her next book in hopes that it is more consistent with the writing of her first book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. The book is due to be published January 9, 2024