"Come and Get It" by Kiley Reid, the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of "Such a Fun Age," presents a fresh and provocative story set in 2017 at the University of Arkansas. The novel revolves around Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant with aspirations to graduate, secure a job, and buy a house. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie a seemingly straightforward yet peculiar opportunity.

Reid's storytelling prowess shines as she weaves a tale of desire, consumption, and reckless abandon. The tension in the narrative is palpable, driven by odd new friendships, vengeful dorm pranks, and an undercurrent of illicit intrigue. The plot unfolds as a nuanced exploration of money, indiscretion, and the consequences of bad behavior.

The characters in "Come and Get It" are intricately developed, each contributing to the multifaceted dynamics of the story. Millie Cousins, as the central figure, navigates a world filled with challenges and temptations, creating a character readers can empathize with and root for. The interactions and relationships within the novel add depth, providing a rich and engaging reading experience.

The novel is not only a compelling exploration of personal desires and choices but also a commentary on the complexities of university life. Reid captures the essence of campus existence, complete with its blend of ambition, relationships, and the quest for identity.

Kiley Reid's writing style is both fresh and intimate, inviting readers into the lives of her characters with a keen eye for detail. The author's ability to tackle themes of money, indiscretion, and the consequences of one's actions adds layers of complexity to the narrative.

"Come and Get It" is a highly anticipated addition to Kiley Reid's body of work, and it promises to captivate readers with its thought-provoking storytelling, sharp observations, and the exploration of contemporary themes. Reid's ability to blend literary fiction with a keen understanding of human nature continues to make her a standout voice in modern literature.

Major thanks to NetGalley and Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for my thoughts:

*DNF @ 60%

girlll what the heck even is this???

i'll be honest, i had a fun time with Such a Fun Age, and though Reid plays with the usual class/race issues that i so loved in her debut novel, this ones falls short. like 100 to 0. real fast. real quick. in a huge cast of characters, there is no one to care for because there is so little care for any of them. these characters still feel like they're trapped in the first or second draft. the whole book has chess moves, but there are no chess pieces. there are motivations, but no why's to the motivations. this needs a few more rewrites to get where it needs to be.

if anything, i think this would've been better executed if done in the ttfn/ttyl series by Lauren Myracle. i think it would cut out the unnecessary scenes and set up as the dialogue truly drives the story.

homegirl go back to the drawing board with this one!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC. I have read Such a Fun Age and enjoyed it more than this book. I did not like most of the characters and Agatha Paul was so back and forth and annoying. At times the story became confusing with past and present. I am sad to say I just did not enjoy this book.

I have seen this book described as a character study and I agree. As I went to describe the plot here, I struggled and remembered that it really, well, didn’t seem to have one. The book is about people. And perhaps had I not been looking for a plot, I would have enjoyed the book more. Set at the University of Arkansas, the book focuses on five college girls, as well as three RAs and one professor. They don’t really do much. They just live/work/hang out. The ending has a bit more going on, but it’s the ending, so it lasted for maybe half an hour. However, as Reid shared her characters’ stories, I realized they all had some depth. After you read this, you may question that observation and I’ll admit that perhaps depth is a strong word. If not deep, maybe you’ll allow multi-faceted. I thought I really liked Agatha at first, but you know, I didn’t. Millie was lovable, but also what the hell was she doing? There is more than meets the eye with these characters - that much I’ll stand on.

Did I like the book? Um, well, I didn’t dislike it. I prefer more of a story that’s nice and clean with a nicely-tied up (but never rushed) ending. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like this one - it’s just not my favorite type of story. Overall, it was a fun read.

I wouldn’t rush out and buy it, but I wouldn’t DNF it. If you are looking for something to read and it happens to be available, it’s an enjoyable read. Not life-changing, you probably won’t love it, but it works for when you’re in a waiting room or can’t sleep.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

A unique read from Reid, that analyzes the relationships between a Professor, an RA, and several college students at a University. There are several perspectives/storylines going on at one time which is helpful in giving the reader further insight into the minds of these individuals and the larger scheme at work.


Without delving too much into potential spoilers- In the heart of the story, I found that each main character deals with their own selfishness in a unique and Inter way- whether it be an extramarital affair, swindling a professor for money, playing pranks on an RA for personal gain, or even blackmail. Collectively these stories weave a web that is unique and makes Come and Get It a novel that makes you laugh, drop your jaw, makes you a bit angry, and even makes you a little bit sad.

I flew through this novel and I highly recommend to those looking for a unique but quick read literary fiction. Not only does the writing and characters capture the reader- but we’ve all been in our 20s…we know how complex, stupid, and complicated that can feel! Riley did a wonderful job capturing all this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

I loved Kiley Reid’s last novel but this took me forever to finish. I think it was trying for like a slice of life in a dorm and the politics between the RAs and students but there was so much dialogue and not a lot of driving force to keep turning the page. Still think she’s talented and open to reading her future books!

The description of Kiley Reid's Come and Get It - "a tension-filled story about money, indiscretion, and bad behavior" - led me to think it would be much more plot-driven than it was. Reid created detailed, intriguing, and believable characters all sharing space in a University of Arkansas dorm, but they hang together rather more loosely than the promised "illicit intrigue" suggests.

Come and Get It is truly a character study and boy howdy are there characters. RA Millie and visiting professor Agatha are central, but there are more RAs, three residents, parents, friends, a girlfriend, and other Residential Life personnel. Reading all the details about all these characters is almost meditative; you just have to go with it.

Reid's ability to write people is on full display. What all those people are doing together is a little less clear.

If you prefer stories that are plot driven, this might not be for you. Come and Get It is character driven -- it follows the lives of three women in particular over the course of an academic year, and as their lives connect and intersect we watch how the seemingly small choices they make impact each others lives in ways that will reverberate for years to come. I loved getting to see the interior lives of Millie, Agatha and Kennedy -- the ways they perceived (and misunderstood) the people and situations around them, the way that their past choices had led them to the place they were in this story. I loved imagining how the choices I was watching them make in this story would inform the next phases of their lives. It's a gorgeous book full of moments that will make you reflect on your own life (possibly in uncomfortable ways, something Kiley Reid is so good at spurring her readers toward). I can't wait to recommend this book to people, and I REALLY can't wait for Kiley Reid's next book. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it ahead of publication!

*received this arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review*

this was a flop unfortunately. reid's such a fun age surpasses this one by miles. it only got interested past chapter 20, by which point i was 2/3 done. a skip.

Millie is a 24-yr-old RA in a dorm of typical college girls. All Millie wants is to get through her delayed senior year, start saving for a home to call her own and find a good job for when she graduates. When she makes some increasingly bad choices she puts all of that in jeopardy and has to face the fact that she may not like the person she is becoming.

My 2nd of Reid’s after the widely embraced Such a Fun Age. Although I enjoyed Fun Age slightly better, I cannot help but admire Reid’s seamless ability to approach tough and often times uncomfortable conversations regarding race, class and ethics in an everyday setting. Not all characters felt fleshed out, but there were a lot of characters so it was probably intentional. Each character was realistically flawed, and I found myself changing my perception of them multiple times. The way I couldn’t quite figure out the character Tyler, was was my favorite.

Such a complicated dynamic and made for a great story. Perfect selection for a book club.

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

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! It took me an incredibly long time to get through this book. I just couldn’t get into it. I feel like I truly didn’t start to care about the characters until about 70% in. before that they all just seemed like annoying college students. The last 30% or so was heart wrenching and definitely made me want to keep reading.

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of this book for review…. I loved Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Come and Get It is her latest book and there is a wonderful and engaging plot line - as we glimpse into the world of college women in the Belgrade form and unravel their complex views and reactions to the world. We also meet two strong and intriguing women, the dorm RA Millie and a professor Agatha. As we learn more about the behind the scenes lives of the individual students as well as the RA and professor, Reid weaves a fun and yet unflinching look at society today into the narrative with underlying themes involving racism, classism, homosexuality and suicide. I was disappointed with the ending, as I found it abrupt and open ended. I really needed some closure! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

I had to sit on this for awhile as it was an emotional roller coaster of a read. The characters were selfish and conniving and oh so real. I never really liked any of them but I was rooting for them all to figure their sh*t out and grow up. Great plot and setting to tell this story

This was so boring and slow compared to her other book. I honestly barely made it through to the end. Definitely not a winner in my opinion.

The opening of this novel showed so much promise. Kiley Reid is a gifted writer and knows how to skillfully immerse a reader into the setting. It's tough to follow a standout debut, so "Come and Get It" was already going to be under more scrutiny. There aren't negatives I'm interested in sharing, it's just that a character-driven novel wasn't the right read for me right now. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a Kiley Reid novel again and it might just be this one!

Grateful for the opportunity to dive into the ARC of this book, though it didn't quite captivate me enough to reach the final page.

Funny, thought-provoking, quick-another hit by Kiley Reid. Great cast of characters and made me wish I was an RA in college. Couldn't put it down.

I was fortunate enough to win an early copy of COME AND GET IT by Kiley Reid through a Shelf Awareness Giveaway. Thanks to the publisher, and have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. While this novel had the same biting, smart social commentary as Reid's first, it lacked the page-turning anticipation. The dialogue between the characters was the best part, but the plot (as flimsy as it was) dragged. Perhaps 400 pages was too long - it was as if Reid was writing for a word count. The last quarter was the most interesting, but even then I found myself thinking "that's it?" at the end.

I don't doubt the critics will love this novel, and there is much to love....but I just didn't.