I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters both main and side. Salem is amazing. Love him and his grumpyness. I really enjoyed how Evie and Salem's relationship grew from strangers to friends to lovers. It was great! Perfectly done. I also really liked Salem's sister and Salem's roommate. I appreciated that his roommate was not an asshole. He had a reputation but he was actually a good guy and became a good friend to Evie. Throughout the book there were a lot of cute and funny moments and I enjoyed them all. Overall a great read.

content warning: infidelity

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler

Come As You Are is raw, heartbreaking, and deeply inspiring. Dahlia Adler captures the emotional highs and lows of teenage life with authenticity and care. The slow-burn friendship-to-more between Salem and Evie is beautifully written and felt so genuine. I especially loved watching Evie form new connections and find her place at Camden Academy—those friendships were a standout.

This story doesn’t shy away from tough topics, and yet it offers hope and heart throughout. It's a powerful reminder of the strength it takes to be yourself, especially in high school. Also, can we talk about that stunning cover? It’s what first caught my eye, and the story inside more than delivered.

A touching and empowering YA read. 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"Because I am dying to see what it looks like when a girl whose head is literally a ball of sunshine goes rogue."

The newest Dahlia Adler novel comes Come As You Are. Think of the beginning episodes of Suite Life on Deck. Bailey comes and ends up rooming with Zach in a "mistake" with her name, after she applies. However, after everyone finds out, she ends up rooming with London, right? Think of that scenario, except the FMC here stays in the boys' dorm, and has a solo room.

That plot point aside, I really enjoyed Adler's newest. There's so many different messages that is sewn within. I feel the most important? Some friends aren't meant to last forever, but the ones that do? Will sprout from the most unexpected circumstances.

Everett "Evie" Riley is desperate for a life rebrand after everything in her life gets turned upside down. She's a total powerhouse and is like every other teenage girl. After a betrayal in her life, she wants a change. She feels overlooked, invisible; all she wants is to break rules, take a chance and risks. And she gets more than she bargained for. In the best way. She's a total badass, and I love her.

Salem Grayson is the school mystery. Also a sophomore transfer, he was kicked out of his last school for smoking in the principals office. After agreeing one night to help Evie become a new person, he gets thrown into the chaos of her "Reign of Terror". The more you learn about him, the sweeter he becomes.

Their deal, and in turn, their relationship is probably one of the sweetest I've ever said. Their nicknames for each other; the way they protect her; the way Salem is always there for her, in more ways than one. Through their deal, they become the best versions of themselves.

And all of their friends? I love them all so much. And their book club.

Also… if there's a sequel, there's perfect setup.

Tropes:
boarding school
grumpy x sunshine
slow burn romance
friends to lovers

OUT NOW.

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books, Dahlia Adler and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

I got such a kick out of these characters! I don't know that the pact between the characters was as strong as I might have wanted it to be. I loved the set up and how Evie worked things out in the dorm, and I enjoyed watching her and Salem both evolve over the course of the book. The book was funny and sassy and at times swoony. Thoroughly enjoyable! (Language, sexual references)

A delightfully raw coming of age story of a girl who is figuring out where she belongs after a heartbreaking betrayal.

I've never read Dahlia Adler's work before although I have her work now slated on my TBR. I really liked Come As You Are as a complex YA story of Everett "Evie" navigating school, friends, and family. The dialogue is witty, the characters vibrant and quirky, and the plot is effortlessly cute.

It is a solid YA contemporary that will be enjoyed by teens who love this genre.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the free book. These opinions are my own.

When Evie (full first name Everett) is assigned to the boys' dorm at boarding school, rumors abound and her new start is not going how she hoped. But she ends up making friends in this lovely coming-of-age romance.

I was a bit surprised that the book didn't feature a queer relationship. Although there were queer secondary characters with great storylines, it wasn't what I have come to expect from Dahlia Adler.

But other than that, I quite enjoyed the plot. It was fun and very high school drama. It almost made me wish I had been to boarding school. I especially enjoyed the teasing and banter that Evie developed with Salem, as they tried to help each other. Evie's family dynamics were challenging but incredibly well told. I recommend this as a sweet YA rom com.

4.25 stars

I wanted to like this story, especially as someone who went to boarding school myself, but ultimately, I just never connected with any of the characters or the romance plotline. I ended up DNFing this one at 40%

I enjoyed this book, despite it being my least favorite of this author's books. Long story short, what I didn't like was that the book seemed a bit repetitive and I didn't feel like it had quite as much romantic chemistry. However, I was entertained the entire time. I really liked the boarding school setting and the predicament the main character found herself in initially. It was set up for a great story. I didn't quite think the family drama fit in and it felt disjointed. There was plenty of drama at the school itself with all of those characters!

Another great book by Dahlia Adler! This book reminded me of the early 2000’s teen comedies I grew up on. It was funny & sweet & a little outlandish (in the best kind of way!)

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. It uses the romance concept perfectly and that character development that I was looking for and enjoyed from this overall feel of this world. Dahlia Adler has a strong writing style and was hooked from the first page. I enjoyed the opposite attract element and was engaged with the characters and their story.

This was so CUTE!

I love how easy it is to read a Dahlia Adler book. Her writing flows effortlessly, breathing life into a character that feels so entirely quirky, relatable, sassy, sweet, and sincere. I thought this was such a fun novel, and I loved following Evie as she navigates how to start over, and become a different version of herself. I loved the themes of self-acceptance, of forgiveness, of seeing the nuance in people, and ultimately, how to love someone entirely for who they are.

The relationship between Evie and Salem was just adorable. I loved how natural they felt together, how they become instant friends, bonded by their love of quick quips, sarcasm, and banter. So cute, so wholesome!!!

I will say the amount of characters did confuse me at times, as there were a few to keep track of and I found myself going "wait, who is that again???"

But overall, another hit from Adler!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the advanced e-copy!

#NETGALLEYARC

3.5 🌟

This was a cute, YA novel with alot of representation. I did not enjoy the abrupt ending because I guess I wanted more! I wanted to know what happened when the sisters met again in person, the "meet the parents" during winter vacay, etc.

Title: Come As You Are
By: Dahlia Adler
Pub. Day: May 27, 2025

Genre:
Fiction, Young Adult, LGBTQ, Romance

Trigger Warnings:
Loss of Parent, Abandonment, Sexual Content, Profanity, LGBTQ, Grief, Toxic Relationships
(**more graphic content, situational content, and profanity than preferred for a young adult novel)

Summary/Review:
There’s a misunderstanding at Camden Academy, Everett Riley is placed in the boys dorm of a full private school with no alternative. The problem- she’s a girl, who goes by Evie. She leaves her old school after her sister and boyfriend had a thing going on without her knowing it. Evie is looking forward to a fresh start…that is until she is placed in the boys dorm. And so begins the coming of age tale involving self-discovery, and challenging the rules to find personal identity.

This is my first book by this author and it was different than I expected. The beginning started out strong, was engaging and very fast paced, however, about halfway through it, I found myself distracted, and I had trouble connecting with the characters. The content went a little further than my personal preference, but working with high schoolers, I see its value. If you enjoy other books by this author, then chances are you will really enjoy this book.

Thank you to Dahlia Adler, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesdays Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity of an Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily leaving my personal review.

#ComeAsYouAre
#St.MartinsPress
#Wednesdaybooks
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

This is a great story about friendship and growing up. I requested this solely based off the Rapunzel-like cover and I was not disappointed. What a great story! i can't tell you how many times i smiled while reading this. The supporting, diverse characters all brought something different to this story and it all tied together wonderfully. I loved Evie's energy and played a great protagonist. What a perfect book to rad during Pride Month!! i loved this and will absolutely look for more by this author.

I always love a good team up to get revenge story, I definitely loved Adler’s writing style even more this time around,

I just finished Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler and here are my musings.


When Evie is accepted into a boarding school she feels like it is her second chance. Until she arrives on campus to find she has been placed in the boys dorm. The only person who seems to get her is outcast adjacent Salem and they balance each other… The lifeline neither of them knew they needed.

I love a good character driven YA especially when it comes with really witty banter. This book had it all. It was funny…. It was emotional… It was real and it was entertaining.

I thought it tackled the sexual elements well and it all felt very real. I love that in a book. The dorms are a great place to set a book and I loved the boarding school angle. Now my biggest problem with the rushed romance at the end. I don’t think it was fleshed out enough and honestly, that was a big disservice.

The characters were all great though and I loved the dynamic with Salem and his sister Sabrina… (My inner teen was jumping up and down like a wild animal).

All in all I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was well written and clever!

4 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress. @wednesdaybooks for my gifted copy

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this book to read and review.

Themes/Tropes: Boarding School, good girl x bad boy, Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Found Family

This felt like reading an Amanda Bynes early 2000s movie in the best way.

Everett has just had a terrible break up and betrayal, so she decides to go to boarding school to escape. Salem did something bad and was kicked out of his school.

When Everett, Evie, is mistaken for a male student, and there are no more rooms left, she is stuck living in the boys dorms for the school year. There she meets Salem, and she decides to stop being the "good girl" because it hasn't gotten her anywhere.

This book was funny, emotional, and honestly a great time. I loved the relationship between Salem and his sister, Sabrina (the names cracked me up). I also loved Salem and his roommate. I liked almost all of the main side characters and their relationship with Evie.

This is my second or third book by this author, and I really enjoy her writing style.

"Come As You Are" is really a teen book! YA authors these days typically teeter totter on the lines of being YA & NA. It was really cool to see this book staying its lane. It has the angst and exploration that teens go through as they grow up without making them overly sexualized. Well, actually, I kinda take that back. Our main character wasn't overly sexualized, but a couple of the characters were (Matt, mostly). The writing is what I expected from this genre.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this arc!

This was a YA book?! Holy moly. Maybe I was just a little sheltered growing up, but a ladder for girls to sneak in thru the window? All the swearing and talking about sex? I don’t know.. I just really struggled with this book. Where were the adults at this boarding school? Hahah. It would work if these kids were seniors but we are talking sophomores! Either make them a little older HS kids or like freshman in college.

Come As You Are had a good premise, but unfortunately didn't hit the mark for me. I don't like when the MMC dates/had sex with/romantically entangles a different woman after meeting the FMC. I also think the FMC sound have been more mature overall, and I have my doubts that due would have been friends with this popular crowd. Overall, I wish this would have been "aged up" to college, rather than high school; I think it would have worked better and could have been a little spicier, which given the premise I believe it should have been given a more mature treatment.