Very cute. Loved the personal growth and the romance. The good girl trying to be bad thing was fun: Salem was a great love interest

I’m a huge fan of Dahlia Adler, but Come As You Are missed the mark for me. There were quite a few conflicts and several characters from the beginning of the book were completely irrelevant by the end of the novel. The witty quips are great in Come As You Are, and I did enjoy the characters.

Come As You Are is a warm hug of a rom-com wrapped in flannel, eyeliner, and emotional healing. With her signature mix of humor, heart, and razor-sharp insight, Dahlia Adler gives us a story that’s as much about self-acceptance as it is about slow-burn love—and it’s absolutely irresistible.

Evie Riley arrives at Camden Academy hoping for a clean slate, but what she gets is a boys’ dorm assignment and a campus full of rumors before she’s even unpacked her suitcase. Enter Salem Grayson: academic overachiever, black nail polish enthusiast, and the grumpiest emo boy to ever glower in eyeliner. Naturally, he’s her only hope.

Their "bad girl/good boy" pact is the perfect setup for banter that crackles, chemistry that simmers, and the kind of slow emotional unraveling that hits right in the teen angst. As Evie struggles to redefine herself on her own terms—and Salem awkwardly stumbles toward emotional vulnerability—you’ll be cheering for them both to drop the act and get real with each other.

This book nails the messy magic of being sixteen: the heartbreak, the self-doubt, the stubborn hope that maybe—just maybe—you don’t have to change to be worthy of love. It’s full of awkward hallway encounters, secret late-night heart-to-hearts, and a romance that blooms in the most unexpected places.

Perfect for fans of Better Than the Movies, Begin Again, and anyone who’s ever tried to reinvent themselves only to realize they were already enough.

Snappy, sweet, and full of soul, Come As You Are is the YA romance you’ll want to dog-ear, underline, and carry with you.

So much happens in this book that takes place over just one school semester, but I wanted more! The characters were great and I was so rooting for our MC at every step.

I'm not going to lie to you, Come As You Are is, at times, a mess and probably an objective 3 star read, BUT, I loved it. It's cliche and it's over the top, but for whatever reason, in this moment in time, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Again, I have to note to any potential readers, the plot is insanely cliche. Evie, our main character, goes to boarding school and accidently gets put in the boy's dorm. She then instantly becomes best friends with the "bad boy" who tolerates no one but her. She teaches him how to be a model citizen in exchange for him teaching her how to be bad. She also has curly hair that can't be tamed that only he appreciates for it's natural beauty. She's great a poker and swindles boys out of their money. She befriends the most popular girls in school. She has an evil family and ex-boyfriend ... It's all very fanfic-y. But still, I had fun.

In terms of some of the strong points, the romance itself is super sweet and well-paced. I really enjoyed the friends-to-lovers aspect of it. I also liked Evie's character development. The way she experienced insecurity, self-sabotage and catastrophizing felt very real and relatable. Even though some aspects of this book felt more adult than YA, Evie always felt like a real teenager. And although this book felt unlike the author's others in many ways, the banter, a signature of Dahlia Adler's that I love, felt the same. I found Evie very charming and all the dialogue between her and Salem was very engaging.

That being said, on the topic of banter, I found the pacing weird in terms of how quickly Evie made friends and got comfortable with them. Most of Evie's dialogue is that "I'm a thorn in your side but you love me" type banter, to which the other characters begrudgingly respond "yah, I do". This made sense further into the novel when characters had formed relationships, but when Evie was grilling people page one and they decided to be her new best friend, it felt a little rushed. Another problem I had with this story is that I felt like quite a few plot threads didn't get resolved, such as how Evie never talked to Heather, or how Isabel never spoke out against Jenna's cruelty. Additionally, this book discusses cheating a lot, but strangely enough, the thesis regarding cheating seems to be "if it's not happening to me, it's not my problem," which is really damn bizarre. That's so passive? And finally, the characters in this book act way older than they are. Not only does this book discuss cheating, but there's a lot of talk of sex and drugs. I know that teenagers do these things, but they're not normally depicted so casually in YA books. I feel like this plot kind of only works if you imagine the characters are in college, or if you're looking for a book with NA content but a YA feel.

So yah, even though the author has said that she's been workshopping this story for a long time, I think there was a lot left in that needed to be polished. But to reiterate, personally, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. The core of the book, both the romance and Evie's character development, is strong, and honestly even the cliche's have their own charm. I would recommend this book to romance fans, I'd just say to know what you're signing up for. This book is fun if you set the right expectations and let yourself have fun with it.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love the cover of this one, which is the main reason I wanted to read it. The colors are amazing.
We follow Evie as she navigates her first semester at boarding school. Which she wanted to go to after some drama at home.
I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read as well.

If you're an ARC reader, chances are, you've been hit with life so hard at some point that you've fallen off your reading schedule. Now that I'm playing catch up, I am SO upset that it took me over a month to pick up this gem. I enjoyed this story so much and am very grateful to the publisher for the eARC.

As a millennial, I will admit that I haven't been into YA as much lately...but this was a story I read in two sittings--and that is VERY quick for this super slow reader. I loved the writing, the banter, and the overall premise of the story, which helped me devour this so quickly.

My favorite parts:
🏰 the boarding school setting
🩶 the Graysons
❌ Evie's take no sh!t mindset
🍏 him teaching her (just as much as she's teaching him)
❤️‍🔥 the way he falls first
🩶 did I mention Salem MF Grayson?
🍬 the sweetest friendship between our FMC + MMC

I really felt for Evie and deeply understood her trust issues, especially when it came to the way her own family & closest friends betrayed her in the past. I also appreciated her character growth and eventual recognition of her part in said betrayals. I wanted so much more for Evie and wish there were an epilogue to show us glimpses of her in her newfound happiness--but for now, my imagination will have to do. I envision our favorite black cat x golden retriever living HEA :')

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this beautiful story. My sincere apologies for the delayed review, which was honestly my loss.

I was mildly disappointed by the ending of this book. While I probably have aged out of the YA romance genre, I still enjoy reading it occasionally to bring some nostalgia back in my life. “Come As You Are” was a great start. With the classic Wattpad story line of toxic siblings, boarding school, and a FMC in the wrong dorm this was supposed to hit the spot. I thought actual premise was cute and interesting, but by the end it seemed like a sprint instead of the race we were supposed to be in (a marathon). The ending felt cut short. I think there needed to be more reconciliation with the sister (or no reconciliation). I felt like it would have been better to finish the story closer to the end of the school year so Salem and Everette’s relationship and friendship could flourish some more.

In this opposites attract romance for fans of Begin Again and Better Than the Movies, a fresh start doesn't have to mean changing yourself.

I love a boarding school story. This was a new take from Dahlia Adler and I think the years of development she mentioned in the acknowledgements showed.

This book was fun. And if I was in high school would make me jealous that I wasn’t attending boarding school. I always appreciate a good story about finding yourself. And I love how young adult romances just make me feel. I love the adventure and the group of characters. It’s very whimsical as they tackle hard things. This is the first dahlia book I’ve read and while I was disappointed it was not a queer couple, I’m excited to go back and visit the remainder of her books.

As a certified banter lover, this hit the sweet spot for me – to the point where I read it entirely in one sitting. The characters were fun and charming and for the most part they were also incredibly unique, which I appreciate a lot. I must say, however, that the main character felt a bit childish at some points, though that is believable in a highschool romance and considering her inner turmoil and beyond that I don’t have any complaints. Overall a very fun and bingeable read!

Another awesome book from Dahlia Adler! I loved “Going Bicoastal” and this was even better. Salem and Evie are adorable in the same way and I loved the slow-burn of friends to lovers. It was a great plot line to have pure joy come from a terrible experience, and I loved how it all came about. The secondary characters were also great and not confusing at all, despite there being so many. Great story, great characters, can’t wait for the sequel!

There will be a sequel, right?

Loving Come As You Are just as much as Home Field Advantage, Dahlia Adler proves she writes stories that wriggle into my heart!

Yes, this is a romance, but it's honestly so much bigger than that! It's about friendship, personal growth, and realizing your own self worth - and it's so flipping relatable! Evie was so undeniably cool, already trying to forge her own path in life. Salem's parents did something so right raising him and his twin sister Sabrina! Fantastic side characters round out this cast, and I'm all for them being the youth of tomorrow!

What else?
-this book had such a fun premise and I loved the name mix up that led to some interesting dorm circumstances!
-I appreciate that title nod to Nirvana
-I was smitten over this shameless plug: "a romance between a football player and a cheerleader!"

Once again, the highest compliment: this is one I'd want my daughter to read!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This was absolutely adorable! Every time I think maybe I’m too old and jaded for contemporary ya, a new book pulls me in. I’ve enjoyed Adele’s previous books as I always fly through them and enjoy their sense of humor but I think maybe this was my favorite. I was rooting for Evie almost immediately. Having a sister who would sleep with her own sister’s boyfriend is a huge red flag and it became so important for me that Evie enjoy her new boarding school and set off on a new, cool life for herself. Ending up in the boys dorm was a clever hook and right away I was rooting for Evie and Salem. The best relationships are ones that begin with friendship and this was SUCH a good friends to more.

Although the plot begins with Evie trying to learn to be “bad” from Salem while she helps him to be good, I felt the real joy in this book was just being with these kids as they hung out together. I loved the different relationships Evie finds herself in and this really felt like such a good coming of age. I wished we had a little more resolution with the sister but at the end of the day life is messy and sometimes not every end gets tied up nicely. What matters is that Evie is ok and happy and then so am I.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this wasn't what I had imagine upon reading the synopsis and starting the book but it ended up being a lovely YA read with some fun characters and important topics!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This was a pretty fast read and I liked it. Evie gets put into the wrong dorm after assumptions of her being a boy (named Everett really) and the comedy of errors ensues. Seeing Evie grow into herself and her eventual relationship with Salem was very sweet and well written for them to help each other. I also appreciate someone who is also oblivious at times when it comes to social cues or what people may or may not truly think of her. 4 stars.

an adorable YA with a semi-complicated female lead and an amazing array of side characters who teeter on found family. salem was such an influential character in this book and absolutely loved his sarcastic little soul

This was a fun YA book that kept me on my toes! Bad boy gone good is a fun trope, and I would have loved this in high school. Dahlia Adler books never seem to miss, and this one isn't an exception. What a fun summer read!

Okay, y’all. I feel like Dahlia Adler is one of those authors who just doesn’t get enough recognition for writing emotionally real, genuine, and hilarious characters and character casts. I mean, I know she gets recognition. But like… every time I read one of her books, I go in expecting high entertainment and a fun story, and I get so much more. She seems to hit the perfect balance between humor and vulnerability. The friendships between characters feel as real and complex as those we encounter in real life. I love the antics between friends and the banter between characters with the potential to be more.

In Come As You Are, Evie has enrolled in boarding school to escape a horrifically toxic family situation. The only emotional hiccup for me as I read the whole book was that I wanted to grab Evie’s parents by the ears and shake them, or I wanted her to be able to do that. And the truth is, as the kid in the situation, it’s not her job to address the problem. She did fine. And the truth is that sometimes, we do not have the power to initiate a healthy confrontation within our family circles. Sometimes the healthiest thing is to find a way to create boundaries and space. That’s really what Evie did, and bravo to her for it.

I had a great time reading this book. Every book I read by Adler is my new favorite of hers, and this one is no exception. If you’re looking for a smart, funny summer romance, grab this one immediately.