Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Whew, I have not had a good laugh at the banter in a book in a hot ass minute. This was so funny and ridiculous but it worked. Evie and Salem had so much tension from moment they stepped into a room together and by the end I was satisfied.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s slow burn with a little grumpy x sunshine give this a read. You won’t be disappointed.

Unfortunately, this book didn't quite work for me. The premisse sounded so fun, but something about it didn't click. My main issue was that I didn't really like any of the characters, including the main character, which made it hard to root for them. I also felt like some storylines were underdeveloped, especially the storyline with Evie's sister, where I would have liked to see a little more nuance.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. This was a cute YA romance that reminded me of those comfort feel-good rom-com movies that you put on to relax and enjoy. This book is set at a boarding school where Evie (Everett) gets accidentally placed into an all-boys dorm where she meets the bad boy of campus, Salem. Evie has to navigate through school, relationships, the rumor-mill, and a budding romance.

My thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of "Come As You Are" in exchange for an honest review.

Confession time - I barely suppressed a resigned sigh and eye roll before heading into this one. Another boarding school romance, filled with gossip, hook-ups, break-ups, quirky girls, grumpy guys, villainous mean queens, dumb jocks, heart-of-gold besties, inner turmoil, wardrobe fails, bad hair days, bad parents days, nuclear sibling rivalries..... and kisses that sail right off the Richter scale.

True, all that stuff is duly in place here. But author Dahlia Adler deploys such a wicked sense of humor and telling insights, that by the time I reached the last pages, I was sorry to see it end.

I would've loved spending more time with the perfectly mis-matched Everett 'Evie' Riley and Salem Grayson. Evie arrives at school already a nursing a bruised heart (a loser boyfriend stolen from her by her ultra popular older sister). Adding insult to injury: she's mistakenly assigned to the boys' dorm (only partially corrected by giving her a private room there). But she's never at a loss for memorable comeback repartee aimed at boys who dare to ridicule her as the girl stuck in a sea of testosterone and a variety of foul male odors.

Speaking of boys, in her effort to pursue the elusive goal of being cool, she engages in a pact with Salem, a darkly coiffed, darkly tempered emo guy. He needs to fulfill his parents' expectations of his becoming what's thought of a normal good student.. Their deal: he schools Evie on cool (and maybe even 'bad' a few times) and Evie transforms him into a traditional, socially acceptable boy (even trying out for team sports).

Evie and Salem's agreement, to the surprise of absolutely no readers of this book, goes spinning off in all manner of different directions.....laugh out loud funny and dead on in the depiction of characters finding out who they are and what they want. And I lost count of how many times I wanted to rush out and find friends to quote the hilarious, astute dialogue exchanges here.

If all the boarding/high school opposites-come-together romances were as sharply written and amusing as this one, I'm afraid I'd end up reading three of them per week. Don't pass up this one.

4⭐️

This was a fun, quick read. Don't go into this expecting something super deep, but sometimes it's nice to just have fun.

I loved the way Evie just settled into the all boys dorm even though it ruined the vision she had for starting over at her new school. I feel like her anger at her sister was understandable and I really like that they hadn't necessarily made amends at the end of the book. There were times that Evie's personality really grated against my nerves and the fact that she was trying to help Salem by 'normalizing' him to make his family happy felt gross. I did love her friendship with the twins and Matt, though, and how loyal she was to all of them. I can understand being ashamed and wanting to keep her time with

I really liked Salem in this. He was unapologetically himself and I loved that the reason he and his twin were at this private school was because he acted out to get the attention off of his sister after a bad breakup. He may have came across as a 'bad boy,' but he was just an all around good guy who didn't put himself out there much. His friendship with his roommate Matt didn't seem like it should work but they had great chemistry.

I also love how Matt was portrayed like a total himbo fuckboi but he was an ethical one. The ladder hanging out the window for people to sneak in and out was hilarious but I loved how he was clear that there would be no cheating since he didn't do relationships. He was just a fan addition to the story.

Thanks Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC to me!

This book was incredibly cute. The banter between the two main characters was top notch. It’s very cliche to say but I couldn’t put this down. I loved to see the character growth and all the relationships within the story. It’s been a long time since I read a YA book as good as this!

This was my first book by Dahlia Adler despite having followed her on social media for years. I loved the voice here and I imagine it’s similar in her other books. As a high school teacher, I did feel Evie’s actions were too mature for a sophomore so that took me out of the story at times. I also can’t push back my disbelief that they would have let her stay in a boys’ dorm. As a girl with a traditionally boy name as well, let me just say no way.

She does it again!
Dahlia Adler’s writing bounces off the page with spirit and heart.
Come As You Are will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but it goes so much deeper than that.
And nobody does it better than Dahila Adler!
One of my favorite YA stories and I can't wait to see this book out there

Dahlia Adler does not miss. I flew through this because I was having the best time. Evie is a delightful mess, Salem is secretly a sweetie pie (and while we’re at it, so is Matt), Sabrina is just an all around delight, and Isabel is just so pretty (if you ask Evie, who is certain she is straight).

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the review copy, all thoughts are my own!

Early 2000s teen romcom vibes: a ridiculous plot, cute romance, fun banter, and an excessively PDA-filled ending. Sure it's tropey, but the characters are all entertaining in their own way, and the expected happy ending is well-earned and satisfying. (We also get the rare curly haired FMC!) I got what I came for and I'm happy.

Dahlia Adler is a master at writing complex and lovable YA characters! The plot to this story is very simple, but her characters are so sweet and well-developed that you don't even mind. This was a lighter story about finding yourself in high school and realizing the importance of friendship. I loved that every relationship wasn't magically fixed by the end, but that the characters learned and grew through that struggle. I really enjoyed this simple romance and can't wait to pick up what Dahlia Adler writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I actually yelled out loud when the acknowledgments page popped up because I wasn’t ready for this book to end. It was so sweet and was an all around enjoyable read.

Everett is running away from heartbreak on three levels. From her ex boyfriend, best friend, and sister. She's convinced her parents to send her to a boarding school for a fresh start away from everyone, and is looking forward to reinventing herself. Until a name mix-up slots her in the boys dorm, and the rumors start swirling. Now convinced she needs help to set up a new reputation, she reaches out to bad boy Salem for a reciprocal reputation re-do.

*****

This was such an interesting idea in a novel but I think the author missed her opportunity to write her leads in the correct ages they're represented as. These kids are 15/16 and act like they're college aged. One character has a never-ending parade of hookups, and sent Evie on a task to grab copious amounts of condoms and lube for the boys dorm, but we're supposed to believe these are high school kids. It just didn't fit, and I struggled to see their relationships develop, and how hands-off adults are for the age groups present in the novel. It left a decent portion of the book with me picturing the students are much older than they are, and therefore struggling with their choices.

Aside from that, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation, as well as Evie, Salem and Sabrina. The underlying message of finding yourself and investing into relationships that are right for you was a great one. I was a little surprised we didn't get a resolution to the secret Evie is carrying, as it greatly affects her over the entire novel, but maybe that comes about in future books.

The slow burn was sweet and done so well, and overall it was an okay read, but I'm not sure I'd pick up another book from this author within this age group.

*****

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is definitely YA--so know that going in. There are some things I liked (great banter, fun playlist) and it started out strong but it didn't really keep my interest and seemed a bit far-fetched as to what people/situations in real-life might actually be like. This book was "mid" as they say :) **I received a complimentary ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I adored this book so much from the first page! It was funny, cute and actually pretty swoony for a YA! There was no unnecessary drama and it just felt so good to read. I devoured it in one day! Plus, you know I love books set at boarding schools. Give it a try!!

Come As You Are comes out next week on May 27, 2025, and you can purchase HERE!

"Great! Hold my hand."

"I'm sorry, hold your what now?"

I hold out my hand. "Take it. Obviously we're not going to let people think we're really dating, but it's good for us both if people see us as the kind of people who can get dates. We just want people talking."

"I literally do not ever want people talking. I'm perfectly happy with the entire world shutting the fuck up, always."

This was a delight! I absolutely felt for the scenario Evie found herself in, and loved seeing how she navigated each new challenge. I also wish I had friends like the side characters when I was in school, as I can only imagine it would have been a lot more fun.

This was really cute. Through a questionably believable administrative error, Everett (aka Evie) ends up in a boys' dorm at her new boarding school. She quickly makes friends with (forces her presence on?) the other new misfits in the class and decides to form a mutual reinvention pact with dormie Salem. (she makes him less grungy, he makes her less "nice girl") It's a trope, and there are plenty others scattered throughout, but I enjoyed the characters and their personalities so much that you're happy to just go with it. It was consistently humorous, and the main characters were likeable enough that you genuinely cheer their happy ending. My true rating would probably be a 3.5, but it was such fun that I'm willing to round up.

This was just such a fun read. I absolutely adored the characters in this book (except Sierra because WHO DOES THAT?) Evie was such a great FMC and I loved her journey from timid good girl to standing up for herself and what she deserves. Also, Salem was EVERYTHING. Their banter was so cute and funny. I loved seeing their friendship grow and evolve into more. ALSO (part two), Matt was an absolute delight and I would love a sequel on him or Sabrina! I love a boarding school setting so much and the atmosphere was top notch. I just had such a great time reading it and I felt like I had a smile on my face the entire time. I loved Going Bicoastal so I was so excited to read this one and it absolutely lived up to the hype in my head.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the digital reader’s copy!

*4.5 Stars*

I really liked this one. What really got me was the snark. I love a good snarky main character and this one definitely had that, it also had lot of snarky secondary characters and the love interest. So much snark. It was great, made me laugh out loud a few times and I just had a great time. I absolutely flew through it and was invested from beginning to end. I even shed a few tears. The background was interesting and felt quite original and the characters felt deep and interesting. I really like the whole boarding school of it all too and I just really liked this one. I cannot wait for the next Dahlia Adler book!

When you're the only girl in an all boys dorm trying to transform yourself into a "bad girl" by getting the help of your emo dormie while also turning him into a "good guy" things only get more complicated when you begin falling for him... and he's dating one of your friends. Evie is trying to escape her recent heartbreak after catching her sister sleeping with her boyfriend and also having her best friend abandon her for her sister. Evie is tired of being the "good girl" and wants to rebrand herself as a "bad girl" who can keep a guy. But her life is turned upside down when the new school she applies to puts her in an all boys dorm by accident. There she meets Salem, the grump "emo" boy who is a "bad boy" and when he finds out her plan he offers to help her in exchange for her helping him transform into a "good boy." Salem and and Evie begin their plans and become friends... but the unfortunate fact is that Evie is falling for him despite the fact that he's dating and sleeping with her new friend. Can she work out her feelings before she becomes her sister? When I read this book I'm going to be honest, I hated every second of it. Evie is unlikeable, and honestly just not a "girls girl". The fact that Salem is characterized as an "emo" boy but has ZERO ZERO AND I REPEAT ZERO Emo boy tendencies... like as a former emo kid, this is just kind of sad. Honestly, the fact that Evie kisses one of her other friends boyfriends (before knowing he is her bf) and then proceeds to never tell said friend, meanwhile this guy is probably going to be cheating with other girls?? YOU YOURSELF WERE JUST CHEATED ON HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL HER?? WHAT HAPPEN TO GIRL CODE??? And the way Salem was sleeping with Evie's friend to "try and get over her" despite both of them knowing he was into Evie was just gross. I can't. There is zero romance or chemistry between the main lead. The fact that the love interest's nickname for her is "Skeevey" is not cute or fun at all. Evie's entire inner monologue constantly being "nice girls finish last" "woe is me for not being as hot or as pretty as these other girls" "i need to be not like other girls", it got boring real fast. This book was just a bad time all around and honestly I don't even know who this is for. I adored the author's other books and loved that they were fun queer romances... but this book was just so far a departure from the other books that I can't fathom it.

Release Date: May 27, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*