Come As You Are written by Dahlia Adler was raw, heart breaking, nostalgic, deeply flawed, sad, gut wrenching, and so inspiring. I thought this novel was going to be a cheesy young adult story, but goodness gracious, Come As You Are changed my life in the best way. I honestly wish this book was around when I was in high school because this book was made for the younger version of me. If you are a struggling high school student, please read this book, it will truly change your life, it will change so many aspects for you. Come As You Are taught me so many life lessons, but the most important one was friendship. Friends come and go. You might never see the people again you met in high school, but you will always have that ONE friend that sticks with you through life. Friendships are like four leaf clovers, they are hard to find, but once you find that friend, they are worth everything to you. When I saw that gorgeous and beautifully detailed cover, I knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately, and I'm so blessed I had the chance to read an early copy because I loved this book in so many ways, and once again it changed my life for the best. Dahlia, thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this beautiful story, it felt like you wrote it just for me and spoke to my younger version. I can't recommend this book enough, please do yourselves a favor and grab a copy of this book as soon as possible, or mark your calendars for May 27th, 2025 for the publication day. I'm just so amazed with how beautiful this story was, I'm so amazed with how deeply this book spoke to me, I'm so amazed with how much I absolutely loved and adored this book.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ST. MARTIN'S PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

MUSICAL PLAYLIST
Come As You Are- Nirvana
People I Don't Like- UPSAHL
Jealousy, Jealousy- Olivia Rodrigo
Shadow- Ashlee Simpson
Self Sabotage- Waterparks
Tally- BLACKPINK
Good Girls Go Bad- Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester
Anti-Hero- Taylor Swift
Farmhouse- Phish
Happy Face- Jagwar Twin
Boyfriend- Ashlee Simpson
Overwhelmed- Ryan Mack
Poker Face- Lady Gaga
GOSSIP- Maneskin ft. Tom Morello
Just A Girl- No Doubt
BABY SAID- Maneskin
Numb Little Bug- Em Beihold
Patience- Chris Cornell
THE LONELIEST- Maneskin
Teenage Dirtbag- Wheatus
Vampire- Olivia Rodrigo
Who's Afraid of Little Old Me- Taylor Swift

"Fuck it. I have worked too hard at becoming a badass to stop going for what I want now".

"I was a peach, now I'm a bad apple".

"Being you is not a bad thing".

"Friends are not the easiest for me to come by, and this time around, I want the ones I make to stick".

Everett "Evie" Riley has a heart of gold and she's a badass. Evie is such a relatable character, I feel like so many young girls will connect with Evie on a personal level. Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Evie is ready for a new beginning, so she leaves Greentree, New Hampshire behind and transfers to Camden Academy as a sophomore transfer. Evie is known as the girl who wasn't chosen for a few reasons. Evie's ex-boyfriend Craig and her sister Sierra were together behind Evie's back, meanwhile Evie and Craig were in a relationship, but here's the gut punch, Evie's former best friend Claire knew that Craig was cheating on Evie for quite some time and never said a word. At Camden Academy, the school thought Evie was a boy because her name is Everett, so they placed her in Rumson's, which is an all boys dorm room, but Evie got lucky because she has the best dorm room in Rumson's which is wheel chair accessible and she doesn't have to share with anyone. Now that Evie has arrived at Camden Academy, Evie is looking for a fresh start, she doesn't want to care about people's stupid opinions, she wants to become the kind of girl who takes chances, breaks rules, makes her own reputation, and she wants to have actual fun. Evie comes up with Reign of Terror which is her planned badass phase. I was literally so proud of Evie for all of the progress she made, I know it wasn't easy for her, but she still kicked life in the ass. It was so hard not to cheer for Evie after everything she went through.

Salem Grayson is a little mystery wrapped in an enigma. In the beginning, Salem was super shy and so freaking sweet, but by the end of the book he will come around and capture your heart. Salem is also a sophomore transfer at Camden Academy just like Evie, except Salem was kicked out of his old high school for smoking in the principal's office. Salem is gothic, he's a swagger, and he's a stoner mess, but he's one of the best male main characters. Salem has gorgeous eyes and did I mention that he sings? His voice is a low rasp that's coated in honey. Y'all this man was so funny and sweet, I couldn't help but love him even though I don't necessarily agree with his past mistakes, but that's okay because he literally overcame those obstacles and Salem became the best version of himself. Salem also attends Camden with his sister Sabrina and his roommate, Matt Haley. Matt might seem like a douche bag, but he was literally so sweet and hilarious, it was kind of hard not to fall in love with him either. Sabrina was also a lovely character, I love how Sabrina and Evie formed a bond, so Evie wasn't completely stuck with the boys. Salem had a pretty rough childhood, he was always getting into trouble at school until the school administrators finally had enough of his bullshit and kicked him out. I think attending Camden Academy was the best solution of Salem, because he completely changed his life around and became the most precious angel. Don't let any of their personalities fool you, they were the best group of friends and they welcomed each other with opened arms.

Salem and Evie are the life's of the party, their energy is unmatchable. Together Evie and Salem are dormmates, study buddies, pact partners, and partners in crime. Salem teaches Evie how to be cool and Evie teaches Salem how to be on his best behavior and not get kicked out of school. Evie and Salem make a deal with each other, Salem's goal is how to make Evie be bad, and to live her life to the fullest, and Evie's goal for Salem is to teach him how to be good but still have the best time in life. Evie and Salem had the cutest nicknames for each other, Evie calls Salem her bad boy guru and Salem calls Evie Skeevy, ugh these two were just so cute and precious. Their banter is top tier, I couldn't stop laughing when they were always around each other and bickering back and forth. When Evie cries in the shower, Salem always knows and constantly brings her chocolate, y'all this man is a damn keeper. Salem became the person who knows Evie better than anyone else in the world. Salem- "Evie Riley, you are a fucking literal ball of sunshine". Oh my goodness gracious, these two just absolutely had me howling with laughter and swooning non-stop. Despite how young Salem, Evie, Sabrina, and Matt were, I wish I had them in my friend group, they are just the type of people who light up any room they walk into, honestly they are the type of friends everyone needs in their lives because they are just the best people ever. The best way to describe Evie and Salem is love birds. This Camden Academy crew had me laughing uncontrollably for hours on end.

I had fun with this. Evie's misadventures in the boys's dorm were just fun. Her evolving feelings about Salem were well written, and the course of their relationship was relatable. Adler did a great job of creating a variety of characters that were more complex than you usually find in YA romance. Salem was an adorable romantic lead, and I rooted for him and Evie to get together. I have had mixed reactions to Adler's past novels, but "Come As You Are" makes me want to read more from her.

4.5 stars
I loved this book! It reminded me how much I love YA romance. It’s so wholesome. I need more of these characters immediately. I hope there will be an interconnected standalone series since there were some plot points that I think could have had a more solid conclusion.

Sweet YA romcom.

Evie just found out her boyfriend cheated on her with her sister so she needs to gtfo. Luckily she is admitted to a boarding school. However she ends up in the boys dorm so hijinks commence.

I thought this was super enjoyable, quick and light hearted with some heavier things the characters are dealing with which made it relatable and lovely.

Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for an eARC

*4.5

This was a really cute book. I loved how she was so oblivious to her crush on Salem. It was immediately clear to anyone who interacted with them that they liked each other but she couldn't figure it out. The man literally sang her a love song and she had no idea. My only complaint is that I feel like this should be set in college. I get that teenagers are having sex and they are at a boarding school but it felt like a lot. It would also make the sister sleeping with her boyfriend plot a bit more realistic.

I kind of want a book about Sabrina and Isabel.

I received an arc through netgalley.

If you need a book that will make you laugh immediately, you need to grab this one. The banter was seriously bantering; the author should teach a masterclass on the art of banter because this was top-tier.

This book is marketed for YA readers, and I would say that's accurate. The setting is a boarding school for high schoolers, and there is some swearing and kissing, but nothing that I considered overtly sexual; there is talk of see,x but there is no smut or spicy scenes.

Evie finds herself at Camden Academy, and due to her legal name being "Everett Owen Riley", she ends up in the all-boys dorm of Rumson Hall. There's nowhere else for her to go, and so she has to stay there. She encounters a wild cast of characters, from Archie, who was supposed to be her roommate, to Matt, the well-known dorm playboy, and his roommate, Salem. But in being the new girl, Evie decides this is a chance to rebrand herself as a "bad girl" for once. What ensues is hilarity.

My favorite thing about this story was all of the characters. There is diversity from race to sexuality to financial status. There are popular girls and awkward, quiet types. There are kids with tons of money to kids on scholarship. The characters are who they are; one facet doesn't define their entire personality.

For a YA book that was fairly fast-paced, there is actually a lot of character growth. We see Evie struggling in her story, and as time goes on, she starts to reflect and you see her learning from her experiences and reframing them.

Overall, a phenomenal book. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a teenager. Evie's character is refreshingly vulnerable, while also being hilarious. I could definitely see myself reading this one again.

So, Come As You Are is like that adorable rom-com you watch when you need some light fluff. Don’t get me wrong—the story is cute. Everett “Evie” Riley has a thrice-broken heart and is doing her best to reinvent herself after being betrayed by her ex, her sister, and her best friend. Evie’s “fresh start” at Camden Academy quickly goes south when she gets tossed into the bro-zone—aka the all-boys dorm—on day one.

Determined to reinvent herself, Evie teams up with her grumpy emo partner-in-crime Salem trying to teach her “how to be bad” while she’s the goody-two-shoes teaching him “how to be good.” Cute enough, sure. But let’s get real for a second: the setting is a boarding school, yet somehow the drug use and casual hookups read more like a college frat party than a prep school drama. I mean, did everyone forget that boarding schools tend to have a bit more supervision and a bit less… well, reckless debauchery?

The fake-bad-girl-meets-fake-good-boy dynamic? Adorable. The pact? Classic YA gold. The banter? On point. Salem even manages to be a functioning human despite all his brooding (a YA miracle!). But here's the thing—this story would've made so much more sense in college. Like, sure, boarding school drama is juicy, but when teens are signing housing contracts and negotiating PR makeovers like they're interns at Vogue, maybe it’s time to up the characters’ ages just a smidge. Just a tiny dash of realism, please.

I love diverse representation—I do—but when every other person Evie meets is LGBTQ+ in some flavor, it starts to feel like someone spun a rainbow wheel every time a new character was introduced. Everyone is important, yes, but the sheer statistical improbability felt a little less like authentic diversity and a little more like a checklist.

In the end, Come As You Are delivers cute vibes, heartwarming growth, and some swoony moments, but it loses points for realism, subtlety, and trying to pass off this whole dorm fiasco as anything remotely plausible.

Still, Evie’s emotional journey is endearing, Salem is a decent blend of angst and adorableness, and the idea of learning how to be unapologetically yourself is never a bad message. I just wish it came with a more grounded setting—and maybe fewer 15-year-olds casually hooking up.

Dahlia Adler is quickly becoming a new favorite YA author of mine. Come As You Are is an absolute gem — funny, heartfelt, and brimming with the kind of messy, meaningful growth that makes for an unforgettable read. Evie Riley’s life is in free fall after a triple betrayal: her boyfriend, her sister, and her best friend all let her down in spectacular fashion (tbh I don't know that teenage me could have recovered, so props to Evie. When I saw in the synopsis that she accidentally landed in an all-boys dorm at her new school (you're gonna have to suspend your belief in reality a bit for this one) I knew we were in for some She's the Man-esque shenanigans (IYKYK, it's a classic).

Cue having to team up, of course, with her grumpy, emo dorm mate, Salem Grayson (listen it's YA romcom catnip ok). He’s the last person she’d ever pick to partner with (naturally), but their “bad girl/good guy” exchange deal becomes the heart of this story, and it’s pure magic. The banter, the chemistry, the slow burn — it was everything I needed in a fun summer read.

Just like with her previous books, Dahlia nails the balance between snarky fun and real emotional stakes. Evie’s transformation isn’t about revenge or reinvention — it’s about learning who she is when no one else is defining her (one of my favorite tropes in YA, it feels so nostalgic). Come As You Are is a must-read for anyone who’s ever had to rebuild themselves (and found love in the process, because this is a romcom after all).

*2.5 While I think the setup was really fun (LOVE a boarding school setting), I'm not sure the execution of this one exactly worked for me? Maybe it's just because I'm growing out of the YA genre, but some of the plotlines and character choices were truly WILD. Still had its cute moments but don't think this one was for me :(

Every once in awhile, I find a YA romance that is so excellent I read it in a single day and need to tell everyone about it. That's how I feel about "Come As You Are".

The emotions and emotional turmoil in this book is SO authentic and relatable. It's been awhile since I was a teenager, but this brought back that almost painful feeling of wanting to belong, making and losing friends, and falling in love. The interpersonal relationships between characters were perfect for the ages being portrayed, and the plotline was SO much fun. There were moments where disbelief had to be suspended (she ends up in an all-boys dorm, and they won't move her?!) but I personally LOVE a bonkers moment that kicks off the rest of the action.

As an adult, I very much enjoyed this, but I also think it's the perfect YA romance for The Youths this summer.

Note that there are references to sex, drugs, and alcohol (off-page) in this book. I don't have kids, I'm not here to police what they read, but some people might care about this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Wednesday Books, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a Young Adult novel. I appreciated the banter and the friendship that developed between Evie and the rest of the characters. However, I felt like parts of the story were glossed over. I do look forward to reading more from Dahlia Adler - this particular book just was not for me.

Overall 📚
This is an adorable (YA) school romance. I did not know this was YA going in and I typically struggle to read high school romances so this one at least kept me invested. I think the cover was super cute and it definitely fits the vibe of the story. I would say the plot was pretty on brand for high schoolers so be prepared to be annoyed by their immaturity lol.
FMC 👧
Evie or "Everett" she hates her name ok *hair flip* has all the makings of a teenager who is done with everyone's shit and in her "IDGAF" era and I don't blame her. If I got cheated on with someone close to me and ANOTHER person close to me knew about? Good bye, I'm skipping town too sis. I will say, I was irked by Evie many times as badass as she projects herself to be at times I feel as though she was a bit too "roll over and whatever" like she expected the problems she was encountering to fix themselves. By all means CRY IT OUT GIRL but you can't just sit there???
MMC 👦
What can I say, Salem is about as cool as his name sounds (so pretty cool) he has all the building blocks of a book boy and definitely someone I would have melted over in high school and maybe obsessed over, as an adult I struggled with some of the wording/romantic moments. I wanted to jump out of my skin a few times, but nothing that ruined the book or made me want to stop reading.

I really love that Dahlia came out with a playlist for this! TAKE NOTE OTHER AUTHORS!!! I think this was a solid YA romance and I'm definitely open to reading more from her. 😊

Thank you to Netgalley, and Dahlia Adler for this opportunity and ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own ♥

I've been a fan of Dahlia Adler's works since Home Field Advantage and have never been let down, but I'm sad to say that her newest, Come As You Are, is solidly a middling 3-star read for me. I think some YA readers will really enjoy it, but it just wasn't up to par with what I expect from Adler at this point.

Everett "Evie" Riley has come to Camden Academy to escape a miserable series of betrayals - her boyfriend cheated on her with her sister, and her best friend helped to cover it all up. Except things are off to a poor start: she's accidentally been placed in the all-boys dorm, and rumors are already starting to spread, earning her a reputation she's done nothing to deserve. She decides to lean into her new reputation, with help from her grumpy new dorm-mate, Salem Greyson. It won't be for free, though, since Salem needs help repairing his relationship with his family. So she'll teach him how to be a good student, and he'll teach her how to be a bad girl.

Sadly, I just didn't vibe with this story. It felt largely predictable from very early on, which would be fine, except it also made no sense. The school just left Evie in the all-boys dorm? All of these kids are literally only thinking about sex all the time? Genuinely, I think what would have saved this book for me would have been if it had been bumped up to a New Adult story with college-aged characters. At least then the constant focus on hookups would have made a bit more sense. And then the conclusion and wrap-up, especially with Evie reaching out to her former friend and sister felt very phoned in and... not really solved?
So overall, this book was solidly fine. It was honestly just fine. Now if Adler wants to write a spin-off about Salem's sister... I'm there.

🦇 Come As You Are Book Review 🦇

❓ How would you describe your high school self in one word?

🦇 Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning, only to find out she's been placed in an all-boys dorm. When rumors and gossip about Evie's housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation...but she's definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm-mate Salem Grayson isn't exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact: he'll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good. What happens when Salem starts to thrive, and Evie can't?

💜 One of my current fave Young Adult writers, Dahlia Adler can do no wrong. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (5/5): Every character stands out from others in this messy, authentic cast. Evie's trying so hard to break her own mold, but it's her eventual self-acceptance and discovery that gives this story its unique beauty. For Salem and Evie to learn from one another and grow beside each other was authentically heartfelt.

✨ Plot and Pacing (4/5): The "only girl in the boys' dorm" plot seems silly, but it presents Evie (who is already carrying a mess of high school drama baggage) with new challenges regarding her identity and reputation. The love story is an excruciating but realistic slow burn that's neither rushed nor dragged out, which makes it all the more heartfelt.

✨ Romance (5/5): As much as I adored the slow burn romance between Evie and Salem, the friendships here steal the show. They're messy, everyone concealing motivations, but at the end of the day, they simultaneously support (and tease) each other. Which is what makes Evie and Salem work so well as a friends-to-lovers pairing. Salem never fully tries to change Evie; he fosters the inner strength she's had all along.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (3/5): Holding onto the mystery of what happened back home (between her ex-boyfriend, ex-bestie, and sister) would have given the story more tension.

✨ Tone/Prose (4/5): There's something comforting, like talking to an old friend, about Adler's prose. Though Evie's narration is fresh, distinct, and damn full of wit, Adler's voice shines through.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Begin Again and Better Than the Movies.

✨ The Vibes ✨
💜 Opposites Attract
💜 Young Adult
💜 Grumpy / Sunshine
💜 Boarding School
💜 Strike a Deal
💜 Found Family
💜 Slow Burn
💜 Identity / Self-Acceptance
💜Friends to Lovers

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #ComeAsYouAre

💬 Quotes
“I was a peach. Now I’m a bad apple.”

"Salem is standing there, and my first thought on seeing him and the flannel pants hanging off his hips and his mess of midnight hair is I cannot believe I ever thought there was anything about this boy that needed fixing."

"You just kept on finding new ways to be such a cute fucking weirdo, and I fell so damn hard for it. Hell, I’m still falling. You are magic to me, Peach, and the best person I know.”

"There’s a difference between doing something shitty and being someone shitty.”

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this ARC!
•
My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ (4.5 stars rounded up to 5)
•
I read this book in one day. What a cute high school romcom. I liked the characters. It was sweet - I love it when in romance books, the characters meet, become best friends, and then a couple. And it was funny - I laughed a lot while reading, snort laughed even. This book has the good vibes of a comfort read. I had such a great time reading it and was sad when it was over.

I usually really like YA romances, and the premise of this one caught my attention. Boarding school, dorm mix-ups, good girl x bad boy, opposites attract, fresh starts. The tropes and vibes sound like something I'd enjoy, but the story couldn't keep my attention. I just wasn't into it.

DNF @ 35%

This was my first Dahlia Adler, and I'm sad to say this wasn't it for me. I'll probably attempt to read it again, but this was a dnf for now.

This is going to be a short review, I apologise for that already. Fact of the matter is that I just don't have that many thoughts on this book. It was a perfectly fine read. That's it!
I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it was quite fun. I also really liked the cast of characters. They immediately just had a click with each other, and truly made for such a good group together. Their banter was everything for me.
Despite this book being about self improvement I however, just didn't get it. I mean, I do think there's some good messages in this but I overall just think the characters were just a little too one dimensional for it to be fully pulled of. I don't think the main character is that different by the end of this book. There wasn't enough depth for it all.
On top of that I also just thought the romance was a little underdeveloped. I mean, I did really like the dynamic between Evie and Salem, as I mentioned before the overall dynamic between the friend group was incredible, but it felt purely platonic to me. I just didn't really feel any chemistry in that department between them.
So yeah, this was fine. I had a fun enough time reading this book. I also definitely think that some of the more emotional moments definitely did hit. It's just really lacking depth and developement in my opinion, and I overall don't know just how memorable this one is for me.

I was excited for this story as I have really enjoyed previous books from the author, Cool for the Summer (2021), Bicoastal (2022), Home Field Advantage (2023) to name a few. The premise starts off fun. Everette “Evie” Riley arrives at a private boarding school called Camden Academy. Because of her name she is mistakenly assigned to the male dormitory. I am not sure that a private school couldn’t have figured out a better solution but I went with it. Her plan is to reinvent herself and become who she wants to be. But her reputation is already taking a hit because of her living situation. She does make friends with her upstairs dorm mate Salem Grayson and his twin sister.

It is shared in the blurb that the two agree to help each other. He agrees to let her help him make better choices (more join in, less weed and emo). He in return is supposed to help her be less good. That part of the plan really never made sense to me even though it is explained. The book has so many sweet and good things going for it. Salem’s sister is there for humor and good LGBTQIA representation. The activities like a talent show, movie nights, doing laundry and even poker nights are very wholesome. But the flip side is the easy acceptance of casual hook-ups, (not on the page). I kept thinking these students are sophomores and where are the adults and dorm monitors. Fifteen is barely the age of consent in my state. I would have been more comfortable if they were a couple of years older.

The friendship to love story itself is wholesome and sweet. But I did not like Salem’s casual situationship. It hit too close to the reason Evie wanted to be away from home in the first place. I enjoyed Adler’s writing style and ease of storytelling. The banter is very fun as well. (3.5 Stars)

i wanted to love this so much, but i just didn’t. that’s not to say it was a bad book because i still had fun at times! i thought the nickname peach was cute also, it’s one that you don’t see often. as well as the banter was cute!! but how are you not upset with this man after some of the things he did…? i would be livid!

This was SUCH a cute YA academic-setting romance. I loved Evie and seeing her trying to rebuild hope for romantic relationships after going through a bad breakup and losing trust in those closest to her was beautiful. I LOVEDDDD Salem and his twin sister Sabrina, and Salem and Evie were adorable. This is one of the best friends-to-lovers books I've read! It was fantastic.