This was a great young adult romance read. I loved following Evie in this book and loved her relationship with Salem. This was such a cute read and it had a great cast of characters. I loved seeing how the characters developed throughout this story. There was a good handful of moments in this book that had me smiling and laughing and I really enjoyed following the characters on their journey of self discovery.

Read this if you like:

📖 Grumpy/sunshine
📖 Slow burn romance
📖 Friends to lovers
📖 Boarding school settings
📖 Complex characters

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the gifted arc.

'Come As You Are' is the story of Everett aka Evie who is heading to boarding school in high school due to an issue at her current school (her sister stole her boyfriend and best friend). Because her legal name is Everett, she gets assigned to the boys' dorm, so although she's going to boarding school to escape drama, she finds herself in the middle of drama on day 1. She ends up befriending the guys in the room above hers, and gets really close to "bad boy" Salem and his goth sister Sabrina. She ends up in a pact with Salem to help him be good and he is helping her be...edgy/bad?

Although entertaining, I had a few issues with the story.

First, I didn't love Evie. She comes off as a self-centered "pick me" for a lot of the book. The author also totally focuses on Evie and there's not a lot of character development for the side characters, which I think hurts the plot a lot. I didn't love reading 100+ pages of Evie's internal monologue about whether or not she thinks she has feelings for Salem. She wasn't that interesting.

Second, there is a huge pacing problem. The whole Salem/Evie plot to make one good and the other bad is half baked at best, but is the focus of about 80% of the book. It's a pretty slow read until you get to Parent's Weekend. Then the last 10% feels rushed because there's a lot of unresolved issues that got moved really slowly that have to get tied up real fast. It just felt like not a lot happened and then got resolved pretty conveniently for Evie.

Third, and this is related to the pacing, there were some loose ends that don't get tied up with the side characters. I think this hurt the plot a lot. Some of the side characters had potential to be really interesting and I'd have liked to get to know them better, and I wanted to know how things turned out for them. It just felt like these characters were plot vehicles instead of living breathing characters. I think the author could have slashed about half of the middle parts focused on Evie and devoted them to the side characters.

Fourth, the author hints at some mental health issues for Evie, but none of that gets addressed directly. If you are going to suggest that there's an issue, to the point where another character comments on it, give us the full banana and hit the issue head on. As portrayed, it felt brushed under the rug, which doesn't sit right with me.

It was an entertaining story for the most part, it just reads like it needs another round of revisions to sort out the issues with pacing, side character development, and tying up a few more loose ends.

Dahlia Adler has done it again. She has made this 43 year old woman completely fall into a book about teenagers at boarding school. Her books never feel "young", despite writing about teenagers. The relationships are always written so well and her characters are never childish, but not written as adults in teens' bodies. I loved "Skeevey" and her friends and am so glad she found her place. I also really appreciate that her relationship with her family wasn't wrapped up in a neat little bow.

I LOVED this book and would absolutely recommend this read to anyone, adult or teen. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was instantly hooked by Evie's story and couldn't wait to see how her fresh start at Camden Academy would unfold. I found myself cheering for her as she navigated the hilarious and often awkward situations that came with being accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm. The rumors and gossip added a fun, dramatic twist that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author did a fantastic job of blending humor, romance, and self-discovery in a way that felt fresh and engaging. The book was a perfect mix of laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt scenes, making it an absolute joy to read.

This book is a light, fun, and incredibly entertaining read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a delightful escape. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this book, to be officially released in May of 2025. This was my first time using NetGalley, so it was super fun to be one of the first to experience this one. It was definitely an enjoyable and fun little rom-com with interesting characters and great character growth. Without further ado, my review:

Plot
Come As You Are takes place in a fancy boarding school after the main character transfers due to unfortunate events in her family and social life. The MC realizes that she was accidentally placed in a boy's dorm - and forced to stay there? This was my one major problem with the book - the school didn't even try to solve the issue, and instead left her to live with a bunch of guys who were not shy about declaring their less-than-noble intentions with women. I thought that was strange, and brought up way too much (students were constantly teasing Evie about it but she just let it go as if it made her cooler to be the bad girl who lived with guys... that brings me to my second biggest problem with the book, which you'll find in the content warnings section).
The rest of the story line was actually pretty fun though. I've always loved boarding school books that follow the daily lives of the students and all of their shenanigans - and plenty of shenanigans were had. While mostly unrealistic, the character's emotions and reactions were relatable. I also enjoyed Evie's character arc, learning to forgive and move on from her past.

Style
I really enjoyed Dahlia Adler's style and Evie's unique voice, sarcastic quips and banter with every character. The pace was a little inconsistent - some scenes barely moved the story forward at all, and others contained very sudden character growth or revelation.

Characters
The characters weren't super realistic, but they were so much fun! Everyone had their own unique personality. No character was just the mean girl or just the heartthrob - everyone had so many facets to their individual stories. It added so much realism that when the characters all came together, you could see yourself joking along with the friend group.
The main love interest was interesting, but I didn't like some of the decisions he made that they tried to play off as romantic or "okay" - such as his choice to hook up with another character while waiting for Evie. Excuse me? That's not the 'little wrinkle' in the love story that you think it is.
I was also confused about the character's ages. On one hand, their stupid decisions made sense for most of them being high school sophomores and juniors. However, the amount of drinking/drugs/hooking up they were doing seemed a lot heavier than real-life high -schoolers do. Maybe I missed something when I was their age, but they were all so needlessly focused on those activities. Again, see my content warning for my thoughts on this.

Overall
I would give Come as You Are 3.5 stars. It was an entertaining rom-com with interesting characters, but not very realistic at some points. I'd recommend this for fans of the genre - but to complete my mission on this site I have to say that I would not recommend for a Christian audience (see content warnings for why).

Content Warnings
Everyone in this book is obsessed with hooking up and doing things they do not need to be doing. Everyone is constantly making fun of Evie for that reason, because she ended up in a boy's dorm. Everyone's always propositioning each other or making crude jokes. It really took away from my enjoyment to be pulled out of wholesome moments by people talking about sex. I was surprised by how widespread and unrealistic it was, as if it was all people cared about. It's really hard to skip, and I almost DNF'd a few times because I didn't care to be reading it (I guess the fact that I got an eARC is the only thing that kept me going). Other than that, there's a healthy helping of language and substances as well. Plus, it's all discussed as if it's normal and good to be doing all that. I believe that what we put in our mind shapes us, so if you want to be "transformed and not conformed" I would stay away from Come as You Are.

I have loved all of Dahlia’s books, and this one was no different. Such a great capture of those first days of college where everything is unknown but relationships are being formed (good and bad). Loved it!

Come As You Are was a delightful coming of age story that followed Evie as she navigated a new boarding school after her social and family life fell apart at home. I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect YA story, with romance, drama, friendship, and an exploration into some real world issues. The friendship to romance arc was the star of the show and made up for the few unrealistic aspects of Evie’s boarding school experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC!

This book was perfection. I genuinely enjoyed the banter, and Evie and Salem were a cute couple. I appreciated the set-up and the challenges Evie was faced with. The relationships between her and her family were just as developed as her relationship with Salem, which made for a well-rounded story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This was a cute YA coming of age novel. I enjoyed it but the relationship just evolved way too quickly for me. It was sweet but just missing some chemistry for me. I loved the setting, the storyline it was original.

This was a very cute fake dating romance! I really enjoyed the story, and the relationships felt believable and not forced, like in most tropey-reads. Evie was witty and funny, and I loved the name-mix-up-boarding-school setting. Overall, this was a fun and quick read that had me goofy smiling by the end. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Adler!

Such a fun book I loved the premise of the story and how entertaining the whole story was.

The whole plot of her being placed in the boys dorms because her name is Everett is actually hilarious to me.

A good time
Highly recommend!

Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice- No Spice
Tropes- He Falls First, Grumpy Sunshine, Bad Boy/Good Girl


After catching her sister has been sleeping with her boyfriend and that her best friend knew about the affair, Everett "Evie" Riley begs her parents to send her to Camden Academy boarding school for a fresh start. To her dismay she finds she has been placed in the boys-only dorms based on the assumption of her gender from her name. Determined to make the best of things she talks her dorm mate, Salem into a deal. She'll help turn him into an upstanding student and member of society if he helps her take on the persona of a "bad girl".

Come As You Are is a charming coming of age story where we watch Evie journey through the discovery that she is enough being exactly who she is. While there is a bit of info dumping at the beginning while Dahlia Adler attempts to set the scene and introduce the characters, it is quickly moved through and easy to pick up. I do wish the characters had been aged up slightly. The story and lessons seemed more like they would be better suited toward college age rather than teens in a high school boarding school. I frequently had to remind myself the characters were significantly younger than I was imagining them.
If you're looking for an easy going comfy read then I would say this book is one to pick up and enjoy.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Dahlia Adler for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had such nostalgia vibes and was a delightful YA read! Very easy read with likeable characters and a plot that kept my attention.

After Everett “Evie” Riley catches her sister sleeping with her boyfriend and learning her best friend knew about their betrayal, she begs her parents to send her to Camden Academy as a boarder so she can reinvent herself. To her horror she learns that the school assumed she was a boy and places her in the boys-only dorms. Determined to be different she talks classmate Salem into a deal: she'll help him be a solid student for his parents who are angry he was kicked out of his last school, while he helps her be more of a bad girl.

A charming coming-of-age gem, I loved Evie's journey to discovers she's enough she is and come to realisations about her heart. She's funny, messy and relatable. Who hasn't felt that they weren't cool enough? I found myself rooting for her to come to realisations about herself and her heart. I also loved the other characters, especially Salem's roommate Matt, who was presented as not just a one-dimensional manwhore, but a funny and sweet friend. I loved the banter between Evie and Salem as well as between Evie and Matt.

I devoured this book in one sitting, it was heartfelt, delightful and I was bereft when it finished. I'd love to read more from these characters.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a fun time! I adored the main character, she was incredibly relatable and just had such an infectious energy! I loved everything about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Evie Riley needs a fresh start after catching her boyfriend hooking up with her sister, and finding out that her best friend knew and didn't tell her. What she didn't expect was to end up "starting over" in an all-boys dorm at her new boarding school because her full first name is Everett, and someone wasn't doing their job right. She decides to push back and make the most of her chance to start over, including a pact with a guy she meets: she teaches him to be good, he teaches her how to be "bad." Definitely no flaws in this plan.

I really enjoyed Evie and her story and all of her friends. Yes they're teens in high school, but the story felt realistic and not at all "childish." I love the little hints towards her other books that the author leaves too - a fun little reward for having read her previous works.

This is out on May 27th!

CW: infidelity, drug use

This was such a sweet and cute read that I couldn’t set down! I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did when I initially went into this one.

This was a cute, easy to read YA romance about a girl named Everett (Evie) who goes to boarding school to escape her ex boyfriend, her ex BFF, and her sister. However, because of her name, there's a mix up and she ends up in the boys' dorm. There isn't a single available room anywhere else in the school, so unfortunately, it's not exactly the fresh start she had planned. But then she meets her grumpy dorm mate, Salem. He needs help being a good guy, and she needs to add a little edge to her personality, so they join forces. Predictably, the two become friends and a crush develops.

I liked the boarding school setting and the main character, Evie, was pretty genuine and relatable. Like the title of the book, Come As You Are, the theme of the story was very much about being yourself, loving yourself, trusting your gut and your instincts and not changing for anyone. I thought it had a pretty good message and overall, it was an entertaining read that was pretty sweet.

A) this cover is completely unrelated to any part of the book, though it is very nice.
B) I am not emotionally ready for this many references to 90s music as oldies
C) Other than that, the book was really good. The characters were very well done, even the trope characters were distinct and well developed. The plotting was well done, and the way the disparate lines wrapped back into themselves was excellent.

This was so sweet and laugh-out-loud funny! I loved the characters and the setting so much. It was fun to watch Evie try to find her footing in a new place and to see her build a chosen family when hers has let her down in big ways. Good queer rep and good character development!