I was really excited about this book because I don’t see enough dystopian novels (my favorite) these days. The world in this story first reminded me of the world in the Matched series by Ally Condie (e.g., your genetic material is used to match with a suitable candidate, your interactions are monitored, etc.). As I kept reading though, it became something very different. And I think this book had a lot of great ideas. Plus, I love the cover. However, I wish there was more world building. How did their current society become so different from the old world? That would have been really interesting to explore.

Also, some things didn’t make sense and possibly could have been explained a little better. Hal, for instance, just suddenly appeared, and his relationship with Emeline progressed too rapidly. Why was he wandering around her office randomly? In a highly monitored society? With cameras? A stranger showing up at her office wouldn’t seem strange to her? And what the heck ever happened to Alice? I think having fewer characters and focusing on developing them further could really help this novel.

Finally, the ending seemed rushed and confusing. I understand the appeal of cliffhangers, but I wish the final events leading up to the ending were a bit clearer. Overall, I did enjoy the book but just had a lot of questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random
House for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Let me say now, before this book blows up: Ariel Sullivan is an author to watch. 🔥

I want to preface my review by noting that I am sick of dystopian novels. The heart and the idea is often there, but I have found the execution of so many dystopian novels to be carbon copies of one another. I have struggled to find a novel for “fans of the Hunger Games” that is not just “The Hunger Games” tweaked a bit. Give me a complicated class system with an underground rebellion, but do it in a new way. And Conform did that for me in spades.

I loved Conform. Each and every character was unique and incredibly well thought out and written. I leave this book much like Emeline, my heart torn in two directions, unsure of where exactly my loyalty lies.

Essentially, our main character Emeline lives in a world where there are distinct classes of individuals: The highest and ruling class of the Ilums, the elevated and pretentious Elite (think the Capitol from the Hunger Games here), the Minor Defects (where our main character falls), and the Major Defects. Emeline has heterochromia, making her “defect” minor. Emeline and the other “Minor” women work hard in the hopes to be matched or “mated” with a member of the Elite class. Once matched, women in this world are tasked with producing more “Elite” offspring. Women do not have the same status in society, they are quite literally the “vessels” that they are referred to throughout the story.

I appreciated and found this class system interesting. I will say, I would have liked to have a bit more information on the differences between the classes. While Emeline’s “defect” is apparent, it wasn’t clear to me what anyone else’s “defects” were or why certain people were deemed “Elite” over others. More information and expansion into understand the classification system would have been nice to understand what this society values in terms of characteristics.

Emeline’s world changes when she is mated with not just an Elite, but an Ilumn, a member of the ruling class. And not only is she mated to an Ilum, but he is much different—much kinder than she expected. As Emeline begins getting swept up in the world of the Elites, she is also becoming entangled with a Major Defect man she met. A man working for the underground rebellion. And quickly Emeline realizes that there is no “good” or “bad” in the fight—and the men—she is torn between.

Goodness gracious that cliffhanger GOT me. I need a sequel yesterday. The last couple chapters I was audibly gasping, unsure to the end where this book would take me. I love Hal. I hate Hal. I find Collin an endearing. I also want to punch Collin in the face.

I love books where the characters are real. Real life people have layers and levels to them. There is no one wholly good or wholly bad. And while both of our MMCs do break the rules for Emeline to a degree, they’re still very much their own people with their own backgrounds and decisions to make. And oh boy howdy, they do. For the better or worse.

One unique thing about this book I also wanted to praise was the usage of art as a theme throughout. The main character has a job working with art pieces, saving or deleting pieces of artwork based on several factors. The author took the time to describe real life pieces of art and their names, and throughout the novel I would look up the piece to see it for myself. It made me feel like I was a part of the story in a way, and the pieces chosen to be discussed were poignant and deep. You can tell the research, care, and dedication Sullivan put into researching art pieces and the way she worked to implement them into the narrative. It was such a clever and creative way of contrasting old society with the new world created in this book.

I have noticed some other reviews note that the usage of repetitive language irked them, but I want to strongly disagree with that notion. While repetitive language can be annoying, I feel as if the repetition had a very decisive purpose in helping the reader’s understanding of the characters. Their identity was tied to these certain descriptors, which I really appreciated. Yes, “sapphire eyes” are repeated many times in reference to Collin and “starburst eyes” is repeated frequently for Hal. But that contrast I thought was intentional and there was a lot of symbolism there, because Emeline has two different colored eyes herself. And she’s drawn to two very different men with different colored eyes. Like come on. That’s fantastic right there.

Ugh this book was exceptional. I can’t wait for this book to absolutely BLOW UP come release. I do hope Miss Sullivan will let me have an ARC of book two because I am HOOKED!

TL;DR:
- Love Triangle 🔺
- Fancy class and social politics
- Morally grey MMCs
- Just a pinch of spice (but this is high quality spice IMO) 🏆
- Nothing is what it seems 👀
- The Hunger Games meets the The Selection meets ACOTAR

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC! All of my thoughts and opinions are my own. ☺️

This was loaded from the beginning with interesting twists. There were some interesting plot details that really made this book interesting and I’m not usually a sci-fi person.

Thank you to Ballantine & Netgalley for the eARC!!!

4.5 stars!

I really loved this book! I was a huge fan of the early 2000s dystopian books (Matched, The Selection, etc) and this book really took me back (in a good way!) I found upon starting, I could not put it down so I read it all in one day!

I loved the writing style & thought the pace was good. I was interested the entire time & I enjoyed how the author introduced a lot of thought provoking scenarios. I thought the world building was well explained also!

I really loved Emeline's character & I really loved Hal, the ending absolutely had me at the edge of my seat!! I'm very curious to see how Collin's character & their relationship/partnership progresses in book 2 too!

Overall, I 100% recommend this book, especially for dystopian romance lovers!

I found myself completely overtaken by this story- the way the world worked with its rules and levels. Delving into Procreation Agreements and life as a woman in grey, or Minor Defect- turned out to be so much more than I could’ve ever imagined.

The imagery in the writing of this story was so vivid, it really brought this story to life for me. From the characters to the clothing, there was so much life in these pages as Emeline’s days unfolded, only to be left wanting more in the end - how I hope there is more to come.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this copy early. I enjoyed the premise of the book, but I did find the world and then geography of the world a bit confusing. It was hard for me to image what was going on. Emeline was interesting as a character, but I wanted to know more about her thoughts about situations rather than just what she has been taught to think. Overall, I enjoyed this story, and I believe that anyone that enjoys dystopian novels will eat this up!

In all fairness to the author, I probably shouldn’t rate this book right now as I just finished it and I am beyond upset that I have to wait for book two. “Conform” by Ariel Sullivan is an outstanding new dystopian romance that is sure to take the world by storm. I loved the world building, the characters and the twists and turns that the story takes. Duplicity is a theme in this book, but the author also does a great job of layering her characters and making it more than just black and white when it comes to who is right and who is wrong. I loved the concept of the clouds and the imagery used to describe the setting. The nods to famous art pieces was cool as well. Overall, I enjoyed the story and absolutely cannot wait for book two. That epilogue left me a little upset and dying to know what happens next. Side note: Nora and Gregory were my favorite characters and I can’t wait to see how the author continues to develop Collin. What a story!

A fascinating, page-turner that introduces us to a dystopian world where women are meant to be "a compliant vessel for offspring" but where the main character doesn't fit into the box that they want her to. In a lot of ways, this feels like a modernized version of Handmaid's Tale but with a very different dystopian system in place.

It is a world with an explicit hierarchy - Illum, Elite, Minor Defects, and Major Defects. The Elite run the world based on laws that come down from the Illum. It is a world where appearance is everything, where anything that makes someone feel is considered a threat, where you are no longer encouraged to think for yourself, and where emotions can be used against you. A chip in your arm dictates what you eat and the supplements you take and the color of your clothing distinguishes your caste. They are living in a post-apocalyptic world where civilization had all but destroyed itself over conflicting ideologies.

Emeline is a Minor because her eyes are two different colors. Her job in society is to delete art that has been deemed unacceptable for whatever reason. As the book starts, she has just been "approved" to be chosen by an Elite for a "Procreation Agreement" and perhaps even get to live in the clouds. On the day she get approved, a Major turns up in her office wanting to discuss art with her. The fact that she doesn't see this as odd perplexes me, but we just go with it. As Emeline goes through the courting process with Collin, she starts to question the world that she has so blithely gone along with. But which side is the good side and which is evil?

I fully enjoyed this story and cannot wait for the next book in the series. This is a great start of a new imprint by Jenna Bush

This is a book that is being promoted for those who enjoy Fourth Wing, so I was interested in reading this in order to get ahead of the "next big thing" for my Fourth Wing patrons. For those looking for spice, it's hinted at, but isn't there as much as other Romantasy books in the publishing world. But that's okay. While the plot is interesting, I feel like more needs to happen with the world building. It seems very reliant on the plot. Hopefully we will see more of it in the next book, which I am very interested in reading (which isn't always the case with these type of books). I just feel like richer world building would bring this book to the next level (similar to SJM books).

The life Emiline has been led she must follow may not be the one that leads to happiness or survival. What lines will she have to cross or will she Conform? This is a great read that you won't be able to put down while you try to figure out who can be trusted, believed, followed, or is Emiline all alone? Beats the "Fourth Wing".

This book was truly enjoyable and I couldn't put it down. It felt like a darker version of The Selection by Kiera Cass, which is what I've been looking for in a read.

I was so beyond excited to get this book and I couldn't wait to dive into this one. It reminds me of The Selection series and combine it with the Hunger Games series which I loved both.
This story was very well written and I could not put this one down. I loved the characters Emeline and Hal. I did like Collin at first but then I just grew to not like him after many things he said or did that made me change my opinion on. But Hal, oh Hal I loved him. Every time he came into the picture I was happy to read about him and I loved his relationship with Emeline.
I think this book is going to be very popular once released and I def recommend you read it if you like The Hunger Games and The Selection series.
Cant wait for the next book!

This was a fresh new take on dystopian literature and I really enjoyed it. A very interesting world and captivating characters. It did take me a little while to really grasp the different levels in society, but once I did I was quickly turning pages and I am looking forward to the next book! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Dystopian Love Triangle?!

I keep hearing that this book is the Fourth Wing of the fall season and I was there for it. Add in the dystopian world of women as vessels with echoes of The Handmaid's Tale and I was beside myself to get my hands on it.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to read this ARC.

What I liked:
-A world that actually included a foundation that we were familiar with since it is our world in the future after a horrible war. I appreciated the art work with examples like the Mona Lisa to reference in the new world where there was no beauty except that found in the perfect Elite class.
-The class system with the Elites in the Clouds, the Defects on the ground and the most unworthy underground.
-The morally grey MMCs (yes, 2!) so that there is no obvious good or bad guy for the FMC to choose

What I disliked:
-The confusion of the differences in classes. I didn't know what made the Elite different from the Illum for a long time (and still have so many questions) Would love if the next book has a list/description of the classes in the beginning.
-The confusion of finding out information about the FMCs story and why she was a Defect and if she had a family and how that was different from other defects. Maybe more flashbacks would have been helpful in her backstory. I understand there has to be some mystery but there was so much going on with the world building, the different classes and heaps of new characters that it was dizzying.

I understand there are many more books in this series and I think this author and the series has a lot of potential. There are good ideas, turning tropes on their heads and secrets galore! I will definitely read book 2.

4.5 stars ⭐️ — A chilling, thought-provoking debut!

Ariel Sullivan’s Conform is a gripping dystopian debut that explores surveillance, identity, and resistance with unnerving clarity. The world-building is tight and believable. Picture a society where compliance isn’t just expected, it’s mandated. The story doesn’t waste a single beat establishing its oppressive atmosphere. It’s reminiscent of Red Rising and The Handmaid’s Tale, yet it carves its own path in all the best ways.

The protagonist is a standout: complex, defiant, and painfully human. Sullivan does an excellent job weaving inner conflict with external pressure, making each choice feel weighted and urgent. The pacing is taut, the tension never lets up, and the twists are sharp without feeling manipulative.

What really elevates this novel is its emotional core. Beneath the stark systems and stark consequences is a powerful meditation on what it means to stay true to yourself when every force around you demands you change.

This is a remarkable debut that balances action, character, and commentary with finesse. I devoured it! I’ll be thinking about it long after the final page.

What a strong debut from Sullivan. I’ll definitely be reading whatever she writes next. Calling it now: BookTok is about to lose its mind over this.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading Conform! It reminded me of the YA Matched trilogy - a dystopian world where you are matched with a specific mate, and where art that reminds you of the past is being deleted. The world-building was solid and interesting, though I still have many questions that I hope future books will answer. I was very invested in finding out how the story would go and read it in two days.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Romantsy fans have another series to begin with Ariel Sullivan’s Conform. As a Minor, Emeline lives a lonely life on the surface, working every day deleting art for the Illum and hoping for a mating contract. When she is chosen not by an Elite, but by an Illum, her life changes even more than she could have imagined. Conform brings a lot to enjoy — a love triangle, dystopian themes, intrigue — but some uneven writing and a lack of details will hopefully get ironed out before the next book.

Give me Book 2 NOW!!! The world is about to go crazy for Hal Emeline and Collin! Totally Team Hal here unless Book 2 can convince me otherwise! Loved and devoured teach page of this book!

I thought the concept of this book was interesting and the overall plot was well done!

I found myself wanting more from the world building and some of the writing (specially dialogue scenes) felt choppy and repetitive which pulled me away from the story. This just might have not been the book for me.

Conform is like if Handmaid's Tale, Divergent, and the factions of the Hunger Games got together and had a baby. While this 'baby' has similarities to all three storylines, the overarching WHY is what keeps the plot going and the reader invested. Emeline describes her world (um, AND OURS!) perfectly when she thinks to herself, "There was no good or bad guy. There were no saviors, just varying shades of morally corrupted people with different lines in the sand." The separation of the elites, those beneath them, and those literally living "beneath" was a theme I'd seen in novels before, but Ariel Sullivan weaved a world I wanted to understand and truly wished for goodness to prevail. The book is set up like a series and leaves a few unanswered questions, including the direction of Emeline's heart (weaving romance and evil comeuppances into a dystopian world?? count me in!). Would absolutely recommend this one for a not-so dystopian escape into a world that may be not-so unlike our own. 4.5/5
*Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Ballantine Books for the ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!*

A favorite:
"I was fine..."
"Fine isn't a feeling."