Come As You Are is a sweet YA romance about how we are capable of change and others are too. I really loved the beginning and the FMC and MMC's voices as they bantered. I fell in love from the first few pages as Evie ends up mis-assigned to a male dorm and has to argue her way into the administration correcting their mistakes. Evie is struggling with who she is after finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her sister and her best friend knew and didn't tell her. Evie isn't sure who to be anymore, but she knows she wants change. So, she convinces Salem--a fellow classmate and dorm mate-- that they can help each other out: she can help him rehab his image and he can help her be "bad"--more assertive, more free, more wild. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how we learn there's more to most characters than meets the eye at first and Evie's struggle with her sister and her sister's drug addiction. I really loved the book's inclusion of that and that everything didn't resolve all nice and neat, but instead felt a lot more true to life. The characters definitely went through some things and had to lean on each other to find their way. I fell for these characters as they fell for each other. If you like romance, fake dating, academia/school-based stories/romances, coming of age, or self-discovery, grab this one today! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

While Come As You Are is marketed a YA novel, it felt much more new adult/adult romance and I kept thinking that the boarding school setting was actually college dorms. I feel like this slight age-up of the characters would have fitted the plot better but still a fun listen thanks to wonderful narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. I was seriously rooting for the side characters and their romantic exploits, too!

After an awful situation involving her sister sleeping with her boyfriend and stealing her best friend, Evie talks her parents into sending her away to boarding school. She blocks all of their phone numbers (except her parents, of course) and basically starts her life over.

When she gets to the school, there is a mix-up with her enrollment (somehow) and even though she is female, because her name sounds male (Everett is her full name), she gets assigned to an all boy dorm. This is important to the story, because after it’s sort of solved and she gets a single room, and even though it’s still in the same dorm, she makes friends with two characters: Matt and Salem

Matt is the owner of the ladder seen on the book cover. He is very “free” with his love, inviting girls over for “sleepovers” daily. He is very honest early explaining to anyone he has an encounter with that he isn’t looking for relationships. His roommate Salem is an emo boy (with a queer twin sister named Sabrina) who is obviously the love interest of the story from early on.

This is the first book I’ve read from Dahlia Adler where the MC is not queer. There are queer characters in the book and I haven’t read all of her older books, so I don’t know how all of the MC’s identify, but from what I have read, this is a change. Where I’m going with that statement is that even though she identifies as straight, she’s an ally. She is integral in starting a GSA at the school by the end of the book. So I appreciate that we still get some form of representation.

I really enjoy her books. I feel like we get strong friendship bonds in every single one I’ve read. It is a found family type of story without being overtly tropey. Did I know where it was going? Absolutely. But the writing is so good you just don’t care.

Thank you to Wednesday Books & NetGalley for my gifted ALC.

What happens when your name gets you in trouble? Everett goes by Evie, but because their proper name is historically a male name she gets assigned to the boy’s dorm at her new boarding school. When I read the premise, I had to read this book. I too have a traditional male name and I too had some confusion over dorm rooms. I wish mine turned out as fun as this was. Evie ends up having to stay in the boys dorm, but gets her own room with her private bathroom so it makes it not so gross. She makes friends with half a twin nerd boy the floor above her. Her goal is to forget the drama that led her to go to boarding school, make new friends, and get an education. But boy drama happens because boy drama happens. This book is about mistakes made in high school and how things are not always black-and-white. About how family dynamics can be misunderstood by family members. It’s also an adorable romcom perfect for high school. And since this book is only about a sophomore, there’s a few more years that we could get to see these characters. Certain things are completely predictable, and I’d really like Sabrina to find her perfect girl which means I’d love to see a sequel. This book was a fantastic read as an audiobook. You want a mostly clean romcom this would be a perfect choice. And the title is a reference to a Nirvana song which goes perfect with this book.

This is the second book I’ve read by Dahlia Adler and this did not disappoint!!! I wish I could’ve read this book when I was in high school and cheated on by a boyfriend, I think it would’ve been so healing to see the FMC get through the terrible event too. There are lots of parts about the book that I wish would’ve been delved into more (like what happens with the FMC’s sister and why the distance from her parents, etc). But, in all, I thought it was a great read for the Teen genre and throughly enjoyable. Can’t wait to read more by Dahlia!

This was such a cute read! I've always been a fan of Dahlia Adler's books and this one was no different. It's not my favorite but it's still one I enjoyed. I really liked the friendships and just the way Evie engrossed herself in her circumstances without it bringing her down. She was a baddie but I know others will think she's too brash. If you're looking for a fun, pretty low-stakes book look no further because here it is!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was my first Dahlia Adler novel but this is actually my second one of hers. I enjoy her books and will read her other ones that I haven't gotten to yet. She did a great job with making the main character a mix of being relatable and funny. The romance between Everett and Salem was downright adorable.

A delightfully raw coming of age story of a girl who is figuring out where she belongs after a heartbreaking betrayal.

I've never read Dahlia Adler's work before although I have her work now slated on my TBR. I really liked Come As You Are as a complex YA story of Everett "Evie" navigating school, friends, and family. The dialogue is witty, the characters vibrant and quirky, and the plot is effortlessly cute.

It is a solid YA contemporary that will be enjoyed by teens who love this genre.

*review cross posted on e-book format*

Thanks Netgalley for the audiobook!

It was a very easy read (in my case listening) romance that makes you laugh with the characters, that are very relatable (not for High School age, definitly College vibes).

The banter between the main characters were well written and sometimes all that we wish we'd say in the hit of the moment.

The supporting characters were amazing, I definity would love to know there stories as well, specially Matt and Sabrina.

As I got it as an audiobook I must say that the narrator Mia Hutchinson-Shaw is the cherry on top, she makes the sotry flow as she puts a lot of emotion and distinctions to each character, chefs kiss!!!

Rule follower Everett “Evie” Riley is running away from a breakup that upended her life with her family and friends as she knew it. Boarding school seemed like the perfect fresh start until she shows up and realizes a mix up with her name has landed her a room in the all-boys dorm. There are no open rooms in the girls’ dorms, so she has to stay. Suddenly she has a reputation as a bad girl, and decides that the only way to survive it is to lean in and become one. The problem is, she has no idea how. She enlists the help of emo bad boy Salem Grayson, who needs to rehab his image with his parents after getting expelled from his last school. They make a pact to help each other, but it doesn’t seem fair when everything Evie does seems to backfire while her help is launching Salem as the school’s new popular “it” boy.

It's been a minute since I’ve read a YA romance, which used to be my go-to genre, and I really enjoyed this one. I loved the different friends Evie made at school and the way she was open to new experiences, but it was also great to see her character arc loop back to reexamine the things she was running from and why. I also enjoyed listening to Evie and Salem’s relationship develop. It was really well done and I think YA readers will love seeing how things play out for them. There are some heavier topics addressed in the book around Evie’s sister and readers might be conflicted about the resolution, but I think it was handled in a very realistic way.

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw does a fabulous job narrating the book. She imbues Evie’s character with exactly the kind of spunk and humor I think the author wanted for the character. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one and will be looking for more books performed by this narrator.

**I received an eARC of Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler is a young adult boarding school romance about a girl named Evie who mistakenly ends up in the boy's dorm.  It was set to be published on May 27th, 2025.  I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads:

Here is the summary from Goodreads:

Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning - one far away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, the sister who stole him, and the best friend who let it happen. But her fresh start is stopped in its tracks when she's accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm, with no choice but to stay.
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.
It's a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and - annoyingly enough - even physically, Evie's quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she's becoming certainly doesn't feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she'll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.
Dahlia Adler’s Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.

I actually ended up listening to this one as an audio arc, though I also had access to the eARC.  I've just had more success with audiobooks lately.  I've also been really enjoying romance books lately, so it was so much fun to read this book and get into the life of Evie as she tried to pursue her fresh start.  The narrator for the audiobook was great, and really brought Evie to life as a character.

The meet-cute premise in this one of Evie ending up accidentally in the boy's dorm and then striking up a deal with Salem to 'better herself' was such a fun concept.  I found myself giggling a bit as she attempted to navigate the crisis that came with her trying to advocate for herself because her traditionally masculine full name caused a bit of a mix up.  It was just the kind of absurd that I really enjoy.  I also really enjoy boarding school stories, so that was a really fun aspect.  

Evie was a really compelling character to me.  She was well-written and well-developed.  You knew a lot about her, and she demonstrated a lot of growth over the course of the book.  I found her character arc really relatable, and I imagine it will be even more relatable for teens.  I also enjoyed most of the side characters.  Salem and his twin sister were both really interesting characters.  I also liked the popular girls that Evie befriended.  They really made the story come alive.  I have students in my classes who very much remind me of these characters in some ways, so it's wonderful to see such realism.

On the whole, I had a fantastic time reading this book.  If you like cute young adult romances, I would highly recommend that you check this one out.

When you are trying to get away from friends that go awry and find that friend that could be THE friend is the story most of us have had at some point in our lives.
I really loved the premise of the book about a boarding school for high school and all the 'trauma' teens can endure and put each other through.
A must read for any teen that thinks they are alone in the world.
A cute love story for the time.

J'aimais beaucoup le concept de ce livre et j'étais donc très contente de pouvoir le découvrir grâce à Netgalley.
Je l'ai écouté en audio et c'était un audio de très bonne qualité, très bien réalisé que j'ai dévoré.
Si l'histoire n'était pas révolutionnaire, elle était extrêmement bien construite et je me suis beaucoup attachée aux personnages et à l'environnement de l'école. Certaines décisions d'Evie m'ont fait lever les yeux au ciel mais c'est compréhensible à son âge et elle gagne en maturité au fur et à mesure du roman.
Une lecture vraiment facile et très agréable donc !

Thank you Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟💫

Come As You Are is a sweet, romantic boarding school coming of age story. Evie attends Camden Academy for a fresh start. When she is accidentally placed in the boys dorm, she meets new friends, particularly a boy named Salem.

This was a cute story that is perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord. Great narration and endearing characters.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first experience with a Dahlia Adler novel (I received an advanced listening copy!), and I absolutely adored it! While it is undoubtedly a YA read, it serves as the perfect escape for adults who enjoy a fun young adult story. “Come As You Are” is full of fun, laughter, witty banter, and delightful chaos, all set in a boarding school (which I will always support). The main character, Evie, was relatable, smart, and incredibly fun to get to know. The narrative takes readers on a rollercoaster of self-discovery, featuring a charming slow-burn romance between Evie and her new boarding school bestie and bad boy, Salem. The supporting characters were fantastic, adding significant depth to the story. The narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, did an excellent job of bringing Evie to life. Overall, it was a wonderful listen and an enjoyable read!

4.5 stars. This might be my favorite young adult book I’ve read in a while! Cute and well polished, it kept me wanting more.

So I actually really loved this, but I can’t give it a full 5 stars simply because it was just so unbelievable that these were sophomores in high school. If they had been just a little older or maybe even college age it would’ve fit so much better.

That said, I loved the dynamic between Evie and Salem. I loved her friendship with Sabrina. I really enjoyed Dahlia’s writing.

So yeah, if you can look past the age thing and just imagine them as older, I 100% recommend this one!

I must admit this wasn't my favorite by Dahlia Adler, I think maybe because I was expecting a college age love story and what I got was a boarding school for pre-college teens. This did have a fun opposites attract good girl x bad boy situationship where they tried to help bolster one another's reputations and end up falling for one another. Good on audio with some messy family drama, it's light-hearted and an easy, quick read but didn't have the depth or chemistry I wanted or have found in her other books. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have been a fan of Dahlia Adler's writing for quite some time and this sweet boarding school romance was filled with all of the heart I have come to expect from her stories! I loved the narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. We all know a narrator makes or breaks an audiobook and she brought these characters vividly to life!

4 stars!

Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler is a YA contemporary romance that delivers all the grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, slow burn magic you could want—plus banter for days. 😍

Set at a boarding school during that perfect late summer, early fall season, this story gave me all the cozy, chaotic vibes. Between secret poker games, dorm room shenanigans, and a romance that builds so sweetly from friends to more, I was totally hooked.

🎧 The audiobook, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, was a total standout—she nails the teen emotions and really brings these characters to life.

📚 Favorite quote:
“I was a peach. Now I’m a bad apple.”
(Iconic. 10/10 would tattoo that.)

If you love your YA with heart, humor, and heat (the slow-burn kind 🔥), don’t miss this one!