Come As You Are is a fun boarding school rom com. Teens will love the characters and the unusual premise of a female student living in the boys' dorm. Add this to all YA collections where contemporary romance circulates well.

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.

An audiobook I had no issues flying through, Come As You Are is a YA novel that kept me hooked. Evie needs a fresh start and going to a residential boarding school seems like the perfect place to do that---only one issue, her name is legally Everett and admissions assumed she was a boy. When she arrives to find out her new roommate is a boy, Evie's fresh start seems miles away. With a mixture of snark, learning how to form friendships and to trust again; Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler is a page turning summer read.

I thought the narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, did a stellar job. Speeding up was no issue, investing in the characters was easy and I didn't want to pause it.

Thank you Spotify for the gifted ALC.

*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!

A fun high school story with relatable characters and an interesting plotline. The sister dynamics were interesting, and the friendships seemed natural.

Thank you NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC of this audiobook.

2.5 rounded up. This would have been much more believable if set in the sophomore year of college rather than the sophomore year of high school. This just was not the YA read I was expecting it to be. I did enjoy the friends/reluctant partners to lovers transition, the FMC and MMC were a good balance for each other, but there were plenty of plot holes and issues that were rough and made this fall flat for me.

This was such a cute read. It’s a good ya romance that reflects what it was like to be a teenager without having extreme melodrama. It felt real and authentic. The characters were wonderful and the story was great. I loved it. An easy, fun read for sure.

This book really confused me. I have loved and enjoyed Dahlia Adler's other books, but this one left me scratching my head.

I think that the narrator did a good job with the story, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters.

When Evie is placed in a boys dorm at her boarding school, she feels left out because she wanted the experience of bonding with a roommate. She becomes friends with Salem, one of the boys in her dorm, and they agree to help each other change their images. She wants to be more of a bad girl, and he wants to reform his bad boy ways. The problem is that this part of the story is boring.

I didn't understand how when Evie first gets to school she kisses the boyfriend of one of her new friends. In her defense, she didn't know that they were dating, but she doesn't tell the friend. This is the exact reason that she left home- her sister cheated with Evie's boyfriend!

Also, she develops feelings for Salem, and he supposedly likes her, but he goes and sleeps with someone else? And he said that he did it to get over Evie? I don't understand that logic.

Overall, the book didn't feel like it was about high schoolers. Everyone was hooking up, and it just felt more like a story about college students. I am so disappointed that I didn't like this one.

This was my first Dahlia Adler book and it's safe to say I am a big fan of her writing. This story is beautifully written in a way that kind of reminded me of Emily Henry's writing style.

This is definitely a YA book and the characters were younger than what I typically read these days, but the it was still very enjoyable and relatable. This is a book I wish I could have read as a teenager.

I loved the friends to lovers dynamic and the sudden realization that this person is more than just my best friend. The fmc ending up stuck in an all boys dorm made for an entertaining meet cute and dynamic.

Some of my favourite messages and takeaways from the story is that sometimes perspective can change the narrative, but also sometimes family are the cancers you need to cut out of your life and it's okay to protect your peace and stand up for yourself rather than giving in to the status quo for the sake of protecting everyone else's peace over your own.

The narrator did a fantastic job of embodying the FMC and performing her wide range of emotions. She even made me cry!

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.

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)

This was my first time reading a book of Dahlia Adler and I was not disappointed! I was invested in the story from the very beginning. Come as You Are is a very fun YA read and I was always looking forward to what was coming next. The characters are very lovable and their relationships are relatable. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobook for the ALC.

first I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author, the Narrator and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved the cover, that's why I picked it.
But I never thought I would like it this much.
It's fast paced and it left me with a lot of questions.
Like why did you not tell the girl she's dating a scumbag?
Did Sabrina ever go one a date with the most beautiful girl at campus?
What happened at Thanksgiving?
Evie was such a compelling character. And the way the relationship with Salem was build, was such an enjoyment to read. Also, Matt is just the best friend every girl needs. He has so much potential, both as a friend, a boyfriend and a MC.
So does Sabrina! I loved her!
Occasionally I did find it a bit hard to tell how much time had been passing in the story. But apparently everything, and with everything, I literally mean the whole story happens in like, 6 weeks?
like, so much happens, but then again, not everything has happened.

All in All, this is a fun, romantic YA story. Definitely YA.

I really enjoyed this book. This book made me remember all of the awkwardness of my late teen/young adult years in the best way possible. I don't think my teenage self would have handled being put in a dorm full of teenage boys as well as Evie did. It was lighthearted and fun. I immediately loved the main cast of characters, especially Sabrina and Salem (I am such a sucker for emo/witchy people). Evie was so sweet and I loved her bond with Sabrina. Her and Salem are the literal definition of please just kiss already. The audiobook for this one is also great. Loved the reader and it made the story come to life. All around will definitely recommend this one.

Thank you for the opportunity to review. I really enjoyed this fun read. The humor was a nice surprise and I finished this in one day. The narrator was fantastic and brought the words to life. I’ll be adding this to my shelves!

Great quick read. It was a fun story. I struggled to get into it at first but then enjoyed it. The characters were great.

✨ 3.75 star rating ✨

I received an audiobook ARC of this one from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Even though this is YA, it didn’t feel like a YA read. It was witty, swoonworthy, and full of drama (the family drama was WILD). There’s a bit of teenage angst, as expected, but the characters were likeable, but at times a bit cringe. It’s also pretty clean, with just a few suggestive undertones but nothing over the top for younger readers.

This was my first book by Dahlia Adler, so I went in completely blind but now I’m keen to check out more of her work. She writes with such a fun, fresh voice.

The audiobook was great overall, but the narration did feel a bit too adult. The voice didn’t quite match the teenage vibe, which made it a bit hard to remember the characters were actually in high school. And I know it’s fiction, but the whole “no other room available so she’s just living in the boys’ dorm” thing was a bit far fetched 😂

Still, a really enjoyable read that I’d definitely recommend if you’re into easy contemporary YA reads!

I absolutely adored Dahlia Adler’s <i>Come As You Are</i>. Though this is the sort of book that you can kind of predict most everything that will happen, or at least the main events, the characters all felt real enough that the journey was so entertaining, any obvious predictions didn’t really take much away from the story at all. Following Evie’s journey of navigating remaking herself after all she’s been through at the hands of her sister and ex-boyfriend, and seeing how she connects to her new friends and finds happiness again is the reward of the story.

There are all sorts of hijinks that go on, events you’d expect to see from a bunch of boarding school kids—reminiscent of early college years for some—and unfortunately some miscommunications along the way. These moments never feel forced, though, and are actually pretty fun for the most part which isn’t always the case with this sort of trope. I think this is, in part, because the characters are all teenagers and so the behavior wholly makes sense for their age group.

Even so, as much as I enjoyed the characters and had a really fun time with the story, I didn’t love the omission that Evie had regarding a friend’s horrible boyfriend. It’s a rather small piece of the story, but still enough that I wish it had been resolved a little better. Outside of that, the book did end rather abruptly, leaving me feeling as though there should have somehow been more story to read.

In the end, I do feel those are small complaints for a novel I had a ton of fun reading.

Very lighthearted and cute! The vibe felt like whatever getting ready for prom with all your girl friends while waiting for a dreamy boyfriend is like. I can't describe it any other way 🤣

Dahlia Adler has the most captivating voice in her books. Every single one sucks me right in and keeps me hooked until the very end. I absolutely loved Evie and getting to know her, from her bad-girl hopefulness to her realizing that being herself was the most important thing. She and Salem were such fun friends and crushes and I'm just so glad this book got its time to shine. I absolutely loved this book and the shenanigans these teens got into at boarding school. I think this is such a great book for teens, but it still will really resonate with adults. Dahlia Adler doesn't miss.

A compelling, lighthearted YA romance, which also covers a handful of tough topics in an age appropriate, realistic way.

Everett accidentally ends up in an all boy's dorm, due to her name, as she transfers to boarding school to escape the mess back home. While not off to the fresh start she expected, by becoming the center of attention due to circumstance, she makes the most of the situation and quickly folds herself into a group of friends who see her as someone beyond the school's mistake.

The character relationships with each other throughout the story are so fun, but realistic, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to watch everyone interact with each other in the space they were given. The tension building up to the romance of "will they, won't they" was enjoyable and kept me listening all day long.