*Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing, Jennifer Haupt, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Set in Seattle in the 1990s amid the grunge revival, this is a "slice of life" story about young love, addiction and heartbreak. Skye and Zane meet as new neighbors when Skye is 12 and Zane is 14. They immediately bond as outcasts, especially when Skye starts high school a year early. They have dreams of moving to California, while Zane pursues his dream of being a guitarist and Skye, an artist. When tragedy strikes and Skye's sister, Lauren, falls off a dock and dies, they look to each other for support. Skye becomes pregnant and their dreams take second place to raising a child. She ends up raising their child on her own in a small home in Albuquerque.

When tragedy strikes again years later, and Skye's father passes away from a heart attack, she hears from Zane for the first time in 6 years. He wants a relationship with his daughter. But Skye is engaged to another man whom her daughter calls "Dad". What role can Zane play in her life and how will her daughter react to have in having her father back?

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I love the story - unexpected pregnancy, young love, single mom - all elements of a great book. What brought this to 3 stars from 5 stars is the confusing timelines throughout the book. I felt that some things Haupt flashed back on needed more fleshing out. An example would be the relationship between Lauren and Zane. When did it progress? And why did Zane and Skye sleep together? And was it the night Lauren died? Ultimately, I was so confused with timelines that it brought me out of the story checking back to see what happened when. So while I thought the story was fantastic, I wish certain things be clearer.

I turned 16 in 1990 in small town middle America and then proceeded to immediately fall in love with Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell, neither of whom have much to do with this book which takes its name from a Nirvana song, but you also don't have Seattle in the 90's with out Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, so, I'm at least musically adjacent. I probably burned a hole in the movie Singles and I babysat for a truly dreadful child for two Friday nights in a row to have enough cash for a tank of gas and a copy of Nevermind on CD. When I read the synopsis for Come As You Are by Jennifer Haupt, I knew immediately that I would have to have to have to read if for no other reason than nostalgia, but now I am just super jealous at the reminder that people actually grew up in Seattle and went to concerts for some of my favorites before they were dead or arena sellouts. So unfair. Still I loved the concept of this book, but overall it lacked a little bit of what I was hoping I was setting out to read. I feel like teens in progressive areas like Seattle would have maybe had an abundance of access to things like condoms and sex education in a way that those of us in the Bible Belt did not, and, although mistakes can be made and accidents can happen anywhere, for some reason that struck me as the most unbelievable part of the whole story. Having said all that, Come As You Are was still an interesting and ultimately thought-provoking read which left me wondering: if I could go back and change things, would I? Or is it really possible to start over?
Thank you again to both the publishers and the author for the privilege of reading this advanced copy of Come As You Are by Jennifer Haupt.

This book was a) not at all what I expected, b) heavy-hitting, c) one of my new favorites, and I will absolutely recommend it to everyone.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Self-harm, abortion, alcohol and drug use/abuse/recovery, death, and anxiety.

This story was a little intense but so worth the read! The timeline alternates between two main parts - the early 1990s to the early 2000s - and then a short part three in 2013.

I loved the vivid descriptions of grunge band shows in the 90s, as well as Skye and Zane's memories of watching Kurt Cobain play at their favorite venue. It made me feel like I was there, watching through their eyes with the same admiration.

I liked the running theme that knowing or not knowing about something doesn't change the outcome. Each character had complex idiosyncrasies, each trying to navigate their lives after trauma and move on in a healthy, productive way.

Not only was I invested in this book because of the raw emotions and delicate issues, but because there was a bit of mystery, too. At the beginning of the story, you learn Skye's sister died in an accident, but only parts and pieces of what happened are revealed as the story progresses, and each character's perspective details the events.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Jennifer Haupt, for the opportunity to read an amazing advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Skye and Zane met in the early 90s as teenagers, and quickly bonded. Their friendship was strong, and they were thick as thieves as they maneuvered through their hometown of Seattle…going to Nirvana concerts, hanging out at the dock, relieving themselves of loneliness. Zane was in a band and wanted to be a famous musician. After tragedy struck, Skye and Zane became intimate. A baby was the result.

Ten years later, Skye is raising her daughter, Montana, in New Mexico. She’s engaged to a nice man named Aaron, and tries to do right by her daughter since Zane is no longer in the picture. A death in the family puts Zane back into contact after 6 years. He says he’s changed, and he wants another chance to be an amazing father to Montana. Can Skye trust him after all of the hurt he caused? Is Zane really past his demons that were holding him back?

Outlier Alert

I didn’t love this one. The first half was interesting, and I loved the Seattle atmosphere. However, about halfway through, I started noticing how the shifts in timelines created confusion and annoyance…instead of intrigue. I didn’t really like any of the characters, and found the whole thing extremely corny. I wouldn’t be surprised if a film adaptation debuts on Lifetime TV soon.

Overall a mixed bag for me. Enjoyed 50% and not the other. Many other readers have loved this one, so please check out those reviews too.

2.5 stars.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now Available.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Zane and Syke were best friends in high school during the height of the Seattle grunge scene. Eventually Syke becomes pregnant and they try to chase their dreams while raising their daughter.

Ten years later, they have split up and grown up— but can they reconcile their past to grow a future together?

This was a really fun read for me. Although I definitely was not hitting up underground Seattle clubs in my youth, I was listening to this music on the radio and I clearly remember the first time I heard Nirvana. I so loved reading a book set in this place at this time.

I was definitely interested in seeing how this story would end. However, there were times when it did drag a bit.

If you were a teenager living in Seattle during the mid 1980s to the early 90s, the grunge alternative rock scene was everything. And if you had some musical talent, you formed a band with dreams of being the next Nirvana or Pearl Jam. Zane had those dreams. And his biggest fan was Skye. She believed in Zane’s talent and the two became best friends as he romanced girls closer to his age, even her older sister Lauren. The two friends planned to escape to LA where Zane would try to get a record contract. Skye would draw and sell her pictures on the Venice Beach boardwalk. When tragedy strikes, Zane and Skye comfort one another. Skye, only seventeen and still in high school, learns she is pregnant and decides to leave home and Seattle. While Skye initially has no intention of keeping the baby, she changes her mind. Zane soon reunites with her and tries to make things work. But the troubled Zane ends up leaving her and their child. The story moves ahead to 2002. Skye is raising her daughter in New Mexico and has a loving boyfriend she’s planning to marry. When tragedy strikes again, Zane and Skye reconnect back in Seattle. Zane would love to get Skye and his daughter back in his life and prove he has changed. But Skye has moved on and made a new life for herself and her daughter.

This heavily character driven story presents two main characters who are haunted by their past. Both are dealing with guilt and regret over the choices they’ve made. The question is whether their best chance for happiness lies with them being together or apart. Author Jennifer Haupt takes us on their journey. It took a while for me to connect with these characters but I came to care about them. Come As You Are captures the time periods well. And if you are a fan of grunge, you’ll enjoy the references – nice to see bands like Mudhoney and Screaming Trees mentioned.

This is the most wonderful character driven novel set in the 90s at the height of the Seattle grunge era, hence the title. Which incidentally is my favourite Nirvana song.
We meet Skye and Zane, friends and neighbours, as they begin their friendship as children. As, after a tragedy, they plan to quit their lives to make it big in California. Zane with his music and Skye with her artistic talents. How that all goes a bit wrong and their paths diverge. Then, years later, Skye is forced to return home, to face the things she ran from.
And that's all I am saying as you really need to discover all the delights this book has to give as the author intends. I said is is character driven and it is, but not at the expense of story. The story the author weaves round the two main characters is rich and harrowing and delightful all at the same time.
I guess it helped that I connected to Skye right from the off. I felt for her every step of the way and worried and fretted for her as her new found, and previously stable life, started to implode. How she had some very difficult choices to make. How I hoped everything would turn out alright.
And does it? Well, you'll have to read the book to find that out. Me, I'm off to see what else the author has written as I really did enjoy the trifecta which was the characters, story and her writing style. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My opinion of Come As You Are changed several times while reading Skye’s story.. I normally like multiple time period stories. For this book, I think I would have liked one timeline. The first time period starts in 1992. Skye leaves her home with Zane, the boy across the street who is a musician. six weeks after her sister, Lauren passes away. He is involved with grunge bands (had never heard of them), the drug scene. The second time period (10 years later) finds Lauren working in a casino with a young daughter, Montana, and newly engaged to Aaron. I found myself rereading sections as I had a hard time following what was happening. II really liked Aaron’s mom, Enola. I also liked the ending.. while this book was not my cup of tea, Haupt’s first book, In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills is a favorite of mine; so I will definitely try her next novel. My thanks to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

The prologue to this is book is probably one of the best and most succinct intros I have read in recent times. In a handful of pages Haupt telegraphs to us vivid snapshots of the primary protagonists, the central conflicts/themes, and even throws a couple of early plot twists our way.
At it core, Come As You Are, is a tale of two childhood bestfriends who love each others in more ways than one but who also carry too much trauma and emotional baggage to actually maintain a healthy relationship. At various points I was pleasantly delighted by the unexpected directions the author decided to take the characters where no one was who they seemed to be on surface and everyone was primed for redemption and empathy. The dialogue felt a little stilted at time but for the most part I was to engrossed in the plot to notice.
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Give a go if you liked As Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, it's tonally adjacent,

When asked if I’d be interested in reviewing this book, I was excited by the idea of a novel set in early 90s Seattle music scene. I was in college at that time and it may be cliché but the Seattle sound really did rock my world. There was something so personal and emotional about the music, so different from the classic rock of the 70s and the metal and hair-band rock I liked in the 80s. Instead of being about sex and drugs and love, the Seattle 90s music was about feeling alone, left out, broken. Which makes it not only a historical backdrop for this story, but a thematic one as well.

In 1992, teenagers Zane and Skye are best friends in love with each other, but neither is willing to risk their friendship by acting on it. When Skye loses her older sister to a tragic accident, in grief they come together. Skye, pregnant with their child, flees town, while Zane tries to launch his band. Ten years later, Skye is raising nine-year old Montana on her own in New Mexico. She’s struggling to commit to new guy Aaron, because she’s never dealt with the feelings she had for Zane. When Skye’s father dies suddenly, she has to return to Seattle, bringing Zane back into her life and Montana’s.

What I liked most about this book was that the issues were really complex. I could very much relate to the close childhood friendship between Skye and Zane, and the fear both of them had of losing that friendship when it turned into something more. I thought this might be a typical “second-chance romance” type of book, where the characters are great people, they just weren’t mature enough at the time to make it work. Instead, Haupt gives us a wide range of issues her characters are struggling with, from guilt, grief, anger, violence, and addiction. She could have made these characters much easier to like; as a reader, I struggled with how much I disliked them at times (particularly Zane), which surprised me and I wondered if that was the author’s intent.

Throughout the book, the characters, and their conflicts, felt very real, particularly the family relationships. Skye and her mother care about each other yet they’ve also given up and let years go by without resolving anything. But there’s also a sense of hope in this book, that growth is possible.

I often have some trepidation going into a book that’s about parenting, because books about parenting can be treacly, or at least they don’t resonate as much with me as a non-parent. This book felt nuanced and explores the complications that children bring as well as the joys. Even Montana herself wasn’t the perfectly adorable child you often see in books.

There were a few times I thought I knew which direction this book was heading, and Haupt defied my expectations. She lets the story unfold gradually, revealing key details slowly, so while there are things that are hidden, they don’t feel over the top or out of line with what you know about the characters.

Toward the end, there were a few elements of the story that didn’t work well for me (mainly, the Amanda storyline) but it didn’t detract too much from the general emotional impact of the book. There’s quite a bit of jumping around in time and perspective, and on top of that this book takes place in at least four different cities, so there’s a lot to follow and some readers will find that distracting.

This was a moving, well-written story, set in an interesting time, about some very messy relationships. I didn’t always love these characters, but I wanted to see how it all came out. There were no easy answers in this book, which I appreciated.

I should note that I’m halfway through Dave Grohl’s memoir, Storyteller, and it’s a perfect companion to this book, for anyone who wants to know more about Nirvana and the Seattle music scene.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from author Jennifer Haupt, NetGalley, and publisher Central Avenue Publishing. The book publishes on March 1, 2022.

I'm sure it's no coincidence the title of Jennifer Haupt's latest novel <b>Come As You Are</b> brings to mind the Nirvana song of the same title.    There are many parallels between the two works - the song was incredibly successful largely because it was so catchy and I found the novel to be one of those where once started I didn't want to put it down.   The lyrics of the song have been said to allude to drug use and the book contains drug and addiction themes.   But others have said the song was about  "acceptance and misfits, that it was an ode to accepting someone for who they are"  and it is this interpretation that most closely aligns to the book.     Perhaps though the link to Nirvana was simply a way to set the scene for Seattle 1992, the music scene that was central to the lives of our young characters Zane and Skye.   Whatever the authors intent, I loved this book and felt the title was apt. 

As the book opens it's 1992 and Skye a seventeen year old girl has fled her Seattle home and readers quickly get the sense she's been through some recent trauma.  She's grieving the death of her sister and we learn she's pregnant and hoping her best friend Zane will persuade her not to leave.   

I especially enjoyed the way the author brought her characters to life.   As readers we feel the friendship developing between Skye and Zane from 1987 when she was twelve and something of a loner.     We know their history and understand the ways they were good for each other.   As the story alternates we fast forward to 2002 and readers now feel the love between Skye, Aaron her fiance, and Montana her 9 year old daughter.     He may not be Montana's Dad but he's the only father figure she's known for the past six years.      I was so thrilled Skye had such a loyal and loving partner who adored her and her daughter.    

As the story progressed and Zane made a reappearance into their lives in 2002 I felt torn on behalf of Skye.   Both men had a stronghold on her heart and she on theirs so I just didn't want any of them hurt.    We learn the ways Zane had failed Skye and Montana, the hurt she still hung onto and the regrets he harbored.    But readers can't help notice the spark between them and wonder what might be best for each of them.   Which man will br thevright choice for Skye.

In introducing the characters I've made this sound like something of a romance novel but there was so much more to it than that.    The various characters had experienced grief and as readers we saw the lasting ramifications of decisions made, of their actions and inactions.  We felt the regrets that came with missed opportunities -  Zane's lost music career, Skye's unresolved conflict with her father - and we followed Zane on the slippery slide into addiction and joined him on the rollercoaster of addiction, rehab, and relapse.   We felt the bouyancy provided by the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation,  but also the depths of despair that threatened to overwhelm.  

I loved Jennifer Haupt's first novel <i>In The Shadow of 10,000 Hills</i> and though this was completely different the writing remained extraordinarily good, the characters complex and real and the story compelling.     My thanks to her, to Central Avenue Publishing and to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

Skye and Zane are best friends who share a love of music and big dreams. Through tragedy, drugs and dreams lost they must grow up and do the right things for family and healthy love. And I have never loved an ending as beautiful and right and surprising as in this story! Brava!

Come As You Are by Jennifer Haupt is a compelling story about two teenagers journey during the “grunge” era of the late 1980’s and 1990’s. This is a dark, raw and gritty story of two teenagers passage through this time period. Best friends turned lovers become parents and show how their lives come together and are then torn apart. Haupt does a fantastic job job on this book. The characters are well developed and you will watch them grow. They are complex and well defined. This is an emotional story that digs deep into family, relationships, love, acceptance and forgiveness. The twist and turns are many but you will definitely feel how they suffer, how they heal, how they love and they hate and yet how they come back! This is an incredible story and Jennifer Haupt does an astonishing job on this one!

Thank you NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing and Jennifer Haupt for the honor to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
#comeasyouare #netgalley #centralavenuepublishing #jenniferhaupt
#arc

Title: Come As You Are
Author: Jennifer Haupt
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Zane and Skye are two misfit teens drawn together by their love of music and their loneliness, both part of Seattle’s grunge scene in the early ‘90s. They dream of moving to L.A. together: Zane’s music career following the trajectory of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, and Skye drawing Picasso-esque portraits on the Venice Beach boardwalk. When a tragedy violently catapults them from best friends to lovers, their bond is forever strengthened and their relationship destroyed. Ten years later, they must come together as parents, putting aside abandoned dreams and broken promises. The question is: can they face the truth of who they are, and become the parents their daughter needs them to be?

This was not an easy read. The things Zane and Skye went through—alone and separately—weren’t easy to read about. That makes this book a bit dark, but hope is threaded through the darkness as well. I loved how the scenes from the past amplify and shade the scenes set in the present, as the two come to know the truth about their past and who they are now. This was very moving book about two broken people trying to fit their pieces back together and move forward whole.

Jennifer Haupt lives in Seattle. Come As You Are is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 3/3.)

A coming of age (and maturity) and second chance romance novel. Zane and Skye were neighbors as children who bonded over music. The death of Skye's sister Lauren drove a spike in their lives but Skye has settled in New Mexico with their daughter Montana. And then she goes back to him and then she splits from him again. Now, she's engaged to Aaron but can't let go of her dream of Zane. This moves back and forth in time and between characters to tell their story which is both more and less complicated than it appears (you'll see what I mean). Don't worry if you are familiar with the Seattle grunge scene in passing because it's more background than integral to the story (although I suspect that those who are fans will take more from this than I did). Zane makes a lot (a lot) of bad decisions about his own life and about Montana's which makes him quite unlikable. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm a big fan of this author and look forward to reading more written or curated by her. This is an absorbing novel about childhood friendships and multi-generational trauma affecting Skye and Zane, and their daughter Montana. The story opens in 1992 as teenage Skye runs away from her Seattle home (thus the title), six weeks after the death of her elder sister Lauren. Flashbacks and jumps forward in time reveal the couple's complex past and many roadblocks to their relationship; lurching between Joplin, LA and Seattle, and entwining parents, siblings, lovers, sponsors, and in-laws.

They may be minor quibbles, but I don't like what I call "romanticizing addiction" when a lifelong smoker who's been addicted to alcohol and drugs is described by "twenty-nine looks like eighteen on Zane... face virtually unlined, body lean." And it rankled me a bit that Skye's upstanding fiance Aaron and his mother were the ones constantly taking the high road in the awkward love triangle situation, particularly when Caucasian Skye's mom Carolyn asked First Nation mom Enola to do her and Caucasian Zane a favor.

"Come As You Are" by Jennifer Haupt is a beautifully written character driven story!

Skye and Zane are free-spirited teens who grow-up living across the street from each other and developing a unique friendship. They connect through the music of the Seattle grunge scene.

Skye is Zane's #1 fan believing he is a talented musician and song writer. They make plans to move to Los Angeles together so Zane can pursue a music career and Skye can fulfill her dream of becoming an artist.

Then a tragic event takes the life of Skye's sister, Lauren. Zane offers solace to Skye to help her through her loss and their relationship quickly moves from friends to lovers.

Ten years later, Skye is living in Albuquerque with her daughter, Montana. She has a boyfriend who wants a future with her and Montana.

Skye feels like she's moved on with her life, so why is she still thinking about Zane? Should she insist that their daughter meet her father even though Montana says she hates Zane? Can Skye even trust Zane after everything that's happened between them in the past?

This is a character driven story told in two timelines, the past and the present, with a third person narrative. I love the author's use of this format to trickle bits and pieces of the back-story to the reader as the present timeline continues to move forward. It fits perfectly with this story's lingering sense of suspense.

These characters are fully developed, complex and the author makes it easy for the reader to get to know them and their connections within the story. The topics covered are heavy and emotional: death and loss, making poor choices and living with guilt, learning to let go through forgiveness and moving on. There is also alcoholism and drug abuse!

The author does an amazing job of vividly creating the multiple settings in this story making it easy for the reader to visualize each of them as they read. Overall this author's writing is so easy to fall into that I was literary engaged from the very first page of this book!

A beautiful story and a satisfying read that I loved! I will definitely read this author again and I highly recommend this book to those readers who love beautifully written character driven stories!

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Jennifer Haupt for a free ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. The expected publication date is 3/1/22.

DNF. I tried and tried to get into it but it seemed convoluted and over the top and I just couldn’t get into the characters or the story, so unfortunately I DNF this book.

Framed in the Seattle grunge music scene in the 1990s, this powerful coming-of-age story is full of young love, secrets, addiction, and lost chances.

Two teens, Skye and Zane, start out as friends and have big plans to move to California to pursue Zane’s musical dreams and Skye’s artistic dreams. A tragic life event derails their plans. Their friendship develops into something more, but the relationship seems to be doomed. A teen pregnancy drives a splinter into Skye and her father’s relationship and eventually Skye ends up as a single parent in Albuquerque and finds love with another man.

Years later, another tragedy brings Skye back to Seattle, and she realizes she must confront her past with Zane and determine what role he can play in her life and their daughter’s life. Is Skye’s rightful place with Zane or with Aaron back in Albuquerque?

I loved this author’s first book, and she returns here with the same strong writing and characters. Jennifer Haupt realistically writes about alcoholism and addiction and the challenges it presents in relationships. There are alternating storylines, so it takes the full book to get the complete story. I did like the ending for this one, I think it was very realistic!

This one was soo hard for me to rate (I know I say this about almost every book I read but what can I say, my indecisiveness is a curse).

I really did not like most of the characters in this book and I don’t know if that was intentional or not. The two main characters are Zane and Skye, and I struggled with both of them so much. Zane kinda seems like the classic dark personality that never wanted to grow up and he’s made a ton of mistakes but once he does a few good things, everyone’s like “you’re alright, man”. But no. I don’t think Zane is alright. I think he’s just a very bad person that continues to not be too great. Skye is not a great person either but she seems to not be blamed for very much, possibly because she’s a single mom? I don’t know.

It becomes the classic story of Skye figuring out who she should choose: Zane, her teenage love who is the father of her child, or Aaron, the man with promise who saved Skye from herself when she had nobody else.

Usually I root for the childhood romance because it’s just too cute. But this time, I didn’t want her to end up with either of them because they all drove me crazy and needed to work through their issues way more than they seemingly ever did in the book.

In saying all this, the story was solid and the writing was great. I didn’t love the constant back and forth from present to past with no warning (I get confused easily and this messed me up every time). But I decided to land on 4 stars because overall, I think the author did a great job with this novel. I just wish I could’ve enjoyed the characters more.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC! This review is also posted on my Bookstagram, @janinesbookcorner.