I felt this book had a lot of potential, but I just wasn’t feeling it. While I do love a good Lesbian representation, I thought the stereotypes were corny and almost forced. I didn’t Feel the chemistry between our two main characters. They abruptly went from supposedly hating each other to fooling around with no transition. Maybe this was intended, as I have not read Pride& Prejudice—but again, I wasn’t feeling it. I’m looking forward to more books from Camille though as I can see she has potential. I will boil it all down to debut jitters.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for access to this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This was a charming romcom that dealt with some issues of identity, labels, and falling in love.

To be completely honest, I found some of the references a little heavy handed (the Autostraddle name drops, the Cubbyhole-inspired bar named Scissors, etc) but this will likely be particularly affirming for queer women and non-binary people who are newer to the community and will feel seen by this book. In some cases I felt like it was trying too hard, but this book definitely has a place. Also, the way that the main character struggles with gender presentation and labels made me remember some of the ways I felt when I was trying to figure out how I fit in. That struggle was represented honestly and with compassion, so I know it will help many readers who are at that point in their journey.

This ultimately wasn’t a book that I needed, but it was a charming read and will be one that other people will need, so it’s a good one to be aware of in any case.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

I was excited to see a sapphic retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The premise of this book had a lot of potential but I am sad to say it didn't live up to that, in my opinion..

Liz Baker and her roommates work for a queer online magazine that is failing. It gets sold to investors Bailey and Daria, who try to make a go of it. The modernization of the premise, as far as placing it in an online magazine and having the sisters of the original switched to roommates instead, made sense and was something I could accept as a plot point.

I went in with high expectations and encouraged by the summary. I was disappointed in the first chapter, withhow much telling and not showing we got about the roommates. It felt like a laundry list of outlined bullet points of who they are, rather than organically giving us that information through dialogue or the progression of the story. I kept going, hoping it would improve once the intros were complete and the story got going.

But the characterizations felt very one dimensional, even as the story went on. I didn't feel there was much development of any of the characters. I didn't feel engaged by Liz, the main character, or feel much chemistry between Liz and Daria as the story progressed.

All in all the general outline for this retelling made sense and had promise, but I didn't feel the execution fulfilled that promise. I had to push myself to finish it, as I wasn't hooked by the characters at all and I was disappointed by that. I wanted to love it.

READ THIS NOW!!!

Queer stories >>>

Just as You Are follows Liz and Daria through their slow burn enemies-to-lovers swoon worthy romance. While this book is heavily influenced by Pride and Prejudice, it remains its own story. I love how everyone accepted and everyone is diverse, just like the real world is.

All the characters are loveable and intricate, they feel more human than most characters I've read about.

It's a personal preference, but this book had more dialogue than thoughts and I'm an opposite kind of reader, I like to know what characters think more.

Also wish we had an epilogue, the ending felt a little too sudden but I still enjoyed it.

Big thanks to Random House Publishing Group for sending this eARC to me in exchange for an honest review <3

This was a delightful read. I really enjoyed the characters and representation that was present. Also, despite what might be seen as a problematic dynamic, I really liked the dynamic between Liz and Daria and the way their relationship unfolded.

This was a sparkling, glorious debut novel. “Just as You Are” is a delightful and refreshing queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I could not put it down. It was heartfelt and funny and moving. I love how Camille Kellogg breathes fresh queer air into familiar characters, making Liz and her friends relatable and endearing. I loved how the author put the reader into Liz's mind as she worked through her thoughts and feelings on her personal and professional life. I snorted with laughter at several lines and also found myself anxiously hoping that the main romantic pairings would end up together. The romance between Liz and Daria (and Jane and Bailey, for that matter), is full of miscommunications and unsaid words that often lead to false assumptions, and that space between the characters is crackling with tension and desire on every page. The cast of characters is wide and diverse and I found myself emotionally invested in all of them right from the start. Everyone is so well developed that even before their layers are pulled back you find yourself rooting for them all. In the end I was so happy that not only the FMC and our protagonist found their happy ending but also all of the other (worthy and notable characters) found their happy endings. The only thing I would have loved was if there was an epilogue set a couple years in the future so we can see where and what our favorite couples are up to. I just wanted a little more after the resolution at the end of the book. I really hope Camille Kellogg writes more books. She is an amazing writer who creates diverse, thoughtful and well-rounded characters. This is such a strong 2023 debut and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Thanks to Camille Kellogg, Netgalley and Random House Publishing for a e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

JUST AS YOU ARE by @kellogg_camille

This pride and prejudice inspired romance (out 4.25) is perfect for fans of the bold type and gay antics.

Some queer romance novels have a straight romance problem, but this book is not one of them. What do I mean by a straight romance problem? For me it’s this creeping feeling that if you swapped a straight couple in for the main romance the book could stay basically the same. Liz and Daria couldn’t be anything but big lesbians, and I loved that.

Slow burn? ✅ Enemies to lovers? ✅ Queer friend group that feels like real people? ✅

I joked that it was a huge step to have a lesbian romance with two short haired characters, but it is true that this book also does a great job exploring gender expression in a way that felt both playful and deep.

One of the questions in the book is whether or not queer representation can be deep while still being fun, and in the case of this book the answer is yes!!!

Thanks to @thedialpress for sending this my way on @netgalley ✨💖

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpA00uFOH06/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This story is so relatable and addresses some very important themes for the queer community, particularly regarding gender identity.

Just as You Are is everything I never knew I wanted from a queer-Pride-and-Prejudice-inspired-romance.

Liz and her found-family live and work together at their small LGBTQ+ magazine, Nether Fields that is on the brink of closure until two rich queer women swoop in and buy the magazine. Liz immediately does not like Daria, who comes off as cold and callous. (Austen fans know where this is heading.)

While treating readers to Pride and Prejudice Easter Eggs and following the tried-and-true journey of enemies-to-lovers, Just As You Are stands on its own. The characters' relatable lives as a bunch of contemporary NYC queer individuals is incredibly engaging and fun. The diversity of the characters in regards to gender identity, expression, orientation, race, and background is intrinsically expressed. There is no need for exposition or definitions - it just is and they just are. Even their struggles are valuable, because it's amazing to see issues reflected on the page that we aren't used to seeing. Our heroine Liz, especially, spends a lot of time feeling stuck - at work, with her writing, in her relationships, and with her gender representation. Without getting into spoilers, gender representation as a motif throughout the novel is significant.

As a major Austen fan myself, as well as a queer person living in NYC, it felt like this book was written just for me. (Don't you love that feeling?) This is a book undoubtedly written by queers and for queers.

Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg is a refreshing page-turner that celebrates queer culture, found family, and falling in love against your better judgment.

The more I got into the story, the more invested I became. I love that Kellogg didn't just focus on one character but multiple characters. Each character has their own distinct personality which helps bring the story to life. I adore Liz because she feels like a real person, flawed and imperfect.

Being a person who's involved in the publishing world, I enjoyed the magazine aspect of the story because it makes for great entertainment and it's interesting to learn about the inner-workings of a queer magazine like the one in this book.

Kellogg's writing style is fun and fresh. It's a writing style that I haven't come across before until now. I like that there was a lot of dialogue as opposed to what the character may be thinking and/or feeling.

While this is a rom-com, it's clearly a character-driven story. There are romance moments that will have you gasping for air and feeling giddy. I love the LGBTQ+ representation in this so much. We need more stories like this.

I may just have to purchase the physical copy when it gets released.

This review is posted on Goodreads.

Okay so wow.
This book was so far beyond what I was expecting. While, yes the story technically provides a romance (a few actually), what it really does, and does fucking well, is offer up a commentary on queer life and what it looks like to be queer in America. I have never felt more SEEN than I have when reading Liz. Throughout the story we see her struggle with friendships, money, dating, her job, her dreams, and her gender presentation. The struggles that this MC deals with are SO REAL, and are such a reality for so many people. While yes, I did love watching Liz and Daria’s relationship unfold, the thing I loved THE MOST about this book was that it was just an absolutely real and honest AF queer story.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Random House Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Just As You Are does a really good job at taking something that has been done before–Pride & Prejudice, in this case–and putting a fresh, modern spin on it to make it it’s own.

Any reader familiar with Pride & Prejudice will find themselves unsurprised by most of the “twists” in this book. This is, at its core, a Pride & Prejudice retelling, and it won’t let you forget that. Still, there’s a lot different in this book that makes it an enjoyable read. Our characters, a cast made entirely of queer people, are tasked with trying to save the struggling magazine Nether Fields. Some of the characters share the same name as their original counterparts, while others have a similar enough name that it’s easy to tell who they are based off of.

One thing I wished I could have seen more of in this book was Daria’s infatuation with Liz. Perhaps this is because I’m more familiar with the movie than I am this story in a written format, but I feel like the pining is a very big reason many fans enjoy Pride & Prejudice, and I wasn’t getting as much of that as I wanted to see throughout this story.

I also wasn’t the biggest fan of how abrupt the ending was. I had assumed I still had at least one chapter–maybe an epilogue–left to go in the story, but I turned the last page and came face to face with the acknowledgements section instead. The story felt incomplete, like there should have been more beyond this ending, and I think other readers will agree that it just feels “off”.

Still, there was a lot I liked in this book as well. In particular, I really liked how this book pulled these queer characters and their identities together, especially in the case of our main character, Liz. As a nonbinary reader, it was interesting to read a lesbian’s views on gender, androgyny, and masc vs femme presentation. Liz being unsure of how she wanted to present herself and worried she’d walk out of the house one day in a dress, only to later hate it and want to wear pants instead was something I could really understand and didn’t know I’d get out of this book.

I think fans of Pride & Prejudice would really enjoy this book and enjoy seeing their favorite characters in a new, modern way, but seeing the same twists and surprises throughout the story may make it not as exciting of a read as some may wish.

I loved this book! This isn’t just a delightful love letter to Pride & Prejudice lovers but a love letter to queer people across the spectrum. As an Austen fan, I cackled through all the Easter eggs, (there’s even a sunset trek/confession in a meadow) and I’m pretty sure I didn’t stop grinning until I got to the end. This book feels like Heartstopper for adults- an absolutely effervescent love story that feels like a giant hug, but with a lot more spice.

Just As You Are is a wonderful rom com that I was immediately drawn into! Daria seems like such a downer and as we get to know her funny, more down to earth side, I could see why Liz (who works for her) feels herself falling and liking the chemistry between the two. This story was so dang cute and I really liked the vibe of the queer working world which had me swooning for that big city queer life! This story was filled with romance, fun, and some steam.

Love reading Debut novels, then through it current topics and im sold. Liz, a twentysomething journalist writing fluff pieces at queer online magazine the Nether Fields, is a wonderfully complex protagonist with the heart of Lizzy Bennet and the unrestrained chaos of Bridget Jones. I loved her and how real she felt to me. I read a lot of queer books, but it is always such a treat to feel so seen in a novel. With JUST AS YOU ARE, Kellogg captures so many very uniquely lesbian experiences—and so many experiences that I incorrectly and naively thought were unique only to me!—in a way that feels thoughtful and nuanced. Reading about both Liz and Daria’s struggles with gender presentation; the unknowns of What Comes Next in your twentysomething future; the ups and downs of young, fraught, ferocious friendship; all the things that make up this lovely, funny, and tender novel felt so grounded and real when I compared what I was reading to my own queer life.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperbackand NetGalley of allowing me to read this ARC

I've heard so much hype about this book and although I enjoyed it I think the hype is too much. I didn't really get it. however I do recommend this book.

What a fun and wonderful book! Loved the voice. Very much looking forward to reading more of Camille's books in the future.

"Just as You Are" is a queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern day New York. Liz Baker, a writer at a queer magazine called Nether Fields with her friends and roommates. The novel begins with the magazine's imminent death being delayed after being bought by two lesbian investors, enthusiastic Bailey and stuck-up Daria. Despite her attraction to the latter, Liz soon makes an enemy as her skills as a writer are doubted. However, Liz will soon learn that impressions are not always what they seem in her journey of finding love and a sense of self.

I absolutely loved this! While it is obviously a retelling, the change in setting and premise keep it fresh and authentic. The tension between Liz and Daria was engaging and realistic. All of the characters were well written and I found each of them enjoyable to read - even those who turned out to be unfavourable. Overall, the character development was great and made me want to read more of these characters.

In terms of critiques; I found the ending feeling a bit rushed. This is a really fast book and it flows super easily but the ending almost snuck up on me and it could've been a bit more fleshed out. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone looking for a fun romance to enjoy.

3/5 stars! A Pride and Prejudice re-telling? Sign me up. I have complicated feelings about this story. I appreciated a queer remake of this classic, but it felt like some of the depictions of queerness had an underlying judgment to them that I wasn't fond of. I did like our Darcy character in Daria, but was less fond of Liz. Overall, it was a quick, page-turning Pride and Prejudice retelling, but not one I would read again.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Camille Kellogg created a cute and sweet Pride & Prejudice retelling that takes a dive at queer relationships. I truly enjoyed the representation throughout the novel, the characters were depicted with so much respect and depth that it brought you right into the story. I appreciate that Camille created a bond as she showcased the co-worker friendship. Definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for a cute, fast read that incorporates diversity and gives us a beautiful take on a retelling.