Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg

I loved every bit of this book!

It was easy to relate to Liz and how she felt stuck, both in her current position at a magazine she worked for and struggling to find herself. Getting stuck in a comfortable work environment is easy, even if it’s not what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s challenging to step outside your comfort zone and try something new, even down to what clothes make you feel comfortable or how you want to appear to certain people.

I loved that rooms throughout the office were named after notable people in the LGBTQIA+ community; the Laverne conference room was named after Laverne Cox, and the Kiyoko Kitchen after Hayley Kiyoko. It added a little something extra that put a smile on my face.

But most of all, I loved the friendships and relationships in this story. Friends looking out for friends. Authentic friendship fights and breakups. And, of course, one of my favorite tropes is the enemies-to-lovers relationship. Liz shows some real growth toward the end, partly because she has some really great people to help her along the way.

Just as You Are was easy to get into and immediately hooked me. The ending was perfect and tied everything together unexpectedly but wonderfully.

Thank you, Dial Press, Camille Kellogg, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved the characters exploration into their gender expression but besides that, no thank you. These characters lacked all mature conversation skills and were super toxic to each other the entire time.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.. LIz is working for a queer magazine that may be shutting down and finds at the last minute is bought by two wealthy lesbians. Her new boss, Daria, is cold, unplesant and Liz cannot stand her, but she's hopelessly attracted to her. Misunderstandings and awkward exchanges abound as Liz is trying to sort out her feelings for Daria. She gets to know her better and finds there's another side to her personality. This story was a fun, page-turner perfect for a summer read. I appreciated that this romance had queer characters (lesbian, non-binary, gender-fluid) but it wasn't made into a story point but was just part of who the characters are.

This was good, but not excellent. I liked the main character but it felt a little forced. Was a fine read, but probably wouldn't purchase it for myself!

Not my favorite, a bit slow. The writing was well crafted and the characters were compelling. I think this book may be for a younger audience than me. I would recommend this to specific people, but not a general audience.

The heroine of Just as You Are was one of the most annoying versions of Elizabeth Bennet that I’ve read–anxious, judgmental, and self-absorbed at times. But I enjoyed Just as You Are once I let go of expecting this to align in any real way with the emotional world of Pride and Prejudice, and rode the wave of a scrappy group of friends in their 20s making questionable choices.

When I stopped trying to clock the ill-fitting Austen references in Just as You Are, I was able to enjoy the found family, the way the story explored gender nuances in queer dating, and an emotionally satisfying romance that kept me guessing. I would have liked to see less of Liz being annoying and more of Jane and Bailey’s love story, or to have learned more about Charlotte and Katie. But despite my frustration that Liz resembled Austen’s Emma more than Elizabeth, I had a smile on my face when she and Daria finally got their hard earned HEA.

I enjoyed that the book had a larger plot outside of the romance, and I was more invested in that than ANY of the relationships. It was hard to buy that the MC hated the love interests and with no build up at all they were having sex and falling in love. That said, gettingnto know the characters gave me more insight into situations I don't have any experience with, and it was all very well told.

While I enjoyed my time reading “Just as You Are” by Camille Kellogg, I think marketing this as a rom-com is pretty off base. This honestly felt like queer fiction novel with a romantic subplot.

This is more about Liz Baker and her personal journey of with her friend group and first real job. Liz and her roommates work at a queer magazine that is saved from being shut down by two lesbians. One of those new owners, Daria, isn’t exactly thrilled to be there and she and Liz clash from the beginning.

Although I didn’t love this as a romance, there were parts I enjoyed and hope to see more of in the future. There’s diversity represented in the characters with a trans poc, Jane, who is Liz’s best friend and a major secondary character. I was actually more interested in her storyline several different times.

I also loved the talks about gender expression and presentation. Liz doesn’t think she’s non-binary but she also isn’t always comfortable being seen as too feminine or masculine. She’s insecure about how’s she seen and how she feels and I got a lot out of her internal struggles with that.

Her job at a queer magazine was also a big plus for me. As someone who spent my teen/early twenties reading AfterEllen and then Autostraddle, I appreciated the love for magazines/websites that highlights queer culture, especially for those that may not see anyone like themselves where they are.

The romance wasn’t for me. It felt like Liz and Daria spent the majority of the story disliking each other and then all of sudden they were very much into each other. I didn’t see any kind of connection or growth that made their “relationship” make sense. I would’ve liked that developed a lot more for me to believe in them as a couple. I also had to laugh that the blurb says this is steamy. There was one intimate scene and that’s it. When I think of steamy, I imagine several explicit scenes, such as Alexandria Bellefleur.

In the end, while this wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, I enjoyed it enough that I will certainly be reading whatever Kellogg may put out next.

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this unique, queer Pride and Prejudice retelling. The elements of the original were so wonderfully reworked to create a unique yet recognizable story. I also really appreciated the fact that Liz spent time thinking about her identity and that it was really relatable.This was such a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

2/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

I'm going to completely honest with you, I was so bored reading this. I felt like none of the characters had any depth, the dialogue was bland, the romance was half-baked, and the book wasn't advertised correctly. It was more of a coming-of-age story rather than a romance, and if I'd have known that before going into the book, I feel as though I would have known more of what to expect.

I finished this book this morning and have since been struggling with the words I need to talk about this book - so this review may not be entirely coherent, sorry!

Just as you are was a book I knew I'd love, primarily from the strong reception it had received but further by the characters and settings themselves.

It's been a while since I've been sucked into a book and rendered it unputdownable. But this morning, for the last 40% (hey, I'm a slow reader this took a lot of time!), my phone didn't leave my hand as devoured this book. This novel was fun, serious when it needed to be and delightfully queer throughout.

With a protagonist who's gender expression could probably be described with just an "ehhh" and the shrug emoji and several nonbinary and trans leading cast members. As well as a butch love interest who is absolutely the love of my life, daria is an Angel and i adore her. no further questions pls.

This novel centres the Nether Fields, a magazine for queer women, non-binary and trans people. Throughout it, the cast struggle with dealing with new management (hello daria and bailey!) and then as you can imagine, angst and humor alike follows!

I can't wait to purchase my own copy to reread in the future, or... in a couple weeks. A very very easy 5 stars, I loved this a whole bunch!!

Just as You Are was a fun romance in an interesting setting, setting up an enemies-to-lovers type situation between a journalist at a queer magazine and one of the owners that has come in to rescue the magazine. There were fun parts and scenes I loved, but also times when I didn't quite follow how they'd gone from enemies to loves. I think this was partly because the 'enemies' section of their relationship felt a bit petty from the beginning, so it was hard to feel what the emotional growth either of them would need to get them to a place where they were right for each other. Even so, the story flowed well and was a quick and easy read. If you're looking for a romance to read this summer, this could be just the thing.

**Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Title: Just as You Are
Author: Camille Kellogg
Summary: Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.
But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.
This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, and falling in love against your better judgment.
Pros: found family plays a big role in the story; the plot depicts a common struggle in the real world where queer media doesn’t get the support it always deserves.
Cons: I didn’t feel a connection build between Liz and Daria, it just was; I didn’t like that every “important” place in the magazine’s office was named after some queer icon and that the MC explained it every time it was referenced; hard to connect with the characters.
ARC provided by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #randomhousepublishinggroup #queerbookstagram #lgbt #wlw #lgbtqia #loveislove #queerrepresentationmatters #lgbtqbooks #bookstagram #queerbooks #books #booklover #booksofinstagram #bookish #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #booknerd #lgbtqreads #pride #queerreads #romance #lesbianromance #wlwromance #prideandprejudice

I enjoyed this coming of age queer romance, although it took me a bit to get into it. This was a fresh take on queer romance that focused on found family. And while I liked it, it definitely was a bit heavier than the rom com markets it – plenty of content warnings for cheating, alcoholism, and more, so be sure to check those out before picking this up.

I powered through this book in less than 24 hours. It's a great summer / beach read if you want something light and easy. The characters are super queer and there are nuances of queer culture sprinkled everywhere in this book. I'm not always a huge fan of romance books but I loved it! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something cute, queer and fun!

I absolutely loved this! This book had an incredible plot with fully-formed side characters that I thought elevated the story. I had a ton of fun following the roommates until the end of the book (IYKYK). This was a great spin on the classic P&P retelling. I learned so much about queerness while reading and the characters seemed incredibly authentic. I liked Daria's character and I liked Liz's character and I can understand why they'd be drawn to one another, I just wish we could have seen a bit more of that on page. Oh and that little tidbit of Daria creating and IG just to communicate with Liz, that's my catnip. Will read more from Camille for sure.

I love a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and this one was deliciously queer. It did feel a bit too long to me, in the same way that the original P&P kind of drags on some. I also... would have preferred more sexy times.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this queer Pride and Prejudice retelling.

Set in New York
Online queer magazine

1 descriptive spicy scene. Other explicit content mentioned. Check content warnings (drugs, mentally abusive relationship, homophobia).

Great representation (trans, gay, lesbian, nonbinary, androgyny, pansexual)

Pride and prejudice correlation is pretty obvious (same names and storyline). Predictable but the journalism aspect was fun.
Ending wrapped up kinda suddenly considering all the previous obstacles. I’m kinda bummed that we didn’t see any justice with the antagonists. Sorta felt like loose ends.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this digital ARC.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month #10 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

rep: lesbian, non-binary, trans

I finished this before Focus on Craft Book Club! Someone send me a prize. Now if only I can make myself go...

So last month I read a Chinese American retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This month's is gay. Are P&P retellings my thing? Fairytale retellings certainly aren't.

Growing up, I loved Lizzy as a character. She and Jo from Little Women were strong female characters I looked up to. I'm not even that traditional, but nowadays I think I vibe a little more with Jane and Meg. None of this has anything to do with anything. Well, it might.

I'm sure a subset of people find Darcy toxic. In this same way, Lizzy is also toxic. But they work through their differences to come together as a couple. And at first, I found this book a little iffy, as I do with any retelling ever, but Liz and Daria really work for me. Liz less so than Daria. But here we are.

I mentioned queer books written for queer folk in my Dykette review. This is more of the same, and I appreciate that so much. Sure, I had to Urban Dictionary some things, but I didn't mind. I love learning new things. To the other subset of people that complain about almost bilingual books in the same vein, these books aren't for you. But you can make them for you. Or don't. Someone else will read and enjoy them.

I always get a little preachy. It's fine. You know what I'm about. But I inherently liked this queer retelling. It's always nice to see familiar characters updated for the times. Say what you will about the The Eye of the World TV show. I enjoyed the diverse cast.

This isn't really a review review, is it? I always seem to get off track. Know this. If you're looking for something that's the same, but also different, this may be for you. Read diversely. Live inclusively. Try new things. You never know. Your life may change for the better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Already bought a copy! Adorable story and surprisingly realistic. Not a huge fan personally, but that’s just preference, not the actual book