I’m so glad I finally read Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg, after hearing such great things from folks about this story. It’s a perfect read year round, but especially during Pride Month. The enemies-to-lovers workplace romance between Liz, a staff writer at a LGBTQ+ magazine, and Daria, the minority owner, was full of emotion, found family, and queer icons (I loved all the names of the office spaces & machines…).

One thing that kept it from being a 5-star read for me was that I didn’t fully buy into their romantic relationship. It’s like one second they were hating each other, then the next they’re in love. It could have been because I switched between the audio and e-book version of the book, or because of the single POV, but I was surprised by Daria & Liz’s romance. However, I do think this book had some funny moments and captured the big and small moments of queer joy.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for a review.

Just as you are


This took me a few tries to get into it, but once I did I few through it in less than a day! I ended up alternating between the audiobook and ebook (thank you PRH audio and Berkley!)

I enjoyed this modern queer Pride and Prejudice retelling! Liz’s magazine has gone under when she finds out that two wealthy lesbians have purchased it. Bailey and Daria are vastly different and Daria is clear from the start she believes some of the magazine’s content is below her. As they’re thrown together, Liz and Daria start to see different sides of each other.

Although nothing will ever compare to Pride and Prejudice in my opinion, I thought this was a great retelling. I loved the queer identity rep and how Daria and Liz were really able to discuss this and see each other. I also liked seeing the magazine and how one runs from the inside. Daria and Liz started off as enemies before becoming more. I really liked how this was handled. I listened to the audiobook and Bailey Carr is one of my favorite narrators. I’m excited to see what Kellogg writes next!

I want to start off by saying I definitely wouldn't consider this a romcom, for sure more a contemporary romance but that's not to say it wasn't a great read. Honestly I didn't think the romance was the main part of the book, a big part of the books was focused on Liz learning about herself and figuring out who she wants to be and exactly where she fits and it was nice to see her come out of her shell. I honestly quite enjoyed that part of the book. Of course I did also enjoy that the romance was enemies to lovers.... I'm always a sucker for that trope. I liked seeing Liz and Daria learn more about each other and realize they aren't so different in some ways and well as seeing both of them grow and become a more true version of themselves both separately and together. Definitely an enjoyable read, I think it feeling more contemporary just threw me off a bit.

This modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice was unapologetically queer! If I were teaching P&P, I'd suggest this novel as a potential project for students to write about retellings and how they change or update the story. The setting was a nice twist: NY with the character group working at a queer magazine desperately in need of financial backing. While a number of Liz's friends were POC, both Liz and Daria were white. I enjoyed that shift from Daria's (Darcy character) slight towards Liz having to do with her skills as a writer (criticizing her listicles) rather than her family. Liz seems to have a found family and I appreciated the blow out between Jane and Liz about each other's behaviour and their accountability. My complaints were that I didn't really feel the chemistry between Daria and Liz and while there were some physical scenes between the two, the build up didn't seem to have the pay off I was hoping for.

Just As You Are was one of my most anticipated books of 2023, for a couple reasons: it features a butch lesbian love interest, it's a lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling, and the mc is a lesbian writer who's trying to figure their gender presentation out.
It did not disappoint! At first I was struggling to see the P&P retelling aspect, but that definitely came into play more about half way through the book and OH.MY.GODS it was so good! Daria and Liz have insane chemistry, and the charisma that Daria has even though she's so aloof and cold the first half of the book? I am in love.
I really appreciated and loved how diverse this book was. Jane, Liz's best friend and roommate, (and who is this retelling's version of Elizabeth Bennet's oldest sister,) is a queer black trans woman who is the definition of an angel. I loved her romance with Bailey and it was so just freaking heartwarming and wonderful to see her have such a swoon-y romance (especially that ending!)
Liz is a fantastic main character. She's flawed, but passionate and earnest. She cares about her friends and her job but doesn't always go about expressing that the right way. She wants to be a serious literary writer but can't seem to get past being more of a 'fluffy' writer (boy that hit close to home) and most importantly, she can't seem to figure where she falls, gender wise. She's masc, but sometimes femme, but sometimes androgynous and that changes depending on how she's feeling and who she may be dating. I got serious genderfluid vibes from her, and even though in the book it ends without her having it all figured out, in my headcanon she realizes she's a wonderfully genderfluid lesbian. I saw myself reflected so much in her and that's a very uncommon experience for me!
Daria's experiences with being butch also hit really close to home, as a femme who has a very butch girlfriend, I saw my gf's experience of moving through the world as a GNC lesbian reflected in Daria's story, and that's not something I see often in books.
I kid you not I spent this whole book kicking my feet, grinning and squealing with how good the tension was and how CUTE the ending was! This is definitely a book I see myself rereading in the future. 5/5 stars

Not really a romance. Not really a comedy. Not at all what I was expecting. This story was more about workplace problems and complications. The main relationship didn't really seem very realistic.

I gravitated towards this book because of the two masc-presenting characters and then found out it’s a Pride and Prejudice queer retelling in New York City and I was sold! For the most part this story follows Liz Baker as she starts reflecting and questioning her job, her love life, and the way she presents herself gender wise. The book does have an insightful discussion on finding ways to present gender in a way that makes one feel comfortable.
Liz works as a writer for a queer magazine, but finds herself relieved that it may shut down due to insufficient funds, and she can finally start on that book she has always wanted to write. But, the magazine is bought out by a two queer woman who manages the place similarly to Chris and Ben from Parks and Recreation. The Ben to Liz’s Leslie being Daria Fitzgerald. Daria calls Liz’s contribution to the paper as just fluff and so begins the workplace antics.
This story, like many LGBTQ+ of now, includes a close friend group that makes me envious to have a queer group of my own. I would love to read a book from the perspective of Liz’s best friend Jane. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to more from the author!

Finished a few days ago but coming back to write my review! Just as You Are is blurbed as a queer, contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. It is laugh-out-loud funny, full of diverse characters, and will have you all in your feels. The friendship between the roommates was probably my favorite part (besides Daria's suits obvi). It was so fun to see their dynamic and made me so nostalgic for my early 20's (even though the character's arent in their early 20's lol).

Anyways, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND to any and everyone but especially those who are looking for a Sapphic/lesbian romance. Thank you SO much to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to be a little wary whenever I start a new contemporary romance, because so many disappoint me. But this was not one of those disappointments! I already knew I would love it because it's a lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling, with Liz and Daria as the central romance instead of Elizabeth and Darcy. I'm glad it lived up to my expectations. It was deliciously hate-to-love, and had just the right amounts of spice and longing; I thought it had a great balance between the work drama and romantic developments. It was also very relatably gay. I loved the introspection that the main character Liz had about her gender presentation, wondering whether she should present more masculine or feminine as a lesbian, which is a source of anxiety that myself and a lot of other lesbians struggle with. Will definitely pick up another book by this author in the future!

if you’re looking for a big warm gay hug in book form, look no further! just as you are by camille kellogg is the queer pride and prejudice retelling of my dreams and i adored every single page of it. it’s hilarious and spicy and sweet and so, so gay. if you haven’t read it yet what are you waiting for! go go!!

A sapphic pride and prejudice where the Bennett sisters are roommates and work at a magazine for Lesbians. Daria and Bailey buy the mag when it's in trouble. This was such a delightful reimagining. Daria was def a Darcy she was so proud and uptight. Liz was so outspoken but so attractive in her constant struggle between femme, masc and androgynous. Trying to find her comfort. Just enjoyed all of this but Lydia she was super selfish and of course the Wickham/Weston character she was true to character.

Thank you randomhouse for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I was really excited for this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I was expecting way more romance between the two MCs, but I think this book read a bit more like workplace drama than it did romance. By the time the MCs got together and especially when Liz said she was in love, I was shocked because it felt like there was very little dialogue between the two. The characters were generally pretty unlikeable and hard to root for. Although I wanted to like it, I just don't think this was the one for me.

Fun and interesting queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Filled with tons of pop culture references, relatable lesbian experiences, and well written characters. This book will be featured on a future episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

I absolutely HATED Pride and Prejudice in school., but I loved this queer retelling. There are some amazing reviews all about the queer aspect that do a much better job reviewing that portion of the book than I could. But I did enjoy the romance, especially because it was faced paced and adult! I love reading about legitimate adults who act like adults. So refreshing!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I'm so tired of books about 25 year olds that act like 16 year olds. And there was a lot of telling but no showing.

Camille Kellogg's novel Just as You Are threads the needle between fun romance and important social justice issues in such a seamless manner that the reader would think that she is a seasoned author with many books under her name. However, this appears to be the first novel for this young writer and I simply devoured it. Kellogg's main character is Liz Baker, a writer for The Nether Fields. Baker writes click worthy, fun articles that generate lots of traffic for the queer magazine, but is not widely respected as real literature. The financially struggling business is given a temporary reprieve when a two wealthy friends purchase it and provide financial direction. Personal relationships develop that create additional problems and Baker finds herself in a work place , love/hate relationship that threatens to cost her everything. One of my favorite things about Kellogg's writing is the casual way she includes "white" as a descriptor when she introduces characters. This levels the playing field in a manner that gives a complete picture of each individual. I look forward to seeing what Kellogg publishes next.

I couldn't request this book fast enough! A queer P&P inspired story? Yes, please!

This was a quick read, probably because I couldn't put it down. The tension between Liz and Daria was palpable. The steam was perfectly timed and great. Such a great read!

3.5 ⭐️

Was this really just 320 pages? It felt endless.. I thought I was about to finish and realized I still had 2 more hours 😵‍💫

I was so into it in the beginning. I thought I wasn’t going to like it after some reviews I heard but I got so into it and I was invested but the length threw me off. It felt like there were conflicts added just to make the story go on longer.

I couldn’t really connect to Liz. I thought there was potential but she felt very immature at many times for the age she was, I didn’t see much character development for her. The chemistry between her and Daria was not there, it felt forced… specially after so many different conflicts.

I don’t agree with the reviews saying the plot was around the work more than the romance. You have to consider the way Daria comes into Liz’s life and that was through work so the work drama is going to be present and the plot will revolve around it. I think there is romance but it just didn’t feel as romancey as it was advertised.

Overall I enjoyed it for a good portion but it wasn’t for me. I’d love to see more from the author.

Compelling protagonist. Snappy plot. Quick read. Not so much a romance, rather a case study on all different kinds of relationships.

Just As You Are is a Pride and Prejudice inspired romance, where every character is gay. All of them. Every one. It’s a blast.
I loved the up to date social media technology and pop culture references—though you *can* zoom in on Instagram profile pictures now—making it feel like I’m overhearing gossip, in a queer-owned coffee shop, sipping on my lavender oatmilk latte, rather than reading a work of complete fiction. It’s quick, it’s dramatic, it’s messy, it’s fun, what more could I ask for?