*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Queer Pride and Prejudice reimagining? YES PLEASE. This was such a good book, it beautifully captured queer experiences and had a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. It had a strong plot and stronger characters. I absolutely devoured this book!

I wanted so badly to love this book. Camille Kellogg’s writing is solid, and a lesbian “Pride & Prejudice” retelling is everything I could ever want, but I really struggled with these characters. I think this book will really resonate with a lot of readers, but I was not one of them. As a queer woman who doesn’t live in a hub of queer culture, it was hard to relate to the characters or engage with their story. That being said, I’d love to try more of Kellogg’s work in the future, because she really is a super talented writer.

While I was initially excited to request and receive this book, as I have started reading it I have to note that the writing style and the story are just not working for me and I've made the decision to DNF. This year I've come to realize that I am just not as much a fan of Pride and Prejudice retellings that stick close to the beats of the original work. What I can appreciate about this iteration is the focus on identity and Liz struggling with presenting butch and femme, depending on her mood and preference but also understanding that people are going to treat her differently if she presents a certain way. I didn't get far enough in for Darcia and Liz to form a friendship let alone a relationship, but as a romance I know it is coming. I'm sure readers more familiar and loving of Pride and Prejudice will enjoy seeing the similarities, and I know that some are going to love seeing how the story itself plays out, but I can say that "Just As You Are" was just not a story for me.

A queer pride and prejudice. Yes, please. I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author represented the queer community. I could not put this book down and had to finish it. I just loved it so much. Liz and Daria's enemies to lovers. A modern retelling of a classic.

This is often a laugh-out-loud novel that involves four gay roommates who work for the magazine, Nether Fields. Each brings their own style to the publication, but when it is bought out by Bailey and Daria there are big changes coming! Liz falls hard for Daria but there are so many complications, and Jane falls for Bailey. Workplace romances?? Some work, some don't...isn't that the way of the world? But it's a great storyline that kept me smiling throughout (even the heartbreaks as it's part of life)! So sit back and enjoy as it's an awesome read!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg is currently scheduled for release on April 25 2023. The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her. 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.

Just as You Are is a novel that will be exactly what some readers need. I loved the honest look at gender identity and the struggles that every character had with in figuring out who they were, what the wanted, and how to be true to that. This is something everyone can relate to, and I think will definitely strike a chord with readers. I also like the character growth for everyone- in found family, friendship, and work not just through the romance lenses. I have to admit that I want to know more about some of the secondary characters, even those that only came up in very specific settings. I look forward to reading what ever Kellogg releases next.

Just as You Are is a highly engaging and honest look at friendship, finding yourself, and the complications of all that and love.

thank you to netgalley and random house for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)

okay okay okay okay. um i don’t even know where to start. i could not put this down!!!! camille kellogg i owe you my life for this one. and you’re telling me this is a debut?!?!?

just as you are follows liz, someone who is struggling with gender presentation, her love life, her career, and so many other things that queer twenty-somethings are actually going through. i am so grateful that this book exists!!! as someone who struggles with gender presentation, liz was so goddamn real and important!!!!

the general plot of the book follows the shut down of the magazine that liz and her roommates write for. the magazine is bought by two wealthy lesbians which brings me to daria fitzgerald, butch icon, kinda grumpy kinda the sweetest person on the planet. their love story is very much pride and prejudice inspired and flowed well from hate to love.

obviously, being a romance, the love story took center stage but it wasn’t afraid to touch on the importance of queer + trans media. just as you are is an ode to the queer community and is full of queer love and queer joy!!!! 5/5 stars from me!!

An entertaining retelling of Pride and Prejudice which might make you realize where some of those tropes originated! Liz is not happy when Daria and her partner take over the publication where she works but that changes as they get to know one another. If you remember P&P, you'll find yourself sorting through the characters to match them up with the original- but doing that might distract you from the fun in this novel. These are fun women, proud of being queer, and in love with their lives. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖

Just As You Are - Camille Kellogg
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

“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.”

I absolutely loved this one - one of my favorite books this year. II loved getting to know Liz and her roommates then getting to know Daria and Bailey! Learning more about each character’s reasons for loving and not wanting to leave the queer magazine they worked for. I loved the character’s explorations or their gender and sexuality and especially loved this message that it’s ok to not have it all figured out.

Recommend if you like:
- Office romance
- Workplace drama
- Enemies to lovers
- Gender/sexuality exploration
- Sapphic romance
- Queer and non-binary characters

Publish date: April 25, 2023

Thanks to @netgalley, @randomhouse and @kellogg_camille for this ARC!

I loved this so much. I'm always down for a pride and prejudice retelling and this was no exception. Liz and Daria are so freaking cute and I loved seeing them get to know each other. My favorite parts of the book are when they are both making instagram stories just for the other person to watch, it was just so sweet.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Camille Kellogg is a debut author that I CANNOT wait ro read more from.

Liz Baker and her three queer roommates work at Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York City about to be shut down. Until two ultra wealthy lesbians choose to buy it out. Daria comes in automatically talking about slashing budgets, bringing own silverware in for meals and cutting down on colored printouts.

Yet as Daria and Liz continue to hangout, she discovers there's more than meets the eye. Daria and her have honest conversations about Liz's gender outfits and what it means to be femme. Not everything can be as true as it seems though.

I adored Just as You Are and right away could pick up on the Pride and Prejudice undertones. The pacing had me flipping the pages and I liked the shorter chapters. While I wanted to see more of the roommates, I hope there is more of that to come. Readers who enjoy contemporary lgbtq+ novels will love Camille Kellogg's debut.

Thank you Random House Ballentine and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I'm always up for a Pride and Prejudice retelling and as a lesbian romance, this one covers new ground. This book is a solid purchase for public libraries and I expect it will be popular.

I love Pride and Prejudice and will read any retelling I can find. Some retellings are just identical stories set in different locations or timelines. But some books, like this one, take the incredible Jane Austen characters and underlying story and then make it their own. This book was so fun! It was full of queer inside jokes, found family, and fun references to Jane Austen's original work (like working at the Nether Fields magazine). I also enjoyed that the end of the story took a turn away from the original story. Lydia running away and not getting married isn't quite the scandal it used to be, and I enjoyed the new scandal and how cute the end of this rom-com was! I loved the story and can't wait to see what Camille Kellogg writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just as You Are follows Liz and her three roommates, who are devastated when the queer magazine where they work together, The Nether Fields, is about to be shut down. However, what Liz is telling no one is that she might actually be glad that the magazine is shutting down because it would finally force her to pursue her dream. But then, just as everything seems lost, the magazine is saved by two wealthy lesbians, Bailey and Daria. Liz and Daria immediately get off on the wrong foot when Daria mocks the listicles Liz writes for the magazine. But the more often the two incompatible women are thrown together, the more they can’t help but soften towards each other. When Liz finally sees beyond Daria’s tough, prickly exterior, feelings run wild.

Just as You Are has a lot going for it. For one, it feels like an even queerer The Bold Type (a show I highly recommend watching) that is filled with intriguing characters, relatable gender and identity representation and has, as its core, strong friendship bonds between distinct, engaging queer characters.

To me, however, the highlight was the fact that Liz and her friends work at a queer magazine and what it means to every single one of them to reach and support queer readers.

Just as You Are does primarily focus on the workplace situation and while I can see why some might be a tad confused since this is marketed heavily as a romance, I actually loved that shift in focus all the more. While we do have a bit of a Pride and Prejudice-inspired romance between Liz and Daria, we also get so many insights in the inner-workings of a queer magazine.

Kellogg expertly delineates why queer media (and especially being represented accurately in it) is so important. With jokes and nods at popular queer media out there, the book also highlights how much it can mean to someone to find themselves in a story or to be able to read about queer topics in a fun magazine.

Highlighting the importance of queer representation in the media, featuring a Pride-and-Prejudice-esque retelling and delivering the beloved queer found family trope, Just as You Are is perfect for fans of The Bold Type!

Pub date: 4/25/23
Genre: contemporary fiction (queer romance, workplace setting, found family)
Quick summary: Liz and her roommates write for a queer magazine in NYC - but when their new managers Daria and Bailey show up, sparks will fly - in more ways than one.

This was such a fun read! I loved following the quartet of roommates and their drama - spoiler, one roommate causes a lot of drama, there's always one roommate that causes drama!! Liz made for an interesting, multi=layered protagonist, and I appreciated the attention the author paid to her queerness. Liz had trouble figuring out her identity, feeling both too butch and too femme depending on the day, and I liked how Daria helped her explore her feelings and feel comfortable in her own skin. I was feeling all the feels by the end.

I'd classify this book as contemporary fiction rather than traditional romance, but I enjoyed the romantic elements. If you liked books like ONE LAST STOP and WRITTEN IN THE STARS, give this one a try!

Thank you to Random House/Dial Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

NetGalley Review - my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg
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Liz lives in NYC with her three roommates & works at a queer magazine writing “fluff” pieces. But the magazine is getting shut down. Until two new women buy it to save the day! The problem? Liz hates Daria, one of her new bosses. And it seems Daria hates her too.
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The premise of this book is a lesbian romcom & I was interested. However, this book was more of a “how to find myself and accept who I am” kind of book with a dash of romance as an afterthought.
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I do not like it as a romance. However, I didn’t hate the storyline. It had an important message and that I can appreciate.
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Big thanks to @penguinrandomhouse for this ARC! You can snag your own copy when it publishes on April 25th!
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#netgalley #penguinrandomhouse #justasyouare #camillekellogg

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are some who may that Pride and Prejudice retellings are overdone, but I am decidedly not one of those people. as long as the retelling adds a fresh viewpoint or twist to the story. So a sapphic Pride and Prejudice retelling set at a queer magazine (called the Nether Fields! Amazing reference 10/10), seemed like something I needed to check out. And let me tell you, this book delivers. It is so wonderfully fluffy and romantic and funny and heartbreaking and speaks to real queer experiences that are so important to feature, especially in these scary days. Liz's struggle with her gender presentation was something I haven't seen a lot in media, and is so important to see .

All the classic P&P story beats and characters were there, just twisted to fit into a contemporary queer setting, and what a fun ride that was. I just... I loved this book.

oh my god, this book immersed me in the drama, the tragedy of Nether Fields closing, but when the queer magazine is saved, I felt as much relief as the characters. I finished this book the same day I started it, it was just pure perfection. the way it covered serious topics while being seamlessly hilarious was fantastic, I had a few moments where I just stopped to laugh because the jokes were just THAT good. Also the tropes?!??!!! office romance with a heavy dose of enemies to lovers? I ate that up and as I love to say, my little gay heart was pleased with this incredible read thank you so much random house and NetGalley for the e-arc!

There are some really funny moments in Just As You Are. I will say that the final kiss scene is one of the most hilarious scenes I have read in awhile and I don’t think I have ever read an ending quite like this one. Freaking hysterical.

Camille Kellogg gives us a diverse office romance that involves the ladies who live and work together at Nether Fields. Jane falls for new boss number one. Liz lusts after new boss number two. Katie is in love with Lydia; and Lydia loves themselves. Drama. There is also plenty of laughter.

I don’t think I have a favorite secondary character. It might be the runners from the Pride group because anyone who can wake up that early to go running…Bless them!

Kellogg tackles gender representation in this story and I love it. When Liz asks how do you dress androgynously with large breasts, my immediate thought is that they need to follow Rain Dove.

I like Liz and Daria’s love story. I have to admit that I don’t see the comparison between Pride and Prejudice and Just As You Are, but I am admittedly a fluff reader and just not that deep. And you know what? I’m okay with that.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Just As You Are is a beautiful queer take on Pride and Prejudice, taking the basic romantic arc, and transforming the family aspects into a queer-affirming found-family story. While largely faithful to the broad plot beats of P&P, and with some other fun modern references, I love how it also had a lot of its own to say about queerness, especially in terms of identity. The main cast is almost entirely queer women and enby people, and I love the general message that you don’t have to have your identity and presentation entirely figured out, with both Liz and Daria exploring this concept of gender presentation directly in the narrative.
If you’re familiar at all with any iteration of the story, you’ll know what to expect with the general arc of Liz and Daria’s characters, and their romance, but I like how Kellogg made them her own. I love how Liz’s judgmental and impulsive nature comes through, and how it’s stressed throughout (including by Jane) as something that she has to work on. Daria definitely leans more toward being misunderstood , as while she comes off as prickly and asshole-ish at first, it comes from an understandable place, and ultimately I felt Liz was the one who had more growing to do. While OG-Datcy definitely has a lot more privilege to unlearn, Daria’s queer experience has made things more complicated with much of her family, with the exception of her aunt Katherine.
The plotline with Weston (this book’s version of Wickham) was interesting, and I like how a streamlined cast made the connection between Daria and Weston’s history, and Daria’s current skepticism of Bailey’s budding romance with Jane, much more prominent. A change in Weston’s corrupt behavior emphasizes the evolution away from demonizing sexuality in modern society. I have somewhat mixed feelings about the choices regarding Lydia’s fate, but it does fit more with how the character ended up in the original novel, as opposed to some of the other modern retellings.
This is a fabulous read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, inclusive queer romance.