This took me a while to finish. I'm not sure why. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It seemed like a slow start and didn't really pick up for me.

Come As You Are is a memorable story with some character development that takes time. I loved the 90s references as a fan of the decade and the grunge scene. The story is heartfelt and it doesn’t read like a YA novel, as I expected. I’d definitely check out more from this author.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. What a fantastic book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people!

Thank you to Central Avenue publishing for this Arc copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by this book as soon as I read the blurb and was excited by the 90’s setting, the plot and the premise of the characters!

Whilst reading it, I enjoyed the dual timeline and the dual POV’s, but did feel like I would have enjoyed seeing more from the characters when younger in between certain events and seeing them come together.

I loved the characters of Zane, Montana and Skye and felt like they had a lot of depth to them.

I found this book very easy to read and very enjoyable.

I did feel like I got a little bit lost at certain points in the story but it didn’t affect the reading experience as I was able to find where I was again.

I gave this book a 3.75 ⭐️ rating.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

Come as you are is rather relatable throwback story. It does from 1992 to present and can get confusing when one is tired. It was it little too realistic for my taste, it made me cry and I don't like that in a book. The story is really good though as is the writing.

Jennifer Haupt can truly bring a story to life! In this coming of age story, I was transport back to my nostalgia for all things Seattle grunge. I really loved this transportation to my own memories of being a teen in the 90s.
However, I did not fall in love with the characters. I found the timeline switching to be a bit disorienting as well. All in all, this love story, coupled with grunge nostalgia, left me feeling stirred back to the memories of young love that hurt more than it felt good,

A fun throwback from the 90s to present days. If you like nostalgia, and if you loved the 90s then this would be a good book for you. It’s a good book about love, grief, growing up, substance abuse, and complicated relationships

A coming of age love story of two teens, Zane and Skye. A family drama about reconciling with past dreams to move forward with new ones. And yes, there are more than a couple of references to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.

An easy and enjoyable read. If you enjoy a family saga with no pretence and a fan of the 90s Seattle grunge scene you should enjoy this. 3⭐️

It was published last year and will be released in paperback on 23 March. Thanks to #netgalley and @centavepub for the e-book in return for an honest review.

Come As You Are by Jennifer Haupt was a wonderful coming of age story.

Beautifully written characters that come alive in an absorbing story.
Haupt's captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader.
Vivid, descriptive story-telling, with interesting characters I was immediately sucked into this story.
I will definitely pick up another title written by this author in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Our story opens in Seattle in 1992. Skye is on Zane's motorcycle getting out of town. Her family is fractured from the death of her sister Lauren. She dropped out of school and she's pregnant by Zane, who was just her platonic best friend before a night of grief changed things.

Zane didn't know she was pregnant at the time and considering her options and he doesn't need to because she kept the baby girl, Montana aka Tana. They tried to make things work and have a family but it just didn't and Zane is in and out of rehab and has never done anything for Tana.

Tana considers Aaron, Skye's fiance, a father to her. It's why Skye is considering marrying him even though she has her doubts and still thinks about Zane and the trauma they went through.

When a tragedy happens, Skye is going to have to stop thinking about it and start facing it, if for no other reason than Tana.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It was propped up on nostalgia and that is what drew me in but the story was not very exciting and I hate the names. Skye, Zane, and Montana? It just wasn't an easy book to read, not from the content but remembering these names and nicknames and it felt very long-winded. None of it rolls off the tongue. I just didn't love the writing style or the characters and it lost my interest several times. It's not a bad story it just wasn't for me.

If you liked Our Little World and Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance, you might want to check this out too!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

‘Come as you are, as you were’ …. etc is now playing in my head, luckily I love this Nirvana song! In Albuquerque, New Mexico, in October 2002 Skye finds a message on her answer machine from Zane O’Rouke after six years of silence, following his abandoning of her and the three year old daughter Montana. Skye is now engaged to Aaron, who treats Tana as his daughter. Shortly after getting the message Skye receives news that her father has died but so many serious things make it impossible for her to return home to Seattle for the funeral. The novel then backtracks to 1987 to Skye and Zane meeting age 12 and 14 respectively, they start hanging out together and make a pact to be best buds. We learn how their relationship develops and of the tragedies that haunt them both. Can Skye and Zane confront their issues and find peace for the sake of their daughter?

This is a very well written character driven novel with several elements to it. First of all, it must be evident from highly appropriate title that music is important. A major part of the storytelling is the teen scene in Seattle where the pair grow up, with bands particularly Nirvana and Alice In Chains with the belief that music is religion, the excitement of the mosh pits and also the accompanying drug scene. Both the characters love the music but it has the biggest influence is on Zane with art especially in LA being an influence on Skye. The Seattle setting is evocative of an era but equally atmospheric is the New Mexico setting and as Aaron is Native American that also adds something special to the plot line. This is highly appropriate too as native beliefs are all about harmony and this is a novel about finding harmony in difficult circumstances and with challenging dynamics. There is tragedy colouring in the background and the necessity to bring secrets into the open and search to find that truth and peace.

Secondly, the dynamics are fascinating between all the key characters with the glue between them being Montana. Most characters are very likeable, some are flawed, but they all feel authentic.

The nonlinear timelines take a bit of getting used to, it feels choppy to start with but then you appreciate the necessity of telling the story in this way. It builds well to a realistic ending.

Overall, this is a very well worth while read. It is reminiscent of youth, of yearning, of longing, of love and coming to terms with loss and grief. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Central Avenue Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Come As You Are by Jennifer Haupt is a recommended novel that is part family drama, part coming-of-age story.

Zane and Skye meet as creative, lonely young teens, 14 and 12, and become best friends. As Zane is the lead singer for his band, the two become part of Seattle’s grunge scene in the early ’90s and dream of moving to LA. Then an accident happens to Skye's sister that totally changes their world. The two become lovers, Skye becomes pregnant and they leave their homes and any support system behind. Now, ten years later Zane has been long gone for years, Skye is a single mother to daughter Montana (Tana) and is newly engaged to Aaron. The Skye's estranged father dies, Zane calls her, and she decides to finally return to Seattle after a long absence.

The narrative unfolds through a dual timeline, alternating between the early 90's in Seattle and the present, in 2002, in New Mexico. There are also flashbacks. Often I appreciate novels that use alternating timelines, but the plot device wasn't entirely successful in this novel. Perhaps it was the number of transitions between the earlier time period and 2002, as well as flashbacks, that made this narrative device seem an overly confusing ploy rather than a good choice to propel the plot forward. After sticking with the novel, it was easier to just go along with the writing choice in order to find out what happens.

Many readers will be entranced by the depiction of the early grunge scene in Seattle. Really, much of this novel consists of characters coming-of-age while all repeatedly making bad choices and bad decisions as they deal with family drama. That can be entertaining whether you find the characters appealing or not. The characters can be a bit frustrating because of their choices, but, then, much of that is due to immaturity. The ending wasn't entirely believable for me, however, plenty of readers are going to enjoy Come As You Are.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Central Avenue Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

As a 90's kid I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. The Grunge scene was very well portrayed!! The story follows the main characters through the decades of their love, friendship and everything in between. Very heartfelt story.

Zane and Skye are a huge part of the 1990’s Seattle grunge scene. He’s a musician and she’s an artist. When tragedy strikes, it changes their relationship forever. Ten years later, they have different lives but have come back together.

If you’re a lover of Nirvana and the Seattle grunge scene, you’ll like this one. There is a really good story as well, but the mentions and setting of the grunge scene hit it out of the park for me. The characters were very well developed and I really liked them all and watching them grow. There’s a good coming of age story as we go through different decades with the characters. It was sentimental and heart-felt, but also gritty at times. While a lot happened, we witness it more from the characters’ emotional world-views than action-orientated… and that was something special.

“Music is religion. They don’t need God; they are young. Fucking demigods. Free.”