Hot Dog! Dahlia Adler hits me in the gut with all the feels. Her latest was a long time coming, but was worth the wait. The way she subverts expectations is bar none.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Wow! I adored this book. This is the first time I’ve read Dahlia Adler in a minute and it reminds me why her books are so good. I like how real this book is. Evie has a lot to deal with it, and sometimes things aren’t perfect. When Evie is placed in a wrong dorm and doesn’t get the fresh start she wanted, she doesn’t know how things will get better. She starts to make friends and open up. I love how her friend group is diverse. The romance with Salem was so cute too. I was rooting for them, and it happened at the perfect time. Going back to how the book was realistic, I like how her relationship with her sister was handled and that it wasn’t magically better. It just made the book that much better. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

I love a good coming of age YA book! Bonus points if it’s set at a boarding school because boarding school dynamics have always fascinated me. This book did not disappoint and I was super invested in Evie’s character from the jump. She was messy and complicated and so hurt. I loved watching her find her people, getting comfortable in her skin, recognizing she had a right to take up space in the world, and coming into her own. Salem was rough around the edges but clearly had a soft spot for her from the start. I loved their banter and how they truly saw each other. Watching them go from friends to something more was a roller coaster ride. Sabrina was hilarious and the banter she added to the story was perfect. I loved the way she and Evie bonded. The plot was well paced and kept me turning pages. The ending was adorable and fit the story and the characters well. I just wish there had been an epilogue to see how things went a little further in the future.

I will read a grocery list written by this author. I love all of their stories and this one is no different. I will say it was a little TOO slow burn for my liking but her characters are just so well developed I had to find out how things end for them! No notes!

come as you are by dahlia adler (ARC)

thank you @netgalley for this ARC! this book was adorable and a perfect YA read. the characters were all so cute and well developed (especially side characters)! i loved the boarding school aspect of it too. it was VERY slow burn however and i did want a little bit more at times though. other than that i absolutely ate this up

/5 ⭐️
This is a good turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy-the-ride kind of book.

However, its start was definitely stronger than the rest. The opening chapter was amazing! I was hooked. But the longer I read the more I cringed and the less it held my attention. But the reason why this was extra hard to review is because parts of the decision making and cringier moments are ones I remember doing when I was that age, except it was falling short here. And I think it was falling short because it was lacking a story arc. The main plot was forced onto us to the point even the story seemed to forget about it, and the whole story in general felt more like a rambling tale you tell your friend. The worst is that this had some great stuff to it. The diamond hidden in the roughness of this story was the interactions. Even though sometimes they were cringe and unrealistic, I still really enjoyed watching some of the character interactions. There’s something here. There’s something that showed me the author’s talent. I just think this was tough to read because it felt all over the place and too cheesey/cringe at times.

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

A sweet YA friends-to-lovers romance about a girl who wants to reinvent herself, until she meets someone who likes her just the way she is. After a rough few months, Evie decides to start over at a boarding school where no one knows her, and to change her from being a typical "good girl". Adorable upstairs neighbor Salem decides to help her become a bad girl while Evie helps him become a good boy. Salem is a perfect partner in crime for Evie and helps her learn more about herself and who she ultimately wants to be. Overall, super cute!
Thanks to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and Dahlia Adler for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I would give "Come As You Are" 4/5 stars. Sometimes, you just need to read something fun and distracting—and this book was exactly that. I flew through it in one quick sitting and had such a great time. It was refreshing to escape into the world of high school drama and watch Evie grow into a more confident, comfortable version of herself. I was genuinely rooting for her and her journey!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Very cute and fun! I found the main characters engaging, funny, and loveable. There was an unexpected contrast of some characters subverting expectations, while others felt more predictable or surface level. I really enjoyed the banter between Evie, Salem, Sabrina and the less than stellar guys Evie shares a dorm building with. There is no shortage of sass in this book, which can be both amusing and satisfying. As much as I enjoyed the story I thought some parts felt unresolved, to the point where I couldn't help but wonder if there would be a second book. I knew the story was winding down, but the ending still felt abrupt to me. Salem and Evie's connection is strong enough that I could see a follow-up being successful, while also giving more time to flesh out Evie's complicated relationship with her sister, and get to know to know more of the cast on a deeper level. Plenty of potential here!

This didn’t have the typical feel of Adler's books, but I absolutely enjoyed it just the same. I like Evie. She’s super quick with wit and so funny. Even though she doesn’t feel like a catch, she absolutely is one.

There are a lot of things to love about this author. She writes relatable characters and supportive females. I absolutely love all her books, and this one is no exception.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"He fixes me with those mysterious gray eyes, as if I’m offering up a riddle and the answer can be found plainly on my face, if you just search hard enough."

This was a fun read! Classic premise- girl gets assigned to boy's dorm by mistake - but the lack of melodrama and reasonable character behavior made this a breath of fresh air.

There's a lot of "quirky" "laugh out loud" books published today that just make me cringe; happily not the case here. I was genuinely amused by this text and about half my notes in the text are just "lol". " GIRL" was another common one because our FMC was missing all the signs in the world but hey, its not like I was savvy when I was a sophomore either.

I didn't really buy that our FMC had a reputation as a ho just bc she lives in a boy's dorm but whatever.

Also, as a an emo kid myself back in the day, I'm glad to see they're making a resurgence : D

This was not for me and I could tell quite early. Evie was the epitome of “not like other girls” which I am just soooo tired of! Salem had no personality besides broody, and I just didn’t care about them together or separately.

Her name is everett, she is placed in an all boy's dorm, they don't wanna fix it so now she's making local "bad boy" salem (aka grayson) help her to be a bad girl and she'll make him become more of a gentlemen. Aside from the absoloute insaneity of this plot and the crazyness that went down at this school (where are the adults???? Just asking???) I actually have no words? It started out super good and then it went downhill....??? Like babes you are telling me that the guy you like slept with another girl and you are totally okay with that? You know...what your sister did to your boyfriend...? I'm just not following the logic. 💀

Oh and we thought that "peach" was a cute nickname? broski, she's not a fruit.

Banter slayed!! And the plot itself was actually adorable and hilarious! Overall, enjoyable.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc < 3

Star rating: 2 1/2 stars


My Review:
This book is everything you expect when it comes to academy books, booze, parties, sex talk, and the usual mess of complicated relationships. There's a lesbian side character, and a brief mention of someone who’s nonbinary, though neither is explored in depth. The MMC smokes weed, witch the FMC trying to help him quit. There's no shortage of innuendos and raunchy banter. One character fits the classic "player" type. There was way too much language in the book.

But my biggest problem is that the romance doesn't even start until 88% in. Up until that point, the FMC mostly just seems bitter that the MMC is dating someone else. Their dynamic lacks real tension or build-up, and when the romance finally does arrive, it feels rushed and underwhelming.

If you're here for the drama and academy chaos, you might enjoy it. But if you're looking for a well-developed romance? You’ll be waiting a while. I went into this book thinking I would love it, the book is described perfect for fans of Better than the movies and it's nothing like it.


Thank you netgalley for this arc.

This was my second book by Dahlia Adler. She is a great, easy to read author of young adult novels (at least that is what I've read from DA). This one is about a girl who decides after a negative event with her sister and boyfriend that she wants to move far away from her family to a boarding school. She lands in an all boys dorm and the drama begins. I thought this book was entertaining, but I wasn't super excited to pick it up. Probably doesn't help that I allowed myself to pause halfway through to read a book by another favorite author which I gave 5 stars. So I give this one 3 because I finished it (yay) but it didnt grip me as much as I wanted it to. I preferred the other book I read by Dahlia Adler, Going Bicoastal.

I loved this one so much! I love everything Dahlia writes and this was no different! I loved the friendship that Evie and Sabrine develop and the way Matt really becomes one of the most important characters in the friend group. The setting of boarding school is always a favorite of mine. I loved Salem and the way him and Evie really grew together.

In some ways, I really enjoyed this book about a girl starting boarding school as she tries to escape a bad situation at home. After finding her sister sleeping with her boyfriend, Evie can't face her school or sister. She finds a place at Camden School ... where unfortunately she finds herself living in a boys' dorm because of her full name, Everett.

This novel documents Evie's first few months at school as she tries to make friends and find where she fits. Her closest friends are a set of twins, Salem and Sabrina. Evie and Salem decide to try to fix each other - make Evie less of a good girl and Salem a kid who can make his parents proud.

I think my problems with the novel lie in that it feels much more like a college book. There is a whole lot of casual sex and drugs and no supervision. The fact that I live on campus at a boarding school makes this feel a little less realistic. Yes, I know there is always a faction of kids for whom this is going to be reality. But not for everyone.

I really liked Evie and Salem and Sabrina and even "cool girl" Isabel. But I felt like maybe the book tried to cover too much, and overall would have been more believable if it were given a college setting.

After reading Going bi-Costal, I knew I was going to love any Dahlia Adler book. I was so excited to get this book and it did not disappoint. I loved it so much. I wish it was around when I was in high school. A fast and great read.

I love the amount of YA that is out there for youth these days. I will advocate for more and more access to goo YA for kids to get hooked into reading for fun. This is a prime example of a fun YA book

Where was the book when I was a teenager??
I have always had a soft spot for YA and this book was so wholesome💖🥰

This book was funny, quirky and easy to read. I wish this book was around when I was in high school or even college. There were some situations that got into that are very relatable for many young women and I think this book puts that all into perspective in a different way.

I loved Evie and Salem so much. I desperately need a follow up book 💌

Come As You Are and the people who are meant to be in your will be.