The Review

I want to start this review off with saying I LOVE DAHLIA ADLER! Two years ago, I read her novel Going Bicoastal and was absolutely obsessed that someone wrote a genuine YA novel about bisexuality. I was secretly hoping this novel would also start a bisexual heroine, but I’ll take the throwaway line about when they realize their bisexual in college and make it canon.

Come As You Are follows Everett “Evie” Riley”, a new transfer to Camden Academy boarding school in attempt to escape the emotional wreckage left behind by her cheating ex-boyfriend, her sister, and her former best friend. Unfortunately, her fresh start immediately derails when the school accidently assigns her to live in the all-boys dorm. In one day, she becomes the most talked about person as “Rumson Girl.” Wanting to create her own narrative, Evie befriends her emo, pot-head dorm mate Salem Grayson and strikes a deal – she will teach him to be “good” if he’ll help her to be “bad.”

Obviously, we know how the romance will play out – the title is literally a Nirvana song, and there is only one character listening to grunge. Evie and Salem’s banter is sharp, their pact is fun, and the slow build of trust between them is sweet and well-paced. However, that didn’t stop me from secretly hoping for a different outcome. However, that didn’t stop me from secretly hoping for a different outcome. I was absolutely sneakily rooting for Evie to end up with Matt the entire time. I really thought we were heading toward a “The rumors are terrible and cruel; But honey, most of them are true” moment, and I was so ready for it.

While the plot leans heavily into YA rom-com clichés, I didn’t find that detracted much from my enjoyment. Yes, some conflicts could have been better resolved, and I was absolutely confused about the pacing at times because it felt like days were flying by…but it was barely two months. However, the story was just fluffy and fun. Like a Hallmark movie you watch that you know the acting isn’t great, but oh how enjoyable Christmas “You’ve Got Mail” was (here’s to you A Sprinkle of Christmas). There even were touches of metaness where Adler called out her own cliches in the novel giving it more of a campy feel.

Overall, I wouldn’t say Come as You Are is the best book I read, and it knows it; but it is charming in all the best ways.

The Summary

I want to start this review off by saying I LOVE DAHLIA ADLER. Her stories are ones that I wish I could have read when I was 14 and trying to figure out life. Ever since Going Bicoastal, I’ve been obsessed with how genuinely and thoughtfully she approaches YA romance, especially when it comes to exploring identity and sexuality. While I was secretly hoping Come As You Are would give us another bisexual heroine (I’m still maintaining the throwaway line about when Evie “realizes it in college” as canon), Adler’s voice, humor, and self-awareness are still very much present. The book knows exactly what it is, leans into its own clichés, and even has moments of meta commentary where Adler winks at the reader and calls them out, giving the story a campy, self-aware charm.

Yes, the pacing can be a little confusing at times, but none of that stopped it from being incredibly fun. This is the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie you know isn’t going to win any awards, but you’re still going to watch to the end because it makes you happy, like Santa Mrs. Doubtfire, or “You’ve Got Mail” (Pâtisserie Version). However, while the romance goes exactly where you expect it to (there is only one character talking about Soundgarden and the book title is quite literally a Nirvana song), I was still sneakily rooting for Evie to actually ending up with Matt. For no reason other than I wanted a “the rumors are terrible and cruel, but honey, most of them are true” reveal.