Title: Come As You Are
Author: Dahlia Adler
Published: May 27, 2025
Format: e-ARC
My Rating: 4 stars/5
Synopsis: Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning – one far away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, the sister who stole him, and the best friend who let it happen. But her fresh start is stopped in its tracks when she’s accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm, with no choice but to stay.
When rumors and gossip about Evie’s housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation… but she’s definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm mate Salem Grayson isn’t exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact – he’ll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good.
It’s a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and – annoyingly enough – even physically, Evie’s quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she’s becoming certainly doesn’t feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she’ll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.
My thoughts from the Vault
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.
I am a sucker for private school novels. I think it has to do in part with the fact that I never went to a private school, or stayed in a college dorm, and also because I used to love reading novels as a young child where girls got to go to private schools with their horses. So when I saw that Adler has a new novel coming out that takes place in a private school with a dorm room mix-up, I jumped on the chance to read it.
I thought this novel was cute and funny at the same time. I absolutely adored the friendship between Evie and Salem. I loved their easy banter and the way they sassed each other in every interaction. I also loved the way Matt took on an older brother kind of role for Evie.
I will say that I didn’t overly enjoy the ending of this novel, but that’s just a personal preference thing. I don’t want to get into detail about what I didn’t enjoy as I don’t want to leave any spoilers but it was just one tiny little aspect I didn’t enjoy, so don’t let that stop you from reading this novel.
I thought this was a quick easy read and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun story of someone trying to find themselves while grieving their old life.
Alice's Book Vault 