jkneebone's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Just As You Are is a sweet sapphic take on a Pride & Prejudice retelling. If you like romance and P&P, you will probably enjoy this book. Our heroine, Liz Baker, is the advice/quiz/fluff writer at a struggling queer magazine called the Nether Fields. (We won't talk about how long it took me to get that reference.) Her three roommates - talented journalist Jane, social media whiz Katie, and kind of a jerk Lydia - also work at the magazine. As the story opens, the Nether Fields staff is preparing for the closure of the magazine, when - surprise! - the publication is purchased by two well-off queer women.
Her friends are thrilled, but Liz is bummed, since she was planning to use the severance pay from NF to support her while she followed her dream of writing a novel. She's even more frustrated when she meets the new owners of the magazine. Bailey Cox is friendly and enthusiastic, if inexperienced in the world of publishing or running a business, but minority partner Daria Fitzgerald is a grump, overly concerned with the (admittedly bad) financial state of the magazine.
As you can imagine, Liz and Daria get off on the wrong foot, while Jane and Bailey hit it off extremely well. Liz gets dirt on Daria from hottie Weston, but it turns out that Weston is not who she seems. Liz and Daria take a trip to Boston to visit Daria's Aunt Catherine, where they also see Daria's ex, Caroline. The standard P&P plot is followed pretty closely, albeit with the necessary adaptations for a story about queer women and nonbinary people in modern NYC.
Just As You Are is a short book, and an easy read - I finished it in just a few sittings, and I liked how easy it was to digest. Although Liz is given some depth with discussion of her gender identity and writing dreams, most of the characters are fairly flat, simply by virtue of there being so many of them and so much going on in a shorter-than-average romance novel. Still, my heart went all twisty when Daria confessed her feelings (and Liz was appropriately horrified), and I liked the choice the author made with Lydia, as a way to modernize the Lydia/Wickham situation. It wasn't perfect, but it was an enjoyable romance read, especially if you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice. Not doing anything revolutionary, but definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Her friends are thrilled, but Liz is bummed, since she was planning to use the severance pay from NF to support her while she followed her dream of writing a novel. She's even more frustrated when she meets the new owners of the magazine. Bailey Cox is friendly and enthusiastic, if inexperienced in the world of publishing or running a business, but minority partner Daria Fitzgerald is a grump, overly concerned with the (admittedly bad) financial state of the magazine.
As you can imagine, Liz and Daria get off on the wrong foot, while Jane and Bailey hit it off extremely well. Liz gets dirt on Daria from hottie Weston, but it turns out that Weston is not who she seems. Liz and Daria take a trip to Boston to visit Daria's Aunt Catherine, where they also see Daria's ex, Caroline. The standard P&P plot is followed pretty closely, albeit with the necessary adaptations for a story about queer women and nonbinary people in modern NYC.
Just As You Are is a short book, and an easy read - I finished it in just a few sittings, and I liked how easy it was to digest. Although Liz is given some depth with discussion of her gender identity and writing dreams, most of the characters are fairly flat, simply by virtue of there being so many of them and so much going on in a shorter-than-average romance novel. Still, my heart went all twisty when Daria confessed her feelings (and Liz was appropriately horrified), and I liked the choice the author made with Lydia, as a way to modernize the Lydia/Wickham situation. It wasn't perfect, but it was an enjoyable romance read, especially if you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice. Not doing anything revolutionary, but definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
emmafrazier01's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
arizona_foster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I loved every bit of this book!
It was easy to relate to Liz and how she felt stuck, both in her current position at a magazine she worked for and struggling to find herself. Getting stuck in a comfortable work environment is easy, even if it’s not what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s challenging to step outside your comfort zone and try something new, even down to what clothes make you feel comfortable or how you want to appear to certain people.
I loved that rooms throughout the office were named after notable people in the LGBTQIA+ community; the Laverne conference room was named after Laverne Cox, and the Kiyoko Kitchen after Hayley Kiyoko. It added a little something extra that put a smile on my face.
But most of all, I loved the friendships and relationships in this story. Friends looking out for friends. Authentic friendship fights and breakups. And, of course, one of my favorite tropes is the enemies-to-lovers relationship. Liz shows some real growth toward the end, partly because she has some really great people to help her along the way.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Just as You Are was easy to get into and immediately hooked me. The ending was perfect and tied everything together unexpectedly but wonderfully.
Thank you, Dial Press, Camille Kellogg, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship
slayergirl3281's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
THE QUEER EXPERIENCE!
Kellogg builds a comprehensive story around a queer magazine on the brink of closure. While discussing topics of gender expression, how dating works in the big city, an enemies to lovers plot line that you can't help routing for and friendships that ebb and flow through it all.
I think so many queer folks will see themselves in this novel. There is wonderful representation across the board.
Kellogg builds a comprehensive story around a queer magazine on the brink of closure. While discussing topics of gender expression, how dating works in the big city, an enemies to lovers plot line that you can't help routing for and friendships that ebb and flow through it all.
I think so many queer folks will see themselves in this novel. There is wonderful representation across the board.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
ladythana's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic friendship and Bullying
queenkath32's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
hannahmichele5's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I LOVED this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished a few days ago but coming back to write my review! Just as You Are is blurbed as a queer, contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. It is laugh-out-loud funny, full of diverse characters, and will have you all in your feels. The friendship between the roommates was probably my favorite part (besides Daria's suits obvi). It was so fun to see their dynamic and made me so nostalgic for my early 20's (even though the character's arent in their early 20's lol).
Anyways, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND to any and everyone but especially those who are looking for a sapphic/lesbian romance. Thank you SO much to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy!
Finished a few days ago but coming back to write my review! Just as You Are is blurbed as a queer, contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. It is laugh-out-loud funny, full of diverse characters, and will have you all in your feels. The friendship between the roommates was probably my favorite part (besides Daria's suits obvi). It was so fun to see their dynamic and made me so nostalgic for my early 20's (even though the character's arent in their early 20's lol).
Anyways, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND to any and everyone but especially those who are looking for a sapphic/lesbian romance. Thank you SO much to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
hanna's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A good retelling a good story does not make.
Can you believe sapphic representation has gone so far lately?? We're getting our own toxic relationship stories 🥲
Okay, first the positives: I loved how unapologetically queer everything was — we stick together and that was shown here beautifully. There's also good starting thoughts about lesbian/sapphic gender expression and how sometimes we put ourselves back into heteronormative relationship norms by being obsessive about whether someone's a butch or a femme.
I really struggled with this, I'm sad to say. Liz wasn't developed enough at all as a main character and while Daria was developed, it wasn't in a positive sense. There's so much telling and not showing especially when it comes to their relationship. Suddenly they're confessing feelings for each other and there was just no build up to it. Daria gets her little redemption arc but she just seems to be two completely different people from the start of the book to the end.
The drama annoyed me a lot too — there's consequences for a mistake that Liz made but it's not even her fault! Suddenly she's out here apologizing to everyone for being a terrible friend but she's not even the one who made a mistake in the first place, it infuriated me so much.
So — nice butch representation, love myself a queer found family but the plot just wasn't it.
Can you believe sapphic representation has gone so far lately?? We're getting our own toxic relationship stories 🥲
Okay, first the positives: I loved how unapologetically queer everything was — we stick together and that was shown here beautifully. There's also good starting thoughts about lesbian/sapphic gender expression and how sometimes we put ourselves back into heteronormative relationship norms by being obsessive about whether someone's a butch or a femme.
I really struggled with this, I'm sad to say. Liz wasn't developed enough at all as a main character and while Daria was developed, it wasn't in a positive sense. There's so much telling and not showing especially when it comes to their relationship. Suddenly they're confessing feelings for each other and there was just no build up to it. Daria gets her little redemption arc but she just seems to be two completely different people from the start of the book to the end.
The drama annoyed me a lot too — there's consequences for a mistake that Liz made but it's not even her fault! Suddenly she's out here apologizing to everyone for being a terrible friend but she's not even the one who made a mistake in the first place, it infuriated me so much.
So — nice butch representation, love myself a queer found family but the plot just wasn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use and Drug abuse
analenegrace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
love love loved this! the characters felt real and weren’t perfect. Daria and Liz, as well as all of the side characters, were wonderfully written and lots of fun.
it was a P&P retelling for P&P lovers and for those who don’t/haven’t read. While it was very obviously a retelling (character names etc) it was one that took the told many times plot and elevated it, taking the characters to new heights!
I loved the authors writing style and descriptive writing. I also loved that while still letting the characters stay hopeful and end up happy.
it was a P&P retelling for P&P lovers and for those who don’t/haven’t read. While it was very obviously a retelling (character names etc) it was one that took the told many times plot and elevated it, taking the characters to new heights!
I loved the authors writing style and descriptive writing. I also loved that
Spoiler
the magazine didn’t stay open, it was realistic to the current stage of society
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Classism
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to The Dial Press for the free advance copy of this book.
- Raise your hand if you're looking for a sweet, funny, and smart lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling! Oh, everyone is looking for that, and here it is in JUST AS YOU ARE!
- This book is a loving homage to P&P, to queer culture, to trying to find yourself when you're somewhere between labels. I adored Liz and Daria, modern incarnations of Elizabeth and Darcy down to every last detail.
- One of the things I loved most about this book was how steeped in queer culture it is. So often books feature one or two queer characters surrounded by straight people, but this book is queer down to the bones. Every character is queer, they move entirely through queer spaces, and references to our pop culture touchstones abound. Heaven.
- Raise your hand if you're looking for a sweet, funny, and smart lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling! Oh, everyone is looking for that, and here it is in JUST AS YOU ARE!
- This book is a loving homage to P&P, to queer culture, to trying to find yourself when you're somewhere between labels. I adored Liz and Daria, modern incarnations of Elizabeth and Darcy down to every last detail.
- One of the things I loved most about this book was how steeped in queer culture it is. So often books feature one or two queer characters surrounded by straight people, but this book is queer down to the bones. Every character is queer, they move entirely through queer spaces, and references to our pop culture touchstones abound. Heaven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Alcohol