A review by minimicropup
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

dark emotional funny mysterious relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was so fascinating. Mundane yet intriguing, strange yet familiar. Gotta be in the mood for it though. And have time– if I took long breaks, I would have been so lost coming back. It’s what I’d call a flexible read if you can get invested in the story. Could go with the flow just watching what happens or dissect all the nuanced commentary. 
 
Energy: Desultory. Jaunty. Perceptive. 
 
🐩 Tail Wags
Realistic well-developed characters and dialogue [take character notes, there are many]. Fine-tuned, very detailed character appearances and settings [could feel like too much detail if you aren’t a mind’s eye reader or prefer to customize your imaginings]. The randomness. Just taking it all in and watching things unfold. How the character arcs and plot points start to interconnect. Writing style that is almost jolting at times. 
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Fayetteville, Arkansas, mostly at the University of Arkansas.
Perspectives (3): A professor with relationship struggles starts a new writing project but gets sidetracked during their research. A residential assistant majoring in Hospitality Management is eager to start their adult life after taking a break to help their mother out. A transfer student is nervous about their new school but hoping to make friends and put their past behind them. 
Timeline: 2017 mostly. Takes place over the academic term, so it’s multi-season with summer breaks, autumn chill, and winter festivities. 
🔥 Fuel: Character investment. Parallel plots. Evolving relationships between characters. What’s the deal with ____? Almost everyone is a little mysterious in that way getting to know someone can be. 
📖 Cred: Hyper realistic with a based-on-a-true-story feel. 
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Febreze. Candy perfume. Lanyard jingles. Dryer sheets. Wet laundry. Frozen pizza. Music from laptop speakers. Shea cream. Deodorant. Whole Foods. Christmas albums. Dirty dishes.
  • Thrown in the story, figure it out as you go
  • Slice-of-life University life randomness
  • Dorm life, roommate drama and dysfunction, friendship and relationship struggles
  • ‘No plot, just vibes’ vibe
  • Nothing happens…unless you look closer
  • Detailed descriptions and world-building 
  • Many morally grey and unlikeable characters (ymmv)
  • Parallel character studies that gradually overlap
  • Exploration and social commentary around race, class, academia, and finances/consumerism
  • Questionable journalism, getting the tea
  • Psychological mystery/suspense driven by character investment
  • You Never Know What Someone Is Going Through complexities
  • Fly on the wall, observation driven narratives
 
Content Heads-Up: Prejudice, bias (ignorance, comments; sexuality, race). Cannabis use (medicinal, recreational). Adderall (recreational). Glaucoma. Relationship breakdown (finances, resentment). Loneliness. Suicidal thoughts. Social anxiety. Dog death (very brief but on page). Sexual content (brief; intoxicated/regretful but coherent, meaningless, consenting, experimenting). Substance abuse (anti-anxiety, recreational). Tietze Syndrome. 
 
Rep: Black, Biracial, Indigenous, and White Americans. Mexican, Irish-Danish, ancestry. Diverse bodies (above avg height, pear shaped, gapped teeth). Lesbian. Questioning. Hetero. Cisgender. Pale pink, rosy brown, tan, and very dark brown skin tones. Crohn’s Disease.
 
📚 Format: Library Digital
 
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😍 Potential Fav of 2024
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