The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Come as You Are, Dahlia Adler

Come as You Are

Dahlia Adler

In this opposites attract romance for fans of Begin Again and Better Than the Movies, a fresh start doesn't have to mean changing yourself.

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.

Dahlia Adler's Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Wednesday Books
  • Publish Date: May 27th, 2025
  • Pages: 320
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.25in - 5.38in - 1.00in - 1.00lb
  • EAN: 9781250871695
  • Recommended age: 13-18
  • Categories: Romance - ContemporaryRomance - Romantic Comedy

About the Author

Adler, Dahlia: - DAHLIA ADLER is an editor by day, a freelance writer by night, and a Young Adult author at every spare moment in between. She is the founder of LGBTQReads, editor of several anthologies, and author of many novels, including the Kids' Indie Next picks Cool for the Summer, Home Field Advantage, and Going Bicoastal. She lives in New York with her family and an obscene number of books.

Praise for this book

Praise for Come As You Are:

"Dahlia Adler's uplifting Come As You Are is full of snappy banter, personality-plus characters, and the chaos and complications that come with being sixteen. Plus, a giggle-inducing grumpy-sunshine romance. This fresh take on the boarding school story is a delightful way to spend the afternoon!" - K.L. Walther, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules

Praise for Going Bicoastal:

A July/August 2023 Kids Indie Next Pick!
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!
A Sydney Taylor Book Award Silver Medalist!
A Rainbow Book List Pick!
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick!

"Adler manages to make a tricky, high-concept premise look easy, grounding the stories in character and culture." - Booklist (starred review)

"A sweet and joyful romance times two." - Kirkus

"A fun and affirming story of a bisexual Jewish teen embraced and celebrated for both identities by her family and peers make this book a necessary purchase." - School Library Journal

"Adler's enticing prose teems with a vibrancy born of intimately realized bicoastal settings and titillating romantic possibility." - Publishers Weekly

"Dahlia Adler is a name you need to know in queer YA...[Going Bicoastal] just as good as the stunning cover would suggest! This is the most bisexually structured book I've ever read." - Book Riot, "Our Queerest Shelves"

"This is [Dahlia Adler's] best book so far and one of my favorite books of the year." - Paste Magazine

"This is what it looks like when a brilliant high concept (bisexual Sliding Doors) is executed to perfection. It's got all the Dahlia Adler trademarks―romance, wry humor, specificity, and genuine emotional depth." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting and Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

Praise for Home Field Advantage:

"Adler's magnificent new romance is a glorious touchdown of a book." - Buzzfeed

"This YA contemporary romance has not only a sweet sapphic love story but juicy narratives about football and cheerleading." - Autostraddle

"Bubbly cheerleader Amber McCloud falls for star quarterback Jaclyn "Jack" Walsh in Adler's winning queer take on the classic meet-cute." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A swoonworthy romance about breaking the glass ceiling and being true to yourself, Adler's Home Field Advantage is a fun, queer twist on the quarterback/cheerleader trope that will suck you in from the very first page." - The Nerd Daily

"A combination of sizzling chemistry and heartfelt vulnerability makes the star-crossed romance between Amber and Jack irresistible. Home Field Advantage insists that women belong on the field--as cheerleaders whose athleticism should receive the recognition it deserves and as players granted the same opportunities as their male peers. Teen readers will applaud Amber and Jack's fight to be their authentic selves." - Shelf Awareness

"A bubbly LGBTQ romance that puts a fresh new twist on the age-old relationship trope of the high school football quarterback and the team cheer captain." - Paste Magazine

Praise for Cool for the Summer:

"Witty, wise, and disarmingly tender. I am hopelessly devoted to this summer dream of a book." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"[S]trung through with humor, warmth, and sensuality, this romance will speak to any reader who has ever struggled to know their own heart." - Booklist (starred review)

"Un-bi-lievably good." - Buzzfeed

"Dahlia Adler's latest has me longing for the summer. This story of a bi girl discovering who she is and who holds her heart sounds like the perfect summer 2021 read." - Bookish

"There are so many more reasons to pick up this YA romance... Cool for the Summer is the perfect addition to your LGBTQ+ YA reading list." - Shondaland

"This book is a gamechanger for queer Jewish teens." - Alma

"A delightful, lighthearted romantic comedy." - The Seattle Times

"With its summery vibes and rollercoaster of queer confusion, Cool for the Summer is the sexy, sweet and steamy beach read of the year!" - The Nerd Daily