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attolis's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
the_lesbrarian's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Just as You Are is a Pride and Prejudice-inspired romance about a late 20s fluff-piece writer
working at a failing queer magazine as she finds herself falling for the rich, cold woman who is helping keep the magazine alive.
The novel delves lightly into gender expression and butch identity and is one of few lesbian romcoms where both leads are somewhere on the masc-identifying spectrum. An old-fashioned feel-good, comforting love story.
working at a failing queer magazine as she finds herself falling for the rich, cold woman who is helping keep the magazine alive.
The novel delves lightly into gender expression and butch identity and is one of few lesbian romcoms where both leads are somewhere on the masc-identifying spectrum. An old-fashioned feel-good, comforting love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Drug use
katelynnelawson's review
funny
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
4.5
Just as You Are hits a fine line, paying dutiful homage to Austen's Pride and Prejudice while still remaining very much its own story - Kellogg's playfully crafted take on modern queer life in NYC.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Lesbophobia
frantically'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
fromthefoxhole's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
It's a sapphic retelling of Pride and Prejudice, of course I cried or squealed the entire time.
I love the modernizations and tweaks to the plot that keep it refreshing. Focusing on a queer found family, gender bending half the cast, and never shying away from heavy handed pop culture references all point to 2023, but there's still so much respect being paid to the source material.
I love Liz. In any p+p adaptation Lizzie is my twin flame, but Liz especially came swinging for me with conflicted feelings on gender presentation, taking the leap to become an author, and general rage against capitalism. I completely used up two bunches of sticky tabs with things said, referenced, or done that I felt were relatable. Tack on the deep sense of injustice with how little representation of the broader spectrum of queer folks exists out there? Its like Kellogg ripped my brain out of my skull and smeared it on the page (ew, why is that my metaphor? I'm so sorry).
I've always wanted to be a very openly and loudly queer person because I never had that growing up (I'm being so real, I think the closest I had was clay Aiken being gay. shout out clay Aiken, I guess?). I definitely didn't have a non binary pansexual role model (or probably whatever other labels might define me down the road). I feel very strongly that I don't want future generations of queers to feel the same loss I do from the past decades of marginalization and hiding and violence. Seeing that reflected in Liz's deep appreciation for Moira, her delight in finding queer spaces and seeing other people confident and happy, knowing that Kellogg feels those things too, it really helps me feel connected across the miles.
okay, hopping off my soapbox to say - this book is so gay!! I don't even know if there's a straight amongst the entire cast. there are non binary people, trans people, gay and lesbian and bi people, the whole gamut. half of the lesbians have dated each other, as is tradition, there's a non binary person with a bow tie obsession. It would feel like caricatures of I didn't know those people in my own life, y'know? there are so many references and inside Jokes, winks and nudges to the queer reader that feel like Kellogg herself is writing to us directly.
reading just as you are felt like receiving a gentle kiss on the forehead. I want to frame the entire thing, or use it as wallpaper or something.
I love the modernizations and tweaks to the plot that keep it refreshing. Focusing on a queer found family, gender bending half the cast, and never shying away from heavy handed pop culture references all point to 2023, but there's still so much respect being paid to the source material.
I love Liz. In any p+p adaptation Lizzie is my twin flame, but Liz especially came swinging for me with conflicted feelings on gender presentation, taking the leap to become an author, and general rage against capitalism. I completely used up two bunches of sticky tabs with things said, referenced, or done that I felt were relatable. Tack on the deep sense of injustice with how little representation of the broader spectrum of queer folks exists out there? Its like Kellogg ripped my brain out of my skull and smeared it on the page (ew, why is that my metaphor? I'm so sorry).
I've always wanted to be a very openly and loudly queer person because I never had that growing up (I'm being so real, I think the closest I had was clay Aiken being gay. shout out clay Aiken, I guess?). I definitely didn't have a non binary pansexual role model (or probably whatever other labels might define me down the road). I feel very strongly that I don't want future generations of queers to feel the same loss I do from the past decades of marginalization and hiding and violence. Seeing that reflected in Liz's deep appreciation for Moira, her delight in finding queer spaces and seeing other people confident and happy, knowing that Kellogg feels those things too, it really helps me feel connected across the miles.
okay, hopping off my soapbox to say - this book is so gay!! I don't even know if there's a straight amongst the entire cast. there are non binary people, trans people, gay and lesbian and bi people, the whole gamut. half of the lesbians have dated each other, as is tradition, there's a non binary person with a bow tie obsession. It would feel like caricatures of I didn't know those people in my own life, y'know? there are so many references and inside Jokes, winks and nudges to the queer reader that feel like Kellogg herself is writing to us directly.
reading just as you are felt like receiving a gentle kiss on the forehead. I want to frame the entire thing, or use it as wallpaper or something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Cursing
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Drug use
Minor: Lesbophobia and Outing
rickireadss's review
2.0
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an earc!!
wow, where do i even begin? since this is an ARC, i am gonna try (key word is try) and be short and sweet and not do a long af review. but this is a VERY negative review. proceed with caution. cw listed at the end!
wow, where do i even begin? since this is an ARC, i am gonna try (key word is try) and be short and sweet and not do a long af review. but this is a VERY negative review. proceed with caution. cw listed at the end!
first, i couldn't stand either mc. being in liz's head the entire book was unbearable, but i also don't think i would have liked to be in dalia's head either. liz's inner monologue was just not my favorite. she made quite a few mistakes in this book - which like i get it, she's human and "relatable" but sometimes i just wanted to shake her.
second, wtf was the reason for weston to even be in this????? I COULD NOT STAND HER AT ALL and she was in the book for waaaaaaay too damn long.
third and in that same respect, lydia belongs to the long list of characters i hate. they were a trash human being, did things with out any give-a-shit for those around them, and treated katie like absolute shit. like literally the only characters i genuinely liked were katie and jane, although jane did some stuff in the end that i didn't agree with but whatever.
fourth, the plot was boring af. i kept reading just to see if it got better and NOPE it did not.
all-in-all, i hated reading this. i was VERY excited because i love queer romances, especially ff romances and it was workplace romance?!?! but this did not deliver, and i do not recommend.
⚠️: homophobia, infidelity, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, drug use, emotional abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use and Emotional abuse
ladieswholunch's review
medium-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use
decklededgess's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
4.0
trigger warnings: gender dysphoria, emotional abuse, drug use, alcohol, sexual content, toxic friendship, anxiety, infidelity
This is an all femme cast retelling of Pride and Prejudice in found family/coworker dynamics instead of family. That is why it took me 30% of the book to realise that it was a retelling despite the names Jane, Liz, Lydia, Katie, Charlotte, and so on STARING ME IN THE FUCKING FACE. Frankly embarrassing for me.
Needless to say I am absolutely over the moon and obsessed with how good this book is. It's got all the angst, all the tension filled enemies to lovers interactions, the tight knit family/friends dynamics, and more. The drawn out tension between Liz and Daria was EXQUISITE. The way their interactions were charged with heat from the dead start...oh man oh boy.
I love how this story hit all the significant plot points of not only Jane Austen's original text but also the 2005 movie adaptation as well. It felt cinematic in an incredibly poetic way. I also really loved the small changes that allowed for this story to exist with an all queer femme cast too. The little changes did nothing to detract from the heart of the story and the emotional aspects of character relationships. It felt well crafted as an original story within the framework of it being a classic retelling.
I just really loved this book.
This is an all femme cast retelling of Pride and Prejudice in found family/coworker dynamics instead of family. That is why it took me 30% of the book to realise that it was a retelling despite the names Jane, Liz, Lydia, Katie, Charlotte, and so on STARING ME IN THE FUCKING FACE. Frankly embarrassing for me.
Needless to say I am absolutely over the moon and obsessed with how good this book is. It's got all the angst, all the tension filled enemies to lovers interactions, the tight knit family/friends dynamics, and more. The drawn out tension between Liz and Daria was EXQUISITE. The way their interactions were charged with heat from the dead start...oh man oh boy.
I love how this story hit all the significant plot points of not only Jane Austen's original text but also the 2005 movie adaptation as well. It felt cinematic in an incredibly poetic way. I also really loved the small changes that allowed for this story to exist with an all queer femme cast too. The little changes did nothing to detract from the heart of the story and the emotional aspects of character relationships. It felt well crafted as an original story within the framework of it being a classic retelling.
I just really loved this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
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