Genre Fiction
![Camille Kellogg - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0BDXXCVQ9.jpg)
Just as You Are: A Novel
Equal parts witty and steamy, this debut rom-com brings a healthy dose of queerness and a whole lot of spirit to a Pride and Prejudice-inspired enemies-to-lovers romance.
"Brims with heart, spice, and humor."-Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care
"The L Word, but better."-TJ Alexander, author of Chef's Kiss
"A juicy sapphic romp; sweet, sexy, and tender in all the right ways."-Gabrielle Korn, author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect
The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her.
Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that's on the verge of shutting down-until it's bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she's lucky to still have a paycheck but it's hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent "frivolous use." When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it's only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.
But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria-she's funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz's gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can't trust her, it's hard to keep hating Daria-and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.
This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, and falling in love against your better judgment.
"Brims with heart, spice, and humor."-Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care
"The L Word, but better."-TJ Alexander, author of Chef's Kiss
"A juicy sapphic romp; sweet, sexy, and tender in all the right ways."-Gabrielle Korn, author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect
The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her.
Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that's on the verge of shutting down-until it's bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she's lucky to still have a paycheck but it's hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent "frivolous use." When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it's only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.
But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria-she's funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz's gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can't trust her, it's hard to keep hating Daria-and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.
This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, and falling in love against your better judgment.
Editorial Reviews
"There have been plenty of Pride and Prejudice retellings, but nothing quite like this one. . . . Kellogg gives everything a contemporary sapphic twist. . . . This thoughtful and playful reimagining celebrates the unexpected."-Gay Times
"I've never read a book that so honestly and relatably explores being a queer woman in your 20s, from queer community and friendships to exploring gender presentation and so much more. . . . The part that most spoke to my soul, though, was the protagonist grappling with the value of writing and reading queer ‘fluff' novels and celebrating seeing yourself in joyful books."-Susie Dumond, author of Queerly Beloved, for BookRiot
"When you tell me it features a ‘butch 4 gender-confused mess' you know I'm going to drop everything to read it."-Yashwina Canter for Autostraddle
"Warm, witty, and wonderful! Readers will be utterly smitten by this clever, queer romance that, at its heart, is about embracing yourself-just as you are."-Alexandria Bellefleur, nationally bestselling author of Written in the Stars
"Camille Kellogg's beautifully queer interpretation of a beloved classic is both familiar and fresh, brimming with heart, spice, and humor."-Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care
"This book is like The L Word, but better. The world Camille Kellogg has created is both lighthearted and heartfelt, filled with queer characters of every stripe. I felt like I was being told the juiciest gossip by my closest friends. Just as You Are was just what I needed."-TJ Alexander, author of Chef's Kiss
"Just as You Are is the queer Pride and Prejudice retelling I've been waiting for! This is a story about assumptions, forgiveness, and finding your own path, and a rom-com that blends my needs for sexual tension and sentimentality. Pick this book up-you will be happy you did!"-Alison Cochrun, autho...
"I've never read a book that so honestly and relatably explores being a queer woman in your 20s, from queer community and friendships to exploring gender presentation and so much more. . . . The part that most spoke to my soul, though, was the protagonist grappling with the value of writing and reading queer ‘fluff' novels and celebrating seeing yourself in joyful books."-Susie Dumond, author of Queerly Beloved, for BookRiot
"When you tell me it features a ‘butch 4 gender-confused mess' you know I'm going to drop everything to read it."-Yashwina Canter for Autostraddle
"Warm, witty, and wonderful! Readers will be utterly smitten by this clever, queer romance that, at its heart, is about embracing yourself-just as you are."-Alexandria Bellefleur, nationally bestselling author of Written in the Stars
"Camille Kellogg's beautifully queer interpretation of a beloved classic is both familiar and fresh, brimming with heart, spice, and humor."-Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care
"This book is like The L Word, but better. The world Camille Kellogg has created is both lighthearted and heartfelt, filled with queer characters of every stripe. I felt like I was being told the juiciest gossip by my closest friends. Just as You Are was just what I needed."-TJ Alexander, author of Chef's Kiss
"Just as You Are is the queer Pride and Prejudice retelling I've been waiting for! This is a story about assumptions, forgiveness, and finding your own path, and a rom-com that blends my needs for sexual tension and sentimentality. Pick this book up-you will be happy you did!"-Alison Cochrun, autho...
Readers Top Reviews
Short Excerpt Teaser
1
Everyone knows that when you throw a dinner party for a bunch of lesbians, at least half of them will be vegan. Which, unfortunately, was why Liz was going to be brutally murdered by her roommate.
Liz paused outside her apartment door, still panting from her sprint through Crown Heights to their third-floor walk-up. The weekend train from Manhattan had been agonizingly slow, and then she'd had to push through a million people on Franklin Avenue to get home: a crowd of parents waiting outside the karate studio, a line of couples outside the trendy pop-up restaurant, a large family barbecuing on the sidewalk, and dozens of people walking tiny, slow-moving dogs.
Liz said a quick mental prayer that Jane would be in a forgiving mood. Tonight's party was going to be tense enough without them fighting, too. Then she flung open the front door as dramatically as possible.
"I'm the worst," she said between breaths, bending over and grabbing her knees. "I know it. You don't have to say it. You can have my firstborn child as repayment."
Jane, a dark-skinned Black woman with her hair in long, thin braids, let out a loud humph noise from the kitchen, where she was shaking a pan of what seemed to be sizzling onions.
"You were supposed to be here two hours ago." Jane released the pan without looking up and yanked open the oven with a clang.
"No," Liz said, unlacing her Doc Martens and leaving them in the pile of shoes by the door. "I was supposed to be here an hour ago. Not two. You look great, by the way. And wow, it smells amazing in here! Is that risotto?"
"I said four." Jane pulled out a tray of mini-quiches and laid them on the stove. She still hadn't looked at Liz. "It's six."
"But we all know that you said four knowing I'd be an hour late and get home at five. So, really, I'm only an hour late." Liz eased herself onto one of the stools on the other side of the breakfast bar, which was covered in a truly impressive number of onion skins.
"Which would have been helpful if it had worked." Jane's voice was clipped. "Now there's not enough time to steam the beets."
"Luckily I've solved that particular problem for you," Liz said, trying to sound optimistic, "by not bringing beets." She started cleaning up the onion skins so she would look helpful.
Jane finally turned around. "Are you serious?"
Liz did her best puppy dog eyes. "The store was closed by the time I got there."
Jane clanged a lid down on a pot with more force than usual. "I'm going to tell everyone it's your fault that we don't have any vegan food."
"No!" Liz abandoned the onion skins to clasp her hands together and beg. "Please. Charlotte will make me watch those videos on animal cruelty again, and I really can't take that tonight. I'm fragile, okay?"
Jane glared down at the onions, now caramelized, as she transferred them to a platter. Liz studied her, worried that her roommate might actually be mad.
"Look, Jane, I'm really sorry," Liz said, in a serious tone this time. "You're right. I should have been back here, I should have gotten beets, it's just-"
Jane started cackling. She uncovered one of the pots in front of her and tipped it toward Liz so she could see the perfectly steamed beets inside.
"Katie!" Jane yelled. "I owe you ten bucks."
There was a triumphant scream from behind them. One of the doors in the living room opened and their roommate Katie popped her head out of her bedroom.
"I knew it," Katie shouted, running into the kitchen wearing nothing but a lime-green towel. "Liz is the queen of five-hour dates. I knew there was no way she'd be back in time to get beets."
"I am not the-"
"Wait, wait," Jane interrupted. "Was it a Tinder date, a Her date, or a Lex date?"
Liz froze mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
"No reason," Jane said innocently. Katie giggled.
Liz crossed her arms and peered suspiciously between her roommates. "Her," she finally admitted.
"Yes!" Jane pumped her fist. Katie booed.
"Okay, okay," Katie said. "That's five bucks off your tab. But you still owe me fifteen from that night at Scissors, when you thought Liz would go home with that drag king and I bet that she'd chicken out."
"Will you stop betting on my life?" Liz went back to gathering the onion skins. "Also, I did not chicken out."
"You really did," Jane said, patting her shoulder. "He was so hot, and you totally blew it."
"How did the date go, by the way?" Katie sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, putting severe strain on her towel's ability to cover her body. Katie was on the curvy side, which made her the...
Everyone knows that when you throw a dinner party for a bunch of lesbians, at least half of them will be vegan. Which, unfortunately, was why Liz was going to be brutally murdered by her roommate.
Liz paused outside her apartment door, still panting from her sprint through Crown Heights to their third-floor walk-up. The weekend train from Manhattan had been agonizingly slow, and then she'd had to push through a million people on Franklin Avenue to get home: a crowd of parents waiting outside the karate studio, a line of couples outside the trendy pop-up restaurant, a large family barbecuing on the sidewalk, and dozens of people walking tiny, slow-moving dogs.
Liz said a quick mental prayer that Jane would be in a forgiving mood. Tonight's party was going to be tense enough without them fighting, too. Then she flung open the front door as dramatically as possible.
"I'm the worst," she said between breaths, bending over and grabbing her knees. "I know it. You don't have to say it. You can have my firstborn child as repayment."
Jane, a dark-skinned Black woman with her hair in long, thin braids, let out a loud humph noise from the kitchen, where she was shaking a pan of what seemed to be sizzling onions.
"You were supposed to be here two hours ago." Jane released the pan without looking up and yanked open the oven with a clang.
"No," Liz said, unlacing her Doc Martens and leaving them in the pile of shoes by the door. "I was supposed to be here an hour ago. Not two. You look great, by the way. And wow, it smells amazing in here! Is that risotto?"
"I said four." Jane pulled out a tray of mini-quiches and laid them on the stove. She still hadn't looked at Liz. "It's six."
"But we all know that you said four knowing I'd be an hour late and get home at five. So, really, I'm only an hour late." Liz eased herself onto one of the stools on the other side of the breakfast bar, which was covered in a truly impressive number of onion skins.
"Which would have been helpful if it had worked." Jane's voice was clipped. "Now there's not enough time to steam the beets."
"Luckily I've solved that particular problem for you," Liz said, trying to sound optimistic, "by not bringing beets." She started cleaning up the onion skins so she would look helpful.
Jane finally turned around. "Are you serious?"
Liz did her best puppy dog eyes. "The store was closed by the time I got there."
Jane clanged a lid down on a pot with more force than usual. "I'm going to tell everyone it's your fault that we don't have any vegan food."
"No!" Liz abandoned the onion skins to clasp her hands together and beg. "Please. Charlotte will make me watch those videos on animal cruelty again, and I really can't take that tonight. I'm fragile, okay?"
Jane glared down at the onions, now caramelized, as she transferred them to a platter. Liz studied her, worried that her roommate might actually be mad.
"Look, Jane, I'm really sorry," Liz said, in a serious tone this time. "You're right. I should have been back here, I should have gotten beets, it's just-"
Jane started cackling. She uncovered one of the pots in front of her and tipped it toward Liz so she could see the perfectly steamed beets inside.
"Katie!" Jane yelled. "I owe you ten bucks."
There was a triumphant scream from behind them. One of the doors in the living room opened and their roommate Katie popped her head out of her bedroom.
"I knew it," Katie shouted, running into the kitchen wearing nothing but a lime-green towel. "Liz is the queen of five-hour dates. I knew there was no way she'd be back in time to get beets."
"I am not the-"
"Wait, wait," Jane interrupted. "Was it a Tinder date, a Her date, or a Lex date?"
Liz froze mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
"No reason," Jane said innocently. Katie giggled.
Liz crossed her arms and peered suspiciously between her roommates. "Her," she finally admitted.
"Yes!" Jane pumped her fist. Katie booed.
"Okay, okay," Katie said. "That's five bucks off your tab. But you still owe me fifteen from that night at Scissors, when you thought Liz would go home with that drag king and I bet that she'd chicken out."
"Will you stop betting on my life?" Liz went back to gathering the onion skins. "Also, I did not chicken out."
"You really did," Jane said, patting her shoulder. "He was so hot, and you totally blew it."
"How did the date go, by the way?" Katie sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, putting severe strain on her towel's ability to cover her body. Katie was on the curvy side, which made her the...
