This was a sweet, but also steamy romance with likeable characters and a surprising amount of depth. (3 ⭐️)

3.5 ⭐️

This book is super sweet. Ashley and Madigan are both looking for well deserved fresh starts. They are actual adults(which drew me to this book in the first place) and are working through lots of things, including communication. I have recently started a few romances to immediately put back down because of too young/ immature characters. I really love all the baggage and experience these two bring. The spicy scenes also felt real and were quite fun.
I love the side characters, Ashley’s mom and daughter and the men from Madigan’s sober living home are all flawed and beautiful. I felt the storyline not focused on the romance was a bit silly and just served to provide drama but overall I enjoyed this story.

Also, are there still people who make mix-tapes and where can I find one??

ARC provided by NetGalley (thanks!) review happily given and written by me.

Ashley and her mom Maude Alice run a ski hill called Bluebird Basin in Montana. It was her dad’s pride and joy, but he suddenly passed away 3 years ago. Now being in her late forties, divorced and her daughter Davis in college, Ashley’s desperate to make Bluebird a success. Her ex husband Chuck keeps calling wanting to buy the hill from her for the big company he works for that owns all the hills around Bluebird Basin.

When Ashley’s mom invites Matthew Madigan and the men from Little Timber, to help this ski season, she’s mad. They’re close to losing the hill and she doesn’t want to sell it to Chuck and can’t take risks. Madigan and the guys are recovering addicts and he helps them get back on their feet after being released from jail and stay clean. He really wants the guys to work at Bluebird. Not that that’s the only reason….

This was a great story with characters closer to my age and a second chance at love after mistakes and losses.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a sweet, little romance. Ashley is a single mom running her fathers failing ski resort. Her ex-husband is pounding down her door to take the resort off her hands and she doesn't know how much longer she can hold off. Enter Madigan a heavily tatted ex-rockstar/ex-addict/ex-convict who runs a sober living home. His men will work for cheap and Ashley needs to save some money, but she struggles with trusting these men. Slowly she warms to them, but none so much as Madigan who makes her feel things she hasn't experienced in years. With everything working to tear the two apart, will they be strong enough to stick together, or will everything they've built crumble beneath them?

Come as You Are was a cute romance, while also touching on some heavier topics (such as addiction, grief, and loss). It was a quick read too and the story seems open to be continued with some of the other characters in the book as well. I guess we will have to wait and see if that's the case!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not gonna lie the cover got me! I couldn't pass this one up.

This romance was all about struggles. Managing a failing business, dealing with an ex-husband, past addiction, sobriety. An ex rocker leading man and a mother (such a great troupe that you don't really see done).

I had a great time reading this one! That being said I'm taking off one point just because I feel like it needed a little more editing. Sometimes the conversations between characters seemed awkward to me, like there was some kind of disconnect.

This is the first time I have heard of this author, I chose this book as the blurb sounded promising.

This steamy romance book focuses on the tried and true trope of opposites attract, and features Gen X characters, mix tapes, rockstars, and snowy locations.

While it held my attention, it wasn't new or memorable to me, and isn't something I would read again or keep on my shelf.

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

5/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶️

Gahhh that was so stinking sweet! The characters were real, the story was relatable, the bad guy was awful and the ending was perfect. The dedication had me immediately hooked as well; "to all my friends and to 1991".

I adore Madigan and Ashley. I realize that the Gen X label was in the title itself, but it didn't really dawn on me that this was a book about older characters until I started reading. Ashley is in her late 40s with a college aged daughter and Madigan is in his early 50s. The last time I picked up a "mature romance" I was really disappointed by the fact that the characters acted like teenagers... This was not the case with Come As You Are. Jess did such an amazing job of writing these two like they could be in your friend circle and making sure that the drama that comes with a climax, was not due to their immaturities, but due to circumstances that made sense for the story. Both characters were incredibly strong despite their pasts giving them some pretty awful insecurities. It took a little bit of time, but eventually they were both able to lift each other up and let each other in.

I have no clue if Jess is intending to keep writing within this world, but I'd love more. I fell so in love with all of these men, I'd love to see mini epilogue novellas for each of them. I'd especially love something full length for Sam and Izzy, Kev and Davis and Clay and Maude Alice. Sam and Kev in particular I really fell for. Sam's story was so heartbreaking (I'm not usually a crier and had to hold back my tears at one point) and Kev and Davis I just wanted more from, they were so cute together.

I was so happy to see this bunch get their happily ever after and watch Chuck bite the dust. I ended up binge reading the last 25-35%, I couldn't put it down despite it being 3am... I just loved everything about this story.

This is such a sweet love story! I like that it is Gen X, but readable for any generation (18+ of course). Madigan and Ashley have been through a lot in their lives but I like how well they work together. Although it sometimes takes a little bit of time, their communication is too notch and I love how openly they can discuss their feelings. I also like how Madigan tends to be the person to open up first and break down some of those barriers of “typical” manly behavior. The supporting characters and really good and I love Madigan’s men. The story including recovering addicts adds to the depth and I love how well it portrays the journey to recovery. There are some more spicy scenes (3/5 🌶) but the romance is well-written. Some parts feel a tiny bit disjointed, but overall, a quick and comforting read that I didn’t want to put down! 4.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I won’t lie, I started to request this book because of the cover, but after actually reading the synopsis, I was intrigued and wanted to see how this story played out. While there were some aspects that didn’t vibe with me, ultimately, this was a lovely romance with a surprising amount of depth.

Ashley Cooke is struggling to keep her family’s ski lodge, Bluebird, up and running, and dodging a buy-out from a competitor, who just so happens to be her ex-husband. Ashley’s ex, Chuck, really did a number on her, as well as her own mother! With the death of her father, her divorce, and her constant tension with her mom, Ashley has been through the ringer and is struggling to find her confidence and self-worth. She has so much fear related to doing the wrong thing and failing her father by losing Bluebird. After a push from her mother, more like a shove really, Ashley hires Matthew Madigan’s Little Timber Sober Living Home on as staff for the winter season. She is instantly attracted to Madigan, but her fears hold her back from acting on anything for a while.

Madigan was an interesting character. A former rocker who turned his life around after spending time in prison for drugs, Madigan dedicated his life to helping others. I absolutely loved the dynamics between him and the guys from Little Timber. Sam, Kevin, and Clay all stood out to me, and I was immediately intrigued and wanted more from them upon first being introduced. Back to Madigan, he was immediately attracted to Ashley, and while he flirted with her and was fairly upfront about what he wanted, he respected her decision to hold off on things. He also had a few fears of his own he needed to address in regards to relationships.

As for things I didn’t enjoy, I felt like some of the dialogue was a bit stilted. At times, conversations between characters just didn’t seem to flow very well. I did find some of the plot to be predictable and occasionally found myself skimming over some of the internal dialogue. Overall, I'd give this 3.5 stars.

A review will be posted on my Instagram account @bottle.blonde.bookworm

The story
Ashley is 46, divorced with a daughter at college. She is running the ski slope property in Montana that belonged to her late father. She’s struggling to keep afloat, up against her ex-husband Chuck who would love to buy the business from under her and manage it as he thinks it should be done. When he extrovert mother raises the idea of having the men from the local sober living home come work for the season, Ashley doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but the financials make sense. And there is that ex-rockstar, ex-con, ex-junkie running the home Matthew Madigan that makes it all worthwhile.

My thoughts
I read the author’s The 7 Rules for Moving On in January 2022, and this story has a similar small town vibe. Come As You Are is an ode to older couple romance, Madigan is 53 and Ashley is 46, both are worldly wise, having lived through the ups and downs of life, both have been alone for a long time. They need time to trust each and they certainly don’t always get it right. But, they get full marks for their amazing communication skills - hallelujah! When they have a fight or say bad things, they follow this up with an honest discussion and share they things they appreciate about the other person. There is enough description of the spicier moments to not miss any detail, and it’s all dealt with lots of discussion and consent. This is just an all round beautiful story with lots of feelings, emotion but never a dull moment in life on the ski slopes! ⛷

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘈𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘳𝘦 follows Ashley who is struggling to keep the Bluebird afloat until her mother intervenes and hires Little Timber Sober Living Home - a facility for addicts and ex-cons to help keep them in control headed by Madigan, the burly, tattooed, former member of the Makers (90s hit rock band).

- ~ -

It was interesting to read a book set in the snow mountains especially on the cusp of winter season when it's not really cold out but my toes are still chilly.

But aside from the seasonal aspect, I really did enjoy reading the background to each member of Little Timber, especially Sam's.

And the romance setting was well developed though I wish there were more heartwarming and fluttering moments instead of descriptive scenes.

- ~ -

3.51 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

4.25 stars

Did I request this because I, a Gen Xer, wanted to read about grown ass adults? Yes I did 😊 And I was rewarded with 90s music references and honest to goodness mixed tapes (something I myself have made). As proof of these two being grown adults, when the practically required third act break up was about to happen because of a misunderstanding, they actually…wait for it…talked it out like adults. Shocking, I know.
I do want to give a warning for anyone who has a poor relationship with a parent. Ashley‘s mother is awful, and it can be hard to read some of the things she says, and the way she gaslights her daughter (when she says “you’re just too sensitive“ I had such a visceral reaction, as this is something my own mother says).
I do wish that the author had gotten a sensitivity reader for panic attacks, because it is not accurately depicted. Madigan has a panic attack on a ski lift, which Ashley stops within 30 seconds, and as someone with panic disorder that just doesn’t happen. Otherwise I did have a really good time reading this book and would definitely recommend it, even if you’re not an old lady like me 😉

Thank you to NetGalley & Pinkity Publishing for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I may be living in Florida, but Come As You Are had me feeling like I was right on the mountain alongside Ashley and Madigan!

While a bit of a slow burn, the unique storyline and refreshing take on the romance genre with main characters in their 40's and 50's made this story a complete page turner.

Watching as Madigan helped to transform the lives of the men from his sober living home while Ashley fought to repair her relationship with her mother had me rooting for not only the two of them, but from their families (blood and found) alike.

I was absolutely delighted with Come As You Are and while it was my first book from Jess K Hardy, it certainly will not be my last!

3.75 rounded up:
This is a really cute story with a surprising amount of depth. Madigan and Ashley are wonderful characters and I loved the group of men that Madigan is in charge of. It's nice to read a contemporary romance with older, more mature characters, who can deal with their emotions in a healthy way. Loved the sprinkling of 90s delight in the story (mixtapes! flannel! grunge!)

Thank you to Jess K Hardy, Victory Editing, Pinkity Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Come As You Are comes out November 1, 2022!!

Come As You Are is a sweet, open door romance that had so much heart and humor. Ashley is divorcee who is trying to keep her family ski lodge open, even though her ex-husband makes frequent offers to buy the lodge. Madigan is a ex-rockstar from the 80's who got into very bad habits including drugs, twenty-two years later he is running Little Timbers, a program to help ex-convicts and ex-addicts recover. Madigan proposes to Ashley a partnership between Little Timbers and the ski lodge, where his men would work for Ashley in different roles. Through this partnership Madigan and Ashley are thrown together and they soon find out that maybe the key to breaking down the walls around their hearts is each other.

Come As You Are was such a fun and heartwarming book to read. The writing was fast-paced, their was never a moment where I wanted to put it down. Ashley was a very strong character that is truly doing the best she can when it comes to managing the ski lodge. Madigan was sweet and supportive and you can sense the absolute love and loyalty he has for the men in his care. Both have their own flaws and things they needed to work through by the end. The side characters are fun, sweet and by the end you can tell they were a little found family. If you are looking for a cozy holiday and winter read Come As You Are is the book for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥🔥

- Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Ashley is a divorcée who is struggling to keep her family run ski resort afloat with her mother and daughter. Madigan is an ex addict/ex rock star who runs a program to help men in recovery called Little timbers. Madigan and Ashley's mother, Maude Alice, convince Ashley to let Madigan and the guys at Little Timbers help out at the resort for the season.

"It's okay. It's okay to be wild with me. I'll keep you safe too."

This is (sort of a grumpy/sunshine) where she is the grumpy one, however they are both kind of grumpy at times. I really liked that dynamic, where it was a back and forth as to who was being closed off and who was putting in the effort at different times.

This story was so much fun, and I really enjoyed the aspect of the ski lodge. I loved that Ashely went in depth in her lessons to the guys in how to ski. I have never skied before and I thought that was really helpful to me. I feel like I could put on a pair of skis and get myself down a bunny hill at this point. 🤷‍♀️🤣

I will say I had a love/hate relationship with Maude Alice. I know that she had been through a lot, but the way she talked to Ashley just grinded my gears. ⚙️ By the end, I will say it was more of a love than a hate relationship with her.

"She is so beautiful I never want to look at another woman as long as I live."

I really loved the dynamic and banter between Alice and Madigan, however there were some things that did not seem to fit for me. They both are so hesitant at the beginning to admit they have feelings or want to act on them. But randomly Madigan decides he is just going to throw it all out there out of nowhere. While Ashley is teaching him to ski, he goes into this random monolog about how strong she is and starts complementing her. It was just way out of left field from the conversation they were having and I did not think it fit.

Other then some out of place (I thought) dialog, I loved their relationship together. Like I already said, their banter, and the spice was great. *chef's kiss* The details were immaculate. There was a rocking chair scene and I knew where every part of both their bodies were at all times. 🔥

Overall, this was a fun story that I really enjoyed reading. There are so many other things I could tell you about this book, but I think you should just read it to find out!

Here is to catching last chair with Ashley.

This was the first book I have read by Jess K. Hardy, but having finished Come as You Are, I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her books! This was excellently written. It was so refreshing to read.

This book touched on marriage and divorce, recovering addicts, fear of failure. Plus, Ashley and Maddigan's story was so sweet and heart-warming. This book was set on a failing ski resort, with the owner desperate to save her beloved and family business. When the local recovering addict comes with a business proposition to help the both of them, Ashley can't refuse. This was what got me hooked, it was the pure emotion, the grief and guilt, the emotions that poured through were phenomenal.

I'll also be posting a review of this on my Instagram account at @blondesbooknook

Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my opinion.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for early access.

This book has a perfect cover. A sweet romance. That’s open door.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Loved reading about older characters for a change! The chemistry between Ashley and Madigan was incredibly written - it jumped off the page. I loved that Madigan showed his emotions freely. For such a heavy theme of addiction, the book was light-hearted and funny and romantic and feel-good. Loved the many side characters too. Especially Murphy :) This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed it. A quick read, highly recommend.

This was so good. I was hesitant because I hate the gen x romance tag line, but I love my hags. It was so great seeing them both open themselves up to love again. I also love the found family in this.

I received an arc through netgalley.