Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler

1. Attempting to flee her problems, Everett ends up at boarding school. Why do you think a boarding school is a good place for this? How does this environment shape the events of the story—and Everett's character development? Would this story have been the same if it wasn't set there, and, more specifically, if it wasn't set at the boys' dorms?
2. Everett's reputation as a "Rumson Girl" has negative connotations. Why do you think that is? How do you see gender dynamics playing out in the story? How does the conversation change when it's a boy, such as Matt instead of Everett?
3. At her new school, Everett struggles to find common ground with many of the students and is desperate to find friends to relate to. Why do you think she struggles with making connections? Do you find her inability to connect understandable?
4. Everett has only begun to process her sister's betrayal and how it has affected her support system. Do you believe Everett's anger is justified? What would you do if faced with a similar situation?
5. Everett's efforts to break out as a bad apple land her closer to Salem and allow her to make new friends. How does Everett choose to express herself, and change, around others? How does it impact the story? Have you ever been in a situation where you've changed your personality or how you behave? What caused you to do this?
6. As Salem and Everett spend more time together, Everett is having trouble defining what her feelings for Salem are and what he might be feeling about her. What do you see as their turning point from friends to something more?
7. Everett discovers that Isabel used her to get into the boys' dorm and that Jenna has been hooking up with Salem. How do you think these discoveries will change the way Everett deals with confrontation in the future? Do you believe this was, at least partly, the catalyst for her to move forward from her previous heartbreak? Why or why not?
8. Everett finally tells her parents about her fight with Sierra. Even though Everett was hurt and angry, her mother provided comfort. Discuss the role her parents have had throughout the story up until this point. Do you think they could have done more to support her?
9. When the book opens, Everett has ended her friendship with her best friend, Claire. But by the end, they have reconnected. How was this separation important to each friend and their own growth? Would the same growth have been possible if Everett had never left? Why or why not?
10. Though Sierra and Everett's chat on the phone does not go as planned, Everett now has support from Sabrina and Salem. Discuss the themes of friendship and relationships depicted in the story. How have the characters changed to show support for one another?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Wednesday Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.