Book Review: ‘Come and Get It’ takes readers back to school, blending gossip with weightier themes

It’s always fun to read books that take you back to your formative years. Kiley Reid’s sophomore novel, “Come & Get It,” is set in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the state university, where senior Millie Cousins works as a resident assistant.

Millie is a young woman with a plan. Born in nearby, she took a gap year after high school to work in Fayetteville and qualify for in-state tuition. She then missed another year while caring for her ailing mother. She’s majoring in hospitality with a minor in Spanish and at the ripe old age of 24, she’s already saving to buy a house. When we first meet her coordinating move-in day, Reid gives us this description: “She had rosy brown skin, a pear-shaped-form and an expanse of dark wavy hair... From the neck down, she looked like an adult poking fun at campus life, someone dressing like an RA for Halloween.”