But How Are You, Really

A Novel

By: Ella Dawson

Narrated by: Jaime Lamchick

A five-year college reunion. A chance to go back in time. A chance to get it right.

Charlotte Thorne does not want to go back to Hein University. Her life postcollege isn’t what she expected—her career in media is stalled, and she’s done a terrible job keeping in touch with her queer chosen family. Not to mention she hasn’t spoken to Reece Krueger, the hockey player she rebounded with after a traumatic breakup, since she ghosted him on graduation day…

But when her demanding boss is invited to give the commencement address at this year’s graduation—which falls on the same weekend as her five-year reunion—Charlotte has no choice but to return to campus.

The minute she steps foot on Hein property, the past comes crawling back in its glory and millennial cringe: disco parties at the LGBTQIA+ program house, sleeping in a twin XL bed, and stockpiling snacks from the dining hall. And then there’s a glowed-up Reece and his irresistible offer to pick up where they left off.

Suddenly the weekend Charlotte has dreaded for months feels like an opportunity to go back in time. Determined to have fun with Reece, Charlotte dodges her best friend’s questions about her mental health, ignores her boss’s constant Slack messages, and tries to avoid thinking about the toxic relationship that almost ruined everything about college. But can she really outrun her past and get her life together in seventy-two hours?©2024 Ella Dawson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Praise for But How Are You, Really

“Where to read it: On your alma mater’s freshly mowed lawn. . . . A quintessentially millennial take on the return-to-campus novel, told with equal parts sensitivity and self-deprecation.”
–Elle, “The Best New Books to Read This Summer”

“It felt so good to return to college with the protagonist, Charlotte, for her five-year reunion and watch her confront all the ghosts I wouldn’t dare to approach. I needed a Reece Kruger at twenty, and I need one even more now. Willing to pay shipping costs if required.”
–Betches

“To find out that [Dawson has] written a novel that encapsulates an especially fraught era—a 27-year-old media worker’s five-year college reunion weekend—is the book equivalent of an autoclick.”
–Paste, "Most Anticipated Books of 2024"

"With wit and heart, Ella Dawson transports readers back to their chaotic college years, leaving them aching with laughter and grief for their past selves."
–Wesleyan

"Dawson brings Charlotte's pain and passion to vivid life. It's a worthy addition to the shelf of campus novels."
–Publishers Weekly

Yay Ella!!!!

I have followed you for years! I made my whole bookclub buy copies, I bought a physical and on audio!