The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Reid, Kiley. Come and Get It. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2024.

Kiley Reid's novel Come and Get It is set in 2017 Fayetteville, Arkansas. The novel is written from the third-person point of view and in the past tense. The narrative toggles between the past and present throughout as it traces the three main characters' experiences during a single semester at the University of Arkansas. For the sake of clarity, the following summary relies upon the present tense and a linear mode of explanation.

In 2017, Agatha Paul moves away from Chicago, Illinois to take a teaching and research job at the University of Arkansas. She is working on a new book about weddings, and sets up an interview with the Belgrade Dormitory residents to help with her writing process. While talking to Tyler, Casey, and Jenna at Belgrade, Agatha wonders if writing about weddings is what she really wants. The way the girls discuss their parents' jobs and their cash allowances feels like a more interesting topic.

Meanwhile, Millie Cousins, one of Belgrade's RAs, tries to settle back into university life. After taking a gap year to be at home with her ailing mother in Joplin, Missouri, Millie is trying to finish her degree and save money for a house. Her Residence Life director, Aimee Pearson, gets her a house-sitting gig which could lead to a mortgage. Millie loves the little yellow Fayetteville house, and she hopes the owner will agree to sell it to her at the end of the year.

Kennedy Washburn moves into Belgrade when the semester starts. After a series of conflicts in her personal life in Iowa, Kennedy transferred to UA. She hopes the new school will give her a chance to start over. However, when Millie reassigns her to the single room in her Belgrade suite, Kennedy feels more alone than ever.

Millie develops friendships with her fellow RAs, Colette and Ryland. While out at a bar one night all together, Millie runs into Agatha, and they have a conversation. She invites Agatha to return to Belgrade if she needs more content for her developing project.

Agatha starts spending Thursday evenings in Millie's room. She sits on the floor and eavesdrops on the Belgrade residents, recording and taking notes on their private conversations. Not long later, her agent sets her up with the Teen Vogue editor. Agatha decides to use the Belgrade residents' conversations to write dubious profiles for the magazine. She knows what she is doing is wrong; but, she tells herself that she is not hurting anyone. Meanwhile, she gets to know Millie and later writes a profile on her, too.

Millie develops a crush on Agatha. They start to see one another. Agatha thinks the affair is just a sexual fling, particularly because she has just broken up with Robin, her girlfriend of three years. However, Millie grows more and more attached to Agatha over time. As with the yellow house, Millie keeps her relationship a secret from her friends.

Meanwhile, Kennedy's sadness and loneliness grow. She tries to make herself feel better by applying to Agatha's Advanced Creative Nonfiction course. However, when Agatha rejects her applic ation, Kennedy's despair redoubles. Feeling anxious and overwhelmed, Kennedy gets into an altercation with Peyton, her suite mate, shortly thereafter. The argument ends in chaos. Kennedy accidentally cuts herself on her pizza wheel, and Peyton has a panic attack. Millie does not immediately come to their aid because she and Agatha are fooling around in her room.

Both Peyton and Kennedy end up hospitalized. The incident makes Millie feel guilty and jeopardizes her job. Shortly thereafter, Agatha decides to leave Fayetteville for good. She gives Millie the money to cover the down payment on the yellow house. She hopes the money will amend her mistakes. Millie accepts. She knows it will take her a long time to recover from everything that has happened but hopes the house will redeem her.

Kennedy's mother collects her from the hospital and drives her home. Convinced that Kennedy attempted suicide, her mother begs her not to harm herself again. Kennedy does not correct her mother's misinterpretation of what happened.