My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice Rating: 🌶️
Title: Conform (Reform, #1)
Author: Ariel Sullivan
Pages: 416
Format: ebook (Libby)
Publication Date: 10/14/25
Categories: Dystopian Romance, Love Triangle, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Series
In the far future, one young woman finds herself torn between two loves—and two sides of a rebellion boiling under the surface—in the first novel of a sweeping dystopian romance trilogy.
Centuries after a catastrophic world war nearly decimated the human population, a city arose from the ashes, ruled by an elusive and technologically advanced group called the Illum.
At twenty-seven, Emeline lives in limbo, wasting away her days in a job sorting ancient human art for destruction and waiting to be selected as a Mate for a procreation contract. Where others look forward to being chosen, Emeline has never felt like she fit into a society where a person’s worth is determined by constantly monitored genes, health, and the ability to procreate. She’s struggled to keep her discomfort secret, but when she is finally chosen, her Mate is revealed to be a member of the Illum named Collin, a man who seems to be harboring secrets of his own.
It is the first time an Illum has taken a Mate in decades, leaving Emeline—and others—baffled as to why she was chosen. Soon, she is swept into the dangerous game of Courting, filled with ballgowns, lavish dinners, and watchful eyes, where one wrong move can mean elimination. While parts of this elite lifestyle are unexpectedly appealing, the more embroiled she becomes, the more she sees its dark underbelly—and a rebellion rising in secret. Collin is confusing, both cold and protective, and worse, she finds herself drawn to the very last person she should be falling for: Hal, one of the resistance leaders.
As she draws closer to both Collin and Hal, the Illum exercise their power in increasingly brutal ways, forcing Emeline to question everything—most of all whether she’ll have to give up her heart and even her life to stop them.
Content Warning: violence
I have been wanting to read this book for awhile, but I read Beneath first which I absolutely loved, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with Conform since Beneath takes place 100 years before this book.
So 100 years after Beneath and the Illum is in control of the Elite and everyone else. The Illum runs everything and one of the things they are focused on is procreation. It’s got some Handmaid Tales vibes especially when it comes to procreation and the roles of women. Emeline is selected to be the Mate but not for an Elite, instead she’s chosen for an Illum which hasn’t happened in a very long time. But the salvation she thought she would attain by becoming a Mate is not what happens, instead she is trapped between power players with her life always at risk.
I had lukewarm feelings about Emeline, she’s been sheltered and taught all the rules she needs to follow to be a good Mate. So I understand why she is naive about a lot of things, but one of her strengths is her stubbornness. Unfortunately her stubbornness and naivety is a bad combination because her actions has messed things up for her and people she have started to care about. I did like her backstory, being Elite and given away by her family because she’s a Defect. Defects are chosen as mates to Elites to prevent inbreeding. I was rooting for Emeline to gain some leverage and power in this world among the Illum and Elites but she’s not quite there yet and makes the mistake of thinking she could stay a step ahead of the Illum. I honestly don’t know how she thought she could with all her lack of knowledge. So even though I didn’t totally love her character, I’m hoping she grows a lot more in book two.
My favorite character had to be Gregory, who is Emeline’s disgraced brother and is tortured by not being able to be with the one person he loves. Justice for Gregory! Collin, Emeline’s Mate is a mystery – I’ve been developing some theories about him but we’ll see if I’m right. As for Hal, he’s a rebel who falls for Emeline but again, I feel like there is more to him and this first book hasn’t given us a lot of depth to these characters yet.
And yes there is a love triangle, even though Emeline and Collin’s relationship is always so tense, she doesn’t deny that she is attracted to him. As for Hal, she knew him for one week…so…again, Emeline is sheltered and a guy started paying attention to her and she fell fast. I really just wanted to shake her sometimes. It’s one of those love triangles that made me tense because I didn’t want her getting caught but she’s so naive and aren’t used to the games being played.
Speaking of getting caught – my favorite thing about this book is the growing tension and it builds as the story goes on until the very end. I was so tense by the end of this book, there are twists and betrayal! The Illum is a powerful group, especially Collin but I feel like we need to know more about them. I would love more world-building and hope we get it in book two. This world and their rules for procreation and the things the women go through in this book and what their roles are reduced to is diabolical.
Quotes From the Book:
“When everyone above the surface believes everyone below is uncivilized and defective and you all believe everyone above is immoral and self-serving, who wins? How can anyone win when you all hate one another?” – Conform by. Ariel Sullivan
“There was no good or bad guy. There were no saviors, just varying shades of morally corrupt people with different lines in the sand.” – Conform by. Ariel Sullivan
Final Thoughts:
This is a solid start to this series, it definitely sets the stage for this fragile balance between the Illum and Elites, plus the rebellion that is threatening to burn all of it down. This world of the powerful and the powerless is filled with so much tension, the race to the end of the book was gripping and I couldn’t put it down. I don’t know how I feel about the love triangle because I think there is more to learn about Collin. Also, I would love to see more growth for Emeline and more world building. Emeline meant well, but she was too naive for her own good, I need more from her. I’m excited to see what happens in book two and am kind of excited that the author is writing two series at one time with Beneath and Conform.
Read if you like:
- love triangle
- dystopian romance
- political intrigue; rebellion
- betrayal
Book Links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:
Beneath by. Ariel Sullivan | Book Review – 4.5 stars/2 🌶️
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