This was so nerdy and adorable 💜
I LOVE a good rivals to lovers and Conventionally Yours is *chef's kiss* for this genre.

We follow the story of Conrad (the sporty likable dude that is full of charisma but has a lot more going on under the surface) and Alden (on the outside the grumpy one with the perfect life, but actually a guy that suffers from anxiety and has so many layers).

They both fell in love with a tabletop card game called Odyssey (probably inspired by Magic the Gathering) and they are heavily featured on a streaming channel called Gamer Grandpa. When both Conrad and Alden are in a crossroads in their life, they get the opportunity to go to MOC West, one of the largest Odyssey Cons, and compete in the Pro Tournaments.

To get to LA from NYC they embark on a road trip, driving through the midwest and visiting small gamer shops, while finally breaking their rivalry and finding a lot more about each other.

That set up is golden the road trip element + all the Odyssey world-building gives you a delightful story, that is so sweet and funny. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew these characters, and I wanted to be friends and sit down for a game with them.

And yes, this is such a cute and swoony romance. I did have a minor issue with pacing, some parts were very repetitive and contrived. But it didn't affect the overall story, which I definitely recommend.

This was really cute and geeky. I've never been into card games but this game sounded fun and entertaining. I appreciated a lot the dual POV, I liked knowing what was going inside both guys' minds, how they were changing their approach and how their feelings were starting to change.

Maybe it was all a bit cheesier than I thought but it brought a big smile my face and it filled my heart with feelings! Both guys had walls all around them, but they found common ground in the game, and they find out they could open up a bit, that maybe it wasn't a bad thing to be seen as vulnerable and accept someone's help and care.

Conrad and Alden were both very likable, flaws and all, and they were very sweet. There wasn't much drama, maybe a bit, but I love how the story was more than the unnecessary drama. It was about accepting yourself, accepting who you are, and find your path by yourself but also that it's okay to have someone helping you and cheering you up!

I will recommend this to everyone looking for a sweet new adult contemporary about two enemies dorks! Sweet sweet dorks!

Alden is a nerdy gamester riddled with anxiety. At times his inability to cope can be crippling, His two moms tend to overthink his condition and ultimately make things worse with their reactions and ultimatums regarding his career choices. They are frustrated they can't "fix" their son. It took me to about half of the book too see that he is not broken but was pretty much perfect in my eyes. The stress and expectations placed on him were enormous even if they are well meaning.
Conrad seems to be a well adjusted and popular guy that lacks self discipline. Once again appearances can be deceiving. He has reasons he is working numerous jobs, had to leave school and is one step away from being homeless.
Alden and Conrad initially are like oil and water, assuming the worst of each other. Getting tickets to a live gaming tournament is a dream come true. The two are stuck with each other as they travel cross country to the popular Odyssey convention. This gaming tournament could mean a once in a lifetime opportunity to change the direction of their dismal lives. The winner gets a huge cash award and the chance to travel around the country. Each man has their own personal reasons for wanting to win besides the monetary rewards.
Starting out as competitors the two finally start to talk and understand the various hardships each has endured. Soon the lines are blurred and they become closer. As the story evolves the reader gets to see deeper inside both of these endearing men. My heart ached for Conrad as he suffered a huge betrayal.
This book was different from previous works from Ms. Albert. Her past stories were definitely steamier. Physical connections are not graphically written but are more in the background. It worked beautifully in this low angst friends to lovers story. This book does spend a lot of time talking about the gaming community which I personally enjoyed. I recommend this sweet and at times heart tugging tale and Game On!

Another dub. Well... not entirely.

“Conventionally Yours” featured my favorite trope, enemies to lovers and it’s primary focus is on Conrad and Alden, polar opposites. The dynamic duo take a road trip to compete at a convention and in the midst of their adventure, emotions flare.

It was sorta kinda cute I give it that and there wasn’t much to complain about with the characters but… everything else was kind of meh. There lacked sparks between the main characters, the gaming aspect left me yawning, the cross county road trip was boring and just about everything in between left me in a daze. The story just dragged on and wasn’t up to my speed.

Sadly, this didn’t leave a lasting impression on me and was a complete miss.

Conventionally Yours is a delightful road trip romance. Conrad thinks Alden has a stick up his nethers. Alden thinks Conrad is floating through life without a care. When a chance of a lifetime has them driving cross country together the close quarters force them to reconsider previous notions. This is a read that will fill your heart with happy.

I had the privilege of reading this book on NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this sweet and charming story, I could really tell the author did a lot of research into the game dynamics, the characterizations of our neurodiverse MC and even the geography and timelines. Honestly, going into this story I was SURE that some of these things would be awkward to read. One of my biggest pet peeves, when I read stories like this, is timelines for travel and distance. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised they were handled well and everything felt realistic.

One of the things I especially loved was how different the characters were, and how well their thoughts and fears were written. I started off not liking Alden, with his super strict and rigid personality, but after reading a few of his chapters I was completely enamored and began to really root for him.

I am especially impressed with how well the game of Odyssey translated in this book. I have played quite a bit of card games like this and I could tell the author had as well. The strategies and even the convention have strong roots in the real world, one of the biggest Magic the Gathering conventions does happen in Vegas (I live there lol).

I can't really think of any negatives, other than there was a lot of traveling and a lot of feeling like the characters were rushing, which they were haha. I really loved this book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, easy afternoon read.

Alden is socially inept, perhaps on the autism spectrum, perhaps not. He likes rules and regulations and things being just so (as do I). Conrad is his opposite, charming, casual and someone who makes friends easily. The two of them play Odyssey in a weekly game which is narrated and blogged by one of their professors. Conrad thinks that Alden is uber-critical and sneers at him, Alden thinks Conrad finds him boring and a stick-in-the-mud.

When their professor is given free tickets and competition entries to the Odyssey convention in Las Vegas they all make plans to drive cross-country to the convention, but first the professor and then one of their team fall out, leaving Alden and Conrad to spend six days driving across America together. Squabbling over directions and food stops turns into friendship and romance, but when the two of them come head-to-head in the tournament that they both desperately need to win, will romance survive?

I really liked the sound of this geeky, enemies to lovers, road trip romance and was thrilled to be gifted an ARC by the publisher. While the plot was pleasant enough I just felt that Annabeth Albert was trying too hard to be politically correct, with the gender-indeterminate friend who felt like a plot device. I have no idea if Odyssey is a real game (google would suggest not) but I really didn't get a feel for the game at all. Similarly, Conrad and Alden's romance was of the fade-to-black variety and I got the overwhelming impression that it was because the author didn't know how to write about gay sex. Heck there was mild swearing, a few F-bombs were dropped but no-one mentioned a c*ck at all. I felt, and it was only an impression, that Annabeth Albert had seen that YA/NA gay romances were a thing and so set out to write one without much knowledge of the subject. As a consequence it felt a bit like a road trip with two fourteen year olds and we hit every teenage cliché known to man.

I liked this, and I felt there was a great book trying to get out but I wouldn't recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review — thank you for this opportunity!

I feel like this is going to be one of my more critical reviews, but I'm going to focus on the positive things first. I didn't have much of an issue with the style of writing, or the technical skill. I think that dual perspective was the right way to do this book, but I found the perspectives to be startlingly similar, and I still couldn't tell you who was who based on the perspective alone. Their voices were really similar, and they did not have the own-voices feel that I really like when reading this sort of book. I requested this book because I wanted to give the fandom thing a go — I figured it would have a few tropes in it that I'd really enjoy reading (sharing a bed, to name an absolute classic), but the execution left a lot to be desired. I don't think this type of story is the right fit for me, which is totally okay. There were some good topics that I liked that were discussed — different levels of privilege, homophobia, and boundaries for consent.

I think my main issue was that I found it very unbelievable that someone in that degree of poverty would just blow all of their money on a convention. As someone who grew up economically under-privileged, this part of the book didn't sit right with me. It felt almost cheap, which is not what I wanted. I was also uncomfortable about the vibes that I got realising that this book wasn't written by an LGBT+ man, which would have made it have a lot more depth, in my opinion. I don't have any issues with the author, it was just evident that this wasn't own voices, which I think detracted from my personal experience reading the book.

I believe that you would like this book if you like: fandom culture, LGBT+ stories and romances, and road trip style stories. I just don't believe that this is the right book for me, but I could see how other people might enjoy it!

Alden and Conrad are quasi-famous players of a Magic the Gathering-like game called Odyssey thanks to being regular players on the popular Gamer Grandpa vlog. When Professor Tuttle (Gamer Grandpa) and the rest of his team are invited to the biggest Odyssey convention out in Las Vegas, both guys jump at the chance. Conrad wants to go because he needs the cash and spot in the pro tour as he’s basically homeless. Alden wants to go because he has been rejected from medical school (second year counting) and needs the direction and self-esteem boost of winning and the spot on the pro tour would provide. What starts off as an innocent road trip quickly turns into more as the former rivals learn that the other has unexpected depth. As they drive through all the states, experience road trip mishaps, and fall in love, the two learn that they don’t need a big trophy to know that they are going to be okay: they have each other.

This romance is cute, but it feels... unsophisticated. Like slipshod writing. It feels like well-done fanfic, but that it needs a little more polish. It doesn’t affect the emotions of the story or the interactions between Conrad and Alden, but I t does leave a slight aftertaste. Like, when you can tell the difference between name brand and store brand chips? It still tastes like chips, and they certain,y don’t taste bad, but there is something a little off.

Diverse/LGBTQIA+ reads:
- Alden is neurodivergent, but but necessarily on the autism spectrum.
- Both Alden and Conrad are gay.

A great romantic roadtrip LGBTQ comedy written by one of the masters, Annabeth Albert! Funny, heartfelt, and entertaining, Albert takes you into the world of tabletop games and romance. Engaging and well written, I really enjoyed the road trip aspect of the story. Annabeth always does a great story of fleshing out characters and the romance is splendid. Brava! I am eagerly anticipating the next installment :)

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so amazingly heartwarming. It was honestly so hard to put it down to go to sleep! I loved the storyline it was entertaining and fun as well as being fast paced.
The characters were fun and unique and I fell In love with them.
Overall I couldn’t reccomend this book enough.
4 stars.

After a few pages I decided to put this book down. It seemed like a cute story but I couldn’t get into it. I’m not interesting in video games or convention gatherings so I wasn’t very interested in the story. Also I couldn’t connect to the characters.
I’m sure a YA reader may enjoy this book more.

Enemies to friends to lovers? Forced proximity? Only one bed in the hotel room? Oh my!

All my favorite tropes are in this book, and they're set against the background of a Magic the Gathering-esque game, and as someone who has knowledge of this world, I really enjoyed the story.

The game is Odyssey, and the goal is to get to the convention and earn a spot on the pro-tour. When rivals Conrad and Alden find themselves on a cross country road trip alone, they go from perpetual annoyance, to grudging respect, to outright admiration. It's a slow burn and it works to allow them the space to work out how they're feeling and why. The end was wrapped up nicely in a warm little package, and we got a fun little glimpse into what happens next.

I also appreciated the neuro-diversity and non-binary rep we see in this book. No two neuro-diverse people are just the same, but I found the rep well done for what I've experienced. The non-binary character is background, but it was still appreciated. There was never a big 'this person is enby' conversation, they just were and I think that's a great way to include a character. There doesn't need to be a big revelation. They're just living and so am I.

Conventionally Yours is a fun, wholesome, nerdy, and romantic novel that will take you on a road trip and a convention you’ll never forget.

You know what I think? I think Conventionally Yours would make a great queer rom-com movie. I just feel it in my bones! It’s a story that will make you laugh and will make you cry. It’s a story that will make you root for the characters, make you feel for their wants and their sorrows. It’s a story filled with tension, self-realizations, and humorous moments. It’s a story you won’t easily forget.

The writing style is great. I loved how the author really managed to capture both Conrad and Alden’s perspectives and highlight their innermost desires, their motivations, their insecurities, their melancholy.

The main characters are relatable, even in the little ways, and I love it. I related to Alden and his doubts about his future and career, the pressure he felt about his next steps. And I related to Conrad with his perfectionist and anxiety-ridden preparations to switch lanes and look for the exits when driving (oddly specific, but I swear we vibed and I felt seen because I thought I was the only one??? anyway). I loved their character arcs! It was amazing to see these two characters try to survive two weeks of road-tripping. In those two weeks, I saw them tolerate each other, be civil with one another, get to know each other, fall in love, build tension, resist temptation, give in to said temptation, face a new kind of conflict, try to resolve said conflict, and go through some self-realizations. I loved this kind of journey, and the rivals-to-lovers trope really showed near the end of the book.

Odyssey, both the game and the convention, is particularly interesting as well. I loved reading about this tabletop game—all the characters, and moves, and cards—and I loved knowing how this one simple game could mean so much to Conrad and Alden. For me, this shows the beauty of a fandom, of being a fangirl or a fanboy, of being passionate about something, of finding meaning or a sense of belonging. It was amazing!

And of course, I also loved the queer representation in this book. There are so many queer characters! Sapphic moms, gay characters, professor husbands, a nonbinary character, and probably more. And some are presented so casually, it was almost too wonderful to see. With that said, it’s not all rainbows. A character is kicked out by his family and we see him struggle and overcome that conflict.

I think the only things I didn’t exactly like are the fact that [redacted] and [redacted] made fun of [redacted] for being a virgin in one scene (that was a little cringe-worthy), and that the minor characters are somehow overshadowed. But apart from that, this book is just too good and there were definitely tears in my eyes when I finished reading.

I’m a big fan of Annabeth Albert’s writing and this was no exception. It had all of my favorite tropes -- enemies to lovers, forced proximity and road trips. I also appreciate that it was in dual POV, I think it enhanced the story so you could feel each of their insecurities while dealing with the other and with themselves. It was a fun read, touching upon issues that both Conrad and Alden are privately going through. Watching their relationship evolve was really nice.

Absolutely adorable! Conrad and Alden are the poster boys for "don't judge a book by its cover" (though this cover is adorable too). Whether as rivals at the beginning, fledgling friends through the middle, or romantic partners at the end, their dynamic and interactions were wonderful. You could see why they got on each others' nerves without making either of them unlikeable. As the parent of a neurodiverse teenage boy, Alden was awesomely complex and reminded me a lot of my son in places. The reasons Alden liked the game and the way he approached the road trip really rang true, and his relationship with his moms made me put some thought into whether my "help" is too overbearing in my son's life. The most beautiful part of this story was that Conrad and Alden didn't really change each other but just figured out how their pieces fit together. In a world where a HEA for neurodiverse individuals means "fixing" them, it's lovely that this author gave us a story where the HEA came because of who Alden is, not despite it.

This is the fourth novel that I've read by Albert and easily her best so far. The story is a fun cross country adventure between the alternating narrators, Conrad and Alden, as they make their way to compete in a major gaming convention and tournament of their beloved tabletop game, Odyssey. Both men have concerns left back home in New Jersey that motivate them to get out of dodge and win the tournament, yet the main appeal of the book is in looking at their interpersonal conflict and frisson. The bond that forms between them is earned through their journey and the challenges of the road. Gamers will appreciate the detail and world-building of the fictitious game that draws the boys in. If you're not hardcore into table top or gaming, you won't be missing out on anything, yet it's an added bonus.

This was a totally out of my comfort zone book, but from the first page I was completely drawn in. Never would I have assumed that a book about a competitive fantasy card game would be so much fun.

Conrad and Alden don’t like each other. At all... but they have to interact with one another, seeing as they are both a part of the Gamer Grandpa streaming channel. The group has become quite popular and the friction between these two of the four players is a big hit with fans.

When their mentor, Professor Tuttle provides each of them with a shiny invitation to the ultimate gamer convention and tournament, the two learn that they will have to be forced into close proximity for 2 weeks.

Conrad cannot pass up this opportunity because he is running on fumes. Trying to work multiple jobs to stay afloat isn’t working for him anymore. And since the terrible thing happened a year ago, he has dropped out of college and lost friends. He needs to win this tournament!! Being stuck with Alden for weeks in end might sound like absolute hell, but he will put up with his stick in the mud, controlling antics none the less.

For Alden, he needs to win this tournament to get a spot in the pro tour. His moms are chomping at the bit for him to make some serious decisions about his future. Decisions that he just isn’t ready to make. On top of that, he is at a disadvantage socially because of some major anxiety issues that prevent him from feeling at all comfortable in many situations.

In this trip, Conrad and Alden learn that there is a lot more to one another than they had originally realized, and that while each getting to know the other, there may be a whole heck of a lot that they really like about the other. They make some realizations about themselves on this journey as well, finding strength in each other.

I loved this so much! Conrad and Alden were wonderful and the characters they meet along their journey were definitely interesting. The relationship between the two boys was perfection. They deal with some real life, serious issues and help each other find answers and perhaps even help find what they have been missing.

Alden doesn't fly, and Conrad doesn't have the funds for a plane ticket. So the only way to get across the country to the Odyssey convention that could change a life, for one of them, is to road trip. Together. The problem is that they're rivals.

I really enjoyed this book! I love road trips and the forced proximity trope, and I really appreciated how spending that time together made Conrad and Alden's relationship build naturally as they realized that they weren't really enemies, they were just misunderstanding each other. Each of them had heavy stuff to deal with, and I thought the author handled their respective worries really sensitively, and did a great job of showing that there isn't a competition when it comes to grief and pain.

I love books where the protags find love but also learn to love themselves as they find compassion and understanding for another person. It makes the conclusion even sweeter!

I would love to read more about Alden and Conrad!

Annabeth Albert's first book for Sourcebooks is a strong return to form. I loved her early Gaymers series (Status Update, Connection Error, etc.) but I wasn't as enamored of her Navy SEAL Out of Uniform series and she lost me entirely with Arctic Sun. I'm relieved to find that Conventionally Yours takes her back to the New Adults MCs that made Gaymers so much fun, and she employs some of my favorite tropes (road trip, opposites attract, enemies-to-lovers) with great success.

The plot is predictable, but like any good road trip the fun is in the journey, not the destination. As Conrad and Alden slowly make their way from New Jersey to Las Vegas for a national gaming convention, including a tournament they both desperately want to win, they slowly start to see each other as real people instead of annoying opponents, and they open up to each other about their respective challenges. Alden is serious, socially awkward and rule-bound but also extremely caring in his own way. His ability to relate to kids (he likes them because they're honest about their feelings and needs) made me melt. I also appreciated the Jewish rep and the fact that while Alden's moms keep trying to find a diagnosis that will accurately describe (and then "cure" him), he's basically some level of "neuro-diverse" and in the end the exact label doesn't matter; he is who he is.

Conrad is the handsome happy-go-lucky party boy who is hiding tremendous pain and stress, and when the truth about why he needs to win comes out I wanted to punch the people who had hurt him. The MC's relationship is slow to develop and the middle of the book lags a bit, but without the middle we wouldn't have the opportunity to experience the wonders of the trip along with the boys, including my hometown St. Louis' famous arch , a well-deserved diss against St. Louis' horrific square pizza, and a nod to Columbia MO's much more palatable Shakespeare's Pizza.

I'm not a game player, but I assume that fictional Odyssey game that the MCs play is similar to the Magic card decks that my kids once had, and Albert describes the game play sufficiently that I could follow the gist of the action, if not the specifics. She cleverly lets the lessons and experiences from the trip inform their game strategy. And who would have thought that a climactic scene of two people playing cards would be so exciting and suspenseful?

For those who have followed Albert here from her Carina books, I should warn you that the sex scenes are much less explicit and much more vanilla than the Out of Uniform series. That didn't bother me, but if you're here for lots of sexytimes you might be disappointed. Also there is quite a bit of space devoted to Alden and Conrad stuck in their own heads thinking and overthinking their reactions to each other, in a way that I suspect few 25 year old young men actually do, but that's pretty standard for this genre.

Conventionally Yours is listed as the first book in the True Colors series. There are several secondary characters who could serve as MCs for future installments, although I can't say that any of them stood out as distinct enough to deserve their own stories. But I'd be willing to check them out and I'm happy to see more of the Annabeth Albert that made me become such a fan in the first place.