Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out June 2, 2020

What is this book about?
Conrad and Aldan are enemies who enjoy playing the same card game called Odyssey. They both get tickets to attend a convention to play in a tournament but it requires a cross country road trip together alone. From enemies to friend to something more, the new couple will be forced to play in the tournament against each other. Only one can win. Will their new love get in the way of them playing their best?

What did I think?
This is the first male/male romance novel that I’ve read. I thought it was a cute story. I found the these characters to be well developed and complex. I love that a mom/mom relationship was also featured in this book. The storyline wasn’t super exciting because 3/4 of the book is just a road trip. That being said, it was neat to watch Conrad and Aldan’s relationship unfold. I loved that the story also touched on mental health as well as a family who disowned their son because he’s gay. While I am a straight female and couldn’t fully relate to these characters, I know there are people are there who can and I think its great that they are represented in this book.

http://ramblinhamlin.com/conventionally-yours-review/

Annabeth Albert’s ‘Conventionally Yours’ is an unconventional NA take on queer relationships, set in a context so unusual that what it takes to get 2 rivals to lovers is a journey to a gaming competition that both have banked their entire lives on for various reasons.

I’m unused to Albert writing New Adult voices but this is a refreshing change, really, so far removed is this from her taut, tension-filled military romances as she brings together 2 young men so unsure of their places in life—and vying for a win in the competition at the expense of the other.

Relentless sniping and unkind poking are par for the course here as Alden and Conrad find ways and means to annoy each other both intentionally and unintentionally but the confined space during the road trip is where impressions start to change. There’s more of a teenage-feel-angst here that comes with unravelling wrong expectations and impressions as a result, and a whole load of geeking out that’s done in between.

The pacing is slow however and there were parts during this long road trip that I got impatient with, needing the momentum to start rolling onward, even though it’s an important bit where Conrad and Alden really start talking to each other. I couldn’t exactly get into the story as a whole despite Albert’s fantastic writing—the gaming bits did get a bit much but this is on me about a subject matter that just couldn’t pique enough of my interest to keep the story buoyant. You do know things are going to come to a head eventually though, and that’s what kept me going. My rating here is just that: a personal one that reflects my inability to get into the story, rather than it is a reflection of Albert’s work itself.

Nonetheless, give it a go, particularly if you’re keep into the gaming stuff—it’ll probably work out heaps better than it did for me.

The enemies to lovers that we all love and need. Conrad and Alden are the typical "optimistic meet pessimist" but as the book progress you'll see the complexity of each characters and the secrets and fear they have. This is a book about love but also about the fear of the future, the pressure of being successful and never fail. It's a book about two very lost boys. Conrad and Alden complement each other so well and the relationship it's just beautiful.

A brilliant book about two amazing and unique boys that are trying to make their dreams come true.