Out of Character by Annabeth Albert

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Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanc for e-arc!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ex best friends to lovers!!!

I was so happy when I saw that I got approved for this book because it sounded exactly what I was looking for in a summer read!

Out of Character is a super cute and a great summer read. I loved the setting of this story. I’m a sucker for anything based around gaming and or conventions. The characters was great as well as the romance.

Milo and Jasper use to be best friends in high school until Jasper started hanging out with the cool kids and left Milo. Now Milo needs his help winning back his brothers rare Odyssey cards he lost in a game.

I loved the character development in the story. Watching Jasper change throughout was very sweet. Sadly, the writing just wasn’t for me. It felt very childish at times.

Overall, the book was very cute. I really enjoyed my time reading it!

Book releases on July 6th!

Out of Character is the companion novel to Conventionally Yours, and is a gay romance with enemies to lovers, a discussion on homophobia, and a nerdy board game. Jasper and Milo are ex best friends from high school, after Milo dropped Jasper because he came out as gay. It's now college, and Milo finds himself needing Jasper's help after making a few mistakes. The two rekindle their friendship slowly, and then see if they could be more.

I was really happy to see Jasper get his own book. He didn't play a huge role in Conventionally Yours, but you got glimpses of his personality and I wanted to see more from him. I'm so glad we did, because Jasper's character was so kindhearted and selfless, even when it wasn't deserved. Milo was clearly a character trying to grow and make changes, and he's the type of character you root for. They are well suited for each other and a joy to read about.

This book may be a bit slower than Conventionally Yours. Without the big road trip, there wasn't as much to take of page space and it dragged a bit at parts. The steam level is similar to that of Conventionally Yours, though I would say there are more open door scenes comparatively.

Be sure to check out Out of Character!

**Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

I got an e-arc of Out of Character by Annabeth Albert from Netgalley, so thank you to them!

Two ex-best friends have to work together to find an ultra-rare set of cards, what could go wrong?

Friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers: what’s better than that? I adored this book. It was SO SWEET. I’m writing this 3 days after finish the book, but I’m still thinking about it. The character growth was really freaking great and Milo is one of my new favorite characters from this series. I love, love, love him and Jasper so much. Albert did a brilliant job of keeping the world building of the cards tied in with the story itself. The focus did not shift from that and things did not just magically solve themselves. There was struggle, conflict, fear of coming out, fear of being ones own self and so, so much more.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was the relationship between Jasper and Milo. I feel like a lot of times in enemies-to-friends-to-lovers stories, things kind of show up out of nowhere. But here, we see a hint of a spark the whole time. I adored that. I also loved how we saw older queer people in this story. Because of the AIDS epidemic, we don’t have many elders in the queer community. And that’s not because everyone was scared of coming out, but because of AIDS/HIV. And I think it’s really important to normalize older queer people in books, among other things and I love that we had representation in this book.

Milo quickly became one of my favorite characters: he was a major jerk in high school but he owned up to his mistakes. He didn’t make excuses for them, he was up front about it and when another chance arrived, Milo stepped up and stood up for Jasper. He didn’t back down, but proved that he had changed. He came out in his own time but didn’t try to closet Jasper. He was happy to be friends with him, when that’s all Jasper could give (AS IT SHOULD BE). Later in the story, he made it an important matter to come out to his family and finally let go of his dad.

Overall, this book dealt with a lot. But Albert did it all in a way where everything was handled, but it wasn’t tossed about willy nilly. Everything worked beautifully.

The only problem I have with this book is that I didn't like the title. Other than that, this book is perfect.

Back when they were kids, Jasper and Milo were best friends. Then Milo fell in with a jock crowd and stopped being friends with Jasper when he came out as gay. Years later, Milo reunites with Jasper hoping that Jasper can help him find a rare game card he lost. During the hunt, both of them fight their feelings for each other because Jasper is still hurt by Milo's rejection and Milo because he's scared coming out of the closet.

My heart went out to Milo. He was so hard on himself that it was painful. He was so scared of rejection for being gay that he hid by pretending to be a straight dudebro. He knows that this is wrong and does his best to fix his running from mistakes. When he loses his brother's D&D-like card worth $10,000, he becomes too hard on himself. He was fleeced by a man that uses dirty tricks.

Fortunately, Jasper has a large, forgiving heart, and their relationship is one of the most healthy ones I've read. They have arguments, but they make up not long after the fight to better understand each other. Misunderstandings are talked through. Both of them want to help each other.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Tw: homophobia, mentions of homophobic father, deceased parent, mention of car accident while under the influence resulting in lasting injury, visitations to children’s hospital
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OUT OF CHARACTER is a jock x nerd enemies-to-lovers romance following our jock, Milo, and our nerd, Jasper. Milo and Jasper were best friends once, until Jasper came out. When Milo’s friends bullied Jasper, Milo stayed silent because he was afraid his friends and family would turn on him and find out his secret. The secret, of course, is that Milo is gay, too. But now, six years later, Milo is screwed after a night of drunken gambling costs Milo his brothers rare Odyssey cards. Who better to help him win them back than the biggest nerd he knows?
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I had fallen into a bit of a reading slump this month, but this book played a big part in helped me get out of it. I flew through it!
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This book was so heartwarming, tender and lovely. I loved seeing Milo and Jasper come back together, to grow and lean on each other. They brought out the best in one another. I absolutely loved this story. I’m a sucker for forced proximity (as are Jasper and Milo lol) in books and this has to be one of my favourites right now. I was a little worried I wouldn’t root for them to end up together because Milo didn’t stand up for Jasper back in the day, but these two clearly need one another— they fit together perfectly. Also, it was nice to see a character choose sobriety! I think this is one of my favourite romances I’ve read so far this year. I can’t wait to read whatever Albert writes next!
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4.5/5 stars! OUT OF CHARACTER by Annabeth Albert is available today!

After reading Conventionally Yours, I wasn’t sure if anything could compare. However, I was proven wrong. This book is equally fluffy, fun, and heart fluttering. My heart was fluttering and I was smiling the entire time. There were sad parts, but everything was resolved fairly quickly and smoothly.
This book exceeded my expectations and made me feel like I was on my own miniature high. And I cannot wait to see what else the author releases in the future!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of this book!

In Annabeth Albert's follow-up to Conventionally Yours, Out of Character follows Milo and Jasper. When Milo loses an extremely rare set of Odyssey cards that belonged to his brother, he goes to the only person he thinks can help him - his childhood friend, Jasper. Only problem? Jasper has a lot of anger for Milo after he ditched Jasper when they were kids for a crowd of popular jocks. After hesitantly making a deal to help find the cards in exchange for Milo's help with cosplay, the two get to work only to realize that everyone had their own story to tell, and the one between these two might just add up to something more than frenemies.

I enjoyed Conventionally Yours, so I was super pumped to read this one. I think I enjoyed this one even more! There's a lot to unpack in this story, and Albert does a good job of try to show us how we don't always really know a person's situation. There was a lot of bad blood on Jasper's part and a lot of guilt and self-loathing on Milo's. I enjoyed watching them come together and come to mutual respect and understanding. Jasper is a really happy and positive guy who genuinely wants to help everyone, but he has to come to terms with and respect the fact that Milo does not handle stress the same way he does. I appreciated this aspect of the book, as I think it's really easy in a relationship to assume the other person is being unreasonable because they have different coping mechanisms.

The overall plot was cute and as someone who's seen this kind of card game played and ultra-rare cards coveted like they were in the book, I could definitely relate! The quests they guys went on to get the cards were fun and it didn't get boring, which is a plus! I loved seeing the characters from the first book come together.

Super fun and quick read! Can't wait for book 3!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were both likable, their chemistry was believable, and I enjoyed the plot line. I'm not typically one for the geek aesthetic, but it somehow worked for me in this book. I'm also typically not one for bully romances, although this story is a bit different than your typical bully romance, but the trope just worked in this one. 4.5 stars.

After Milo ditched Jasper for sportier, straighter friends in high school, Jasper figured it was good riddance. But all these years later, Milo shows up to Jasper’s work, looking for help that only Jasper can give him. Knowing it would save Milo from disappointing his family yet again, Jasper’s gaming skills and hero complex kick into full gear and he agrees to help Milo - for a price. That price includes dressing up in cosplay for the sick children at the hospital. As Jasper helps Milo, and Milo shows up week after week for the sick kids, the former friends turned enemies suddenly find themselves becoming friends again. And then they find themselves becoming something more. But unlike Jasper, Milo isn’t out yet and it will take time, patience, and love to get them both to their happily ever after.

Out of Character is a M/M romance with so much going on. The former friends/enemies to friends to lovers aspect is a huge motivating factor in the story, but both Jasper and Milo had their own issues to overcome as well. And while Milo and Jasper worked so well as a couple, it was also great to see them struggle through their individual issues as a way to be a better boyfriend to the other. Albert took two common YA themes - coming out to friends and family, and the hero complex - and molded them together just beautifully. Jasper wants to be the hero, but around Milo he has the strength and resolve to be the person Milo needs him to be. And Milo plays off of that hero complex, using it to not only stand up and be brave but also to own his own coming out around friends, family, and even strangers. If I have any complaint about Out of Character, it’s that Milo and Jasper definitely could have remained enemies, or even wary friends, for longer than they did just to build up the tension. But, Milo and Jasper were cute together, and complemented each other so well that you can’t fault Albert for bringing them together fairly early on. I’m also a sucker for the jock-turned-nerd character type, so Milo had a place in my heart since the first time he cosplayed for Jasper. The romance between Jasper and Milo was cute, but they both had a wonderfully well done growth in their story arcs which, for me, was even better to read than the romance (which I also loved). If you’re looking for a coming out story that’s more than a coming out story, Out of Character is the perfect story to pick up.

It's Emma reading a series out of order again... oops! I enjoyed the general nerddom in this book, especially the Odyssey card game which was reminiscent of Magic the Gathering. Plus Milo and Jasper were adorable together! The one problem I had was that the stakes felt too small for their reunion and that everything seemed to work out immediately (rather than having to work for it for a little bit). But this subverted the "3rd act romance falls apart and then comes the grand gesture" trope that I hate in romances, so good job! If you want a nerdy M/M romance, this is a solid contender.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

3.5 Stars

This was such a sweet addition to the True Colors series. I really enjoyed reading Conventionally Yours last year, and the sequel maintains the cheesy and heartfelt style from the first book.

Milo Lionetti enters a stupid bet a loses his brother's rare Odyssey cards. Such cards are so difficult to come by, that if you manage to find them they will have a hefty price tag of around $10.000.

Jasper Quigley used to be Milo's childhood friend until Milo got popular and Jasper was cast aside as the nerdy loser. Jasper now works with a popular gaming blog and is pretty good at Odyssey, and might be the only one that can help Milo undo his mistake.

What's in it for Jasper though? He needs someone tall and built to cosplay as a famous game character at the local children's hospital. And when they start hanging out again truths hidden in the past start to come up again. Can these friends turned enemies find their footing and perhaps even find love?

I admit this book didn't quite capture me in the beginning. I thought the dialogue was stilted, the exposition overdone, and I wasn't connecting with the characters. However, I'm glad I decided to stick with it. Both Milo and Jasper started growing on me, and although this is a pretty cheesy and cliche story, I had a good time reading about them.

[3.5 stars]

Out Of Character was an enjoyable read full of goofs and fluff. I've seen some people shelve/tag this as young adult but I disagree and think it's an adult book.

I enjoyed the characters and I liked that Milo's character development seemed pretty realistic. Jasper and his friends felt very authentic with each other and I liked how, even though they were skeptical at first, were happy to let Milo into their group. Bruno's character was kind of boring in my opinion and didn't really spark any feelings when he returned at the end.

Something that was hard about this book was the dialogue. Some of it was just....cringey and cliché. The fact that all of these 20-somethings actively tried to not curse...was just totally unrealistic. It made me feel like I was actually reading a teen book at some points. Some of the interactions also just felt like they came out of an after-school special. Some people might like the cheesiness of it, but it wasn't for me.

Overall this is a sweet story with fun characters and delightfully nerdy. If you want a happy ending queer romance, this will definitely fill that quota.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: homphobia, toxic relationship with parent (past), bullying, parental alcoholism (past), alcohol related car accident (past), death of a parent (past), grief

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/m friends to frenemies to lovers
-close-proximity
-an agreement
-sex education
-fun on a dorm bed
-so much flirting
-cosplaying and gaming

Conventionally Yours was a favorite of mine last year and this was another great read. Both Jasper and Milo were dealing with tough things in their life. Childhood friends, Jaspers always had a crush on Milo. But Milo couldn't deal with his own feelings and became a bully instead. Now after hitting rock bottom he turns to Jasper for help. Milo slowly rebuilds his life looking to be a better person and be friends with Jasper again.

Their love story was so soft, so tender. I enjoyed every moment as they became friends again, learned to trust each other. The flirting, double etendres had me laughing out loud. I just love all the dorkiness, the competency, the math, the gaming. These dorks falling in love just squished my heart so much. They both wanted to take care of each other and make sure the other got what they needed out of life. Once they were together they that was it and it was just so nice. This was a low angsty sweet read and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was just what I needed.

Rating: 4
Steam: 2.5 (a peak around the door but ultimately closed door)

I was so excited to get the chance to read an ARC of Out Of Character. Being that this is the second book in the True Colors series and Conventionally Yours was next up on my TBR list it was an awesome opportunity to binge read both of them back to back!

I enjoyed both books, but Out Of Character moreso! I think it might be my favorite 2021 release so far! I really enjoyed the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers this book had to offer as well as the struggles both Milo and Jasper faced. I really loved the resolution of the story and the growth we see from Milo, learning to accept himself, step out of his shell and not let other people’s opinions prevent him from living the life he wants and being happy.

I also really loved the way this book series perfectly delves into tabletop gaming culture and cosplay. It’s really fun to be able to relate to the character’s excitement and passion over something!

I can’t wait for this book to be released because I am dying to add it to my bookshelf!

Honestly, this was one of the cutest novels I could have possibly read for Pride Month! From gay and disabled rep, to nerd culture, cosplay and gaming, to just a cute love story, this was a cozy and heartwarming read.

My only critique is I wished the bullying was addressed a bit more than the constant motto of "people can change." I think one more serious conversation around the repercussions of the bullying (rather than the multiple conversations about his home life and how that maybe impacted his desire to fit in) would have been a beneficial message to include.

Overall, I was swooning for these two and will run to get the first in the series, since I hadn't read it before!

When the first book in the True Colours series, Conventionally Yours, was first released, I was really excited to see what Annabeth Albert could do with slightly younger characters in a queer romance. And while I enjoyed that book, it was never one of my favourites, but I was always eager to see what she might do with a follow up book.

Out of Character, I am happy to say, was a much different reading experience for me.

This is a ‘new adult’ contemporary MM romance, following Milo and Jasper, who were friends as children, turned bitter enemies during high school and in their late college years are brought back together. Milo, the high school jock, turned his back on – and eventually bullied – Jasper through their teen years in an effort to blend in with his schoolmates. When an ill-advised game of Odyssey goes awry, Milo ends up losing a set of his brother’s priceless Odyssey cards and needs Jasper’s help to replace them before his brother returns from his latest tour of duty.

Given their past, Jasper is less than eager to help out, but when he needs a favour in return, the two strike up a deal: Jasper will help him track down a new set of cards if Milo will fill in and cosplay as one of the characters from Odyssey with Jasper and his friends when they visit the children’s ward of a local hospital.

I’m a sucker for the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, and unlike Conventionally Yours, this one had me hooked from the very first chapter. We have two characters with a rocky past, both learning what it means to be an adult and have responsibilities (and take responsibility) for their actions.

Milo, in particular, has a lot of growth to undergo throughout the course of the story as he struggles with coming out, with deciding to be sober and living up to the expectations of his big brother. Jasper, by contrast, is an absolute sweetheart who wants to see Milo redeem himself.

As always, the gamer elements were fun, even for a non-gamer like myself. It was nice to see characters from the first book pop again, and seeing the Grandpa Gamer crew.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Out of Character – it was a fast, fun read.

I could not put this book down, and I couldn't love it more. The characters are SO relatable and adorable. Who doesn't love a good redemption arc? I cannot recommend this book enough. I'm now going to go back and read all of Annabeth Albert's books.

Another adorable installment! I read a ton of Annabeth Albert and this geeky new-adult series is one of my favorites. It’s also a much tamer romance than some of her steamier stuff, with a YA/NA appropriate fade-to-grey on the smutty scenes. Can be read as a stand-alone or enjoying cameos from book one.

Jasper is the sweetest. I love how much his younger sister (whose immunocompromising illness is never defined but still hits a heartstring reading during covid) shapes his character, from cosplaying at the hospital to his whole family’s dynamics.

Milo is definitely the emotional focus of the story. He‘s in the closet, he’s recently sober, he has a history of screw ups and puts serious pressure on himself not to disappoint his successful SEAL big brother. Milo has a huge mountain to climb in character development and Albert does a good job of balancing it all.

Out of Character is not quite as compelling a writing style as Red White and Royal Blue, but it will definitely be enjoyed by McQuinston fans

I enjoyed this one. I like this author's style and voice. The story was fast-paced and great. I like the geek gamer stuff. This author has jumped to my read everything by her list.