Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
Steam: 🌶🌶🌶/5 stars (steamy scenes with description)

No spoiler review 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the Audiobook and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

I alternated between the Digital Arc and Audiobook and I enjoyed doing that!

Narration: Two different narrators. One for each character. It worked well! There voices kept me interested! Very well narrated! Their voices fit the characters so well I thought

Ex friends to Enemy to lovers with an excellent LGBTQA+ rep!

Also loved the video game, card games and cosplay parts of the story. I’m a nerd so I appreciated the nerd culture! It made me smile!

Jasper and Milo were best friends in the past and then became best friends and enemies in high school. Now they have to help each other out. They are so cute together and I love their story. A slow burn attraction that I loved! Was so well written. It was also a great story of forgiveness of others and ones self.

This book also had some really well written and sweet spicy scenes!

Some parts were a bit slow so not a full 5 stars but I really enjoyed this book!! If you are looking for a cute, steamy, LGBTQA+ and nerdy in the best way romance I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy. All opinions and thoughts are mine.

I adored this. I loved the enemies-to-lovers element and I felt that this book did something new and interesting to that trope. Milo's adventure into the gaming world was hilarious, and I enjoyed his banter with Jasper. I found myself laughing, crying, fanning myself... this was just a great, great read. Thank you for the e-arc!

I love anything forced proximity so I saw this and was sign me RIGHT up! This would be perfect for a book club pick and was a great read!
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook!

Conventionally Yours, Book 1 in this series was my *favorite* read from earlier this year. This sequel is so incredibly worthy of it. I loved being back in this universe. This story follows Jasper, one of the character from book 1, as he is reunited with someone from his past he was once close with, then betrayed by. Milo, the betrayer, needs Jasper's help to solve a problem. Jasper, ever the people pleaser, reluctantly agrees, with conditions. The story follows their reconciliation and takes a hard look at making amends and growing from who you were into who you are supposed to be. Can't recommend this enough!

WELL WASN'T THIS JUST PRECIOUS

I loved "Conventionally Yours" and this was such a tender companion set in the True Colors universe. I dare say I liked it even more than the first??? I loved the friends-to enemies-to friends-to lovers plot and I just adored both of these characters. I really enjoyed their joint quest to find the rare cards and the relatable growth arcs of trying to become better people, forgiving, and shedding unhealthy environments, people, and situations in our lives and owning our true selves. I thought this was really wonderful.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Out of character is the second book in Annabeth Albert's geek gamers series True colors. I haven't read the first one yet, but it's perfectly readable as a stand alone.
It's a sweet, adorable story about Jasper and Milo, two former best friends. But then they went to highschool and Milo, a talented soccer player, rather wanted to be associated with his jock buddies from the soccer team than with his former geek friend. When Milo never even acknowledged his friendship with Jasper, or stood up for him when his so-called new 'friends' bullied Jasper for being both gay and a geek, Jasper knew he couldn't rely on Milo anymore and he lost his trust in him.
What I admired in Jasper was, that he never let himself be affected by the bullying. Of course it hurt, but he was confident, his character was strong enough to not let it get to him.
When Milo comes to him for help, it's obvious Jasper is reluctant to go there, but eventually he does, because he is that kind of person: good, caring, trying to see the better things in people.
It takes a while for him to trust Milo again, and I liked that there never was like something obvious about him forgiving Milo, because the past couldn't be erased and Milo had been a jerk to him in highschool. Who was he to ask Jasper to trust him and his reasons again?
In the end I cared for Milo just as I did for Jasper. He wasn't a bully like his 'friends'. Not to give him any excuses - as Milo doesn't either - but there was a lot of negativity going on in his life. I get that he needed to fit in with the other soccer guys, to do what was expected of him. But in doing so, he hurt the only and best true friend he had, and even when he asks Jasper to forgive him, he knows he doesn't truly deserve it.

With this story, Annabeth proves she is able to write for any kind of public. This is a NA, gay romance, but it's obvious that it's written for a wider audience. The intimate scenes are not totally faded to black, but there is more suggesting in the sexy scenes, than that it's laid out step by step, as I am used to from her other books. But I love her writing and that's no different in this lovely, geeky romance. I liked the side characters as well and despite their falling out in high school, it's quite obvious Jasper and Milo belong together. They were kind of sweet and adorable.

The book was good! Solid 3 ⭐️ for me.

I feel like there were three parts to this story: 1. Milo’s coming out and battle with internal homophobia 2. The rekindling of a friendship (later romantic relationship) between two childhood friends and 3. The two character’s desires to help one another out by intertwining their lives (Jasper’s cosplaying and charity; Milo’s big mistake with losing someone else’s collectible cards after losing a bet).

It was a cute story! I enjoyed the aforementioned parts 2 and 3 more than the aforementioned part 1 though.

I find bullies-turned-lovers, within the gay world, definitely over done (not saying I hate it, because I do like a good redemption romance story)—I just feel like I’ve seen it so many times, so I knew how it was going to play out. I liked Milo’s coming out arc, but I got bored with the “my high school friends didn’t like gay people, so I couldn’t like them, even though I was a gay person…oh and btw, I’m in college now, so I still care about what my high school friends think.”

Also, my interest in cosplay and role-playing cards is limited, so I couldn’t connect with that storyline as much as I wanted too. But I loved the uniqueness of those interests shared by the characters. I think anyone who loves cosplay and playing cards/role-play board games would love this book—so definitely give it a try!

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for giving this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinion are my own.

Also, the audiobook narrators are pretty fantastic for the characters—great casting.

Annabeth Albert is the Queen of writing about Men Discovering Their Sexuality. In her adult series that I’ve read, there’s the “out” partner guiding an inexperienced partner. Jasper is the out partner to Milo’s closeted partner. My heart goes out to men and boys who don’t feel safe to come out—nevertheless it’s always hard to watch a closeted person willing to stand by as another gay person is bullied so it takes the heat off of them. Because this is more NA than adult, it has that YA writing style to it. I always appreciate her sex scenes showing consent and checking in with one’s partner, making sure everyone feels good during encounters. It’s great to have such a specific romance series for all the gay gaming nerds you might have in your life, LOL.

3/5 ⭐️s

I was worried going into this because I hadn’t really connected with Jasper in Conventionally Yours and wasn’t sure I’d be pulled into his story. That worry was spot on.

Overview:
Jasper is in for a shock when he high school bully, Milo, shows up in a panic, desperately in need of rare Odyssey cards…something he thinks only Jasper can help him find.

What Worked:
- I loved how Milo grew in confidence throughout the book. He found his path in life that lets him be himself while doing what he loves.

What Didn’t Work:
- Milo and Jasper had almost zero chemistry. I liked them because I was told to like them, but it didn’t feel natural to me. The formula said they were going to end up together, so they did. The journey to that was underwhelming though.
- I’ve noticed Annabeth Albert tends to write six endings for one book. Just like with Conventionally Yours, Out Of Character could have ended about 30 pages before it did. I understand she was wrapping up lose ends, but it doesn’t feel like a coherent story when the reader is being tossed from epilogue to epilogue with no connecting moments. A lot of Milo and Jasper’s ending could’ve been skimmed over in one epilogue.

Overall:
- Three stars, but I doubt I reread it.
- Check this out if you’re interested in friends-to-lovers.
- I don’t recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Milo and Jasper were best friends when they were younger. But as the teenage years hit they grew apart. Milo became one of the cool jocks, and Jasper was the nerdy boy that Milo’s friends made fun of. Now that they’re older, Milo is going through a really challenging time, and turns to Jasper for help. The two make a deal and agree to help each other, and along the way not only does their friendship re-emerge, but old crushes do as well.

I really enjoyed seeing the process of how these two characters learned how to trust each other again. This was a low-angst, sweet romance and fans of gamings and cosplay will definitely love this one!

Wasn't aware this was a sequel, which explains why I was super confused for the majority of this book. Totally my bad! Overall I thought it was a pretty good story. I'm a huge sucker for enemies to lovers, and loved that this had a nerdy twist.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

4.25/5 stars!!

Friends to enemies to lovers has got to be one of my all time favorite tropes, and this queer romcom does it soooo well. I highly recommend this book to my fellow nerds, all fans of the hurt/comfort trope, and anyone who loves a good fluffy queer romcom.

The interactions were adorable and I was laughing and 'aww'ing the whole time. My one complaint was that the ending did seem a little bit drawn out. I was up for it because the fluff is top tier, but some of the later content felt a little unnecessary.

This book has convinced me to pick up Albert's other novel: Conventionally Yours.

Content Warnings: homophobia, internalized homophobia, mention of self-harm

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. Out of Character is a cute story with some unexpected depths. I love a good enemies to lovers story, and former best friends Jasper and Milo had a lot of chemistry. Despite the fact that the enmity was pretty one sided, and Jasper was trying desperately throughout the book to become a better person than he had been in high school, the author managed to carry this conflict through a good chunk of the book. The quest for the game cards kept the action going, but the majority of the plot was focused on the character development and the growing relationship between the two. Overall, this story was fun, but there were some darker moments when the two were discussing their history.
I was not aware when I requested this book that it was the second book in a series, and it took me longer than it should have to realize that there was a reason that some of the characters felt like they had more backstory than I was getting. However, I think that if you are aware of this going in, Out of Character can be read as a standalone. It definitely falls into the New Adult category, which is not quite my thing, but it is an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but found Out of Character dull by comparison. The premise seemed somewhat interesting at first, with former friends-turned-enemies who form a relationship. But while the blurb does provide some hints at it, I didn’t expect a romance with a sort-of former bully and victim. I say “sort-of,” as while Milo didn’t do anything major to hurt Jasper, he also didn’t actively do anything to mitigate the hurt either. It cast a shadow over the relationship that it never fully recovered from.

This is also a book that is much darker than the cover or branding suggests. I don’t expect LGBTQ+ romances to always be sunshine-and-rainbows, and appreciate those that tackle issues of homophobia and internalized self-hatred. But it also feels like a bait-and-switch to have it packaged as a rom-com with no indicator of the extent of the issues discussed, especially when this follows up on its much more lighthearted predecessor.

And beyond the issues on a general level, I found the characters hard to click with as people. Jasper was perhaps the easier to like of the two, given his situation, but while I understood where Milo was coming from, I didn’t find the romance engaging with all the baggage.

This book was just not “it” for me. And I’m definitely in the minority on this one, as while there are other critical reviews, the majority tend to lean towards the favorable. If this sounds like something you’d like, I’d encourage you to give it a try, with the advisement that it does involve past bullying and present-day angst over sexuality.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

As a huge fan of Red, White, & Royal Blue, I was excited to read this story. However, I don't think that this book captures the magic that happened with Alex and Henry. Jasper and Milo felt very flat for me and their relationship felt very forced. It was a struggle to read the dialogue at times because it just felt very awkward and stilted. I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get into it the way that I wanted to.

I enjoyed the first book in the True Colors series, and this follow up exceeded my expectations. The romance at the heart of the series is truly sweet - while the characters have to work through challenges and bumps in the road, they manage to do so together without falling apart. Confession: my least favorite trope is the central relationship collapses and then re-forms as the climax of the story, especially when it could have easily been avoided through honesty and open conversation. Milo and Jasper are both figuring out how to overcome the challenges they face, both individually and as their attraction to each other grows, but they do so in a way that feels natural, honest, and true to life.

Out of Character is the second installment in Annabeth Albert’s True Colors series. This romance reunites childhood friends Jasper and Milo, who fell out in high school and now are forced to help each other. As they work together, Milo starts to realize how much of himself he’s held back to please others and, with Jasper’s support, how freeing it can be to show the world who you are.

Albert creates a fantastic balance as both Milo and Jasper work to heal and grow. Jasper is still deeply hurt by the way their friendship ended, and he's wary of trusting Milo again. Meanwhile, Milo has spent so much of his life working to fit into a mold of who other people wanted him to be and it isn't easy to break out of. They both make mistakes, learn to forgive, and find a way forward in a way that felt genuine and realistic. The romance between them is sweet, built on the foundation of a rekindled friendship and fans of friends-to-lovers and second chance romances will find a lot to enjoy in the way Milo and Jasper come together.

Overall, this was a really solid second installment in the series. I think that fans of the first will not want to miss out on this sequel as Albert continues to explore the friend group established there and deliver new kinds of nerdy obsessions for characters to geek out over. This book can easily be read as a standalone, and is a perfect fit for readers looking for nerdy, queer, new adult romances.

I really liked that the big second act drama wasn't a miscommunication between the leads. They weren't perfect but when they fought, they sorted their business out in the same night.

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Overall, it was a good book I didn't love the bully aspect but the characters meshed well and I liked seeing how the character from the first book have progressed.

Would definitely continue the series.

I adore this series, and Out of Character is the perfect sequel to Conventionally Yours! This book is fun, romantic, and so enjoyable to read!