Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the eARC!

There was a lot I liked about this book and a few tiny things I felt weren’t great.

First what I liked!

I loved Cass and I loved Rowan! Cass was so interesting and personable. All of her insecurities felt real and valid. I really enjoyed how her being fat wasn’t plastered all over the place like some authors do. It was mentioned when it was needed - and the rest of the time, you just knew and that was okay. It was very well done.

Rowan was so adorable. What I loved in particular about this book was the connection between the two girls. That chapter where they first met in person felt so electric! That’s truly where the story began.

I also really liked Tate and Greg. Two men who wholly accepted Cass. They were a couple of sweethearts.

There were a few things I didn’t like though and that’s why it can’t be five stars. I didn’t like Taylor at all. You could tell from the get-go that her and Cass didn’t work together. I was so disappointed with how much time was spent on them building their relationship because there was like no chemistry between them. I wished we had them already an established couple before the book began and we didn’t need a full what…. 6 months of them trying and failing?

Which leads me to my other hold-up on the book. We had an entire SCHOOL YEAR. 😬 It felt waaaaaay too long. I needed a shorter time frame. I was bored at points.

Along the same lines, I felt some of the end was unnecessary. The book felt a little too long. The climax was too early and the aftermath felt forced, like she was trying to fill it. I really could have done with less.

Overall though I enjoyed this book! What I liked outweighed the bad. And I think anyone will enjoy the book who likes roleplay. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Colins/Quill Tree Books for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! It immediately transported me back to my awkward and embarrassing days of high school, and I loved it! This book perfectly captures the scary transitions that teens face their senior year trying to navigate life and graduation. This is a must read if you were/are a tumblr/fanfic/fandom member!

I really enjoyed this book!
Had you asked what kind of a book I needed when I was a teen this book would be the answer!
Both queerness & body positivity showed up and the author did a great job of portraying the main character.
I would definitely read more by them and will recommend this book to the teens I work with.

This is an adorable book with a variety of representation that I think will be able to speak to a lot of high schoolers and adults alike!

This young adult novel was a slice of nostalgia for me - roleplay games by email have been around sine the advent of the internet and I can claim young pioneer status with my fan roleplays from the fantasy series Redwall. I keenly felt the anguish of having to live in the real world while all I wanted to do was continue the story, just like Cass,

The world we live in calls out for escapism and Cass's life is no exception. She copes with the group of friends and the community she roleplays with, though that leaves her at a disadvantage on the in person social side. I began to lose interest, however, as Cass made decisions that seemed to go against the character, namely hiding away her roleplay group from her popular group girlfriend after having disagreed with one of the roleplayers for doing the exact same thing.

This novel speaks to the worlds we now have to figure out how to move well in, both in person and virtual.

Hola :
Lei esta historia con la esperanza de que entretuviera un poco , alejarme de la realidad como cualquier lectora lo hace. "Afuera de personaje ", hizo eso y mas .
Es una historia acerca de los corazones , el pasado , el mañana y el mundo online . Hay dulzura en el pero tambien te hace pensar.
Me lei todo el libro , hasta los agradecimientos .
Escribo esto unos minutos despues de terminar de leerlo: no lo miren en menos , es mas poderoso que parece.
Es una historia que es necesaria algunas veces .
-saludos, Zeineb..

Hello :
I read this story with the hope that it would entertain a bit, distance me from reality as any reader does. "Out of Character" did that and more.
It is a story about hearts, the past, tomorrow and the online world. There is sweetness in it but it also makes you think.
I read the entire book, even the acknowledgments.
I'm writing this a few minutes after finishing reading it: don't look down on it, it's more powerful than it seems.
It is a story that is necessary sometimes .
Greetings, Zeineb.

This book was a complete joy to read. Nerdy, sincere, and full of authentic moments of friendship, loss, and love, it had me laughing, crying, and cheering for characters (on multiple levels). Miller's debut novel really gets at the aches of growing up; and compassionately shows the pain and dangers of hiding yourself from people who love you most. You'll fall in love with this cast of characters, and Cass's voice will stay with you long after you close the book (or the laptop).

I didn’t think about the fact that I’d need to review my own book when requesting in order to keep my NetGalley rating percentage up, but here we are. My bad.

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy the book! As a reader and writer, I accept that not every book is for everyone. While these reviews are for readers and not for me, I’ll take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read and for your thoughtful, honest feedback.

One note about the advanced copy: You’ll see “queer” used throughout the story in reference to the main character. While all identities are valid, this term didn’t fully represent Cass in the final version as it did when I originally wrote the book. The final version and jacket copy will include “lesbian” as her identity. This was a personal decision that I will detail elsewhere for those interested. That said, “queer” and “gay” do still show up. And again, ALL identities/terms are valid. 💛💛

I thought that this novel was really relatable and I enjoyed seeing a queer plus size heroine in the book. It was a super quick read for me and I think that readers who like roleplaying and fantasy will see themselves in the characters as well.

Synopsis:

Cass is a highschool senior juggling real life and the online world of roleplay. When the two lives she's leading begin to cross into each other, she is left scrambling to keep both from falling apart.

Review:

Reading OoC felt like a genuine high school experience. Cass is relatable and you can't help becoming invested in her story whether it's feeling frustrated (make better choices girl!) to rooting for her to follow her heart. The development was great, there were so many lovable characters. The scenes feel like you are there with them adventuring through Minneapolis and Chicago.

The roleplay scenes throughout gave this a 'book within a book' feel that was well executed. There were also multiple references to pop culture, from John Hughes movies to Schitt's Creek quotes.

I really enjoyed this inclusive and fat-positive YA novel, looking forward to seeing what else this debut author writes.

As a fat girl who grew up playing MMORPG’s, this was right up my alley. Out of Character follows Cass as she navigates between her two realities; real life and her online role playing life. I enjoyed that so much of this book. First, having Cass be fat but making it so it wasn’t her whole storyline was refreshing. Her friendship with Tate was solid as well. I think my issues lie with Taylor. I don’t know if this was intended, but man the writing made me dislike her so much. Sometimes the writing felt a little flat as well.

All in all, this was a solid book. I can’t wait to see what else the author has coming.

I absolutely adored this book. It was so fun and had many realistic aspects and just loved the queer plus size heroine.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own

4.5 stars, rounding up for rating

This book is ADORABLE. It was everything I was hoping for and more, it made me feel so...seen? And I don't even roleplay! The Discord conversations were so well done and every character rang so true to me, this was just really, really well done. Ugh my heart. So good.

I was very excited about the concept. I genuinely wanted to like this book simply because it's a sapphic YA romance with a fat, queer protagonist. However, I ended up DNFing this at about 20% simply because I didn't find the writing particularly enjoyable. I'm sure there are teens that may engage with this story, but I didn't feel that the writing was very well-done, and the plot seemed a little mediocre to me.