Review: Out of Character by Annabeth Albert
SYNOPSIS:
It’s friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers in this LGBTQIA+ Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Pros of Cons who enjoy:
• Ex-best-friends falling in love
• Gaming, conventions, fandom & cosplay
• Nerd culture at its finest
• Learning how to be true to yourself
Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone’s favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that’s not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turned king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush.
But Milo’s got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he’s looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels—how he’s always felt.
Jasper may be reluctant to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There’s a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he’s going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children’s hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting…
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and I have to say, it totally lived up to my expectations! I fell head-over-heels in love with Conventionally Yours last year and as soon as I heard their would be a sequel and it would feature Jasper, well excited was an understatement for what I was feeling. I found myself wanting to read it slowly to savor every world while simultaneously wanting to binge read it because I couldn’t get enough of these words. A poignant story about coming out and coming into yourself.
Lets start this review with the complicated relationship between Jasper and Milo, best-friends, to enemies, to friends, to so much more, what can I say; I love a good redemption arc. Jasper is a ray of sunshine, his personality and passion for life can’t help but make you smile. The man has to have a huge heart if he can find it in himself to forgive Milo. Milo regrets his past treatment of Jasper and finds that he missed having Jasper in his life.
Cue Milo’s redemption story, and while he did have his moments, I found that he really matured and became self-aware over the course of the story. I don’t think may people realize how drastically someone can change from high school to college until everything is laid bare before them. Milo’s reflection and evolution had me endlessly swooning. The man he is at the end of the book was truly one I was proud of.
Now lets get to what brings these two together, gaming and cosplaying. The cosplaying story had my heart soaring, how selfless and adorable can Jasper and his friends be. Then there is the hunt for rare cards, which was playful and fun. It was just an excellent balance of gaining forgiveness and forging something new. Nothing felt rushed but the heavy hitting moments were masterfully balanced with some light-hearted banter.
Ultimately though, this story is filled with quirky characters, nerdy charisma, and an endless amount of depth and heart. I loved seeing appearances from all my favorite secondary characters and as I finished reading the last page, I was sad that it’s over but so happy that these characters all got the HEAs they deserved…(except George, he’s still awful).
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“…I wish I’d valued being understood more than being popular and anonymous.”
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
