I was lucky enough to have my Netgalley wish granted for this book! (It does happen!!)

This book took me by surprise for a couple of reasons:
1. I expected this to be a YA book but it's actually New Adult!
2. I expected it to be about fandom. And yes, it was about nerds, but it was about nerds playing tabletop games! Aka one of my favourite kinds of nerds!!
3. One of the main characters was autistic, which I didn't know before going in. And I was actually pretty okay with the rep. I'm not sure if it was own voices, but I think the author did mention being neurodiverse in her author's note. I do want to warn autistic readers before going in that this does deal with internalized ableism, and the autistic MC also has parents who are very controlling and who don't really accept him being autistic - they've always seen it as something to work on and to fix. One thing I was a little disappointed by is that the autistic MC doesn't really get accomodated for being autistic, he pretty much has to be flexible and go along with things.

Apart from these surprises, I unf0rtunately didn't end up enjoying this book as much as I hoped I would. I'd previously read two other books by Annabeth Albert and really enjoyed those, but this one left me wanting a little more. I think the main issue was that the writing style didn't really work for me, it felt a little forced. But I also thought the book moved rather slowly, and the side characters felt like cardboard, they didn't seem developed at all. This took away from my enjoyment as the book just didn't feel like it lived up to its potential.

CWs: (internalized) ableism, past extreme homophobia from parents

I recieved a free copy of this book from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

I just started 'Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert' and so far I am loving this nerdy book filled to the brim with tropes.
Two people forced to go on a cross country road trip for the chance to win big at a Magic the Gathering like tournament.
🚙
Sometimes you just need a fluffy and fun read, and that's exactly what Conventionally Yours gave me.
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#lgbtqbooks #conventionallyyours #sourcebooks #netgallery

By far the best romance I've read this year and one of my new all-time favorite queer romance books. I loved the slow burn romance between Conrad and Alden, and how their chemistry deepened into something that felt authentic and natural for the characters. And all the geeky references were awesome. It really did feel like attending a gaming convention with the sweetest of meet-cutes. Will definitely recommend to all my nerdy queer friends

Conventionally Yours was such a cute and sweet read. Basically an enemies to lovers centered around a card game and a road trip. The author really let you get to know and love both Alden and Conrad.

First off, these two are rivals in the game. They're opposites personality-wise, and butt heads constantly. So let's throw them in a car together for hours and see what happens! Alden has always seemed stiff and dismissive and a stickler, but turns out he has some anxiety and social issues. Conrad has always appeared too laid back and like a playboy, but he's gone through a lot and trying to keep his head above water.

I loved the romance and friendship that built throughout their story. It really tugged at my heart. And all the action along the way and at the convention made for a very entertaining book.

Help, I've fallen in love with two nerd boys and I can't get up.

This was seriously the most adorable thing I've read in a while. It has all the big tropes you could ever want from a cheesy romance: enemies to lovers, roadtrip, 'there was only one bed'. And I mean that in the best compliment ever. The tropes just make reading this feel like coming home to a nice warm hug, not like it's overdone or any less fun. Plus, Conrad and Alden fit in to all the different tropes adorably.

Speaking of Conrad and Alden, I love them. I said it already and I'll say it again. I love them so much. Conrad is a gay mid-western boy from an unaccepting family who's found solace in Odyssey, a tabletop game, despite his financial and familial struggles. Alden is a Jewish, sexually ambiguous but almost definitely mlm and on the ace spectrum, who is trying to find his a post graduation life that will please his ambitious mothers. They fit together like puzzle pieces in an opposites attract sort of way, while also finding out they're not so different after all when they peel back the outer layers.

I love them as characters, but I also love the representation scattered around the book. There's the two mlm protagonists, of course, but there's also Alden's Jewishness, which is doing really well for a novel that doesn't center around that. (The bar is set low, I'll admit, but also Conrad at one point double checking whether he should be looking for kosher restaurants absolutely warmed by heart because wow. We stan a considerate goy boyfriend.) Beyond that, there's Aldens lesbian mothers, a nonbinary friend in their usual Odyssey group, and Alden is neurodivergent in a way that plays a role in the novel. The boys' sexuality and Alden's anxiety and ASD play a big role in the plot, but mostly, it was all there very casually and just a normal part of life for them, which I really enjoyed.

I don't play any sort of tabletop games, so a lot might have gone over my head, but I was holding my breath and cheering along on every match, no matter how much I did or didn't understand. It was genuinely thrilling, like a sports novel. Just... you know. Tabletop gaming. As a bit of a jock, I loved it. That plus the adorable, pining enemies to lovers romance? It's an easy five stars from me!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book!
I had to DNF this book. I liked what I was reading but for some reason I could just not get into it. I liked the premise and storyline but something did not just click with me. I definitely want to try reading this book in the future and see if my opinions have changed
This review is also posted on Goodreads!

Well, after reading her past steamy military romances and seeing this gorgeous cover, it was reasonable thing to push the request button for reading this ARC! But I think, I’m the wrong reader who found herself in the wrong story and at the wrong time.

The games have never been my passion or my hobby and unfortunately the book’s main focus is game convention which made me feel like I was reading a book in different language and I got lost in terminology. So I finally gave up!

I liked LGBT representation and Alden and Conrad are individually likable characters. Both I’m not so sure I enjoy the chemistry between them. (I waited to read something more sizzling, hot, tempting, sexy, sparks flying around kind of connection!)

I always enjoy reading frenemies and road trip stories so the ingredients were perfect but amount of them to for a tempting story was not right for my taste. At some parts I found the characters’ actions and behaviors childish, immature and there were so much teenage angst for me to endure. Of course the pace was too slow for me which resulted with my suffocation. At some parts I yawned too much and I wanted to scream that road trip would end sooner.

Overall: It was still sweet, enjoyable story with good characterization and romance parts, gaming terminology and slow paced writing made me lose my interest so I’m giving solid three stars. I still love this author’s works and I truly understand her motivation to try something different. But unfortunately this story didn’t fit with my expectations.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I really loved this book, it was exactly what i was in the mood for and read it within a day. Very cute new adult gamer novel. I love a good enemies to lovers trope. This is my first book by the author and i am already adding some of her other series to my tbr.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review this one really made my week.

This book is a fantastic romance for queer nerds. A great use of the enemies-to-lovers trope when two polar opposites are thrown together in a cross country road trip that will make them realise they have far more in common than they thought. Part coming if age, part queer romance, and completely heart warming.

I enjoyed the interplay between the two leads in this story. Both are dealing with difficulties and I appreciate that the characters actually spoke to each other about their assumptions of each other's lives. I found the road trip both believable and unbelievable. I found the stops at the game stores kind of boring. The game play was fine, not enough detail to actually understand the game, but will enough detail that if you've played a tabletop card game your brain will fill in the details for the author. As someone who has mixed feelings about these card games I couldn't care about it in the story.

I found the ending interesting. It wasn't a copout for me, however, I would have liked Albert to have given the reader some of the negotiating and thought process {spoilers} to move the opportunity from being on the pro circuit to working with the company. I liked the wrap up to Alden's character arc overall, I do think Albert could have added a more well-rounded relationship with his mother and his stepmother. I'm not sure his stepmother actually speaks in the entire book.

Anyway, overall it was entertaining and I enjoyed reading it.

lGBT book. Alden and Conrad get under each other’s skin. They both take jabs at the other while playing a card game (think magic the gathering or world of Warcraft) They each thinks the other hates them but secretly can’t stop thinking about the other. Their YouTube channel with a local gaming shop is successful enough to be asked to play in the top tournament where the winner will get to be a pro player. But on the road trip to Vegas they both learn the other’s life is far from perfect and truly get to know each other. Their friendship blooms along with their feelings.

A great enemies to lovers book. But it also deals with a lot of how others react to a persons coming out; affects that person. You see both sides and loved how the characters deepened throughout the book. It was a good read.

Conventionally Yours was a really sweet, funny, and nerdy LGBTQ+ romance. One fun thing about this book is that it heavily involved a fantasy card game called Odyssey, which our two MCs (Conrad & Alden) could probably be considered semi-professional players. I think this book could be a slam dunk for fans of Dungeons and Dragons because of this connection. But it would still be accessible to others, I personally have never played D&D and while I did find myself skimming the background or dialog that involved the game I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

There's some really great banter in this book. By the description it can come across as an enemies-to-lovers, but once you start reading you find that Conrad and Alden were never really enemies to begin with. A nice fun and light romance that I would recommend to my readers.

Conventionally Yours is a sweet, LGBTQA+ romance centered around a card game called Odyssey and two rivals stuck on a road trip that'll change their lives forever—just not in the way they thought.

First down, this was adorable. Snark? Check. Fluff? Check? Nerd stuff? Double check.

It's clear from the beginning that jock-like Conrad and stern Alred are completely different and have no desire to get to know each other better because of it. The road trip to Odyssey Con holds the promise of a big check. prestige in the circuit of their favorite game, and the ability to make their own choices should they win. This pits them against each other from the start in a whole new way; Conrad needs that money to survive and Alred needs to prove to his parents that his decisions belong to him alone. As their traveling companions drop off like flies, they end up traveling alone, and some misunderstandings come to light that draw them closer much to both boys' surprise. But they both need to win, and they worry that in the end this trip will just be one short-lived fever dream where they felt loved and supported and themselves. This promised to be an emotional set up for our two love birds and I was excited to see where it led.

Oddly enough for a book touted as enemies-to-lovers, there was not that much of the tension you'd expect from such a thing. The boys resolved a lot of their initial issues with each other relatively quickly and their romance blossomed into newborn infatuation rapidly after that. Which, while not a bad thing, left me wishing there had been a bit more of a bite to their "rivalry" in the beginning. The payoff was not quite the same as I'd expected. But dialogue in this was very fun to follow and it made their dates and misadventures all the more fun. Most of the conversations appeared very natural and for a book like this, I considered it extremely important to hit that mark. Pacing slowed a little for me at times, but as this is a romance it is easy enough to overlook especially with how the ending rolled itself into a neat little ball.

This is definitely a read for lovers of love, and those who just want something light and sweet to sink their teeth into.

Conventionally Yours was a fun and light-hearted read that tugged at my nerdy, gay heartstrings. With a cross-country road trip and a familiar-feeling card game at the heart of the plot, I had a feeling that this book would appeal to me.

At first, I was a little disappointed with the cast because they felt like caricatures of real people in that they came across very one-dimensional. Thankfully our main characters, Alden and Conrad, open up and we get some more insightful character development that made the characters likeable and life-like.

While I do not read romance too often and don't have a good gauge for when we should start seeing the sparks fly, I thought that the pacing was okay. The beginning was a bit slow, but once all the pieces clicked into place the story really took off, and I was happy to be along for the ride.

3.5 stars. The pace was a bit slow for me, but I like how Annabeth Albert took the time to really show how these people who didn't like each other much could slowly open themselves up to each other within a short period of time using forced proximity and road trip tropes. I was expecting more time at the actual convention itself, rather than the lead-up to it, and I wish there had been more explanation about how the tabletop game worked; not being familiar with that world, I was a bit lost at the beginning. But the story itself is well plotted, with genuine stakes for both characters.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh how I really enjoyed this one. A very good and thoughtful read that I really connected with.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I recommend this one so much!

I enjoyed this gamer-geek, new adult read from Annabeth Albert, even though I've read more compelling books from her in the past. Conventionally Yours is a bit different from what I've previously read from Annabeth Albert, but I think it will please many fans of hers, especially those who like her #gaymers series.

Truthfully, I much prefer the tension and faster pace of her military romances, but this story had a lot to like. I enjoyed the diversity of Conventionally Yours, and I'm always excited to get a Jewish MC (even though I wish Jewish characters were shown to be good at cooking things other than latkas, but that's neither here nor there). I know this is a little been there, done that but the stereotype of the pushy, overachieving Jewish parents is a real thing, and I enjoyed seeing Jewish characters I identified with here. Plus, we get a neuro-diverse MC, which I absolutely love in romance.

I know literally nothing about gaming, and I think it might help if you are at least interested in gaming to keep you engaged in this story. The plot is pretty focused on the actual act of gaming, and I found those parts to be a little... boring. It isn't my thing, so maybe it would help if it was your thing, though I don't think it's a requirement to enjoy this story.

Also, I think this is the first new adult book I've read from this author, and I have to say, I missed the heat from her previous books. It isn't fade-to-black, but it's very tame, especially from Annabeth Albert. Perhaps that reflects the younger age of the characters or the more mainstream publisher or just the author's mood, but it's something readers might want to know going into the story.

I found the enemies-to-lovers plotline to be very fun (as it always it), plus we get one of my favorite plot devices ( There is only one bed in the hotel room! ), which is always a winner for me.

The romance itself was just okay, and I wish I felt more sparks between them. I'm not sure if it's because the middle of the book felt very draggy (just a looooong time road-tripping), but the romance and tension between the two MCs wasn't at the level that I was expecting.

A solid new adult romance for those who enjoy gaming and Annabeth Albert, though I don't think this series is exactly my speed. I'm excited for this author to have a mainstream publisher and I can't wait to see where her career goes next.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I had been dying to get my hands on an early copy of Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert. I screamed like a fan girl when I was approved on Netgalley, I then proceeded to devour the story and it did not disappoint.

This New Adult MM romance is about to young men who are enemies in the Odyssey gaming world. The animosity towards each other during the game bleeds into their day to day life. When the opportunity of a lifetime is offered, playing in the biggest Odyssey gaming tournament, they both have their reasons to win. Winning can change both of their personal lives for the better they just have to survive a two week road trip before the real competition even begins. Along the way they discover that each of them is more than meets the eye. In the end they both question what prize they want to really want to win and if it's worth taking the risk.

Our two main characters, Conrad and Alden, are perfect opposites on the outside. Conrad comes of as a charming playboy with lots of friends and a care free attitude. Alden as a brilliant perfectionist with the dream family who has it all figured it. Inside they are both very uncertain about their future and struggles with their own of insecurity and self-worth. Together they balance each other out and it was sweet to see them take care of the other in their own ways. From Alden always making sure Conrad ate enough and Conrad distracting him when his anxiety got the best of him. Their romance and intimacy was slow built and precious that evolves into some tastefully steamy scenes. Their road trip includes fun at the arcade, a date under the stars, triangle pizza, and some unexpected car troubles.

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert was everything I wanted it to be. It was a big warm hug when I needed it and I can't wait to see what comes next in the series!

5 star

OMG. I just finished this book and it left me with a thousand butterflies in my belly.

So!

This is the latest book from Annabeth Albert featuring a enemies to lovers slow-burn romance that will make you scream with how cute it is!

First we have Conrad, one of our boys and part of this group playing Odyssey cards under Professor Tuttle, alias Gamer Grandpa. Conrad has had a horrible year, he seems to have dropped out of university, he's having problems at work and on top of that, it appears that he will be soon out of a home. Everything will probably change if he just can win this Odyssey tournament that Professor Tuttle has got them tickets for... if only he didn't have to drive for days with his archenemy.

Alden is our seemingly perfect, follow-the-rules boy. Even if his life looks like a dream from the outside, he's struggling with tremendous anxiety and trying to make his moms understand that he's not something that needs fixing. When Professor Tuttle says the group has a shot at winning the Odyssey tournament and that the winner will have the opportunity of going pro, he know all of his woes will finally end. If only he didn't have to deal with Conrad and focus on the game...

So out two boys end up going on a field trip of sorts, where all kind of clichés happen. Including the "OMG, THERE´S ONLY ONE BED AND TWO OF US" that I adore so much.

I was very happy when the author granted my wish. I love Annabeth Albert's books and this one is no different. The characters felt like real people and not this image of perfect boys that are so common in books lately. The problems were very relatable and the whole story just had a spark that made me want to read more and more. I would not be angry if Annabeth continued writing about these boys.

Overall, I really loved the story and I can't wait for it to be published! I would love if it was translated into Spanish, my native language.

This was a really cute story. I believe this is Annabeth Albert's first foray into the world of New Adult Queer fiction and I think it's a really good one. Basically? This is an enemies to friends to ... maybe more... (I'm not telling) set in the world of competitive gaming and vlogging.

The basic concept behind the relationship may not be new but what Albert does with it is interesting! At the beginning of the novel, Alden and Conrad don't like each other... in fact, they sort of tolerate each other's presence because they game together and participate on a gaming channel. The interesting part comes about because they don't really know each other.

As the novel progresses, Albert peels away the layers and it becomes clear that neither Alden nor Conrad are what they seem. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters as they got to know one another.

Alden was probably my favorite character. He is neurodiverse and finds it challenging to be in a lot of social situations. The other thing he finds challenging? The fact that his two moms have planned out his life for him. He's definitely not on the same page as they but doesn't have a real concrete idea of where he does want to be headed. Alden is sweet and I loved the way he was so hesitant with Conrad at first. In spite of the fact that he finds social interactions challenging, Alden's first instincts always seem to be to help people and that makes him an endearing character.

Conrad is outwardly the "Popular" guy. He's handsome and seems to have everything together. The problem is that behind the smile things aren't all that great. Conrad is losing his accommodations, he's struggling to work as many jobs as he can and he hadn't finished school. He's estranged from his family because of an emotionally abusive relationship with his father. He loves his sister... and has a strained relationship with his mother but stays away from them because of his father.

When a gaming convention comes up it seems like the answer to both Conrad's and Alden's problems. They agree to go and compete while vlogging... and embark upon a road trip even though they both expect to be irritated beyond belief by each other!

As the other members of the squad peel away until Conrad and Alden are eventually left alone, they being to actually get to know each. As the romance blossoms, the characters are revealed as being complex and likable. It's unclear whether their issues will let them become more than friends... and what about the competitive nature of the tournament they have entered? Only one of them can win... and change his future. What will happen to their friendship and budding romance?

This book is light and an easy read. The characters were well-written, and I liked them. Probably have a bit of an understanding of the gaming world would help but don't let that stop you from reading!