What a cute, second-chance romance novel!
Out of Character is such a fun, heart warming book that I very much enjoyed!
I have not read the first in this series so now I'm gonna back track lol but still anyone who enjoys a cute, fun, romance needs this book.in their lives!
Going to be a hit when it hits the shelves July!

Thank You NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this advance ebook!

Jasper Quigley is the ultimate sidekick, always around to help family and friends, whether it's lending a hand or cracking a joke. Jasper knows that every great story needs a good sidekick, but he still longs to be someone's hero. Not Milo Lionetti's though. Once best friends, Milo not only walked away from Jasper nearly a decade ago at the onset of high school, but he became a person who passively if not actively helped bully the "nerds" like Jasper from the safety of the jocks inner circle. But now, Milo needs Jasper's help. Milo has lost his older brothers prized playing cards and Jasper is the only gamer he knows who can maybe help get them back before his brother returns from overseas. Reluctant to make himself vulnerable to Milo again, Jasper still strikes a deal since he needs a Prince Neptune for some an upcoming cosplay event at the local children's hospital. When Milo doesn't bail after Jasper proposes the deal the two begin a quest that may not only restore the cards Milo's needs, but rebuild a friendship that could leave love.
A truly delightful contemporary romance that features former friends who became enemies and may just become lovers if everyone plays their cards rights. I loved this book. The alternating POV between Jasper and Milo worked really well in the building of their relationship and added a nice layer of complexity to the novel. Milo's character evolves exponentially over the course of the novel, but it Jasper grew with him as well. The exploration of friendships as we grow up and the necessity of cutting toxic people out of one's life to make room for new friends was a nice touch outside the romantic relationship. Jasper had an awesome friend group and the elder mentors relationship to the group was simply heartwarming. A phenomenally fun read I will be recommending to many romance readers. This is for grown up fans of "Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda" or "Red, White, and Royal Blue."

Milo Lionetti used to be close friends with Jasper Quigley but they grew apart when he joined the football team meaning it wasn't cool to be seen with a nerd like him. Things escalated so Jasper can't think of those times without feeling hurt so why is Milo coming into his gaming store asking him for help? Milo feels guilty about all that bullying and wishes he made better decisions growing up but his latest disaster means he's seriously going to disappoint his older brother so he needs Jasper's skills to rectify his mistake. A lovely trip back to the gaming world seen in Conventionally Yours.

Enemies-to-lovers? Tired. Friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers? Wired.
Out of Character was very much a story about making seemingly irreversible mistakes, second chances and a friendship that blossoms into more. Following Jasper and Milo, Annabeth Albert returns to the world of conventions and tabletop games and takes readers on an emotional ride. Jasper and Milo used to be best friends in school until Milo chose the soccer team over Jasper. Instead of standing by his best friend who was being bullied by those guys, Milo drew clear lines, not wanting to be associated with Jasper’s “nerdiness” because he likes role-play games reminiscent of D&D. Years after no contact, the two collide again as Milo needs Jasper’s help to retrieve valuable gaming cards he lost in a drunken moment of hubris.
I can see readers falling head over heels for Out of Character and rightly so. While the story takes quite a while to get going since the first part pretty much deals with establishing the backstory of Milo and Jasper, once it picks up, you’re in for quite an emotional journey. I loved how careful Jasper was when it came to letting Milo back in and how their past didn’t just magically disappear because they were attracted to each other in the present. Milo hurt Jasper a lot by giving up their friendship in order to stay with the cool crowd and that’s pain Jasper can’t forget or forgive easily. All the memories of their past and the impact it had on who they are now was so relatable and made my heart hurt because I think we’ve all had that one friend who abandoned us to move on to greener pastures and this relatability really shone through in this story.
The blooming romance between Jasper and Milo develops slowly yet naturally and I found myself invested in their relationship. There were a lot of intense feelings, regret and resignation in the beginning but the way everything is resolved definitely makes it worth it to keep reading.
While this is very much a character-driven story, we also have multiple side plots and characters that enrichen the story, for example Jasper’s younger sister April and Milo’s brother whose cards he gambled away. On top of that, there are loads of scavenger hunt moments as Milo and Jasper try to find the same deck of valuable playing cards, gaming references, and the occasional cute and fun date that had me swooning. Add to that the tension between Jasper and Milo, the fun cosplays and a redemption arc that feels like a punch to the heart, and you have a great romance.
A story of second chances, fun cosplay events and two main characters that will steal your heart, Out of Character is a sweet and restorative second installment in the True Colors series!

I friggin’ love this series from Annabeth Albert! As a geek and MTG player, it is so much fun to find that represented in a positive way! Another thing I really liked about this book is that it didn’t follow the typical romance format of meet, fall in love, miscommunication/someone-does-something-dumb-so-they-break-up, realize they’re dumb and actually talk to each other, then happy ever after. They just fell in love, worked through issues by talking and listening, and happy ever after. Both characters were super lovable (though Jasper could get a bit annoying) and I just really loved this book.
4.5 stars

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book! Full review will be up on Pop-Culturalist.com closer to July 6th. This book is ideal for fans of Becky Albertalli. I actually read this one as a book club pick with the Love, Arctually book club. It's a friends-to -enemies to friends-to-lovers book. Jasper and Milo's heartbreaking story also has a lot of humourous moments in it. This is one you'll want to read if you're into contemporaries!

Another solid addition to this series! Friends-enemies-lovers is always interesting. Lots of fun, quirky gamer fun. Mild sex and a lot of fluff! I really enjoyed Milo.

Read the book in one sitting. Adored the dynamic between the two protagonists. The author managed to inhabit both of them beautifully. A novel about misconceptions, second chances with heartwarming secondary characters. My only note would be that the happy ending seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the novel.

Schöne Liebesgeschichte

Wer nach einer frischen, schönen Liebesgeschichte sucht, bei der aus ehemaligen Freunden ein Paar wird, ist bei dem Buch genau richtig.

Ich habe vor einigen Jahren bereits einmal ein paar Bücher der Autorin gelesen und fand diese auch nicht schlecht, habe dann aber doch eine Pause von ihren Romanen genommen. Andere Bücher haben mich schlicht mehr angesprochen. Da sich „Out of character“ aber wunderbar frisch anhörte und mich das Cover angezogen hat, wollte ich dem Buch unbedingt eine Chance geben.

Nach dem ich das Buch nun gelesen habe, bin ich froh mal wieder zu einem Werk der Autorin gegriffen zu haben, wenn auch nicht alles im Buch für mich perfekt funktioniert hat.

Den Einstieg und Mittelteil des Buches fand ich stark. Ich habe es genossen, mehr über Milo und Jasper zu erfahren und fand es bewegend, wie beide einander so langsam näher gekommen sind. Überraschenderweise fand ich Milo als Charakter interessanter als Jasper. Seine Geschichte hat mich berührt und er wirkte auf mich echter als Jasper. Mit all seinen Problemen und Macken konnte ich mir Milo gut als richtige Person vorstellen, bei Jasper konnte ich das nur bedingt.

Der Verlauf der Geschichte ist interessant und in der Liebesgeschichte gibt es so manch schöne Szene. Gegen Ende fand ich einige der Entwicklungen etwas übertrieben (z.B. in Bezug auf Milos Karriere), etwas weniger wäre vielleicht mehr gewesen.

Alles rund um das Cosplay und das Kartenspiel fand ich leider nicht so richtig spannend, was vor allem mit meinen persönlichen Interessen zu tun hat und wenig mit der Darstellung der genannten Sachen im Buch. Wer damit mehr anfangen kann, wird wahrscheinlich auch noch mehr Spaß mit der Geschichte haben.

Da mich das Buch gut unterhalten konnte, ohne komplett zu überzeugen, gebe ich „Out of character“ 3,75 Sterne.

Teens will enjoy this romance coming of age story set in the world of tabletop gaming. Strong characters and shifting points of view.

I didn't always know the enemies-to-lovers trope would be my thing regardless of the characters. Whether it's two guys, two girls, or a guy and a girl I love it and I love for it. I love the snark and the drama and the made-up reasons to avoid each other and then come back together. The plot for this didn't reach me as much as some others, but it'll be perfect for gamers and nerds alike even if games aren't your thing.

With Conventionally Yours being one of my favorite books from last year and introducing me to the wonderful Annabeth Albert I was so excited when Out of Character was announced! A chance to slip back into the Odyssey universe- Sign me up!

Milo has made some really, really, really bad choices including losing his brothers extremely rare Odyssey cards and now is asking Jasper to help him get new ones. Too bad he treated Jasper horribly in high school and Jasper is not ready to forgive him. Jasper does have a way that Milo can earn his trust and hopefully the cards back, cosplay!

I truly love a book where we see the character grow- Milo going from the bully to discovering himself was an amazing arc. Milo’s struggle to come out to to his family and embrace the life he could have was so heartbreaking but rewarding. Jasper, just adorable, like no other words. His hero complex of trying to help Milo, take care of his sister and be the best Frog Wizard made him an extremely likable and fun character. His self confidence was inspiring.

There were some sexy but not graphic scenes. Their communication about consent and the care taken with the sex led to their caring, tender relationship.
I loved the side characters of April and the professors. It was fun to see Conrad and Alden again!

Overall, a fun, sweet, read with a great message about embracing who you are and being brave.

I have loved everything Annabeth has put out...until this one. For some reason, I couldn't get into it. I got to chapter 7 and just didn't like the characters, the story, or any of the side characters. I will still read her but this one just wasn't for me. :(

Adorable second foray into the Gamer Grandpa group! We met Jasper in the first book as a supporting character in the Odyssey playing podcast. The structure of this story almost made Jasper a supporting character in his own love story, though... The story really focused on the trauma happening around him - with his love interest, Milo, his little sister, even the tragedy of homophobia running rampant - Jasper seemed secondary. Milo had a fabulous character arc, recognizing and coming out as gay and growing beyond his close-minded friends and family legacy. The two came together through manipulation and desperation, leaving the love story feeling a little Stockholm. Still a fun read, and great for young and new adults - the sex scenes are a step up from fade to black, focusing on the feelings and not graphic physicality.

A sweet new adult and first love story. It took me a little bit to get into this story (unlike Conventionally Yours, which sucked me in immediately) and I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to like Milo. Fortunately that wasn’t the cases after a few chapters I got a better sense of him and both characters ended up being well developed and like able. The treasure hunt aspect of this was great, and the side characters were fun. This was a satisfying romance.

I loved this book so much, I don't know how to begin this review!

Jasper, Jasper, Jasper. The ultimate book boyfriend if I've ever witnessed one. He's kind, generous, has a huge hero complex and is just an all round amazing guy. Then we have Milo that made some mistakes in his life and needs a second chance for someone to believe in him and fix his mistakes. Who better than Book Boyfriend Jasper?

Everyone is going to fall in love with this book. I sure did. The duo of Jasper and Milo is a force to be reckoned with, and such a delight to read. It was so sweet I'm getting cavities. Seriously. I'm going to remember this book for a long time.

I loved the first book of the series and this one topped that one off! It's the series that keeps on giving.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the earc in return for an honest review.