Without realizing it, I picked up this title having the first book in the series on my to-read list. It checked a couple of my boxes for interests and who doesn't like a book about nerds falling in love?

Jasper and Milo used to be great friends at one time. In each others pocket, they would hang out and play fantastical and normal games. Then high school happened. Milo became a jock and Jasper came out. Jasper was belittled and bullied. Instead of standing up for his friend, Milo joined in. Fast forward to now and Milo is in a pickle, the one person who can help is Jasper. Jasper's conditions aren't difficult; he has to help Jasper by dressing up and working with sick kids. But all the time together again proves ... interesting. Bringing up some feelings old and new.

Firstly, the narrators. They were okay? I guess my big issue was there were times where I felt the emotions they were relaying for the characters didn't hit the right note. (Too much or not enough). It worked though I suppose.

Next tropes. In a romance, you have a really obvious trope of what this is following. It's not really friends to lovers, because they weren't really friends anymore. It's not really a second chances romance--because they've never had a shot at romance before. But it's really an enemies to lovers either because I don't really think they were enemies before, just had a falling out. It is undefinable? Not sure. Hence the conundrum.

Beyond the conundrum, it was pretty good. I liked the fact that Milo essentially got to come out to Jasper first and explore who he was as a gay (bi?) man with someone he knew/trusted so much. I think it's the best experience it could be. It seems sexually they were really compatible and that definitely would make a difference. I hope going forward in their relationship, Milo is really able to stand up for himself. I think that's needed.

I think my biggest problem with this story is I just didn't like the characters. Milo has been through it and I get that. Jasper had in his own way too. But high school was over. These men were in their mid-20's. Still living in their hometown. But Jasper for some reason thought it was okay to treat Milo terribly. He never really brought forth much of anything when it comes to redeemable qualities. Milo was near the end starting to come into his own? And not sounding like a wounded puppy all the time. But I still didn't really care for him.

If it weren't for the plot of this story, I honestly would probably be giving this a star, but the plot is why I liked it. The characters just weren't great. Thank you for the ARC!

Annabeth Albert continues to crack me up with her stories of gamers! A world I truly know little about, but I'm captivated (probably because it's so different from everything I knowJ). Ms. Albert does a marvelous job explaining how these things work - collecting and building the decks, the actual playing of the game, and the whole culture surrounding it.

A true friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, Out of Character is a whole lotta fun.

Dual audio by Kirt Graves and Joel Froomkin. (The narrators take turns performing with each of their pov's.) I always love Kirt Graves' accents, and he does a wonderful job with Milo here.

I received an advanced audio copy of Out of Character through NetGalley so I could share my review with you! Though Out of Character is technically the second book in the “True Colors” series, the novels focus on different sets of protagonists, so my review is spoiler-free for the first book, Conventionally Yours. However, if you enjoy this review of Out of Character, be sure to check out my review of Conventionally Yours as it is also an excellent read!

Jasper Quigley and Milo Lionetti were best friends once, but that was years ago. Before all the high school drama, they were nearly inseparable, though Milo destroyed that trust along with any connection they had when he chose his jock friends over Jasper. The pair haven’t spoken in years until circumstances force them back together. Milo needs Jasper’s help to make up for a mistake he made over a drunken bet which cost him something that wasn’t his to be gambling with in the first place. Jasper needs Milo (or some other equally muscular and handsome guy) to stand in for a key member of his cosplay group for a hospital visit. Though their friendship is a thing of the past, they’ll have to put aside their differences if they want to work together.

I was a huge fan of the first book in the series, Conventionally Yours, in all of its gamer-glory, and I am pleased to report that Out of Character is every bit as good! This story has a lot of well-written romantic moments and is wonderfully set against the backdrop of fandom and gaming. I especially appreciated the integration of a cosplay element, which set this book apart from its predecessor. I cannot wait to read what will come next in the “True Colors” series, as this book cemented Albert’s place as one of my absolute favorite romance authors.

Though I loved Annabeth Albert’s writing and characters, I noticed myself struggling with the narrators for Out of Character. I found the narrator for Jasper’s character to be particularly difficult to listen to, as it felt like he was trying to emphasize every single word. I do enjoy enthusiasm from narrators, but in this case, it was rather overwhelming to my ears. At times I realized that I was feeling relieved when the story would shift away from Jasper’s perspective to give my ears a bit of a break. In spite of my issue with the narration, I found this book to be extremely enjoyable, and I will definitely want to listen to more of Annabeth Albert’s books in the future.

My Recommendation-
If you enjoy steamy queer romances with complex characters, you need to check out the True Colors series! Annabeth Albert’s books would be perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston, Cat Sebastian, or Olivia Waite.

Nerdy, swoony, and steamy. I loved Milo and Jasper's story, especially the children's hospital cosplay scenes and Milo's overall redemption arc. Highly recommend this read!

Are you looking for an emotionally satisfying, sexy M/M new adult romance? OF COURSE YOU ARE. Annabeth Albert has given us another winner from her True Colors series!

OUT OF CHARACTER is a childhood friends to enemies to lovers novel; this trope-tastic book will rip your heart out, then put it back together even better than before. Following Jasper, everyone’s favorite bestie, but never anyone’s favorite boyfriend, and Milo, his former best friend and eternal screwup.

Milo needs Jasper’s help after he’s swindled out of valuable cards. Jasper still hasn’t forgiven Milo for ruining their childhood friendship, but they reach a shaky truce. Jasper will help Milo find the cards, Milo will fill in cosplay with Jasper’s troop at the hospital.

Drawing heavily on coming-of-age themes and self-acceptance. Jasper and Milo’s HEA is extremely hard-won. There are moments that will make you laugh out loud (Milo’s reaction to his cosplay costume comes to mind), cry, and turn the pages until late in the night.

While Jasper had an emotional journey in this book, Milo stole my heart. If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey’s HEAT STROKE, you’ll fall in love with Milo. I know I did! I was prepared not to like him, but he stole my heart page after page. He’s a down on his luck former jock and has made some BIG mistakes. Life continually knocks him down, and he continually gets back up, each time a little wiser. By the time the book ends, you know he’s exactly who Jasper needs. I’ll think about his character for a long, long time to come.

I thought the middle of the book dragged just a touch. The emotional push and pull was angsty and delicious, but for a few chapters it felt like Jasper and Milo were having the same conversations over and over. Not long enough to truly impact my enjoyment, but I think it could have been tightened up a little bit.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was fabulous! I enjoyed the dual narrators, and both men brought the characters to life. Milo’s accent was especially delicious.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. The romance is so satisfying and I actually fell in love with both main characters. The scenes with Milo’s family at the end? I am crying just thinking about them! I need 1000 more books in this series ASAP!

**I received a free copy of this audiobook in order to provide an honest review**

Out of Character is a perfectly harmless, kind of shallow, overly sweet confection that while amusing is never really satisfying. Neither main character felt like anything more than "jock" and "geek;" even their friends fit neatly into the narrow clichés. The audio narration was similarly problematic in that it felt overacted and unrealistic. I never got into either main character and recommend listening to a sample before purchasing the audio version.

Story: Milo and Jasper grew up together but grew apart in junior high: Milo pursued athletics while Jasper enjoyed the sciences. When Jasper was hard bullied, Milo just watched and never stood up for his old friend. Now, at 20, Milo is reconsidering a life where the 'popular jocks' became blue collar losers and the geeks look to be having fun. When Milo drunkenly bets away his beloved older brother's Odyssey cards in a game, he runs to Jasper for help. But Jasper has a long memory of both loving and hating his former best friend.

Obviously, Odyssey is a riff on a Magic: The Gathering type of card game and has it's own 'power nine' - a set of rare card worth more than a new car. Milo is a dilettante with the game and so doesn't realize when he bets the cards that they have that much worth. Jasper, fortunately, works at a game store and cane help Jasper to get a new set before Milo's brother returns from the military. This is the crux of the story: former enemies working together so they fall in love.

Of course, all jocks are evil and bad. All geeks are lovable and sweet (with the exception of George - who is not really included in the geek set since he cheats). As Milo agrees to cosplay an Odyssey card for sick hospitalized children, he begins to bond with the geeks and realizes that hey, he too is gay and in love with Jasper. It all feels very pat - and it was. Milo's jock friends are 'bros' who just want to get drunk , eat pizza, steal each other's food out of the fridge, and hook up with chicks. Jasper's friends, on the other hand, spend their time helping out sick children and making their lives better. So yes, the stereotyping and demonizing was in full effect and honestly very trite.

The audio narration was not enjoyable. The actors did their parts but Jasper's narrator over emphasized every 3 words or so and had a speech tic that was distracting. It was a lot of over-emoting. Milo's actor adopted a very suspicious "jersey boy" accent along with a 'jock' deep voice that made him sound like he had been hit in the head one too many times with a soccer ball. At one point, I walked past my husband with the book on speaker and after hearing it for 2 seconds, my husband asked why the voice actor was overacting so strongly.

In all, this is a Twinkie of a book. Light and fluffy but with empty calories and not very satisfying. Reviewed from an advance reader listener copy provided by the publisher.

I absolutely loved this book and the narrators did an AMAZING job!! I I was pulled into Jasper and Milo's story from the very beginning and the way Kirt and Joel brought them to life made me feel for them even more. If you need a sweet, heartfelt, enemies-to-lovers story to immerse yourself in, look no further!

I didn't know I could love another book as much as I loved Conventionally Yours. Plus, childhood best friends to enemies to lovers sounds great, but when the enemies phase means that Milo became Jasper's high school bully...I wasn't sure I could love it, love them as a couple.

I was wrong. I came to love Milo so deeply* to resonate with Jasper's capacity to forgive but admire his ability to own and recognize his own worth and set boundaries.

I kind of thought this was a 4 star book...right up until chapter 36, which, no spoilers, but then to the end was so beyond satisfying.

The narration is phenomenal. This has become my comfort audiobook. I fall asleep to it every night.

I hope you give this story a chance, and if you like it, you should read the first one, too! This book CAN stand alone, but why would you want it to when the first is so good?

Highest rec. Annabeth Albert continues to wow me.

I can why some people might really enjoy Out of Character, it did have its moments and it featured some tropes people go crazy for. With that said, this book just wasn't for me.

It wasn't a bad book per say, but it wasn't a great book either in my opinion. The book in general just wasn't memorable at all to me ; and my enjoyment really suffered; due to a lack of connection I felt towards both the main characters and their romance. The amount of times the dialogue made me roll my eyes due to corniness didn't help either.

overall it was an okay read but not my cup of tea.

The book was amazing. The plot and the story were great. The Narrators were good. I liked that there were too. My only complaint is that sometimes it was hard to know who's chapter it was. I like this author because she writes such realistic people. I can't wait for more in this series.

4 Stars!

“Milo the guy I’ve been sending racy fan-art drawings to and kissing good night” didn’t especially roll off the tongue, even if it was maybe more accurate."

This was a simply adorable read with depth and a surprising amount of steam in it. I really wasn't sure what to expect going in, as this was a new author for me. But I was quickly hooked by Jasper's geeky goodness and Milo's regret and vulnerability.

I received an audio ARC of this book from NetGalley, so my review will focus on the audio version of this book.

There were two different male narrators here. I loved Jasper's character's delivery. The narrator did an excellent job. I struggled a bit with the narrator who did Milo's character. He definitely has a great voice. I liked his delivery better when he read the chapter headings, though, which I guess is his natural voice? His New England accent was spot on. His delivery just seemed kind of lofty and forced at times. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't always sound as natural as I felt it could have.

But that was really my only struggle with the audio.

This is a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story. Milo and Jasper were childhood best friends, until Jasper came out, and then they weren't. And Milo, at the time, as his younger closeted self, was not a supportive friend, to say the least. Now, years, later, Milo needs Jasper's help.

This story definitely had Him, by Sarina Bowen vibes, though not nearly as sexy. And speaking of sex, there actually was a considerable amount of steam here, though it was all pretty much closed door.

"He turned me slightly in his embrace so he could peer into my eyes. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

My next breath strangled in my throat, and I made a choking noise. “Okay. That’s…”

“Too much?” His cheeks took on a bright-pink stain and he sounded like he’d been running.

“No.” I stretched to give him a gentle kiss, trying to put my awe and appreciation into it because God knew I lacked the words. And courage. “Never too much.”

This is a heartwarming romance about two friends healing and overcoming the hurts of their past. It's also about loving and believing in yourself. I would recommend it to all M/M lovers and would definitely read/listen to this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, who provided me with an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let this review serve as a reminder to myself that Joel Froomkin is the same person as Joel Leslie, one pseudonym acting in an American accent and another in a British accent. I struggle with Joel's narration and had I been properly paying attention, I wouldn't have requested this on audio. He does one POV, Kirt Graves does the other (and some of AA's other books) and every time Joel's voice came back on my brain would rebel. It is what it is.

As it is, I didn't finish the audiobook and instead ended up buying a paper copy to zip through and finish. Like the first in the series, Conventionally Yours, this is about two "new adult" men who have an enemies-to-lovers vibe. As a geek, however, I'm reading this series more for the very accurate--including the cringey bits--depiction of geek culture. My family plays Magic the Gathering and the game in this series is basically my partner's Friday nights. When I told him the premise of this book he was like "did you know that there was originally an 'ante' requirement at the start of every game and then they got rid of it because people were fighting over having to give up valuable cards blah blah blah..." So yeah, Albert got the geeky stuff right. Even if I hadn't read her Gaymers books, it's clear that she's comfortable with this particular brand of fandom.

Out of Character runs a bit long, but if you (like me) are into the geeky stuff, you won't mind. The romance isn't really second-chance, but whatever the trope is where you end up in opposite groups in high school and then later in life find a way to be friends again. (In this case boyfriends.)

In all - recommended if you like geeky romance, particularly if you like Magic or other competitive trading card games. I guess the audio is probably good if you like Joel Leslie/Froomkin's narration.

I got the audio book off of Netgalley, these opinions are my own. I really liked this book. I was a big fan of Conventionally Yours and I liked Jaspers character so when I found out there was going to be another book with Jasper as the protagonist I was so excited! And Milo is just a perfect character! I really enjoyed the history that these two had together and how the relationship changed and grew over time. I enjoyed seeing the character growth with Milo! Annabeth Albert does such an amazing job of writing love and the pains it takes to get there. And I enjoyed getting to catch up with Conner and Alden as well! Kirt Graves and Joel Froomkin really brought the book to life for me.

*4.5 stars
**I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review**
This is a really fun rom-com following childhood friends Jasper and Milo. Their friendship ended on a sour note in high school, but they reconnect as Jasper is about to finish college. Throughout the book you can see the history they have together shaping their feelings, which was super sweet. But I was really impressed with the ending. I love any third-act conflict that doesn't break up the main couple. The conflict here was very subtle but Annabeth Albert expertly displayed a change in perspective occurring in just a few seconds. The impact was just as strong but the actual plot elements were more nuanced.

I'm so sad to say that I DNFed this one at 40%. While it seems like a lot of people had problems with the audiobook, I honestly didn't mind it. I love Kirk Graves (he narrates the Green Creek series by TJ Klune), but even that wasn't enough for me to power through it. The characters read veryyyy young, despite the fact that they are both 20-somethings in college. In particular Jasper was completely insufferable and immature, to the point where it was impossible for me to have any stake in his and Milo's relationship. I'm super bummed that this just didn't work for me, because it was one of my highly anticipated reads this year.

I ultimately rated this book 2 stars because I do think there will be people out there who will enjoy this, and don't want to rate it any lower considering I didn't finish it.

Couldn't handle the narrators of this book, so I may pick up the ebook copy when it comes out because I wanted to like this story so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I put this audiobook down and continued to listen again a few times to see if I’d get used to the narrators. But, it just didn’t work for me. The narrating was quite over done and over dramatic. The voice chosen for one of the characters did not match. It was disappointing because the premise sounded really interesting. It would have probably been better if I read the book.

Hmm. I wanted to like this, but... no.

This is a high school romance. Yes, the characters are 22 year old adults with jobs and aspirations, but I really think that's only to avoid discomfort during the spicy bits. I'm an adult who doesn't cosplay and never got into Magic the Gathering, so maybe I just don't "get" the culture. idk.

The story could've taken a much more interesting direction, too, but I predicted every single move; I suspect I could beat Jasper at Odyssey. But what really surprised me is the fact that Jasper and Milo even fell for each other in the first place. On one page, they hated each other's guts, on the next they were promising each other forever. Just did not feel the romance at all.

What's great about this book, though, is the careful handling of being a late bloomer in the LGBTQ+ community. Jasper knew how he felt from an early age, but not so for Milo. His fumbling awkwardness and internal struggle is great to see represented in a positive love story without too many roadblocks.

Another great thing is that this title absolutely works as a standalone. I didn't even know it was part of a series until writing this review. The narrators are distinctive with their Tim Gunn and Cousin Vinny soundalike voices, so they were pretty fun to listen to.

It's a complete story with colorful characters and a strong appreciation of nerd culture. If that's your thing and you happen to be a high schooler with a bestie-turned-bully-turned-lover problem, you may really resonate with this story. I'm not, so I didn't.

A lovely romance! I am a sucker for friends to lovers, so this friends to enemies to friends to lovers was right up my alley. Plus, the backdrop of cosplay felt tailor made (pun intended) for me. The family dynamics were explored in a nuanced way, which I also appreciated, and I was so glad to see the disability rep. I did wish there had been a bit more exploration of Milo and Jasper outside of their relationship to each other, in particular with their friends/communities (the older professor and his partner were a highlight for me), as I got a little bit of a tunnel vision effect with the story, but that might just be me. Solid and fun!

This is my first audiobook from NetGalley. I don't often listen to audiobooks in general - I am just getting into them. Previously, I only listened to them on long drives, but I've been incorporating them more into my regular routine. All that to say - since they aren't something I consume frequently, I am still fairly particular when it comes to narrators, pacing, acting, etc.

Unfortunately, this book was a pass for me. I was only able to make it about 1/3 through the audiobook before I had to stop listening because I just could not continue listening to the narrators. I know that some folks appreciate a '"full cast" - a different narrator for each character in the book. Unfortunately, I do not. And yes, this was kind of an over-the-top YA novel, but the narrators felt like they were over-acting. I spent so much time rolling my eyes at the narrators that I would lose the thread of the story.

I want to be clear that this review is for the narrators reading this particular storyonly. I am a big fan of the premise of the book - I think we need more books portraying gay male relationships. I enjoy YA LGBTQ romance in general and the parts of the story I was able to follow were cute and witty. I also think the narrators are probably very well suited for some type of performance - something more dramatic? - I just don't think it was for this particular book.