3/5 stars! I liked but didn't love this story. The premise was interesting and I liked getting to know Cass. I used to play World of Warcraft online religiously and had a close group of online friends so I connected with that portion of the story. I struggled to connect with the other characters as much. Would be worth a re-read down the road. Loved the cover.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

There’s nothing like having books for the nerds. Having queer nerds? A masterpiece if I do say so myself. Watching Cass figure out her future and how she handles problems was cutting a little close to comfort. It was like looking in the mirror during some parts and I was going to keep ignoring my responsibilities before I got called out.

Cass self destructing because she was getting overwhelmed with problems happening in her life is something that’s relatable. I think that’s a tendency a lot of people have but don’t acknowledge. Cass was recognizing she was ruining her relationships and goals in life but was unable to properly stop it. It showed her making mistakes and trying to learn how to live with reality. The book was realistic in that aspect. She did have a tendency to blame her actions on other people which I did not agree with. Her saying she didn’t have her college applications prepared because her parents didn’t have the dates or information ready was a poor excuse. Her parents should’ve been there to help but she can’t blame that all on them.

The first half I was enjoying Cass’s journey but the second half wasn’t as strong. Her relationship with Taylor felt unnecessary and how she treated Taylor was cruel at times. Cass apologized but it didn’t really feel heartfelt. She knew very quickly she didn’t really want to be with Taylor and anytime she was called out on it she got defensive. She unfairly strung this girl along and Taylor is no saint but she was properly trying for a relationship while Cass put it no effort. I think if Cass had no other love interest I would’ve liked this story more.

Cass diving into something with Rowan right after ending things with Taylor ruined it for me. Cass said she wasn’t going to dive into anything quickly but she did. Twice now. It would’ve been better if Cass stayed single and worked on her relationships with herself, family, and friends. She had way too many unresolved problems to be going right into another romance.

Overall, I did enjoy parts of the book but did not agree with the ending.

I requested a copy of this from NetGalley the second Jenna mentioned it was available for requests.* You see, Jenna and I started book blogging around the same time all those years ago and I remember bonding over Austen, but I also remember when she started to talk about writing and NaNoWriMo and all the other things that went into the drafts and early works of the novel and we’ve stayed in contact on Insta, oh hey internet friend.

So when she announced not only that she got an agent, had a novel accepted, AND that it was about internet friends. I was like OMG I have to read it. And y’all it was 100% worth the read. There is a spoiler or two after the jump so if you want to read it and don’t want to know anything skip it until you’ve read it.

Out of Character is the story of Cass, an out and happy in her plus-sized body senior in high school who has a lively and active online life that is starting to impact her real life. It’s also the story of her best friend Tate, her best friend online Rowan, her ex Greg, and her first girlfriend Taylor. And that also part is important because minor characters can make or break a story for me.

You said you had a thing for me, and it’s fine if it’s nothing more than that. But gods, Rowan, I love you. I didn’t think I knew what that word meant, but then it hit me like an oar to the face. You’re everything people describe in movies and books that I used to roll my eyes at, but you’re more than that. You’re the person I tell all my big and little stuff to. You make me feel brave. I wouldn’t even be here right now if you didn’t do the kinds of things you do to me. And I know I’ve messed up a lot, and I haven’t always been a good friend, but— (Chapter 27)

I struggled a little with Cass’s growth in the novel and even messaged Jenna at one point and was like “OMG great job with the anxiety building, but OMG Cass sort out your shit.” And, thankfully, Cass did sort it out and the culmination was perfectly written. It wasn’t idealized, it wasn’t too saccharine, it was just teenagers sorting out their happy for now and trying to figure out what next. That was after I messaged her about the Jane Austen shout-out in Chapter 3, which just made me so so so happy.

After catching up, I opened a Word document to start my essay on Jane Austen—the original queen of soft snark. The classics didn’t woo me like they did some people, but I loved Austen. Writing about her didn’t feel like homework, especially when my teacher let me write about why certain characters were obviously queer. (Chapter 3)

Weirdly, my favorite character was Greg, Cass’s first and only ex-boyfriend. For some reason, their interactions were just so well written and I laughed every time they interacted with each other, and their final scenes together were the exact chuckle I needed at the time. I hope they connect at college and hold each other to what they want to do.

Three things stood out to me that didn’t quite work or could’ve been done differently for me. The first is something in the acknowledgments and I don’t know if it was the publisher who made the call, but I’m always reading them in the acknowledgments and I’m like OMG PUT THIS IN THE FRONT MATTER ON THE FIRST PAGE:

I wrote Cass as a happily out queer nerd who loves her body because it’s what anyone in her shoes deserves and something that took me far too long to realize for myself. To anyone who’s figuring themselves out or doesn’t feel comfortable in their body, I see you. You’re valid, and you deserve to be seen and have your voice heard. This story is for you. Thank you for reading. (Acknowledgments)

It’s one of the reasons I ALWAYS read the acknowledgments, especially in a debut novel because that’s where the authors get to say “we see you.”

The second one was Cass’s body size/happiness in her body size. Love it, didn’t have any issues with it because representation matters, and I remember the first time I read a novel with a big and tall man on the front and mind-blown emoji. What didn’t work for me was that it seemed to happen sporadically and randomly throughout with it getting more and more noticeable as you moved through the novel. That could 100% be on my reading time and just my noticing it, but it almost felt like someone edited it out of the first part of the book and then were like it’s okay to talk about it more after X pages.

And the final one was I think me and less the book itself. There seemed to be a couple of time jumps (maybe a month or two) that were a little jarring. Again I could’ve read it funny, but the jump from Christmas to prom to graduation all seemed to happen with large lurches forward when the rest of the book seemed to be more evenly paced. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I feel like a subheader “x months later” or something like that would’ve made it feel a little more cohesive.

Recommendation: Read it. This is one of the better debut novels I’ve read recently! Not only were the protagonists unique and totally loveable, but the minor characters across the board just gave me all the happy feelings and warm thoughts and I didn’t even talk about Cass’s parents or the many other minor characters. I’m impressed I waited this long to read the book as I’ve been sitting on it for months, but I’m already excited for Jenna’s next release and can’t wait to see where she goes with it!

*I received a copy of Out of Character via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a story where the characters role play together. I’ve seen fandom stories, mainly cosplay and a bit of fanfiction, but this was completely new and I loved it. I loved the dynamics between the group, especially Cass and Rowan. All of the characters had their own important roles that really added to the story— Cass came full circle with her friendship with Greg, Autumn gave us the real struggle of friends who don’t want to stay in touch anymore, and Tate showed that sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, relationships don’t work out. Not everyone had a happy ending by the end of the book, and that made it so much better.

4 / 5 stars

This is a really cute romance with an extremely loveable cast of characters! I especially love the author's take on found family where the characters have already found–and made– their family.

The best word I can think of to describe it is <i>messy</i> because holy shit, was this an emotional roller coaster. Between the Main Character's general chaotic panic, family drama, friend drama, and a relationship...yeah, lots of ups and downs.

Personally, I didn't end up liking the Main Character's Super Cool Girlfriend (not a spoiler because it's in the description). I know we were supposed to but...she was kinda pushy? Honestly, I appreciate it, though, because it made her feel like a real person rather than a Super Cool Girlfriend archetype.

Every character felt really, well, real because of their flaws. The author did a really great job of infusing each character with a unique personality and portraying complicated situations with the nuance they deserve. I felt myself justifying every action alongside the characters while simultaneously wanting to throw them against a wall for their stupidity.

I don't roleplay or read fanfiction, but I loved the use of them as a creative medium–especially in the snippets of scenes we got to see between chapters. I wanna read Tide Wars so bad, and now I"m upset that it's not real!

As for the rep (fat, queer, and disabled), I think it was done really well. I am not fat, so I can't speak to that. I do feel that body positivity and at times neutrality were used really well, and I'm grateful to have read a book with a fat character where she was happy with her body and the issue was actually outside of herself instead of revolving around losing weight because that'd be shitty.

The addiction aspect of the story was handled fairly well. It was obvious that the author did research or has experience because it was less a plot point/flaw and more of a...thing that just is for the Main Character.

I wish the offhand line of therapy had been brought back into circulation later on in the book because that's also a good message to have. People recovering from addictions shouldn't have to do so without the support of a therapist, and people with as much drama (read:trauma) going on and notorious anxiety shouldn't have to fair through that alone either. It definitely felt like a missed opportunity.

Also, go the author for having characters be proud of each other for their solidity in their identities!

This was a cute story with lovable characters, fun, nerdy roleplaying, and a variety of relationships with the queer romance of the protagonist at the center of the narrative. I appreciated the commentary on anxiety, body positivity, and general high school drama. Excellent pick for a lighthearted, humorous read with layers of depth and characterization.

I’m on a blog tour for this and will post my review on my blog. Out of Character was such a fun book and the characters are incredibly relatable and quirky.

My FAVORITE kind of story: The kind that blurs the already-thin lines between fantasy and reality. AND with a fat protagonist at the helm??? YES PLEASE. This book is so thoughtful, so engaging, I've already preordered the copy I can put on my shelf (With my other fav colorful books! Look at that pop of pink!)

Out of Character is a story about a seventeen-year-old girl named Cass who is struggling to balance her offline and online lives. Cass is part of an online roleplaying community for the Tide Wars books, but she has kept this a secret from everyone in her real life. She uses roleplaying as an escape from her problems, such as her mother leaving and the stress of dating the "cool girl" Taylor. However, Cass starts to develop feelings for her internet friend Rowan and fears that Taylor might find out about her online activities. As Cass's lies and anxiety continue to grow, she must decide whether to be honest and risk losing her online safe space or keep it a secret and risk everything else.

While there were certainly aspects of the book that I appreciated, such as the growth of Cass's relationship with her father after Cass’s mother leaves them for another man, I found Cass herself to be a frustrating and immature character. Despite being seventeen years old, Cass seemed much younger due to her lack of self-control with regards to her online life and her tendency to gloss over important issues, such as her privacy being violated not once, but twice by her girlfriend. While I understand that Cass's immaturity may have been the point and that she did grow as a character, it wasn't enough at that point to redeem the book for me. The writing was un-engaging and the characters were underdeveloped. The love triangle between Cass, her internet friend Rowan, and her offline girlfriend Taylor was predictable and uninteresting. Overall, while the portrayal of Cass's relationship with her father was a highlight, the rest of the book fell short.

first of all - thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this!!

as soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew that I needed to read it as soon as possible. online friendships have always been important to me and a whole book revolving around them??? perfection

the plot, characters, atmosphere, and writing were all wonderful!! I'm buying a copy the second this book is released

As someone who met her best friend in middle school from role-playing online, this story was extremely special to me. I loved all the representation in the characters and that the characters had depth and were not written like caricatures. I loved the story, especially the friendships. The only critique I could make is I struggled to understand the relationship between the MC and initial love interest as I could not find the chemistry, but this was wrapped up by the end of the story. Will (and have) recommend this book!

This book was well written but I can’t help but feel like there was something missing from it, though I can’t put my finger on what.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I'm conflicted between a 3 and a 3.5 for this one.
Out of Character is about Cassidy, a high school senior, whose life gets upended when her Mom suddenly leaves her father and moves across the country with another man. At the same time, she's struggling with balancing her role-play life and school as well as getting asked out by the girl of her dreams, Taylor, while also realizing she might have feelings for her straight internet friend Rowan, who role-plays as Aresha (Cass's character from the book series she's in love with) love interest.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed: the body positivity from Cass and the communication (when it occurred) was surprisingly healthy for teenagers and I loved that. I feel like in a lot of YA there isn't enough healthy communication about wants or needs, or being open about what is going on in your life and I'm happy to see that represented here. There were also aspects of creating your own community and finding your space in the world which is really important.

As much as I liked those bits, there was something that felt off. I think it was that this book is paced pretty quickly, over the course of her senior year, in only 384 pages, and there was a lot in those pages. With things moving so quickly, I feel like some character development fell by wayside, especially with side characters. Cass had been crushing on Taylor forever, but their relationship was kind of one note/there wasn't any chemistry, mainly because we're just told a lot about what happens between them. I think there's really only one or two dates that we see so I couldn't really get behind them together. Cass also spent a lot of time being self-deprecating and blaming herself for every little thing when she definitely didn't need to do! Sure she kept something that she loved but she still tried with Taylor and it was her first real relationship and it felt like there was a lot of pressure from Taylor for her to feel a certain way. Even with her and Tate, they were best friends but it feels more like he was just there to be a sounding board or validate Cass and make everything about her and not so much what he was going through.
I felt like her RP friends were very pushy. They wanted all the little details and had cyber-stalked all of Cass's friends which just felt weird to me and they were constantly like you need to do this NOW about Cass's life, especially Rowan who I have conflicting feelings for, it felt like she used Cassidy's anxiety against her at times. I also don't think it was that big of a deal that Cass hid her RP life from her parents (which she had somewhat valid reasons for) or her real life friends, but they all acted like it was a crime against humanity and led to many arguments and it felt a little silly. Sure if you're dating somewhat seriously you should bring up something that you love so much, and yeah, calling Rowan a 'church camp friend' was crappy, but I felt her reasons were somewhat valid and she didn't deserve for that to be thrown in her face. I also didn't really like how Carina was treated in their group and how she was made to be the villain, I don't think they really understood what she was going through since college can turn everything upside down and they acted like they were better because they supposedly would have a better handle on it when they went to school.

Overall though I think there are some really enjoyable aspects to this book, it's a cute read and I do love normalizing other methods of creativity like RP and fanfiction.

Thanks Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own! This story is so cute! I loved the take on role playing and how that interacts with real life! The characters were well developed and the different dynamics between them were realistically depicted! I enjoyed all the subplots within the large main plot! I highly recommend this book! Can’t wait to read it again!

I really enjoyed this book. Although it wasn’t the best sapphic romance I’ve ever read, it still had all the great elements there. I enjoyed the character growth of the main character and how she came into her own. Also loved the romance that was in the book. It was a fun time…definitely unique and deferent but that’s not a bad thing. Highly recommend!

This was such a unique and interesting book. The characters really drew me in and I felt like I was a part of the story. This was my first book but this author but I’ll definitely be reading more from her.

This book really struck a chord with me -- I could see myself in so many aspects of the main character Cass -- I was an avid online roleplayer back in the days of roleplay forums, and my love of books has never really left me. Seeing Cass use RP as a way to escape from her daily life really had me feeling Some Kind of Way, and even though my home life was nothing like Cass's (it was truly very wonderful), I could still relate very deeply to her feelings of escapism, finding people through a screen that share the same niche interests as you do, and seeking solace in them.

There's a sanctuary and a danger to it all, and it was beautifully depicted.

An awesomely nerdy book that captures the online roleplaying experience so wonderfully, while exploring complex real-world relationships with friends, family, and of course, crushes and dating both online and off. I loved that it was such a joyful, fat-positive book that also didn't shy away from exploring deeper topics like addiction and dealing with broken relationships. I loved every single character: Cass, Rowan, their entire online RP crew, and also her IRL friends Tate and Taylor (ohhhhh TAYLOR MY POOR KIDDO).

Cass Williams is a senior in high school. She is an ok student and has a few friends at her high school. Her main interest is a book series, the Tide Wars, and the online Tide Wars roleplay community, where she is one of the main organizers. The replay community, especially her group of three online friends, provides a needed respite from the pressures of school and her home life, where her parents are constantly fighting. When then her mom moves across the country to pursue a new relationship, Cass immerses herself even deeper in her roleplay community. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, the seemingly effortlessly cool Taylor Cooper asks Cassie out and the two start dating -- and Cass makes the decision to keep her roleplaying a secret from Taylor. Suddenly, Cass feels torn between her offline life, with her new relationship and her burgeoning offline social life, and her online world, where, to make things even more challenging, she finds that she may be developed feelings for one of her best roleplaying friends. As the pressure mounts, Cass's refuge, her online Tide Wards world, turns to a source of stress -- and she struggles with how to reconcile her two worlds and her conflicting feelings.

This was a well-written and fully engaging story. Cass is a terrific character -- the author does a great job of showing how she navigates challenges both familiar to many of her age and more specific to her situation. The book also effectively brings the roleplaying world to life, showing the critical role in plays in Cass's life, why it exerts such a pull, and why she feels a need to keep it a secret from those closest to her in her offline life.

Highly recommended!

This book was just refreshing and fun to read. A love letter to our nerdy little passions and our online friends who love our little passions along with us. This book was authentic and fun. If you ever spent a little too long on Tumblr, I recommend checking this one out.