Conventionally Yours

Haven't read anything set against the gaming world before. Not that this goes into it in any detail, or that I understood what it did show me about that world. But the enemies to lovers cross country ride that brings Conrad and Alden together was well done. Both were interesting characters.

Conrad, who hid the disappointments of his life behind being a charming popular guy, was a good match for the serious, overly anxious Alden. The tables were turned and the vulnerable Conrad found a protector in the steady, wise devotion of Alden.

The heartwarming part of the story was how much each of them grew into more mature versions of themselves through the unexpected connection they found on the road.

Ah, road trips, they are hard to beat as an show more arc for a story.

I didn't think this was a brilliant book but Annabeth Albert - wow, is she a reliably good read. Luckily, she has written a gazillion books - over 80 from what I see listed on Library Thing. I've gobbled up 11 so far. show less

Annabeth Albert's first book for Sourcebooks is a strong return to form. I loved her early Gaymers series ([b:Status Update|26162169|Status Update (#gaymers, #1)|Annabeth Albert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444257447l/26162169._SY75_.jpg|46121871], [b:Connection Error|28807263|Connection Error (#gaymers, #3)|Annabeth Albert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465442518l/28807263._SY75_.jpg|49020831], etc.) but I wasn't as enamored of her Navy SEAL Out of Uniform series and she lost me entirely with [b:Arctic Sun|42354665|Arctic Sun (Frozen Hearts, #1)|Annabeth show more Albert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549648632l/42354665._SY75_.jpg|66003456]. I'm relieved to find that Conventionally Yours takes her back to the New Adults MCs that made Gaymers so much fun, and she employs some of my favorite tropes (road trip, opposites attract, enemies-to-lovers) with great success.

The plot is predictable, but like any good road trip the fun is in the journey, not the destination. As Conrad and Alden slowly make their way from New Jersey to Las Vegas for a national gaming convention, including a tournament they both desperately want to win, they slowly start to see each other as real people instead of annoying opponents, and they open up to each other about their respective challenges. Alden is serious, socially awkward and rule-bound but also extremely caring in his own way. His ability to relate to kids (he likes them because they're honest about their feelings and needs) made me melt. I also appreciated the Jewish rep and the fact that while Alden's moms keep trying to find a diagnosis that will accurately describe (and then "cure" him), he's basically some level of "neuro-diverse" and in the end the exact label doesn't matter; he is who he is.

Conrad is the handsome happy-go-lucky party boy who is hiding tremendous pain and stress, and when the truth about why he needs to win comes out I wanted to punch the people who had hurt him. The MCs' relationship is slow to develop and the middle of the book lags a bit, but without the middle we wouldn't have the opportunity to experience the wonders of the trip along with the boys, including my hometown St. Louis' famous arch , a well-deserved diss against St. Louis' horrific square pizza, and a nod to Columbia MO's much more palatable Shakespeare's Pizza.

I'm not a game player, but I assume that fictional Odyssey game that the MCs play is similar to the Magic card decks that my kids once had, and Albert describes the game play sufficiently that I could follow the gist of the action, if not the specifics. She cleverly lets the lessons and experiences from the trip inform their game strategy. And who would have thought that a climactic scene of two people playing cards would be so exciting and suspenseful?

For those who have followed Albert here from her Carina books, I should warn you that the sex scenes are much less explicit and much more vanilla than the Out of Uniform series. That didn't bother me, but if you're here for lots of sexytimes you might be disappointed. Also there is quite a bit of space devoted to Alden and Conrad stuck in their own heads thinking and overthinking their reactions to each other, in a way that I suspect few 25 year old young men actually do, but that's pretty standard for this genre.

Conventionally Yours is listed as the first book in the True Colors series. There are several secondary characters who could serve as MCs for future installments, although I can't say that any of them stood out as distinct enough to deserve their own stories. But I'd be willing to check them out and I'm happy to see more of the Annabeth Albert that made me become such a fan in the first place.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review. show less

i am once again pleasantly surprised!

during the first half of the book i was debating myself between the third and fourth star. if i get nitpicky, there are a couple things i can criticize- namely, why the hell do these two hate each other so much? but then they kind of explain it. except its not super justified and kind of superfcial, but it do be like that sometimes. also, the book just starts out with a rather long scene where i understood nothing at all. turns out, they were playing this card game that i guess its kind of like a roleplay? like a dungeons and dragons but with cards? maybe it would have been very clear for someone who does play anything of the sort, i cant really judge that, but what i can tell you is that throughout show more the entire book i never caught the gist of how the game truly works. i caught glimpses of it, sure, and i could understand who was winning just by context, but i never understood The Game. and i would have liked to. it sounds like a fun one.

also: alden is kind of inssuferable at times. not in a mean way, he's just truly anxiety on legs. which, like, i can totally understand because mood, but as a narrator it makes him a bit dense to read. on the other hand, conrad is *harry potter voice* so angry, all the time, which also makes him a bit annoying to read. in the end, he has his reasons too. and they really fall in love super quickly huh? is that how we do things here, in gaytopia? hell yeah of course it is.

but the thing. THE THING IS. i ended up liking it a lot overall, left a nice aftertaste on my tongue. a roadtrippy enemies to lovers with characters that feel like real people, who have flaws and fuck up sometimes and also hold each other to certain standards but also dont demonize others for making mistakes, and the resolution of the conflict is *chef's kiss* lovely. took me a while to get really into it, because of the thing about alden and conrad being a bit insufferable. but i ended up loving them for it. its all around a very nice read. not perfect, but thats the thing- it doesn't have to be. we love her all the same. show less

Conrad and Alden are part of an LGBT gaming group for a card game called Odyssey. They gained some notoriety on social media because of their brilliant play and antipathy towards each other. When they both score tickets to a Con in Las Vegas, it could mean big changes in one of their lives as well as a chance to get on the pro circuit. Both guys have reasons to want to win, but the only way to get there is a road trip from the East Coast.
This is a sweet slow-burn romance with a nice twist at the end. Both Conrad and Alden are misunderstood and seem to be opposite personalities. It's fun to read how their car trip across the country allows them to become friends and then more than friends. It's not a flashy romance, but this is a solid show more story set in a world not often explored in romances (gaming). I admit I thought it was going to be more League of Legends than Magic: the Gathering before starting to read, but either way it was just fine. The author does a nice job of explaining the Odyssey game without being too complicated for newbies.
Alden and Conrad are a lovely couple and complement each other in so many ways. I especially like how they build each other up and encourage each other. Alden has anxieties and Conrad has a bad life situation, yet they take care of each other in so many subtle and overt ways. It's very sweet. All in all, a lovely read. show less

I could echo a great deal of what other reviewers have said about this book: that Conrad and Alden are delightful, that the research and the road trip/locations is pleasingly evident and true to life, that the con and road trip experience is one that is clearly lived and loved, that issues like neurodiversity, homophobia, and class differences are addressed (but not slogged through) with a deft hand. In essence it's not the typical M/M romance but I did love the two charters and they appear again in the 2nd book in the series which I of course read out of order. Surprise!!!

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 show more 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! show less

I finished reading this frenemies to lovers romance, and I enjoyed it. I appreciated the work put into making this fictitious game seem reasonable to anyone familiar with Magic: the Gathering, which is what it reminded me of. I liked each character. That's important to me. The plot is serviceable.

Those things are offset by the slow pace due to each character detailing reactions and thoughts all the time. It's something this author does and I knew that, but it's newly low-grade annoying every time. I would have liked this pair sooner than I did if there was less unfounded hate being thought and acted on, before they're forced to come to understand each other. But that's okay, part of the trope.

What really ground my gears were the show more stupid actions of adults before this trip, that endangered these boys, and that could've left them potentially stranded. You don't loan a car without a spare. You put money on a card you can add money to. This was contrived plot device nonsense that made the adults seem super-careless. It felt out of character.

I knew they'd avoid thinking about the tournament conflict, but it's still a dorky plot device. But the worst is an edit fail: basing a scene on three little words not yet said, when hey, they had been, in the previous chapter. Editing is hard, y'all. That's a heck of a fail in a romance.

Still & all, I did enjoy this one. If it interests you, don't let 3 stars slow you down. Also, my library had it in kindle. show less