ARC Review: Out of Character by Annabeth Albert

“This is an interesting spin on your typical romance,”
~ Under the Covers

Milo and Jasper appear are seemingly very different. Milo was a jock in high school and went to college on a soccer scholarship until he could no longer play due to an injury. Jasper came out in high school and is very into a fantasy card game and cosplay—both of which caused endless bullying from the “popular” kids. So, it would be surprising to learn that Milo and Jasper used to be best friends. They were inseparable growing up but drifted apart in high school, finding themselves running with different crowds. But Jasper never forgot the sting of getting made fun by the jocks while Milo passively stood by. This is why Jasper is shocked when, nearly five years later, Milo turns up at his work asking for help obtaining super-rare gaming cards belonging to Milo’s brother that Milo gambled. Jasper begrudgingly agrees to help Milo, and in doing so both of their lives are unexpectedly changed for the better.

This is an interesting spin on your typical romance storyline because it’s a friends-to-enemies- to-friends-to-lovers story. This is a little more nuanced than other contemporary romance books I’ve read, which I appreciated and found immediately interesting. I feel like some romance books tend to blend together sometimes, but this one will continue to stand out for that reason.

In addition to the interesting premise, I was drawn to this book because it’s an LGBT romance, which is a sub-genre I haven’t read much of before. Given that it’s Pride Month, I thought this would be a good book to choose as I start to be more intentional selecting LGBTQA+ books. If you’re looking for one to break your typical reading this book is for you.

What I wasn’t expecting was the steaminess level of this book. The book read easily and wasn’t complex or taxing to follow, but almost to the point where I felt that I was reading a YA novel. Enter—the steam. While this book may not use many curse words (literally, there were two) and it may be written in a very straightforward way, there is plenty of stem to kick this book into new adult fiction. If steam is your thing, then this book would be for you!

While I’m not the biggest fan of reading these steamier scenes, it was different in this book. All the sex scenes were integral to the story and were very important to character development. Could this have been achieve with less steam? Probably. Would it have been as dramatic? No. So I get why the author added the extra detail, even if it got graphic at times.

Character development was definitely a strength of this book, and not only the main characters. For example, Jasper’s mom has to grapple coming around to Milo re-entering Jasper’s life despite how Milo treated him in the past. Milo’s mom and brother also have to undergo some transformation as well (but I’m not going to spoil anything!) Overall, this strength is what made the book become a 3.5 rather than a 3 for me.

If you’re looking to spice up your TBR or are like me and are looking for books in the sprit of Pride Month, definitely pick this book up!

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