alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Jul 23, 2020
Ahhh this was SO good! I love a great enemies-to-lovers, slow burn romance!
I may have cried a few times too ☺️❤️
A True Colors LGBT Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and Geekerella set in the world of gaming, conventions, and fandom.
When two "big name fans" go head-to-head at a convention, love isn't the only thing at stake.
Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.
Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection...but even he can't help but feel a little broken inside.
When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way―even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.
- ISBN10 1728200296
- ISBN13 9781728200293
- Publish Date 2 June 2020
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Sourcebooks Casablanca
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Ahhh this was SO good! I love a great enemies-to-lovers, slow burn romance!
I may have cried a few times too ☺️❤️
llamareads
Written on May 29, 2020
This is an adorably cute and geeky new adult enemies-to-lovers road trip romance, with a “just one bed!” appearance. While there’s some heavier content that both characters are dealing with, it’s ultimately perfect summer fluff.
The rivalry between players Conrad and Alden is a mainstay of the popular Gamer Grandpa Youtube channel, but when a chance to compete in a prestigious Odyssey convention in Las Vegas comes up, they have to put aside their enmity for the length of the road trip there. But as the trip goes on, they each discover that their perceptions of the other are off, and that maybe they could actually be friends – or something more.
“Life has a way of screwing people over regardless, so you might as well find fun where you can.”
I scoffed at that. “In my experience, a careful plan goes a long way to avoiding disaster.”
Conrad’s mantra has been to just make it til tomorrow – or just one more turn, if he’s playing Odyssey. He’s had a rough year and winning the tournament would be both the answer to his money problems and a chance to prove that he can make something of himself. In life as well as in Odyssey, Conrad’s strength is in coming up with strategies on the fly, rolling with the punches and eking a win out of impossible circumstances. Alden, on the other hand, is his complete opposite. He likes having a plan, even if right now he’s frustrated by his moms’ insistence on having him map out what he wants to do with his life – like becoming a doctor, if they have any choice in it. Alden’s neurodiverse, and his moms have been trying to put a label on him since he was a kid. He’s literal and misses a lot of jokes and subtext, which lead to him coming off as abrupt and causes a lot of social anxiety for him.
“In so many other ways though, he was far from my type—too prickly, too adverse to fun, too rule-driven, and too immune to my charm. I needed to remember all that before I went labeling him cute and making everything far more complicated than it needed to be.”
I think some familiarity with card games like Magic: The Gathering would be helpful, as it’s assumed that you’ll understand what they mean by scrolls and turns. The pacing is slow and gentle. There’s a lot of time spent on the mechanics of the road trip – driving to the next gaming store, playing a game there, finding food, finding somewhere to stop. It doesn’t really pick up until they get to the gaming competition. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it gives plenty of time for their relationship to change. Like the pacing, this is a very slow burn romance. It’s not that Alden or Conrad change who they are, but rather that the forced proximity makes them interact and overcome their prejudices. Alden thinks Conrad’s a party boy who’s not really serious about the game, while Alden seems unapproachable and rude to Conrad. They slowly open up to each other and become friends, before they both finally accept that some of their animosity stemmed from attraction to each other.
Overall, this is an enjoyable book, a great summer read if you’re looking for something fun and geeky.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
dragononabook
Written on May 29, 2020
The main plot of the story revolves around a road trip from the East Coast to Vegas, the worst nightmare of card playing rivals Alden and Conrad. They've been at odds for a long time, and now they're having to travel to a convention together, where they'll be competing in a tournament that they both need to win, but only one can take the trophy. The plot itself was a little predictable and a little cheesy, but in the best way. To be honest, in a contemporary romance like this you're not really looking for realism, so the way this wraps up nicely is enjoyable.
Alden and Conrad were both very well fleshed out characters, with a good balance between the two; I really liked both of them, which is not something that happens often with dual POV books. What I particularly liked about them was how developed both of their backstories were, and therefore how developed their motivations were. Alden was a character I loved a lot because of his neurodiversity, because how he experiences this is something I recognise in myself. He was also such a sweet character and I really enjoyed seeing how good he was at helping people learn the game he loves. Conrad was also a really likeable character, with a lot of depth and a lot of inner strength that made it easy to root for him. He was very much his own character and that added so much to the book.
Relationships that start out with hatred are something that I'm normally wary of, but this was done it a very thoughtful way. Their hatred was never bone deep, and it was actually really easy to see why they clashed, and then why they started warming up to each other. The played off each other very well, and their relationship was very much a two way street that was so easy to ship. The chemistry between Alden and Conrad was very present, even considering their rocky start, and the way it grew was so enjoyable to read.
My main issue with the characters and the way they were written was that I often had trouble remembering which character's POV I was reading because they both had a very similar voice, and this often took me out of the story due to having to figure out what I was reading. This was not a major detraction to my reading experience, but it was still inconvenient at times.
Conventionally Yours revolves very heavily around a card game similar to Magic: The Gathering, called Odyssey. I've played Magic before, so it wasn't hard for me to recognise how the game functioned, but I feel like Annabeth Albert was able to introduce it in a way that didn't lose the non-geeks while still delving into the depths that a card gamer would know and appreciate. She also did a really good job of showing the expansive culture that develops around a game like Odyssey, the different people who play and the way we all come together. The way that all of this was built directly into the story made everything so much better and so much more realistic.
Built on tropes ranging from rivals-to-lover to "there was only one bed", with a heavy dash of character development and a slathering of geek, Conventionally Yours is a riot of a book. The layers and progression of the story make it such an enjoyable read to curl up with and disappear into, and will leave you wanting just one more chapter so you don't have to give it up yet.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
Sam@WLABB
Written on May 6, 2020
This was the first Annabeth Albert book I had read, and I must say, I rather enjoyed it. It was fun and emotional, and delivered some serious warm-fuzzies for me. Lots to love, and here are five things I really adored about CONVENTIONALLY YOURS.
• Conrad and Alden - I would have never imagined them as a couple, but I absolutely loved watching them fall for each other. This really was an enemies-to-lovers type story, as they were nemeses, in and out of game play, and it was sweet watching them start to see each other in a different way.
• The Road Trip - I am always up for a road trip, and this one took us from NJ to Vegas, with some pretty interesting stops along the way. I enjoyed seeing the local attractions, as well as watching the tension between Conrad and Alden grow.
• Odyssey - I once tried to learn how to play Pokemon, when my daughter was obsessed, but never really got the hang of it. That's why I am always so impressed by people, who are able to master these games. However, I never expected to find the game play sequences so thrilling. Albert did a fantastic job drawing me into the game, and all the details and intricacies had me captivated.
• The Drama - Aside from their personal drama, there was a big obstacle for the guys to overcome. Like I said, only one could win it all, and I found myself getting really emotional about this.
• The Ending - Those who know me understand, that I am all about the ending. And, wow! What a great outcome for Alden and Conrad! Albert really tied up those loose ends, and gave them such a fantastic start to their future together. It exceeded my expectations, and was simply stupendous.
Overall: I really enjoyed this book. I found so many reasons to root for these two as they made their way to the convention, their future, and their HEA.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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