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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I adored Jenna Miller’s other book “We Got The Beat,” and I highly recommend it. A friend let me borrow the physical copy of this book, and I am so delighted I read this too. Jenna Miller is easily becoming a favorite YA contemporary author for me!!!!
This book follows Cass, a fat lesbian teenager who navigates her mom’s abandonment, and begins to dive deep into her online role playing game and community. Cass is carrying a lot in this book (teenagers carry a lot, I will die on this hill):
I adored Jenna Miller’s other book “We Got The Beat,” and I highly recommend it. A friend let me borrow the physical copy of this book, and I am so delighted I read this too. Jenna Miller is easily becoming a favorite YA contemporary author for me!!!!
This book follows Cass, a fat lesbian teenager who navigates her mom’s abandonment, and begins to dive deep into her online role playing game and community. Cass is carrying a lot in this book (teenagers carry a lot, I will die on this hill):
- Classwork and grades
- College applications
- The book series she is fixated on, which translates into finding fandom and found family online
- Online friendships (which I can attest to, just like offline relationships, it takes a lot of effort to maintain sometimes)
- A new girlfriend/romance!
- The aftermath of her mom up and leaving, and ghosting Cass & her dad for a few months (like, not even a phone call, wtf)
- ^^^ the above is what I would say is a huge mindfuck & would rock anyone’s world (my world at sixteen or seventeen would have absolutely been rocked, so I am not speaking for everyone, but holy shit)
I appreciated that Cass made selfish, messy decisions. I think we all do, and I think it’s authentic to how we would have handled things as a young adult too. I can’t say for certain I would’ve made different choices than her, and I appreciate this vulnerability in showing this fallibility.
Overall, I knew who Cass would end up with, but I enjoyed the journey to get there! :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Abandonment, and Addiction
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Grief
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
➽ Out of Character is just the kind of YA Contemporary I love!! It's all about fandom and follows Cass Williams, who loves the Tide Wars books and is in an online roleplaying server. Back in high school, I loved RPG forums, as I got to write with other like-minded people in the worlds I loved. Therefore, this was such a special and nostalgic book for me. I loved seeing Cass' close bond with her online friends, they are all on the same server and have become friends through their mutual love for the Tide Wars books. Her closest friend is Rowan, who is also her main roleplaying partner ... but there might be some feelings growing between them!
➽ Cass is struggling to unite her online and offline worlds! I liked that the story explored Internet Addiction, as it's not something I see represented very often. Cass had a dangerously obsessive phase with roleplaying, so she's hiding her involvement in the Tide Wars server from her family. She's doing better but knows that her parents would worry and maybe forbid her from her hobby. I understood the solace Cass finds in roleplaying and escaping to the online world, even though it begins to take a toll on her personal life. Cass should be happy as she's dating Taylor, a cool girl from her school. But she can't help but feel unsure how to bring up her hobby without being misunderstood. My least favorite thing was the emotional cheating, as Cass is pining for Rowan despite trying to deny it. It was just sad to see Taylor being much more involved in the relationship. With time it just became clear that they didn't work together at all!
➽ Cass is struggling to unite her online and offline worlds! I liked that the story explored Internet Addiction, as it's not something I see represented very often. Cass had a dangerously obsessive phase with roleplaying, so she's hiding her involvement in the Tide Wars server from her family. She's doing better but knows that her parents would worry and maybe forbid her from her hobby. I understood the solace Cass finds in roleplaying and escaping to the online world, even though it begins to take a toll on her personal life. Cass should be happy as she's dating Taylor, a cool girl from her school. But she can't help but feel unsure how to bring up her hobby without being misunderstood. My least favorite thing was the emotional cheating, as Cass is pining for Rowan despite trying to deny it. It was just sad to see Taylor being much more involved in the relationship. With time it just became clear that they didn't work together at all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, and Fatphobia
Minor: Infidelity
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