Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Conventionally Yours

Very cute. It was a pretty fun and easy read, so good for something light but the duo POV's sounded very similar so I had to go back and check who's perspective I was reading. It was enjoyable but didn't really leave me with any strong emotions.

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sarahmreads's review

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I think I might have just found one of my new favorite comfort reads? Because OH MY GOD THIS BOOK FILLS MY NERD HEART!

Conrad has been living by the scrape of his teeth for the last few years. Dropping out of college, working multiple dead end jobs. The only highlight of his life is playing his favorite card game Odyssey with his buddies for an online show. However, he's given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel across the country to participate in a tournament that could change his life for the better. The only downside? He has to travel with his sworn rival Alden cross country. Will Conrad find his dreams? Or is there another answer waiting for him?

This story has everything you could love in a romance novel. Enemies (rivals?) to lovers? Check. One bed trope? Check. Forced proximity? Oh definitely. It definitely is a bit of a slow start, but once you get to the road trip, I felt like it flew by at just the right pace. Conrad and Alden stopping by the different shops and must hit spots, while also perfectly encompassing the true realities of a cross-country road trip.

I felt like this story handled everything at just the right pacing. However, I will say I was a little unsure about the two characters finally kissing at the halfway mark. Besides that, the way that Conrad and Alden grew because of each other's experiences made my heart melt. I related to Alden a lot because of his anxiety attacks and his crisis of not being sure where on the neurodivergent scale he lies. I was the exact same way. Yes I have anxiety, but I also had some speech issues growing up. Doctors thought I had Asperger's but never diagnosed me. Seeing him go through his own issues made me really connect with my own experiences with it, and I thought his anxiety was handled pretty well.

Conrad was also beautifully written. I will admit that at the beginning, it did seem like Conrad's trauma and horrible life was brought too much to the forefront, to the point where I was worried it would be the only thing defining him as a character. However, I did really appreciate that it grew more into his struggle to learn how to love properly and how to show that back to someone who cares about him. I also deal with similar issues with opening up, so being able to relate to both Conrad and Alden helped a lot.

This story also handled issues such as homophobia pretty well, especially from Conrad's past. There was one line that really stuck out to me, which was about how not everyone has a great home life with parents that accept you immediately. It hit me right at home, and is an important message to realize, more so when it includes people from the LGBTQ+ community. Other topics I thought were written and handled in a mature manner by the characters, and still left you gushing after every cute moment and devastated after every disagreement.

To top it all off, this story also tackles the struggle of knowing one's future as well as the love for gaming, which is one of my loves outside of reading and writing. Being able to see that enthusiasm written out onto pages really made my heart soar.

Conventionally Yours is a beautiful modern romance that will have you begging to finish it in one sitting. I cannot wait to pick up the sequel to this masterpiece.

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