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A review by justinlife
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Conventionally Yours is a really fun read. Conrad and Alden are two youtube gaymers who go on a road trip to the Odyssey convention (think Magic the gathering, at least I did) of their dreams. They are lowkey enemies. Both have reasons for wanting to win the tournament being played at the convention and both don't think the other understands how deep that goes. Along the way, they open up and find common ground and affection.
This is a fun enemies to lovers romance. The characters had depth and the self loathing that one usually finds in the romance drama is kept to a minimum. They both have it, but they also recognize when they are successful and what their strengths are. It's not one of those "I can't believe he would be with me. Why? I'm a troll who barely looks human" stories, so I appreciated that. While there is a little of the "money solves problems" trope that is often in romance, it's kept to a minimum.
I also appreciated that Albert created a card game that I don't understand but had rules and was easy to follow along with. Did I get why certain things did certain things? No, but I fully believed she did. I don't play Magic the Gathering or any of the other card games. Maybe if I had, I would have understanded more, but it didn't hinder my experience. It was still fun.
Overall, this was the light, fun, sun in the summer book I was looking for. If I were to have a complaint, I would think the ending felt a little too heteronormative. Things moved a bit too fast.
This is a fun enemies to lovers romance. The characters had depth and the self loathing that one usually finds in the romance drama is kept to a minimum. They both have it, but they also recognize when they are successful and what their strengths are. It's not one of those "I can't believe he would be with me. Why? I'm a troll who barely looks human" stories, so I appreciated that. While there is a little of the "money solves problems" trope that is often in romance, it's kept to a minimum.
I also appreciated that Albert created a card game that I don't understand but had rules and was easy to follow along with. Did I get why certain things did certain things? No, but I fully believed she did. I don't play Magic the Gathering or any of the other card games. Maybe if I had, I would have understanded more, but it didn't hinder my experience. It was still fun.
Overall, this was the light, fun, sun in the summer book I was looking for. If I were to have a complaint, I would think the ending felt a little too heteronormative. Things moved a bit too fast.