Conventionally Yours: 1 (True Colors, 1)
£5.70£8.50 (-33%)
A True Colors LGBTQIA Romance for fans of:
Enemies-to-lovers stories
Road trips (with kissing!)
Gaming, conventions, fandom
Nerd culture at its very best
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 back seat 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.
Praise for Conventionally Yours:
“Sweet, emotional, and uniquely quirky.” -Carrie Ryan, New York Times and USA Today bestelling author
“You will ship this couple well before they figure out how much they need each other.” -Sarina Bowen, USA Today bestselling author
“Fast, funny, and fantastic. A quest for the new decade-gamers will love this.” -Eoin Colfer, New York Times bestselling author
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Additional information
| Publisher | Illustrated edition (2 July 2020), Sourcebooks Casablanca |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 400 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1728200296 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1728200293 |
| Dimensions | 13.97 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm |
by roswillder
Technically new adult, but felt like young adult. We had two mid-twenties protagonists but it really didn’t feel like it. Also: the romance was just “meh”: “we totally hate each other… hey he’s kind of cute… let’s be super-nice to each other while angsting.” It’s a shame, because the opening scene (where the protagonist was narrating the game he was playing but as if he was actually living it) had real promise.
I listened to the audiobook and it really depended on the actors providing depth to the text. Had I read it, I think I would have abandoned it.
I realise that I’m talking myself down from a three star “okay” review!
by Garasu
Alden is socially inept, perhaps on the autism spectrum, perhaps not. He likes rules and regulations and things being just so (as do I). Conrad is his opposite, charming, casual and someone who makes friends easily. The two of them play Odyssey in a weekly game which is narrated and blogged by one of their professors. Conrad thinks that Alden is uber-critical and sneers at him, Alden thinks Conrad finds him boring and a stick-in-the-mud.
When their professor is given free tickets and competition entries to the Odyssey convention in Las Vegas they all make plans to drive cross-country to the convention, but first the professor and then one of their team fall out, leaving Alden and Conrad to spend six days driving across America together. Squabbling over directions and food stops turns into friendship and romance, but when the two of them come head-to-head in the tournament that they both desperately need to win, will romance survive?
I really liked the sound of this geeky, enemies to lovers, road trip romance and was thrilled to be gifted an ARC by the publisher. While the plot was pleasant enough I just felt that Annabeth Albert was trying too hard to be politically correct, with the gender-indeterminate friend who felt like a plot device. I have no idea if Odyssey is a real game (google would suggest not) but I really didn’t get a feel for the game at all. Similarly, Conrad and Alden’s romance was of the fade-to-black variety and I got the overwhelming impression that it was because the author didn’t know how to write about gay sex. Heck there was mild swearing, a few F-bombs were dropped but no-one mentioned a c*ck at all. I felt, and it was only an impression, that Annabeth Albert had seen that YA/NA gay romances were a thing and so set out to write one without much knowledge of the subject. As a consequence it felt a bit like a road trip with two fourteen year olds and we hit every teenage cliché known to man.
I liked this, and I felt there was a great book trying to get out but I wouldn’t recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
by Kristel Greer
I ummed and ahhhed about this book for a while and I finally got chance to get it and my goodness what a read it is!
I love both characters and their personalities / back stories, as well as of course, the rivals to lovers sort of storyline. The whole story just gripped me from start to finish, the type of story that when real life stops you from reading, you still find yourself thinking about it even when your book isn’t in front of you.
Treat yourself, read it – it’s such a feel good story, I just loved every page.
by Rachael
i thought this book was very sweet and worth a read. the characters were great but the plot was a little lack luster but i considering i suck at creative writing im not overly qualified to complain. also im 16 and probably would recommend to anyone much older than me.
by Kristel Greer
New Review.
I read Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
Conrad is the charming and popular one in the gaming group. He seems to be confident and know who he is but secretly he is insecure, disowned by his family due to his sexuality and his life is falling apart. Alden is reserved, determined and unruffled but inside he is conflicted about what he wants from his future (especially as he wasn’t accepted to the courses he chose), living up to the high expectations of his mothers and dealing with being neurodiverse.
They spar regularly during their Odyssey games. Conrad is a clever, risk-taking player but lacks a good deck. Alden has cultivated the perfect deck and plays with singlemindedness and precision. They knock heads due to their opposite personalities and playing styles. When they get the opportunity to compete at the Odyssey Game tournament with their fellow gamers for a huge monetary prize and the opportunity to work for Odyssey themselves. They are forced to travel together by car (against their wills) to the convention because (a) Conrad can’t afford the airfare and (b) Alden is terrified to fly.
The journey starts with a mutual friend but they return home early on. They must continue together and the daily time spent together in very close quarters leads to a burgeoning friendship which slowly turns to deeper feelings. When they are required to directly compete for the Odyssey prize which both so desperately need will they figure out what’s important to them or will they sacrifice their potential relationship for the money and glory?
????????????????????. As a geeky nerd who both loves conventions and fandom life this book gave me good vibes. I liked that the geeky parts were celebrated instead of belittled. The complicated yet adorable relationship between Conrad and Alden was emotional, compelling and their progression from frenemies to being in love felt real. I liked that they both had personal issues that others didn’t know about but eventually were able to share with each other. The addition of cute photos of the trip throughout the book was a lovely and welcome bonus.