[ARC Review] Out of Character by Annabeth Albert

• M/M romance
• friends to enemies to friends to lovers
• Coming out
• Hero complex
• There's cosplay!

After Milo ditched Jasper for sportier, straighter friends in high school, Jasper figured it was good riddance. But all these years later, Milo shows up to Jasper’s work, looking for help that only Jasper can give him. Knowing it would save Milo from disappointing his family yet again, Jasper’s gaming skills and hero complex kick into full gear and he agrees to help Milo - for a price. That price includes dressing up in cosplay for the sick children at the hospital. As Jasper helps Milo, and Milo shows up week after week for the sick kids, the former friends turned enemies suddenly find themselves becoming friends again. And then they find themselves becoming something more. But unlike Jasper, Milo isn’t out yet and it will take time, patience, and love to get them both to their happily ever after. 

Out of Character is a M/M romance with so much going on. The former friends/enemies to friends to lovers aspect is a huge motivating factor in the story, but both Jasper and Milo had their own issues to overcome as well. And while Milo and Jasper worked so well as a couple, it was also great to see them struggle through their individual issues as a way to be a better boyfriend to the other. Albert took two common YA themes - coming out to friends and family, and the hero complex - and molded them together just beautifully. Jasper wants to be the hero, but around Milo he has the strength and resolve to be the person Milo needs him to be. And Milo plays off of that hero complex, using it to not only stand up and be brave but also to own his own coming out around friends, family, and even strangers. If I have any complaint about Out of Character, it’s that Milo and Jasper definitely could have remained enemies, or even wary friends, for longer than they did just to build up the tension. But, Milo and Jasper were cute together, and complemented each other so well that you can’t fault Albert for bringing them together fairly early on. I’m also a sucker for the jock-turned-nerd character type, so Milo had a place in my heart since the first time he cosplayed for Jasper. The romance between Jasper and Milo was cute, but they both had a wonderfully well done growth in their story arcs which, for me, was even better to read than the romance (which I also loved). If you’re looking for a coming out story that’s more than a coming out story, Out of Character is the perfect story to pick up.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the advanced review copy of Out of Character in exchange for an honest review.