Narrated by Joel Froomkin and Kirt Graves
In this charming frenemies-to-lovers romance, Annabeth Albert revisits the group of gamer friends we met in last year’s Conventionally Yours. If you read or listened to that book, you may recall Jasper Quigley, who had originally planned to join Alden and Conrad on their road trip, but who had to return home due to a family emergency after the first day. Out of Character opens a few months after that and finds Jasper who, in his last year of college, is still working part-time at the local game store and participating in the Gamer Grandpa vlog, wondering how on earth he’s going to find a replacement Prince Neptune for his cosplay group. Jasper and a few other Odyssey players – including his younger sister April – regularly visit the children’s ward at the local hospital to chat and play a game or two with some of the older kids on the ward, and Prince Neptune is probably the most popular character. But with the group’s regular Neptune away on vacation, Jasper is a man down, and with only a couple of days to go before their next visit has so far not managed to find anyone to take his place.
Milo Lionetti was Jasper’s best friend from when they were little kids, but that changed when they went to high school and Milo was selected for the football team. Wanting to be one of the cool crowd meant not being seen with the nerds – and especially not one who openly went to Rainbow Alliance meetings – and not wanting to be the target of bullies himself, Milo stood by and did nothing when Jasper and his friends were subjected to the ribbing and insults of his new teammates. Milo and Jasper haven’t seen much – if anything – of each other for years, but now Milo desperately needs Jasper’s help, and although he knows he doesn’t deserve it, he screws up his courage to venture into the game store where Jasper works.
His former best friend is the last person Jasper expects to see in the store, and at first thinks his request for help in tracking down some extremely rare Odyssey cards must be some kind of prank. But as Milo explains what happened – that he’d been talked into playing a game with someone with a reputation as a bit of a shark and had lost the four extremely valuable cards belonging to his older brother Bruno (who is away on active duty) – Jasper realises he’s telling the truth… and spots an opportunity. Milo, with his football player’s physique and his Italianate good looks, will make the perfect Prince Neptune; Jasper says he’ll see what he can do to help Milo if Milo will play the prince at their next hospital visit. Wary but intensely relieved, Milo agrees.
Jasper and Milo are appealing, likeable characters, even taking into account Milo’s crappy behaviour towards Jasper in their high school days. He’s had a rough few years and went off the rails a bit after his father died, disappointing his mother and brother and needing Bruno’s help to pull him out of the scrapes he got into. Milo sees himself as a screw-up who can’t do anything right and is going nowhere, yet it’s very clear that he regrets what he did to Jasper and that he very much wants to do better. Jasper isn’t so easily won over, however. He’s a lovely guy – intelligent, outgoing and generous of spirit, he loves to see the people around him happy – but he can’t easily forget or forgive Milo. He’s an absolute sweetheart – but after years as the dependable side-kick (not quite the best Odyssey player, not quite the best-looking in his friendship group, not quite the funniest…) he longs to be someone’s hero.
But he does soon realise that Milo’s desire to repair their friendship is genuine, and he also can’t help noticing how nicely Milo has grown into himself – and how hot he looks in Prince Neptune’s costume! After the cosplay evening, Jasper sets out to fulfil his part of the bargain and starts looking for the cards Milo needs, and they end up doing online research, solving puzzles, doing a treasure hunt and even going to an Odyssey tournament together. All the time they spend together gives Milo and Jasper the chance to really talk – about what happened to their friendship and about where they go from here – and to get to know each other as the people they are now.
Out of Character is a charming and heartfelt romance that sees these two former best friends finding their way back together on a journey that, for Milo particularly, involves a lot of personal growth and discovery. His redemption arc – as both a friend and a person – is really well done, and I adored the way Jasper’s support and encouragement enable Milo to see himself in a new light and gain a new sense of self-belief. They have terrific chemistry and their romance is sweet and full of genuine affection as Jasper helps Milo navigate his way through their changing relationship, and most importantly, there’s a real sense of equality between them in the way they talk and listen to each other. It’s obvious just how good they are for one another as Jasper becomes Milo’s hero and Milo learns how to be his best and truest self.
I was pleased to see that Joel Froomkin and Kirt Graves had signed on to narrate Out of Character as I’d greatly enjoyed listening to them in Conventionally Yours. Just as you’d expect from two such experienced performers, they bring considerable expertise to the table, so pacing, characterisations and differentiation are excellent across the board. Mr. Froomkin reads the chapters from Jasper’s PoV and he captures the essence of the character perfectly; his sunny nature, his dry wit and that hint of vulnerability beneath the generally confident exterior are all right there in his voice. Mr Graves’ interpretation of Milo is equally good, the somewhat downbeat delivery he employs – especially at the start – working well to give the impression of someone who is generally fed up with himself and a bit beaten down by life. Both narrators do a great job with the supporting cast (Mr. Froomkin’s turn as Professor Tuttle is a hoot!) and they are absolutely wonderful when it comes to conveying the growing connection and intimacy between Jasper and Milo; there’s a lovely sense of ‘rightness’ when they’re together.
Out of Character is a low-angst, feel-good story about love, forgiveness, being brave and second chances. I enjoyed it in print, but the excellent performances from Joel Froomkin and Kirt Graves definitely take it to another level, and I’m more than happy to recommend the book in audio format.
Caz
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