Conrad is a social butterfly whom everyone loves, but he doesn’t take anything seriously (Alden’s view), and Alden is an uptight know-it-all who likes to be right more than he likes to be nice (Conrad’s view). The story begins with a self-absorbed antagonism based on misplaced assumptions. Given their age and inexperience, as well as what we see of their relationship at the beginning of the novel, this maturity is both welcome and somewhat unexpected. Also, these two are just syrupy sweet once they open up to each other and quit being all judgy. At the end of the day, it’s a reasonably mature relationship for two new adults with very little relationship experience or life experience under their belts. I loved their interactions during the tournament. Instead, Alden and/or Conrad take time to see the situation from another angle, and decide how they want to go about resolving the conflict with love and understanding. Protagonists Conrad and Alden go through quite a bit of personal growth, but when everything becomes tense, and defensive reactions could include avoidance and refusal to communicate, Albert doesn’t opt for that lazy conflict option. Looking back with a macro lens, I enjoyed Conventionally Yours. Overall: These young men made me feel a little old with all their, “What am I going to do with my life!?” crises.

Plot: New adults road trip to a gaming convention tournament. Heat Factor: Feels like closed door, even though it’s technically notĬharacter Chemistry: These two felt super wholesome and super young

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert