A review by bookishmillennial
Out of Character by Jenna Miller

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I adored Jenna Miller’s other book “We Got The Beat,” and I highly recommend it. A friend let me borrow the physical copy of this book, and I am so delighted I read this too. Jenna Miller is easily becoming a favorite YA contemporary author for me!!!! 

This book follows Cass, a fat lesbian teenager who navigates her mom’s abandonment, and begins to dive deep into her online role playing game and community. Cass is carrying a lot in this book (teenagers carry a lot, I will die on this hill): 
  • Classwork and grades
  • College applications
  • The book series she is fixated on, which translates into finding fandom and found family online 
  • Online friendships (which I can attest to, just like offline relationships, it takes a lot of effort to maintain sometimes)
  • A new girlfriend/romance! 
  • The aftermath of her mom up and leaving, and ghosting Cass & her dad for a few months (like, not even a phone call, wtf) 
  • ^^^ the above is what I would say is a huge mindfuck & would rock anyone’s world (my world at sixteen or seventeen would have absolutely been rocked, so I am not speaking for everyone, but holy shit)

I appreciated that Cass made selfish, messy decisions. I think we all do, and I think it’s authentic to how we would have handled things as a young adult too. I can’t say for certain I would’ve made different choices than her, and I appreciate this vulnerability in showing this fallibility. 

Overall, I knew who Cass would end up with, but I enjoyed the journey to get there! :D 
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