Book 980: Out of Character – Jenna Miller

I requested a copy of this from NetGalley the second Jenna mentioned it was available for requests.* You see, Jenna and I started book blogging around the same time all those years ago and I remember bonding over some of our aligned reading tastes, but I also remember when she started to talk about writing and NaNoWriMo and all the other things that went into the drafts and early works of the novel and we’ve stayed in contact on Insta, oh hey internet friend.

So when she announced not only that she got an agent, had a novel accepted, AND that it was about internet friends. I was like OMG I have to read it. And y’all it was 100% worth the read. There is a spoiler or two after the jump so if you want to read it and don’t want to know anything skip it until you’ve read it.

Out of Character is the story of Cass, an out and happy in her plus-sized body senior in high school who has a lively and active online life that is starting to impact her real life. It’s also the story of her best friend Tate, her best friend online Rowan, her ex Greg, and her first girlfriend Taylor. And that also part is important because minor characters can make or break a story for me.

You said you had a thing for me, and it’s fine if it’s nothing more than that. But gods, Rowan, I love you. I didn’t think I knew what that word meant, but then it hit me like an oar to the face. You’re everything people describe in movies and books that I used to roll my eyes at, but you’re more than that. You’re the person I tell all my big and little stuff to. You make me feel brave. I wouldn’t even be here right now if you didn’t do the kinds of things you do to me. And I know I’ve messed up a lot, and I haven’t always been a good friend, but— (Chapter 27)

I struggled a little with Cass’s growth in the novel and even messaged Jenna at one point and was like “OMG great job with the anxiety building, but OMG Cass sort out your shit.” And, thankfully, Cass did sort it out and the culmination was perfectly written. It wasn’t idealized, it wasn’t too saccharine, it was just teenagers sorting out their happy for now and trying to figure out what next. That was after I messaged her about the Jane Austen shout-out in Chapter 3, which just made me so so so happy.

After catching up, I opened a Word document to start my essay on Jane Austen—the original queen of soft snark. The classics didn’t woo me like they did some people, but I loved Austen. Writing about her didn’t feel like homework, especially when my teacher let me write about why certain characters were obviously queer. (Chapter 3)

Weirdly, my favorite character was Greg, Cass’s first and only ex-boyfriend. For some reason, their interactions were just so well written and I laughed every time they interacted with each other, and their final scenes together were the exact chuckle I needed at the time. I hope they connect at college and hold each other to what they want to do.

Three things stood out to me that didn’t quite work or could’ve been done differently for me. The first is something in the acknowledgments and I don’t know if it was the publisher who made the call, but I’m always reading them in the acknowledgments and I’m like OMG PUT THIS IN THE FRONT MATTER ON THE FIRST PAGE:

I wrote Cass as a happily out queer nerd who loves her body because it’s what anyone in her shoes deserves and something that took me far too long to realize for myself. To anyone who’s figuring themselves out or doesn’t feel comfortable in their body, I see you. You’re valid, and you deserve to be seen and have your voice heard. This story is for you. Thank you for reading. (Acknowledgments)

It’s one of the reasons I ALWAYS read the acknowledgments, especially in a debut novel because that’s where the authors get to say “we see you.”

The second one was Cass’s body size/happiness in her body size. Love it, didn’t have any issues with it because representation matters, and I remember the first time I read a novel with a big and tall man on the front and mind-blown emoji. What didn’t work for me was that it seemed to happen sporadically and randomly throughout with it getting more and more noticeable as you moved through the novel. That could 100% be on my reading time and just my noticing it, but it almost felt like someone edited it out of the first part of the book and then were like it’s okay to talk about it more after X pages.

And the final one was I think me and less the book itself. There seemed to be a couple of time jumps (maybe a month or two) that were a little jarring. Again I could’ve read it funny, but the jump from Christmas to prom to graduation all seemed to happen with large lurches forward when the rest of the book seemed to be more evenly paced. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I feel like a subheader “x months later” or something like that would’ve made it feel a little more cohesive.

Recommendation: Read it. This is one of the better debut novels I’ve read recently! Not only were the protagonists unique and totally loveable, but the minor characters across the board just gave me all the happy feelings and warm thoughts and I didn’t even talk about Cass’s parents or the many other minor characters. I’m impressed I waited this long to read the book as I’ve been sitting on it for months, but I’m already excited for Jenna’s next release and can’t wait to see where she goes with it!

*I received a copy of Out of Character via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “Mr. Tuttles would be the death of me.”

Closing Line: “I love you too. Until my last sunset.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Additional Quotes from Out of Character
“I didn’t dislike Tate’s girlfriend, but I knew it bothered her that Tate had a female best friend—even a queer girl who’d rather go without waffles than see him naked.” (Chapter 1)

“He gave me a pointed look. ‘Being prepared is not the same as stalking. It’s good to visualize your surroundings.’
I did that all the time with the seating situation at restaurants to know if I’d fit, but I decided that was different. ‘Whatever you say, stalker.'” (Chapter 8)

“Being fat meant being judged for liking the same less-than-healthy foods as most people. It didn’t matter that I also liked healthier foods—eating a doughnut or slice of pizza meant I was unhealthy and lazy to the average nonfat onlooker, which was really messed up.” (Chapter 11)

“And then she kissed me. It wasn’t fire or raging storms or the clash of swords, or any other nonsense that I’d reading a thousand stories. We were coffee breath and memories and the promise of something more. My chaotic mind shut down in that kiss, and my heart hummed for a whole new reason. I could build a life with this feeling.” (Chapter 27)