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kishma_'s review against another edition
2.0
This book definitely falls in my "it was ok" category, so 2.75-3 stars? It was just fine; nothing extraordinary (pun intended?). I did definitely appreciate the focus on the platonic relationship that grew between the two MCs, though! It was nice to see :)
okevamae's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
I love a superhero novel, especially when it’s also a supervillain story. A team-up premise just makes it sound even better. I love the POC and LGBTQ representation in the book. The story is fun, but there are some little things about the writing that threw me out of the story and knock this down a rating from “good” to “just OK” in my book.
I feel like the main characters almost come to trust each other too quickly. I would have liked to see a little more struggle with that transition, to make the friendship feel a little more earned.
They are a bit bumbling, which can be endearing, but it becomes more annoying in a few places. One example is particularly glaring. It might make sense if Jamie had been established earlier in the story as a nervous rambler or something – but he wasn’t. So it didn’t quite make sense for him to do that.
Those are the kinds of little things that break my suspension of disbelief. I have no problem with suspending my disbelief for superpowers – none at all. But what really breaks the immersion for me is when people act or react in unbelievable ways. There are more of those instances in this book than I was able to tolerate and still give it a four-star rating.
Also, if you’re a fan of classic Doctor Who, you’ll recognize every single character and place name in this book. It was cute at first, but got annoying and distracting after a while.
Overall, a fun little superhero story, with a supervillain team-up twist, so if that’s your jam, definitely go for this one! But unfortunately, in my opinion, in spite of the promising premise, it’s just a three-star read.
I love a superhero novel, especially when it’s also a supervillain story. A team-up premise just makes it sound even better. I love the POC and LGBTQ representation in the book. The story is fun, but there are some little things about the writing that threw me out of the story and knock this down a rating from “good” to “just OK” in my book.
I feel like the main characters almost come to trust each other too quickly. I would have liked to see a little more struggle with that transition, to make the friendship feel a little more earned.
They are a bit bumbling, which can be endearing, but it becomes more annoying in a few places. One example is particularly glaring.
Spoiler
The way in which they accidentally reveal themselves to the cop – seriously? You just forgot he was there, or what? Why would you randomly start talking about your cat in that situation, let alone drop its name?Those are the kinds of little things that break my suspension of disbelief.
Spoiler
Like when she’s in the cell and trying to figure out how to communicate with Jamie. She’s talking to herself about how it’s like the itch is trying to communicate with her, and they KNOW the other guy has mental powers. She’s clearly giving instructions on how she can find another person with her heat sense, seemingly to no one, but they KNOW her partner reads minds, and... they aren’t suspicious? No one even tells her to shut up?Also, if you’re a fan of classic Doctor Who, you’ll recognize every single character and place name in this book. It was cute at first, but got annoying and distracting after a while.
Overall, a fun little superhero story, with a supervillain team-up twist, so if that’s your jam, definitely go for this one! But unfortunately, in my opinion, in spite of the promising premise, it’s just a three-star read.
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
4.0
An almost superhero origin story, presented in a more real and modern setting than the marvel universe. It reminded me of the Extraordinaries in its light, current tone but this is appropriate for a younger audience. I enjoyed discovering the characters and look forward to the next book.
atlantisfrost's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fun, light read. Great character building; their friendship is the highlight of the book. Really picked up toward the ending. A few grammatical errors/typos in the ebook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Alcohol
megn317's review against another edition
3.0
It was a nice break from the more serious and closer to reality, than fiction books I had been reading...but this was a stretch. Loved that the story revolves around a friendship and helping each other but it took me awhile to get into it. Maybe I’m just not into super heroes I guess. Possibly a good book for a high school kid, but not me.
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED Mike Chen's Star Wars book (Brotherhood). I thoroughly enjoy his style and the way he is able to write about the characters in his story (that was probably the best part about Brotherhood). This book is no different, and is honestly its biggest strength and why I'm giving it 4 stars. Chen does a great job at building up Zoe and Jamie, and really making you believe in their friendship despite not starting out that way (which btw, I'm SO glad they remained platonic and weren't romantic at all; we need more of that in fiction between MCs).
Unfortunately, there are some negative aspects of the plot, mainly that 1) it isn't super original (no pun intended), and 2) parts of it seemed to drag on and on which made me just want them to get on with it already.
However, the worst part about We Could Be Heroes is the audiobook. I'm so glad I had the physical copy to fall back on, because otherwise the narrator would've made me DNF it. She completely failed to capture the feel and voice of the characters, and hearing her try to do an English accent for Jamie was like nails on a chalkboard. Avoid it at all costs.
Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read; it won't win any plot awards anytime soon, but it's worth reading if you are a fan of Mike Chen or just need something a little wholesome.
Unfortunately, there are some negative aspects of the plot, mainly that 1) it isn't super original (no pun intended), and 2) parts of it seemed to drag on and on which made me just want them to get on with it already.
However, the worst part about We Could Be Heroes is the audiobook. I'm so glad I had the physical copy to fall back on, because otherwise the narrator would've made me DNF it. She completely failed to capture the feel and voice of the characters, and hearing her try to do an English accent for Jamie was like nails on a chalkboard. Avoid it at all costs.
Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read; it won't win any plot awards anytime soon, but it's worth reading if you are a fan of Mike Chen or just need something a little wholesome.
sh00bs's review
3.0
This was a fun read! Fluffy, light and endearing. The character building made this book for me. The world building (in regards to super powers) lacked originality. But I don’t mind, it didn’t feel like it was ever meant to be the star of the book.
My kindle version was expensive and riddled with obvious errors, but I don’t blame the author. It seems that the printed book didn’t have that issue.
The audiobook was a bummer and also expensive, the narrator seemed too serious, missing the tongue in cheek tone of the book. Also she had a terrible and distracting English accent.
My kindle version was expensive and riddled with obvious errors, but I don’t blame the author. It seems that the printed book didn’t have that issue.
The audiobook was a bummer and also expensive, the narrator seemed too serious, missing the tongue in cheek tone of the book. Also she had a terrible and distracting English accent.
roseayyy_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
intorilex's review against another edition
2.0
This is a soft sci-fi but definitely more a contemporary read. I could not get into this at all. Probably because I like my sci-fi hard and contemporaries rarely.