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fivecatsinacoat's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this book.
This was fun, but also fairly flat. It read more YA than adult, which is fine, but it also wasn't very deep. I wish this book had pushed further into the idea of losing your history and background and how that affects you.
This was fun, but also fairly flat. It read more YA than adult, which is fine, but it also wasn't very deep. I wish this book had pushed further into the idea of losing your history and background and how that affects you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Confinement, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Kidnapping
stormeno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism and Panic attacks/disorders
uhhlexiconic's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
We Could Be Heroes floats a little too fast passed some reveals, but is overall a lovely look at friendship and identity on a superhero backdrop
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Torture, and Kidnapping
readingthroughinfinity's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
I stumbled across this while scrolling through Scribd and thought it would be my kind of thing (superheroes + mystery). Cut to a year later and I finally picked up the audiobook as part of my Asian readathon TBR, and it surprised me in all the best ways.
The narrative is funny and direct, the mystery surrounding the protagonists' amnesia is gripping, and the world-building feels very believable. Jamie and Zoe's friendship was definitely my favourite part of this novel. They begin the story as nemeses (though they don't stay that way for long) and end it as close friends, whose quest to recover their lost memories has bonded them for life. I really liked the fact that Zoe had super strength and near-invincibility, and she often had to save Jamie from moments of peril, as this subverts the usual stereotyped gendered roles we get in superhero-themed media.
Perhaps my favourite element of this book is the fact that there's no romance at all (apart from a minor side-romance (we only see the aftereffects of this)). Jamie and Zoe's friendship is a wonderful, strong, fulfilling bond and they don't share a romantic connection or sexual chemistry, which I LOVED. The author shows us that friendship is just as strong as a romantic relationship and that platonic love is in no way inferior to romantic love, and I adored that.
The narrative gets a little convoluted during some of the explanations of the antagonist's plans and a few parts of the final climax felt a bit too 'convenient' for me, but forgave these issues pretty easily because the great final twist and satisfying conclusion.
Content warnings for violence, amnesia, past death of a partner, on-page death of a spouse, building fires, gun violence, emotional manipulation, alcohol addiction.
The narrative is funny and direct, the mystery surrounding the protagonists' amnesia is gripping, and the world-building feels very believable. Jamie and Zoe's friendship was definitely my favourite part of this novel. They begin the story as nemeses (though they don't stay that way for long) and end it as close friends, whose quest to recover their lost memories has bonded them for life. I really liked the fact that Zoe had super strength and near-invincibility, and she often had to save Jamie from moments of peril, as this subverts the usual stereotyped gendered roles we get in superhero-themed media.
Perhaps my favourite element of this book is the fact that there's no romance at all (apart from a minor side-romance (we only see the aftereffects of this)). Jamie and Zoe's friendship is a wonderful, strong, fulfilling bond and they don't share a romantic connection or sexual chemistry, which I LOVED. The author shows us that friendship is just as strong as a romantic relationship and that platonic love is in no way inferior to romantic love, and I adored that.
The narrative gets a little convoluted during some of the explanations of the antagonist's plans and a few parts of the final climax felt a bit too 'convenient' for me, but forgave these issues pretty easily because the great final twist and satisfying conclusion.
Content warnings for violence, amnesia, past death of a partner, on-page death of a spouse, building fires, gun violence, emotional manipulation, alcohol addiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Gun violence, and Addiction
Minor: Death
asphodelashes's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
This was a fun, lighthearted read. Reminds me of the superhero stuff I watched as a kid.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Confinement, and Mental illness
bookwyrmknits's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This was a really fun read, and I greatly appreciated that romance was not used as a plot element. It was a fun story about two people who happened to have extraordinary powers, who became—and stayed—friends. I hadn't fully realized how much I need that kind of story in my life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Alcoholism
marareading's review
No rating for a DNF. The premise was so interesting to me, but I found myself feeling like the characters weren't grounded and I couldn't follow them. I couldn't get invested despite the good plot idea. It wasn't enough to hold me to the end.
If you like a medium pace, superheroes/superpowers, and heroes coming together to fight an evil corporation, you may want to give this a chance.
If you like a medium pace, superheroes/superpowers, and heroes coming together to fight an evil corporation, you may want to give this a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
sarah984's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a fun little popcorn movie of a book about a hero and villain with superpowers who meet by chance at a memory loss support group meeting. I noticed a few typos and I think the plot started to unravel a bit towards the end with a lot of revelations all at once (and the way things went down with the cop was kind of wishy-washy) but overall I enjoyed my time with this one. The characters weren't super deep but they were fun to watch and for the most part the action and comedy balanced well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Car accident, and Dementia
beingsimba's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't know what the word is for 'extremely pragmatic bank robber,' but that's me.
Need a quick, fun read about likeable anti-heroes gaining each other's trust to form a wonderfully platonic relationship while digging into who they were and who they are? This is your book!
Need a quick, fun read about likeable anti-heroes gaining each other's trust to form a wonderfully platonic relationship while digging into who they were and who they are? This is your book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
madarauchiha's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
I love but hate superheroes. Not to be an elitist hipster, but marvel and dc comics are incredibly tedious these days. The rote, flashy, emotionless 3 hour long movies and poorly done tv series make me want to avoid the genre altogether. This isn't exactly this.
The best I could relate this to is a sci fi movie. Not a book adaption of a sci fi movie, but definitely one that you'd catch in smaller showings before popping up on daytime television to fill in some slots. It has the potential to become a cult classic.
I like that it wasn't clingy to standard hero vs villain plots. I was expecting a connect the dots, very basic premise, and was glad to find there is a little more thought put into this.
I think the female main character was treated fairly well as far as comic book type superheroes are treated.
I have mixed feelings on how the police were portrayed in this story. They are definitely not heroes in real life and can we please get over copaganda already? Us Asians are not exempt from their brutality, no matter how much you want to be the Model Minority.
I would love to see more from this story line, honestly. It sort of gives me Megamind feelings but not as an exact copy. More like something in the same venn diagram section, you know?
Content warnings:
Minor emetophobia
Major: pro police sentiment, alcohol abuse, gore, death, memory loss, violence, psychiatric abuse, psychiatric institutions, human experimentation, medical abuse, torture, abuse, unreality, demolition, live burial / claustrophobia,
I love but hate superheroes. Not to be an elitist hipster, but marvel and dc comics are incredibly tedious these days. The rote, flashy, emotionless 3 hour long movies and poorly done tv series make me want to avoid the genre altogether. This isn't exactly this.
The best I could relate this to is a sci fi movie. Not a book adaption of a sci fi movie, but definitely one that you'd catch in smaller showings before popping up on daytime television to fill in some slots. It has the potential to become a cult classic.
I like that it wasn't clingy to standard hero vs villain plots. I was expecting a connect the dots, very basic premise, and was glad to find there is a little more thought put into this.
I think the female main character was treated fairly well as far as comic book type superheroes are treated.
I have mixed feelings on how the police were portrayed in this story. They are definitely not heroes in real life and can we please get over copaganda already? Us Asians are not exempt from their brutality, no matter how much you want to be the Model Minority.
I would love to see more from this story line, honestly. It sort of gives me Megamind feelings but not as an exact copy. More like something in the same venn diagram section, you know?
Content warnings:
Minor emetophobia
Major: pro police sentiment, alcohol abuse, gore, death, memory loss, violence, psychiatric abuse, psychiatric institutions, human experimentation, medical abuse, torture, abuse, unreality, demolition, live burial / claustrophobia,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Death, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Vomit