Dear Hero | ARC Review

Synopsis

TWEET CUTE X I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU

Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world—at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.

Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.

So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. After throwing punches at each other behind coffee shops, practicing their fight choreography, and hiring henchmen to do their bidding (mostly just getting them coffee), they begin to realize they have a lot more in common than just names that annoyingly rhyme.

But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive.

Review

This book was incredible! It was equal parts funny and moving with a splash of action to keep things moving. This book is considered “chat fiction” which means the whole book is told in the style of text messages between different characters.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this style of storytelling, but it quickly grew on me. The story in itself was rapturing so any reservations I might have had about the text-message style were quickly disregarded.

The two main characters, Cortex and V, had a great relationship. Cortex, the hero, is the classic good guy who just wants to be the best superhero he can be. While V, the villain, is tired of people letting her down and just wants to add another tally to her list of heroes she has battled (and killed).

The dynamic between these two is so fun! Their relationship starts out very professional as they just need each other to fulfill their roles as hero and villain, but things quickly change. I loved seeing how they each reacted to certain scenarios and revelations. They both had different outlooks on life so it was nice to hear differing thoughts and opinions on different situations. And the humor between the two was just the best.

The character development was fabulous as well. We get to watch as these two develop into better versions of their own selves and figure out what it means to be a hero and a villain.

Along those lines, I think a great lesson that I took from the book was the perception of others. It can be easy to make snap judgments about someone based on one statement said or based on what the majority of people say about them, but you don’t know someone until you know someone. Sometimes, you have to make snap judgments for the safety of yourself or someone else. Otherwise, take the time to get to know people before turning your back on them. That’s my two cents for the day.

Overall, this book was hilarious, well-thought-out, and an enlightening read for anyone. I can’t wait to see what these two authors write next!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to learn more about Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat, go to their GoodReads profiles. Buy this book on Amazon!