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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
A 'hero' you won't forget.
This is the kind of story you begin and soon snuggle into, wrapping yourself up in a sympathetic character, trusting the author to guide your emotions and take you to a satisfying conclusion.
At times though it feels too sad. We meet a real-life superhero, a young man who dresses as a comic-style champion. Sam assumes this alter-ego several times a week, looking for wrong-doers and those in need. The rest of the time he lives by strict routine, works in a mundane job, unwillingly meets some old schoolfriends for social occasions.
He's an enigma... a dull-seeming everyman, but also a masked protector. You can't help but be intrigued at the incongruity, especially when the two sides clash:
"(Superhero belt) has seven pouches for, as the product description said: pistol, double pistol, magazine clips, baton and handcuffs. Instead Sam had: length of twine: smoke bombs, compass, notepad and pen, hand warmer, tape measure, laser pointer, £100 cash, cat treats, torch, asthma pump, rape alarm."
Love it. We also get small hints at a troubled past:
"By keeping things regimented and ordered Sam was able to create a stable state for his soul."
We eventually learn, bit by bit, what has happened in Sam's past to spilt his life and it's heart-wrenching. Both the descriptions of Sam's life 'pre' his terrible ordeal and grief afterwards feel terribly realistic.
Sam of course is given a life-changing encounter by the author, forced to re-assess his life and priorities, face his demons and past. It's painful but also warming to watch as he works through his issues - the awful events referred to throughout happening at a very awkward time in a person's life, as he hovered between adolescence and independent adulthood, 'betwixt and between'.
The psychology of Sam is a character in itself, though Thomas also creates some decent minor characters too - his friends, a potential love interest, an enigmatical boss.
I enjoyed the subplot of Sam's workplace as well, it weaves in and out of Sam's personal crises and fitted in nicely with the plot.
You may ache a little with sadness, but Sam's story is also stirring and has its own quiet humour. An easy enough summer read with depth and affability.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.
This is the kind of story you begin and soon snuggle into, wrapping yourself up in a sympathetic character, trusting the author to guide your emotions and take you to a satisfying conclusion.
At times though it feels too sad. We meet a real-life superhero, a young man who dresses as a comic-style champion. Sam assumes this alter-ego several times a week, looking for wrong-doers and those in need. The rest of the time he lives by strict routine, works in a mundane job, unwillingly meets some old schoolfriends for social occasions.
He's an enigma... a dull-seeming everyman, but also a masked protector. You can't help but be intrigued at the incongruity, especially when the two sides clash:
"(Superhero belt) has seven pouches for, as the product description said: pistol, double pistol, magazine clips, baton and handcuffs. Instead Sam had: length of twine: smoke bombs, compass, notepad and pen, hand warmer, tape measure, laser pointer, £100 cash, cat treats, torch, asthma pump, rape alarm."
Love it. We also get small hints at a troubled past:
"By keeping things regimented and ordered Sam was able to create a stable state for his soul."
We eventually learn, bit by bit, what has happened in Sam's past to spilt his life and it's heart-wrenching. Both the descriptions of Sam's life 'pre' his terrible ordeal and grief afterwards feel terribly realistic.
Sam of course is given a life-changing encounter by the author, forced to re-assess his life and priorities, face his demons and past. It's painful but also warming to watch as he works through his issues - the awful events referred to throughout happening at a very awkward time in a person's life, as he hovered between adolescence and independent adulthood, 'betwixt and between'.
The psychology of Sam is a character in itself, though Thomas also creates some decent minor characters too - his friends, a potential love interest, an enigmatical boss.
I enjoyed the subplot of Sam's workplace as well, it weaves in and out of Sam's personal crises and fitted in nicely with the plot.
You may ache a little with sadness, but Sam's story is also stirring and has its own quiet humour. An easy enough summer read with depth and affability.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.
bleudeciel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
toodlebean's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a well told story. The author didn't just create a character with an alter ego, a secret and a love interest; He gave Sam a history and a reason for why he does what he does. I showed us just how Sam's trauma has shaped him as a person and how it continues to impact his life. I didn't expect this story to focus so much on Sam overcoming his challenges but he does in a completely believable way.
Highly recommend. I found it emotional and inspirational with a dash of action and romance.
Highly recommend. I found it emotional and inspirational with a dash of action and romance.
bookishsamsch's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this book from start to finish and cannot understand why it isn't a smash hit. I think it will stay with me for a long time
stephbookshine's review against another edition
5.0
*I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to Headline Publishing and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
This book broke me.
For approximately the last third (and for about ten further minutes after putting it down) I sat gripping it tightly with tears streaming down my face. I’m still suffering from the emotional hangover hours later!
Truly The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway is a brilliantly crafted and terribly raw story; perfectly capturing the awkward clumsiness of real life in comparison to the heroic narratives we devour and imagine ourselves part of.
We read comics and picture Batman (or your hero of choice) slipping silently through the shadows then BAM POW taking out the bad guys with expert precision. Sam’s Phantasm brings that to painful, funny-but-achingly-sad life with his utility belt full of smoke bombs and Cherry Coke, rape alarm and chocolate bars.
I can see why this book has been compared to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. There are definite similarities in both plotline and characterisation, as both novels feature a protagonist who has dealt with great personal tragedy by withdrawing from the outside world into a tightly-controlled isolation of routine and comfort. It is also human contact, via friendship and/or romance, that sparks the fuse that begins both Sam and Eleanor’s journeys towards a happier life.
Still, I was more concerned for Sam. The most concerned for him that I think I have ever been whilst reading, and I am a Robin Hobb fan! The whole experience of watching his carefully-constructed life detonate in slow motion is heartbreakingly tense, especially as the reader sees each brick fall long before Sam ‘Denial’ Holloway acknowledges the impact!
I can’t recommend this book enough. Book groups, fans of superhero narratives, those who like humour and/or pathos, romance, action, emotion. Buy it, read it and come talk to me about it!
For Sam the magic of stories went far deeper than mere entertainment – they wove an alternate reality in which he could feel less alone. When Harry and his friends went to Diagon Alley for sweets or wands or broomsticks, he was right there with them. He loved the world the author built, felt himself sliding off his bed and into the pages of the book, into another universe. This transporting experience, where he could be with other people, was immensely powerful, and it was in books he found his first real friends.
– Rhys Thomas, The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/blog-tour-the-unlikely-heroics-of-sam-holloway-rhys-thomas/
This book broke me.
For approximately the last third (and for about ten further minutes after putting it down) I sat gripping it tightly with tears streaming down my face. I’m still suffering from the emotional hangover hours later!
Truly The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway is a brilliantly crafted and terribly raw story; perfectly capturing the awkward clumsiness of real life in comparison to the heroic narratives we devour and imagine ourselves part of.
We read comics and picture Batman (or your hero of choice) slipping silently through the shadows then BAM POW taking out the bad guys with expert precision. Sam’s Phantasm brings that to painful, funny-but-achingly-sad life with his utility belt full of smoke bombs and Cherry Coke, rape alarm and chocolate bars.
I can see why this book has been compared to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. There are definite similarities in both plotline and characterisation, as both novels feature a protagonist who has dealt with great personal tragedy by withdrawing from the outside world into a tightly-controlled isolation of routine and comfort. It is also human contact, via friendship and/or romance, that sparks the fuse that begins both Sam and Eleanor’s journeys towards a happier life.
Still, I was more concerned for Sam. The most concerned for him that I think I have ever been whilst reading, and I am a Robin Hobb fan! The whole experience of watching his carefully-constructed life detonate in slow motion is heartbreakingly tense, especially as the reader sees each brick fall long before Sam ‘Denial’ Holloway acknowledges the impact!
I can’t recommend this book enough. Book groups, fans of superhero narratives, those who like humour and/or pathos, romance, action, emotion. Buy it, read it and come talk to me about it!
For Sam the magic of stories went far deeper than mere entertainment – they wove an alternate reality in which he could feel less alone. When Harry and his friends went to Diagon Alley for sweets or wands or broomsticks, he was right there with them. He loved the world the author built, felt himself sliding off his bed and into the pages of the book, into another universe. This transporting experience, where he could be with other people, was immensely powerful, and it was in books he found his first real friends.
– Rhys Thomas, The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/blog-tour-the-unlikely-heroics-of-sam-holloway-rhys-thomas/
inakibarrondo's review against another edition
4.0
I loved it! The romances were well structured, the characters were well made. The only thing I didn´t like that much was the superhero chapters. But overall, it was an amazing reading.
angiemich2904's review against another edition
4.0
Not all super-heroes wear capes, but Sam does, although someone should tell him he doesn't need a costume to be brave. This was a delightful and easy book to read, it's filled with heartbreak and sadness, is uplifting, but shows us that tragedy doesn't have to define you. It can shape you but should never become and define you
sarah_m96's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
yetanothersusan's review
3.0
This was an interesting book that combined a very satirical look at the antics of an action hero with the life of a young man continuing to grieve (or avoid grieving) for his family. Sadly, I think it was the strong juxtaposition of the two worlds Sam Holloway inhabited that didn't work for me. By the end of the book I had come to terms with it, but at points while reading the book it was very annoying. I did enjoy the enduring threads of friendship that continued to pop up and came away with a great moment that I will always remember on trail runs about the unevenness helping to keep a person in the moment.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.