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mood_reading_maya 's review for:
All Superheroes Need PR
by Elizabeth Stephens
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Many thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
This was my second Elizabeth Stephens book this month. I only had a small taste of their dark romance writing style and was very curious to see how this shift in style would pan out.
In all honesty, All Superheroes Need PR lacked much of the romantic comedy it was marketed with. (There was also a fair amount of traumatic childhood memories and internalized negative self-talk when it came to the female main character. If you're hoping for fluff, it's here...but tinged with a dark edge.) Sometimes books marketed as romantic comedies find themselves creating truly outlandish and over the top situations that land more cringe than comedic. That's kind of what happened here. The female main character, Vanessa, is portrayed on page as SO CLUMSY in response to situations that make them uncomfortable or trigger upswings in their social anxiety. It's very...damsel in distress, which feels a bit at odds with their position as the CEO of a PR firm.
As an an action packed adventure, this works. As a romance, less so. The love story between Roland and Vanessa comes across as very superficial. Insta-love, if you will. In a novella, that's a trope I can generally stand behind, but in a full length novel? Not so much. I wasn't really invested in the couple's relationship. I wanted more emotional connection and less growly "stay away from my girl." The storyline is fun and interesting, but the writing moves too quickly and it comes off as disjointed and choppy.
This was my second Elizabeth Stephens book this month. I only had a small taste of their dark romance writing style and was very curious to see how this shift in style would pan out.
In all honesty, All Superheroes Need PR lacked much of the romantic comedy it was marketed with. (There was also a fair amount of traumatic childhood memories and internalized negative self-talk when it came to the female main character. If you're hoping for fluff, it's here...but tinged with a dark edge.) Sometimes books marketed as romantic comedies find themselves creating truly outlandish and over the top situations that land more cringe than comedic. That's kind of what happened here. The female main character, Vanessa, is portrayed on page as SO CLUMSY in response to situations that make them uncomfortable or trigger upswings in their social anxiety. It's very...damsel in distress, which feels a bit at odds with their position as the CEO of a PR firm.
As an an action packed adventure, this works. As a romance, less so. The love story between Roland and Vanessa comes across as very superficial. Insta-love, if you will. In a novella, that's a trope I can generally stand behind, but in a full length novel? Not so much. I wasn't really invested in the couple's relationship. I wanted more emotional connection and less growly "stay away from my girl." The storyline is fun and interesting, but the writing moves too quickly and it comes off as disjointed and choppy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse