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A review by jessthebibliophile
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
3.0
This was a cute & diverse read. It is set in a dystopia with super-powered individuals. The protagonist, Jess, is an Asian bisexual teenager who wants to be a superhero like her parents and older sister, but does not have powers. She ends up interning for a technological company with villains as supervisors.
Jess is very likeable & relatable as a character. Her relationships with her parents, siblings, friends and crush (Abby) were realistically portrayed.
However, the following did not work for me:
1) Worldbuilding -Most of the worldbuilding is done via infodumps. Also, for a dystopia set 100 years in the future, there is not much change in social interactions.
2) The title is 'Not Your Sidekick', but there is practically no focus on Jess not wanting to be one.
3) The book synopsis mentions "budding attraction to her fellow intern the mysterious M", but Jess only develops a friendship with M. Her romantic interest is focused on Abby.
4) Claudia - Jess lives in her sister's shadow, so much so that she doesn't participate in school extracurriculars because her sister has already done it all. The book mentioned that the sisters were close as children, but did not elaborate on how/when/why they grew apart.
5) Abby
3 stars for superpowers, diversity and Jess.
Jess is very likeable & relatable as a character. Her relationships with her parents, siblings, friends and crush (Abby) were realistically portrayed.
Spoiler
She becomes a true hero as she empathizes with the Mischiefs' motivations and investigates the changing history records about Gravitus.However, the following did not work for me:
1) Worldbuilding -Most of the worldbuilding is done via infodumps. Also, for a dystopia set 100 years in the future, there is not much change in social interactions.
2) The title is 'Not Your Sidekick', but there is practically no focus on Jess not wanting to be one.
3) The book synopsis mentions "budding attraction to her fellow intern the mysterious M", but Jess only develops a friendship with M. Her romantic interest is focused on Abby.
4) Claudia - Jess lives in her sister's shadow, so much so that she doesn't participate in school extracurriculars because her sister has already done it all. The book mentioned that the sisters were close as children, but did not elaborate on how/when/why they grew apart.
Spoiler
During a confrontation, Claudia taunts Jess "Maybe you should ask our parents what they’ve been keeping from you. I mean, they didn’t seem surprised at all when you didn’t get any powers, did they? Like they knew you wouldn’t?". Jess, who is very inquisitive throughout the book, does not question her parents about this.5) Abby
Spoiler
The reveals about Abby being M and her parents being the town villains were obvious right at the start. Their relationship feels a bit iffy to me as Jess confides in M about her crush on Abby and M encourages Jess to pursue her alter-ego, which is deceptive. Also, Abby is technically Jess's boss, which in the real world would be seen as taking advantage of your subordinates.3 stars for superpowers, diversity and Jess.