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A review by thwipys
We Could Be Heroes by Philip Ellis
3.0
**Thank you to Netgalley for providing the eARC!**
We Could Be Heroes follows the star of a popular comic book movie as he navigates fame and coming out, as well as his romance with a drag queen he met while filming. The novel is told in dual POV between the two of them.
I liked the commentary this book had on CBM (comic book movie) fanbases, like when Audra, another star, criticizes the fans for their expectations of actors. That theme runs deep, especially as fame plays a huge role in Patrick’s arc. Patrick and Will have to keep their relationship a secret due to this. I’m not a huge fan of that trope.
What I liked most was the historical chapters, detailing the history of the Captain Kismet character and creation of the original (fictional) comics. I’m a big comic fan so that’s what resonated most with me. I could have done with a whole book of that, to be honest
The side characters for the most part just seemed a little mean. Especially Audra. I like banter, but it seemed a bit much sometimes. Dylan, Will’s sister’s nonbinary kid, was my favorite.
Besides a few moments at the beginning, I didn’t really feel like there was much chemistry between Patrick and Will. Maybe it’s just me, but they didn’t seem to have much in common. The pacing also seemed a bit off. It’s like the novel didn’t get confident in itself until the halfway mark, somehow?
I’d pick this up if you’re looking for a light read, and you like metatextual stuff about CBMs!
We Could Be Heroes follows the star of a popular comic book movie as he navigates fame and coming out, as well as his romance with a drag queen he met while filming. The novel is told in dual POV between the two of them.
I liked the commentary this book had on CBM (comic book movie) fanbases, like when Audra, another star, criticizes the fans for their expectations of actors. That theme runs deep, especially as fame plays a huge role in Patrick’s arc. Patrick and Will have to keep their relationship a secret due to this. I’m not a huge fan of that trope.
What I liked most was the historical chapters, detailing the history of the Captain Kismet character and creation of the original (fictional) comics. I’m a big comic fan so that’s what resonated most with me. I could have done with a whole book of that, to be honest
The side characters for the most part just seemed a little mean. Especially Audra. I like banter, but it seemed a bit much sometimes. Dylan, Will’s sister’s nonbinary kid, was my favorite.
Besides a few moments at the beginning, I didn’t really feel like there was much chemistry between Patrick and Will. Maybe it’s just me, but they didn’t seem to have much in common. The pacing also seemed a bit off. It’s like the novel didn’t get confident in itself until the halfway mark, somehow?
I’d pick this up if you’re looking for a light read, and you like metatextual stuff about CBMs!