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A review by esme_bonner
We Could Be Heroes by PJ Ellis
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperNorth, and PJ Ellis for a Galley of this in return for an honest review.
This was an immaculate mix of campy humour, subtle political statement, and heart breaking emotion. Caught between a fun, and funny, superhero themed romcom, a scathing indictment of systemic homophobia, and a wrenching representation of what it is to be queer, traumatised, and queer & traumatised, We Could Be Heroes is a wonderful novel filled with humour.
Ellis has taken care to craft characters who behave like people, which is something I adore in novels. Will and Patrick couldn't be more human if they tried, and (without spoiling anything) the other characters we meet across timelines do the same! I did just say timelines. Unexpectedly, this novel is somewhat epistolary, and features snapshots from the lives of people in the 1950s - this for me was a bonus, but if that kind of changing about isn't something you enjoy in books then all I can say is it's a real shame you'll be missing out on this one!
I really loved this. I had a lot of fun, and once I was in it I was consumed. It just misses the 5 star mark for me, because I do think some of the more intimate scenes were a little confused. There was enough to tell you what was happening, but they were all a little rushed or vague. For me that kind of half-open / not-quite-closed door intimacy, where detail is there but also withheld, is never really enjoyable. It's too much for closed door, not enough for open, and I always find it weakens the moment a little. It's a small thing, and really just a me problem!
Overall, brilliant. A fun, feisty, colourful, unapologetically queer love story. A true delight to read. 4.5 stars.
This was an immaculate mix of campy humour, subtle political statement, and heart breaking emotion. Caught between a fun, and funny, superhero themed romcom, a scathing indictment of systemic homophobia, and a wrenching representation of what it is to be queer, traumatised, and queer & traumatised, We Could Be Heroes is a wonderful novel filled with humour.
Ellis has taken care to craft characters who behave like people, which is something I adore in novels. Will and Patrick couldn't be more human if they tried, and (without spoiling anything) the other characters we meet across timelines do the same! I did just say timelines. Unexpectedly, this novel is somewhat epistolary, and features snapshots from the lives of people in the 1950s - this for me was a bonus, but if that kind of changing about isn't something you enjoy in books then all I can say is it's a real shame you'll be missing out on this one!
I really loved this. I had a lot of fun, and once I was in it I was consumed. It just misses the 5 star mark for me, because I do think some of the more intimate scenes were a little confused. There was enough to tell you what was happening, but they were all a little rushed or vague. For me that kind of half-open / not-quite-closed door intimacy, where detail is there but also withheld, is never really enjoyable. It's too much for closed door, not enough for open, and I always find it weakens the moment a little. It's a small thing, and really just a me problem!
Overall, brilliant. A fun, feisty, colourful, unapologetically queer love story. A true delight to read. 4.5 stars.