REVIEW: How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Katherine Tegen Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Astrid is master of schedules. She’s turned it into almost an art form – timed out to the minute, color coded. The whole deal. Unfortunately, real life is rarely as precise. For example, there was the night the dining hall closed early because of some superhero shenanigans right when she was supposed to be getting dinner with her roommate David and her boyfriend Max. It completely threw off her schedule!

Astrid has known Max since high school where he was awkward and accident prone. But none of the time she has known him has she suspected Max was a superhero. Not until his nemesis tries to kidnap her.

Astrid adores Max, but is she really cut out for a life of dating a superhero?

Review


This was fun. It’s got an interesting structure as the chapters jump back and forth through time so we can see the contemporary relationship between Astrid and Max and then see how it started.

I enjoyed the world-building here with both the superhero characters and the support systems they have in place for the romantic partners of superheroes. I also enjoyed Astrid and Max together – they are sweet and adorable. And the tension is real when Astrid’s life is in danger.

There’s a side story with a strong sense of foreshadowing. You know it’s going to eventually be a thing. You just have to wait it out. I actually wanted this to be a bigger thing across the story. The payoff was great in the end, but when I read a book, I’m always more satisfied if there’s a big challenge – a mystery to solve, an enemy to beat, etc.. This eventually delivers that, but the bulk of the story is focused on Astrid as she tries to hang onto Max – and herself – while the hero/villain world tries to tear everything apart.

This is a fun story, and I would encourage readers who love romance with a side of superheroes and fantasy to give this a go! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


After a monumental moment at school at the end of her junior year, Hayley is pushed into “pulling back at school.” This includes dropping tennis and putting a low key elective into her senior year schedule – TV production. At first it feels like a punishment – a limitation. But after enough comments about her “break down,” Hayley decides she is going to use her determination and ambition to make the best of this hand she has been dealt.

Lewis is the senior producer in the school TV studio this year. He’s partnered with Hayley and can’t help being concerned about the quality of her work considering what happened last year.

As Hayley and Lewis work together and get to know one another as more than “the girl who had the breakdown” and “the fat, funny kid in TV production,” they realize there’s more to each of them – and more to their peers – than people see at first glance. And they decide to turn that idea into a set of mini-documentaries to share with their school.

Review


I enjoyed this exploration of senior year for these two characters. Hayley’s journey to reclaim her life and identity after her “breakdown” does a great job of showing progress without quick, trite resolutions. And I enjoyed Lewis and the other teens in the story.

I would have liked a stronger problem-resolution thread, but that’s a matter of personal preference. I like my stories to have more drive to them than this did. This is more focused on this period of time – senior year – for these characters, and on the journey rather than the destination. The wrap up to the story is good. I enjoyed this one. (Language, sexual references)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+