We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen | ARC REVIEW & EXCERPT

Updated: May 5, 2021

Happy end of the week! It felt like it went by so fast but at the same time, I didn't really feel it? Not like that's necessarily a bad thing.

I have a book review to share with you guys today about friends (it's not a romance) that made me miss my own friends.

As usual, read below for my review and until the end for an exclusive excerpt!!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: We Could Be Heroes

Author: Mike Chen

Publisher: MIRA

Published: January 26th, 2021

Tags: Adult Science Fiction Fantasy / Contemporary

Pages: 352

Find it on: Bookshop, Goodreads, B&N, IndieBound, Apple Books, Google Books, Kobo

Summary:

An emotional adventure about two misfits who have extraordinary powers, but have forgotten who they were before. The vigilante and the villain must team up to stop a mad scientist who threatens the city, while trying to figure out who they really are.

Jamie woke up two years ago in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to who he might be, and also with the power to read other people's memories. In the meantime, he's become the Mind Robber, holding up banks for quick cash. Similarly, Zoe is searching for her past, and using her new extraordinary abilities of speed and strength...to deliver fast food. And occasionally beat up bad guys, if she feels like it.

When the two meet in a memory-loss support group, they realize they are each other's best chance at discovering what happened to them. The quest will take them deep into a medical conspiracy that is threatening to spill out and wreak havoc on their city, and maybe the country. As the two get past their respective barriers, they'll realize that their friendship is the thing that gives them the greatest power.

I am working with MIRA/Harlequin for a Blog Tour of We Could Be Heroes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE REVIEW

— overall thoughts: ⭑⭑⭑⭑.5 —

This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T

“Extraordinary comes in many forms. You never realized that, and that pushed her to find it elsewhere.”

I loved that this wasn’t a romance, which might be deal-breaker to some people, but it was so refreshing to read about the platonic relationship between the characters in the midst of this chaos. I feel like we need more of that in literature. As much as I love a good romance, there’s something heartwarming about friends just being friends in a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But still made my heart soft.

We Could Be Heroes is an Adult Science Fiction/Contemporary standalone about a vigilante and a bank robber who lost their memories. I am a sucker for stories about lost memories. The endearing characters hooked me from the start and I really did find myself smiling while reading.

Neither of our mains is what I would call a ~hero or a ~villain. Maybe antiheroes would be the grey area but at the core of it all, they are flawed people who want to make the most out of the cards they were dealt with. Jamie is definitely that person who just wants to escape into an island while reading books and drinking coffee with his cat (this is canon and honestly, this would be me). On the other hand, Zoe goes about arresting “bad guys” like… said bank robber. They meet in a memory-loss support group and the action-packed story takes off from there.

If there is such thing, this would be the book equivalent to a popcorn movie with diversity and LGBTQ+ rep. I do tend to look for antagonists with more depth rather and the tone of the story does take a different turn from what it was in the beginning.

Nonetheless, the ending was extremely satisfying with how everything came full circle and as a huge fan of all the Superhero CW shows, I loved this. Besides, the David Bowie song plays in my head every time I see this book. It was so perfectly my type of story.

↣ Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an easy read and you’re not looking for a romance but enjoy good friendships. Especially stories with humor and a nostalgic factor. ↢

DOWNLOAD AN EXCERPT of We Could Be Heroes

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Chen is a lifelong writer, from crafting fan fiction as a child to somehow getting paid for words as an adult. He has contributed to major geek websites (The Mary Sue, The Portalist, Tor) and covered the NHL for mainstream media outlets. A member of SFWA and Codex Writers, Mike lives in the Bay Area, where he can be found playing video games and watching Doctor Who with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mikechenwriter

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