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We Could Be Heroes
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An extraordinary and emotional adventure about unlikely friends and the power of choosing who you want to be.
Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories—a power he uses to hold up banks to buy coffee, cat food and books.
Zoe is also searching for her past, and using h ...more
Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories—a power he uses to hold up banks to buy coffee, cat food and books.
Zoe is also searching for her past, and using h ...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication:
January 26th 2021
by Mira Books
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We Could Be Heroes
by
Release
date: Jan 26, 2021
Enter for a chance to win one of five signed ARCs of the upcoming WE COULD BE HEROES by Mike Chen (releases January 26, 2021 from Mira/HarperCollins).
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Format: Print book
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Availability: 5 copies available, 3837 people requesting
Giveaway dates: Jan 17 - Jan 25, 2021
Countries available: U.S.
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Two misfits whose memories are erased turning into reluctant heroes: a mind robber and greatest fae combining their powers for greater good but their main motivation is discovering who they really are!
Well: I personally enjoyed the diversity and LGBT representation of the story with its relatable MCs Zoe and Jamie who team up to find their mysterious origins. They’re not born to be heroes but now they are forced to adapt in their changing lives but forming a proper future life depends on where ...more
Well: I personally enjoyed the diversity and LGBT representation of the story with its relatable MCs Zoe and Jamie who team up to find their mysterious origins. They’re not born to be heroes but now they are forced to adapt in their changing lives but forming a proper future life depends on where ...more
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen was one of those books that I liked but other than that it wasn't anything too special, in my honest opinion. I really wanted to like it so much more than I did but the story in general just left me wanting more, unfortunately. It was good enough to read once but that's where it stopped for me.
The book featured a hero and villain who have superhuman powers. Zoe a.k.a the Throwing Star, who has super speed, super strenght, can fly and who kicks criminals' ass and s ...more
The book featured a hero and villain who have superhuman powers. Zoe a.k.a the Throwing Star, who has super speed, super strenght, can fly and who kicks criminals' ass and s ...more
An incredibly fun story with delightfully flawed superheroes, exciting action, and satisfying character growth—not to mention moments that’ll make you laugh out loud. I have all my fingers crossed I’ll get to see this on screen someday!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is an enthralling and diverse superhero sci-fi novel. I was hooked right from the beginning and it was very easy to speed right through it. I'm really glad I took a chance on this because I've been pretty impressed by his two previous novels and I really appreciated his style when it comes to the superhero genre. His world-building skills are as always top-notch and I also found myself quite investe ...more
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is an enthralling and diverse superhero sci-fi novel. I was hooked right from the beginning and it was very easy to speed right through it. I'm really glad I took a chance on this because I've been pretty impressed by his two previous novels and I really appreciated his style when it comes to the superhero genre. His world-building skills are as always top-notch and I also found myself quite investe ...more
GIVE ME MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. thank you.
This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
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 ...more
This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
“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 ...more
Two people with extraordinary powers are on opposite sides of the law. Jamie - the Mind Robber - can stun people or see and steal their memories. He uses this power to rob banks, since they’re insured, to fund a retirement in the Caribbean with his cat, Normal. Zoe, the Throwing Star, fights crime with her super strength when she’s not delivering restaurant food orders. She’s determined to catch the Mind Robber.
But when they meet at a group for those with memory issues, they discover they have ...more
But when they meet at a group for those with memory issues, they discover they have ...more
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We Could Be Heroes is a book that breezed by while reading. Fast paced action and well balanced, We Could Be Heroes is a story that, if you like superheros, will captivate you. It has almost a cinematic feel and I could easily imagine it as a mini series. But what I loved the most about this book was the ways Jamie and Zoe aren't your typical super powered humans. They are a bit of ...more
We Could Be Heroes is a book that breezed by while reading. Fast paced action and well balanced, We Could Be Heroes is a story that, if you like superheros, will captivate you. It has almost a cinematic feel and I could easily imagine it as a mini series. But what I loved the most about this book was the ways Jamie and Zoe aren't your typical super powered humans. They are a bit of ...more
Book: We Could Be Heroes
Author: Mike Chen
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.
I’m just going to be honest. I did not like this one. It’s not that it’s a bad book by any means, but I just could not get into. I really think that I am not the intended audience for this one. I gave it a go and it just didn’t work out for me.
I felt like the big reason why I didn’t like this one was because of the way that everything was carried out. We have ...more
Author: Mike Chen
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.
I’m just going to be honest. I did not like this one. It’s not that it’s a bad book by any means, but I just could not get into. I really think that I am not the intended audience for this one. I gave it a go and it just didn’t work out for me.
I felt like the big reason why I didn’t like this one was because of the way that everything was carried out. We have ...more
3 days into the new year and I already have a book for my best of list. I want to say We Could Be Heroes took me completely by surprise but I have read Mike’s words before and knew I was in for a treat.
Looking for a speculative novel that is character driven and full of heart? Enter We Could Be Heroes, with action that keeps you fully immersed and characters you’re cheering for the whole way through.
In a world that could easily be ours, two unsuspecting characters have developed superpowers….wit ...more
Looking for a speculative novel that is character driven and full of heart? Enter We Could Be Heroes, with action that keeps you fully immersed and characters you’re cheering for the whole way through.
In a world that could easily be ours, two unsuspecting characters have developed superpowers….wit ...more
The reason I enjoy Mike Chen’s books so much is because I seem to get really attached to his characters. And We Could Be Heroes was no exception.
I immediately was drawn to Jamie, a bank robber who awoke 2 years ago with no memories of his life before, but who discovered he was able to read other’s memories and erase whatever memories he chose. During his bank robberies, he would gently erase all memories of himself and the bank robberies.
Zoe was a little harder to warm to. She also woke up 2 yea ...more
I immediately was drawn to Jamie, a bank robber who awoke 2 years ago with no memories of his life before, but who discovered he was able to read other’s memories and erase whatever memories he chose. During his bank robberies, he would gently erase all memories of himself and the bank robberies.
Zoe was a little harder to warm to. She also woke up 2 yea ...more
I'm a big fan of Mike Chen's books, and his latest release was both fun and thought-provoking. It starts out with Jamie, the "Mind Robber," a sort-of villain with the power to read and erase people's memories. Jamie is not really a bad guy, though, despite his lame villain speeches. He really just wants to get away from San Delgado, where he lives, to an island somewhere with his cat. He's been without his own memories for about two years, and he's tired of living the same blank existence in San
...more
We Could Be Heroes was not the book I anticipated by the cover and description. The first few chapters worked really well, and I really appreciated true inner turmoil of Zoe and Jamie, showing bank robbers aren’t all bad and heroes aren’t all good.
For me, the book was very muddled in the middle. The plot seemed disjointed and not very cohesive. You would be thinking they were going one way and all of the sudden they were arrested and shifting. There were memory flashbacks that weren’t clean on ...more
For me, the book was very muddled in the middle. The plot seemed disjointed and not very cohesive. You would be thinking they were going one way and all of the sudden they were arrested and shifting. There were memory flashbacks that weren’t clean on ...more
This book tap danced between genres, creating a story I could not put down. I loved Jamie and Zoe, Normal the cat, and the insidious way Jamie and Zoe's abilities were more than I initially imagined! Without any spoilers, I thought the way that the author brought this unlikely pair to cross paths over and over was really fun, and the surprising direction their abilities took them was engaging to the last page -- plus, that splash of horror was *chef's kiss*. Thanks to the author for this advance
...more
My First Foray Into Superhero Books. As much as I've read scifi for literally decades, this is actually my first foray into the actual superhero fiction genre. Yes, I've read a few comic books in my day and am a big fan of most of the major franchises, but this was my very first superhero fiction novel. And y'all, I found it quite compelling - even as a 38 yo married male reading about two people closer to that Young Adult / New Adult category. While the Arrowverse inspirations for this project
...more
That's it, I'll read every Mike Chen book. Every single one. This book is two unlikely allies realizing that it's up to them to decide what kind of person they'll be.
...more
4.5 Stars
Mike Chen's "We Could Be Heroes" is a love letter to genre fiction and a fun romp to boot. The main characters, Zoe and Jamie, are flawed but sympathetic and play off each other really well. While Jamie is an anxious and meticulous memory scanning maverick who robs banks to make bank, Zoe has almost all the powers of Superman and none of the impulse control. As you can imagine, wacky hijinks, but their friendship is what really anchors the book and what made it such a good read. By the ...more
Mike Chen's "We Could Be Heroes" is a love letter to genre fiction and a fun romp to boot. The main characters, Zoe and Jamie, are flawed but sympathetic and play off each other really well. While Jamie is an anxious and meticulous memory scanning maverick who robs banks to make bank, Zoe has almost all the powers of Superman and none of the impulse control. As you can imagine, wacky hijinks, but their friendship is what really anchors the book and what made it such a good read. By the ...more
3.5 (full review later)
He was the Mind Robber. She was the Throwing Star. Can I make it any more obvious?
He was a supervillain with memory-reading-slash-erasing powers who robbed banks to build up his Caribbean retirement fund. She was a vigilante with super-hearing-running-punching-heat-sensing powers who beat up common criminals on a part-time basis. What more can I say?
He had a cat (named Normal). She had drinking problems. And together they will be heroes. Just for one day.Or several
Alrigh ...more
He was the Mind Robber. She was the Throwing Star. Can I make it any more obvious?
He was a supervillain with memory-reading-slash-erasing powers who robbed banks to build up his Caribbean retirement fund. She was a vigilante with super-hearing-running-punching-heat-sensing powers who beat up common criminals on a part-time basis. What more can I say?
He had a cat (named Normal). She had drinking problems. And together they will be heroes. Just for one day.
Alrigh ...more
Two years ago, Jamie woke up with no memory of who he was. His apartment was paid for and that's about it. After adopting a cat, he tried the average, everyday thing but with no reliable ID it became hard. And when he realized he had the ability to read and manipulate memories, he began to plan. And thus, Mind Robber was born!
Zoe Wong also woke up two years ago with no memories. Her apartment was also paid for. But she had a clue to her ID: a name badge that read "Zoe Wong." It didn't take long ...more
Zoe Wong also woke up two years ago with no memories. Her apartment was also paid for. But she had a clue to her ID: a name badge that read "Zoe Wong." It didn't take long ...more
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
We Could Be Heroes is a new YA science fiction fantasy with strong comics book vibes.
It tells the story of two people who both wake up without their memories and some not so human abilities. From there our lead characters take different paths for their lives. Jamie uses his new ability to read people memories to rob banks and to set him and his cat up for the future. Zoe wakes up with super speed and strength and uses her new abilities in a more pr ...more
We Could Be Heroes is a new YA science fiction fantasy with strong comics book vibes.
It tells the story of two people who both wake up without their memories and some not so human abilities. From there our lead characters take different paths for their lives. Jamie uses his new ability to read people memories to rob banks and to set him and his cat up for the future. Zoe wakes up with super speed and strength and uses her new abilities in a more pr ...more
4,5* rounded to 5
First thing first: this book was a lot of fun to read, a mix of techno thriller and sci-fi featuring two super heroes/antiheroes. A gripping and highly entertaining story that I couldn’t put down.
Jamie and Zoe are two interesting and well thought characters, I rooted for them and loved their evolution.
Their friendship is a strange one as they are the very different: Jamie is well organized and methodic, Zoe act according to the moment. But their difference are what makes them a ...more
First thing first: this book was a lot of fun to read, a mix of techno thriller and sci-fi featuring two super heroes/antiheroes. A gripping and highly entertaining story that I couldn’t put down.
Jamie and Zoe are two interesting and well thought characters, I rooted for them and loved their evolution.
Their friendship is a strange one as they are the very different: Jamie is well organized and methodic, Zoe act according to the moment. But their difference are what makes them a ...more
This story features two people with superpowers: Jamie, aka the MindRobber, a villain who robs banks but who always returns his library books on time and really just wants to retire to the Caribbean with his cat and Zoe, aka Throwing Star, a superhero with a bit of a drinking problem.
And if you are a Doctor Who fan you'll probably recognize that "The MindRobber" was the name of an episode from the 1960s and Jamie and Zoe are both Doctor Who character names as well. Many of the character and plac ...more
And if you are a Doctor Who fan you'll probably recognize that "The MindRobber" was the name of an episode from the 1960s and Jamie and Zoe are both Doctor Who character names as well. Many of the character and plac ...more
I really enjoyed Chen’s first two books. His books are light on the science and big on the characters. By the second chapter I knew these characters, and it was awesome to see them develop. He is also a master of near-future speculation. Each of his books feature a premise that is totally realistic; they are situations that I can envision and I think that just adds to the credibility of his characters.
Look for lots of good twists and some good feels.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Look for lots of good twists and some good feels.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first half of this, but the second half got bogged down for me with weird explanations for all the strange stuff going on that I couldn't really understand and felt vague and unsatisfying. I LOVED the focus on friendship, and Zoey and Jamie's relationship as it kept developing, and especially in relation to what was going on with both their memories, was fantastic. But the plot fell flat.
...more
This was a very interesting book. He wove the characters and their past together perfectly. The compassion of one of the main characters Jamie comes out from the very beginning. It is funny and heartwarming and action packed at the same time. The ending is a bit of a surprise
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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At this point with Mike Chen, I don't bother looking at the book blurb, I just read what he publishes. But so I could decide how much to say in this post, I had to go look at the blurb. Just between you and me, I think I wouldn't have given as much away as it did, but now I feel a little freer about what to say.
JAMIE SORENSON/THE MIND ROBBER
Two years ago, Jamie Sorenson woke up in an apartment with no memory of who he was or how he got ther ...more
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At this point with Mike Chen, I don't bother looking at the book blurb, I just read what he publishes. But so I could decide how much to say in this post, I had to go look at the blurb. Just between you and me, I think I wouldn't have given as much away as it did, but now I feel a little freer about what to say.
JAMIE SORENSON/THE MIND ROBBER
Two years ago, Jamie Sorenson woke up in an apartment with no memory of who he was or how he got ther ...more
Please Note: I received a copy of this book for my participation in a Blog Tour to promote this novel. I had the option to opt out of the tour if I didn't like the book. But thankfully, I found this book to be really wonderful!
What if you woke up one day, couldn't remember who you were, but also had amazing super-powers? How would you react? Would your natural inclination be to use your new- found powers for your own enrichment, or for the greater good? That's the intriguing premise of We Could ...more
What if you woke up one day, couldn't remember who you were, but also had amazing super-powers? How would you react? Would your natural inclination be to use your new- found powers for your own enrichment, or for the greater good? That's the intriguing premise of We Could ...more
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
We Could Be Heroes.
I've read a few of the author's previous books before and enjoyed them so I was excited when my request was approved.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
This book is not about heroes, actually; it's about the regular people making certain choices that lead them down a path and it is up to them to decide which fork in the road to choose.
Jamie and Zoe are unlikely heroes; in fact, they weren't born heroes.
When we first meet them, Jaime is the Min ...more
I've read a few of the author's previous books before and enjoyed them so I was excited when my request was approved.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
This book is not about heroes, actually; it's about the regular people making certain choices that lead them down a path and it is up to them to decide which fork in the road to choose.
Jamie and Zoe are unlikely heroes; in fact, they weren't born heroes.
When we first meet them, Jaime is the Min ...more
I received a copy of We Could Be Heroes in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Superheroes novels are fairly common these days, so it takes effort to stand out. Enter Mike Chen's novel, We Could Be Heroes. It is one of the most unexpected superhero novels to come out this year.
What would do, if you woke up one day with powers? Even if those powers came at great cost (say, all of your memories), you'd still find a use for them, right? That's what Jamie did, when he woke up sans memories, but ...more
Superheroes novels are fairly common these days, so it takes effort to stand out. Enter Mike Chen's novel, We Could Be Heroes. It is one of the most unexpected superhero novels to come out this year.
What would do, if you woke up one day with powers? Even if those powers came at great cost (say, all of your memories), you'd still find a use for them, right? That's what Jamie did, when he woke up sans memories, but ...more
Date reviewed/posted: November 1, 2020
When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is once again closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us, superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.
I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and ...more
When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is once again closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us, superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.
I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and ...more
I was on the fence about requesting this book, but how can you not like a guy who robs banks (they’re insured!) to pay for cat food, books, and coffee? I also enjoyed Chen’s character-driven, postapocalyptic book, A Beginning at the End.
Some Twitter talk gave me the impression this book was more humorous than it actually is – in the majority of it, anyway. I chuckled a few times in the first couple chapters – then it takes a more serious tone – but the last thirty percent upped my rating to four ...more
Some Twitter talk gave me the impression this book was more humorous than it actually is – in the majority of it, anyway. I chuckled a few times in the first couple chapters – then it takes a more serious tone – but the last thirty percent upped my rating to four ...more
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Mike Chen is the author of Here And Now And Then (a finalist for Goodreads Choice - Best Sci-Fi, CALIBA Golden Poppy, and the Compton Crook Award) and A Beginning At The End ("a brilliant, fragile path through the darkness" -- Library Journal). His short fiction is featured in Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View -- The Empire Strikes Back, and he has covered geek culture for sites such as Tor.
...more
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