This read was ok,started really well but then find it unbelievable tbh, and couldnt quite get into it BUT itdid have the makings of a great story and book

I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Liam's struggle from his point of view because so many people go through it, unfortunately most of them alone. Even though this is fiction, it is such an intimate portrait of Liam's struggle. It was almost like i could feel,his emotions coming through the page.

When I began reading The Art of Hero Worship, I’ll admit to a certain expectation of the two protagonists working through a catastrophic situation and forming a bond through the shared tragedy they went through. I was interested to see how an author would portray the physiological toll and aftermath of such a horrific experience. The way the story opens, my attention was grabbed and I was immediately pulled into the fear and terror of Jason. It was truly well done and really set the bar high for the rest of the book. I remained optimistic that this one would deliver. Unfortunately, rather quickly the trajectory changed, and many of the decisions of Jason and Liam, and their growing relationship, had me baffled. I still found the story good overall, but not quite tipping the scales to amazing; though the potential was there.

I know some may call it a double gay for you. I tend to disagree on labeling it that, specifically, but I can see how it could be perceived that way. I had to constantly remind myself that both these guys were young, Jason, a college freshman and nineteen, and Liam only a few years older. They were both still learning themselves. While Jason had never entertained the thought of being with another male, his prior sexual experiences were awkward and not quite fulfilling. Not necessarily due the gender of the person he was with, but because of his inability to articulate what he desired and needed. It just so happened Liam seemed to have the qualities that meshed with what he needed, and the devastation of the shooting broke down his walls to allow for the possibility of a relationship with a man to be explored. This part I got. His confusion and internal debates on his feelings had him treating Liam pretty crappy. But once again, he is young and in the aftermath of a tragedy. The wishy-washy and at times immature behavior didn’t put me off. I mostly understood Jason and his thought processes as it was told solely from Jason’s perspective. But, the lack of having Liam’s POV didn’t help flesh out their relationship. Instead, Liam’s actions and reactions made their connection a little hard to understand, and Liam’s thoughts and motivations remained out of reach more often than not, with the exception of Liam’s need to be a hero and protect Jason. The lack of dual perspectives also resulted in physically intimate scenes ending up being a little awkward rather than intense and emotionally charged.

What I think threw me off the most was the majority of the story’s focus. Instead of delving into the horror they experienced, and the two working through the mental and emotional toll it took on them eventually resulting in a relationship, the shooting happens and there is an immediate connection formed between the two, then… BOOM, the story jumps forward months at a time, thus leaving out the actual healing process they undergo. By moving forward so quickly past their struggles to grasp what happened, and the unexpected feelings they began to form, their foundation isn’t really established for me. Rather rapidly in reading, they are in boyfriends and in love, while in reality it wasn’t all that fast in the passage of time, considering several months have gone by. The remainder of the plot centered on how they would deal with the change in their prior sexual orientations and navigate their fledgling relationship with family and friends, with very little mention of the shooting.

The potential for an amazing story was there and, in my opinion, had there been a more in-depth insight to the aftermath and their struggles and healing process, as well as Liam’s POV, it very well could have happened. Unfortunately, it fizzled out as the plot progressed and became just an okay read for me.

Jase and Liam are thrown together – quite literally – from the opening chapters of The Art of Hero Worship. Even though Liam is the obvious hero, they help each other survive (in more ways than one) a traumatic experience. It leaves Jase a little bit more shattered than Liam, but the comfort that they draw from each other is as unexpected as it’s a natural response to what they’ve been through.

There’s a slow burn and attraction that they can’t deny and it grows stronger when Jase comes back to school. They’re both still dealing with issues from their shared experience, but Jase knows that there’s more to Liam’s need to save whoever needs saving. When it feels like Liam puts his own safety on the line regardless of how scared Jase is for him, something has to give.

When Liam’s secrets are revealed, my heart broke for him. Jase had his own family hangups – mainly an overprotective mother, but Liam… Well, I can’t say a lot more without giving something away and readers need to find out Liam’s past as it’s revealed – it’s totally worth it, I promise.

This is my first Mia Kerick read, but I don’t think it will be my last. The Art of Hero Worship was a great surprise from a new to me author.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise was relavent and current. Unfortunately the execution fell flat. Both characters were initially interesting, engaging and I wanted to root for them. Sadly , Liam's character goes all wonky - he's a bit stalker/dom wannabe without getting there. I also found the actions of both MC implausible as they dealt with escaping the violent scene at the college. The foundation for a really good book was there but fell flat in the end.

I’m really not sure where to start with my review. I will say that this book is an absolute must read. The emotions in this story are completely overwhelming (if you read Clean, which is another must read by Ms. Kerick, this book is as emotionally powerful as that book).

Mia covers quite a few issues in this story. I’m going to try to touch each of them.

Let’s start with the opening scene – the shooting in the theatre. It is absolutely gruesome and heart-wrenching to get through. Stemming from the shooting we have familial grief from loss of loved ones, survivor’s guilt – not only for living but for not saving those that didn’t and fear of living – especially in Jason. My heart broke for Jason as he literally struggled to survive after the shooting.

Another issue tackled is 2 seemingly straight guys having feelings for each other and eventually falling in love with each other. There were a lot of ups and downs with this as both men came to terms with what that meant, including ignoring the labels and what others thought of them. There was quite a bit of backlash from friends about their relationship which can be crippling for young college men figuring out life in general. The dynamic between them was fascinating as they discovered how they felt about each other and how they fumbled through life after their discovery of these feelings. I would venture to say that there was a bit of codependency as well as the obvious hero worship but I really don’t think that negatively affects their relationship.

And the 3rd big issue revolves around Liam and his family. They were dysfunctional at best…and that may be too positive a term for what was going on with them. There was a tragedy suffered when Liam was young which made things even worse. I was literally shaking when I saw what was going on with them. I don't want to spoil anything but for Liam to be as positive as he was after how he was treated is a testament to his strength of character.

Both characters go through more than anyone, especially kids their age, should ever have to survive. By the end of the book, they’re better but not 100% where they should be. This doesn’t mean the story needs to continue or is left hanging. It ends perfectly and can be left as a standalone…you just have to hope they will make it long term.

I have to say now that I’ve read Clean and this book, Ms. Kerick has her work cut out for her with any follow up books. I stand back in awe and wait…

I have mixed feelings about this story and I'll try to explain those feelings without dragging this out. I like that the author wrote about something so recent and prevalent in our society in regards to the shootings and I have deep respect for any author that does this. However, the actions taken during this incident were different to say the least. The part where they don't go to the cops or the hospital directly after concerns me alot. I know that people do strange things when they're scared and it's the adrenaline that's still pumping through their veins, but this was definitely different.
Jason and Liam explore their feelings towards each other and they bring up a commonly thought concern of whether their feelings are real or if their feelings are just a temporary product of the shooting that they survived together. They even go in depth to soon realize that their relationship is just "a human being loving a human being." This refreshing thought definitely made me love the romance aspect of the story.
It wasn't that thoroughly resolved with Jason's worship of Liam as his hero. Jason kept submitting to Liam with the excuse of showing his gratefulness to Liam for saving him but that turned into something more. I don't know, this book gave me very mixed feelings.

3.5 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

Reading the blurb for <b>The Art of Hero Worship</b> by Mia Kerick, I thought it was going to be a different type of story line. The beginning had me sitting on the edge of my seat gripping my tablet. As in today's day and age, with these horrible shootings, this story starts off gripping. But as the story unfolded and concentrated more on the M/M romance, I felt it was missing a little something with regards to the tragic situation and the healing of that outcome.

The story line moved along at a quick pace and at times I felt it was a bit rushed. No slow build or lasting touches, just a quickie and its over onto the next scene. I did like how Liam in turn had to face his own stuff and that Jason turned around and had to save him. Flipping script that way made this story more enjoyable and the title of the book more meaningful.

The blurb of the story gives all the highlights of this book with little more to go on, in my opinion.

***ARC received in exchange for an honest review***

I originally read The Art of Hero Worship when it was released back in 2016. I did a re-read in line with the re-release and didn't notice any major changes in terms of the story or characters. The thing with this story and with both Jason and Liam is just when a bit of doubt or disbelief hits me, I'm pulled back in, making it difficult to not become even a tad invested in what happens with these two. Everything seems perfectly fine between them, but with Liam's past still torturing him--and it pained me to learn what happened to him as a child because adult Liam was so selfless and put everyone else first--it was clear that something had to give sooner or later. Overall, I did enjoy the book and I really liked both Jase and Liam, and Jase's overprotective mother gets kudos for being such a standout supporting character who surprised me with her insight when things were rocky for the couple. I will say, though, that there was a point where Jason's roommate's and his roommate's girlfriend's reaction to a breakdown Jase was having was absolutely weird, as was the uncomfortable and awkward reunion turned confrontation with a fellow shooting survivor. All things considered, The Art of Hero Worship was a good four-star read. ♥

Rounding up from 3.5 stars. There is a compelling story here in the human connection and love that develop between Liam and Jase after they survive these traumatic events together. I enjoyed reading their story but I wish that the author had not spent so much time debating labels. It's OK for two people to love each other without a label and just when I thought these characters were beyond trying to define what is happening the author brings it up again.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Oh, boy. I wanted to really like this story of Liam and Jason who bond together in the aftermath of a terrifying shooting at a college theater performance. The plot immediately grabs your attention from page one as Liam saves Jason's life and drives him to safety.

<b>But after escaping the horror with their lives, they do NOT call the police and let them know about the active shooter, and more importantly that they know his identity. </b> Later on, a similar instance occurs ... when Liam rushes into a smoke-filled building to save a little girl, but Jason doesn't inform firefighters going into the building until much later that Liam has run into the building. Um, what the heck? Seriously?

Both men identify as straight, and it does take a while for both men to come to terms with their attraction to one another. But is it because Jason hero-worships Liam, while Liam desperately needs to be someone's hero? There are so many things here that make me wonder if Liam and Jason are truly entering into a healthy relationship:

<b>Jason: </b>

"And before I was touched by the hand and heart of a man who I simultaneously crave and abhor."

"Isn't being on the receiving end of penetrative sex the ultimate in hero worship?" (Me: <b>Umm, no?</b>)

"Both of us are doing the best we can to be the 'man' in the relationship, which makes no sense because we're both men." (Jason mentions quite often that he is surprised that Liam may have feelings for him because Liam is so "manly" or "masculine.")

<b>Liam</b>:

"Stay still ... and take what I give you."

"You're mine ... I saved you, and now it's my job to take care of the big stuff <i>and</i> the small stuff - everything you need." [...] "Hands at your sides, please."

"I need to know you're always gonna be safe, and here for me ... so I need you to let me look out for you however I see fit ... and I need to be able to take you ... in bed ... the way I want ... because then I'll know you're really mine."

For this reason, "The Art of Hero Worship" just did not work for me. I frankly found the relationship somewhat disturbing. 2 stars and I cannot recommend.

THE ART OF HERO WORSHIP by Mia Kerick is a very intense story. From the very beginning I was glued to the page. The very way the book started left you holding your breath. The complex characters of both Liam and Jase were incredible and Jason's Mother was one of a kind! I really enjoyed the story and will look for more from Ms. Kerick!

The Art of Hero Worship is my first read of author Mia Kerick. The story took off straight away action, turmoil and mayhem but then it seemed to lose its way. I like the premise of the story but found part were a little over played which cause a pause. I will read more by this author

Ironically, this is the second book I have read in a couple of days about a relationship developing as the result of a school shooting. Jase is at a play with his girlfriend on his college campus when a shooter start shooting people in the auditorium. Jase is sure he is going to die when a tall stranger helps him to safety. The stranger, Liam, also a student at the school manages to get them both to a safe place. They had never met before yet the police put them up in a hotel together because they escaped and know the shooter. The kind of become friends but it seems like more a protector type of relationship because Liam saved Jace's life. Jace goes home for the rest of the year, becoming a hermit for the most part, until and Liam calls him and asks him to hang out. They do and Jace feels safer while Liam eventually reveals that he has romantic feelings for Jake and they kind of get together. Jace kind of freaks out until the fall when he gets back to school and looks for Liam. The book is pretty good, interesting premise and story, but I didn't feel like we got to know the characters very well. I thought their relationship was unhealthy because Jace idolizes Liam and Liam is the dominant one. It seems like Jake realizes that at the end of the book but then it doesn't really matter much. if there is a sequel, I'm pretty sure they will not stay together based on where the book ends. Fast and interesting read but not a favorite of mine...