A cute fun queer book with queer characters at the centre of the superhero story with some political undertones

All together this was a pretty good book

A bookseller who moonlights as a drag queen meets a closeted actor who's in town filming a superhero movie.

This could/should have been a sweetly predictable meetcute, but it unfortunately fell flat at every turn. I was so excited by the comfort-blankie-esque premise and instead I got whatever this is.

Reader, I really hated this book. I'm giving it two stars purely because of the queer representation and because it lacked grammatical errors. But like a character quotes, the bar is so low, it's in He'll.

So what went wrong?

What didn't.

Firstly, this is ostensibly set in Birmingham, but it could have been set on the moon or in your back yard: you'd never know the difference. That's because the author manages to miraculously avoid any actual descriptions of just about anything. Whatever happened to show, don't tell? This is all tell, no show. There's zero atmosphere, zero local anything. They walk down A Street to A Bookstore and then go to A Club and/or The Hotel. ... actually, that might be more descriptive than this book.

Secondly, the characters are utterly unlikeable and downright stereotypical. Will and Patrick are both utterly vapid and not just boring but so boring as to be forgettable. There's zero chemistry. They're not even actually into each other, but at least there's some chemsex to ease the way, I guess?

Thirdly, there's no plot. Normally the meetcute or the closeted character coming out are the climactic events, but here even those are so watered down they have no impact.

Fourthly, there's an attempt to shoehorn a side story, set in the past, about the authors of the superhero franchise. This is just jarring and smacks of filler.

And lastly, the insistence on using apostrophes instead of quotation marks for all the dialogue - and this book is nothing but pages of pointless, shallow dialogue strung together.

I'm really sorry, but I can't recommend this book, as I don't even know who the target audience would be. It's so many words, and yet no plot, character growth, or even a scenic backdrop to patch them together. The author needed an outline and to focus on depth, and a good editor to wrangle this into any semblance of storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.

I'm leaning away from contemporary romance at the moment, but this book honestly made me reconsider that. It's cute, easy to read and enjoyable. It plays with queer culture and doesn't shy away from some of the worse aspects of it, but still feels lighthearted.

I wish there'd been more of the historical story; I could truly read a whole book about those characters.

I read 2 banger novels back to back this month; both had so much to say about queerness, queer joy, and the community that exists for people across the queer spectrum. Phillip Ellis’ sophomore novel was the first of the two; it’s a gorgeous story of two men who fall in love, overcoming all obstacles - it had me kicking my feet and giggling, but I learned a lot from it too, and isn’t that what we all want, in the end?

Patrick Lake is a popular, handsome Hollywood actor who is currently the leading man in Captain-America style blockbuster, filming in Bermingham. Patrick is America’s sweetheart - he’s fuckin’ adorable, to be fair - but he’s gay, and coming out would have massive ramifications for his career.
But when he meets bookseller-slash-drag performer Will Wright/Grace Anatomy, the chemistry between the two is electric, meaning Patrick has to make a big decision. Will, for his part, refuses to even consider going back to the closet - he is out and proud, and his refusal to tone himself down to fit into a heteronormative world is a wonderful element of the book.

The second part of the novel is set in 1949, and follows the two queer creators of Captain Kismet. They are living happily enough in a sham marriage, but both want more, too. This second storyline acts as a bridge between the past and present, and it’s a wonderful reminder of the importance of remembering our queer forefeathers (and mothers) who paved the way for people like Patrick and Will living happily ever after.

Phillip Ellis has an outrageously charming writing style; We Could Be Heroes is filled with banter, jokes, references and wordplay that made it so much fun to read. I laughed out loud several times - not something all books do for me - but my heart was tugged at more than once too. Ellis does a fantastic job of digging into issues in the queer community that aren’t necessarily the mainstream ones, like hate crimes, right-wing bigots attacking drag queen story hours, kink and the need to flatten yourself to be “accepted” by the straights. Will’s relationship with his own flamboyance was wonderful; I loved how self-assured he was in himself. The found family elements are great - all the characters leap off the page, not just the two romantic leads Special shout out to Audra, the mad bitch.
A lovely, lovely book that I will be pressing into the hands of anyone and everyone once its published. I just adored it.

'They were soulmates, in their own way.'

This book made me laugh, cry and everything in between.

We Could Be Heroes by PJ Ellis is a split-timeline romance that in the present day follows Patrick and Will. Patrick is a rising actor, star of Captain Kismet. Will is a bookseller by day, but by night is the drag queen Grace Anatomy. When fate seems to throw them together again, they can't deny the sparks flying, and the unconcious flirting on both sides. But superstar Patrick Lake can't be interested in Will from Birmingham can he?
In 1948, Captain Kismet is the star comic putting Wonder Magazine on the map, but creators Iris and Charles are hiding a secret, something that in 1948, could get them locked up or worse. As Charles and Iris' story runs parallel to Will and Patrick's can they overcome the barriers in front of the to get their happily ever after?

I can't describe how much I enjoyed this book. I love dual time line stories, and this one is one of the best I've read. Charles and Iris' story was so cleverly entwined with Will and Patrick, that it only enhanced the story, there are times when dual stories can get confusing, but that never happened here. While their story wasn't overpowering, the time dedicated to their story gave it the most interesting arc, and I was always wondering what was going to happen next with their story, whilst also wondering how Patrick and Will's story was going to go. The switching beween the two timelines was always done at the best time, that made it so hard to put the book down.

Character driven stories are some of the best, and the characters in this book were so fun. I found myself being able to relate to most of the characters. Will and Patrick, whilst so different from each other, complimented each other so well. Although he is the movie star, Patrick was quiet and reserved, which made him so likeable, whilst Will was larger than life, but never in a way that was overbearing, and it made me want to have someone like him be my best friend. Even the side characters were intresting, and it made it so much better to read. Iris and Charles really stole my heart. I thought their relationship was so interesting and I really enjoyed reading them. Ellis being able to craft two different stories with two seperate set of characters and plots, and have the reader care about them all, and have them entwine at the end, was so well done that I can't praise it enough.

Whilst I really enjoyed this book, I wish there had been a bit more to the 1948 timeline, I found myself wanting to get through that bit of the story, and it felt as though there was alot of time inbetween the chapters that were set in the time. I also wish that there was more of Audra, Hector and Patrick's friends. Whilst I get the idea that they don't know him as well, I would've liked to have seen them progress more, and just see them more in general. Any time they were on page, I really enjoyed seeing them.

The best thing about this book was the way Ellis managed to balance tough issues with humor and having neither be overshadowed. This book touches on many current issues that the LGBTQ+ face, such as drag queens participating in story hour, the protests that make them unsafe, hate crimes, not feeling like its safe to come out, but it still keeps that balance of being funny and lighthearted, without detracting how serious these issues are.

Overall, I really emjoyed this book, I give it 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, PJ Ellis, and HarperNorth, for the opportunity to read this early copy. All thoughts are my own.

I loved loved loved this book so very much. I was initially drawn to it because of the similarity to Red, White and Royal Blue, but was quickly swept up in the unique love affair of Patrick and Will. Seeing the author’s dedication at the end to The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay, their inspiration, and one of my all time favourite books, was just the icing on the cake.

I'm so disappointed that this has to be a DNF. Now, don't get it wrong, I'm not giving up on this author altogether - I gave his first book five stars and really enjoyed it - BUT. Having gotten about 15% of the way into this book, I just can't keep going. It's two different books that have been jammed together for a? reason? Honestly, the plot set in the 40s was far more interesting than the present day one. A queer comic book writer in the 40s creating a superhero and discovering queer joy? There's a book I'd pick up in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we also get a lot of meandering story set in the present day which is covering far too many themes (it's split narrative between the two male leads) to then also add in a flashback plot. Pick a lane and stay in it - the writing suffers as a result.

This was a super fun and lighthearted read. I adored the main characters and found myself rooting for them and their happiness. I also haven’t read a pairing like this before, a superhero actor and drag queen, and loved this element! Their romance was sweet and entertaining and the entire thing felt like a love letter to superhero movies, albeit with more LGBTQ+ love. Cute!

Vacillating between Golden Age Hollywood and the modern day, We Could Be Heroes is, essentially, a coming out story nestled within a sweet, adorable queer romance. While the romance part - and the 'coming out as a Hollywood leading man' arc - both work well, the vintage narrative could have benefitted from its own book. Nevertheless, We Could Be Heroes is as charming as its leads and as sweet as movie theatre popcorn.

"Real love is nothing like the movies"

Patrick Lake is a popular, handsome Hollywood actor who has landed the gig of a lifetime as the lead in a Super Hero movie series, adapted from a beloved comic strip written in 1949.

Originally from South Amboy, New Jersey (Violet Sanford country), Patrick and his co-stars are doing some additional post-production work in Birmingham, England. When a spontaneous night out ends with him crossing paths with drag performer Grace Anatomy (Bookseller Will Wright by day), Patrick feels a spark - but he's not out, for fear of jeopardising his career. He enjoys his job, and the perks it affords him - but how much longer can he live a lie?

Back in 1949, we see the original comic strip come to life, where we meet Charles and Iris, the original creators. Their marriage is not like most - but if the truth came out, they could lose everything. They dream of a world where they can just be themselves.

I ADORED this book. If you know me at all, you'll know I'm a savage for a good pun, bit of banter, pop culture reference, or slice of queer culture - and all were served in bucket loads. From the little sprinkling of iconic references ("what, like it's hard?") to the sweetest found family storyline, this book warmed my cold little heart so much. I loved the lead characters, but the side ones also deserve a mention - Margo, Dylan, Audra, Jordan, Hector, Corey - everyone was so full of life and I felt like I had the measure of them immediately.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the book used the comic strip series to bridge the gap between past and present. There were so many similarities between the two stories, and while queer joy was sometimes under threat in both timelines, ultimately I found it to be a really uplifting, hopeful, beautiful love story that's so badly needed in the world today.

Absolutely adored this, it was just lovely.

This is a lovely feel-good romance with something interesting to say about queer culture. It's character-centred - and lovely characters they are, too - with the queer politics as a subtle undercurrent that adds depth. Enjoyable, relatable, and empowering.