We Could Be Heroes is a sci-fi story that involves 2 people who woke up one day with no memory and found that they had super powers. Each one chose to use their powers for different purposes. Now they are teaming up to figure out what really happened to them. I really loved the premise of this book. But I'm not sure I loved the actual story.

The book read like a YA Sci-fi more than adult. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, I was just hoping for a bit more adult themes. Both Zoe and Jamie didn't come across as adults. I did like them as characters and I liked their friendship. Their powers were pretty cool. What I didn't love was the reveal of what happened to them and the reasons behind it. I thought it was a little cheesy and anticlimactic. Overall, this was entertaining enough to stick with until the end, but it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for.

Life isn’t as much a search for meaning as it is a quest to find oneself, to discover what we’re capable of and who we want to be. We Could Be Heroes plays on that theme within a wacky, entertaining adventure.

I had so much fun reading this book. It’s fantasy rooted in reality, and I believed it all could happen. This story is filled with crime, drama, suspense, friendship, sorrow, and plenty of humor.

The main characters are fabulous. They’re quirky, complex, slightly broken people doing their best to exist in a world in which they don’t quite fit.

While the story is nicely wrapped up, the ending does leave us with a tantalizing possibility. I want to hang out with Jamie and Zoe again, so I’m hoping this means there’s a second book in the works.

When I first came across the synopsis of WE COULD BE HEROES — the story of two unlikely friends: one, a pragmatic bank robber and the other, a fast food delivery woman/vigilante, who just happen to have superpowers and no memory of their real identity — I knew it would be right up my alley. What I didn't expect was that I would be leaning forward in excitement, holding my breath as the adventure progressed, or that I would be moved to tears by something as simple as friendship, or that, days later, Zoe Wong and Jamie Sorenson would still be forever imprinted in my mind.

In other words, WE COULD BE HEROES completely blew past every single expectation I had, and has become one of my favorite soft science fiction novels, ever.

It's because, in reality, WE COULD BE HEROES is about far more than what its synopsis gives away: it's about superheroes, yes, but, more importantly, it's about what we choose to do with ourselves and our lives, what impact we make on ourselves and the world around us, and the people we choose to let in.

Jamie and Zoe are a two-person found family — three, if you count Jamie's cat, Normal, which I do — and their friendship is perhaps the most wholesome thing I've ever read. As the two unravel the mystery behind their identities, and action-packed and memorable adventure follows — complete with fight scenes, plenty of human error, and characteristic platonic banter.

Chen's writing is not only simple and easy to read, but also extraordinarily human — and as he tells the story of Jamie and Zoe, it's impossible to not be swept along by the hope of it all.

WE COULD BE HEROES has my highest recommendation — I recommend this to everyone looking for an easy entrance to adult science fiction (with some contemporary undertones!), and especially, to everyone looking for the sweetest friendship to grace the genre.

This is my first book by Mike Chen and I really enjoyed it, it has super heroes with complex powers and no idea how they got them. You know just the every day super hero movie except in book form. However this one was a lot more interesting because the villain really isn’t a villain and the hero really isn’t a hero. The plot and backstory developed really well. The world building was an a+ plus, so was the was the superhero’s were made and the evil backstory.

I was super in love with Jamie’s character he was a more down to earth character for me, even though he definitely had his moments of anxiety and maybe OCD just a little bit. Everything had to be planned out to a T, while Zoe was a wing it kind of girl. Even though he starts out as the “villain” of the book you can tell he isn’t really a bad person, he’s more a good guy. He also has a cat named normal his whole life is based on making a better life for normal and himself.

Zoe’s character was harder for me to get connected too, but I think that was because she was more rough around the edges. She wants to know her past she knows her purpose now she fights crime there is no doubt in her mind. There is right and wrong, no gray area, it’s all black and white. However it’s definitely taking a toll on her. Once she finally meets Jamie and they realize all isn’t as it seems is when I started to connect to her more.

We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is a sci-fi novel with two protagonists, Jamie and Zoe, who wake up in an apartment with no recollection of events before they wake up and are only left a bizarre note. In the note the characters learn they have superhero powers, but have no other clues. We follow Jamie and Zoe separately at first with Zoe choosing to use her powers for good, while Jamie chooses use his powers for bank robberies. After meeting at a group for individuals who experience memory loss, the eerily similar experience with the same unexplained note brings Jamie and Zoe together to try and figure out their pasts.

The protagonists had great banter throughout the book which kept the tone of the book light and punchy. It was a bit harder to connect with Jamie when reading his POV compared to Zoe who was a bit more fleshed out and compelling. I thought this storyline was very unique and enjoyed that two very different people can work together and understand each other over time. The pacing was a bit slower with limited plot and instead was mostly a character-driven novel focused on the friendship developed between Jamie and Zoe. The book reads a little bit more YA or middle grade making it an easy read for adults. I do think this novel could be shortened a little bit without losing the character development but that's just my preference! Overall this was an entertaining read outside my usual genre that I enjoyed! Round up to 3.5 stars!

Many thanks to the publisher Harlequin - MIRA and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Everything about this book is unique. The back story sets the character up to live a life they want, maybe, in a style they like, maybe, with friends they love, maybe. The main characters have super powers. They each have decided how to use their super powers for good, whether it's their own good or the good of others. Even their powers are unique. Mike Chen gave us an entertaining story of two not so young anymore people who meet each other by chance and discover the world is a smaller place than they thought. It was a quick, easy read for me, a great change from the physco thrillers I've been reading. I'll definitely look for more Mike Chen titles and so should you.

We Could Be Heroes is a sci-fi/fantasy novel that doesn't really read like it. The book is interesting and you get fully invested in the characters. I did find myself not really caring for Jamie at times and I can't exactly pin point why. However I did find myself really like Zoe. I always like reading books with strong female leads because I"m the exact opposite. Books with these type of characters always makes me want to do better and be better. I like the fact that Zoe is even mentally strong despite being a drunk. I can see myself being like her in her situation (sort of). I know I would want to know what happened in my past. Would me not remembering who exactly I was two years ago affect who I am now? Would I be any different?
The only thing that really bother me with We Could be Heroes is that there are some parts where the book is slow and I ended up losing interest. But there are other parts of the story that really made up for that and caught my interest again. On top of that how the book ended made me so happy! If there's going to be another book I'm excited to read it.

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 the same origin story: waking up in a paid-for apartment with no memory of their past and extraordinary powers. They agree to work together to find out what happened to them, but mysterious people start following them. They need to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

The characters are delightfully quirky. I love how the Robber is the one who’s always thinking of others and trying to do the right thing. Zoe’s enthusiasm and confidence is the perfect match for his cautious approach. I loved watching their friendship build.

My favorite line from this book: “They keep setting us against each other. And we keep deciding we’re better off as friends.”

I don’t want to say too much about this so I don’t spoil anything, but I liked the villain’s backstory.

This was a delightfully different take on superheroes with two middle-aged protagonists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is a novel about friendship, choices, and identity. Two people in the same city work up with no memories of their past and extraordinary powers. Two years later they are living very different lives. Jamie has become the Mind Robber using his power that allows him to look into people’s minds and read their memories he doesn’t care what his past holds as long as he can keep robbing banks and collecting cash. Zoe has become used her powers of speed and strength and sometimes flying to be San Delgado’s vigilante and when she isn’t beating up bad guys or delivering fast food, she is doing everything she can to discover who she was and who she is. Jamie and Zoe meet at a memory-loss support group and quickly realize that together they might be able to find out what happened to them. Their journey leads them into a dark conspiracy that has the potential to tear apart their city. What started as just a way to find answers about their past and then part ways turns into a deal to save the city.

I gave this book 3.5 stars because it is very cute and there is no romance which is unheard of nowadays and very refreshing but in many ways, it rode the line between Middle Grade and Young Adult and felt a little flat at times. The book is in the third-person limited and changes from Jamie to Zoe’s limited POV between chapters. The writing style worked but I think I would have been pulled more into the novel if it would have been shifting first-person perspectives. I love Jamie and Zoe and Chen wrote them in a very relatable way, however, I had a big issue with trying to figure out their ages and how things worked. The way their past memories come and go, makes time seem confusing and there are times when things are mentioned, and it doesn’t make sense to the ages that he mentioned, and I found myself removed from the novel to try to figure things out. As for the characters themselves and their dynamic, I loved it.

The plot is a lot of fun, but I would not say this is a fast pace novel everything is drawn out fairly slowly. Chen made it work for him, but I think it could have been more fast-paced and a longer novel. Everything wrapped up in a great and satisfying way, but I feel like he could have done more or gone deeper if he wanted to.

This is a book about defining yourself and it is shown in the parallel of Jamie and Zoe. Despite both having no memory of their past their connection to it is very different. Zoe is actively searching and seeking answers, she wants to know what lies behind that blank wall while Jamie doesn’t care about if his memory returns or not, he doesn’t feel a connection to his past and is more focused on what he wants to do in the future. These differing views Chen uses really highlights the theme of belonging and finding your place and what it means to be yourself.

As I mentioned, this novel has no romance just friendship and the lack of romance heightens this theme, and it is awesome and refreshing. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to people who enjoy sci-fi and superheroes but are more fans of Middle Grade-Young Adult then YA-Adult novels.

*I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.*

Fun, campy, serious book about friendship. I really enjoyed reading about Jamie and Zoe and their special powers and how they each use them in odd ways. I loved watching their friendship blossom and how they helped each other on so many levels. Really, everything else was just window dressing on a story of friendship. This was a quick and incredibly enjoyable read!

I adored this book to absolute pieces and honestly just want to go back to the beginning to relive it all. Jamie and Zoe were wonderful characters to follow and see that with abilities things are never simply black and white when it comes to how to go about using them. Their friendship was so well written and special in my eyes; I can’t wait to see what Mike’s works will have in store for me in the future!

Jamie and Zoe bond over the fact that they have both lost their memories. He's a thief (a really good one) and she's a vigilante. They both have superpowers (he can read and steal memories and hers are more traditional). Both of them want to know what happened to them. This isn't my genre in either books or movies but Chen has written a fast fun read that occasionally skips over logic (as do all the superhero movies). The characters are good, the idea of memory theft not new but well done, and it zips along. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is a light superhero science fiction novel about two people (Jamie and Zoe) who each wake up in a big city apartment with zero memory of their pasts and just single written clue left behind that indicates they are now the owner of an extraordinary power.

With no idea of who he is or a resume Jamie uses his powers over the mind to rob banks (with the dream of retiring to the Bahamas with his rescue cat, Norman) and Zoe uses her incredible strength and speed to do food deliveries and protect the city against crime. Of course, with these two opposing agendas Zoe and Jamie are heading for a collision.

While I found both Zoe and Jamie engaging with their banter and quirky personalities (he’s a clean freak with a cat and she’s a horror movie aficionado) there wasn’t enough in the plot for me to really dig into. The author originally intended this to be a short story and in some ways it still felt like one. I appreciated the explanation of where they came from, what happened to their memories and how they got their powers but I wasn’t really invested in the battle to stop the organization behind it all.

Superhero and action fans that want a light and less gritty adult super hero story may enjoy We Could He Heroes as an option between heavier reads. I personally prefer something a little edgier with more angst.

My version of They Could Be Heroes was provided as an advanced copy by NetGalley and the publisher for review purposes

Rating: 3.5 stars

Okay, so I didn't love it as much as his other book I read, but what an awesome plot! I absolutely love how well he writes his characters. This book has a little bit of everything - action, adventure, science fiction, and superheroes. The platonic relationship between the two characters was also really refreshing! It gets a tad slow in the middle of the book, but picked up towards the end which made me so glad I read this in the first place.

I love a superhero novel, especially when it’s also a supervillain story. A team-up premise just makes it sound even better. I love the POC and LGBTQ representation in the book. The story is fun, but there are some little things about the writing that threw me out of the story and knock this down a rating from “good” to “just OK” in my book.

I feel like the main characters almost come to trust each other too quickly. I would have liked to see a little more struggle with that transition, to make the friendship feel a little more earned.
They are a bit bumbling, which can be endearing, but it becomes more annoying in a few places. One example is particularly glaring. The way in which they accidentally reveal themselves to the cop – seriously? You just forgot he was there, or what? Why would you randomly start talking about your cat in that situation, let alone drop its name? It might make sense if Jamie had been established earlier in the story as a nervous rambler or something – but he wasn’t. So it didn’t quite make sense for him to do that.

Those are the kinds of little things that break my suspension of disbelief. Like when she’s in the cell and trying to figure out how to communicate with Jamie. She’s talking to herself about how it’s like the itch is trying to communicate with her, and they KNOW the other guy has mental powers. She’s clearly giving instructions on how she can find another person with her heat sense, seemingly to no one, but they KNOW her partner reads minds, and... they aren’t suspicious? No one even tells her to shut up? I have no problem with suspending my disbelief for superpowers – none at all. But what really breaks the immersion for me is when people act or react in unbelievable ways. There are more of those instances in this book than I was able to tolerate and still give it a four-star rating.

Also, if you’re a fan of classic Doctor Who, you’ll recognize every single character and place name in this book. It was cute at first, but got annoying and distracting after a while.

Overall, a fun little superhero story, with a supervillain team-up twist, so if that’s your jam, definitely go for this one! But unfortunately, in my opinion, in spite of the promising premise, it’s just a three-star read.

This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T We truly need more platonic relationships like this in literature.

〝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 a deal breaker to some people, but it was so refreshing to read. As much as I love a good romance, there’s something heart warming about friends just being friends in a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But still successfully made my heart soft.

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

Neither of our mains are what I would call a ~hero or a ~villain (or are they 👀) 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 are 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). Zoe and Jaime’s dynamic is everything that I want 🥺 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 equivalent to a popcorn movie with diversity and LGBTQ+ rep. I do tend to look for antagonists with more depth however.

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 the title.

↣ definitely recommend if you are looking for an easy read and you’re not looking for a romance but enjoy good friendships with humor and nostalgia ↢

If you are missing the next DC universe tv season, check out this book. It feels very DC, from the villain, the plot and the more idealized, less gritty, view of superpowers than Marvel.

However, I agree with the other reviewers: the first 50% of this book are dynamite, but then it somehow loses momentum-which shouldn't be possible given that this is where they start to get answers about their past. Still, I enjoyed reading this and plowed through it in two evenings. Recommended.

My husband must be rubbing off on me because I don't normally read anything about superheroes. But I found something strangely compelling about a flawed villain and a flawed hero needing to team up against a mad scientist. Even though Mike Chen's sophomore novel wasn't one I was interested in reading, I did enjoy his first (Here and Now and Then), so was eagerly awaiting his third to see what it would be about. I loved everything about the book description, so, when I was invited to take part in the book blog tour, I jumped. And I'm so glad I did because I had a hard time putting this one down! There's just something about Chen's books that speaks so simply and so clearly about being human.

The Plot: An Unlikely Friendship

Two years ago, Jamie woke up with no memory of who he was, but a note told him he could read memories. Uninterested in who he had been and figuring out why he had no prior memories, he decided to get enough money to afford a comfortable life on a tropical island - by robbing banks as the overly dramatic Mind Robber.

Hot on his heels, though, is the Throwing Star. In another part of town, Zoe Wong woke up two years ago with no memory of who she was or what had happened. She just had a note telling her to push herself. And she discovered she had a ton of superhero abilities, which she decided to use to beat up criminals as the Throwing Star.

Unexpectedly thrown together after rescuing their memory loss and dementia support group from a fire, they decide to team up to find out who Zoe is and to get Jamie to his island oasis. Their scant clues lead them to a rehabilitation center, but all is not as it seems, and they find they are the only thing standing in the way of catastrophe to San Delgado.

Part fiction, part fantasy, part superhero origin story, I couldn't put down We Could Be Heroes. Even though I was a little worried about where the story was going about halfway through, I loved this book from start to finish. Superhero fiction isn't normally my cup of tea, but I was intrigued by the villain with a conscious and the superhero with alcohol and anger issues. I mean, what could go wrong?

Turns out Jamie and Zoe were brilliant together. I adored the story of their friendship. I loved that there were zero romantic undertones to this story and that it just focused on two unlikely people becoming good friends. The care they showed each other, the trust they developed, was gorgeous. When so many books are more focused on romantic relationships, We Could Be Heroes is like a breath of fresh air.

The story tugged at my heart, made me feel for all of the characters, got my heart pounding with all the breathless action and danger, and made me smile. Honestly, this is one of those books I'll be talking about for a long, long time even though superhero fiction is absolutely not my thing. It's really Jamie and Zoe that did it for me. Theirs is the kind of friendship that comes once in a lifetime, and I'll be stuck on it for quite some time.

But, yes, there's a ton of action, tons of exploring super powers, lots of secrets being peeled open like an onion. There's always something at every turn, something that either slots a piece of the puzzle into place or changes my perspective of what's going on. I don't think I found a single dull moment.

The Characters: A Hero and a Villain Without Their Memories

We Could Be Heroes tells the story of Jamie and Zoe, two people who have had their memories taken from them and who also happen to have super powers. They both had such unique personalities that, in some ways, seemed switched with their villain and superhero personas, but were so much fun when put together.

Jamie is the levelheaded, rational, planner. For a villain, he cares an awful lot about others and carries guilt around like a heavy cloak. He's a villain for purely personal reasons and doesn't want to actually hurt anyone. He turns out to have a huge heart. The only thing that puzzled me about him was his lack of interest and curiosity in who he really was. But I loved that he was the calm one, the one who wouldn't do anything without a plan. His theatrics were also a lot of fun with how over the top and rehearsed they were, but, really, that's Jamie.

Zoe is the rash, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants superhero. She isn't particularly good at using her abilities all the time, but that might be because of a bit of a drinking problem. At her heart, though, she's incredibly lost and feeling adrift because she has no history. Without knowing who she is, she's finding it difficult to find a present and future, and her desperation drives her towards the one person who can help her, even though she's made it her mission to track him down and bring him to justice. Probably with her fists. Because everything works out when fists are involved.

There are a few other notable characters, each with their own unique stories and personalities, but We Could Be Heroes really is centered around Jamie and Zoe. Everyone else adds a new layer, a new color to the story, enlarging it and making it that much more richer.

The Setting: A Fictional San Francisco

We Could Be Heroes is set in San Delgado, which is really a thinly disguised San Francisco. For me, it was the bridge that gave it away. Otherwise, it's more of a large collection of buildings divided into different areas one might find in a big city. There's public transportation and parks and a dock, which Jamie leads Zoe to in the most ingenious way, proving that both of them have quite incredible brains.

There's also quite a large, wooded, secluded area where a major part of the story and action occurs. It feels industrial and threatening at the same time with secrets buried inside. The part where it's well-guarded by very well-trained professionals doesn't help matters, either. The actual machinery in that building was well beyond me, but it all sounded kind of cool.

Honestly, the setting is probably the weakest part of the story. It's there because the characters need a backdrop, though it is used quite well when necessary. It's also a familiar city to Chen, making it an easy choice for a light sci-fi/fantasy novel so it feels both familiar and a bit different.

Overall: A Gorgeous Story About Friendship

We Could Be Heroes is one of the stories I can't get out of my head. Jamie and Zoe really did it for me. They're brilliant together and the whole story tugged at my heartstrings in just the right way at just the right times. There's incredible depth to two characters who have almost no history, who are thrown together out of need, and a deal. Overall, it's a beautiful and incredible story of friendship without even the slightest hint of romance. It's gorgeously done and resonates long after the last page has been read. There's a lot to take away from this novel, from who we are as individuals to what we mean to each other.

Thank you to Mara Lawery and Justine Sha at MIRA for a review copy and the opportunity to take part in the book blog tour for We Could Be Heroes. All opinions expressed are my own.

We Could be Heroes is funny, full of action, and compelling. It’s not every day that you read a superhero story that has the superheroes trying to make rent by delivering take-out instead of coming from great generational wealth. The mystery around Jamie and Zoe’s memory loss drives the story, but it’s their friendship that really holds it all together. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jamie and Zoe and their easy banter. There’s a great cat that Jamie can’t stop spoiling, a secret organization that wants to do evil, and enough hijinks to keep it light and delightful. I absolutely loved it and can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

We could be heroes is a funny, action packed read with a delightful premise. Two individuals awake in different apartments with no memory and supernatural powers. Will they use their powers for good or for evil? The humor comes from their very normal lifestyles and odd personality quirks. The action portions are well written. Like all good super hero stories, it is a tale of friendship..