I love this authors other two books in this series but unfortunately it didn't live up to them in my eyes.

CW: internal shame though asexual and aromantic questioning, sci-fi violence

Rep: aro/ace questioning (examined in-depth w. MC), diverse cast, main & secondary (including Latina MC in a relationship with a Black trans boy; non-binary/gay/lesbian)

In C.B. Lee's latest installment of the Sidekick Squad series, Not Your Backup centers Emma Robledo. Does she have the super ability to sense direction? No. To change her shape at will? Also no. Is that going to stop her from leading the Resistance against a corrupt government organization with everything she does have? Not a chance.

With returning characters that fans of the series have grown to love, this inclusive series has a new chapter unfolding that will be sure to offer even more of what they've come to love: representation, quippy characters, and strong people that, powered or not, are going to fight to make sure they're not kept down.

Not Your Backup starts off with a high stakes mission for a group of metahumans, lead by our main character Emma, the mastermind behind the operation and not, herself, possessed of meta-abilities. That doesn't stop her from throwing herself into the fight for justice against the Heroes League of Heroes. From the off we see her merits at work, the planning, the concern for her friends, the angles her brain & heart work at to make sure everyone, those who know the truth about the "heroes" and those who don't, will be alright.

Part of what I like about Emma is that, in a world where there are metahumans, particularly where the antagonists are people with a terrifying skill set and Emma is not a powered person, she doesn't let this immediately cower her. Despite what some may see as a drawback, and while some of the metahumans, like the adults in the Resistance, don't want to directly challenge the Heroes League of Heroes, Emma is stepping up to do what is right with what she has: her determination, her courage, her brains. Those are her abilities, her "powers".

She does have some difficulty when trying to fight, whether it be within the Resistance itself and some who might see her as ineffectual because of her normality (there's one character in particular that I dearly wanted to slug) or because of her own anxiety and self-doubt. Emma's desire to help, to think out her plans to each eventuality and perfect them, is tricky and very familiar. It made her so relatable because I got that: wanting to be able to plan all the strings of a plan, where every branch of something might fork off. It's so hard, not being able to know. That anxiety is intense and you could feel it in this story.

CB's books are multi-faceted masterpieces. They're not just about superheroes or people without powers doing what they can in a society built around metahumans. Not Your Sidekick, wherein Jessica was the MC, spoke about biracial identity. In Not Your Backup, when Emma is visiting one of Bells's family farms, they talk about how it's necessary to farm fresh fruits & vegetables secretly because their main farms are forced to sell directly to the Collective (i.e. the government) which jacks the prices up so most people cannot afford to eat anything other than highly processed foods. This was a haunting moment because that's a very familiar scenario in parts of the world and given what the world is like these days, who knows how much worse it could get?

There was also Emma's ace/aro questioning. There were some serious internal dialogue that was particularly poignant and I liked these moments because, while some of them were tough to read (mostly because I remembered going through similar moments myself) I appreciated that they were on the page to begin with. I don't recall many ace and/or aro questioning characters on the page, so getting the opportunity to read about Emma in a series that I already enjoy was quite awesome. :) 

Not Your Backup is a fun sequel to the previous entries in the Sidekick Squad series and will welcome y'all back with open arms. Are you ready to join the Resistance? There's room for us all (and next year, who knows, book 4? 👀) ❤

I was a little worried about where I stood on this series, mainly because I wasn't the biggest fan of the second book, Not Your Villain. I thought it was badly developed, and it let me down again and again. Considering Bells is probably my favorite character, it was tough for me. Except, Not Your Backup has definitely surpassed my expectations, and brought back everything that I loved about Not Your Sidekick, and more. NYB is as good, if not better, than the first installment in this series.

My biggest problem with NYV is the fact that the story didn't start until about 40% of the book was past. In addition to that, every scene wasn't really fit together well, and there seemed to be no development of the plot at all. NYB flips all of that, giving a well-developed addition to the plot in the point of view of a complex and interesting character. I loved being able to hear all of Emma's internal thoughts, because before she seemed kind of...flat? Being able to get to know her better was probably one of my favorite parts of this book. Lee continued to build on the corrupt government, and just how far some of these people would take it. While a lot of Emma's scenes were talking, planning, or traveling, there were still some really intense fight scenes that really topped this book off. One of my few complaints about this book is just the fact that the scenes were kind of repetitive (and boring at first), but it doesn't take long before things pick up.

One of the best parts of this book are the blunt and honest conversations surrounding both Emma's sexual and romantic orientation, but also on sex and relationships. There was a scene in which Emma and Bells talk about what they want from the relationship, and it was so heartwarming to read. I also really loved the conversation Emma ended up having with an older aroace character. While some of this conversation sounded like they were spouting dictionary definitions, it was still a really well written scene, and I'm so happy that it was put in. I relate so much to Emma and her initial feelings on being aroace, so reading it in a character was so, so special for me.

Every part of this book had a purpose, and it was a noticeable difference from NYV. I enjoyed every scene of this book, some more than others, but it was still a well-developed and interesting read. I really enjoyed this book, as much as NYS, or even more.

Final Rating: ★★★★½☆
Overall?
Emma's character is built up so well in this book, but the world is also better developed and we get to learn more about the world building. We get to meet so many more characters, and they all play an important part to the story. Each scene was well-developed and connected expertly. Along with that, Lee continues to add in such diverse characters, and I can't wait for Not Your Hero.

Would I Recommend?
This isn't just a superhero story. It's a story about diverse teens fighting a corrupt government when the adults around them refuse to do anything. All of their identities are so well developed and, though NYV was a little disappointing, this series is so worth reading.

TW for internal shame through asexual and aromantic questioning ad science-fiction violence.

Not Your Backup picks up the story a month after the ending of Not Your Villain, with Emma organizing the Resistance, while Jess and Abby stay behind at the Villain’s Guild. She has ideas to bring down the League but not the resources. As they try to disrupt the narrative the League has been building, the introduction of new heroes in the midst is a new wrench in their ongoing plans. As the Sidekick Squad organizes itself, Emma looks into the past to figure out some solutions.

The thing I love most about this series is how different the books are in tone, and how they each highlight a different aspect of the world-building. Emma’s story is about her not being a meta-human, so while she is involved in their missions and tries to plan and lead them, she isn’t being taken seriously by some adults. Moreover, there is a current of meta-humans taking the spotlight in the fight, when there are others like her who have enough power without being powered. Her personal story arc is also about her figuring out her relationship with Bells and what her identity means for how they see it. There’s a side plot of Abby being de-powered that would have resonated well with Emma’s story arc but it wasn’t pursued, and I felt the former was being sidelined for now. There is one resolution as respect to antagonists, but yeah, it is getting a bit tiresome that they are still at the same problem throughout two books.

But lets get back to the world-building. While it is subtle, Emma fills in so much of the world with her observations and her story. There is talk about ace-spec realization, that also incorporates information about the sex ed and health class being taught to the kids. Emma’s cross-country road trip has nuggets of details about how they all view old (for them) tech, and how people’s attitudes towards the governments are different from ours, just because they don’t have access to the same kind of entertainment media as we do. The little detail of Curiosity gave me feels, in the light of what happened earlier this year. Random meetings with people show how pronouns and identities are discussed in a world where queer identities are openly accepted, while also acknowledging that discovering your identity will still be an individual journey, like in the case of Emma.

Overall, this book is wonderful addition to the Sidekick Squad universe.

I've loved Not Your Sidekick and Not Your Villain, and while the first book is still my favourite, Not Your Backup is definitely the most relatable for me. A big part of this book consists of the main character, Emma, questioning her (lack of) romantic and sexual attraction.

"...there's that feeling that's always been in her heart, that maybe the way she loves someone might not be the same way they want to love her."

I especially loved the talk Emma had with one of Bells' brothers, where he tells her there's different ways to be asexual and all of them are valid. And to make things even better, Emma and Bells have a few great talks about boundaries and figuring out what they want from their relationship as well.

I will say though, the writing style isn't consistently great - it's a little forced at times. On top of that, the plot dragged a little. While the dialogues and the character's interactions are always fun, the bigger plot is a little hard to follow at times because it moves quite slowly.

All in all, I did really enjoy this book! The way C.B. Lee writes romance/friendship just has me so soft.

Rep: questioning aroace Latinx MC, trans bisexual (?) Black love interest, queer-platonic relationship, bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese side character, lesbian side character, aroace Black side character. The MC also has two mothers.

CWs: there is some internalized aphobia, which does get challenged in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Duet and Interlude Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The next book in the Sidekick Squad series is about to come out, and if you haven't read these books yet, I suggest you get on it. Not Your Backup is the third in the series, this time focusing on non-meta-human, the team's Mastermind, Emma Robledo. I'm sometimes conflicted about the fact that each book has a different POV, as I did miss Jess and Bells while reading this, but the individualized focuses have helped me appreciate the characters more.

A lot happens in this book. It picks up from the first page and doesn't stop until the ending, kind of like Emma herself. The Sidekick Squad is out of Andover too, and their world gets a lot bigger and more developed. I enjoyed seeing more of the other cities in the Collective, learning more about the culture (and the underground punk scene I loved that), more of the science behind meta-humans, and more information about how the world ended up how it is.

Like the previous books before it, this book has a lot of LGBT rep. I've never read a sci-fi book that incorporated LGBT identities into its world so thoroughly. It's the near (but not too near, about 100 years) future, and a lot of the terms and identities of 2019 are used, rather than establishing different norms. The only difference from today is they seem more widespread in the world of the Sidekicks. Emma mentions learning about asexuality in a ninth grade health class, for instance. It's sometimes a little weird to see them not know what a laptop is called but then use the word queerplatonic, but its interesting that in this book, the more enduring terms are ones a good chunk of the population doesn't even know about.

Anyway, read this book!

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH. There’s the excellent diversity rep for one thing. And then there’s the way Lee plugs into the teen mindset – a time of life when we all at some point feel like outsiders or alienated from our own lives and sometimes bodies. While this is part of the process of becoming a well-adjusted adult, many YA books just don’t really tap into this and I dig the way Lee says ‘hey you may not be special by whatever arbitrary standards of measurement are being used right now, but you are significant. On your worst day, you matter and you should take up the space you need.’ It’s an important message for teens to hear and delivered in a way that’s fun, accessible and entertaining. In this book, Emma, the non superpowered member of the team, takes the lead as MC and she’s perfect. This was an excellent adventure story with super and not so super humans, where claiming your own strengths and voice was paramount. Highly recommend.

I loved this book! I will be recommending it to all my young adult readers! Thank you for this opportunity to connect books to their readers.