This book was just not one that hit well for me. The characters were hard to connect with and the storyline lagged a lot in my opinion. I really liked the idea and the premise of the book, but the overall storyline was just not what the synopsis seemed. Not a favorite, but hoping someone else will find this and enjoy it more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was able to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book thanked to Netgalley.

Every since Astrid was nearly killed in a school bus accident and was saved by one of the world's superheroes, she has decided to make the most of every single second. Astrid is a premed student who lives by her schedule. There isn't any room for diverting from her plan. Discovering her boyfriend is the super hero who saved her and her classmates from the school bus disaster does not help her schedule one bit.

I really enjoyed this one. Super cute, light, funny at times, and incredibly charming. This is a fun take on superheroes told from the prospective of the civilians whose lives get entangled with the heroes.

I loved this book.

I LOVED this book.

I have read my fair share of superhero stories, because I’m definitely a big fan of heroes and powers and having fun with it! But I LOVED this book because it wasn’t fully about the hero! Taking the world of the hero and showing it through the eyes of someone “normal” is one of my favorite things. And I’ve read quite a few of those books, as well!

Since heroes tend to come from comics or cartoons, a lot of the other books are more like romantic comedies, and really highlight the comedy part of that genre.

This was *so much more* than that, and I absolutely love that about it. The raw moments of Astrid and her anxiety; the serious moments of danger; the breathless moments of Astrid describing her feelings for Max… I could go ON AND ON, but that might end up too spoilery.

So yes, if you love heroes, if you love twists on the typical stories or genres of superhero worlds, then this book is absolutely for you.

How to Date a Superhero isn't the usual superhero book. It is a romance story set in a world where superheroes exist. And Astrid, our narrator, happens to be dating one. Overall, I liked the premise and the story. The characters are a little flat. Astrid's story revolves around her schedules, while David and Max are just kind of there despite being her best friend and boyfriend. But, I think it's still a cute rom-com that does exactly what you expect when you read the title. It's an easy read that gives a new perspective on superhero stories that is maybe a little more relatable.

When I first saw the premise of this book, I was intrigued. After spending hours of my life watching the Avengers movies, it was intriguing to read a book set in a similar world-- one where superheroes exist and function right along with the rest of us. Astrid, our main character, is dating a superhero. Except at first, she doesn't know he's a superhero. And once she finds out, her whole world is turned upside down.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just an okay one for me. For one thing, Astrid is annoying. Her boyfriend is out here risking his life and saving the world, and all she can think about is herself. She's also very obnoxious, and not really all that nice to her only friend. Or her boyfriend. She tries to play it off as being "quirky" but she's just a brat. Max deserves better.

#netgalleyarc Cute YA story. This carries a Spider-Manesque vibe but isn’t based on that story. There’s a lot of time jumps so you have to pay attention to the chapter titles to follow where the story is. The characters are likable and entertaining. A decent story overall.

This was okay! I think the time jumps confused me because they weren't super obvious. I know Americans use "freshman" and "sophomore" and have them mean different things, but for the rest of us, it was a bit of a struggle to keep up. David was the best character hands-down, and I wish he'd gotten his own book. The two main characters weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked to see, but what this book could have really benefited from was more world-building and more establishing the universe it's set in.

Good for reluctant older readers (16 and up absolutely) who are marvel or dc obsessed.

Such a cute book! Although I felt a little sleepy with it in the middle, the turmoil that is Astrid's premed college career is absolutely heart-wrenching, stressful, and highly relatable even if you aren't in that field. A wonderful book with characters that could be fleshed out a bit more, in particular Max, but it's still a rollercoaster read that I recommend to someone in need of an escape... or a little bit of relatability when taking on too many tasks, classes, etc.
I truthfully still enjoyed it for what it was, nothing spectacular, but a fun read!

This was a fun and easy read. Astrid, the main character, can be a little cringy at times, but I think that’s what makes her so relatable. I appreciate the time skips and the fact that the book is dealing with college-aged kids. It reads like a slightly elevated fan-fiction, which is great if you just want an entertaining story.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel! 3/5 stars.

This is a really cute romcom set in a world where superheroes are just the norm. No one bats an eye at busses falling off of bridges and being saved by some kid in spandex who has the ability to fly and super strength. Or any of the other heroes OR villains with comical, superhero comic names like Kid Comet and Dr. Proton. And they were spandex, brightly colored suits. But our MC doesn't have superpowers (although, her crippling anxiety and uncanny sense of time could probably be considered one) but she finds out her boyfriend does. Thus landing herself in a group akin to bootcamp for significant others of superheroes...where they learn a variety of things...including how to get out of handcuffs.

This was entertaining to read. Even without much of a plot besides Astrid's crippling anxiety and her dealing with suddenly being part of a superhero's world, it was still cute. But yeah, it was definitely coming-of-age without a plot. Also, the characters are in college but they seem VERY much like young high schoolers. Max and Astrid are really cute though, so it's okay.

I loved the alternate universe setting but wishes there had been more substance or contest given to how people react to this type of world. I felt like author just wanted to give random information here and there without providing a more cohesive sense of what it was like there. But I liked the concept of this book and will read the next one.

I loved this book!! Astrid is such a relatable character, with her anxiety surrounding school and being the best she can be. I loved watching her grow throughout the novel, seeing her adapt to new information and expand as a human. I loved the flawless LGBTQ+ inclusivity the author incorporated into the surrounding characters. I wish the plot had been a little more developed, but otherwise, this was an excellent read.

How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a sweet coming-of-age romcom about the perils of dating a crime fighter. Perfect for fans of My Hero Academia.

A fun premise, this superhero romance is perfect for Marvel fans with an equal interest in romcoms and contemporary romance.

I’ve seen this labeled as YA, but I feel it’s really for the new adult crowd as it explores college life. While Fernandez gives us a world full of heroes and villains, the Marvel-esque world is the backdrop to what is really a coming of age story about self-discovery and healing.

While I really loved the fresh premise and appreciated the unique storytelling in the familiar and favorite tropes superhero fiction brings, this was a hard read for me. The style of writing just wasn’t for me. It’s told in third person, present tense POV, and it just read a little weird.

I don’t feel the chosen writing style worked for the story the author was trying to tell. I think it would have been better if it was told in first person, especially since this is more of a character driven story. It would have made the reading experience a lot smoother and easier to connect with. But this reflects more on my personal preferences than the story itself. I think it is important to note, though.

Overall, I think this is a book worth exploring for its fun premise, though it’s not at the top of my recommendations.

Thank you to Harper Collins, Katherine Teagan Books and Netgalley who provided a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This book had no business being this fun. Astrid is scheduled so tightly, and she just genuinely does not have time to attend superhero partner support group on top of everything else. Honestly, I just loved this. The characters were fun and approachable. I wasn't pre-med, but I definitely had a similar level of self-important scheduling like Astrid. Also, for such a fantastical premise, the action and tensions are incredibly well grounded. For anyone who is a fan of the superhero genre already, listening to partners talk about the awkward of being left at the top of a bridge for 3 hours scratches an itch I didn't know I had.

A funny, breezy “superheroes in the real world” read, along the lines of The Extraordinaries or Heroine Complex. Main character Astrid somehow manages to be likable despite also being almost annoyingly single-minded, and her particular journey in terms of mental health and finding a purpose is well-drawn and relatable. Further, while the side characters might be a bit tropey and not entirely well-rounded, they fill out the cast nicely. The pacing was a bit odd (sometimes things felt somewhat repetitive in terms of Astrid’s thoughts/activities - “I have a million things to do, I’m exhausted, I’ll sleep later,” etc), the investigation element wasn’t particularly invested in or difficult to solve, some of the issues brought up didn't necessarily feel settled, and the climactic battle/hero moment scene went by a bit too fast to feel significant, but the writing is solid and fun, with a bit of that AO3 modern AU tone to it (a positive for me, but ymmv).

Astrid and her class, while on a field trip had a school bus incident, where they were saved from certain death by the superhero Kid Comet. It was then that she realized, she didn't have time to waste and she started her life long plan for college and ultimately medical school. Schedules become her religion and she will sacrifice all to keep them. One night a supervillain breaks into her bedroom, and her boyfriend, clumsy high school friend, Max Martin, saves her. He's a superhero. But even worse, she now has significant other superhero support group and training, to fit into her packed premed schedule.

Why I started this book: I requested this book from netgalley months ago, and then didn't start reading immediately because the publication date was so far in the future... my mistake. This book went from something fun to read, to something I had to read and I rebelled against myself. I finally set a goal this month to read and review all my Netgalley titles.

Why I finished it: I read it in one sitting and was late to an appointment because I couldn't stop reading. Fernandez has captured the joy, pain and scheduling necessities of college when long term goals are so dependent on the paper, test and problem sets of this week's homework. I loved her understated writing style and humor... but judging from others' review its not for everyone. Astrid is slowly falling apart during the book, but stubbornly refuses to quit... or ask for more help. She's convinced with a little more effort, a more detailed and highlighted planner she can save everything. Same girl, same. Such a fun story, and I look forward to more books by Fernandez.

Please note: the following review contains spoilers.

Christina Fernandez’s novel How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) tells the story of Astrid Rose, a sophomore in college who finds out that her boyfriend Max Martin is Kid Comet — a cape-wearing do-gooder with superpowers who rushes off at a moment’s notice to fight supervillains. Over the course of the novel, we follow Astrid as she comes to terms with her boyfriend’s true identity and its impact on her life. It turns out, as you might expect, that being the girlfriend of a superhero is not all fun and games: she is now a prime target of supervillains, and she must undergo training with others superheroes’ partners to protect herself and Max. This training ultimately comes in handy when her training partners’ lives are threatened by a supervillain whom Astrid happens to know quite well. In the process of saving them, Astrid is forced to confront her deepest fear: the idea that she might be wasting her time.

Despite the far-fetched nature of the premise of the novel and the broader arc of the plot, How to Date a Superhero largely operates within the realm of what is, for many young adult readers, quite familiar: the travails of life as a college student. Fernandez makes a deliberate choice to focus on Astrid and her worldview rather than that of her superhero boyfriend, so much less attention is given to the “magical” elements than you might expect for a novel set in a world with superheroes and supervillains. In fact, How to Date a Superhero is less of a light-hearted fantasy novel (which is what I anticipated from the title) than a weighty coming-of-age novel which focuses on a young woman’s emotional breakdown and rebuilding in response to traumatic events. Had I gone into reading the novel with these expectations, I think I would have appreciated the novel more at the outset. Absent these expectations, it took me a while to adjust. Once I did, however, it became clear that How to Date a Superhero is a deeply perceptive reflection on what it looks like to outgrow the tools you develop to cope with a chaotic world — and how to develop new ones.

In my view, readers’ enjoyment of How do Date a Superhero hinges on whether they find Astrid to be a sympathetic character. Some readers might find her intensity, anxiety, and preoccupation with productivity and achievement off-putting. However, Astrid resonated with me — so much so that I found myself remembering long-buried parts of my own time in college. It was easy for me to relate to Astrid’s experiences and emotional reactions, from planning classwork and breaks down to the minute to approaching every new opportunity or task in terms of how much time it would take. This connection helped me get invested in Astrid early on, and that investment propelled me through the novel’s many flashbacks and jumps forward. Having followed Astrid through her emotional journey, I found the end of the novel quite satisfying: Astrid finally breaks free of the cage that she had trapped herself in by prioritizing her and her friends’ immediate well-being over her long-term goals. This is not a lesson that speaks to everyone, but it definitely spoke to me, and I wish I had learned it earlier on in my life.

The strength and complexity of Astrid as a character also highlighted some of the novel’s less compelling features. Although I appreciate Fernandez’s decision to focus on Astrid’s experience, I often wished she would provide more insight into what made some of the other characters — her friend David, her training partners Thomas and Lucy and their training leader Eleanor, her nemesis Ben Barnes, and even her boyfriend Max — tick. While Astrid’s relationships with each of them felt realistic, they were written in a way that made them seem as though they stopped existing altogether whenever they weren’t interacting with Astrid. This was especially true of Ben, who was the most one-dimensional of the characters. Astrid’s confrontation with Ben at the end of How to Date a Superhero was the one part of the plot that felt hasty and logically inconsistent. Had more time been devoted to Ben’s longer backstory and fantasy world-building, Astrid’s quick work to thwart Ben would have felt more significant. Fernandez also might have had more of a reason to delve into the aftermath of this confrontation — including Lucy’s new powers. As it stands, the consequences of the confrontation felt like they were essentially swept under the rug. Finally, if there were one thing I could change about the book, it would be the title. “How to Date a Superhero and Not Die Trying” suggests that the novel will be amusing and breezy — a book that you would bring with you to the beach. While Astrid and David can be witty and sarcastic, this isn’t a light read, and the title shouldn’t advertise it as such.

Despite these qualms, How to Date a Superhero was one of my favorite reads so far this year. I highly recommend it, especially to those who can relate to being a high-achieving, stressed-out student. I’m looking forward to reading Fernandez’s future novels.

I really wanted to like this, but it was kind of boring and too similar to every other superhero book. Sorry:(

3/5 stars for How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying)

I really did not enjoy this book. The whole plot just jumped around a lot. I wished there was more storytelling instead of information just being handed to me. More character development would have been nice too. It was just so blah, like no good buildup. It fell flat. Something a little more, more drama or romance would have been great to really bring this book up. Sorry for such a depressing review.

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced copy!