Hear me out: Captain America is in the closet and secretly dating a drag queen.

Ok, it's Captain Kismet and not Captain America, but the analogy still stands! This story follows Patrick, a closeted actor, and Will, a bookseller by day / drag queen by night. They meet while Patrick is filming a blockbuster superhero movie, and sparks fly. The only problem: Patrick can't come out without damaging his career.

Simultaneously, we get to see into the lives of the married couple that wrote the original Captain Kismet comic series. But not everything about their relationship is as it seems, and some of the original editions that were never released have become urban legends.

This story has found family galore, some incredible supporting characters, and drag activism. I read this in one sitting - it was exactly the kind of story I was in the mood for.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Comforting and scintillating all at once, This book is a joyful romance that had me laughing, crying, and rooting for these heroes from page one.

In “We Could Be Heroes,” by Phillip Ellis introduces readers to two intriguing protagonists: Patrick Lake, a beloved American actor on the brink of stardom due to his role in a superhero film, and Will, an English secondhand bookseller and part-time drag queen. The novel weaves together humor, pop-culture references, and an unexpected love story that will both tug at your heartstrings and keep you on the edge of your seat.

At first glance, I anticipated a lighthearted rom-com, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the narrative. Beyond the surface, the story delves into themes of identity, love, fame, and the state of the world. It cleverly incorporates an intriguing queer story line from the past, which continues to influence the characters’ present-day dilemmas, reflecting the structural, systemic homophobia that has plagued queer communities for generations. Through witty and authentic dialogues, Ellis brings the characters to life, making their experiences relatable and genuine. I loved the little snippets of suburban life and mundane routines that the author intersperses amidst the swift storytelling of these two individuals, whose distinct lifestyles often remain hidden behind the curtain of celebrity. The novel also embraces the found-family trope, immersing readers in the bonds that tie Patrick, Will, and their companions together. Against the backdrop of a post-pandemic world, the book addresses anti-queer politics and explores the complexities of identities within gay and queer spaces. “We Could Be Heroes” serves as a powerful reminder that our battles are fought collectively, and unity offers hope for a brighter, more visible future. I'll be thinking about Pat and Will for a minute! Dropping June 4, 2024, it’s a must-read for anyone who craves a queer story of love, laughter, and superhero flair. 🌟🌈✨

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I loved this book. I was expecting just a funny rom-com, but there was so much more to it. Will and Patrick were both so sweet. And this is a great book for anyone who enjoys a found family story. I highly recommend!

WE COULD BE HEROES is an actor romance about patrick, the dreamy a-list actor starring in a superhero movie franchise, and will, a bookseller and part-time drag queen. after a chance encounter, they can't stay away from each other and quickly fall into a relationship—unfortunately, one that comes with an NDA attached. patrick finds himself embedded in the queer community thanks to will and his friends, and starts to realize how much he's missing by hiding who he really is. this is probably one of my favorite reads this year and i can't recommend it enough!

read if you like:
- superhero movies
- steve and bucky 🤭
- found family
- drag queens

thanks to netgalley and putnam for the advanced copy. WE COULD BE HEROES comes out june 4th.

This novel was both cleverer and more heartfelt than I expected--a delightful surprise in every way. I appreciated the way that Ellis was able to weave in the historical narrative without feeling distracting or burdensome. Comics have always been queer, and rather than sink into the tragedy, Ellis turns it into a celebration. A marvelous summer romp!

3.5*

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The idea of this book was super interesting, it had a lot of Notting Hill vibes to it which I enjoyed, but I think it really suffered in the last third. In general I liked the characters and I thought that they were done well. I didn't quite understand maybe what Patrick liked about Will at first, other than them both being gay and available, it didn't seem like there was much of a reason for them to get together. My favourite character was for sure April, the scene with her fanfic story in it was hilarious.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of ideas that it wanted to cover and it could have used a bit of refining. There was just a lot going on, many different storylines, playing with formatting, all wrapped around the central romance which wasn't as solid as I would have liked. I grew to enjoy the second timeline, which I usually don't like in many books, especially a romcom, but again it was just another added thing. It didn't even really come together at the end with as much weight as it probably deserves considering it was made to be such a large part of the story.

Now, I don't want to be a hater, but I just think this book maybe tried to champion too many things. I see a lot of authors doing this and it just gets a bit old. The scenes about the drag queens protesting were great because it relates to your main character, but I don't really enjoy when every character in a story has a cause they need to talk about. It was almost every discussion in the queer lexicon. You have other books you can write, you don't have to shove everything in one space.

Not for me at all. There was zero chemistry between the main characters, the plot didn’t make sense, the random interludes into the past were annoying and the ending was so predictable. I just really didn’t enjoy the book but I’m sure there is someone out there that will!

4.5 stars


I had SUCH a great time with this book!! I picked it up from my TBR after I saw Cat Sebastian mention it, and I could barely put it down. (I didn't finish it in one sitting, but I DID finish it in one day.) I absolutely loved all the characters -- Ellis does a fantastic job showing the community and relationships our MC's are a part of, and how important those aspects of their lives are.

At first I was a bit worried that the pacing might be off based on when the relationship starts and when the 3rd act seemed early, but my fears were swiftly swept aside. I also loved the flashbacks to the comic creators and how those parts mirrored and complimented the main storyline.

Overall, absolutely LOVED this book!! I strongly recommend, and I plan to pre-order for myself and request a purchase at my library!

We Could Be Heroes by Philip Ellis

We Could Be Heroes is about Will, a British bookseller and sometimes drag queen, and Patrick, leading actor in a superhero movie with a well known fandom. Patrick is looking for a very rare, perhaps nonexistent, copy of a comic of the superhero he portrays and he enlists Will to help him find a copy. Meanwhile, in 1950, Charles is writing a comic series about a superhero with his wife Iris, but Charles and Iris are just acting as each other’s beards while they pursue their own romantic entanglements outside of their marriage.

The English copy mentions the dual timeline. The US copy does not. It’s not a huge deal, I just think it should. Anyways.

I’ve seen this marketed as a rom-com, and the summary says it’s “uproarious,” but it’s actually pretty serious and though I read 45% of this book, I didn’t actually get any romcom vibes. Admittedly, my sense of humor is pretty specific, so like, maybe it’s just me.

Mostly, I was just bored by this. The writing is fine. The characters are fine. The plot is fine. It’s all just fine. Patrick is being put under pressure by his agent to stay closeted because she says that he “might be a role model but only for about five people, because [he would] never get booked for anything bigger than network.” Point of note: his agent is in a queer relationship herself, so I flipped through the book to see if she gets her due for this, and …. results are inconclusive. Someone who knows, message me.

At any rate, I don’t care for the “we have to keep this a secret” plot line at 33%. I also really don’t care at all for the 1950’s timeline, which feels super on the nose, and you can 100% see where that plot line begins to intersect with the “today” timeline. (“Wow, the illustrator was gay like me too!”) This entire book is just so on the nose, I would be shocked if at some point, there’s not an analogy about how being a drag queen or an actor is an metaphor for being in the closet ie. “it’s a show you put in for the world, but you hide the truth inside,” or something, idk. Anyways, this is… fine.

Thanks to NG and Penguin Group for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

We Could Be Heroes follows the star of a popular comic book movie as he navigates fame and coming out, as well as his romance with a drag queen he met while filming. The novel is told in dual POV between the two of them.

I liked the commentary this book had on CBM (comic book movie) fanbases, like when Audra, another star, criticizes the fans for their expectations of actors. That theme runs deep, especially as fame plays a huge role in Patrick’s arc. Patrick and Will have to keep their relationship a secret due to this. I’m not a huge fan of that trope.

What I liked most was the historical chapters, detailing the history of the Captain Kismet character and creation of the original (fictional) comics. I’m a big comic fan so that’s what resonated most with me. I could have done with a whole book of that, to be honest

The side characters for the most part just seemed a little mean. Especially Audra. I like banter, but it seemed a bit much sometimes. Dylan, Will’s sister’s nonbinary kid, was my favorite.

Besides a few moments at the beginning, I didn’t really feel like there was much chemistry between Patrick and Will. Maybe it’s just me, but they didn’t seem to have much in common. The pacing also seemed a bit off. It’s like the novel didn’t get confident in itself until the halfway mark, somehow?

I’d pick this up if you’re looking for a light read, and you like metatextual stuff about CBMs!

Such a fun read!! I could barely put it down, I was done reading almost as quickly as I started reading

Super cute cover!! Kudos to the artist.

The concept is great. The prose itself was slightly over-narrated---no big deal and a lot of readers don't mind, it's just not for me. I stopped after chapter 1 (5%). I definitely see this landing at 3-4 stars for the target audience though and I really hope it does well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

We Could Be Heroes by Phillip Ellis (@philipellis) - I have no idea how to rate this one out of 5

Thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Publishing Group for this ARC copy.

Okay friends... I kind of loved this books... all except for one scene. But I REALLY really hated that one scene. So I am kind of struggling on how I rate this one. It would have absolutely been a four stars read, save for the obligatory “things get ruined” so we can have the tension and the breakup and then the reunion. I am a lover of romance novels so I don’t have a problem with the formula, per se, but the way this one was done... just felt bad.

OKAY, so, it’s a romance between a closeted ‘All-American’ movie star and a Birmingham UK drag queen. And I have found that I really enjoy romances with drag queen characters. I love a skewering of toxic masculinity and they deliver that.

Our movie star, Patrick, is stuck with a morality clause in his contract which means NO GAYNESS ever, but he falls for Will (aka Grace Anatomy) and they have a little secret fling while Patrick is filming a superhero movie about Captain Kismet (sort of a golden age of comics superman type) in the UK. They have to keep it quiet and so the relationship goes as you might expect with appropriate tension around the whole not being able to be out thing.

My issue comes when they hit a boiling point and break up. I felt like Patrick’s behavior in that moment came TOTALLY out of left field. I don’t think anything in the writing had lead to him blowing up in such a spectacularly awful manner. The callous and borderline abusive way that he treats Will in that moment was inexcusable. I know he was under stress, but DAMN. Not cool.

I did love the red carpet moment at the end. Also I haven’t even touched on the cool historical plotline with the creator of Captain Kismet that was snuck in there. I could have read a whole book about them. It felt very Cat Sebastian and we all know how much I adore Cat’s writing.

I’m a bit long winded here, but I am torn about this one. I liked 90% of this. But MAN, that other bit. Bugged me.

It's fun and doesn't require much brain power. The main love interest can be kind of annoying at times but so am I so relatable. It feels almost like an actor AU of a marvel movie and that's not a bad thing. It's still fun and gay. That's all I ask for.

Loved the queer love story at its heart as well as the thoughtful look at the downsides of fame as an openly gay actor and the film industry as a whole.

5+ Stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Philip Ellis for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely adorable and delightful! Patrick is a rich, successful movie star who plays the superhero Captain Kismet and has to keep his homosexuality a secret or risk his career. Will is an out and proud drag queen but is a little insecure because he was recently dumped. The chemistry between these two was amazing. I loved the conflict and soul searching. I loved the flashbacks to Charles' story (the creator of Captain Kismet), whose life mirrors Patrick's. I loved the humor which made me laugh out loud many times! This was so fun and sweet. It was also the second book with a drag queen MC that I've read this month. I must be in my drag queen era and I am NOT complaining!

A romance between a movie star and a drag queen. What's not to love? And really, there's nothing wrong with this book. The romance was sweet, the characters were fun, and I liked the risks Ellis took with the side characters.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was very different than I expected! To clarify, it is very much a cute romance with an actor and a drag queen as the main love interests, but this baby has layers! The actor MC, Patrick Lake, is playing a Captain America-esque superhero called Captain Kismet, and through the course of his romance with Will, the drag queen, there’s a parallel story about the queer writer and illustrator who created the character Patrick is now embodying. I found all of the characters really interesting. Will and Patrick were both compelling in their own right, but I’d be lying if I said I felt the romance was equally as compelling. The chemistry wasn’t entirely absent. I just found myself waiting for a moment between them that would really grab me and convince me they needed to be together. It was cute, and the other elements of the plot kept my interest enough that I was able to overlook the places I thought the romance was lacking. There is one moment of conflict towards the end that didn’t work for me. I think I understand what Ellis was trying to do with the character in that scene, but I’m not sure the execution worked. It felt forced. Not enough to ruin the book for me, but definitely bumped it down a bit when I was deciding on my rating. All of that said, I thought Ellis’ writing style really worked in this book. I haven’t read anything else by this author, but I would definitely pick up something by him in the future becauseI thought the story had a lot going for it and a lot of potential in the parts that didn’t quite connect with me.

This book was a pleasant read while on vacation. It was an amusing, if predictable story, with some laughs and a nice amount of color. The concept was good though it took a while to understand where the two different stories were going and how they related. At the end it was a very nice tie up. One downside was the stereotypical negative portrayal of Los Angeles. It dragged me down and distracted from the story.
Fun light read with a bit of history and message.