How to Date a Superhero
“Falling for a superhero is dangerous. You have to trust that they’ll catch you.”
If there’s two things I love in this world, it’s romcoms and superheroes. Luckily, this book has both.
Summary
Astrid isn’t a superhero, not like the ones she sees on the news, but she has something she thinks of as a small superpower: she has a perfect sense of time. And she’s not going to waste a single second. Her plan for college is clear—friends, classes, and extracurriculars all carefully selected to get her into medical school.
Until Max Martin, a nerdy boy from her high school, crashes back into her life. Things with Max were never simple, and he doesn’t keep to her schedule. He disappears in the middle of dates and cancels at the last minute with stupid excuses.
But when a supervillain breaks into her bedroom one night, Astrid has to face the facts: her boyfriend, Max Martin, is a superhero. Suddenly, Astrid is thrown into a world she wasn’t prepared for: She has to take classes on how to protect herself as a superhero’s girlfriend; She’s constantly under threat of being kidnapped by Max’s arch nemesis; And of course, Max is still too busy saving the world to make date night.
Double-majoring as a premed was hard, but now Astrid will have to balance a double life. This wasn’t part of her plan.
Thoughts
I fell in love with Max the minute he was introduced, and instantly saw myself in Astrid—the good and the bad. Not only did Fernandez do an incredible job building a world where superheroes just exist, but she also perfected the art of writing about panic attacks and anxiety, especially when it comes to college. I was thoroughly impressed by Fernandez’s ability to capture Astrid’s overwhelming panic in just the schedule chapter headings, and I related sooo hard to the endless markers and schedules Astrid has to keep her life in order (even though it’s all memorized in her head).
The superhero aspect of this book was intriguing, and I loved the different names and powers we got outside of the stereotypical MCU and DC universe superheroes. Fernandez’s heroes were all camp, with names like Kid Comet and the Black Cape. I also liked that Astrid wasn’t immediately floored and impressed by Max’s abilities, but instead wary. Often I think authors/directors romanticize having a superhero partner (like Molly), but at the end of the day, Astrid’s whole world has been turned upside down, and I enjoyed her realistic reaction.
Of course I loved the classic romcom tropes—damsel in distress, breaking up for protection, soft boy and hard girl—but I also loved the friendships this book produced. David was the classic best friend, and I loved how much he cared about Astrid’s mental health. The three high schoolers, Lucy, Molly, and Thomas, were a great way to give Astrid perspective and a sense of duty to others, and Wally, my favorite character, added the beautiful duality of over-protective father figure and teasing uncle that I love so much. I’m intrigued by Eleanor and her love triangle of heroes and villains, and would love a spin-off sequel about her running the project.
Overall
This was a great, fun read with a perfectly camp title and premise. Any fans of the MCU/DC universes or original comics will find this amusing, and romance lovers will get there fill of cheesy moments and awe-worthy confessions of love.
My rating: 4/5
Goodreads Average: 3.63/5
Information
How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez (Katherine Tegan Books)
Publication Date: August 2, 2022; Paperback: August 8, 2023
ISBN: 9780063114302
Hardcover: $18.99 (Order from Joseph-Beth!)
Paperback: $15.99 (Preorder from Joseph-Beth!)