Name: Not Your Villain
ISBN: 9781945053252

C. B. Lee

Being a shapeshifter is awesome. That is, until Bells inadvertently becomes the country's most-wanted villain. He's discovered a massive government coverup, and now it's up to him and his friends to track down the Resistance. Sometimes, to do a hero's job, you need to be a villain.

Not Your Villain

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common-but not for Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers when an internship for Andover's resident super villain allows her to work alongside her longtime crush Abby and helps her unravel a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

Not Your Sidekick

Bria

I love the premise, but there were more details than story at times. It kinda threw me off. I loooove Abby and Bells though.

This will probably need a reread because this is the second book in a row that I’ve found boring. I’m hoping I’m not in a slump.

kelsey

*3.5 stars 

“i am not your sidekick! i’ve always been in your shadow. what makes you think i want to keep doing that? i want to be my own person, be liked for who i am, not just for copying you!”

it was kinda predictable but im a sucker for superhero stories and f/f need more of these in my life

bells is probably my favorite he's the best boy

Tatiana

Not Your Sidekick: 3/5


  “We can't just sit on our asses and not live our lives while we're trying to expose a corrupt government.”

Premise:
In Andover, superpowers are common, but not for Jessica Tran. Despite her superhero parents, no powers have manifested in Jess, and it seems to be too late. She must now find a new career that doesn't involve heroism when she finds a paid internship alongside her childhood crush, Abby. All is great until she finds out she's working for the resident villain. Jess continues her work to spite her parents, but she starts to uncover something larger and more sinister at play.

Writing & Plot:
This is a really charming book. It's a super-fast and light read that will lift your spirits. The writing style flows together, and it is easy to immerse yourself into this world and the plot. The chapters are pretty long, but this didn't bother me since the book itself is short.

The plot is straightforward and reminded me of the movie Sky High. Overall it was enjoyable, but there was quite a bit of romance as well. I liked the LGBTQ+ factor, but there was so much romance content that I found it interfered with the plot. It also felt a bit rushed and forced, but this could be because the book itself is short.

Characters:
I love the diversity within Not Your Sidekick. There are characters from so many different backgrounds as well as identities which is always enjoyable. Jess herself felt a bit underdeveloped to me. Her main character flaw is that she's average in almost every facet of her life, and to be honest, I would agree that she's average. I liked her story, and I think it was written well from her perspective, but it didn't cross into greatness. 

The other characters within this story are fabulous. I loved Abby along with Jess's best friends, Bells and Emma. All of them felt so real to me and were written with such care. I had so much fun in their scenes, and I couldn't get enough.

Conclusion:
Despite the predictability and plot holes, I had a lot of fun reading this book. Once again, it's a fast read, perfect for binging. I got exactly what I needed out of this book and was thoroughly entertained. The diversity is great, and the LGBTQ+ representation was on point. I'd definitely recommend this book!

alexandra

4.25/5 –

Not Your Sidekick is so fun and i had a blast reading it. there are so many wonderful elements that made me feel YESSSS – starting with a bisexual Asian MC in a world with superheroes! 

my only issues with it were that it felt a little obvious and nonsensical at times. for example, the world is supposed to be set 100+ years in the future, but there were little things that made it feel as if the world hasn't developed much from how it is now. these little things made me aware and took me out of the story at times. aside from that, this was so fantastic! i can't wait to read the sequel.

IT WAS SO CUTE. I love superheroes and cute YA romance and I am currently thirsting for wlw relationships right now and this book came to the rescue. I would actually rate it 4.5 stars instead of 5 but oh well, there's no .5 stars and 4 just seemed like a lie. 

The plot twists and turns that seem to always happen are somewhat unpredictably predictable? Like, I form these mini theories of everything and when the twists are revealed, it's always one of the guesses I have made previously. Not to say it was predictable though, the twists were clever and I loved them. 

The relationship between (view spoiler)[ Abby and Jess. ACTUAL EPITOME OF THE CUTEST THING ON THIS UNIVERSE AND BEYOND I SWEAR TO GOD. SO. CUTE. I AM DYING. GOD HELP ME. Okay, that's enough. I called it, I called the twist that M was actually Abby, it was like a gut feeling.  Do I have a superpower too.  When they kissed I pretty much just couldn't stop smiling, it was just so pure. I am in love with those two. And they're in love with each other. Which is cool.  (hide spoiler)] 

The universe in which this book is set in is also one of the biggest factors that come into play. I loved the concept of the world having a system where metahumans would undergo training in order to become a superhero due to WWIII happening because of the sudden combustion of metahumans. I thought that was just very logical? I guess. In a superhero/sci-fi themed media I rarely could find logic in anything, and the whole concept of how the world works in this book is just nice. (view spoiler)[ I mean, there's that twist in the end where the heroes are actually villains and the system is fake but anywho.  (hide spoiler)] 

The True(TM) villain of this story, I liked the twist but I didn't like the way it was handled. The reveal, the fight, that part, everything was brilliant there. (view spoiler)[ But then there's the part where Orion just rambles on and on and on and I know this was just so the story could move along, but gosh, do something, stop talking. That's the thing about Orion, is that she could be an amazing villain, like the fact that she was the "hero" but she's actually not, I thought that was great. But she was just so cheesy and illogical and she felt cheap? I guess. Nevertheless, the idea was great, but Orion could've been executed better.  (hide spoiler)] 

I don't really have any complaints for the supporting characters, they were there to move the story along and they were kind of interesting at times. That was that.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book. It was an extremely quick read as I was just in a weird thirst for wlw but it wasn't a forgettable one.

Jamieson

Something about superhero girlfriends hits different. Jess and Abby I lov u 

3.5 starts, rtc

grace richards

this is a cute little book, and jess and abby’s relationship is perfect but this book definitely was not intended for a 20 year old and that took some of the fun out of it for me. but i would definitely recommend this book for younger audiences!

Izza

3.25 stars | 1 star just for the diverse representation. I have to say I'm disappointed with this read. I was expecting to love it as I had heard so many good things about it, but the beginning was so slow, the chapters so long and the writing had much to be desired, I almost DNF'ed it :/

The overall idea of the story is great, but there could be a bit more action and it was highly predictable at times. The characters were fun, I love Abby and Jess' developing relationship. Jess' mom (because we barely saw his dad) was awesome and supportive. A+ for the queer rep and poc rep. 

The ending left me a bit underwhelmed. I know there's another book in the series, but from what I understand it's from Bells' perspective. I want more Abby, Jess an the Mischiefs.

Nicole Dykeman

I personally didn’t enjoy this very much because it was much more juvenile than I was expecting. If this were a middle grade I would have appreciated it more, especially if I actually read it when I was younger, seeing all these young queer people on the page. At this point in my life, though, the plots were predictable and the characters fell a bit flat.

I spent the first few chapters of this book being hella confused before I was able to square away the timelines of this book and its predecessor. It was honestly really disappointing to realize that the full first third of this book was just retelling the events of Not Your Sidekick. I definitely didn't feel like Bells's viewpoint added enough extra to our understanding of what happened in Sidekick to justify putting so much time into retelling it. That entire first third could have been cut and more time could have been put into Bells's family's illegal farming and the methods of resistance that his family has been practicing for decades already and how that informs the way Bells and his friends form their new resistance efforts. I feel like Lee really dropped the ball there and it made the entire reading experience kind of underwhelming. 

I still love the characters of this series and I'll definitely continue it (esp since the next book is from Emma's POV and we're gonna get a lot of questioning aroace content which I am SO HERE FOR) but this installment just didn't do a ton for me. Which was unfortunate.

Hannah<3

I didn't know about this book until I randomly saw it online. but I'm so glad I decided to read it. I loved it.

Sahi K

This book was not even on my radar a couple of weeks ago. I think I just saw it on a pride recommendations list and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up. Another single sitting read that I didn’t want to put down at all.

It’s set in the 22nd century, after WWIII and the world has meta-humans, people with abilities who help the citizens and are considered heroes. Jess is a bisexual biracial Asian teenager from Andover whose parents just happen to be the local superheroes. She feels very lost being in the shadow of her parents, her super powerful sister and a genius younger brother. She also has the feeling of not fitting in with either the Vietnamese or the Chinese community, guilty of not knowing her ethnic languages enough to communicate, and just missing that sense of belonging. She is also hardworking, very organized and an aspiring writer but also an average student. To escape all of this feeling of being a nobody and in an act of teenage rebellion, she decides to take up an internship working for her parents’ nemesis and town supervillains Master and Mistress Mischief.

Abby is a popular, talented and very beautiful girl from Jess’s high school whom Jess has had a crush on for sometime. When they end up working together as interns, Jess is initially tongue-tied and can’t even form coherent sentences while trying to talk to Abby. But slowly they develop a tentative friendship – driving together to work, sharing lunch at school, fixing Jess’s domestic MonRobot, and partnering on a school project. The gradual progression to flirtation and falling for each other is beautiful, sweet and I was just waiting for more.

Jess’s best friends are Emma, a latina teen and Bells, a black trans boy. I adored their dynamic. It was so reminiscent of my own relationships with my friends that I enjoyed reading about these wonderful friends who love sharing food, binge watching TV shows and forwarding cat videos. They understand each other so well and it reflects in the thoughtful presents they get for her birthday. When Abby starts joining them for lunch, their friendship is very organic and I think they all fit together perfectly. Jess’s parents maybe be superheroes, but they also are a little clueless about what Jess is feeling. However, when confronted with some uncomfortable truths, they totally believe and support her. Claudia, her elder sister is an A-class superhero who believes she is superior because she works for the government and is quite dismissive of Jess for not having any powers of her own. The other most endearing characters for me in this book are not even humans, they are Jess’s robot Cha and Abby’s robot Jacks who are just too cute and adorable. I hope they I’ll get to meet them again.

As much as the characters in this book are a delight to read about, I think it’s the writing that really stood out. It’s very easy, lighthearted, I could see almost every twist from a mile away, which is so rare for me, but I think this predictability worked very well for the aesthetic of the story. Every time Jess struggles with something which we have already figured out or Emma is being clueless about Bells obvious crush on her, it was just too hilarious to read. The way it’s written, you feel like it’s silly and entertaining and not to be taken seriously, but simultaneously, the author touches on multiple issues like teenagers struggles with parents expectations, dealing with racism, classism and privilege even in the superhero community, choosing between right and wrong when everything seems gray.

But I think the main conflict of the story seemed the most realistic and relevant to our current world. The idea of government using it’s power and even the media to create a perception in the minds of the citizens that is just a distraction from it’s corrupt practices hit me quite hard. I think that’s something we see everyday, where we are always presented with a picture of the governmental policies but never about their true consequences and the subsequent domino effects. I think this whole subtle commentary was written very well into the story of good vs evil, making us question is a person is truly a villain just because they disagree with those in power and is the government right in silencing it’s own citizens without due process if it thinks that’s necessary to keep the general public happy.

Whether you want a fun YA story about high school kids going on adventures, a superhero vs supervillain tale, a book with the kind of casual acceptance of diversity that you want our future to be, or a book with the underlying theme of perception vs reality in the world – this is the book for you.

Lucía RG

3.5/4**
This was actually pretty decent and the main idea really original!! However, I did not really like the writing in some scenes and some of the dialogues were quite awkward.

Jude Silberfeld

4.5* – Jess Tran is a normal teenager (insofar as teenagers can be normal). She’s not a genius like her younger brother nor does she have superpowers like her parents and older sister. She’s average. In order to prove her worth, at least to herself, she applies for an internship at Monroe Industries. Much to her surprise, she gets in, only to find out on her first day that she’ll be working for her parents’ arch enemies. With the girl she has the biggest crush on.

I liked Jess a lot. The daughter of immigrant parents – her mother was born in China, her father in Vietnam –, she lives in post-World War III Nevada. She grew up with both her parents’ cultures but struggles with the languages and, as I wrote above, is also a regular American teenage girl, who enjoys spending time with her friends – one of whom is trans and the hero of book 2, Not Your Villain – and watching forbidden movies. She accidentally outed herself as bisexual and is adorably awkward when trying to show her interest to the girl of her dreams. She’s exactly the kind of character I would have had no trouble relating to as a teenager.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Some reviewers mentioned that the story is somewhat predictable, and yes, it is, but what superhero story isn’t? Not only did it not bother me, but it made the anticipation of the reveal all the more exciting.

Not Your Sidekick is fun but also deceptively light. Beyond self-worth and first love, the real story is one of deceit and exploitation by the authorities, of manipulation of the masses through fake news. In today’s world, I wouldn’t say no to teenage superheroes fighting for truth and the right to know.

Kerry Gibbons

Love love loved it. So completely ready for the next book. Loved the casual way so many characters were lgbtq. I’m 100% on board for that. And (view spoiler)[Bells’ power matches his trans status so nicely (hide spoiler)]. 

This was just an all-around fun book though the ending was a little dissatisfying but most first books are in a series. I wonder how many books the series will be. I also think this book needed ONE more go-over by an editor. There were a bunch of small errors (things like “go in the to the” where it was clear the wording was changed but the old wording never deleted from the sentence). 

I loved the characters, the story was great, and I can’t wait to see how things continue to develop.

Alex

** spoiler alert **
           I really love that there's a book for teens with a bisexual protagonist, it's so important and beautiful. But, unfortunately, I think the plot was too predictable (I mean, come on, I figured out what was going on with M/Abby the first time we met them, and the book "reveals" it as a plot twist 200 pages later...). I also think that the world building wasn't done very well - it's supposed to be a distant future, but nothing much has changed since our times in the way that people behave. Also, if they know superheroes exist, and that they usually find out about their powers when they are teens - why aren't they questioning their peers more and being more suspicious if they suddenly stop hanging out with them? I mean Jess' parents are superheroes, but she can't figure out one of her best friends is one too?? It just doesn't make any sense and was annoying to read. I don't think I'll read the second book.

Antonia Sonntag 

Alice

Camila

3.5⭐️ Tudo o que eu precisava no momento: uma história fofíssima de super-heróis!

Laura Springall

3.5 ⭐️

This was a lot of fun! I think the target audience was a little younger than I typically like to read, but it was still very enjoyable. The plot was painfully predictable and nothing surprised me at all, but it was done in that cheesy comic book way so I actually didn’t mind that. It’s not a new favourite or anything, but I liked it enough that I’m looking forward to the sequels!

Denise

There was a lot to love, but yet it didn’t entirely work for me. 
The characters are lovely and they alone are enough to make me want to continue the series. I can’t wait to learn more about Bells, who I absolutely love. 
Unfortunately the plot was very predictable and therefore boring for me most of the time. The writing wasn’t that great either. It feels a like a first draft at times that could have used a few edits. The pacing is just a bit off.

I really wanted to like this but I just couldn’t get into it. I just couldn’t get into the flow of this. The pacing was so weird I couldn’t get engaged. Neither the plot nor the characters could really take me with them. 
The representation in this series is phenomenal, which is why is started reading it. But sadly the book itself just isn’t it for me.

 Bruna Acioly Leão

3.25 maybe 3.5 stars

Okay, first of all let me clarify that 3 stars is not a bad rating by any means. For me it just means a book didn't stand out or it had a few flaws that trumped the good things.
This book was a lot of fun to read and it was super easy to just breeze through the pages...
However, it was also very "telly" (yes, I am aware that this is not a word - I mean that this book had too much of the author telling us things instead of showing them) and the plot and world building were too flat.

Let's get to the things I didn't like first and and on a positive note with the things I did like.

• The writing style: that is so important to me! It can literally make or break a book for me. This honestly a matter of personal preference most of the time. I like writing styles that are descriptive but that also leave room for action and that allow me to be fully immersed in the story. This book didn't do that for me. It just had too many instances in which the characters were fighting or kissing or doing other important things that just were kind of glazed over, and the main characters feelings were kind of spelled out all the time. I can't really explain it any more than this. It just didn't show me things, it was mostly telling.

• The world building: honestly, I don't buy this world that the author has created. It was kind of cool and amusing with the superheroes jokes and all that, but it just didn't feel like a real thing and there were some inconsistencies. Like she says that everyone is super high tech and use holograms for everything but Jess writes her stories in a journal (I know she is supposed to be old school, but old school for this world should be using a computer). And no one has pets anymore but her dad keeps saving rich people's cats? It sounds like stupid things, but the world just didn't click with me.

• The plot: ah, the villains felt weak and one-dimensional and the plot was wrapped up in a nice little bow with no loose ends - which is a good thing, but also too cookie-cuter. I've seen this way too many times.

Now on to things I liked:

• The characters! Jess is such a cool girl and all her friends are super positive and of course this book is very queer positive so yay for that. I think Jess and Abby's characters were well developed enough for me to really like them and I am interested in reading more about Bells and Emma in the next book.

• The romance! It was just so cute. I can't help it.

•The plot: I know, I also used this on the negatives, but despite all that, I am curious to see what happens next in the series and I did read this book pretty quickly so the plot was engaging enough to keep me wanting to find out what would happen next.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a quick fun super hero read with mainly female characters.

Emma

...Wow! I LOVED Bells story. I wasn't sure where this book would take off off from Not Your Sidekick, but it was done seamlessly! I love The Sidekick Squad!!

Not Your Villain

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