Do you like to read books that are out of the norm? Well, Dear Hero by Alyssa Roat and Hope Bolinger fits the bill. This story of a superhero and a villain is told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages. When I first heard of this chat fiction novel, I thought there was no way these ladies could make this an interesting novel.

Was I wrong. I mean, I couldn’t put it down.

The premise caught my attention first. “Every hero needs a villain. Every villain needs a hero.”

Total truth. The story of a hero and villain trying to team up because they’d each lost their opposite half is told through dark humor and made me laugh out loud at times. I loved the idea of a “dating” service to match heroes and villains, not for love but for combat.

Here’s a little more: Cortex and V need a new nemesis. Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world–at least until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.
 
Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.
 
So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive. 

I was amazed at how Roat and Bolinger made the story come alive strictly through dialogue. But they did. I love the plot and how our hero and villain end up working together to save the day and themselves.

If you want to read something different, try a chat fiction story.

Try Dear Hero.

You’ll be glad you did.

Click to tweet: Friday Fiction: Dear Hero by Alyssa Roat and Hope Bolinger is the story of a superhero and a villain told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages. I absolutely loved it. Snarky dark humor at its best. #FridayReads #superherobooks

Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction off the beaten track and her website focuses on her books, love of the South, and the unexpected in stories. Jessie’s Hope, her debut novel published by Firefly Southern Fiction, was a 2019 Selah Award nominee for First Novel.