Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio – Book Review
Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio – Book Review
Brooding YA Hero
Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me
Author – Carrie DiRisio
Publisher – Sky Pony Press
Pages – 352
Released – 17th October 2017
ISBN-13 – 978-1510726666
Format – ebook, hardcover
Reviewer – Nia
I received a free copy of this book
Post Contains Affiliate Links
Have you ever wished you could receive a little guidance from your favorite book boyfriend? Ever dreamed of being the Chosen One in a YA novel? Want to know all the secrets of surviving the dreaded plot twist?
Or maybe you’re just really confused about what “opal-tinted, luminous cerulean orbs” actually are?
Well, popular Twitter personality @broodingYAhero is here to help as he tackles the final frontier in his media dominance: writing a book. Join Broody McHottiepants as he attempts to pen Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me, a “self-help” guide (with activities–you always need activities) that lovingly pokes fun at the YA tropes that we roll our eyes at, but secretly love.
As his nefarious ex, Blondie DeMeani, attempts to thwart him at every turn, Broody overcomes to detail, among other topics, how to choose your genre, how to keep your love interest engaged (while maintaining lead character status), his secret formula for guaranteed love triangle success, and how to make sure you secure that sequel, all while keeping his hair perfectly coiffed and never breaking a sweat.
Review
This book has been getting some excellent buzz on Twitter – so much so that even I was aware of it! I’ve even been following @broodingYAhero for a while now, which is very entertaining and filled with tongue-in-cheek pearls of wisdom about the YA genre.
Funnily enough, YA isn’t normally by bag but there’s always the odd one that catches my eye (not only because YA titles seem to get the prettiest covers) and this one looked too funny to pass up. It’s very unconventional: a YA book about YA books and tropes.
The book was written from the perspective of Broody McHottiepants, the embodiment of the YA hero cliché. He’s gloriously oblivious to how much of an ass he is and why he’s becoming outdated as the YA genre evolves and we move further and further away from the likes of Twilight, he gives us a narcissistic rundown on the different kinds of YA characters and how to be the very best main character you can be. The quirky style and repetition of how hair-flipping amazing amazing he is started to get on my nerves after a bit, but I know that 16 year old me would have loved something like this.
The most surprising bit about this book for me was how informative it was – it wasn’t solely dedicated to Broody McHottiepants but included some fun (silly) quizzes and tons of information about common character tropes and writing styles, as well as the fans and critics of YA. I would actually recommend this to younger readers who want to learn more about what they’re getting themselves into…
This book is very timely; now that YA is really growing in mainstream popularity, some people are quick to criticise and question the literary value of these books – Broody McHottiepants is quite rightly quick to point out that every book that people enjoy has value.
A must read for all YA fans, this book is more than worthy of a spot on your bookshelf!
Reviewed by Nia
Amazon.co.uk – Amazon.com
About the Author
Carrie Ann DiRisio is a YA writer and creator of @BroodingYAHero. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with one large fluffy cat, and is currently pursuing her masters in Digital Marketing, although her true dream is to become a Disney Villainess, complete with a really snazzy gown.
In addition to writing and plans for world domination, she also enjoys running, coffee, Krav Maga, and knitting.
Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio sounds like lots of fun.
This sounds like a really entertaining way to poke fun at certain tropes while advising on how certain things can be refined. I love a good book boyfriend.
I love it, sounds like it would be a great and enjoyable read.
I think YA has a lot of literary merits. When I worked in a high school library I had a lot of fun matching readers to books like this.
I’ve been seeing a lot about this book on Twitter. It definitely sounds like an interesting take on YA books.
Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio sounds like a cute read.
I do like reading YA and this sounds like really fun and entertaining read.
Gemma @ http://www.gemmasbooknook.blogspot.com
Not the typical book I read but I can see certain people liking it!
I agree about YA book covers – adult authors need to take notice! ?
This one sounds fantastic! I think YA gets the prettiest covers because kids will still always judge a book by its cover–metaphorically and literally. Maybe I’ve never grown up, though, because I still pick things based on the covers sometimes.
So happy to hear you think Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio is fantastic.
Glad you agree about the covers and that you can see people liking it.
Good to hear you like YA books and that you think Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio is fun and entertaining.
I’m glad to hear that you like the sound of Brooding YA Hero.
It is definitely a book that is doing the rounds, glad you think it sounds interesting.
Good to hear that you think Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio has a lot of merits.
I totally agree with you as it is an enjoyable and great read.
It is good to hear you like a good boyfriend book, this would be perfect for you.
It certainly is a lot of fun, glad you think it sounds like it is.