2.25 stars

Hero is quite an interesting story that touches upon a wide range of themes relating to relationships, family, womanhood, expectations, etc. but it is not a love story. It feel much like those Greek mythology retellings in the way its been written—quite poetically—which is what the book has going for it. For me, what's missing is substance. There's nothing tangible the reader can grasp and understand fully, so there are just a few words and ideas thrown out about everything but it fails to make a meaningful point. The main character is truly fascinating, though, and I would've loved to have gained some more clarity on them. Maybe this was all meant to be and I missed the part where it all clicked, but unfortunately, that just didn't happen.

"Hero" by Katie Buckley is a very special kind of book. A kind, that is not for everyone, but I liked the message very much.
Female rage, patriarchal dominance, sexism and problematic relationships are the main topic of this novel, supported by the plot of Heros own story and her experience with life and love.
The writing is ... special. A lot of jumps in time, place and situations every few paragraphs, so you really have to pay attention to follow everything. That was the part I struggled most with.
But it really made me think and reflect about how women are treated in our society - and it made me rage a lot.
Even it says on the cover and in the end of the book, that this is a love story... It wasn't one for me. Not in the way I expected it to be. For me, it is a love story to stand up for yourself and not bow to societal norms just to fit in. Be yourself and be happy.

I've never read a book quite like Hero. Buckley's prose is utterly singular. Crafted in the second person, this narrative is a poetic plea for understanding directed at the protagonist's boyfriend, who she is debating marrying. In this novel, Buckley masterfully creates a mythology that is built on countless others. This is a breathtaking modern fairytale that captures the complexity of what it means to be a young woman searching for both autonomy and love.

The writing in this book was just simply beautiful in the way that it navigated an honest look at relationships and the female experience. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Brilliantly written and executed well. This is one that I can see on many top lists towards the end of the year.

2.5/5 Stars

I'd like to preface this review by saying that I was quite looking forward to reading this novel and I realized through my reading process that this just wasn't the story for me.
Hero is definitely a book that tackles an array of contemporary and important themes in a very personal way. I got the feeling that sometimes this way of telling worked since it evoked introspection and identification, but other times it felt like the events were told through an almost shock-value lens that in the end didn't really add anything to these characters or their storyline.
Moreover, the plot itself didn't really conquer me like I initially thought it might do. I was hoping to find a journey of introspection that would lead the main character to live her life free from doubts and restrictions of any kind, but it was a heavy journey mostly recollecting the past and that got squeezed in the span of a week and that left me wanting so much more.

The writing style is what surprised me the most, it was rich, evocative and compelling and that's what leads me to say that, even though this read didn't work out for me, I hope to read something more by this author.

'I can't stop writing about you, because even when it seems it's about you, it's about me. But I'll try to tell the story in the best way'.

This story begins at the end. Hero has just been proposed to by her boyfriend, but rather than giving a resounding 'yes', there is pause enough for him to pack up and leave. In the week she has, before he returns to their apartment for the rest of his things, Hero reflects upon her hesitance. She recounts her previous. toxic relationship. She muses over her mother's, sister's and friends' relationships. As a writer, she tells stories about her feelings, using myths and creating fables to convey her feelings - her fears and anxiety. Each chapter is a new day, counting down to the day when she'll face him again, circling around what her answer will be - wondering if now that she has found true love, will she be bold enough, strong enough to be a wife and not lose herself as an individual, 'I felt that old pull, that desire to blend so totally with somebody else that you forget who you are'.

Whoah - I wasn't sure about this book initially, but it builds into an aching poignancy, revealing a flayed heart that still beats with a painful vulnerability, 'This is what my heart looks like. It has boot marks on it'. At times using crude language to highlight the raw and ragged emotions of Hero, this story explores how we mould, concede and yield in relationships in order to make ourselves fit into the spaces a man leaves free. It ponders thoughts that we surely all have had a points in our relationships. Such a unique take on a love story.

'I am a myth. What is a woman but the product of other people's imaginations'.

Thank you Headline and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The book takes place over the span of a week, in which Hero has to decide if she wants to accept her boyfriend's proposal.
It had beautiful prose that reminded me of a fairytale, but with a modern and feminist twist.
"Hero" is written in the second person singular pronoun "you" to address the boyfriend, so it reads like a guide for him to understand her, which I found unusual but interesting.
The stream of consciousness style confused me from time to time, simply because I'm not used to it. Overall, it was a challenging reading, but I'm glad I kept going because I got to experience a special story and exceptional writing style.

Hero’s flowy, stream of consciousness narrative style is spot on and engaging.
Several themes and experiences by the narrator, a woman in the front of the kitchen, are believable, relatable or interesting.
Had this been a shorter exploration, as part of a larger novel with a plot, it would have been more ideal.

This is a stunning book. Breathtaking prose, a love story, and what it means to be a young woman trying to stand apart from a life shapen by the patriarchy and the male gaze. The tale takes place over a week, with a deadline at the end of it, when the narrator must decide whether or not to marry the boyfriend she loves. Told with an inventive mix of modern fairy tale and stream of consciousness recollections at the people and experiences that have led her to this point, Hero is brilliantly insightful about what it means to be a young woman right now. It's funny and sad, but never didactic, with a gloriously romantic story at its heart and exquisite, poetic prose.

I struggled really with the writing style, I was confused about the whole thing in general. I writing was not flowing at all (maybe it was in purpose but for me it didn't work).

I thought the style of this debut was very interesting and unique, however, after about 50 pages I got the feeling that it was getting more of the same. The book needed a stronger plot in my opinion, to get me to keep reading. So in the end, I don't think the book is for me, but Katie Buckley's prose did really impress me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

I would normally start a review by saying something about the plot, but I have no idea what the plot is.

This was too literary for me, too confusing and fragmented. It's basically a stream of consciousness by a woman called Hero.

I didn't like the writing style. I never knew whether we were in the past or the present, whether she was talking about herself or someone else or just generally what was going on. There's a lot of talk about what women have suffered throughout history and she tries to figure out how she feels about someone, but the story, if you can call it that, is open-ended.

Sorry but this wasn't for me. Mercifully, it's short.

For me Hero by Katie Buckley brought to mind Clare Pollard's novel Delphi in the way it explores mythology but in a contemporary setting and also the film Promising Young Woman in the way that it explores the ways in which women are subjugated. Beautifully written - I would love to read more from this author.

A refreshingly honest, beautiful, raw, emotional and realistic portrayal of womanhood and trying to rediscover yourself.