Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Project Hero

AUTHOR:  Briar Prescott

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  251 pages

RELEASE DATE:  March 26, 2020

BLURB:

What if you accidentally fell in love with the right guy?

Andy:
If my life was a movie, I would be the sidekick. Not an especially promising start when my plan is to finally let my best friend know I have a crush on him. No worries, though. I have a plan. I just need a complete makeover. Change everything about myself so that when Falcon returns from his summer vacation, he can finally see I’m the love of his life. I totally know what I’m doing here.
Well, not really.
If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn’t look like every nerd cliché wrapped into one awkward package.
In short, I’m screwed.
But then Law Anderson enters the picture…

Law:
It’s all very simple. I need somebody to tutor my hockey team, and Andy needs somebody to help him with his crush. Sounds like a match made in heaven.
Only the more time I spend with Andy, the more I like this quirky guy who makes me laugh, and pretty soon I’m the one who’s tutoring Andy in way more than we initially agreed upon.
It’s fine.
I have it all under control.
But as weeks pass and the chemistry between us turns explosive, I’m starting to think that I might be in way over my head with Andy.
If only I could make Andy realize that he doesn’t need to change himself for love. If only I could make Andy see that he just needs to be with somebody who has considered him perfect all along.

REVIEW:

I love Project Hero! I can’t believe this is Briar Prescott’s debut novel. She appears so comfortable in her writing, which is relaxed with nothing forced. The humor is sublime, the main characters are well-fleshed out, and the love story is heartwarming. And I must say, it’s the beautiful cover that drew me in, and I’m glad it did. 

Andy Carter has a crush on his best friend, Falcon, one that he’s had since ninth grade. Problem is, Falcon has decidedly friend-zoned Andy. Andy wants to ditch his nerdy sidekick persona, and thus undertakes The Hero Project, his plan to change himself from the sidekick to the hero in his life story, and attract Falcon. That’s where Law Anderson, former hockey jock and current assistant coach for their college team, comes in. He has a proposition for Andy: if Andy tutors the hockey players who are failing physics (Andy’s major), Law will not only pay him but help him with a makeover and how-to advice for wooing Falcon.  

This is a common trope – a guy wants to change himself to get the attention of a second guy. A third man helps with the transformation but secretly falls for the first guy himself. What’s different here is that Law sees Andy’s beauty before any changes. Naturally, through the course of spending time together, Law falls for Andy. 

The changes Andy undergoes for Falcon are superficial – a hair trim and styling product, contact lenses, and a wardrobe revitalization. The really change is internal and unintentional, has nothing to do with Falcon and everything to do with Law. Through Law’s guidance, Andy finds the strength to conquer a major phobia and try new activities. These things boost his confidence, happiness, and outlook. It’s not anything specific Law does for Andy other than giving him space to trust himself to become the man he wants to be (a hero for himself and no one else).  

… with Law, I don’t feel like I’m the sidekick. He doesn’t make me feel like I’m a hero either, but the thing is, with Law, I don’t really care about being a hero at all. With Law, I’m just me. Just Andy. And with Law, it’s enough. 

I loved both main characters instantly. Law is carefree, caring, and endearing. Andy is adorable and ridiculous: the things coming out of his mouth and his internal thoughts are side-splitting. I couldn’t wait for the next thing he blurted out. He’s ridiculously cute. And his crazy, untamed hair is ridiculous, too.  

On a good day, I look like I do not own a hairbrush. On a bad day, I look like the lovechild of Albert Einstein and Edward Scissorhands. There are more bad days than good ones. 

Obviously, Falcon falls by the wayside but I’ll let you discover how it all plays out. 

If you like romance and comedy, this sweet and crazy hilarious book is for you. I highly recommend it.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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