Book Review: The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway by Rhys Thomas

Title: The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway

Author: Rhys Thomas

Publisher: Wildfire, Headline Review

Date: August 9th, 2018

Pages: 304

Format: Physical ARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): A feel-good novel that will make you laugh and cry. The perfect book club read for fans of The Rosie Project, A Man Called Ove, and The Keeper of Lost Things . Charming, quirky, and bursting with heart.

Sam Holloway has survived the worst that life can throw at you. But he’s not really living. His meticulous routines keep everything nice and safe – with just one exception . . .

Three nights a week, Sam dons his superhero costume and patrols the streets. It makes him feel invincible – but his unlikely heroics are getting him into some sticky situations.

Then a girl comes along and starts to shatter the walls Sam has built around himself. Now, he needs to decide if he’s brave enough to take off the mask, and to confront the grief he’s been avoiding for so long . . .

Hilarious and heart-warming, this is a story about grief, loneliness, and the life-changing power of kindness.

Review:

Sometimes you read a book you can not imagine being turned out into a movie, and some other times you have a chance to read a book that already feels like watching a movie while turning those pages…
The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway is that type of the book. The novel you “watch” in your head and have a great time, the story that entertains you.

The story follows a 26 years old guy who likes to dress out as a superhero in his free time and help others.
He isn’t fishing big criminals, but helps everyday people, like you and me.

It’s sort of like Kick-Ass movie, only with less action and more nerdness (nerdness… Is that a word?).

To be honest, it took some time for me to get used to Thomas’ writing style because there are more telling then showing, and also more descriptions then real conversations.
But once I got used to it, I was really invested into the story.
I am still not sure if the story just got better with every page or was it really the writing style thing the case (probably both), but I noticed that closer I was to the end, the faster I was reading.

Sam Holloway was really an unique book character. I couldn’t help, I liked him so much. If he was a real person, he would probably be that kind of guy that gets under everyone’s skin once they get to know him, despite his awkwardness.

From what you read in this review so far, you probably got a feeling this is a happy story with sunshine and rainbow, but that isn’t in case.
Sam Holloway also has a tragic past he lives with all his life, so happiness and tragic intertwine trough the whole story.
This book also represents mental illness.

I think Rhys Thomas did a great job when it comes to plotting and storytelling. In one novel, he managed to show heart wrenching moments and funny situations without much oscillations and still kept one atmosphere through the whole story, and that takes talent.

The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway is a book I would recommend to everyone who likes to read/watch superhero stories. Entertainment is guaranteed.