[Review] Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me by Carrie DiRisio

Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio

Rating: 3.5 

Published: October 17th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Brooding YA Hero is fun, satirical journey of the Twitter sensation for which it was named. Broody, our YA boyfriend, guides readers through the path of becoming a main character.


I found myself chuckling along to the definitions of genres, love interests, and everything in between. Blondi DeMeani, Broody's "evil" ex-girlfriend, and her interludes were fun as well. Rooting for the antihero/girl who usually ends up dumped by Broody was something I wasn't expecting. It's interesting to draw parallels between what is being described in this book to many popular (and loved) YA novels. There are tropes galore in them, and breaking them down in a humorous manner is something that entertained me.

While there are various types of plots, there are also various types of love stories - and this is YA, so you know every tale has to have a love story. I mean, I suppose there could be a story without one, but then there might not be any kissing. And I'm very good at kissing. 

Blondi made a great show of checking her nonexistent watch. "You done interior monologuing? Honestly, you main characters spend longer doing that than actually solving plot problems." 

Also, this book brings up many good points, my favorite being - why do all the historical fictions take place in London? Is London the only place that exists?

This is a cute, humorous (satirical) guide for budding writers, and it's always fun for readers themselves to think of these tropes whenever you read a book. Plus, it is quite inspirational for writers to take themselves out of the hole of cliches to make complex, human characters.