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Be My Shy Heroine
About the Book Chelsea is a shy and bullied girl. Steve is a kind hockey player. When Chelsea is bullied, Steve acts to help her. Chelsea begins to idolize Steve and while she’s following his social media late at night she sees a porn video of him and his girlfriend posted on his profile. Concerned about the consequences it might have for Steve, Chelsea hacks his password and deletes the post. However, the video was not posted by the boy who the next morning discovers that he has avoided a bullet aimed at his sports scholarship.
93 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 14, 2021
*ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Be My Shy Heroine by Lillin Zan follows a tumultuous, made-for-each-other type high school romance between a classically timid girl and the jock.
The thing is, I understand what Zan is trying to do with her book. I get the romance and the drama, because that is what high school romance novels are usually made of. But Chelsea, who is supposed to be our protagonist, isn’t really the most likeable character. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen worse protagonists too, but it almost feels like no one in this book has a real personality. Either they’re nice, mean, or shy. There’s no real depth in the characters, and that’s one of the first things a reader looks for in order to connect with the author.
I will say, I appreciate how Zan handles some of the dramatic aspects of the book. Steve, our hero, if you will, is stuck in a pretty toxic relationship, which is definitely not unheard of in high school. I like how Zan included real aspects of that relationship, how it was constantly up and down, and especially how stuck Steve felt. Some of the events in the book (concerning this relationship) are definitely dramatic, but again, they happen. Although the problems were resolved really quickly and without any hard tension, I still appreciate that they were included at all.
I didn’t find the characters to really have an arc of any sort, but Chelsea did find her confidence throughout the book. Again, the character depth wasn't there, but I believe the reader can probably still figure out what is motivating the characters. I do, however, wish that Zan included more in the book about family dynamics. We learn about Steve’s family a little, but Chelsea’s is not exposed enough. But for a romance between the two characters, it’s not that bad.
Overall, I would say my review ranges from 2 to 2.5 stars. There are some minor grammatical issues that do pull away from the plot when reading, and I didn’t find that the book hooked me any such way. But that’s not to say that you won’t like it! If you’re looking for a dramatic, easy read about a high school romance, this could be just the book for you.
Be My Shy Heroine by Lillin Zan follows a tumultuous, made-for-each-other type high school romance between a classically timid girl and the jock.
The thing is, I understand what Zan is trying to do with her book. I get the romance and the drama, because that is what high school romance novels are usually made of. But Chelsea, who is supposed to be our protagonist, isn’t really the most likeable character. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen worse protagonists too, but it almost feels like no one in this book has a real personality. Either they’re nice, mean, or shy. There’s no real depth in the characters, and that’s one of the first things a reader looks for in order to connect with the author.
I will say, I appreciate how Zan handles some of the dramatic aspects of the book. Steve, our hero, if you will, is stuck in a pretty toxic relationship, which is definitely not unheard of in high school. I like how Zan included real aspects of that relationship, how it was constantly up and down, and especially how stuck Steve felt. Some of the events in the book (concerning this relationship) are definitely dramatic, but again, they happen. Although the problems were resolved really quickly and without any hard tension, I still appreciate that they were included at all.
I didn’t find the characters to really have an arc of any sort, but Chelsea did find her confidence throughout the book. Again, the character depth wasn't there, but I believe the reader can probably still figure out what is motivating the characters. I do, however, wish that Zan included more in the book about family dynamics. We learn about Steve’s family a little, but Chelsea’s is not exposed enough. But for a romance between the two characters, it’s not that bad.
Overall, I would say my review ranges from 2 to 2.5 stars. There are some minor grammatical issues that do pull away from the plot when reading, and I didn’t find that the book hooked me any such way. But that’s not to say that you won’t like it! If you’re looking for a dramatic, easy read about a high school romance, this could be just the book for you.
February 14, 2021
A cute but not-naive romance
Key words: romance, light-hearted, bullying, vengeance, toxic, hight-school, young adult
In two days, I had finished this book. It was a nice read and I enjoyed it a lot. This is the first book written by Lillin Zan and I think it is a pretty good debut novel. It’s a romance based in high-school. This can sound a little basic but the characters are quite interesting. Moreover, the author discusses bullying, as well as toxic relationship and what may come with it, vengeance and revenge porn. My only negative point about this book is that I wish it had been longer. Indeed, I felt like the romance between the two main characters was a bit rushed. I also would have loved it if the characters and side characters, such as Nanners and Jackie, had been more developed, like if we had known more about them, their family, what makes them who they are. And finally, it would have given the author the opportunity to maybe solve this bullying problem at school. So yeah, overall, it is an easy and enjoyable read with a very cute romance. Even though it talks about what might be considered as heavy subject, I experienced the reading as kind of light. So I would recommend this book to people, young-adult and teenagers mostly, who want a bit of not-naïve but cute romance.
4/5
Thank you to the author for this eArc in exchange of my honest opinion
Key words: romance, light-hearted, bullying, vengeance, toxic, hight-school, young adult
In two days, I had finished this book. It was a nice read and I enjoyed it a lot. This is the first book written by Lillin Zan and I think it is a pretty good debut novel. It’s a romance based in high-school. This can sound a little basic but the characters are quite interesting. Moreover, the author discusses bullying, as well as toxic relationship and what may come with it, vengeance and revenge porn. My only negative point about this book is that I wish it had been longer. Indeed, I felt like the romance between the two main characters was a bit rushed. I also would have loved it if the characters and side characters, such as Nanners and Jackie, had been more developed, like if we had known more about them, their family, what makes them who they are. And finally, it would have given the author the opportunity to maybe solve this bullying problem at school. So yeah, overall, it is an easy and enjoyable read with a very cute romance. Even though it talks about what might be considered as heavy subject, I experienced the reading as kind of light. So I would recommend this book to people, young-adult and teenagers mostly, who want a bit of not-naïve but cute romance.
4/5
Thank you to the author for this eArc in exchange of my honest opinion
February 12, 2021
Chelsea is a computer geek and a coding expert. She loves to play video games and through which she met a great friend whom she calls Nanners. She is often bullied by her college mates and Chelsea being a shy girl not rebuke.
Just one time when was being bullied by Steiner, Steve comes to her rescue and she develops a liking for him immediately. But Steve already has a girlfriend who dominates him in every way possible.
When Steve is in trouble with his girlfriend, Chelsea decides to help.me without a second thought. Will she be able to help him solve his problem? Will they ever come close? What's their relationship status?
This is not a typical romance story but it makes you smile every moment. The bonding shared by Chelsea with Nanners and Steve is so beautiful. I liked how both Chelsea and Steve stood for one other even before knowing each other. After reading the climax I can just hope for the next book. Overall it was a great book and if you like bully romance you might actually like this book.
Just one time when was being bullied by Steiner, Steve comes to her rescue and she develops a liking for him immediately. But Steve already has a girlfriend who dominates him in every way possible.
When Steve is in trouble with his girlfriend, Chelsea decides to help.me without a second thought. Will she be able to help him solve his problem? Will they ever come close? What's their relationship status?
This is not a typical romance story but it makes you smile every moment. The bonding shared by Chelsea with Nanners and Steve is so beautiful. I liked how both Chelsea and Steve stood for one other even before knowing each other. After reading the climax I can just hope for the next book. Overall it was a great book and if you like bully romance you might actually like this book.
February 13, 2021
This is a really cute ready and I quite enjoyed it ! For anyone interested in reading this book - it's about Chelsea who's a smarty pants nerd and plus size girl who gets bullied by these horrendous guys ! But as time goes on she meets Steve and helps him deal with a unique and difficult decision that could change his future forever !
I think my favourite part was learning and relating to Chelsea on a personal level and relating to her experiences as they were quite similar to my own. I found myself at times with my mouth wide open wanting to stand in fighting with Chelsea !
But for a book I don't usually go for and for a High School Romance - it's definitely a unique twist and and easy read for a night . Definitely more geared towards young adults but I think it's something easy an adult can read and enjoy also ❤️
I think my favourite part was learning and relating to Chelsea on a personal level and relating to her experiences as they were quite similar to my own. I found myself at times with my mouth wide open wanting to stand in fighting with Chelsea !
But for a book I don't usually go for and for a High School Romance - it's definitely a unique twist and and easy read for a night . Definitely more geared towards young adults but I think it's something easy an adult can read and enjoy also ❤️
February 12, 2021
This is a story that puts a refreshing twist on who is the hero/heroine. The heroine does do something in her quest to save her prince that is considered illegal, but her motive was purely to save her prince. I enjoyed the storyline, thought processes and friendship/trust that developed throughout the book with the main characters. A must read for teens and young adults as it brings to the forefront several important issues that are prevalent in today’s society.
Thank you for the e-arc. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you for the e-arc. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 10, 2023
Kinda a weird one, and definitely a first work. I appreciated what Zan was trying to do with the story, but it never really came together for me. Short answer? 2 stars, maybe 2+ It's OK, and some might like it more than I did.
Basic trope is a common one (and one of my favorites) - shy and geeky girl (Chloe) and the popular athletic boy (Steve) finding each other, despite differing personalities and social cliques. Throw in bullies and a dramatic Mean Girl girlfriend to the hero, and there we are. But there are some unique points too, most noticably is that Steve is the one who needs rescuing, and Chloe is the one to step up and be the hero. Now, on to the good, bad, and otherwise...
The beginning is a maaaaaaassive exposition dump. We're introduced to the characters by big blocks of narration telling us who they are, what they look like, describing their rooms, their lives... rather than letting the characters describe themselves through their actions, conversations, etc. - the whole "show vs tell" argument. Makes for a slower read to wade through, especially noticable when the whole book is only about 90 pages (according to my Kindle). Basically, it feels like forever to get the leads to even meet, let alone for the plot to start picking up because EVERYTHING about the scene and characters needed to be set first. And a lot of it is very unnecessary, especially in a story that's only 90 pages long. Like Chloe critiquing herself in the mirror? We hear about her comment on her untrimmed bush as one of her complaints about her body, when that has absolutely no bearing on her character or the plot at all . Like, why did we need that? The whole first several chapters of them getting ready and dressed for school could have been streamlined a bit to be more effective.
And those characters that we have to slog through to meet? Not really worth meeting, in many respects. Everyone's a bit... flat, for lack of a better term. Yes, it's a novella, but it's always nice to have characters that have more than one trait to their personalities. And Chloe (mostly Shy and Geeky as her personality) isn't event particularly likeable. She ignores everyone in favor of her games, and is just kinda rude or really intensely awkward about a lot of things. Not really Not Like Other Girls, but more just I Know Best. Like her train of thought about homework - students having hours of homework at home is just "implausible" because her 17 year old wisdom knows all. She just sounds so condescending for a situation where she's sitting on some privilege. For starters, not everyone has the luxury of 2 study halls. Some of us have/had full schedules, sports, clubs, jobs, etc. and were lucky to have 1 study hall in our school schedule. Lots of little comments like that just left a bad taste in my mouth about her. If I can't relate directly to a character, I do like trying to find things I like about them - would I like them as a friend? Would I understand what they're going through? Chloe honestly was a challenge for me.
The bullying felt weird for me too. Maybe it's just what I've encountered, but bullies seem to target and exacerbate natural weaknesses, right? So why would they focus so much on the sexual activities of a person who literally talks to no one in school? I mean, I get why she was a target (not that she deserved to be bullied, but why the bullies see her as a weak memeber of the pack). But the bullies weren't going for "nerd"-type insults, or freak/reject/loner or appearance based (she was called thick and curvy many times) but calling her "slut" and basically sexually assaulting her. It just felt out of left field, you know? Why would someone who talks to no one at all be a slut?
But then, she was perving outside the boys' locker room for a whole big scene. Which, are there any high schools where you can look directly into a locker room and actually see nude students? That seems in violation of SO many child pornography/indecency/privacy rules that no school would risk it, especially if a simple partition would protect privacy for all concerned. Really, just a weird scene that was so improbable that I was pulled out of the story. And that's all aside from the incongruancy that she's being sexually harassed by her bullies, but is perving on others? Like, she deserves the respect, but the boys in the locker room don't? But then, she kept on with the awkward creeper behavior when she and Steve become FB friends and she starts downloading HIS photos to HER phone!! I realize teenage hormones are intense, but again, just made her a hard character to relate to.
Back to the body image... BBW stories need to lean toward being confident and accepted and healthy in your own skin, not that being curvy is the prefered state and thinner girls aren't "real women" or are just "skinny bitches." This one missed. Jackie is constantly talked about as bony and skinny and is just mean and manipulative. Again, there are ways to create a negative view of one character or build up another without body shaming the opposite build. Another point that just left a bad taste.
Finally, the romance itself. For something listed as a YA romance, there is very little romance and almost no closure. Not even in a 'fake dating but after the fall out, we're starting to tentatively date for real' sort of ending, which can still be a satisfying enough ending for me if done well. Basically,
So what DID I like?
I actually liked the attempt to take on revenge porn as a topic in a YA story, and seeing a toxic relationship from the inside, showing why it might be hard to get out of it. Domestic abuse (in a number of fashions) can be surprisingly common in romance novels - showing how the character can escape, rebuild, and find a new, healthy love elsewhere. But toxic relationships are still things that younger romance leads (i.e. YA leads, HS or college students) might actually encounter (though maybe not in quite as dramatic a fashion, but still). And it's not something that comes up much. And especially with Steve being the one trapped - showing that guys can be abused too.
And I liked that it gave the girl the chance to be heroic in this sort of situation. Granted, via illegal hacking activities, but still. As I said, it's a common theme, and it's always the new love (male) rescuing the previously abused partner (female). This flipped that, and it was a refreshing change.
As flat as the characters were, there was attempts at growth for each of the leads. Chloe starts to interact with people IRL and gains some self-confidence. And Steve is able to stand up for himself a bit and break away from an unhealthy situation. No strong growth arcs, though, and no real depth/change to any side characters. Still, you can see the intent, and in a debut work, that is important.
Fairly clean technically, though there were some typos or missing words. For the most part, though, nothing to pull you out of the story grammatically.
Alternating 3rd person POV, mostly between the leads, but a few scenes from other characters. OW drama with Steve's current girlfriend and her revenge porn efforts. No cheating, though, because he doesn't break up with Jackie until the end, and never even gets with Chloe. As I said, it's not even really a romance. Trigger warnings - sexual harassment and bullying, lots of body-shaming in both directions. No real closure to the ending, but Steve's out of the toxic relationship and Chloe is starting to make friends, so I guess that's HFN?
Would I read more by this author?
I don't know. This was a debut work, and I appreciated points in the story that Zan was trying to make, but at the same time, there's a lot of work to be refined. Maybe with more experience, this could be fleshed out more into a writing style I enjoy more. But I'm not in a hurry to read her next, either.
Basic trope is a common one (and one of my favorites) - shy and geeky girl (Chloe) and the popular athletic boy (Steve) finding each other, despite differing personalities and social cliques. Throw in bullies and a dramatic Mean Girl girlfriend to the hero, and there we are. But there are some unique points too, most noticably is that Steve is the one who needs rescuing, and Chloe is the one to step up and be the hero. Now, on to the good, bad, and otherwise...
The beginning is a maaaaaaassive exposition dump. We're introduced to the characters by big blocks of narration telling us who they are, what they look like, describing their rooms, their lives... rather than letting the characters describe themselves through their actions, conversations, etc. - the whole "show vs tell" argument. Makes for a slower read to wade through, especially noticable when the whole book is only about 90 pages (according to my Kindle). Basically, it feels like forever to get the leads to even meet, let alone for the plot to start picking up because EVERYTHING about the scene and characters needed to be set first. And a lot of it is very unnecessary, especially in a story that's only 90 pages long. Like Chloe critiquing herself in the mirror? We hear about her comment on her untrimmed bush as one of her complaints about her body, when that has absolutely no bearing on her character or the plot at all . Like, why did we need that? The whole first several chapters of them getting ready and dressed for school could have been streamlined a bit to be more effective.
And those characters that we have to slog through to meet? Not really worth meeting, in many respects. Everyone's a bit... flat, for lack of a better term. Yes, it's a novella, but it's always nice to have characters that have more than one trait to their personalities. And Chloe (mostly Shy and Geeky as her personality) isn't event particularly likeable. She ignores everyone in favor of her games, and is just kinda rude or really intensely awkward about a lot of things. Not really Not Like Other Girls, but more just I Know Best. Like her train of thought about homework - students having hours of homework at home is just "implausible" because her 17 year old wisdom knows all. She just sounds so condescending for a situation where she's sitting on some privilege. For starters, not everyone has the luxury of 2 study halls. Some of us have/had full schedules, sports, clubs, jobs, etc. and were lucky to have 1 study hall in our school schedule. Lots of little comments like that just left a bad taste in my mouth about her. If I can't relate directly to a character, I do like trying to find things I like about them - would I like them as a friend? Would I understand what they're going through? Chloe honestly was a challenge for me.
The bullying felt weird for me too. Maybe it's just what I've encountered, but bullies seem to target and exacerbate natural weaknesses, right? So why would they focus so much on the sexual activities of a person who literally talks to no one in school? I mean, I get why she was a target (not that she deserved to be bullied, but why the bullies see her as a weak memeber of the pack). But the bullies weren't going for "nerd"-type insults, or freak/reject/loner or appearance based (she was called thick and curvy many times) but calling her "slut" and basically sexually assaulting her. It just felt out of left field, you know? Why would someone who talks to no one at all be a slut?
But then, she was perving outside the boys' locker room for a whole big scene. Which, are there any high schools where you can look directly into a locker room and actually see nude students? That seems in violation of SO many child pornography/indecency/privacy rules that no school would risk it, especially if a simple partition would protect privacy for all concerned. Really, just a weird scene that was so improbable that I was pulled out of the story. And that's all aside from the incongruancy that she's being sexually harassed by her bullies, but is perving on others? Like, she deserves the respect, but the boys in the locker room don't? But then, she kept on with the awkward creeper behavior when she and Steve become FB friends and she starts downloading HIS photos to HER phone!! I realize teenage hormones are intense, but again, just made her a hard character to relate to.
Back to the body image... BBW stories need to lean toward being confident and accepted and healthy in your own skin, not that being curvy is the prefered state and thinner girls aren't "real women" or are just "skinny bitches." This one missed. Jackie is constantly talked about as bony and skinny and is just mean and manipulative. Again, there are ways to create a negative view of one character or build up another without body shaming the opposite build. Another point that just left a bad taste.
Finally, the romance itself. For something listed as a YA romance, there is very little romance and almost no closure. Not even in a 'fake dating but after the fall out, we're starting to tentatively date for real' sort of ending, which can still be a satisfying enough ending for me if done well. Basically,
So what DID I like?
I actually liked the attempt to take on revenge porn as a topic in a YA story, and seeing a toxic relationship from the inside, showing why it might be hard to get out of it. Domestic abuse (in a number of fashions) can be surprisingly common in romance novels - showing how the character can escape, rebuild, and find a new, healthy love elsewhere. But toxic relationships are still things that younger romance leads (i.e. YA leads, HS or college students) might actually encounter (though maybe not in quite as dramatic a fashion, but still). And it's not something that comes up much. And especially with Steve being the one trapped - showing that guys can be abused too.
And I liked that it gave the girl the chance to be heroic in this sort of situation. Granted, via illegal hacking activities, but still. As I said, it's a common theme, and it's always the new love (male) rescuing the previously abused partner (female). This flipped that, and it was a refreshing change.
As flat as the characters were, there was attempts at growth for each of the leads. Chloe starts to interact with people IRL and gains some self-confidence. And Steve is able to stand up for himself a bit and break away from an unhealthy situation. No strong growth arcs, though, and no real depth/change to any side characters. Still, you can see the intent, and in a debut work, that is important.
Fairly clean technically, though there were some typos or missing words. For the most part, though, nothing to pull you out of the story grammatically.
Alternating 3rd person POV, mostly between the leads, but a few scenes from other characters. OW drama with Steve's current girlfriend and her revenge porn efforts. No cheating, though, because he doesn't break up with Jackie until the end, and never even gets with Chloe. As I said, it's not even really a romance. Trigger warnings - sexual harassment and bullying, lots of body-shaming in both directions. No real closure to the ending, but Steve's out of the toxic relationship and Chloe is starting to make friends, so I guess that's HFN?
Would I read more by this author?
I don't know. This was a debut work, and I appreciated points in the story that Zan was trying to make, but at the same time, there's a lot of work to be refined. Maybe with more experience, this could be fleshed out more into a writing style I enjoy more. But I'm not in a hurry to read her next, either.
March 14, 2021
Chelsea is a bullied nerdy girl who is also shy intelligent. Everything changes for her when she meets Steve. Steve is brave and string athlete with a few skeletons in his closet.
I really quite enjoyed this book as it not something I am used to. I loved how it put a twist on who the hero/heroine was and how the characters both helped each other get out of bad situations. I loved reading about Chelsea and Steve’s relationship grow and there were too many heartwarming moments to count that made smile.
Chelsea is such a loveable character and I love how she is a such a good rep for the plus size community.
All in all I quite enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the bully romance trope.
I really quite enjoyed this book as it not something I am used to. I loved how it put a twist on who the hero/heroine was and how the characters both helped each other get out of bad situations. I loved reading about Chelsea and Steve’s relationship grow and there were too many heartwarming moments to count that made smile.
Chelsea is such a loveable character and I love how she is a such a good rep for the plus size community.
All in all I quite enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the bully romance trope.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews