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Project Himbo
Spinning out of the dramatic events of the Cute Mutants series, a new story in the same universe.
Somewhere, a woman is attempting to bring her dead lover back from the past—not caring that this could break the world. Six mutants, scattered across time and space, their stories coming together with one figure at the center.
Tentacle Princess. Goat Bitch. Evaporate. Penance. Hench. And Twinkle Lights.
Sometimes, all you need is a himbo.
Somewhere, a woman is attempting to bring her dead lover back from the past—not caring that this could break the world. Six mutants, scattered across time and space, their stories coming together with one figure at the center.
Tentacle Princess. Goat Bitch. Evaporate. Penance. Hench. And Twinkle Lights.
Sometimes, all you need is a himbo.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2022
57 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Whitby
18 books138 followersSJ Whitby lives in New Zealand with their partner, as well as various children and animals. They are predictably obsessed with X-Men and spend too much of their free time writing.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 20, 2022
This book was so weird, in the best way. Loved it so much!
Rep: white queer trans female MC (also part goat), Black queer nonbinary MC, white lesbian cis female MC with PTSD, white sapphic cis female MC, white cis male MC, nonbinary alien MC (uses xe/xer pronouns), sapphic Latina cis female side character, white demiromantic pansexual genderfluid side character with anxiety, lesbian Korean female side character with a metal arm, bisexual Pacific Islander female side character, multiple other queer side characters.
CWs: Alcohol use, hate groups against mutants, mind control, medical experimentation, death of loved ones including children, misgendering, dysphoria, violence, gore, blood, injury/injury detail, swearing, death, death. Moderate: gun violence, grief, general queerphobia/queermisia, child abuse, mental illness, murder, war.
Rep: white queer trans female MC (also part goat), Black queer nonbinary MC, white lesbian cis female MC with PTSD, white sapphic cis female MC, white cis male MC, nonbinary alien MC (uses xe/xer pronouns), sapphic Latina cis female side character, white demiromantic pansexual genderfluid side character with anxiety, lesbian Korean female side character with a metal arm, bisexual Pacific Islander female side character, multiple other queer side characters.
CWs: Alcohol use, hate groups against mutants, mind control, medical experimentation, death of loved ones including children, misgendering, dysphoria, violence, gore, blood, injury/injury detail, swearing, death, death. Moderate: gun violence, grief, general queerphobia/queermisia, child abuse, mental illness, murder, war.
March 10, 2022
S.J. Whitby never ceases to amaze me with their writing. I think that this is the eighth book in the overarching Cute Mutants series and I'm definitely not going to be tiring of it any time soon. This book just completely breaks any notion of time and space in the coolest ways and the whole time I was reading it, I couldn't help but compare it (in the best way because I love My Chemical Romance) to the whole Danger Days MCR universe - it was so creative and had some of my new favourite Cute Mutants (marry me Goat Bitch!!!) and some jaw dropping reveals. If you loved the original Cute Mutants series, this is a must read! And I cannot emphasise it enough - if you haven't picked up any of S.J.'s books yet, do it now!!!
Thanks to S.J. for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own!
Thanks to S.J. for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own!
February 21, 2022
Another amazing addition to the Cute Mutant universe that I love so much.
In this book Dylan aka Chatterbox creates a new team, this team exists of Penance, Ferral, Witchmade, Goat Bitch, Nails and Twinkle Lights. They rescue mutants in need but everything is not as simple as it seems.
We have multiple POV's, these are from Penance, Goat Bitch and Twinkle Light's perceptive but the two 'villains', Hench and Eva also have POV's. And then we have Tentacle Princess, an alien who has been asleep for a very long time. So this story has 6 POV's and it all tells one big storyline while we get to know more about these 6 characters.
Penance was the POV I was the most excited about since I love her in Cute Mutants so much already, she was one of my favorite characters and this book made me love her even more. Her love for both Dylan and Dani is adorable
I liked Eva as the villain, she was hurt cause she lost the man she loves. I could understand why she did what she did (even though it was wrong).
Just like all of the cute mutant-verse books, there's so much queer rep in this book.
Violet/Penance: Lesbian
Ferral: Sapphic
Witchmade: Sapphic
Goat Bitch: Trans girl & Sapphic
Nails: Non-binary
Dylan/Chatterbox: Pansexual, genderfluid
Dani/Marvellous: Korean Lesbian
Alyse/Moodring: Pacific Islander Bisexual/Pansexual
In this book Dylan aka Chatterbox creates a new team, this team exists of Penance, Ferral, Witchmade, Goat Bitch, Nails and Twinkle Lights. They rescue mutants in need but everything is not as simple as it seems.
We have multiple POV's, these are from Penance, Goat Bitch and Twinkle Light's perceptive but the two 'villains', Hench and Eva also have POV's. And then we have Tentacle Princess, an alien who has been asleep for a very long time. So this story has 6 POV's and it all tells one big storyline while we get to know more about these 6 characters.
Penance was the POV I was the most excited about since I love her in Cute Mutants so much already, she was one of my favorite characters and this book made me love her even more. Her love for both Dylan and Dani is adorable
I liked Eva as the villain, she was hurt cause she lost the man she loves. I could understand why she did what she did (even though it was wrong).
Just like all of the cute mutant-verse books, there's so much queer rep in this book.
Violet/Penance: Lesbian
Ferral: Sapphic
Witchmade: Sapphic
Goat Bitch: Trans girl & Sapphic
Nails: Non-binary
Dylan/Chatterbox: Pansexual, genderfluid
Dani/Marvellous: Korean Lesbian
Alyse/Moodring: Pacific Islander Bisexual/Pansexual
March 1, 2022
I love how S.J. Whitby is expanding their universe with each new book, each new character! This one was complicated at first to get into because of all the intertwined timelines and POVs, but I really liked the way it ended.
Because of the many POVs, it didn't felt like a lot happening, when I got to the halfway point I still felt confused on lot of things and I think the pacing wasn't my favourite but ultimately I still liked the book a lot, I hope to see these characters again 💛
Because of the many POVs, it didn't felt like a lot happening, when I got to the halfway point I still felt confused on lot of things and I think the pacing wasn't my favourite but ultimately I still liked the book a lot, I hope to see these characters again 💛
February 21, 2022
another fantastic book
Love the new characters. Love how the old characters have developed further. Love the themes. Love how the book handles timely wimey stuff. Love the diversity.
Love the new characters. Love how the old characters have developed further. Love the themes. Love how the book handles timely wimey stuff. Love the diversity.
July 4, 2023
The eighth book in the Cute Mutants universe, this is not a straightforward tale. It has multiple pov's, it jumps around in time, aspects of the story slowly being revealed as you make your way through it.
But it is also a fantastic read, and an awesome addition to the universe. It adds even more depth and understanding to some already existing characters (Feral and Penance in particular), and introduces some very interesting characters as well (shout out to Goat Bitch and transwoman rep).
There is a lot going on, a lot to understand, but there is a certain sense of accomplishment upon reaching the end and finally knowing everything that has been going on, and seeing the adorable scenes that take place at the end - because the characters certainly deserve.
Very much enjoyed this story - highly recommend it, in fact, as a must read after finishing the series, and looking forward to where else Whitby takes the series.
But it is also a fantastic read, and an awesome addition to the universe. It adds even more depth and understanding to some already existing characters (Feral and Penance in particular), and introduces some very interesting characters as well (shout out to Goat Bitch and transwoman rep).
There is a lot going on, a lot to understand, but there is a certain sense of accomplishment upon reaching the end and finally knowing everything that has been going on, and seeing the adorable scenes that take place at the end - because the characters certainly deserve.
Very much enjoyed this story - highly recommend it, in fact, as a must read after finishing the series, and looking forward to where else Whitby takes the series.
April 6, 2022
Project Himbo follows a group of mutants as they set out to fight some of the remains of Quietus and Michael's followers and realize there again is a lot more to the story.
There are multiple POV, not always from the good ones, we see the characters in different times of their lives, the narration bounces back and forth between them and ties them all together neatly in the end.
Because of this, the book is very different from the other Cute Mutant books, but still very good. You will see some familiar characters, such as Penance, who gets her own POV in this one. We also see a lot of Feral, but she does not have her own POV. Dylan, Dani and Alyse make a lot of cameos, so does Ray, but they are not the main characters in here.
Another familiar thing you'll find in this one will be the strong friendships, the found family, the feral queers and the overall vibe of love and acceptance that makes Whitby's writing feel like home.
There also is a narrator this time and I had many theories over the course of the book as to who it might turn out to be. In order not to spoil you I obviously won't name the narrator, but I can tell you my theories were all wrong. Which brings me to my next point: most books seem to be predictable, but this one managed to surprise me quite a lot, which was very captivating. Still, I did not have any idea what was going on half of this book. It all came together in the end though, all string neatly tied up and no confusion left.
I loved all the different rep we got in this one as well (also something we see in Whitby's writing a lot), such as many sapphic romances, acearo rep in a side character, a queer platonic relationship, polyamory rep and a trans MC to name a few.
The characters were written beautifully and relatable, I loved all of them. The multiple POV make it a bit harder to get to know them, so I hope we'll see more of this specific group of mutants in the future. I'm especially curious about Tentacle Princess and what the author plans with the introduction of aliens.
It was also interesting to see a character that doesn't instantly love or hate Dylan upon meeting them.
All in all a great read, but in order to fully understand it, you should read the Cute Mutants series beforehand.
There are multiple POV, not always from the good ones, we see the characters in different times of their lives, the narration bounces back and forth between them and ties them all together neatly in the end.
Because of this, the book is very different from the other Cute Mutant books, but still very good. You will see some familiar characters, such as Penance, who gets her own POV in this one. We also see a lot of Feral, but she does not have her own POV. Dylan, Dani and Alyse make a lot of cameos, so does Ray, but they are not the main characters in here.
Another familiar thing you'll find in this one will be the strong friendships, the found family, the feral queers and the overall vibe of love and acceptance that makes Whitby's writing feel like home.
There also is a narrator this time and I had many theories over the course of the book as to who it might turn out to be. In order not to spoil you I obviously won't name the narrator, but I can tell you my theories were all wrong. Which brings me to my next point: most books seem to be predictable, but this one managed to surprise me quite a lot, which was very captivating. Still, I did not have any idea what was going on half of this book. It all came together in the end though, all string neatly tied up and no confusion left.
I loved all the different rep we got in this one as well (also something we see in Whitby's writing a lot), such as many sapphic romances, acearo rep in a side character, a queer platonic relationship, polyamory rep and a trans MC to name a few.
The characters were written beautifully and relatable, I loved all of them. The multiple POV make it a bit harder to get to know them, so I hope we'll see more of this specific group of mutants in the future. I'm especially curious about Tentacle Princess and what the author plans with the introduction of aliens.
It was also interesting to see a character that doesn't instantly love or hate Dylan upon meeting them.
All in all a great read, but in order to fully understand it, you should read the Cute Mutants series beforehand.
March 14, 2022
S.J. Whitby always delivers and this is no exception. Love the new characters and the new kinds of relationships explored in this one. I’m a bit obsessed. 💜
April 27, 2023
What a weird, wonderful, wild ride through time and space.
Set after Mutantsitters Club, Project Himbo by SJ Whitby plays with time and narrative structure to show the events of the Dark Year and the backstory of several new characters.
Joining the cast are Goat Bee, a transwoman with goat hooves and horns; Eva, a sentient algae colony suspended in water contained in an AI-controlled suit who became a mutant to exterminate mutants; Ian, Ion Storm, Eva’s partner and lover who can manipulated electricity; Nails, who shoots nails from machinery in their mouth; Twinkle Lights, who has Jubilee-esque light powers; Hench, a windup biomechanical mutant who has worked for various villains to pay of her medical debt; and Tentacle Princess, a hyperdimensional alien creature whose race were worshiped like gods and fed on humans and Cybele.
Fan favorites Feral, Penance, and Onimaru also make appearances, but my favorite of the new mutants is Eva. Her backstory and raison d’etre drew me in, and I would read a whole book from her point of view. And it’s her quest to save Ian that propels the story forward as she seeks to reverse time, creating pocket dimensions and nearly destroying the space-time continuum in the process.
Which leads me to my next point.
Unlike previous entries in the series, Project Himbo uses multiple first-person POVs and switches between past and present, which was confusing at first trying to keep the timelines and characters straight. It also veers into metafiction at time with the characters talking about things like narrative arcs, plot structure, and character development.
Ultimately, I got what Mx. Whitby was trying to accomplish, but I can see how this book could throw readers off, especially in Penance’s chapters where it delves into religion, philosophy, and the metaphysics behind her powers.
At times, the book all but broke the fourth wall, and while I predicted the twist, it was still a head trip getting there.
Overall, I loved this book much more than The Mutantsitters Club and can’t wait to see where the series goes next. I give Project Himbo 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.
Set after Mutantsitters Club, Project Himbo by SJ Whitby plays with time and narrative structure to show the events of the Dark Year and the backstory of several new characters.
Joining the cast are Goat Bee, a transwoman with goat hooves and horns; Eva, a sentient algae colony suspended in water contained in an AI-controlled suit who became a mutant to exterminate mutants; Ian, Ion Storm, Eva’s partner and lover who can manipulated electricity; Nails, who shoots nails from machinery in their mouth; Twinkle Lights, who has Jubilee-esque light powers; Hench, a windup biomechanical mutant who has worked for various villains to pay of her medical debt; and Tentacle Princess, a hyperdimensional alien creature whose race were worshiped like gods and fed on humans and Cybele.
Fan favorites Feral, Penance, and Onimaru also make appearances, but my favorite of the new mutants is Eva. Her backstory and raison d’etre drew me in, and I would read a whole book from her point of view. And it’s her quest to save Ian that propels the story forward as she seeks to reverse time, creating pocket dimensions and nearly destroying the space-time continuum in the process.
Which leads me to my next point.
Unlike previous entries in the series, Project Himbo uses multiple first-person POVs and switches between past and present, which was confusing at first trying to keep the timelines and characters straight. It also veers into metafiction at time with the characters talking about things like narrative arcs, plot structure, and character development.
Ultimately, I got what Mx. Whitby was trying to accomplish, but I can see how this book could throw readers off, especially in Penance’s chapters where it delves into religion, philosophy, and the metaphysics behind her powers.
At times, the book all but broke the fourth wall, and while I predicted the twist, it was still a head trip getting there.
Overall, I loved this book much more than The Mutantsitters Club and can’t wait to see where the series goes next. I give Project Himbo 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.
February 12, 2025
I’ve always been a fan of the cute mutants and in fact I was quite close to the author of the time of writing the first few books so I feel particularly close to these characters myself. However the series has moved on from the original group and I haven’t been contributing to beta reading or development since I wanted a break to read other things so I don’t feel quite as close to this new bunch of characters and honestly I don’t think they are developed as much as the previous lot they seem to be slightly gimme as opposed to the well rounded early group of characters however there is the usual depth of character voice which I like a lot and the characters certainly are varied especially the particular tentacle princess who is an alien who offers some fresh perspectives on some old mythology and more recent sci-fi as well and she’s utterly adorable And I certainly wear the book shines. There is also a meta style narrative which has become common with the authors later work and while I was a little apprehensive about this by the end I think they tied this all in very well and there was an interesting comment about the narrator as a character which I’ll leave you to explore later in the story. The scenes and plotline seem very random throughout most of the tail but they do tie together rather well it’s just a weakness is in the plotting of the book. It’s very much character driven and the actual events of the story are so minor that a couple of big climactic moments are Mentioned and discarded within the same sentence so we don’t feel any of that gravity of the grand unique situation they find themselves in but if the characters and the diversity are what you are here for and what the series is famous for then you will have no problems with this book. I just think myself it’s one of the weak ones in the series however I do love identical princess character and if she continues to return I’ll definitely be reading her stories.
February 17, 2026
#1 cute mutants vol 1: mutant pride ★★★★★
#2 cute mutants vol 2: young, gifted, & queer ★★★★★
#3 cute mutants vol 3: the demon queer saga ★★★★★
#4 cute mutants vol 4: the sisterhood of evil mutants ★★★★★
#5 weapon uwu vol 1: godkillers ★★★★★
#6 cute mutants vol 5: galaxy brain ★★★★★
#7 project himbo ★★★★★
#8 awakenings: a cute mutant anthology ★★★☆☆
“it’s not romantic, the way we kiss, but physical closeness gives support we both need. platonic love isn’t the sort of thing that’s written about in stories, but it means just as much as any other kind. we’ve found each other, and we won’t let go.”
chaotic and weird and queer and delightful
content/trigger warnings; alcohol consumption, mind control, medical experimentation, ptsd, loss of a loved one, queerphobia, misgendering, transphobia, dysphoria, violence, knife violence, gun violence, injury, blood, gore, amatonormativity, hate groups, religious bigots, religious trauma, ableism, racism, murder, death, loss/grief, child abuse, kissing,
rep; goat bitch (mc) is queer and trans. violet/penance (mc) is queer and polyamorous. hench (mc) is queer. feral (li) is queer and a woc. nails (sc) is nonbinary. witchmade (sc) is fat and a woc. dylan/chatterbox (li) is pansexual, genderfluid, polyamorous, and has social anxiety. dani/marvelous (li) is lesbian, polyamorous, korean, and disabled. alyse/moodring (sc) is bisexual and pasifika.
#2 cute mutants vol 2: young, gifted, & queer ★★★★★
#3 cute mutants vol 3: the demon queer saga ★★★★★
#4 cute mutants vol 4: the sisterhood of evil mutants ★★★★★
#5 weapon uwu vol 1: godkillers ★★★★★
#6 cute mutants vol 5: galaxy brain ★★★★★
#7 project himbo ★★★★★
#8 awakenings: a cute mutant anthology ★★★☆☆
“it’s not romantic, the way we kiss, but physical closeness gives support we both need. platonic love isn’t the sort of thing that’s written about in stories, but it means just as much as any other kind. we’ve found each other, and we won’t let go.”
chaotic and weird and queer and delightful
content/trigger warnings; alcohol consumption, mind control, medical experimentation, ptsd, loss of a loved one, queerphobia, misgendering, transphobia, dysphoria, violence, knife violence, gun violence, injury, blood, gore, amatonormativity, hate groups, religious bigots, religious trauma, ableism, racism, murder, death, loss/grief, child abuse, kissing,
rep; goat bitch (mc) is queer and trans. violet/penance (mc) is queer and polyamorous. hench (mc) is queer. feral (li) is queer and a woc. nails (sc) is nonbinary. witchmade (sc) is fat and a woc. dylan/chatterbox (li) is pansexual, genderfluid, polyamorous, and has social anxiety. dani/marvelous (li) is lesbian, polyamorous, korean, and disabled. alyse/moodring (sc) is bisexual and pasifika.
May 19, 2022
"Was fake-me a good kisser?"
If there is a single quote that truly summarizes this latest entry in the Cute Mutants universe, it would be that one. So much of what makes up this book can be found in that quote, and all of it is amazing.
Project Himbo is another spin-off of S.J. Whitby's incredible Cute Mutants series, and just as with previous spin-offs (Weapon uWu and Shitty Mutants), we get a whole slew of new characters as well as some old favourites. The former includes some fun ones I hope we see more of later (especially Goat Bitch and Hench) and the latter includes one of my personal favourites- Penance. I am so happy she finally gets a real arc of her own and isn't just relegated to being part of the team. Her past finally gets some real closure, and I teared up a little seeing where it wound up- no spoilers of course.
This book, also like the previous spin-offs, includes multiple points of view, and all of them add up nicely. The twist this time around is that we are being thrown back and forth in time- past and present mix and mash throughout, leaving us wondering how things will fit together, as well as wondering who caused this (and is narrating the start of each chapter. I for one was pleasant surprised that my guess was wrong).
I love this series, and this book is another one I will likely be adding to my bookshelf sometime soon. If you've read the rest of the Cute Mutants saga, you have to read Project Himbo. Not simply because it's clearly continuing the story, but also because it is a damn fine book.
If there is a single quote that truly summarizes this latest entry in the Cute Mutants universe, it would be that one. So much of what makes up this book can be found in that quote, and all of it is amazing.
Project Himbo is another spin-off of S.J. Whitby's incredible Cute Mutants series, and just as with previous spin-offs (Weapon uWu and Shitty Mutants), we get a whole slew of new characters as well as some old favourites. The former includes some fun ones I hope we see more of later (especially Goat Bitch and Hench) and the latter includes one of my personal favourites- Penance. I am so happy she finally gets a real arc of her own and isn't just relegated to being part of the team. Her past finally gets some real closure, and I teared up a little seeing where it wound up- no spoilers of course.
This book, also like the previous spin-offs, includes multiple points of view, and all of them add up nicely. The twist this time around is that we are being thrown back and forth in time- past and present mix and mash throughout, leaving us wondering how things will fit together, as well as wondering who caused this (and is narrating the start of each chapter. I for one was pleasant surprised that my guess was wrong).
I love this series, and this book is another one I will likely be adding to my bookshelf sometime soon. If you've read the rest of the Cute Mutants saga, you have to read Project Himbo. Not simply because it's clearly continuing the story, but also because it is a damn fine book.
June 29, 2022
This book blew my freaking mind. I mean, I thought SJ's other books were excellent, but Project Himbo was truly incredible. I was confused as hell for most of the book, but it wasn't too confusing, just confusing enough to keep me hooked and desperate to find out what was really going on. The way everything came together in the end was mind-boggling. I am truly in awe of SJ's talent and imagination.
April 4, 2024
I mean you know what I'm going to say right? I love SJ Whitby books with all my heart always!!! This one was really really weird. Like so weird and different from the main series. But?? At the end of the day it was still about a bunch of misfits loving each other at the end of the world and using group hugs to solve their problems. What's not to love!? Really hard to put down though because the structure is so chaotic and you HAVE to know what happens!
April 26, 2023
4.75/5
i had so much fun reading this installment of the Cute Mutants universe
i had so much fun reading this installment of the Cute Mutants universe
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews