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Actually Super
A globetrotting novel that takes a determined teen from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico on a quest to prove that humanity is more good than bad from the author of Let’s Get Lost and Before Takeoff.
Isabel is having an existential crisis. She’s three years into high school, and everything she’s learned has only shaken her faith in humanity. Late one night, she finds herself drawn to a niche corner of the internet—a forum whose members believe firmly in one that there are indeed people out in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism. You might even call them supers . No, not in the comic book sense—these are real people, just like each of us, but who happen to have a power or two. If Isabel can find them, she reasons, she might be able to prove to herself that humanity is more good than bad.
So, the day she turns 18, she sets off on a journey that will take her from Japan to Australia, and from Argentina to Mexico, with many stops along the way. She longs to prove one— just one— super exists to restore her hope for the future.
Will she find what she’s looking for? And how will she know when—if—she does?
Isabel is having an existential crisis. She’s three years into high school, and everything she’s learned has only shaken her faith in humanity. Late one night, she finds herself drawn to a niche corner of the internet—a forum whose members believe firmly in one that there are indeed people out in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism. You might even call them supers . No, not in the comic book sense—these are real people, just like each of us, but who happen to have a power or two. If Isabel can find them, she reasons, she might be able to prove to herself that humanity is more good than bad.
So, the day she turns 18, she sets off on a journey that will take her from Japan to Australia, and from Argentina to Mexico, with many stops along the way. She longs to prove one— just one— super exists to restore her hope for the future.
Will she find what she’s looking for? And how will she know when—if—she does?
288 pages, Hardcover
Published August 22, 2023
10 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Adi Alsaid
31 books1,283 followersAdi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, where he now lives, writes, and spills hot sauce on things. He's the author of several YA novels including LET'S GET LOST, NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES, and NORTH OF HAPPY.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 19, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.
I really enjoyed the premise of this as Izzy leaves everything she's ever known to go search for those with super powers (and also escaping a conspiracy theorist and conservative father). The search for supers takes Izzy all over the world where she meets new people and experiences humanity. The book alternates between her trip and her two friends at their designated meeting spot a year later...where Izzy has failed to show up.
I think this book struggles, though, because it switches too much between those with super powers aren't real and they're just humans and people with legit powers. Like, I thought it was about finding the good in humanity and then all of a sudden there are legit powers that are unexplainable? It just kind of felt weird, almost.
I really did like the characters and this journey Izzy went on, though.
I really enjoyed the premise of this as Izzy leaves everything she's ever known to go search for those with super powers (and also escaping a conspiracy theorist and conservative father). The search for supers takes Izzy all over the world where she meets new people and experiences humanity. The book alternates between her trip and her two friends at their designated meeting spot a year later...where Izzy has failed to show up.
I think this book struggles, though, because it switches too much between those with super powers aren't real and they're just humans and people with legit powers. Like, I thought it was about finding the good in humanity and then all of a sudden there are legit powers that are unexplainable? It just kind of felt weird, almost.
I really did like the characters and this journey Izzy went on, though.
August 25, 2023
This man. He cuts my to my fucking core every time. I don’t know where he comes up with these ideas or how he writes so damn beautifully but I’ve never written down quotes to come back to by any other author.
Every time he writes- no matter if it’s about love or grief or life or living or growing up- it is pure magic. He changes my outlook on life and gives me inspiration and existential crises in the best way. The fact that this only has eleven other reviews is a CRIME.
Do not sleep on this wonderful author. He is brilliant.
Every time he writes- no matter if it’s about love or grief or life or living or growing up- it is pure magic. He changes my outlook on life and gives me inspiration and existential crises in the best way. The fact that this only has eleven other reviews is a CRIME.
Do not sleep on this wonderful author. He is brilliant.
August 15, 2025
I had very high hopes for this book and was very disappointed. The writing and storyline was not very interesting. Added to my DNR
August 24, 2024
Really good- it's a gap year story about an anxious kid overwhelmed with the troubles of the world and life. She ends up traveling and working and meeting people and getting off line and choosing a special, meaningful life. Good for anyone.
August 4, 2025
I loved the premise of this YA book but I didn’t feel like the storyline jumping was easy to follow. I wish there had been more to the characters.
January 27, 2024
Unlike Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, this book was blessedly not passive. I had high hopes for it, seeing as how the protagonist was literally skipping senior year to explore the world looking for supers. However, this hope only led to more disappointment. The more I read, the more fed up I got.
If you like victimization, this book is for you. You can’t go a chapter from either her perspective or her friend’s complaining about how life isn’t fair, how capitalism is evil, and unless you see the world as equally crappy, you clearly haven’t suffered enough.
The reason why she takes this mission in the first place is because she hopes finding a super will restore her faith in humanity again. She even says “videos of strangers coming together to rescue dogs in rushing water, cheesy stories about people paying for each other’s coffees…[and] post-disaster helpers…weren’t big enough in their kindness” (p. 10).
The worst part is, all this preaching and advocating for causes is out of a place of rage, hatred, and anger. It doesn’t even make sense because she hasn’t even experienced these things herself! The worst this book says about her going through is realizing that her dad might be a little bit racist. Not because of anything he’s said, but because of a video she found on his computer.
This would have been far more meaningful to see her do something in her travels other than selfishly look for superheroes. She could have volunteered at an animal shelter, a soup kitchen, or something inspiring. Instead, I had to read about how the world sucks because the people around her aren’t doing what they “should” do rather than doing something meaningful herself.
The one good thing about this book is that the writing is beautifully artistic. I find myself getting lost in the artistry of the words, but then again, it may not have been the best strategy because it distracted from the story.
I wish there was something more positive I could say, but it just was not worth reading.
If you like victimization, this book is for you. You can’t go a chapter from either her perspective or her friend’s complaining about how life isn’t fair, how capitalism is evil, and unless you see the world as equally crappy, you clearly haven’t suffered enough.
The reason why she takes this mission in the first place is because she hopes finding a super will restore her faith in humanity again. She even says “videos of strangers coming together to rescue dogs in rushing water, cheesy stories about people paying for each other’s coffees…[and] post-disaster helpers…weren’t big enough in their kindness” (p. 10).
The worst part is, all this preaching and advocating for causes is out of a place of rage, hatred, and anger. It doesn’t even make sense because she hasn’t even experienced these things herself! The worst this book says about her going through is realizing that her dad might be a little bit racist. Not because of anything he’s said, but because of a video she found on his computer.
This would have been far more meaningful to see her do something in her travels other than selfishly look for superheroes. She could have volunteered at an animal shelter, a soup kitchen, or something inspiring. Instead, I had to read about how the world sucks because the people around her aren’t doing what they “should” do rather than doing something meaningful herself.
The one good thing about this book is that the writing is beautifully artistic. I find myself getting lost in the artistry of the words, but then again, it may not have been the best strategy because it distracted from the story.
I wish there was something more positive I could say, but it just was not worth reading.
May 8, 2024
A quietly suspenseful, surprisingly life-affirming mystery about a young woman's quest to find some kind of goodness in the world that she can believe in.
The day she turns 18, having left school a year early and earned her GED, Isabel hops on a plane across the world. For years, she has been part of an online community searching for clues that real people with actual super powers secretly exist. She has saved up enough money that if she's careful about her spending, stays in cheap hostels, and finds work as she goes, she can spend the next year traveling the world on the trail of rumors and vague clues, hoping she might be able to find someone who is actually super.
A year later, Chio and Sam wait on a beach in Mexico for the best friend who left them behind to go on a crazy trip, the appointed place at the appointed time to see her once again. She doesn't show up. But, later, a dead body washes ashore, one that could possibly be Isabel. They go to the police to ask if they might see the body, but there are . . . issues . . . that the police won't explain, and they're left with no answers. No idea how to contact Isabel. No idea if she's dead or alive or, if alive, where she might be.
For all of that plot, this is a book about characters and relationships. About meaning and purpose. About good and evil and what it means to be a human in the world. It's thoughtful and deeply satisfying.
The day she turns 18, having left school a year early and earned her GED, Isabel hops on a plane across the world. For years, she has been part of an online community searching for clues that real people with actual super powers secretly exist. She has saved up enough money that if she's careful about her spending, stays in cheap hostels, and finds work as she goes, she can spend the next year traveling the world on the trail of rumors and vague clues, hoping she might be able to find someone who is actually super.
A year later, Chio and Sam wait on a beach in Mexico for the best friend who left them behind to go on a crazy trip, the appointed place at the appointed time to see her once again. She doesn't show up. But, later, a dead body washes ashore, one that could possibly be Isabel. They go to the police to ask if they might see the body, but there are . . . issues . . . that the police won't explain, and they're left with no answers. No idea how to contact Isabel. No idea if she's dead or alive or, if alive, where she might be.
For all of that plot, this is a book about characters and relationships. About meaning and purpose. About good and evil and what it means to be a human in the world. It's thoughtful and deeply satisfying.
August 13, 2023
Well. This is the first book to give me goosebumps.
As someone who often feels the ills of the world are very heavy and overwhelming, this book deeply resonated with me.
Isabel grew up with a grandmother whose parents survived the holocaust and whose father thought and later spoke terrible things about most people. The negativity, the hate, the anger and the hurt she saw so prevalent in the world drove her down into depression.
She finds solace in a corner of the internet where they believe super heroes to be real. And eventually she decides that as soon as she turns 18 she’s going to travel the world to find them as she is desperate to find the good in the world.
What she finds is a mixed bag of good and bad, her own powers and the peace in a quiet, simple life.
Her story is told in tandem with her friends’ Sam and Chio as they search for her after she fails to show to a promised meeting one year after her travels.
If you’ve ever felt squashed under the despair of the world, please read this.
As someone who often feels the ills of the world are very heavy and overwhelming, this book deeply resonated with me.
Isabel grew up with a grandmother whose parents survived the holocaust and whose father thought and later spoke terrible things about most people. The negativity, the hate, the anger and the hurt she saw so prevalent in the world drove her down into depression.
She finds solace in a corner of the internet where they believe super heroes to be real. And eventually she decides that as soon as she turns 18 she’s going to travel the world to find them as she is desperate to find the good in the world.
What she finds is a mixed bag of good and bad, her own powers and the peace in a quiet, simple life.
Her story is told in tandem with her friends’ Sam and Chio as they search for her after she fails to show to a promised meeting one year after her travels.
If you’ve ever felt squashed under the despair of the world, please read this.
May 30, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Isabel is every teeenager, trying to sort out what she believes in, what is real, what is true, and how it all fits into what she knows of the world. She is brave and strong, and knows her own mind.
Then it goes a little left field. I don't know of any 17 year old whose parents would let them drop out of before high school graduation and travel the planet all alone with no real plans or direction other than a dream. So, this part was enjoyable in the sense that it's a bit fantastical.
Characters were attractive and believable. The people Isabel meets on her journey are realistic and interesting. The way story builds and moves captured my attention and held it all the way through.
This one, I could see being a movie. The writing lends itself to that possibilty right away. It's escapist story, and a satisfying.
Then it goes a little left field. I don't know of any 17 year old whose parents would let them drop out of before high school graduation and travel the planet all alone with no real plans or direction other than a dream. So, this part was enjoyable in the sense that it's a bit fantastical.
Characters were attractive and believable. The people Isabel meets on her journey are realistic and interesting. The way story builds and moves captured my attention and held it all the way through.
This one, I could see being a movie. The writing lends itself to that possibilty right away. It's escapist story, and a satisfying.
September 19, 2025
I was surprised by how much I liked this story. It had Eat, Pray, Love vibes but with a teenager looking for superheroes and instead finding herself. I enjoyed getting to follow her experiences in different countries alongside her friends trying to figure out what happened to her. This was a quiet adventure that had a lot of heart to it. I felt it was a little too slow to grab teenagers' attention, but it worked for me!
April 20, 2023
The rare quiet novel that would do totally beautifully as a movie. I loved this book and it's resounding theme that, "If you're looking for normal, normal is what you see. Some thing with good, same thing with evil."
October 10, 2023
4.5 stars
This was the most unique story of someone discovering themself. Taking on adventures around the world, looking to find the “super” in the ordinary. One doesn’t have to look around for this power to know it’s always been nearby.
This was the most unique story of someone discovering themself. Taking on adventures around the world, looking to find the “super” in the ordinary. One doesn’t have to look around for this power to know it’s always been nearby.
April 15, 2024
I tried to like this book. The writing style is not for me. I also did not like how the author included political views when they had nothing to do with the plot. They did not aid in the story development.
September 27, 2023
A great message about focusing on the beauty of life rather than the uncertainty of death without being too preachy.
October 3, 2023
Will add to MS collection .
November 22, 2023
D. Not for YA
April 17, 2024
3.5 stars
This was another “not sure what to listen to” random pick, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
This was another “not sure what to listen to” random pick, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
May 14, 2024
I had high hopes for this book, hoping that the protagonist would learn a lot from her travels through the world, but this was not the case.
January 17, 2025
Meh, not enough why to care.
July 22, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Actually Super offers an intriguing concept and an enjoyable read. Adi Alsaid's storytelling draws readers into Isabel's quest for hope and showcases the transformative power of personal experiences and human connections. Although there may be some reservations about the practicality of certain elements, the book successfully captures the essence of searching for meaning in a world that sometimes feels overwhelming. For those seeking an escapist adventure with thought-provoking themes, Actually Super is a worthwhile choice.
For full reviews and more check out https://whatimreading6.wordpress.com/
Actually Super offers an intriguing concept and an enjoyable read. Adi Alsaid's storytelling draws readers into Isabel's quest for hope and showcases the transformative power of personal experiences and human connections. Although there may be some reservations about the practicality of certain elements, the book successfully captures the essence of searching for meaning in a world that sometimes feels overwhelming. For those seeking an escapist adventure with thought-provoking themes, Actually Super is a worthwhile choice.
For full reviews and more check out https://whatimreading6.wordpress.com/
December 31, 2023
I thought it was pretty cute. The premise was very original. There were some things I had questions about, like how many supers were there really? Why did she not notice them before? Is everyone a super? It did leave me wondering how it would end which was nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews