The Hero Complex

By Author / Illustrator

Helen Comerford

Genre

Romance & Relationships

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Bloomsbury YA

ISBN

9781526667632

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

05-06-2025

Synopsis

Expect even more swoon, outrageous humour and epic battles in The Hero Complex, the sequel to Helen Comerford's Carnegie-nominated YA debut The Love Interest.

Jenna Ray was the Love Interest, but now she's the HERO. Unfortunately, as it turns out, having actual superpowers doesn't make life any easier.

For starters, being an official superhero means Jenna and Blaze can work together but not be together, no matter how much they are drawn to each other. Jenna knows she can make it work. She can be 'just friends' with Blaze while handling intensive hero-training exercises, a world-ending prophecy and her own power-triggering panic attacks ... She can be the perfect hero.

As the pressure builds, what more will Jenna have to give up in order to save the world? Swoony / Subversive / Super

Here's author Helen Comerford, introducing the first book in the series, The Love Interest!

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Reviews

Clair

If you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed read with some heart swooning moments, The Hero Complex is the book for you. This sequel to The Love Interest shifts the spotlight to Jenna Ray, who takes centre stage as the hero this time. The rules say she cannot be with Blaze - the hero who captured her heart - but keeping her distance from him is difficult… They have chemistry!

Determined to be the best hero she can be, Jenna throws herself into intense hero training. Yet, she suffers from panic attacks. She is under a lot of pressure to prove herself, being new to the job and expected to stop disasters from unfurling.

The Hero Complex explores what it means to be a hero and it's not about having a superpower or saving he world but standing up for what is right. It was great to read how Jenna faced her fears and overcame them.

Helen Comerford has created a rich fantasy world with well-developed and diverse characters. I found The Hero Complex to be a fun and light hearted read with plenty of humour and relatable moments. If you are trying to figure out who you really are, The Hero Complex is definitely a book you should check out!

400 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian

Ruth

The Hero Complex, the eagerly anticipated follow up to last year's The Love Interest by Helen Comerford, is another great read, full of interesting characters and with a great plot twist right at the beginning.

In The Hero Complex, Jenna Ray has to quit being Blaze's love interest and harness her superpowers as a hero! However, can that decision switch off their mutual interest in each other? I really enjoyed the fun, page turning narrative and interesting characters and with the unexpected change, part two provided a clever device for Jenna and Blaze to develop their relationship (or not!!!).

The story is contemporary for readers in addressing issues of identity and anxiety so that despite the more fantastical, marvel reminiscent-based plot and characters, it remains relatable to teenage readers.

Overall, The Hero Complex is a fun, entertaining, diverse, fantasy read, perfect for the summer holidays for teenagers. Along with the first in this two-part series, the books provide bright, eye-catching covers for front-facing stands on library shelves, so a win for YA librarians too! Highly recommended. N.B.The recommended reading age on Amazon suggests 12 years and above, but I would rate it 14+.

400 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian