ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Broody McHottiepants has leaped off of the computer screen and into the pages of a snarky debut novel from DiRisio and Gear, the force behind the Twitter handle, @broodingYAhero. Billed as a self-help guide for those aiming to be "a main character (almost) as awesome" as Broody himself, the book homes in on some specific tropes found in young-adult literature, sometimes to the point of preachiness. The jokes get redundant pretty quickly rood-splain" especially can be tough to get through t fans of the Twitter handle and young-adult genre literature will love the references and find the tongue-in-cheek tone entertaining. Breaking up Broody's monotonously self-indulgent perspective is his evil ex-girlfriend, Blondie DeMeani, who steals the show toward the end. Though it is easy to predict what Blondie's goal is in hijacking Broody's book, her rejection of her assigned "mean girl" role gives satisfying closure to an otherwise repetitive book.

Kirkus Reviews

A satirical look at the world of the male hero in young-adult literature by the creator of the Twitter account @broodingYAhero.When he is dumped by his Author, who thinks his trope has run its course, and he decides to write his own book, Broody McHottiepants is challenged by his evil ex-girlfriend, Blondie DeMeani, to explain how to attain main character status. In short, subheaded chapters that address the audience directly, he does so, hitting on some funny moments that are also critically insightful—as when a recipe for "The Brooding YA Hero Chocolate Chip Cookie" notes that the milk used is "roughly the same shade as my usual skin tone." Interspersed throughout are narrative interludes that tell a goofy, purposefully formulaic story about Broody and Blondie. However, the enforced brevity of a platform like Twitter seems better suited for the endeavor than this 300-plus-page offering, and readers may quickly tire of the over-the-top caricature's unfailingly sardonic tone. Sections that simply explain literary devices such as foreshadowing, red herrings, and the employ of active versus passive voice may be useful to teachers looking for a playful way to introduce these concepts, but it is otherwise likely to interest only those already devoted to this character. An ostensibly comical deconstruction, this goes on too long to sustain the one-note joke. (Fiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

DiRisio brings her @broodingYAhero Twitter persona to the page in this insidery faux manual -written- by Broody McHottiepants, the sort of dangerously attractive love interest who can be -found in all your favorite books.- After the prologue leaves Broody without work--There are so many other stories to tell, Broody,- an all-powerful Author tells him. -You don-t need to star in all of them--he sets out to instruct readers on how to grab the spotlight like him, highlighting an array of character types, techniques, and tropes (-If you-re a supernatural creature, try to find a girl who has no idea of her destiny and obsessively follow her around,- he suggests in a section about meeting one-s love interest). An equally recognizable villain, Blondie DeMeani-Broody-s ex-girlfriend-makes appearances, letting DiRisio show another side to this oft-seen archetype: might Blondie be more than just perfect hair and eye rolls? Amid all of the self-referential, self-obsessed silliness, DiRisio nods toward the forward momentum of YA literature, which is slowly but surely moving away from the familiar heteronormative relationships, predictable clichés, overused tropes, and overwhelming whiteness. Ages 12-up. Author-s agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Gr 8 Up-s "the best of all fictional characters ever created," Broody McHottiepants is an archetype who has starred in many novels. But lately, authors haven't been writing much about him, so Broody decides to write his own book: a how-to guide on achieving main character status. He covers topics, such as the importance of describing your eye color, different genres and settings, various plot devices, and "The Brooding YA Hero Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe." The first-person chapters of Broody's book are interspersed with third-person narrative interludes consisting mainly of dialogue between Broody and his evil ex-girlfriend, the character archetype Blondie DeMeani. Occasional notes from Blondie herself hint that she yearns for her own point of view and the opportunity for character development. Secretly, she is counting on Broody's book to guide her toward becoming a main character. Broody's arrogance and exaggerated descriptions are hilarious, although the recurring jokes about expressive eyebrows and excessive adjectives lose their effect relatively early in the book. DiRisio makes a few positive points about the value of YA literature, noting that it "keeps growing and changing and breaking new ground," but she mostly pokes fun of it through her enumeration of clichés and tropes, thinly veiled allusions to specific books, and deliberately awkward language, such as the moment when Broody "froze like a frozen thing, trapped on an ice-cold frozen lake." VERDICT A clever, tongue-in-cheek novel that will appeal to teens with a disdain for the formulaic. A good choice for YA shelves or where satire is popular.Magdalena Teske, Naperville Public Library, IL

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Unemployed Broody McHotttiepants explains how to become a famous Broody YA main character, as his evil ex-girlfriend, Blondi DeMeani, tries to open his eyes to the supporting character’s plight. The book is a sarcastic, satirical journey through plot, characterization, love interests, genre, transformation, point of view, and literary terms, but for many readers, the narrator’s reliability will be unclear. Broody describes stereotypical YA worlds classified as Contemporary, Time Travel, Retelling, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Paranormal, and Science Fiction. He leaves out multiple-culture and issue books. Brief explanations of fandom and fan-fiction at the conclusion suggest that (traditionally-published author) Broody-rule may be over. After pages of be-like-Broody, the author tacks on why developing teens need YA literature and encourages them to resist Broody and Blondi “tropes” and pursue individualistic identities instead. Cartoonish Broody and Blondi, inconsistency of voice, and the mixing of Broody’s personal story with literary analysis cloud DiRisio’s purpose. Terms such as agency are well illustrated, while others, such as deus ex machina and related fictitious terms, have confusing, abstract definitions in conflict with the classics. Some concepts, such as the character arch, are never clarified. Readers interested in constructing stories or analyzing narratives will be better directed to writing magazines that explain and illustrate individual concepts. This title will primarily attract only readers who are already fans of the titular Twitter character, @broodingYAhero.—Lucy Schall.