This book was a happy marriage of My Hero Academia, and Percy Jackson from the PJO series.

But we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves. I'd first like to thank Tor Teen and NetGalley for giving me an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I've gotten back to reading after an insanely long reading slump. *Four years,* it was rare for me to find that perfect balance of a good adventure/action pack story, and comedy. I am either that reader that loves hardcore and intense stories or light-hearted comedy. The latter part is what I insanely need with the whole global pandemic keeping me on my toes and reading became my survival medicine for the quarantine period. So when I stumble upon this book, "The Extraordinaries" by TJ Klune, I was curious. Yes, I am a victim of cover buying books, but the little blurb on the cover, "Some people are extraordinary, some are just extra." And it hooked me enough to read it.

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of the superhero trope. However, I love My Hero Academia, and I half-expected the story to be such. But I was insanely proven wrong. I'd gone into this book with minimal expectations, and I love it.

This was also the first book I've read from said author, TJ Klune, but I have heard a lot about him through my bookstagram friends. I did place his other work, The House in the Cerulean Sea on my TBR, but due to the pandemic, I couldn't order anything from BookDepository, so there's that. Anyways back to the review. I really want to keep this review spoiler-free as much as possible, even though I feel so much for this book.

For a short gist of the story. The Extraordinaries follows our unlikely main character, Nick Bell, a young teenage ADHD fan fiction writer that writes about his superhero crush, Shadow Star vs. Pyro Storm. What started out as a simple fanfic writer, Nick had a sudden turn in his life where his next dream was to be a superhero like Shadow Star. The only problem is, he has no powers and is already dealing with a lot in his life. Throughout the story, we follow Nick and his colorful assemble of friends, as they figure out a way to help Nick become an Extraordinary, while at the same time discover hidden secrets between the two super-powered beings that battled every now and then in their not-so-quiet neighborhood in Nova City.

In a single statement that summarizes my whole reading experience. "I absolutely ADORE THIS STORY!" The characters are all quirky and stand out so much for me. While the story did mostly revolved around Nick, we got to see his relationships with his friends, and family. His bond with his dad, Aaron Bell had a good balance of humor and seriousness as well. Nick's dad was overprotective, but I love how he also knew when to poke fun at Nick and their banters are simply to die for. Then we have the other characters, aka, his squad, Gibby Jazz, and Seth and their own LGBT-Q circle in school.

Gibby and Jazz have their own thing going on and are very supportive, but at times sarcastic towards Nick. While Seth, his childhood friend is just simply adorable, and even Nick treats him as this soft and very pure person that he gets very protective of him.

When you look critically into the writing and the plot itself. It is very simple, and the events/plot twists for me were somewhat predictable, however, it is truly the humor and characters which made me an instant fan of this story. Fight me now, but I love Nick, and how the author made him as someone very pure, and innocent, yet super loyal and determined to make his father proud and happy. The story also gave me a whole different perspective on people who have ADHD. This kind of mental illness was a huge part of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a book series that started my entire bookish path. With Uncle Rick's work, ADHD kids were their own heroes.

Yet here, Nick feels a lot more real and less fictional with his mental illness, and his burst of anxieties. It made me connect with him so much because most of what happens with Nick in this book really stick close to the reality of how some kids with ADHD, or depression, or suffer from panic attacks go through in their lives. TJ Klune made this book to be a light-hearted read but with a lot of moral lessons about relationships and bonds would do. Overall, I gave this book however, a 4.5-star rating out of 5. Don't get me wrong, this book made me a fan of the author, yet there were parts in the story where the events fell flat and I kinda wish became a huge shock. I sorta guessed the plot twist before it happened because of the massive clues that came to me as too obvious to lessen the surprise a lot before it was revealed.

Overall, however, I can't wait for that will happen next with Nick, Seth, and the rest of his crew. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and honestly, this story makes one of my faves reads for 2020. The Extraordinaries is set to come out on July 14, 2020, go check out when the book hits the digital stores or your local library.

I was feeling <b>majorly conflicted about The Extraordinaries</b>. I really wanted to like it, as it has queer superheroes, great disability, and grief representation as well as a focus on friendship and family. However, the more I read, the less I found myself enjoying the book as irritating things started to pile up. I really hope that other readers might enjoy this book a lot more than I did though, as there was plenty of potential!

<strong>✅ There was so much great representation!</strong> ➽ Nick has ADHD and we also see him dealing with the grief of losing his mother two years ago. I definitely liked how the author explored his hurt and fear of also losing more people he loved, as well as how his ADHD impacted his life. <strong>We get a great insight into Nick's thought process</strong> and troubles in school because his teachers don't approve of his way of thinking and always get him into trouble. It broke my heart to see Nick so defeated at times, but I loved that he had a good support system that actually understood him. His father can sometimes be harsh, but he tries his best to understand Nick and for him to be happy. I really liked the message that Nick was extraordinary in his own right, no matter what everyone thought. I also <strong>loved that his friendship group was entirely queer</strong>: Nick himself is gay, Seth is bisexual and Jazz and Gibby (who are together) are both lesbians.

<b>✅ Nick and Seth were really cute </b>➽ I was tempted to give the book 3 stars just for their cuteness, but in the end, it wasn't enough. <strong>I loved their soft moments and the mutual pining, especially made painful by Nick's obliviousness for Seth's feelings</strong>. They have been best friends for years and went through a lot of things together, so their bond is very strong to begin with. I loved that Seth really understood Nick and always tried to be there for him: he accepts Nick for who he is and is one of the few people that gets him. You can also see how much Nick cares for his friend: he's constantly thinking about how Seth is the greatest person he knows and one that he needs to protect. They both love each other so much, it was painful to see Nick be so oblivious about his own feelings for his best friend. <strong>This was truly a great friends to lovers story, as Nick and Seth are really adorable together</strong> and adore each other so much that it melted my heart. Their interactions and pining was my favorite part of the book.

<b>⛔ There was barely any worldbuilding </b> ➽ In general, superhero stories are very popular so there's a need to put an interesting spin of them or at least an interesting origin story for superpowers ... but here we got nothing. There <strong>was only one big info dump in the first quarter of the story</strong> about how Extraordinaries came to be after the second world war and that no one has any idea where the powers came from or if they are made vs. born. That was about the extent of the worldbuilding and it really bothered me, as it needs to be woven into the story, but here we didn't get anything. Tha's why the book read more like a contemporary with some vague fantastical elements. It really bothered me to not know more and <strong>I had so many questions</strong> like <em>how come no one had researched Extraorindaries</em>, their powers and how they came to be? The police mention that they are annoyed at them for causing trouble for them, so w<em>hy has no one tried to register them</em>? Sure they all have secret identities, but I find it a bit unbelievable that the government hasn't tried to contain them or set rules in any kind. Also: How did the Extraordinaries fandom come to be??

<b>⛔ The plotline was all over the place </b>➽ At first, I thought it would all be about Nick getting closer with his hero Shadow Star and therefore getting involved in superhero business. However, it quickly delved into <strong>Nick trying to become an Extraordinary</strong> himself (that gave me major <em>Vicious</em> flashbacks) and that is where it got a bit badly planned and downright messy. Because <strong>we have no foundation for how Extraordinaries work</strong> (with better worldbuilding, he could have at least a good starting point), <strong>Nick can only make absurd guesses</strong> taken from comic books and the media. It felt a bit silly at times, as he had no solid plan and his attempts to get powers were obviously not going to work, as he had no idea what he was doing. That irritated me a lot because it felt like the entire plotline wasn't well thought out and became unbelievable really quickly, as it wasn't based on any logical decisions. I<strong> also thought that it would have been a great idea to have the fanfiction snippets that Nick writes</strong> after every chapter. The book compares itself to Fangirl, yet shows us maybe 3 excerpts of Nick's writing when there was great opportunity to include some chapters from his really long story.

<b>⛔ A lot of scenes tried to be funny but came across as cringey </b> ➽ There were some genuinely funny scenes in the book, but most of the time the scenes that were intended to be witty and fun came across as a bit cringey. From<strong> overused, cliche phrases</strong> (the book trying to mock that and be self-aware failed for me as well) to <strong>weird slang</strong> that I have never heard anyone use, I sometimes felt like the scenes were a bit stilted and all over the place. Sometimes it was hard to follow the conversations as parts of the dialogue felt so unnatural that they prevented the writing from flowing organically.

<b>⛔ Owen's character was such a stereotype and so irritating </b> ➽ Now I don't think that we were meant to like him, as Nick and his friends call out his jerkish and mean behavior, yet they never did anything about it. The book leads us to believe that Jazz and Gibby take no nonsense from everyone, so why didn't they call out Owen more?<spoiler>It makes no sense that Owen was 'friends' with them as he was constantly mean and no one actually liked him. Not to mention his lack of respect for Nick's boundaries and how he was just another stereotypical bad boy with parental issues. I didn't think that he had any depth, basically, Owen only existed to stir up trouble.</spoiler>

<b>⛔ Minor things that irritated me</b> There were a lot of things that began to irritate me as the book went on and it got to a point where they all oiled up. I really wanted to give this book maybe 3 stars, but I found myself not enjoying the book at all as every few scenes I would feel a bit irritated. so here are some of the small things that bothered me:

➽ <strong>The constant hate for the reporter Rebecca Firestone</strong>. Nick hates her because she seems to be dreamy for his idol Shadow Star, but his vicious judgment of her got annoying really quickly. It was strange with what a fervor he hated her.

➽ <strong>Jazz and Gibby also felt a bit stereotypical.</strong> Their characters felt a bit exaggerated at times, as the book tried to emphasize how they can defend themselves and beat up anyone. At one point it just was a bit much.

➽ <strong>Nick's obsession with Shadow Star</strong>. At first, it was funny that he wrote basically self-insert fanfiction about his hero and him, but as the book went on I felt myself growing tired of his monologues about how he loved Shadow Star and how severely he reacted when someone criticized him.

➽ <strong>Also: Nick was so naive at times it hurt</strong>. I can accept his obliviousness, but sometimes he was so naive that it aggravated me as a reader. E.g. he was being stalled by someone and he genuinely believed them that their house was haunted and used to be an asylum 🤐

➽<strong>It was so predictable and obvious who the real identities of Pyro Storm and Shadow Star were.</strong> We figure it out as the reader pretty early on, as there are so many hints, so it was a bit frustrating to see Nick constantly dismiss them.

➽ <strong>The ending wasn't that great.</strong> It made a character who had been so supportive turn into someone who had done unforgivable things and pulls one of my least favorite 'twists'.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION.</strong> ➽ <i>The Extraordinaries </i>could have been a great story about queer superheroes but<strong> sadly it lacked a coherent, logical plot as well as good worldbuilding.</strong> In the end, I felt myself being more irritated at the book and not even the cuteness between Seth and Nick could get myself to enjoy my reading experience.

This book just exceeded every single expectation that I had. Nick is the most lovable and awkward and realistic character I have encountered in a long time. Nick has ADHD and I have to say that there were conversations where I felt like I was listening to my husband . . . it was eerily accurate! He went on so many tangents and his friends just teased him and loved him through it all. I loved how well the author portrayed his ADHD and that it wasn't just a convenient plot device. What I liked about this book is that even though there are obvious fantasy elements (what with all the superheroes and everything), this was also a contemporary novel about friendship and dealing with death and family and Nick's crazy obliviousness when it came to his feelings for his best friend, Sam.

First of all, Nick's friends are AMAZING. Gibby and Jazz are lesbians and they were so incredibly freaking sweet and adorable -- they made my tooth ache they were so sweet. I loved their relationship with each other, and with Nick. I loved how they just sat back sometimes and watched him be awkward while making their quips. They were hilarious. Sam and Nick are best friends and it is obvious to EVERYONE but Nick that they are in love with each other. It's so cute. And here's the thing: there was so much diversity with race and sexual orientation and I loved that someone being gay or bisexual wasn't a huge deal -- it was just a part of who they were. I also loved Nick's relationship with his dad. Nick and his dad have been struggling big time ever since Nick's mom died in a bank robbery. Theirs was an incredible relationship. It was obvious that Nick's dad loved him, even if they both made mistakes sometimes. Part of the reason why Nick wanted to be a superhero so much was because he wanted to save people the way he could not save his mother.

So the main issue I did have with the book was that the pacing was a little slow at times. Sometimes Nick's tangents just went on a little too much. And I would have loved a little more of the superhero part of it. We got a lot of action from the two superheroes (and the "twist" where they were concerned was kind of predictable, but still amazing), but we didn't get a whole lot of world building around it. Maybe that will come in future installments? I did love the message of the book and that epilogue was AMAZING and made me want to get my hands on the sequel RIGHT NOW!!!

This was a fantastic read and I can't wait for more from these characters!

This is my first TJ Klune´s book and I LOVED IT!

The story was really cute and well driven. I felt invested in the characters from the beginning and appreciated all the representation we got.

Definitely would recommend this book for everyone looking for a fun read!

Thanks to netgalley and Tor Teen for providing me this digital ARC.

DNF at 50%

Since the beginning of the year, this book has been hyped up and I’ve seen a lot of bloggers and reviewers rate this book quite highly. I was very excited to start reading it but ultimately the book disappointed me and I could’t finish reading it.

I think one of the biggest problems I had with this book is the fact that it’s written in the third person. We see everything happening to Nick but we don’t get an intimate look at his experience from his point of view. It made me struggle to empathise with him as a character and it made it difficult for me to always grasp the extent of his ADHD.

I am not a believer in fan culture and I think this book portrays this type of toxic and obsessive fan culture that has become worse due to social media in the last 10 years. I felt very uncomfortable with the fact that Nick had such an obsession with a real life figure. I think it would have made me less uncomfortable if the hero he was idolising and fantasising about was fictional in his world. I also do not appreciate the fact that the fan culture also seeped into Nick’s friendships to such an extent that his friends could not express their own opinions which troubled me.

On the topic of his friends, I felt like Jazz, Gibby, Owen and to an extent Seth as well, were very one dimensional characters even though the book is written in the third person. There was a lot of opportunity for the author to flesh out these characters more but he solely relied on these characters to further Nick’s plan. The only character that had any sort of depth was Seth but because Nick is very involved with his own ideas, Seth’s personality is, most of the time, not given enough space to shine through because of Nick.

The plot is very predictable and I could see the big reveal quite early on in the book. I was hoping for more of a focus on the romance but I felt like that was pushed to the side to accommodate Nick’s plan to become an Extraordinary.

What ultimately made me decide to DNF this book was the scene where Nick is arrested for swimming in the river. Comments such as the ones below did not sit right with me:

“Are you holding me responsible for my own disability?”

“Yeah…That was low, even for me. There are people out there with worse disabilities, and also people who actually can’t read. I feel bad now. You know what? I’ve learned my lesson and humbly ask that we forget all about it. How about you let me out of these cuffs and I’ll promise to never do anything like this again?”

“Record this…Record this so I can use this in a lawsuit I’m going to file against my dad and the city for police brutality!”

These comments come off as joke-y and completely callous. If the author wanted to address visual impairments, other disabilities and police brutality, he could have addressed them in a more sensitive and appropriate way. These comments come off as insensitive and could have easily been left out of the dialogue. It is offensive and unnecessary.

The one positive aspect that really stood out to me is the way that Nick’s father and Seth support Nick with his ADHD. I absolutely loved how caring and attentive the father was towards his son’s neurodiversity and it was very heartwarming. I just wish that the author had not included the trope where the main character stops drinking their medication.

Overall, I just don’t see how this book could have ever lived up to the hype and I am very sorry that I had to DNF this book. I try to finish reading all my ARCs to give the book a fair chance but there were just too many aspects that did not sit right with me.

I discussed this book on my podcast of 24 June 2020 -- basically I liked it but felt uncomfortable with the depiction of the police force, especially in this political moment. The link is below!

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢. 𝘛𝘑 𝘒𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘠𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘋𝘏𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴.⁣
⁣
Based on the description above this is not a book I'd typically pick up. But oh.my.goodness- I'm so glad I did. It was fabulous!! Friendships & romance, superheroes & fanfiction, humor & warmth. ⁣
⁣
There were a few things that seemed obvious from the get go, but also some very pleasant surprises. ⁣

I read this book in tandem- audio and print. The audio took a beat to get into, but once I did I was hooked. I listened to 60% of it in a day while I built a puzzle.

I never thought I would fall in love with a superhero story, but thankfully Marissa Meyer came along with Renegades and blew me away! So, when I saw this one up show up I knew I had to read it! This is definitely a one-sitting read -- not because it’s super short, but because once you start you will not want to put it down! The Extraordinaries deals with heavy topics while still keeping the story somewhat lighthearted and fun. I cannot wait to read the sequel when it becomes available!

<i>A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

If you know me even a little bit, you know I am absolutely awful with ebooks.

So please realize the enormity of the following statement:
<b>I read this in one 6,5 hour sitting. On my phone. And I need the sequel now.</b>

My eyes now feel tiny, I have a starting headache, and it's almost 2am, but fuck it was worth it. I simply could not put this book down. I can't even remember the last time that happened. (I mean I know of a book that would have done the same if only I'd started reading it earlier in the day BUT STILL.)

THE EXTRAORDINARIES is funny, heartfelt, queer (none of these kids are straight and it's beautiful), full of amazing superhero references, predictable in the best way possible while still managing to surprise me at times, and frustrating in the way a good fanfiction is; because <i>why is he so clueless ohmygod</i>. Not the mention the fact that Nick, our main character, has ADHD. And it's not shied away from. It's there all the time, as it should be. If you think reading it is exhausting, try living with it. It's insane, but it is called a superpower in this book and I wholeheartedly agree.

NTs who look down on neurodivergent people can choke.

I'm just saying.

Some content warnings: <spoiler>having lost a parent, and dealing with living without them; having the other parent get hurt; quitting your meds on your own (do not ever do that!); hidden identities and the lying that comes with it</spoiler>

I'm- I'm all over the place. I don't even know what to say. I love our little band of characters, and would die for all of them. Nick, Seth, Jazz, and the most amazing Gibby. Also Seth's way of dress would have me short-circuiting just like Nick, just saying. Too adorable. Too precious for this world indeed.

*insert Supernatural gif here*

Nick's hyper-fixation is something I know all too well, and his fanfiction writing and reading and 'tumblring' was like reading about myself, haha! This book felt like reading fanfiction: easy, fast, and utterly feel good, with some angst thrown in because what would a story be without some angst??? It has also made me want to read fanfiction right now. Pray that I won't, I would like to sleep before 6am.

Man- I know a review should be more coherent, should tell you something about the story, but basically all my brain is coming up with is I LOVED IT SO MUCH OHMYGOD AND I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW AHSFKJDSHGKL so I guess that'll have to do *shrugs*

Now go read this book about idiot boys and badass girls. Oh, and Extraordinaries.

Nick Bell is obsessed with the supers of Nova City (known as Extraordinaries), to the point that he writes one of the most popular fanfics about them. But Nick himself? Not all that extraordinary. Or so he thinks. But when Nick finds himself more heavily immersed in the world of superheroes than he ever dreamed possible, he may realize that everything he thought he knew.... well, it might not be true after all.

I really wanted to like this book. I mean, Dreadnought meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda? Count me in! But honestly, Nick was hard to read. He often came across like a clueless 8-year-old rather than the 16-year-old he was meant to be. Plus, his penchant for quippy dialogue was less cute than it was “trying to hard.”

In contrast, I enjoyed what interaction we did get with Gabby and Jazz, who offered an intelligent and gently challenging commentary during Nick’s zanier moments. But Seth was my true love - such a swoony, sweet, muffin of a boy - and while I’m sure the sequel will probably also be from Nick’s perspective, I’d be much more likely to pick it up if Seth was the focus.

Younger teens (14-15) who like Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera as well as superheroes may still enjoy this title, though I might get some parental complaints about the sexual innuendos peppered throughout the story.

Thank you so much Netgalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Can I just start by saying I freaking loved this book? T J Klune once more has managed to enchanted me with his wonderful story and lovable characters.

The idea of having a superhero story without following the hero is brilliant and makes this almost a parody of the genre, add up a quirky protagonist and you get a cute fun and delightful coming of age tale with superheroes included.

Nick is a wonder as our protagonist, he’s fun, he’s awkward and a bit extreme fanboy but he’s also strong, brave and willing to do anything and everything for the sake of his loved ones and that bring us to both hilarious situations and heartfelt moments.

Seth is everything good in this world, he’s kind, loving, smart and brave, he knows where his heart is and he will always fight for it. All of this interactions with Nick are beautiful, they clearly love each other but haven’t been able to understand or said so, which allows us to get plenty of moments that can be only described as adorkable that always brought up a goofy smile to my face.

Something I also really enjoyed was the father and son relationship, Nick’s dad is one of the few parents in YA novels that isn’t dead/ absent/ bad parental figure and that’s both refreshing and delighting. He is fun, easygoing and tries hard to keep his son safe while fighting hard for keeping a good attitude between them, they’re not perfect but always trying to be better together.

So yeah great romantic interest, great dad, what else? Great friends! Nick has been blessed with two of them Gibby and Jazz, strong, witty and courageous girls that happen to be madly in love with each other and yes it’s as wonderful as it sounds. And then we have Owen, the popular ex boyfriend who appears to make things even more interesting.

The action is so on point without missing the quirkinesses the book promised. The humor is hilarious and had me cackling so many times. And that ending, woho we’re up for a ride!

Amazing plot, amazing characters would 100 percent recommend to check out once it comes out and as for me? I can’t wait to get myself a finished copy.

4.5 ⭐️

I have to start this saying go and read it! I know you will love it so much that you will need the sequel right now, just like me.

This is the story about Nick Bell a tennanger boy that love (and maybe is a little obsessed, well, too much obsessed with) extraordinaries, a group of people with superpowers that save the people of Nova City, and he write fanfics about them, or more specifically, he writes fanfics about Shadow Star, his biggest crush. As Nick would say, “when before became after” and other things happened, Nick set out to make himself extraordinary, with or without Seth Gray’s help, Nick’s best friend and maybe more than that.

I don’t know what to say of this book, I loved it completely. The up and down of emotions had me trapped, that I couldn’t stop reading it until I finished; I cried, I laughed, and I fell in love with every character of this story.

Nick is the most beautiful person in the world. I love his mind, the way he thinks and how he is full of happiness and joy. You have to run behind him because he is a tornado of emotions and thoughts and adventures that will have you saying “Nick, no!” and he will reply “Nick, yes”.
Seth is a precious boy that when you meet him, you will want to hug him and never leave him. I loved everyone, but Seth is my favorite.
Gibby and Jazz, they are perfect and I need to know more about them. I loved how TJ Klune plays with the stereotypes, how he uses them and breaks them through comments and actions that his characters do.
And Nick and his father were the most emotional experience ever, I loved their relationship, the way they love each other and how they support each other, and yes, I cried like a baby in some scenes.

This book has everything, the atmosphere is incredible and even though I already knew how some plots would turn, I really really loved it so much that I need the sequel right now!

Please if you have the chance to read it, do it! You will love it.

This book was... interesting. Kinda cheesy, super predictable, but cute all the same. Started out pretty cringey but I grew to love the oblivious characters. It does have a fanfic feel, beyond Nick's own fanfic turned reality, but I think it works? Very much a parody of itself. I was glad for the "post credit" scene, because otherwise, I was going to be very angry with the lack of closure on the obvious. Instead, we're set up for a sequel. I got "Hero" by Perry Moore vibes, which was pretty nice. I'll definitely the next one.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an early copy to review!
I adored this book. I loved it so much. The chapters with the fanficiton were brilliant and i liked the interactions with Nick and his Dad.
The superhero subject/plot was so cool. I’ve never seen a YA book were the superhero’s are a “modern” part of the world today. Kind of felt like the subplot of a marvel movie.
I’m trying not to spoil it all. The first few chapters part of the “spoiler” is pretty obvious if you watch it. I loved the representation in this book.
It makes me excited to read more by this author. Super cute book and i really adored it.

OMG I didn't know I need this book until I read it, I totally loved it, is one the best readings of this year, next to the Heartsong.

So we have our main character Nick, who has ADHD and also who reacentyl had a great lost in his life. We see during the book how this affects his life and the people close to him. But he has an amazing support in his Friends and his dad.

Also he writes fanfics about the superheroes in Nova city (I loved this, it's so cool) and he has no filter when he speaks and Oh God! It really made me laugh like crazy.

This book it's full of bad jokes and cliches but some how T.J Klune made it work, he wrote and amazing book full of friendship, love, lost, hot superheroes, and plots.

During all the book I couldn't stop making theories about what was happening, who were Shdow stars and Pyro Storm and in each chapter in change my mind.

Now my favorite thinks about The Extraordinaries.
1. The relationship between Nick and his dad.
2. Nick's and Seth's friendship.
3. The crazies and ridiculous ideas that Nick has
4. All the book!!

I can't believe I have to wait to read the sequel, this ens blows my mind, it totally change everything

Also I can't wait to buy it.

Thanks @netgalley for having the opportunity to read this ARC.

plot: even though nick is not an 'extraordinary' like the superhero shadow star, who he keeps writing fanfiction about, there's still something extra about him. after all being a writer comes with superpowers, right? nick is a high school student, queer, has adhd and a group of (mostly) supportive friends, who want to help him reach his biggest goal yet: become an extraordinary himself. only seth, his best friend/maybe more, seems to be a bit reluctant about that part..

3/5🌟: i'm a huge fan of shows like the flash, so i was super excited to read this one. obviously it was great to see representation in a queer main character with adhd. all of his friends are also part of the queer spectrum, which from my queer point of view was super realistic. on top of that, i was glad to see bipoc represented as well, e.g. in his best friend gibby. nevertheless, some scenes and characterizations were downright infuriating: of course the reporter, who is always there to inform about shadow star, had to be a 'nothing but a nosy jerk who loved to play the role of a professional damsel in distress'. it didn't help that his two female best friends' only characteristics were to be each others girlfriends. it was disappointing how flat all female characters were written. at last, i could tell how the mystery/love story was going to play out from the beginning on and at some point it got very annoying that nick was too oblivious to realize what was going on right in front of his eyes. still, this was an enjoyable read and everyone, who loves fandom/superhero culture, will probably have some fun reading this!

thanks to netgalley i received a digital early access copy in exchange for an honest opinion!

This is the first time I read T.J. Klune's books and I was so satisfied. I laughed and it kept me glued to its pages until the end.
Set in a contemporary world, superheroes are a thing and Nick Bell is a fanfiction writer with several of these superheroes as characters. It's basically a depiction of himself romantically involved with a hunk superhero.
I can't blame him, I would probably do the same thing.

Nick has lots of fans online, but in real life he only has a few friends: Seth Gray, his best friend since they were just childs; Gabby and her girlfriend who make such a lesbian power-couple. She is without a doubt my favorite character of the book, I laughed so much with her.

Nick's still trying to put his life back together after losing his mother in a bank robbery and his father, a cop, have been struggling a bit after the incident.
Furthermore, Nick deals with ADHD and it's wonderfully portrayed that leaves a positive message. Although Nick is my least favorite character due to his dumbness, not related to his ADHD though.

The Extraordinaries plays with the gray zone in good and bad situations with superheroes being the hero and villain, respectively, making it more complex; the other sidestory is about teenagers angst and feelings and all that complicated things young adults have to live with. How can you get to the point of accepting that maybe you and your best friend could be more than just friends?
This book is part mystery, part love story, part superheroes, and part comedy. It has moving and authentic relationships and a bunch of mistakes to deal with.

•ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL•

~ENGLISH~
The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dear God, how am I going to survive a year without the sequel? I NEED IT NOW, I JUST CAN'T!
You really need to read it, TJ Klune's style has evolved in the best possible way and the story is amazing and right now I can't stop thinking that I NEED everyone to read it and see how amazing it is!

And just for that let me explain how WONDERFUL Nick and Seth baby are and Gibby and Jazz too and AHHHHH! I JUST CAN'T! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!
Believe me, these characters are going to make you fall in love with them, let alone Nick's Dad (AYY LOVEEEEE HIM), but first you must know what the story is about~.

This one focuses on Nick Bell, a teenager obsessed with the extraordinary who writes fanfics of the most handsome and incredible of them: Shadow Star. Nick LOVES Shadow Star, he loves him so much that he has written a HUGE and detailed fanfic of his romance- uh, of the romance of “Nate” * wink * and Shadow Star that has surprisingly become the most famous in the fandom!
Nick would give everything he could to talk to Shadow Star and make their romance finally come true, and it's not until Nick is mugged that he meets the hero himself! No matter what his friends (and voices of reason) tell him, after the meeting Nick is determined to become an extraordinary and be the partner of Shadow Star, and it doesn't matter if his best friend (and one of his favorite people in the world) help him or not, he's going to create a plan and embark on an incredibly adorable and fun adventure that will leave you speechless~.

You really need this book!
It is not just that it is extremely adorable or that there are tons of jokes and funny and adorable scenes along the way, it's that you JUST LOVE THE CHARACTERS!
Each one of them is special in their own way and together they make a dynamic team that will steal your heart, starting with Nick and his father.

TJ Klune was right when he said we were going to love their relationship, it's completely adorable, I love it! Their scenes together were my favorites, they are a duo without equal, they take you through the ups and downs of emotions and you can't stop loving them even when they hurt you because a love like theirs is completely and totally adorable, my heart could not resist love them so much~.

And Nick, God, he is a small tornado full of happiness and joy, of so many different ideas that will enchant you. He is impulsive, adorable, absent-minded, funny, I swear to you I never stopped wanting to hug and fill Nick with pure love because that boy deserves everything in life.
And then there is Seth that MY GOD IS ADORABLE! You are not going to find a more adorable and cute character like him, you'll want to protect them, especially when they are together, they are adorable and incredible, I really loved them too much ❤️.

And about the story, I really liked it! I feel like TJ Klune has changed a lot (and for the better) over the years. I read almost all of the author's books and I must say that The Extraordinaries and The house in the cerulean sea are the most adorable books of the author, with a fresher and more cheerful style, I really love how his writing has evolved, his characters, the atmosphere of his books is wonderful!

The story was very funny and very entertaining, and although I could guess some of the plot twist, the truth is that I loved Nick's story, his adventures, his friends, especially I loved the scenes of him with his father and I really want to read more scenes with them in the following books, because I am NOT going to forget what Klune did in that last extra chap. KLUNE, HOW DARE YOU?! How am I going to survive a year without the sequel? HOW?! Dear God, I'm gonna die, I need it NOW 😭 And you need this book immediately!

4.5 ⭐️

~ESPAÑOL~
El ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Dear God, ¿cómo voy a sobrevivir un año sin la secuela de The extraordinaries? LO NECESITO YA, I JUST CAN'T!
En serio necesitan leerlo, el estilo de TJ Klune ha evolucionado de la mejor forma posible y la historia es increíble y justo ahora no puedo dejar de pensar en que NECESITO que todos lo lean y vean lo increíble que es!

Y sólo por eso déjenme explicarles lo MARAVILLOSO que es Nick y Seth bebé y Gibby y Jazz y AHHHHH! I JUST CAN'T! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!
Créanme que estos personajes los van a enamorar por completo, ya ni se diga el papá (AYY AMOOOOO), pero primero deben saber de qué se trata la historia~.

Esta se centra en Nick Bell, un adolescente obsesionado con los extraordinarios que escribe fanfics del más guapo e increíble de ellos: Shadow Star. Nick ADORA a Shadow Star, lo ama tanto que ha escrito un fanfic ENORME y detallado de su romance- eh, del romance de “Nate” *wink* y Shadow Star que sorprendentemente se ha vuelto el más famoso del fandom!
Nick daría todo lo que pudiera por hablar con Shadow Star y hacer que su romance finalmente se hiciera realidad, y no es hasta que Nick es asaltado que conoce en persona al mismísimo héroe! No importa lo que sus amigos (y voces de la razón) le digan, tras el encuentro Nick está decidido a convertirse en un extraordinario y ser el compañero de Shadow Star, y no importa si su mejor amigo (y una de sus personas favoritas en el mundo) lo ayuda o no, él va a crear un plan y se embarcará en una aventura increíblemente adorable y divertida que lo dejará sin palabras~.

En serio necesitan este libro!
No es sólo que es sumamente adorable o que hay muchísimos chistes y escenas graciosas y adorables a lo largo del camino, es que SIMPLEMENTE AMAS A LOS PERSONAJES!
Cada uno de ellos es especial a su manera y juntos hacen un equipo dinámico que se robará tu corazón, iniciando con Nick y su padre.

TJ Klune tenía razón cuando dijo que íbamos a adorar su relación, es completamente adorable, me encanta! Sus escenas juntos fueron de mis favoritas, son un duo sin igual, te llevan por un sube y baja de emociones y no puedes parar de amarlos incluso cuando te lastiman porque un amor como el suyo es completa y totalmente adorable, mi corazón no pudo resistir quererlos tanto~.

Y Nick, Dios, es un pequeño tornado lleno de felicidad y alegría, de tantas ideas distintas que te va a hechizar. Es impulsivo, adorable, distraído, gracioso, les juro que no paraba de desear abrazar y llenar de puro amor a Nick porque ese niño lo merece todo en la vida.
Y luego está Seth que DIOS MÍO, ES ADORABLE! No van a encontrar un personaje más adorable y lindo como él, dan ganas de protegerlos, y más cuando están juntos, son adorables e increíbles, en serio los amé demasiado ❤️.

Y por la historia, me gustó muchísimo! Siento que TJ Klune ha cambiado muchísimo (y para mejor) a lo largo de los años. Leí casi todos los libros del autor y debo decir que The Extraordinaries y The house in the cerulean sea son los libros más adorables del autor, con un estilo más fresco y alegre, en serio amo cómo ha evolucionado su forma de escribir, sus personajes, el ambiente de sus libros, es maravilloso!

La historia fue muy graciosa y muy entretenida, y aunque pude adivinar algunos de los plot twist del libro, la verdad es que amé la historia de Nick, sus aventuras, sus amigos, especialmente adoré las escenas de él con su padre y en serio quiero ver más de ellos en los siguientes libros, porque NO voy a olvidar lo que Klune hizo en ese último cap extra. KLUNE, HOW DARE YOU?! ¿Cómo voy a sobrevivir un año sin la secuela? ¡¿CÓMO?! Dear God, I'm gonna die, lo necesito YA 😭 Y ustedes necesitan este libro inmediatamente!

4.5 ⭐️

4.5 stars.

**Thank you so much to T.J. Klune, NetGalley, and the publisher, for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

"Nick stared at the pill on the counter as the lasagna turned in the microwave. 'I'll take you,' he told it seriously. 'But this is only temporary. You better not get used to it.' The pill didn't respond, but Nick didn't expect it to. If it had, he probably would have run screaming from the house."

I loved this book so much. One of my favorite things in a book is when it makes me laugh, and I laughed out loud more times reading this book than I have from a book in a really long time. Klune's humor is so clever, that I literally had to stop reading during the scene when Nick meets Shadow Star for the first time because I was laughing so hard.

So, what is this book about?

Nova City has for years been populated by superheroes (and villains) called Extraordinaries. Two live there now: the hero, Shadow Star, and the villain, Pyro Storm. This book focuses not on the Extraordinaries, but rather on a normal, sixteen-year-old boy named Nick Bell who has a huge crush on Shadow Star and writes (a very popular) online fanfiction about the Extraordinaries. The book starts off when Nick is a junior in high school, adjusting to a new medication for his ADHD, and wondering why his best friend Seth has been acting strange.

And then one day Nick meets Shadow Star by chance, and so he decides to try to become an Extraordinary, with the help of Seth, his and Seth's friends Gibby and Jazz (who are dating), and Nick's ex-boyfriend, Owen.

This book is so much fun. I was completely immersed in the world of Nova City, and Nick is such a real and wonderfully-flawed character who talks too much and can be very oblivious and sometimes doesn't think things through.

"Some people were born to be an Extraordinary. Nick was born to have a million thoughts in the space of a minute that often led to splitting headaches."

I won't say too much more, in order to avoid giving away spoilers, except that Nick's relationship with Seth was so cute, and the superhero/ Extraordinaries plot + the plot twists/reveals were very well done.

Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit unnatural and a little more than a bit over the top, but even so, this was such a fun read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes superhero stories, and anyone who might not normally like superhero stories. I cannot wait for Book 2!

Well damn, It's finished...
This is a cute story about a queer ADHD named nick, who is obsessed with superheroes.
And my boy nick is a disaster (but I love him all the same).
I really enjoyed everything about this book.
I loved the relationships in this from the friends, to the parents, And watching Nick accept his ADHD.
Such a joy to read (I need more!). Here's to another favourite series ahead.