I picked this book up based on the "a queer fanfic writer about real life superheroes" and the book 100% delivers on that premise. The tone/voice of this book is really unique, and could potentially be a turn off to readers though. Nick's ADHD and fanfic style really influence the story, as does his complete and utter lack of awareness for things that are happening (like the level of foreshadowing in Back to the Future? That's with Nick not realizing what's happening but you the reader do). There still are some good reveals towards the end, but the reader still is clued into them before it's actually revealed.
This book is a romp for those who love fan fiction, but at some points the sheer ridiculousness can be overwhelming (which is why I would probably rate it a 3.5). There were times where the dialogue seemed utterly ridiculous and you wonder how Nick still manages to be alive (also the way his teachers treat him is categorically not allowed), but the book is candy covered popcorn and here for a good time. If you're looking for something light, ridiculous, fan-ficy with superheroes, pick this up. But if you're expecting something serious and well-crafted, this isn't the book for you (although there's some really lovely sections about grief and loving people who are put in danger).

I read this in one sitting and simply adored it. It’s funny and silly and ridiculous and heartfelt and real. Despite being superqueeros, it is indescribably real.

I figured out almost all the secrets early on, and while that usually takes me right out of a story, it didn’t. I was along for the ride.

Oh and someone find me a detective agency/bakery please.

I hesitated picking this one up because I swore off YA fantasy series that aren't finished long ago. I just can't handle the suspense, and I usually end up SO MAD that I can't find out what happened until a year or two later. But I caved, and as I predicted, I'm SO MAD!

Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Bell is obsessed with The Extraordinaries. Or should I say, just one in particular: Shadow Storm. While he most definitely appreciates Shadow Storm for his heroic deeds, it becomes apparent that Nick has a massive crush on the guy. In his ardor, he decides to seek out his own Extraordinary powers, no matter how ridiculous the method. Helping him on his mission is your typical ragtag group -- Gibby and Jazz, two lesbians who are ridiculously and adorably in love with each other; his best friend, Seth; and his ex-maybe-boyfriend, Owen.

You'll find this book hilarious and campy, and only enjoy it if you can accept it for what it is. Nick seems intentionally insufferable at times (he was a hard protagonist to like for me), but his narrative is clearly the smart focus for the trilogy. I was a bit disappointed by the foreshadowing and predictability of some of the plot lines, but I still enjoyed reading it, even though I knew what was going to happen.

Even though the author's narrative and comedic style hooked me from the start, it took me a few sessions to get into this one. But once I did, I devoured the remaining 70% of the novel in nearly one sitting. I'll be adding this to my classroom library post haste!

I love this book so much! Funny, sweet, goofy, just like main character Nick. The superhero story plays well against the story of an atypical gay teen who wants to be extraordinary, wants to be a good friend, and wants to find love. I'll be recommending this book again and again and again!

This was absolutely ridiculous but I loved it and cannot wait for the next book. TJ Klune is very clever.

Oh my goodness, what a JOY of a book to listen to. First of all, for those of you who don’t know, I am a huge nerd and love comic books. I even worked at a comic book store for awhile. When I read about this book I was excited because it is a YA book that takes place in a universe where there are actual superheroes, but also one that recognizes Stan Lee as a genius… aka this one? Maybe? Some day?

We follow Nick Bell, a high school aged boy with a very active imagination and awesome group of friends, who writes fan-fiction based on the superhero and supervillain in his city. His dad is a police officer and his mom has died. One of my favorite parts of the whole book was Nick’s relationship with his dad (and his hilarious sex talks with a banana…?!). This book is laugh out loud funny while also talking about real issues such as bullying, first kisses, loss of a loved one, and friendship. I really enjoyed how most of the characters belonged to the LGBTQIAP community which is probably a complete breath of fresh air for any kids who feel like they are under-represented in books. I feel like this book will be a home run for anyone who even remotely finds superheroes fun and for those who like witty and random humor constantly sprinkled into a book.

I saw on Goodreads that there are two additional books in the works to make this into a series. (And yes, I did add book 2 to my TBR list even though it’s not even named yet!).

Happy pub day to The Extraordinaries, the coming-of-age story of a gay fanboy with ADHD and his potentially catastrophic quest to become an Extraordinary after a chance encounter with Nova City’s mightiest hero, Shadow Star. Though I wasn’t familiar with TJ Klune’s work prior to requesting this ARC, I was aware of how beloved he is as an ownvoices author of humorous and unapologetically queer fiction. The premise is fun, the cover beautiful; I was sold.

This book is campy. No, seriously, the textbook definition of camp is “deliberately exaggerated and theatrical in style, typically for humorous effect,” and The Extraordinaries leans on it with purpose. TJ Klune’s YA debut is as much a parody of fandom culture as it is a love letter, filled with disaster queer teens and their unspoken feelings, spandex-clad superheroes with secret identities, corny one-liners, and lots, lots of bad ideas. Personally, I went in unfamiliar with the author’s brand of humour and expecting a certain level of seriousness, so the over-the-top dramatics and frequent air of immaturity in the characters’ actions was a let-down for me. In fact, one of Nick’s antics in trying to turn himself into an Extraordinary crossed over the hilariously misguided line into legitimately self-destructive territory, and I found myself downright scared at how his friends failed to stop him, spinning the whole thing as a “funny incident” and “oh, Nick and his absurd ideas.” My preference for different writing styles and how the maturity level affected my enjoyment of it are entirely subjective, so I’d happily recommend this book even if those aspects didn’t connect to me personally; but this was a real moment that felt like a bad narrative choice in the book’s depiction of mental health, and I’d hope that, in real life, people know to watch out for their neurodiverse friends when we begin to act dangerously.

If cheese is what you want, this book embraces it with flair; it’s definitely more on the Y side of its young adult rating—young readers will rejoice in such a positive, lighthearted story, with a sweet and wholesome LGBTQ+ romance to boot—so it may have been better suited for my 14-year old, Tumblr wielding self than the current me, at the ripe age of 21. Nevertheless, it’s a promising start to an urban fantasy series that reads like a movie script for your next comfort watch in all its endearing silliness.

I really enjoyed this novel but then I'm deeply biased to Klunes work. Lovely YA, lovely diverse cast, great banter, wonderfully lyrical writing,

On my Instagram page for the 14th July- under highlights- NEW releases. I have tagged author and Netgalley for the RELEASE as well as publisher.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher Tom Doherty Associates - Macmillan Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra"

The Extraordinaries is the first book by T.J. Klune that I've ever read and now I can't wait to discover more works by this author.
I'm a big fan of superhero novels and I think Klune's novel provides us with a new perspective and I totally loved it. I had so much fun while reading this book. Moreover, I think it sends a lot of good and positive messages.
The plot was quite interesting, but the best part were the characters for sure. Nick and Seth were my favourites, they are both too adorable. Nick is the sweetest and most hilarious main character ever! And his group of friends is really great.
I can't really wait to read the next instalment in this series!

Another great read from TJ Klune. And the first YA book from him, which was an experience.

Klune has his own sort of humor and while I didn't love all of it, it sure makes me laugh out loud a lot.

What I liked about this was Nick, of course. He's a bit all over the place, his ADHD making his brain work in overdrive. I'm not 100% sure about the representation, but I am sure ADHD shows different for everyone. I'd like to think that his over-eagerness and head-in-the-cloud-ness were a big part of his personality, as well. I also loved his relationship with his friends, even though I wasn't all that impressed with their lying. Nick is completely oblivious to some things which is both frustrating and entertaining. Especially his mutual attraction to his best friend Seth - who I loved the most! - that he's not even aware of made me pull my hair and laugh indulgently.

But mostly I liked how queer this book were and the talk about being extraordinary without superpowers. Nick is trying to be more than he is, showing his dad that he can do better, be better. My heart broke a bit every time he belittled himself like that. And every time his dad confirmed that, being on him to improve, stop being so all over the place, stop being him. Don't get me wrong, his dad were trying his best to keep him safe and all parents basically stumble around blindly. But he was way too controlling and unsympathetic for me to feel bad for him.

I'll not say much more, except this is a good beginning and the last part made me crave the next book like chocolate cake.

4 of 5 capes

/ Denise

OMG 😱 OMG 😱 OMG 😱!!!
This book! This book got better and better the more I read!! At first I liked it. Then, I really liked it. Having JUST finished it, I loved it!

So....a story about wanting to be more than you are and realizing that what you are is extraordinary.

Here ya go:

YA - What a kiss!
AU - Comic heroes do exist!
Urban Fantasy - Can I have a super-power, too?

Nick Bell is our MC. He’s neurodiverse with severe ADHD. He is in high school. He writes fanfic about his real-life crush, Shadow Star, and the hero’s arch nemesis, Pyro Storm.

Nick is absolutely hilarious! His brain goes 100 miles a minute and gets distracted by every bit of shine and sparkle that crosses his path. He has an amazing imagination and is obsessed with the Extraordinaries which live among mere mortals.

One of my favorite things about this story was Nick’s close group of friends. We have the adorable bow-tie-wearing Seth, the baby butch Gibby, and the cheerleader Jazz. These four were all so very different but worked so well together!!

Another strong plus of the story was the focus on the father-son relationship between Nick and his dad. Often, in YA books, parents are tertiary characters at best. Not so here, my friends! Officer Aaron Bell is a setting secondary character that drives the plot forward (and possibly the plot of the next book???).

Let’s talk about love...yessssssss!!! There is love. There is pinning. There is, “How the hell can you be so blind, Nicky?!” But it all works out in the end for Nick and his man!! ❤️❤️❤️

Will you like it? I truly hope so.

My rec? It’s extraordinary! 👏👏👏

***I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.***

I had a blast with this book. Which should come as no surprise to anyone because TJ Klune is hilarious and a fantastic writer. CW: death of a parent (happened before the book started)

This book is adorable, hilarious, and also achingly sweet. It was also somewhat painful for me to get through because Nick is a teenage boy and he got himself into such embarrassing situations sometimes that I was cringing with second hand embarrassment. But even despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Nick is a delight, from how he talks and thinks to how painfully oblivious he is to what is going on around him. From his deliberate humor when he's joking around to his endless antics and embarrassing moments, he's absolutely hilarious and has the best group of queer friends a person could ask for. I laughed embarrassingly loud multiple times while listening to this in public and had a huge grin on my face for the majority of it.

He has fantastic relationships with his friends who will be roasting him for something he said or did one minute, all while being ready at the drop of a hat to have his back in support. You have to have those friends who will boost you up while keeping you grounded. His bond with Seth is particularly strong, though he is oblivious to what is right in front of him for most of the novel. This is friends to lovers (well, almost, it is YA after all) done right!

Despite his strong and humorous friendships that color the book, his relationship with his dad is what really got me in the feels. Sure they butt heads and have their rough points but they both try so hard to be there for one another and ultimately make sure the other knows that they love them and that they will do anything for them. That, and drily messes with him is hilarious.

This book was utterly delightful and when I realized this was actually going to be a series, I was over the moon with joy. I'm so excited to see where this series takes us!

Another wonderful journey in fiction. TJ Klune is firmly in my “favorite author” lane. I am so looking forward to what comes next.

I love this book with every fiber of my being. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed, I sighed, and I swooned over and with these oh so precious characters! The world is not worthy of Nick Bell.
Up until now, The House in the Cerulean Sea held the top spot of my favorite read of 2020, but The Extraordinaries has pretty much made it a tie. I may have to divide my top reads into Adult and Young Adult. Or I'll just leave it a tie. I'm just so in love with this book I don't know what I'm saying and I don't know what to do with myself.

The Extraordinaries is so fun, but also extremely heartfelt. Nick is so wonderfully endearing and clueless and precious, I just adored him. I loved the relationship he had with his dad, it was so heartwarming and realistic. And the friendships in this book are ones we'd all be so lucky to have.

This story was just so delightful. Nick with his absolute obsession with a certain superhero, his wanting to be a superhero himself, his cluelessness over his feelings for Seth, his pure obliviousness at times, it was almost too much for my heart to handle. I enjoyed seeing his growth throughout the book, and how, as fun as this story was, it was also full of teachable and learnable moments. I liked the way the heavier issues were handled, and that things weren't glossed over but dealt with in a realistic way.

For his first YA novel I think TJ Klune knocked it out of the universe with The Extraordinaries! After that epilogue I'm not sure how we're expected to wait until 2021 for book two, but no matter how long I have to wait, I will be here for it. The world definitely needs more superheroes!

When I first began reading, I was a little confused. It felt like I was reading fanfiction from a site like AO3. It turned out I was reading fanfiction, but it was fanfiction from the protagonist Nick. In high school, Nicholas Bell has recently broken up with his sort-of boyfriend Owen, is starting a new medication for his ADHD, and just made the promise to his dad that he will be and do better this year. What could go wrong?

The author does an excellent job of having diverse characters. His love interest is his bisexual best friend who wears thick glasses and bowties, Gibby is described as a Black butch lesbian, and her girlfriend Jazz is a lesbian cheerleader. There are also multiple queer secondary characters in the book. Plus, the slow build-up to the Seth and Nick romance is what I am here for, best friends to lovers, give me all those tropes.

Thank you to Netgalley, TORTEEN, and the author for an ARC of this book.

E-ARC provided by the publisher (Tor Teen) through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes used are subject to change. Thank you so much!

"And on the off chance that your paths split, well. Maybe it doesn't have to be forever. Or if it does, it doesn't mean what you had mattered any less."

"Nick's eyes narrowed. "That sounds like something Bizzaro Seth would say."

Seth took a deep breath and let it out slow. "I promise. I'm.... your Seth.""

"Nick knew the power of words. He knew that sometimes when they landed, they exploded with the force of a carelessly tossed grenade."

4 stars. The Extraordinaries is signature T.J Klune in a way I just can’t help but absolutely love. When I got the notification that I was approved for this, I was beyond psyched. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year; it completely met all of my expectations. I think if you've read any of T.J Klune's other books, you'll have a good idea of what to expect from this book: a protagonist with a strong character voice, a lovable cast full of LGBTQ+ people, and lots of fun dealt in equal measure with lots of heartbreak.

Prose. Absolutely hilarious and reads very tongue-in-cheek, but has an emotional weight to it at the right moments. I think what I love about Klune's prose is the way that it amplifies whatever emotion the characters are feeling at any given moment. His prose is not quite conversational, but it manages to strike the perfect balance between over-the-top and grounded. In many ways, Klune's prose (especially in this book) is a direct reflection of the protagonist of the book. Just like good prose should, it accentuates Nick Bell's voice rather than drowns it out.

Plot and pacing. If you're expecting a thrill-ride of a superhero story, this might not be the book for you. The plot takes a backseat to characters and their dynamics. Especially with how character-driven this novel is. While this is a novel about superheroes, it's more focused on the effects their existence has on the people around them and what their existence means for our characters. Klune primarily focuses on the interpersonal relationships between our cast of characters and how they our bolstered or strained by Extraordinaries. Bottom line: if you love the characters, then you won't get bored and will continue reading for them. That's of course not to say that the plot doesn't have a few surprises that will leave readers gasping...

Speaking of characters, it's impossible not to talk about them. I loved the way Nick was depicted as a protagonist. A lot of his character is grounded in problems and issues that many readers can relate to: wanting to be more than he already is, being so passionately involved with a niche interest that you write fanfiction for it, and dealing with his ADHD. All of these things make for a very compelling and complex protagonist who, although frustrating at times (with some of the decisions he makes), is compulsively lovable. The rest of the cast is also incredibly lovable: quiet Seth, strong Gibby, and surprisingly observant Jazz.

Now of course, the romance. Y'all know I'm absolute garbage for childhood friends to lovers as a trope and even if it isn't done particularly well, I have a tendency to eat it up. T.J Klune absolutely blessed me in regards to this romance as it fell not only into that trope, but also did that thing where you can totally tell the love interest is pining away after the main character. Nick and Seth are adorable and so many times throughout this novel, I was just screaming at my screen for the former to stop being so dense and the latter to just be direct and honest about his feelings. It was just such a sweet, perfectly-paced m|m romance that gave me the warm fuzzies.

With all that being said, I did have one primary issue with this book that was prominent enough that I knocked my rating a half-star down: the glorification of the police force. Particularly in the current social climate, any piece of media that features the police force needs to critically examine the way the aforementioned institution as systemically harmed POC and particularly Black-Americans from the very beginning of its existence. While it isn't at the forefront of the plot, Nick's dad is a cop which sets the ground for a lot of police involvement within the lives of the characters.

The problem with this is that the portrayal of the police is always framed as them being the good guys, with little to no critique of the harm the system can do to vulnerable minorities. In particular there's a line that mentions the Black Lives Matter movement as well as a joke about police brutality (which hopefully will be edited out in the printed editions, as I was reading an E-ARC) that shows some awareness of the issue on the author's part... yet there isn't any discussion of either. I doubt that it was intentional, but it does read a bit like police propaganda at certain points. I would read this review for more specifics.

Conclusively, I really enjoyed this book and I'd definitely say buy a copy/borrow it from your local library when it comes out tomorrow! T.J Klune is slowly but surely making his way onto my all time favorites authors list one title at a time. This is a delightful, meta-romp with superheroes that has everything you could want: a well-drawn protagonist, a lovable and diverse cast, and an ownvoices m|m romance!

As a little description..
The book it's about Nick, a 16 year old boy with ADHD who is obsessed with superhero "Shadow Star". So Nick decides to become an extraordinary so he can be with his crush and live happily ever after. But of course is not an easy task and Nick goes through a lot of troubles trying to get super powers.

Despite the fact that I don't usually read YA I really enjoyed this one, it was hilarious and I was laughing so hard while I was reading it. And I gotta say that what I like the most about this book was the relationship between Nick and his father because most of the time when you have a teenage main character the parents are quite absent but in this book the father was very involve in Nick's life so I really liked that. I loved Nick's friendships too, they made the book even more interesting and entertaining. And well... Nick was so funny to read, a little immature at times but it wasn't annoying at all.

This is a very cute and innocent story with no major drama and quite predictable but I really enjoyed it. It even reminds me when I used to read fanfiction when I was younger ... so overall it's a comic and cute book.
*ARC provided by NetGalley

“It’s well known that regardless of what else they are, teenage boys are inherently stupid.”

I can’t speak to the absolute truth of this quotation from the book (although observationally I believe it to be accurate 😉), but it certainly applies to the main character, Nick. He is utterly, completely clueless about many things that are perfectly obvious to the other characters and to the reader. It is PAINFUL.

Then add on top of that an epic level of awkward, and it just gets worse. Nick will blurt out what is in his head in situations where it should under no circumstances be shared. He regularly embarrasses himself. It is AGONIZING.

Nick has a very good heart, but he’s pretty much a mess in every other possible way. The secondhand mortification I experienced on Nick’s behalf was so strong it made me squirm at times. I had to take breaks from reading just to get some relief.

If that kind of humor is your jam, you will be in heaven reading this book. It really is very funny, with hilarious situations (for example, Nick’s plans for turning himself into an Extraordinary are bonkers) and tons of great lines. It is just also a LOT. Extra is right.

I did enjoy the novel, though, even if it sometimes made me twitchy. As with many superhero stories, in between the action scenes, lessons are learned, including lessons about the true nature of heroism and about the many forms love takes—friendship, family bonds, and romantic love. Speaking of which, Nick and Seth are absolutely adorable. It takes a while for that to go anywhere, however, what with Nick’s all-encompassing superhero crush. There is much pining (Seth) and obliviousness (Nick, of course).

Add to that the ADHD rep, which is seemed authentically handled to me, and there’s a lot to like about this book. After reading the teaser for the next volume in the series at the very end, I’m hooked. Hopefully, Nick will be a little less clueless and awkward in volume 2. (OK, it’s unlikely, since that’s pretty much Nick’s brand, but a girl can dream.)

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

My fanboying over TJ Klune continues with The Extraordinaries. Ever since he mentioned that he was doing a young adult book I’ve been eagerly anticipating its release. The wait is over now and the world now has a gay superhero YA story, with a neurodiverse main character that is filled with everything I expect from a master storyteller like TJ.

Yup, I loved this book. I hated that it was over as fast as it was (even though you can’t exactly call a 13 hour audiobook short).

Nick Bell is obsessed with the Extraordinaries, the superheroes and villains in his town. There’s Shadow Star, the one Nick writes wildly long fanfic about, and Shadow Star’s nemesis Pyro Storm. Nicks’ friends aren’t quite sure what to make of his fixation on these supers but they accept. Nick’s got amazing friends with Seth, who he’s got a major crush on, Owen, who he used to go out with, as well as Jazz and Gibby who are already in a relationship. These friends are tight and it’s exactly the friend group you’d want to have in high school. They’re silly and they watch out for each other and they call you on your shit.

Nick lives with his dad, a police officer with the Nova City PD. Dad isn’t a fan of the Extraordinaries as they tend to cause havoc, even more so lately as their battles get more intense. What exactly the Extraordinaries are doing blew my mind in the best way–and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Meanwhile, Nick and his dad have been figuring out how to live, just the two of them, since Nick’s mom died in a car accident. They do well most days, but some days everything piles up and things get said. It’s an amazing, realistic portrait of a family that’s been upended. They love each other, but some days are simply bad.

Nick really pushes the boundaries too as he starts a new school year and his dad wants better grades, wants Nick to be responsible and on time and do what he’s supposed to do. Which is easy when Nick’s brain races because of ADHD. All of it’s complicated even more when Nick gets it into his head that he wants to become an Extraordinary. To say that his plan to microwave a cricket so it becomes radioactive and he can have a Spider-man like origin story is the least crazy thing he does in this regard should give you some idea of what’s to come.

The Extraordinaries takes many twists and turns. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was going to happen, that would get upended–and I love that. TJ wrote a super intelligent, super aware young adult tale. The teenagers are equal part observant and on point and just plain clueless. There are times I’d cheer for what they were doing and other times wish they’d reconsider what they were doing.

Nick goes into the lexicon of my favorite TJ characters, including Joe and Ox, Gus, Linus and Mike. Characters that get me right in the feels. TJ gets deep inside Nick’s head as he tries to figure out what’s going on with the Shadow Star and Pyro Storm, how he can be the person his dad wants him to be, what’s going on with Seth and how badly he wants to kiss him. Nick’s brain won’t stop and that works to his advantage, at least some of the time. How TJ’s captured Nick on the page is, I think, going to really speak to many teens and what they go through–whether they’re neurodiverse or not.

The side characters are all fantastic here too. I particularly liked Nick’s dad who is really doing his best and clearly loves his son. Seth’s guardians are excellent too–and their peanut butter cookies sounded way yummy! Best of all, as TJ has talked about in interviews on this show, there’s no homophobia anywhere. These characters are unabashedly queer and that’s never a thing–which is exactly how it should be.

If audio’s your thing, check out the amazing audiobook voiced by Michael Lesley. His entire performance is exceptional, but I have to call out his portrayal of Nick and everything that goes through that kid’s brain and then spills out of his mouth. Michael added extra punch to the words TJ provided.

I give my highest recommendation to TJ Klune’s The Extraordinaires.

3.5/5 Stars

To be honest, the main reason I read this book was for the LGBTQ+ characters in the story. I don't like reading the synopsis of books before diving in and I'm glad I didn't read what the story was about or else I probably would not have read it. I am not a huge fan of anything related to superheros. I typically do not find them interesting. However, the characters were really great. I felt as if I had a connection with them. The superhero element to the story was different and I enjoyed reading about it. I do feel as if some things lagged at moments and I wanted things to hurry along. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will probably check out the sequel.