“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.

A sweet, hilarious young adult debut by TJ Klune about a boy who just wants to be extraordinary. Nicholas Bell struggles with ADHD and

Klune's writing is, as always, engaging, easy to read, and sprinkled with humor. The characters are all incredibly vivid, from our main character Nick and his constant stream of questions and thoughts, to his friends, and his dad. While I found myself exasperated by some of Nick's antics, he was always endearing and adorably awkward, especially when trying to feel out his relationship and growing feelings for his best friend Seth.

One of the things that Klune excels at is writing grief, and this is part of the reason this review took me so long to write. Nick's struggles with the loss of his mother, and the fear of losing his dad, is incredibly close to me, and the way Klune writes it mirrors so many of my own thoughts and fears. Their relationship and love for each other, their arguments and disagreements, was so wonderfully painful and real.

Overall, this was a very fun, sweet read that I'd definitely recommend to other YA fans looking for something to make them smile. There's great representation in the characters, lots of humor, tooth achingly sweet relationships, and superheroes.

Such an exciting read! This is my first time reading about superheroes in a novel and not just watching MCU movies. It’s real different.

A big part of this novel is also it’s queer and neurodiverse rep, which is pretty cool.

This book is mushy and exciting and soft and annoying and lovable and frustrating and adorable.

The main character Nick knows absolutely nothing. Poor boy. He has ADHD and his mind is constantly on overdrive, causing him to say exactly the wrong thing always. But he’s super nerdy and super loyal and caring. And he just make for a great MC, okay?

Seth is also adorable. We must protect him. We must also protect our fabulous, badass lesbian couple Gibby and Jazz. The friendship dynamics in this story are really superb. Too often in this type of book (not like superheroes, but.. you know.. books), the friends are just kind of there? To prove a point or give the MC motivation or whatever. But these friends were really there and they were the best. Super supportive of Nick even when he was being a supreme idiot (which was often). Really, the friendships were my favorite part, I think. Oh, and dad. Dad was great. And Cap. And Officer Rookie. And Martha. Man, guys, the side characters were just really on point in this book.

The plot for the most part was pretty easy to follow and get on board with. More on the plot later, though. But I did enjoy the uniqueness of the idea of Extraordinaries. Now, I haven’t read a lot of hero stuff, like I said, but I least to me, it was kind of a newer spin on an old idea.

Anyway, on to some stuff that took away from my enjoyment of this story. Unfortunately.

So, while the plot was great a lot of the time, it was also suuuuper predictable. I figured out pretty much everything before it was reveled. There is a lot of play on superhero tropes, too, which is funny? In a way. Since it makes it kind of a parody at times. But it was also kind of a bummer that not every idea was something new. Although, one interesting thing there is that often Nick points these cliches out. So like. Obviously it was done on purpose?

The other thing is the ADHD. I’m so glad to see this rep in a book. It’s been a long time coming and it’s well deserved. However, it was really hard to read sometimes. Nick’s brain tangents had a tendency to slow down the pacing of the plot, which detracted a bit from the story for me. Also, his ADHD is of the very wild variety. (Note: I do not have ADHD. I’m very close to several people that do, but I can’t speak for their experiences or anyone else’s. The following are remarks from outside perspective.)

Maybe having his disorder be so extreme was used to make a point, but it did seem that his ADHD was a part of everything (which, yes, good. Obviously it’s not something that goes away at random points in the day). But there were times when it kind of seemed like he was using it as an excuse or an apology. The times it was an apology, I was frustrated because like, no, don’t apologize for being yourself. And the times it was an excuse felt off to me mainly because I’ve seen how frustrated when my fiancé talks about his kids (he’s a teacher) trying to (wrongly) use their ADHD as an excuse for misbehaving in class and he’s just like that’s not how this works, I would know. Anyway, that’s just an unfounded opinion that I thought I would throw out there.

Overall, a really fun read. Plus, after the “post credit scene” I’m intrigued to see what happens next!

I loved this book in many different ways. It was funny and the banter and conversations between the characters was great and I laughed out loud many times. TJ klune understands language and is successful in delivering a emotive narrative to the reader. Not only is this a great book but it is also LGBTQ+ positive and had ADHD representation that I appreciated and enjoyed. In conclusion The Extraordinaries was a delightful coming of age story that deals with many different topics which can be heartbreaking, angsty but also exciting and surprises. Highly recommended 10/10.

Hey ! Sorry I’ve been so long to read it, but when I received it I was reading something else, and then the other books of that serie and then ... anyway, i just read it, and I LOVED IT.
There is a lot of things to say, but to resume : it’s a Tj klune book. As always with his books, it’s addictive, the characters are amazing, there are emotions, humor, ... everything you need to enjoy your reading time !

Du coup, en français :
J’ai mis du temps à lire ce livre, je lisais autre chose quand je l’ai reçu, et une chose en entraînant une autre ... bref, ça y est, je l’ai lu, et comme d’habitude avec l’auteur : j’ai adoré ! Je me suis juste éclatée !
Déjà, l’univers des superheroes, j’adore !
Ensuite, les persos. Nick souffre d’hyperactivité et d’un déficit de l’attention ( TDAH en français ? ), et puisqu’on est de son point de vue... disons que ça donne un sacré rythme à l’histoire ! J’ai adoré ses relations, que ce soit avec ses meilleur(e)s ami(e)s ou son père. Pour une fois ce n’est pas un père absent qu’on croise à peine, on le voit souvent, ils se font confiance et ont une relation solide, j’ai vraiment apprécié !
Aussi je me suis plutôt pas mal reconnue en Nick, de part son côté fanboy ! Quand il fait une « crise de fanboying » ( la version masculine du Fangirling quoi ^^ ) eh bien je me voyais ! Mes pauvres amis ^^.
A part ça, c’est du pur TJ Klune : des émotions et de l’humour !
Et bien sûr, comment ne pas parler de la fin ? ( sans spoilers, évidemment ) tout est bien qui finit bien, l’epilogue est sympa, on croit que c’est fini et là ! C’est le drame ! Il y a quelques chose APRÈS ! Du coup déjà, on voit un tome 2 venir ! Moi qui pensais que c'était un one-shot ! Et alors cet après ? Non mais quoi ?! Je me suis sentie trahie !!! Bon ok, dans l’absolu je pense que je peux comprendre le pourquoi du comment, mais quand même ! Non quoi ! Du coup, j’ai HYPER HÂTE de pouvoir lire le tome 2 !!

Interesting book and very different from anything I've ever read before! That is enough for me to recommend it. That and cute boy/boy romance.

Oh my this book was just too hilarious. I've always loved Klune's sense of humor, and this one made me laugh out loud! It was fantastic. And I can't with the teenage awkwardness and all the heartfelt moments. I can't wait for more in this world!

First of all thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very fun read. I love the superhero trope and I love diverse fiction and this book had both in spades. We have a lovely side f/f relationship and a very sweet best friends to lovers type main relationship which from the start is the definition of cute backed up by a dash of the miscommunication trope and a heaping pile of the pining trope. There's also a hearty helping of second hand embarrassment which you tend to find a lot in these types of awkward teen main character books, but it wasn't enough to frustrate me or put me off, which can sometimes be the case.

The plot itself was pretty simple, as superhero type stories tend to be, and I guessed the vast majority of the twists before they happened, but I didn't really mind that. There was one occasion where I was like 'ok just get to the reveal already!' but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I liked what Klune did with these twists, even if I saw them coming, it felt a lot more unique than what I originally thought was going to be the case (Vague review is vague hahaha).

In terms of character relationships there were several good, healthy ones that shone through, and one which wasn't really healthy OR unhealthy but was very interesting (I'm trying to do a spoiler free review here haha, sorry if that's super vague). Nick's friend group is great. I liked them all, although I will say I kind of felt like a lot of the interaction between them all was very reminiscent of the interaction between the friend group in The Lightning Struck Heart and that did kind of pull me out of the story a bit. I'm not sure if it's just me, I've read the Wolfsong series and The House in the Cerulean Sea and never got that vibe before so maybe it's because these characters are so young? I'm not sure.

The relationship between Nick and his dad, however, played a huge part in why I liked The Extraordinaries. Klune is very good at writing good parents who are accepting and loving, and who like to embarrass their kids almost as much as they like to protect them, and I can't get enough of this in YA books. It's refreshing and it feels good to read.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone who loves superheroes, especially the kind with cheesy lines and banter. It's fun and it doesn't take itself too seriously, but there are moments of emotion in the book that made me tear up a little. It felt very wholesome, if that makes sense. I am kind of side eyeing if a sequel is planned though, because with the way it ended, (which isn't a cliffhanger precisely but definitely has elements of it), it could definitely benefit from one, and I think it would be even better than the first book because all the groundwork has been laid.

This is not the kind of book I'm in the mood to read right now, but since I've got an ARC and it comes out Tuesday, I wanted to offer my observations of the first 14%:
- The dialogue and writing are full of humor and genuinely fun, between the kids and also Nick and his dad. I'll be checking out Klune's other work (I do have The House on the Cerulean Sea on my Kindle!)
- The characters also felt like a real group of TEENS, too. They're strong-willed, figuring themselves out, and incredibly nerdy.
- The main character's ADHD is represented well.
- It also felt like a very real depiction of fandom culture and its intersection with queerness, including fanfiction and Tumblr. The catch is that the Extraordinaries are also real...which is something I wasn't as interested in, but I'm sure more genre readers would be.
- I would like to see a Black queer woman's take on Gibby...I didn't quite get through her whole backstory, but she's introduced as a Black butch lesbian and her primary trait is being intimidating and threatening violence, which feels like a stereotype?

I'm not opposed to returning to this at a later date or anything. I think it started off strong and has great writing and banter between its characters.

2,5 stars

Thanks Tor Teen for providing me an e-ARC via NetGalley as an exchange for honest review.

fangirl + renegades but make it queer and funny.

the comedic side, main characters, adhd rep, sapphic relationship, kinda ownvoices trope are the things i've enjoyed the most. adhd rep is the best part, seriously.

what i didn't like:
- cop propaganda.
why there is no warning? like, at all.

ughhhhhh, i wish cop shit never happened.

nick's father is a cop. so, i think you understand that cop shit is kinda big in the extraordinaries.

this is the world with superheroes in it, and cops are always here to catch 'em. every. single. time. and what author says about it? that it's right. all harmful things they do is right.

shut the fuck up.

not only is his father a cop, but he also has angry issues. his father hit the witness. what did the author say later? that he did the right thing. what the fuck?

a cop with angry issues should lose his job as soon as possible. the more power such people have, the more they use it. we all know it.

neither the author, nor the characters, no one, absolutely no one, said it was bad. i'm speechless. they only make jokes. yup, you've heard me right. nick knows he's save bc his dad is a cop. he knows his privilege and jokes about it. all real reference about police brutally were jokes.

what happens next? nick says that his dad makes very little money for such a dangerous job. the fuck? you gonna tell me that those bastards deserve more money? fuck that. defund the police. it's what they deserve.

so, in conclusion: fuck this shit. not recommending this bullshit to anyone.

The Extraordinaries is T.J. Klune’s first venture into the YA world and what an (ad)venture it was! I’ve been following this author for a while now and not one of his many books I have read have ever not exceeded my expectations. In case you’re wondering, The Extraordinaries was no exception.

I think that I can honestly say that no one writes “awkward” better than this particular author. And what’s more awkward than a teenage boy? (or girl? – to be fair.) How about a gay, ADHD, totally clueless teenage boy who is obsessed with a local super hero to the point of distraction? He is Shadow Star’s #1 fan and fan fiction writer. Nick is the epitome of awkward, but he’s not alone. He has a loving, well-meaning dad, a crew of friends who are loyal to a fault and support him through all of his super awkward moments.

Oh, how I could gush and ramble over this book, but I don’t want to give anything away. There are some twists and turns in The Extraordinaries that I thought I saw coming… turns out, I didn’t have a clue. I’d hate to spoil that for anyone else. Just know that nothing is what it seems on the surface – except for the obvious, which everyone got, except for Nick. 😉 And of course, there were the trademark tear-inducing moments of laughter and heartbreak that readers have come to expect from this author.

The story is far from over by the end of The Extraordinaries and I can’t wait for it to continue. You may or may not want to read the little tease at the end that follows the epilogue. It gives readers a glimpse into the next book and it actually raised more questions than it answered… #EvilAuthor

Klune’s first foray into YA fiction is a bold exuberant celebration of all things queer and geeky. There is a big nod to lots of fun pop cultural elements: fan fiction and superheroes; but as well there is an intense emotional arc that, while swerving a little too close to sentimental, also reflects a strong sense of questioning identity for young people—am I good enough the way I am?

Nick is on a bunch of spectrums. He’s ADHD, a total geek boy, a totally gay geek boy, and the grief from his mother’s death hangs over him like a heavy cloud. His very supportive father is an adorable inclusion into the narrative as a person who tries hard to protect Nick, while giving him freedom, but also demanding more. Because Nick’s inability to filter himself, his reckless, impulsive side is sometimes a bit scary. It’s not that he’s thoughtless. His brain is just wired to ignore consequences and sometimes makes dangerous decisions that should scare most people.

Luckily, Nick is surrounded by loyal and straight-talking friends. Couple Jazz and Gibby tell him when he is taking things too far and follow him down erratic pathways. His best friend Seth has been missing in action over the summer, and now back at school, Nick is struggling to reconnect with this boy who has long been his secret crush (not helped by Nick writing a lot of slightly smutty fan fic about an Extraordinary called Shadow Star). Klune throws us straight into the middle of this complex relationship without giving all the backstory. He also includes Nick’s ex-boyfriend Owen, who is full of himself and incredibly hostile towards Seth. This dynamic is clearly more than what’s happening on page, and unfortunately for us, Nick’s oblivious narrative voice means we are constantly seeking out clues (which admittedly are dropped often), while he remains ignorant of what’s really going on with this pair of frenemies.

Nick puts himself at the centre of everything. This becomes tiresome, but since he is also very self-aware, he is able to keep readers on side, and our sympathy for him usually comes out ahead of our irritation at his antics and selfishness. But this is Klune very cleverly manipulating us and teasing us by incorporating the superhero elements of the story.

Look, I know I am a bit confusing. But that actually is the structure of the book. We are initially baffled by Nick’s obsession with Shadow Star. We can see Seth is right in front of Nick, and yet Nick lives in the clouds looking through a lens that is idealized and somewhat tainted. We keep reading because basically Klune is a very funny, geeky dude who constantly surprises with the jokes and the humanity and the affection he has for his characters.

And then everything starts to click, and the tension ramps up, and suddenly we are in the middle of a very suspenseful scenario and people could die people! So, we read on, worried for everyone, but especially our earnest, impulsive ordinary guy who without powers, takes on a hero’s journey because he must save those he loves, and he does it all with wit and intelligence, and a tiny spark of what the #$*? It’s extraordinary (gah, she had to go there). The resolution is nicely wrapped up, most mysteries are explained, and of course there's a HEA...

Then, because this is book one, Klune shoves one more twisty dark secret at us, and leaves us with our mouths open, eyes twitching, hearts racing, and our minds ticking. *Shakes fist at the sky* Damn you Klune and your cliff-hangers. But this might just be me. Ha.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Teen for advancing this to me oh so long ago before #coronavirus, and through a delay of publication. I hope it all goes well for this book. Recommended for teens who love their protagonists awkward and flawed, but who is all heart. The intense moments are powerful and authentic, and the story dances around a number of genres. It’s a celebration of life and love, and it looks like there will be more. The Extraordinaries finally comes out tomorrow.

I'll be honest, I pre-ordered this before I even requested the ARC. TJ Klune is one of my favorite authors. Despite all that, this is one of my favorite reads of the year, and it's moving to the top of my recommendations for other people. Queer superhero fiction is so so fun, and I'm glad that it's starting to become more common, although we still need more! I love TJ's writing voice, and this had be cracking up laughing so many times.

ShadowStar is Nova City’s superhero, PyroStorm’s archnemesis, and Nick Bell’s crush (and object of desire). We know this because of the vast fanfiction collection Nick has authored, in which ShadowStar always comes to rescue Nate Belen (Nick’s alter ego) and where they also fall for each other.

Nick’s dream comes to life when one afternoon after school, ShdowStar saves Nick and his friend Gibby from three muggers. Once the superhero is done with the bad guys, he agrees to take a picture with them, and he also gives Nick his autograph along with a personalized and very intriguing note that includes Nick’s surname. But the thing is, Nick didn’t gave ShadowStar his surname at all. So, how does he know it?

Once more T. J Klune makes us fall in love with another story, and with the characters portrayed in it. Most of the time you will feel that you are reading a fanfic, clichés and all. And that is exactly the point. Klune has written this book in such a way that even though some things are predictable, you don’t feel upset or annoyed or disappointed; on the contrary, you just cannot help fall in love with all of this craziness and sweetness. I cannot find any more words to describe what it was for me to read this book, so let me tell you how I felt. Joyful, happy, desperate, amazed, surprised. One moment I was sadly crying, the next one I was laughing out loud (sometimes while also crying).

why, oh why has it taken me this long to read a TJ Klune book?

I have spent 16 years of my life without knowing the pure joy his books can bring, and suddenly within one week I have read two of his books and cannot wait to pick up everything else he has.

The Extraordinaries somehow made me love a book about superheroes- which in itself is a masterful achievement. I typically find superhero books take themselves too seriously and become eye roll inducing, but this one was really self aware and instead leaned into the melodramatic and cheesiness, making it a really fun time.

This book was so funny, and Nick Bell was the perfect narrator for the story. Nick is a gay teen with ADHD, and a propensity for saying whatever is on his mind. Once I was acclimatised with the writing style and campiness of the story, I couldn't take the smile off my face. All the characters were so loveable and endearing to me (although I can appreciate not everyone will connect with them, as they are, inevitably, flawed). I loved the diversity in this story, representing everything from neurodiversities to sexualities (many of which are own voices as well!)

The plot was definitely the weaker element for me. Don't go in to this book expecting a fast paced, high action superhero book because you will be disappointed. The Extraordinaries is told from the perspective of an ordinary teen with an obsession with an Extraordinary named Shadow Star. Therefore, we only hear about most of the action from news reports rather than right in the thick of it. Also, I found this book quite predictable. I guessed a good portion of what was going to happen pretty early on, but it didn't detract from my experience too much, since getting there was so enjoyable.

It was all slightly ridiculous and over the top, so I would recommend going into it with those expectations otherwise you will probably be annoyed at the characters for their absolute cluelessness. You also may or may not feel some second hand embarrassment for these characters, but again, it was very self aware.

Something I think would be remiss to not mention is the very prevalent focus on the police. I don't believe it was intended to be harmful, but wasn't addressed with the amount of care that it ought to have been particularly in today's climate. I read an ARC, so there is a possibility that these things may be changed in the final copy, but I just wanted to mention it.
Finally, THAT EPILOGUE. I admit, I kind of called it but it still managed to shock me. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series ahhhhhhh!


<i>Thank you to Tor Teen for this ARC</i>

<b>Release Date:</b> 5 March 2020 (Pushed back to 14 July 2020)

The Extraordinaries has a rather unusual take on the super-hero story and I wasn’t totally sure whether we were meant to see this as genuine fantasy, fan-fiction comedy, or some weird hybrid. Elements of this were very funny, the hints of what’s to come in the bigger picture are definitely interesting but there’s a few elements that I feel will make this problematic.
Our main character is Nick Bell, son of a local cop. Nick has ADHD and is struggling since the killing of his mother. He has a close group of friends that he claims are the school outcasts, though their bond is close enough they don’t seem to take much notice of this. His ex, Owen, still hangs around and pushes his buttons - but seems very keen to see how Nick’s best friend Seth reacts. Nick keeps himself occupied by writing fan fiction about his crush on the superhero Shadow Star.
From the outset we see how important the superhero is to Nick. He ends up rescued by him, but then there’s the small matter of Power Storm, his nemesis. We don’t know quite what’s going on (although it doesn’t take long to figure some parts out) but the rapidly escalating violence between these two starts to cause problems.
The focus on Nick means we are, naturally, kept a little in the dark about some aspects of the world-building and events taking place. As Nick learns, so do we. Watching him bounce round causing chaos was funny, but not particularly helpful at times. However, once we get further details of the role certain characters play it certainly offered more interest- don’t want to give anything away, but the revelations about Nick’s mum right at the end certainly imply there’s more to this than we’ve got here.
Unfortunately, the humour and general lighthearted focus was marred by some of the details given and the characters’ reactions. As the son of a cop, Nick gets away with a lot. In light of current affairs and concern about police behaviour, to have him joking about such affairs seems in bad taste. We find out his dad was demoted after punching someone involved in a case. Few details are given, but it adds nothing to this story and seemed a poor decision to feature when so much is being talked about with regard to the behaviour of those in charge of maintaining law and order. I’ve seen a couple of reviews where this feature was picked up on and vociferously decried, so it’ll be interesting to see whether attention is paid to these advance reviews and whether any changes are made prior to publication.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts.

This was a fun read. I always enjoy YA books with queer friend groups. The addition of Nick with ADHD is much appreciated and a demonstration that not having a typical brain does not mean that you are useless. As what I'm assuming is a first in the series, I felt like there was an appropriate amount of build up and background necessary to have these superheroes continue to help out Nova city. I really appreciated that the high schoolers did not appear to be written as older than their age or as preaching about things. It's definitely worth a reread as well.

This book does not take itself seriously at all. Which means it’s a chaotic mess of feel good laughs, second hand embarrassment, assorted danger, tons of mishaps, and endearing love.

At its core, The Extraordinaries is a study in growth. Growth in love after hardship, growth in friendship after heartbreak. And the growth of one boy into someone soon to be extraordinary.

As the story evolves around Nick, a headstrong good hearted teenager coping with ADHD (and an insatiable crush on a superhero), T.J Klune takes readers along on the dizzying thought patterns that Nick goes through without ever making it confusing or excessive. Further enhancing Nick’s charm and lovability as he just blurts out the first and most often least appropriate thing on his mind. And while those situations are funny and great for the comic relief, the author also respectably works in the duality of ADHD as Nick faces struggles in school and gathering social cues.

This chaotic energy lending well to the plot twists even if some were foreseeable. And yet, what I enjoyed most about that very aspect is that the characters themselves know it as well. Time and time again poking fun at the coming of age and superhero/ super villain origin story cliches and at themselves as the event unravel around them.

So while I didn’t quite love everything in the reading, like Gibby and Jazz coming off as one unit dependent on each other in order to be interesting, and also what felt like an unneeded amount some questionable jokes – I can honestly say that I was never once bored.