This is my type of book: funny, delicious, well-writeen. Funny? Yes, super funny!
The characters are all loveable.

Nick Bell may not be one of the Extraordinaries, people with super human powers, but he definitely is a fan. In fact, Nick is pretty much all in, writing Extraordinaries fan fiction about his favorite super hero, Shadow Star (starring a loosely veiled version of himself as the love interest). For Nick, Shadow Star is everything he could want — strong, brave, powerful, and willing to do whatever it takes it stop his arch nemesis, Pyro Storm. Nick can’t help his massive crush on Shadow Star, especially when he has a chance meeting with the dreamy super hero himself.

While Shadow Star may be his not-so-secret obsession, Nick is trying hard to focus this year on school and being responsible. He knows he let his dad down last year when he let things get out of control while he was dating Owen. But Nick has promised his dad he will take his ADHD medication, he will be at school on time, and he will try to stay out of trouble. After Nick lost his mom tragically, his dad is all he has, and Nick doesn’t want to let him down. But that is easier said than done, especially when his brain moves a million miles an hour and sometimes Nick can’t quite think things through before he finds himself acting on them.

With his dad being a cop, Nick knows that danger is everywhere. And he sees how hard Shadow Star is working to protect Nova City from bad guys like Pyro Storm. So Nick decides to figure out a way to make himself an Extraordinary so he can help. His best friend, Seth, and his friends Gibby and Jazz, are somewhat reluctant to join in what they see is a risky endeavor, but Nick knows if he can just figure out how to gain his own powers, he can protect those he cares about. Unfortunately, figuring out how to give himself abilities is easier said than done. But when things heat up, both in the battle between the Extraordinaries, and with danger on the home front, Nick is going to need the support of his friends more than ever if he will have a chance to protect those he loves.

The Extraordinaries kicks off a new young adult series by T.J. Klune and I totally loved it. I am sucker for superhero stories and this one has all the right humor and playfulness, but also with a really nice depth that grounds the story and builds something really engaging. What I appreciated most here is that the story grows and evolves throughout the book. I thought I knew exactly what was happening from the start (and to a degree, I was right), but things keep developing and building in ways that kept me eagerly turning pages to watch it all evolve. Klune does plenty of foreshadowing to lead us all along, and I loved the way the story ends up being much more than it originally seems. For superhero fans, there is a lot to like here. We get nods to various superhero tropes, with arch nemeses and dramatic origin stories and even superhero lairs (albeit ones that are somewhat disappointing to Nick). There is also a nice playfulness that fits well with this style story. Those familiar with Klune’s more comedic adult works will recognize the style and I think it translates nicely here. At times, Nick is a bit over-the-top in his cluelessness, but I think it works overall given the type of story this is.

I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Nick and his dad. The two of them have had a rough go of it as they struggled in the aftermath of his mom’s death. Things are a little tense as Nick let things get somewhat out of hand over the last year and he is trying to get his act back together. And it is not always easy with his ADHD. But even as his dad may lay down more rules than Nick wants, the love between them is always clear. They may joke and banter, but they without a doubt care about each other, and his father’s support is what really grounds Nick as things get somewhat out of control once again. I also loved the interaction with his best friends, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby. They may roll their eyes at Nick’s obliviousness at times, and think some of his ideas are crazy. But they also have his back and I there is great camaraderie among them all. I love Gibby as the self described “baby butch” and Jazz, her cheerleader girlfriend who has a lot more going on than might appear at first glance. And of course, there is Seth, Nick’s best friend and a total cinnamon roll who I just wanted to hug and squeeze for his adorableness (as does Nick, although it takes him quite a while to figure out exactly why that is). Nick and Seth’s romance is just starting to develop here, but they are all kinds of sweet together.

As I said, a lot unfolds here over the course of the book and Klune takes the story in some fun directions. There is humor and suspense and some real emotions as Nick struggles with realizing he is good enough just as he is and doesn’t need any super powers to be an extraordinary person all on his own. Things tie up nicely here, but also the door is left open for a lot of threads to continue with the series. And be sure not to stop reading until the very end, because in true superhero story fashion, there is a late scene that takes things into all kinds of great directions.

‪This is probably the most heartbreaking book to review. I absolutely love TJ and have been a fan of his since reading BOATK. The Extraordinaries was severely underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because of how much I anticipated it + it being in between two other huge books for him & it being pushed back, but I found myself being bored throughout the majority of the book. I am obviously not the target demographic so [i]this[/i] part doesn’t mean a whole lot. Compared to his other books, things feel like they’re everywhere and maybe that’s a representation of how it feels to have ADHD. It was extremely frustrating at times.

also, Nick’s dad is a cop and uses excessive force & only gets demoted. I feel like him being a “good person” downplays the fact that he in fact used excessive force. ACAB, even those who are fictional.

I’ve seen this categorized as a YA SCI-FI, but the book is set in a world very much like ours, other than the fact that superheroes are real.

Or superqueeroes, because this is about LGBT+ teens. Author's word, not mine but I love it.

Anyway, it's a good read and entertaining story with some cool and multi-dimensional characters.

Nova City deals with the fight between two Extraordinaries, who are people with superpowers and secret identities. Nick is a big fan of Shadow Star and so he writes a popular fanfiction including him as the love his superhero's life. But along with the new pill for his ADHD, the failure of his romance with a good-looking jerk and the now regular absences of his best friend and beta reader Seth, this have also been changing in his city, and it seem the two Extraordinaries are more at it than ever, bringing danger to the civilians. That's when Nick decides he too will become an Extraordinary and help his soon-to-be best friend and later lover Shadow Star.

This book was nothing of what I expected and probably of what I've seen before. It's not that different from others but still enough that it was refreshing and appealing. You know when some secret heroes will have that best friend who is a big fan of their hero selves without ever knowing who they are? I think having that comic relief as the main character is the premise for this book, but with lots of twists along the way, because we don't really know who actually is Shadow Star.

I can't point out the exact genre aside from saying this is romance. But there's also the whole superhero thing, which is not just a side story, and it surely has a bit of parody-like scenes—especially with Nick's bizarre plans to become a superhero but not exclusively. The narration too gives airs of comedy at times, and it's very rare for a book to make me laugh so hard because of some parts that I got tears in my eyes.

The thing is, I think the book itself never decided whether we were to take it seriously or not. Is it simply for us to laugh or not? So while the narration will go off track too many times, surely to attest the character's ADHD, it'll take a serious tone at others. So I think the book failed in setting its tone, making me confused and resulting in something too long for what it is. It's a great book, hilarious story, but the tendency to wordiness and digression made me frown too.

Aside from that, we had great side characters, I think I fell in love even with the villain until... he started doing the things villains do, of course. The ending was okay, though it could have been better. What I loved the most, though, was how it reminded me of this old cartoon I used to watch, Static Shock. But gay(er?).

Recommended to anyone who loved LGBT YA romances and superheroes. To be honest, I think even readers outside the LGBT or even the YA genre could enjoy it. This doesn't deal so much with fandom but it's also true we get to talk about fanfics and Real-Person Fiction to top it!

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

I received a complimentary copy of The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune from Tor Teen through Netgalley. I also recieved a complimentary ALC from Libro.fm. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Extraordinaries came out on July 14th!
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Nick Bell isn't an Extraordinary, but he's a popular writer of fanfiction about the superheroes known as Extraordinaries. Nick has a serious crush on Shadow Star, the city's most popular Extraordinary, so when he and a friend are victims of a mugging and Shadow Star shows up to save them, Nick can't believe his luck. But he can't tell his cop father, who is raising Nick alone and will totally freak out about Nick nearly getting mugged. As Nick's life becomes more complicated with superhero encounters, drama with his friends, his only parent working a dangerous job, and the challenges of his own ADHD, Nick decides to become an Extraordinary himself, no matter what it takes.
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This book was so cute! I switched between reading an eARC and listening to audio and I highly recommend trying the audiobook! The narrator was FANTASTIC! He really brought Nick to life. I love that Klune gave us a main character with ADHD and such relatable teenage awkwardness. Nick's relationship with his father was one of my favorite parts of this book: it's so endearing but imperfect. The mlm romance is sweet as well! My main complaint is I want to see more of the world and more Extraordinaries than the two we see in this story, but I'm hoping we'll get that with the upcoming books in the series!

The Extraordinaries provides great representation of gay and lesbian characters within a fantasy setting. The characters are nerdy and relatable, though a bit cringe-worthy at times, but the story line is unique and is a solid read for those looking to read a fantasy novel and/or looking for positive gay/lesbian characters, relationships, and situations in YA Lit. The book was a bit slow to start, but if you stick with it, the ending sucks you in and keeps you wanting more. In fact, the ending seems a bit unresolved, so there is hope for at least one more book in The Extraordinaries universe.

Twist the knife a little deeper, Klune. Go on,

I'll even show you my gut so you can punch it. Again.

I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Klune's prior work, so THE EXTRAORDINARIES was my introduction. And a great one! Here is the snappy teenage dialogue I've been craving for YEARS, the purest of m/m romances and friends-to-lovers novels that I needed in the year of our discord 2020. Here, too, is the ADHD representation that young adult literature still needs SO much more of. (I immediately recommended the title to my friend *with* ADHD, so I eagerly await her take on that element of the book, which I'm not really an expert on.)

There are lesbian quotes for DAYS. There are White People™ quotes for YEARS. There are clueless puppy dog eyes all over the place, and intensely uncomfortable scenes of social meltdown that felt SO, SO SOSOSOSO relatable. (The first time your hero talks to you? BLARGH, I don't ... words ... eek.) (The first time you realize your parents are breakable? OMIGOD you're KILLING me, Klune!) (Friend groups filming each other being dumb and using it as social currency later.) (Friends who email you after ten years abroad to ask you, "Hey! Did you use my FULL NAME on this weird fanfiction website?" Thanks, Google Alerts, you traitor.) (Friends looking up absurd things on Google while others are involved in intense and painful fights, only to break in with cricket information––yeah, weirdly specific, but then ... read the book and you'll understand why I want a sequel dedicated to Gibby and Jazz.) That Nick's father and friends understand his neurodivergent behavior and embrace it thoughtfully ... well, let's just say that broke my heart. Not because it goes wrong in the book, but because it's something so *many* neurodivergent kiddos and teens never get, that understanding. (And it highlights how devastating it can be when the people who normally love you and support your neurodivergencies the most have a lapse in kindness.)

Okay, so let's talk mess for a second. Nick is a garbage fire of a human being when it comes to structuring his life, and the book reflects that in some ways that are clearly intentional and in some ways that just feel ... messy. I would subtract a half star for mess except that I would add a dozen more stars for WHEELHOUSE (this book ticks every. single. one. of. my. boxes.)! He's oblivious, in part because of his ADHD and in part because he has some maturing to do at the start ... and the middle ... and yeah, maybe even the end ... of the book to do. (I'm so glad this is the start of a series!) Tonally, there were some resonances with Ryan La Sala's REVERIE and the rambunctiousness of a Sarah Gailey book. (Think of the most unexpected thing you could make your characters do right now. NOW ADD SEWAGE. And/or superpowers.) That said, Klune's Nick is a character who I have only ever encountered in peak fanfiction before, and I'm so, SO glad to see him on the page.

Guys, I started crying before the halfway point. It might have been the quarter-way point. And I was steadily if slowly crying for the rest of the book. Again, not because the book is particularly sad, but because it's so divinely beautiful to see a queer neurodivergent kid receive the kind of love that ALL queer or neurodivergent kids should have always received, and didn't. I'm tearing up thinking about it right now, in fact. If this is pure fantasy and wish fulfillment, you leave me the H alone, okay? It's 2020. I'll take every ounce of joy I can find and wring it of every. last. drop. of. delightfulness.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book, but sadly I'm not one of them. This could have been amazing book! I found parts of it laugh out loud funny. I loved Nick ,Seth and their friends. It was the glorification of the police force that did not sit well with me. Especially with all the social injustice that has been going on in the U.S.

There's a line that mentions the Black Lives Matter movement as well as a joke about police brutality. I found this utterly offensive. I could not get past this...it ruined the book for me.

Quirky, fun, and ultimately satisfying young adult story about finding the extraordinary inside yourself. I absolutely loved Nick's offbeat sense of humor and internal dialogue, as well as his diverse group of friends. There were times when I was absolutely certain I knew where the story was going, but it still managed to surprise me at the end. I especially adored Nick's banter and relationship with his father and the way the loss of his mother was worked in throughout the story. The fanfiction parts were perfection. I really hope there's going to be a sequel!

TJ Klune can write the most heartfelt and fun stories, and The Extraordinaries was just that. This book left such a big smile on my face and I can’t wait to read more in this world.

When I heard about this book, my excitement level was at an all time high. First, I love TJ Klune’s writing, and second, it was compared to Fangirl which is a book I love. On top of that, superheroes!

Nick Bell is an ordinary teenager with ADHD who lives with his dad. Nick loves the Extraordinaries and has a popular fan-fic based on his favorite superhero, Shadow Star. Nick has a thing for Shadow Star, and when he meets him in real life… OMG. I laughed so hard. There are some twists and turns (some I guessed, a few I had ass backwards) and so many fun moments.

This story had humor, action, and had some romance but also big focuses on friendship and family. Nick and Seth’s relationship/friendship was the best thing ever, but I also loved their other friends and Nick’s relationship with his dad.

I enjoyed this one lots. It was even, dare I say, extraordinary. I’m not sure if the next book in this series will be more about Nick, Seth, and the gang or a new cast of characters but either way, I’m excited to read more!

Trigger warnings: copaganda, witness assault (not challenged), controlling medication, death and grief, ‘joking’ pedophilia accusations (explained below), violence.

This book absolutely nailed the cringey teenager factor. It was like watching the best kind of noughties movies, where it’s almost too hard to watch. I laughed out loud a lot, whilst also panic closing the kindle app on my phone every time Nick said anything. I’ve never been so glad to be out of my awkward teenage years as I was reading Nick’s awkward teenage years. This book leans heavily on the secret identities, lack of self-awareness and miscommunication tropes, but they were done well enough that they weren’t frustrating to read. When the evidence was there, Nick put it together. It was always about two chapters after I did, and made me want to bang the character’s heads together, but it was excellent fun to read. The characters were fleshed out and interesting, and I loved the supporting cast of queer characters, particularly Gibby and Jazz. I identified with Gibby way too much. I will be interested in getting my hands on the sequel to this one, because I think it’s going to be supremely exciting after the prologue to The Extraordinaries punched me in the stomach.

Okay, I put loads of trigger warnings above, and I want to explain most of them. This is slightly spoilery. Not for major plot points, but for each of the warned triggers. I think for a lot of people, this book won’t be particularly triggering at all and will be very enjoyable, but the things I did list above aren’t challenged at all so I think if they are triggering to a reader they’re going to be extremely triggering. The copaganda was so jarring to me every time it happened. I can understand where Klune wanted to use the hero comparisons, and I do think that it would have been tricky to get the same comparisons that he used with another career (though Nick’s dad should have been a firefighter) but it felt really strange to me for this book to specifically reference Black Lives Matter protests in the first few chapters and then spend a chunk of the book defending a police officer who assaulted a witness because of issues in his personal life. The officer gets a demotion but the book says on the page that the rest of the officer’s colleagues defended him and made sure that he didn’t lose his job. That was just so off to me when Black Lives Matter is primarily protesting police brutality (and while you’re here, support BLM causes here).

The main character’s father is also in charge of controlling his medication. Nick isn’t able to access his pills, he has to get them from his father when he needs them, or from a school nurse with permission from his father. The last, and strangest, of the trigger warnings are the joking pedophilia accusations. This one is so weird? There’s a character who has to look after the main character on a few occasions and he and his friends (also teenagers) just repeatedly accuse a stranger of being attracted to them and accuse him of being a pedophile. It wasn’t funny, and felt totally unnecessary. It was just uncomfortable, and the accused character is a near-stranger to them. Why would anyone do that and think it was funny?

The above issues are what lost this book its stars. I think this could have been a five star read for me otherwise. It did read like someone in their late-thirties writing teenagers, but don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it a lot. There were just moments that the slang and the way they talked to each other just felt… off. It was a much better attempt than some others that I’ve read, but the moments that didn’t work really jolted me out of the story. I think I’m going to really, really love T.J. Klune’s adult work, and The House on the Cerulean Sea is next on my list.

The Extraordinaries is the comedic queer superhero novel everyone needs to read! This book is amazing, it’s one of those five star reads that becomes almost impossible to describe or explain. I am honestly lost for words with The Extraordinaries, every part of it was just exceptional. I switched between the eBook and audiobook for this novel and the audiobook narrator was hilarious, he somehow managed to add another level of hilarity to the story so I would most definitely recommend checking out the audiobook. If you’re in need of cheering up, a soft fantasy novel or some humour , then The Extraordinaries will fit the bill perfectly. I haven’t read a novel as funny as T. J. Klune’s YA debut in quite a while.

The story starts with Nick, the main character’s, fanfiction upload, Nick is obsessed with Shadow Star, Nova City’s superhero and so he writes fanfiction detailing Shadow Star and a young guy’s romance. Nick is a quirky, funny and nerdy teenage boy who can be incredibly awkward but also very compassionate. Nick has ADHD and to me, as someone who isn’t all that aware of all that ADHD entails, I found this novel and the portrayal of Nick’s ADHD to be very educational and informing, the own voices representation of ADHD really shines through. Erasing the stigma around neurodiversity is so important and own voices novels like The Extraordinaries are paving the way.

Overall the plot of The Extraordinaries is very fast paced and character driven, for majority of the novel I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if my conspiracy theories regarding the superheroes and Nick were true, I definitely guessed a few plot points early on but the novel continued to make me doubt myself and there was a huge surprise I did not see coming at the end! The Extraordinaries takes your average superhero story, gives it a few twists, an almost entirely queer cast and the most adorably awkward teenage boy as a main character and delivers an amazing novel. I could not recommend this book enough, I loved it so much!

This was my first foray into the world of T. J. Klune but most certainly won’t be my last, not by a long shot! I can’t wait to get my hands on The Extraordinaries 2 (which is already with the publishers!!) but in the meantime I’ll be picking up The House in the Cerulean Sea so keep an eye out for a review of that one soon! If you haven’t purchased a copy of The Extraordinaries yet I recommend that you change that as soon as possible, you won’t regret purchasing a copy of this laugh a minute read.

This was a hilarious story about a fan - boy living in a world (city?) of superheroes (aka the Extraordinares) – as in he is a hardcore fanboy writing fanfiction about the same Extraordinary hero who is in love with him (in the fanfiction, not in the story! And let me be clear, he isn’t alone in it, for we have ALL fancied ourselves in love and loved by our fictional heroes!) with his group of friends, all endearing in their own way. It also has a Super Villain, some amazing banter between parents and their kids + a slow burn unrequited love that our protagonist isn’t even aware of (adorable moments ya’ll!) and some amazing fight sequences that reminded me of Avengers/X-Men albeit in written form (and no, I haven’t read the comics!).

Our adorkable protagonist, Nicholas Bell, is ADHD, gay and in love with Shadow Star, the resident The Extraordinary Superhero; who is always saving his city, Nova City from the resident villain, Pyro Storm. He writes fanfiction about Shadow Star, beta read by his bestest friend in the whole world; Seth Gray – whose penchant for wearing bow ties and sweater vest obviously makes him the coolest person in Nick’s eyes. They are joined by Gibby, a butch girl who looks scary and is scary and Jazz, a cheerleader who lookslike a calming influence but is actually the deadly one – a queer couple who are so obviously in love but are the protectors Nick and Seth need! We also have a sleazy yet flirty ex – boyfriend (or the Debacle) of Nick, who tends to nose in on the conversations that Nick

This was my first TJ Klune book – and honestly I am in love – The plot is predictable – I swear I predicted how the book would proceed with the first 15% of the book (I swear, I even called it with Nick!) – but it was adorable, charming and hilarious in a way that I needed after a long, tiring day! I swear, Nick’s interaction with his dad, with his friends and the way his friends supported him, even when he was being a selfish prune; had me sighing in pleasure!

I realise that I haven’t spoken about the actual plotline; and that was deliberate – mostly because most of it is given in the blurb it self – so I know you will enjoy the book, if you go in ONLY with that in your mind.
Also, just one thing, Nick’s ADHD rep is on point – he tended to actually go on a tangent which reflected in the book as well – so there were times, even with whole adorableness of the book and the characters had my head swimming for a while – and this is NOT a negative point – I adore that the author had the talent and ability to show EXACTLY how an ADHD mind works!

So, THIS ONE GETS ALL THE THUMBS UP – Also can I not have to wait A YEAR FOR THE SEQUEL PLEASSE?

Goodreads says it’s a trilogy!!!! Which I’m very excited about! I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to see what the other books will hold. Especially after that ending! This post will be mostly be just rambling about how much I connected to the characters (well, mostly the main character). So it might be a bit long.

If you were wondering what on earth I was doing, rambling on in the summary; the main character (Nick) has ADHD. The book is ownvoices for its queer rep and the neurodiverse rep. I have ADHD, so I was pretty excited to see a MAIN character have it too. And while I can’t speak for medicated ADHD rep (because I haven’t been on meds since like high school), I do think it was great representation of how a person with ADHD thinks and reacts and speaks.

I have so so many notes in my Kindle that’s just ME in all caps and etc etc because I RELATED so much to the main character!! And that’s really really important for me (someday I’ll do a post on what makes or breaks a book for me) – to connect to a character and to relate to them. Nick was definitely one of them, what he said I felt. Like when he said something embarrassing and immediately regretted it? I’ve spent multiple nights thinking back to literally anything mildly embarrassing I’ve said in the past.

And when he rambles and goes on about x or y topic and other people are like… and they don’t exactly know what to do or say; or sometimes (and this does happen) that even your best or closest friends or family do say something rude about the ADHD. And it hurt Nick, and it hurt me as well. Because that is something that happens alll the time. I don’t think people really get how it affects our day-to-day life/living. There’s never a moment where my ADHD lets me like… rest. Not even at night, when I’m ‘trained’ to sleep. My brain is always on overdrive and multitasking and thinking and thinking and thinking.

But anyway! Let’s carry on from all the rambling. I loved the other characters. Seth 🥰🥰 Gibby and Jazz were super great. Just everyone I really loved?? Except Owen. I didn’t like him.

The plot? I had my thoughts, and then I switched my thoughts, and my second set of thoughts were right. Meaning, the plot was a bit transparent and I knew what was going to happen. Yes, Nick seemed like a bit of a dumb-dumb for not realising what was happening earlier, but then again that tied into his personality – which I loved a lot.

I loved the fic aspect (which I wished there could’ve been more of, like in Fangirl). I mean, the fact that it was past 200k and he was STILL writing is everything for me.

Yes, I did give the book 4 stars instead of 5. Unfortunately, that’s mostly due to (sometimes) the book did feel like it was taking too much inspiration from a fic, and being too much like a fanfic – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! At all! I love fics so much! But sometimes it can be a bad thing. Another reason why I gave it 4 and not 5, is because Nick’s dad is a police officer. And the book paints the job in a very good light and praises the police force without talking about the negative aspects of the career. And that’s a very unfortunate thing to do in this current time and environment.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

This was such a cute book! The main character, Nick Bell, is a lovably awkward teenager with a fun group of friends. The story moved along well, even if the final outcome was predictable, it was still an adorable and fast read. The story was funny even while dealing with some bigger concepts/themes.

TJ Kline has me hooked on his writing style and I can’t wait to read some other works.

Friendships, relationships, comedy… all the best parts of a story were included in this book. We also got a fantastic, swoony, romantic young adult love story. Seth and Nicky were so goals, both as friends and as more. In fact, everywhere I looked there was another story with this story. It gives me such hope for the trilogy overall.

And the cliffhanger was perfection. It left me eager for the next book, but without feeling like I’m hanging on a precipice.

It was a really good book by a really amazing author. I only wished I hadn’t been able to guess where The Extraordinaries was going to go. I figured out almost all of the reveals far before they happened, and I would have liked to be more surprised. Luckily I don’t read this author for the shock value. I read him for his heart.

The Extraordinaries had a beautiful heart.

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

I am happy to announce that this quote sums up a good majority of this book and it’s wonderful. The Extraordinaries was hilarious and full of SO MUCH second-hand embarrassment. Some of Nick’s choices and his obliviousness made me want to face-palm so hard. The romance in this book was adorable and it was so cute how flustered Seth and Nick got around each other. Plus, Nick loves his friends a lot and I love seeing that in books. Every single one of their interactions was just the best.
What I really loved about this book was that it’s basically set in our world but with superheroes. So you had Nick talking about Spider-man, Batman, etc alongside Shadow Star and Pyrostorm. Which I thought was really cool. Many people have said that they saw the twist coming and it wasn’t shocking, but I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be the point. The Extraordinaries leans into many of the tropes of superhero stories and I think you’re *supposed* to know what’s coming. You can’t tell me that every single superhero movie you watch is brand new and shocking to you. They just aren’t.

All of that being said, the portrayal of the police didn’t sit right with me at all. Nick’s dad is a cop who got demoted for punching a witness and the police play a central part in the story. Many of the quotes when talking about the police read like glorification and there was even a joke about police brutality. While I hope that this is something that’s addressed in the rest of the series, I want people to be aware of it before they go into this book.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

I read another of TJ Klune's books: Middle Grade The House in the Cerulean Sea<a couple of months ago, and I found myself just smitten with his writing style. This is his YA debut, and it not only features superheroes. It contains some pretty "extra" teens. This friend group is precisely the one you'd want to go through high school today. This queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves captured my heart.

Parental Note: I'd say it is a story for older teens (or any kid that understands the physical mechanics involved because it is completely spelled out) If that's the case, you or your teen will love Nick and his friends. Great banter, I laughed so much. I also want to not an Excellent liberal representation of the differences between people. And it's the start of a series!!

The Extraordinaries is a fun, wonderful novel.
I didn’t know quite what I was getting into when I started the book. Despite reading the summary and several reviews, I was under the impression that Nick wrote fanfiction about a TV show with superheroes. So imagine my surprise when there are actual superheroes and peoples with powers in this world. It didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, but it was a different book than I was expecting!
It took a few chapters to get into the groove of the boo. The dialogue and characters seem over the top and past the point of believability (looking at you Nick). However, that quickly became what I loved about it. I was laughing out loud consistently throughout the story, partly at how oblivious Nick is and the suffering of his friends.
There is one aspect I think some readers may have issues with. Nick’s dad is a police officer – a police officer that had been demoted for punching a suspect. Police are a central part of the story. The main character's dad is a police officer - he’s around the house, and his job is very relevant to the story. It also seems like Nick’s dad will play an active part in a sequel. I don’t know - the portrayal of the police didn’t sit quite right with me, but I'm also not sure what would make it better.
All in all, I loved reading The Extraordinaries, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Nick Bell and his friends.