-I love TJ Klune with anything he writes. He writes stories that warm your heart, make you root for the main character, and that make you laugh so hard.
-I love how our MC is neurodiverse with having ADHD and I totally get him since I have ADHD and I like how he uses it to his advantage
-I love the romance and the superhero’s.

4.5 Stars

A satisfying conclusion to this YA fantasy trilogy, I felt this matured with each book, as well it should as our teen hero Nick and his loyal friends all go through a lot, learning about life, love, and themselves!

When we last saw Nick and company, they were a solid incognito crime fighting team, and Nick was trying to come into his newly realized powers and potential responsibilities, all the while dealing with familial secrets and betrayals. Flash Fire left readers wondering about the future fate of all Extraordinaires as nemesis Simon Burke introduced a seemingly benevolent offer to cure their powers for the safety of the public, hiding a yet to be seen but inevitable sinister self serving plan. Toss in an off kilter ex-boyfriend who had escaped prison and an unbelievable cliffhanger reveal, and there were many questions left to be answered.

Though this plot line started out nebulous and confusing, what unfolds was a scary twist. Many might not like this crazy development, but I felt it ultimately played out nicely, forcing the gang and their wonderful parents, friends, and family to really band together to fight Simon Burke’s evil maniacal agenda.

What I truly appreciate about these 3 books is that with Klune’s deserved popularity and move into a more mainstream avenue, I’m grateful that a bigger publisher in no way impeded his unique and trademark brand of humor, style, and over the top brazenness. This doesn’t hold back on touchy topics, the uncomfortableness of growing up, the squeamish/embarrassing but relevant topics that all teens face, and Klune does it with frankness, truth, and outrageous hilarity and always with plenty of heart. It’s been a hot minute since I laughed so hard that I was crying, and then I soon found myself crying for real because of all the feels.

Overall, though some things in plot execution didn’t pan out as I wanted (do they100% truly ever?), this still had a fitting conclusion that fell in line with the themes and messages of each book. Things can’t always end perfectly (tho it was pretty darn close), and that’s how life goes - sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s really really great, and often it isn’t fair.

Sooooo bad guys are going to do bad. Good guys are going to their darnedest to stop them. There are certainly some setbacks, but this is fantasy fiction after all so don’t be too worried. Rest assured that our titular hero Nick definitely remains true to himself and learns plenty along the way as all YA stories go, leaving me with a big fat smile at the very end!

What an ending to an amazing trilogy I'd been waiting for so long! I am going to miss the wonderful characters and their journey.

Just cannot explain how perfect of a book and an ending it is for them all! Cannot wait to re-read them all togeteher to re-live the stories.

Heat Wave is the third and final novel in T.J. Klune's The Extraordinaries series. If you wandered across this story after finding (and falling in love with) The House in the Cerulean Sea, then you better prepare yourself because this is a totally different beast. T.J. Klune is the master at changing voices.

Nick is finally the extraordinary he had always dreamed of being. Better yet, he has his boyfriend, best friends, and family at his side, helping him keep the city safe. Yet there's a new darkness looming over the city, as always seems to be the case for heroes.

While fighting to protect the city, Nick can't help but feel like he's missing something. Only time will reveal what it is that he's been overlooking.

“Silence, only interrupted by Seth banging his head against the nearest wall over and over, each hit punctuated by the word why.”

Back into the fray! I've been looking forward to Heat Wave, though admittedly, I slightly dread having to say goodbye to this series. Especially Miss Conduct, she's my favorite and I'm not really to let go.

Nick has got to be the happiest and most cheerful hero I have ever seen, and I'm a fan of MHA (though I do think Lumillion would give Nick a run for his money). It's endearing. His character makes for an interesting foundation, as the world and story revolve around him.

It didn't take long to fall in love with Nick's quirky personality and explosive nature. The past two novels were a delight, making it easy to look forward to the events of Heat Wave. Unfortunately, I think I may have made the mistake of letting myself get a bit over-hyped.

I'm not going to say that Heat Wave was bad – it wasn't. But I don't think it was as strong as the first two novels. It almost felt like something was missing, though I couldn't tell you what for the life of me.

Still, it's a fun and fast hero read with solid characters. This series has never been afraid to touch upon current topics to make a point, and I respect that so much. This fictional world has grown with its audience, which can sometimes feel like an impossible task. So let's give some credit where credit is due.

As for the main plot, I can't say too much about that. Even a light description would risk spoiling a significant reveal – though I think readers will feel it coming long before it happens. I would be curious to see what everything else thought about this twist. Feel free to reach out!

Long story short, Heat Wave was still a good read, but now the mind-blowing read I had come to expect from this series.

How do I begin to review Heat Wave? It’s the end of a trilogy, so it’s dependent on the books that came before and it has the responsibility of tying up all the loose ends. That’s a tall order, and ultimately for me, it fell a bit short of its potential.

I loved The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune. I loved how self-aware it was, how tongue-in-cheek and yet absolutely true it was. I loved Nick in all his messy, ADHD glory, and I loved Seth and his superhero qualities. Flash Fire was okay. It felt very much like a middle book, but we saw some growth. Unfortunately by book three, the things that really worked in the first books just felt old and stale.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy parts of Heat Wave. I did. I loved watching Nick finally figure out how to use his powers but also come to the realization that being extraordinary wasn’t just about having cool powers. I also continued to love the extended cast of characters—Gibby and Jazz, the Dad Squad, etc.

But there were also parts that left me feeling scuzzy—as an adult, I don’t feel all that comfortable reading about teens having s3x. I’m very s3x positive, but for a YA book, this felt maybe a little too detailed. Or maybe I’m just old and out of touch. Either way, I’m happy that Nick and Seth get their happy ending (no pun intended), but I may have skimmed over a few bits.

An amazing conclusion to the series, which includes superheroes, queer pride, social justice, and found family. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more! I love Nicky and his friends and want to protect him at all costs! I highly recommend these books!

This hurts me, so I'm not going to beat around the bush. I am just going to say it. This was not it for me. I feel let down after anticipating this release for so long.

When I read the first book in this series, The Extraordinaries, in 2020, I was blown away. It was my first time reading from this author and I loved how rapid-fire and intelligent the writing was. It was such a fun story and concept, with a great friendship group at the middle. The second book in the series, Flash Fire, which I read in 2021, wasn't quite all the stars for me like the first book, but I still really, really enjoyed it.

While it started out a little slow, by about 40% we started getting some startling new revelations that really helped to build the intensity. Additionally, I was having a lot of fun just being back with the characters I had grown to love. There was a cliffhanger ending to the second book that left me with hives and my jaw on the floor. It was so shocking and exciting. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. I needed answers!!

I picked Heat Wave up on July 2nd and it then took me over 20-days to finish it. For a book in this genre, that is pretty unusual for me. The beginning was so slow. I just couldn't get into it and also, I was confused. All I could think about was that amazing cliffhanger from book two. I wanted to know what happened from there. It didn't seem to be touched upon at all. I started to think maybe I was misremembering the end of the second book. Had I somehow imagined it all? Did I make it all up in own head?

Eventually it was revealed why it wasn't making any sense to me and I was so disappointed. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I was just like, 'nooooo, that can't be it.' After that disappointment, I switched to the audiobook in the hopes of being able to get through it more quickly. I was just about ready to give up.

Thankfully the audiobook narrator was freaking fantastic and breathed new life into the story for me. Also, the action definitely picked up in the later portions of the story.

So yeah, at the end of the day, I'm sad about this one. The ending was cute, but this isn't how I wanted this experience to go. I still love Nick, Seth, Gibby, Jazz and the Dads. I just wish we could have had a better time together. Overall, I still would definitely recommend this series as a whole. I know I am going to be in the minority opinion on this one and that's okay. Different stories work for different people and at different times.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Teen, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it very much and look forward to reading more from Klune.

I love this book series. It was so fun and I really enjoyed the ending to this trilogy. The characters are just the best and TJ's writing is full of great social issues to get you to think.

A solid end to the series.

It did drag in a few places, and the humour got a bit tedious in a few places. Plus, the way things came together in the climax felt a little too convenient. Also, there were a few things that were irksome, like how we're constantly told Gibby is super smart but we're never shown it...and also, why are the women all relegated to background tasks during the climax?

Still, this series is fun if you can suspend disbelief for basically the entire thing. I love the relationships between the characters, the Dad Squad was great (but why wasn't there a Mom Squad?), and Burrito Jerry gets all the points.

This was a solid ending to this series! I really love TJ Klune and his quirky and funny writing, and this book really showed off his writing style. I will say that this book was probably my least favorite in the series because, at times, the writing came off as a little too silly or tried too hard to be funny. The characters are what make this series though, and I'm glad to have read their development over the series. There were some plot points that were also a little irksome, as you could tell what was going to happen later and made the plot drag because of it. Otherwise, this series is a fun superhero story that I would recommend to most!

4.5 rounded down. this was a pretty good conclusion to the extraordinaries trilogy! this book had a breakneck pace, and from the start of the book i was drawn in, but it also has slower scenes that made me feel for the characters. one thing i didn't like is that this book tells instead of shows at a few points in the book, one example being that the reader is constantly told that gibby is smart, but she isn't given many opportunities to actually *be* smart. this book also repeats some phrasing from previous books, but not in a way that seems purposeful; instead, it drew me out of the book. overall, though, this was the best of the three books and i like how (most) characters' storylines finished up. i will always have a bone to pick with pieces of media that refuse to kill objectively terrible people, but fine, that's how most YA superhero books are these days, so I'll cut this book some slack.

Thoughts and Themes: I really enjoyed the first book in this series but the second one let me down. I was a bit worried about this one because of that and the reviews that I saw of this book. I'm glad I decided to listen to it on audio though since I dont think I could've gotten through it otherwise. It isn't because its bad but the second hand embarrassment is a lot.

There were moments in which I wanted to throw this book across the room or hide it under a pillow because of the terrible second hand embarrassment. These were moments that I thought were way too much but then I remembered being a teenager and a lot were just accurate. There were also moments in which I had to pause the book because I was laughing and not paying attention to what was being said. Books rarely make me laugh out loud especially when I am in public so this made for some fun moments.

I would skip this series if you are not a fan of second hand embarrassment, and a lot of mention about sex. There is also pro-cop sentiments in the first two books and the third book doesn't really do a good job of handling the shift from pro-cop to anti-cop. It kind of attempts to make the reader give a pat on the back to Nick's dad for quitting the force without addressing his prior actions as a cop or why this shift needed to happen.

One thing that I didn't like about the book is the way in which it ends. I won't give spoilers but it seemed rushed to me which is why I wasn't a big fan of it. I also found it a little hard to follow and had to listen to it more than once to follow what was happening and why.

Characters: In this book, you continue following Nick and his group of friends, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz as they try to keep their city safe. You also get to continue learning about their families, mostly their dads, along with a new person, Burrito Jerry.

Just as I did in previous books, I will always love the relationship and support that Nick gets from each of his friends. I actually like the friendships much more than the relationship in this book. I love Nick and Seth as a couple but I value their friendship a lot more. I also really enjoyed the Dad squad in this book and how supportive they are in their own ways.

Writing Style: This story is told in third person through the perspective of Nick. I like that things are told through his perspective because we get a lot of his inner thoughts. I like that his thoughts aren't linear because of his ADHD and how we get to see the way this affects him.

It was such a struggle to finish this one. I absolutely LOVED the first book in the series and while I didn't love the second one, I still really enjoyed it. There was such a cliffhanger at the end of the second one and that alone made me super excited for this one. Imagine my surprise when it started out in one of the most boring ways imaginable. And it stayed boring. Absolutely nothing happened for the LONGEST time. I seriously thought I had imagined the ending to the second book. Everyone in the book kept going on like nothing major happened. Eventually, there was a twist that revealed why that was and I was so disappointed. It was surprising, but also maddening.

I do think that the author tried way too hard with the humor and there were too many sexual innuendos. And seriously . . . there was a 10 page spiel about enemas. ENEMAS?? REALLY?? That was so infuriating and not at all funny. I also got annoyed with the stupid banter in the middle of life and death situations. If your life is in danger, are you really going to stop and admire your boyfriend's abs? Ugh.

Basically, I just skimmed the last 20% because I was so bored and just wanted it to end. Very disappointing.

This is the third book in this series, and I loved it just as much as the rest. I thought it was a great conclusion! If you’ve read the others, you ABSOLUTELY need to read this one, and if you haven’t picked this series up yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! It is funny, and there’s action, and LOVEEEE! I love the relationship growth that we see through the series as well, and I mean, who doesn’t love super heroes? What I’m saying is, I loved this so much, but I love everything TJ writes so, I wasn’t really surprised.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heat Wave is the third and final installment within The Extraordinaries series. It's pretty weird that I never read these books until now. I mean, I fell in love with Nick 2o seconds into the very first book. So, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with how quickly I devoured this entire series. Nick and Seth were my everything and I would fight anyone just to make sure that they get a happily ever after.

Their relationship was awkward at times but so adorable for the rest. Nick has no filter whatsoever and he just made me laugh all the freaking time. So, it's a little weird that this book didn't have the same amount of humor as the other two. It still had some, don't get me wrong, but I just wanted more humor within all the action.

I guess the upside to less humor is watching Seth and Nick get closer to one another. Their relationship definitely stepped up as they are getting a little bit older and bit more serious. We also get to see everyone struggle as well. Which made things a bit more realistic (for people who have superpowers).

Other than that, we also get to meet Nick's mom which confused the heck out of me. Mostly because I just didn't know if we could trust her because everything felt off and suspicious. In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to read this book and fall in love with this series. Will definitely be on the lookout for another one of T.J.'s books!

I liked how this novel concluded the series, but I was not a huge fan of the characters in general. They felt like they were trying too hard to be quirky and interesting (other than Nick's dad, who was by far my favourite character), and I thought that the writing felt a little formulaic. I was really looking forward to reading this whole series because I got this ARC, but even though I have absolutely loved all of the other TJ Klune books I've read, this series just was not for me. It might be that I have outgrown these types of YA novels, but I was irked by some of the comments that the characters made, and annoyed by some of their decisions. This book series will definitely be really good for others and I thought that this book finished all of the ideas and story threads well, but I did not particularly enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

The third in a rom/com/superhero chapter book series focused on hyperactive Nick navigating life with his new powers.

A pretty fun and sweet conclusion to the series. The family drama with Nick was fun to see but I was still disappointed to see a lack of fleshing out Seth's character--we had more scenes with Owen, a bad guy, instead of Seth, weirdly enough. Still, entertaining all around.

Great ending to a great series! Nick was back being his usual self which always elicits a lot of laughs and the dad squad was fantastic. I love the relationship that Nick and Aaron have, it's great to see a really supportive parent of a queer kid, even if he does occasionally try to embarrass his son to death.

I love this series! TJ Klune writes this couple so well. I was so obsessed with the first book, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to read more of the series.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so, I didn't love this as much as book 1 or book 2. For most of the story I felt lost, and I knew something was off and as the reader I was supposed to know something was off, but I didn't like how weird everything was related to Nick and and his mom. All is cleared up but it kind of colored my opinion of the story thereafter.

Overall, this was not bad, but not awesome, which TJ can do without question. Could have been my mood, who knows.

Nick and Seth are a cute couple and Nick is super interested in things between them heating up, no pun intended. :D

The drama around The Villains was too much like real life. It was more than obvious real life issues were coloring the content of this book, and I didn't like that. I read to escape real life, otherwise I'd watch the news or read a non-fiction (which I do both). Books are my escape. I don't want to hear about defunding the police, or Trump references, or anything else. It was hard to immerse myself in this story because I kept being pulled out of the story by being reminded of real world events. I get the desire to do that, really I do, and there is a time and place for that. In a superhero type story where everything is supposed to unbelievable and you know, Marvel Comics like, I want to hear about Nick being telekinetic and Seth flying with fire, not about real world politics. I think I've beat the point to death. Moving on.

Aside from that, I wish things could have been happier for everybody. The drama they went through with Nick's mom was hard and it hurt to see them all suffering because of it. The Villains were super villainy, and the hero's superheroey (that's a word!), plus OMG DAD SQUAD! Talk about embarrassment! :D

Of course the hero's win, but I was sad to see the circumstances, which I won't go into details even using spoiler tags because you should not know certain things going in.

The epilogue was nice, though I wish I could have seen a more recent future, not like 10 years in the future. Maybe 1 year, that would have been cool. Of course they all end up together and everybody is happy and living the good life. What else can you expect from a Super Hero Romance Story Extraordinaire. I capitalized that so you know it's true. :D :D

I give this 3 stars mostly because there was too much non-fiction in my fiction. The series was entertaining and I hope to listen to the audios which I understand to be amazing.

Recommend this to fans of TJ and paranormal/fantasy style romances with teenagers.