Heat Wave is the third book in the Extraordinaries series, a series which I have not read until this book. At first, I thought this book felt like every other superhero title, except with two queer couples at the forefront. Continuing though, I found myself falling in love with all the characters, both main and supporting. Seth and Nick's romance is front and center: open, sexual, and caring. Their best friends Gibby and Jazz are just as wholesome a couple. The positive queer representation in this book makes it a great read by itself. However, the teens' families come into their own throughout the story, as well. The ending was unique and well-earned (even if I did not read the previous books in the series). Nick's relationship with his father is the anti-thesis to toxic masculinity. They grieve, support, and love without worrying about judgment from others. Some of the dialogue is cheesy, but it never felt unrealistic, given the narrator is a teen boy. Heat Wave may a bit confusing to those who have not read the other books in the series, but even on its own, it is a worthwhile read.

I can't fully review this title with justice as I didn't realize this was a series and I did not read the first two. That being said, I fell in love with the characters and the story and it went down super easy. I loved it!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review--

This book starts off strong with the same Nicky and crew charm that makes us all fall in love. But this time, with a twist. I was fairly confused in the beginning but once things start to unravel and the story picks up, it's an easy and fun read again.

While humor is one of the things I love about this series, this book felt a little performative compared to the others. Like the humor was cranked up because everyone liked it. Only this time, it was so much it made the book less funny.

And the one thing I loved the most about this series is Nick's relationship with his dad, and it didn't feel as heartwarming this time around.

However, overall this was a nice end to the series and I have fun reading it.

A satisfying ending to a great trilogy! This book made me laugh out loud so many times I lost count. It’s witty and funny and so much fun to read. The story line is really great and unexpected, and really shows how Nick has grown since the first book. Simon Burke is incredibly devious in this and is truly a villain for the sake of being a villain, and tries to destroy Nick mentally. By the end of it all, you can’t help but feel bad for Owen. Simon may be evil for the fun of it, but Owen is the type of villain who could have been a good guy if not for his crappy parents.

My absolute favorite part of this book is Aaron Bell. Nick’s dad is so supportive of him in every way. The best scene written in this book that really shows how much Aaron loves his son is when he catches Nick Googling how to be a bottom. This scene is so important for queer kids who are not taught about how to have safe sex. This book does move a little outside of the typical YA genre and does have some more mature themes in it that the previous books (small spoiler: Nick and Seth’s first time). I loved the way that TJ Klune tackles this topic in this book and maintains such a sense of love both between Nick and his father and between Nick and Seth.

The author has a great way of tackling a lot of difficult topics, including the Black Lives Matter movement. Especially because Nick’s father is/was a cop, it would have felt wrong for it to be ignored. It’s done in a way that is impactful and respectful and I’m glad to see it discussed in a YA series.

It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to these characters, and I love that their send off is so beautiful. I’m so excited to see what TJ Klune does next.

The third and final installment of this series was absolutely perfect, but it's not like I expected anything less from Klune. This series has made me laugh and cry, and I am so sad it's over but also very pleased with the ending. Nick, Gibby, Jazz, Seth, and the dads are everything I could have wished for in a character squad. I am so thankful we got three books with these them! Please pick up this series if you want to read something that will make you laugh until you cry.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Tor for an early copy of Heat Wave in exchange for an honest review.

See below for synopsis:
Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz are back in action bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City.

An unexpected hero returns to Nova City and crash lands into Nick's home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero in the explosive finale of the thrilling and hilarious Extraordinaries trilogy by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune.

This is the finale to the Extraordinaires trilogy!

After the cliffhanger from the second book it was hard to wait for this one!

I'm surprised I'm not seeing this book more in my feed. I think Nick is my guilty pleasure. I wish I had a friend that was so adorably awkward and hilarious. He has ADHD and over thinks everything. I just love him.

This book was the progression of his relationship, talk about slow burn. They actually might get to see some action. If Dad doesn't keep messing up their game with helpful cringey suggestions. Thanks Dad! My dad used to use the term heavy petting which made me want to gag.

Omg the bad guys did a very cruel trick in this and it was a very dirty play. Really did me dirty bro, not cool. Also, the anti supers stance feels familiar with a lot of rhetoric at least the way this db was spewing it.

I love this whole team of characters they are so funny! They just don't miss a opportunity to double, triple or quadruple the jokes and plays on people. Uh does Nick exist and if so can you ask him if he will be my friend? If not it's cool, I'm fine.

Thank you @torteen and @netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Amazing conclusion to this action-packed queer YA superhero series!

Nick and Seth are back in this crazy superhero story! Truths have come out, but suddenly an old character is back from the past, but there's definitely a "what's happening" mind blast for the first couple of chapters, and you watch these characters slowly realize something is very wrong. I think it would be super confusing if you haven't read the first two books, and even then I was a bit confused.

But overall everything I love about this series- the sass, the queerness, the empowerment of gay and black rights, is back and better than ever! It's a happy ending and the epilogue shows a happy and hopeful glimpse of the future for our beloved characters.

This book was, as most TJ Klune's work, a 5-star read.

This is the last book in a YA fantasy/contemporary trilogy in which Nick, a 16-year-old gay young man with ADHD doesn't have any powers in a world of superheroes. His city is protected by these special humans and he sometimes feels helpless, but he dreams of them and puts this into words on a fanfic he writes regularly. He lives just with his dad, who loves him, but he's not the only one to appreciates Nick, who's surrounded by love from family and friends. Will our villains destroy his city, or will Nick be able to support this justice league with other kind of superpowers?

All I can tell you is TJ Klune did it again and got right to the root of my heart, amking me cry and laugh althogether. Love his sarcastic sense of humour, which permeates all his work and makes it much more enjoyable. He uses it in all the right places and moments, so we have bittersweet moments and nostalgic smiles in all his books, and this one is no exception.

I have no idea how he does it, but he has an incredible ability to write people's thoughts and emotions, making his characters alive and leading the reader to feel the characters' emotions as their own. I personally have no support network in life (understood as those people who, no matter what, will be there for you and do anything in their power to get where you are if you need them), so it was beautifully painful, if it makes sense, to read this book. My heart was so full to see such a good quality support network full of so much real love, I cannot even put it into words.

Psychologically speaking, I have no complain whatsoever about this book. Every mental health issue that arises is portrayed exactly as it is and its consequences are spotlessly shown. What amazed me the most is how Klune writes the inner being of each character in such a way that they feel too real and always hit home.

As if it was not clear enough, I highly recommend this story of love, acceptance, diversity and support to absolutely every human on earth and beyond.

Book 954: Heat Wave (The Extraordinaries #3) – T.J. Klune
July 22, 2022
Geoff W
Book cover of "Heat Wave" with Amazon Affiliate linkAfter the cliffhanger of Flash Fire, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. I was approved for a copy a few months ago and of course, sat on it for too long and missed the archive date.* Thankfully, I had downloaded a copy so was able to finish it up on the plane flying out to Chicago earlier this week.

The beginning was a little bit rough as there seemed to be a key piece of information missing from the story, but I figured out pretty quickly what was going on. It was all connected to the cliffhanger of Flash Fire so spoilers warning for after the jump.

Klune kept all of the humor and hilarity that he is known for and if anything ramped it up even more in this book. Seriously, the Dad Squad moments were hilarious, the sex talks between Nick and his dad were always worth a chuckle, and the genuine love and humor between the core group of friends just made this final book in the series a great conclusion.

‘He’s a good guy,’ Nick said, rubbing his own tears away on Dad’s shirt.
‘He is. You both remind me of . . . how it was for me and your mother. And I hope you get to experience what we had because no matter how it ended, it was good. So damn good. Maybe that’ll be with Seth. Maybe it’ll be with someone else, but I want that for you.’
‘Me too. I think it’ll be with Seth, though.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah. If you didn’t scare him away with the banana on the condom or the dental dams or the unfortunate enema demonstration, I have a feeling he’ll stick around.’ He glared at his father. ‘Which you know. What in the absolute hell is wrong with you?’
‘So many things,’ Dad said. ‘But I have no regrets; the look on your face each time was worth it.’ He twisted his mouth, eyes bulging comically from his head as he pitched his voice high and said, ‘But, Dad. You’re embarrassing me in front of everyone!’ (Chapter 13)

As hinted at above, I had some issues with the start of the novel. It very much felt like an in medias res but in the middle of a story already. There was a jump between the end of the second to this book, or at least that’s what it felt like. Klune I think had it last a little longer than it should have which made that first climax of the novel a little underwhelming, only because it dragged on that little bit too long. Once I figured it out I just kept waiting for the reveal and when it finally happened I was just sort of ‘okay, now what.’ Which was disappointing because I was 100% on board with it being Nick’s mom, but there were enough hints early on that I figured out it wasn’t, but I wasn’t sure who the imposter was or how they were connected. That did pull me back into the storyline and I was onboard and reading eagerly to the end even though, again, I figured out how everything was going to play out, but Klune’s humor kept me interested and engaged.

‘I used to have this dream. Of the sexy variety. Me and Han Solo in a hot tub.’
Seth gaped at him. ‘You had sex dreams about Han Solo?’
‘Yep,’ Nick said. ‘And I don’t even feel bad about it. Believe me when I say that Han shot first.’
Jazz began to giggle, Gibby following soon after, arms wrapped around her stomach as she rolled back and forth. Seth snorted, shaking his head. ‘I’ll give you that, Nicky. I’m not even jealous.’
‘You shouldn’t be,’ Nick told him. ‘You’re better.’
(Chapter 15)

Klune did a great job with Nick and Seth moving to the next step of their relationship and, honestly, I was so glad that the end of the novel wasn’t about them, but about Jazz and Gibby. I legit teared up (the main reason it got bumped to 5 stars from 4) and was just like awwwwwwww, swoon. I kind of wish there was more of a story between the end of the action and the afterward, but it was kind of nice not actually knowing what happened and there only being a vague reference to Nick’s 21st birthday and the proposal that was incoming. It was just perfect.

Why try and kill people when you could do other things like read a book or go to a museum? (Chapter 11)

Recommendation: For me, the hardest part about reading Klune is getting into his voice. For some reason each time I go back to a book by him it takes me a few pages/chapters to get into it and then all of a sudden it clicks and I fly through. The series got progressively better, but now having finished it I think I preferred his stand-alone novels (The House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and that I’m not surprised as I think those were more designed for adult readers rather than young adult readers.

*I received a copy of Heat Wave via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Thank you so much Tor and NetGalley for this copy of Heat Wave!! My extraordinary heart is just exploding with all the love for this series!! 😭😭😭

How do I review the last book in a series without spoiling the whole book/series?? These characters are my literal favorites. Nick, Seth, Gibby, Jazz, the Dad Squad, Burrito Jerry, Lighthouse, Miss Conduct, literally all the parents (& as much as I don’t wanna say Rebecca Firestone) all make the story. This is the friend group Id want in my life!

I think the story improved the further it went, tackling the police issues and how it feels to be different and using that for change the world! TJ Klune has a way with humor although I would have diiiiieeddd if my parent wanted to talk to me about dental dams and enemas 🙈

Overall, you need this series in your life. Super heroes fighting for good, humor, super queer, found family, a man named burrito Jerry, crime fighting drag queens, and so much more!

****THE AUDIOBOOK IS FANTASTIC & WOULD RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN!****

Note: Heat Wave is the third book in T.J. Klune’s The Extraordinaries series and follows directly after Flash Fire. As such, this book and review will have spoilers from some of the events earlier in the series.

It’s summer vacation and Nick Bell, along with his boyfriend, Seth, and their best friends, Jazz and Gibby, are trying to move forward after the big battle during prom. But even as they try to enjoy the break, things are changing for the group, as Gibby has graduated, and they aren’t even sure if Seth will be allowed back into school now that everyone knows he is Pyro Storm. But their even bigger problem is dealing with Simon and Owen Burke. Owen has escaped from the hospital and no one knows where he is or what trouble he may be causing. And his father, Simon, is running for mayor of Nova City on an anti-Extraordinary platform. They know that Simon has an agenda, particularly as Owen revealed Simon has been making pills to give people super powers. But while Simon’s end game may be unclear, everyone knows there is trouble coming.

The time for the final showdown is approaching. Nick is training to enhance his powers and learn more about being an Extraordinary. The four teens are focused on figuring out all they can about what the Burkes may be up to. And they have the help of their families, who are now all in the know about the situation, plus what looks to be an unlikely ally — if they can be trusted. Now, Nick, Seth, and the rest of the gang are ready to battle for the safety of Nova City, freedom for the Extraordinaries, and for their very lives.

Heat Wave brings to a conclusion The Extraordinaries trilogy and ties up the story that spans the three books. This is a series where you need to start from the beginning, as the storyline follows pretty closely from one book to the next. Here we set the stage for the final battle with Simon Burke, a battle that has been a long time coming given all we have learned about his past, particularly as it intertwines with Nick’s family. But more than that, Simon is gaining in power as he runs for mayor and is inciting a lot of anti-Extraordinary hatred. As with the other two books, this story mixes the personal with Nick and Seth’s relationship, as well as their friends and family, and combines it with some big battles and exciting revelations. Things tie up really nicely here on all fronts, and Klune does a great job pulling the series together, bringing in a lot of threads from the trilogy for this final book.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the relationships — the romantic, the friendships, and the families. We see Nick and Seth have really grown in their relationship over the series. This is still a young adult story, and the sexual side of things is kept pretty PG. But there is definitely a sense of watching these two mature in their relationship throughout the books. I also continue to really love their friendship with Jazz and Gibby. These are some strong young women and even though they don’t have powers of their own, we see them being tough, brave, and intelligent. It is clear that their contributions to the quest are critical. But even more, I really love how these four love and care for each other, support one another, and make up a real team. We get a nice epilogue at the end that gives us a chance to see all four of them and their lives in the future and it is a rewarding ending.

I also enjoyed the way the story starts, as we get this slowly growing awareness that something is not quite right. As things develop, series readers will figure out pretty quickly what is wrong, but not why or what exactly is happening. It gives a nice sense of foreboding that all is not well and adds to the tension early on before we get into the thick of the big ending battle. That said, I think the area where this story suffers a little is in the pacing. As I said, it is clear to the reader fairly early in the book where the problem lies, way before it is clear to the characters themselves. I think this is intentional, as it builds that suspense as we wait for them all to realize something is wrong. But I think for the readers, the lack of clarity on what is actually happening and why lasts too long after we become aware of the problem. There is a build here that works early on, slowing growing this unease as we come to see the problem more clearly. But then it just takes too long to actually reveal what exactly is occurring and why. We go

Spoiler

into the book before we get answers, and it felt too long. I think the story needed to be tighter here early on to maintain that tension, rather than letting things drag on before they become clearer. Once we learn the truth, however, it is exciting and scary and emotional and it’s a great reveal. Which all leads really well then into the remainder of the story and the final showdown.

Overall, I have enjoyed this series. It is not without its issues, particularly with regard to the way the police are portrayed in the first book, and Klune makes a clear effort to address that in the second two books. I am a fan of superhero stories, and I enjoyed the way this one focuses on these two teen LGBTQ couples and how they work together to fight the evil in their city. If you enjoy superheroes, young adult stories, and a focus on the bonds of friendship, this series is worth checking out.

I need to spend a few minutes raving about “Heat Wave.” Long time listeners know I’ve been excited since news first came out a few years back that TJ planned to write YA. I eagerly dove into “The Extraordinaries” in 2020 and fell in love with Nick Bell as he pined for a boy, desperately tried to make himself into a superhero, and surrounded himself with the best friends a teenager could ever want with Seth, Jazz and Gibby. TJ did what TJ does best, offered up a wonderful, but not always easy, romance between Nick and Seth, gave us an amazing found family with Nick’s dad, friends, and ultimately the families of the friends.

TJ also gave us a fantastic superhero story, that just happened to be rooted in some of the very struggles our real world faces today. We saw in Nick, Seth, Jazz and Gibby, the importance of trying to make your community better–even if it happens that there are very loud voices in the community against you. Plus how trying to make your community better resonates in some cases one person at a time–and how revolutionary it can be for that one person in the moment. Perhaps most of all, the trilogy clearly showed that we are stronger together than trying to work alone. As you can tell, I’m huge fan of this trilogy and I imagine I’ll revisit it from time to time, just as I do with TJ’s “Green Greek” series.

There’s not a lot I can say about “Heat Wave.” As with the later books in the “Green Greek” series, it’s hard to talk about much because there are spoilers everywhere. One thing is a fact, TJ ones again shows what an incredible storyteller he is. Coming off the massive cliffhanger at the end of “Flash Fire,” we dive right in to find that life for Nick, Seth and the Lighthouse team are crazy as they try to figure out how to stop the evil Simon Burke.

A few things I can say here, and some of these points you’ll hear me talk with TJ about in just a moment. I absolutely love the romance between Nick and Seth. These two have had to grow up fast, and a lot of things aren’t simple for them because of that, but they navigate it about as well as two teenagers can. These two ground each other, even if they don’t always realize it. They are a great team in every way and I love the story TJ’s given them in “Heat Wave” and throughout the series, especially the quiet moments they get.

If you’ve read “Flash Fire,” you know that Nick and Seth got some important, and hilarious, sex education from the adults in their life. There’s more of that in “Heat Wave” and somehow TJ managed to bring even more humor to the page while dealing with a topic that every young gay boy has to figure out eventually.

TJ knows how to write battle scenes too. We saw that throughout “Green Creek” and we’ve seen it in the first two books of “The Extraordinaries.” We get a few battles, small and large and even huge in “Heat Wave.” They are very cinematic, they’re very superhero centric, and they are also very much Nick, Seth, Gibby, Jazz and the Lighthouse crew doing everything they can to make the right decisions.

There’s so much wonderful character stuff that has come for these four friends throughout the series that just makes it extraordinary. It’s Nick’s story. But all of them combined have such an amazing trajectory through this trilogy. Best of all, if not most importantly, “Heat Wave” ends by putting a big, sparkly bow as the story draws to a close. I couldn’t be happier with the way the series ends. The closing chapters brought a few tears to my eyes for all the right reasons. Yes, I absolutely loved “Heat Wave” and the complete “Extraordinaries” trilogy that TJ Klune delivered. As always, I can’t wait to see what TJ brings to the world next.

Nicky, yes!
Klune concludes the incredibly adorable and action-packed Extraordinaries with an emotional one-two punch that had me tearing up as much from sadness as from laughing. It's a great conclusion to everything that was set up in the two previous volumes with every single character getting a chance to shine, major surprises and plot twists that I could not believe were happening, and some of the best friendships and relationships in YA.
Nicky and Seth's relationship is adorable and everything that one could possibly want in a sweet childhood friendship evolving into romance. Gibby and Jas remain some of the best side characters I've ever read. And the parents really take up the gauntlet and a more active role that leads to some adorkably fantastic moments. Nick's dad is a treasure and should be used as an example of how to treat queer kids.
Overall, I'm really happy with how well Klune ties up every single thread in an action-packed story that has as much heart as the previous volumes.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the extraordinary read!

What a way to end a trilogy!!!

This was the perfect way to wrap up this story. It’s an emotional book but not in an unnecessary way, more in the way it genuinely represents those BIG feelings of fantastic YA writing.

I’m sad there’s no more books in this world but walk away a happy reader, feeling like everyone got what I wanted for them.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. I loved every single part of this book. I laughed out loud several times, I almost cried once, and I would like to adopt Burrito Jerry. Nicky, his friends, and the Dad Squad were wonderful, and I am so happy that I got to spend three books with these people. Were there moments so awkward that I cringed on Nick's behalf? Yes, but that's part of the charm, because the sweetness and the love make up for the awkward. I wholeheartedly recommend this end to the series.

I never binge books. I usually lose focus after an hour but OMG this book was EVERYTHING! I could not put it down and I was laughing so hard. Klune just has an amazing voice to his writing and really captures the characters. I absolutely loved how this series ended, even though I’m sad it’s okay. I would definitely be down for adult Nick and Seth content!

I’m going to preface this with an I love TJ with all my heart and some of his books live in my soul. This probably isn’t going to be one of them though. The beginning left me confused for too long because wait what? And then the foreshadowing was so heavy multiple times that I was convinced important characters were about to die to the point where I dreaded reading further. I ❤️ the Dad Squad 4eva though!

I love T.J. Klune's writing and stories, and I'm thankful to Goodreads for letting me preview this title early. Heat Wave is a wonderful read that I'm sure will delight fans!

4.5 stars

Heatwave is the final book in the extra-ordinaries series from TJ Klune and has been an absolute joyful ride form start to finish. This series is cheesy and over the top but feels like watching your favourite superhero movie with all the nostalgia and fun that comes with it!

In this book we follow Nick and co amidst a hot summer heatwave where things feel almost unreal... Fighting against the bad guys, both from without and within, this finale feels like a great culmination of all the plot threads so far with an exciting and action packed climax.

I really liked Nick's growth and developing emotional maturity in this book as well as his relationships with his Dad and Seth. Nick and Seth are childhood best friends to lovers which is a favourite trope of mine and while in this book they are fairly established as a couple I still love them and all their interactions!! I also think they have fairly healthy communication for teenagers lol.

One thing I've always loved about this series is how sex-positive it is, which I think is especially important for queer teens! I also liked the discussions around safe sex etc and while I don't think anyone should be getting their sex education from fictional books it is still great to reinforce messages!! (and especially because schools are crap at teaching queer sex education).

Overall this was such a great round out to the series and I would highly recommend if you like superheroes, oblivious gays, an amazing queer friendship group, cheesy camp vibes and an overall message of hope and queer joy.

2.5 stars rounded up bc this is more a me-problem than a book-problem.

I think i am having a TJ Klune issue, where i just have grown to find his writing style so grating that i have a hard time looking past it to the actual book. It is just so affected, and i think that this book is very much in that exact style--so i think if you loved it in the first two Extraordinaries books, you will love it here, but i think i am just over it?

Anyway, the plot was fine, the characters stayed fine, the twists were a little interesting, and i didn't regret reading this, but i feel a little like i did when i read nine Jenny Han books in like a month and a half, or when i ate quinoa every day for like 90 days straight--turned off and over it in a way that is disproportionate to the general fine-ness or even good-ness of the burnout item.

This was a NetGalley ARC, and this is obviously not a review that has been bought off.