"Dads, no!"
"Dads, yes!"

When I finished reading Flash Fire, which ends with a major cliffhanger/reveal, I wanted to read the next book right away. So I was extremely excited when I was chosen to review an ARC of this book instead of having to wait until the release date. And although this book would be worth the wait, I'm glad I didn't have to wait anymore.

One of the things that really struck me as I was reading this book was how different it was from many fantasy books in that the parents of the teenagers were heavily involved in the story. So often, major characters are either orphans or have uninvolved (or abusive) parents. All of the main characters in this book have parents (or parent figures) who take part in their kids' lives (perhaps too much part, Nick would say). But truly, when the kids need support, those parents are there, fully engaged in their kids' lives.

There are big stakes that the heroes are up against, and there are also big changes/events in their personal lives. Nick, as ever, lets his words get ahead of him and often says/does something completely embarrassing. But it's obvious Klune is coming at the character from a place of love and not ridicule, which makes Nick such a wonderful character. And Seth. Absolutely perfect counterpart to Nick, providing the grounding Nick needs in his life. (Although there's one scene, where...well...I don't want to spoil anything...)

I love these characters and their world. And I'm happy with how everything ended.

TJ Klune wraps up his YA superhero trilogy, The Extraordinaries, with Heat Wave which sees teenager Nick launching into his superhero career, as well as launching into his fully fledged relationship with Seth. Quick note: being the last part of a trilogy, there’s no way to avoid spoilers for the previous books in this review.

Nick has gone from superhero fan (and fanfic writer) to superhero, an ‘Extraordinary’, himself - now going by the name Guardian, his mother’s old moniker. He’s still not very good at it, and his command of his telekinetic powers is, well, temperamental at best. It doesn’t help that his ADHD tends to see his mind running away with him - writing new catch phrases instead of being in the moment. His boyfriend Seth, aka Pyro Storm, is trying to coach him and their cabal of friends and family, the Lighthouse, are there to help. But things get dicey when an old enemy (Nick’s ex-boyfriend) comes back into town, and Nick starts to suspect there’s something weird going on with his mother too…

Heat Wave hits a lot of familiar superhero storylines that will be familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of Marvel comics. A core story involves a version of the Superhero Registration Act, as a local politician is campaigning on a platform to force all Extraordinaries to register with the government. The Extraordinaries are also put into the position of having to protect people who are actively trying to bring them down - or as the X-Men would say they are “sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them”. But it’s clear that Klune is winking at the audience. As one character says:

“Former enemies coming back out of the blue for revenge like this is some self-serious sequel… doesn’t that happen all the time in comics?”

The twist to the lore here is that the Extraordinaries are queer AF. Nick and Seth are contemplating taking the next step in their sexual relationship together. In one of the signature comedy moments Nick, trying to decide whether he’s a bottom or top, is caught googling enema’s by his dad - leading to an hilarious discussion between an over-prepared father and a mortified son. The other members of the Lighthouse, Gibby and Jazz, are a lesbian couple. And they are aided by another Extraordinary, the drag queen Miss Conduct. Adding Nick’s neurodiversity into the mix gives the series an edge of other queer superhero fare - this is a series not afraid to be a voice for the often underrepresented.

The plot has a number of twists and turns, keeping with the superhero genre, and a few unexpected reversals, but is overall not particularly complex. A lot of the page space is spent dealing with Nick’s relationships - it’s clear Klune was keen for the series to model a healthy, young gay relationship with frank discussions of sex, body image and honest communication. There’s also a lot of discussion about the role of the police and politicians that tries to get into the nuances modern readers will expect.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a stale diatribe, there are more quips than a Spider-Man film and more banter than a whole season of Buffy. In fact these kids almost never shut up, to the point where it feels like their conversations will outrun the action. But Klune knows when to get the plot machinations kicking into high gear.

Klune works hard to keep the book accessible to new readers, but let’s be honest, you’re not going to jump into a trilogy with the final part. But if you’ve enjoyed the series so far, you’ll get a kick out of the conclusion, and if the sound of queer, superhero YA sounds like something you’d like - then this series should make you pretty happy. How Klune manages to turn out entertaining books so quickly meanwhile is still a mystery - maybe that’s his superpower?

Heat Wave: The Extraordinaries Book 3 by TJ Klune is published on July 19 2022 by Macmillan-Tor. Pre Order now from your local indie bookseller or the usual online retailers.

As an adult with ADHD, I have loved having the representation in this book. The way it has worked into the story was interesting as well. I love the strong male characters who are also gay, fighting again the stereotypes that so badly need to be removed.
Endings can be so hard, but I loved this ending and it was a perfect way to end the series. Klune has a way of writing characters that you can relate to on a deeper level. You can feel and experience with them through the book. I have felt so connected with the friendships, the families and struggles of being a teenager. I have loved Nick's dad's journey through the series and it continues to grow and be so realistic.
Chefs Kiss!

There are books with queer characters, and there are books that make me taste the rainbow more than any bag of Skittles could ever dream. I’m not ashamed of my preference for the latter. 

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune falls into this second category. It’s one of the most honestly queer series I’ve come across in my routine hauntings of the "LGBT" aisles at Barnes & Noble. 

Heat Wave, book three, comes out soon and it’s gayer than Jinkx Monsoon singing MUNA at Hamburger Mary’s.

Which, by the way, I would really like to see.

Heat Wave wraps up the queer, superpowered coming-of-age story I've come to love. Finishing a series is always bittersweet, but when I find one that does such an excellent job celebrating queer characters it's a little harder to let go. Probably because I know it's going to be a while before I come across the next one. For someone whose formative reading years were starved of two men kissing, devoid of longing, masculine glances, and suffering the lack of more than one boner in a room, even the most niche homosexual references stand out as being something intentionally and honestly written for me. This is the sort of book I wish I’d been able to find growing up. T.J. Klune is the first author I’ve read to have referenced dentals dams in more than one book —or at all, really — and for that he’ll always have a special place in my heart. Also if you don’t know what dental dams are, Klune’s books are probably the kindest way for you to find out about them. Practice safe searching, kids.

From book one all the way to the end, Nick is a character that, if I knew him in real life, I would probably find exhausting. But I'm so glad he exists on the page because at the same time, Nick is the queer kid I didn't allow myself to be when I was growing up. There’s a moment I’m sure other queer people have faced-and still face- when you realize something about you is different from everyone else. From that moment, you start to self edit, censoring any behavior that could set you apart

That moment doesn’t exist for Nick. He is literally unable to self edit (Additional props to Klune for the accurate depiction of ADHD). At all points in time, Nick is joyously queer, but not in a way that demeans the queer experience. Klune purposefully acknowledges how hard it is to be gay, especially while growing up, and gives us a hero that fights back with his queerness.

And despite the explosions and telekinesis, this is still a romance, and "Heat Wave" checks off all the boxes on my list for satisfactory endings. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to tell you things work out all right in the end. This isn't much a surprise for romances, but it's only in recent years that both queer characters survive the relationship. And that means something.

If you're starting to think this book sounds heavier in tone than the first two, you're right. Grief is more present in this book, but it's balanced by the lighthearded humor and queer culture references you'd expect. I think that's why all of T.J. Klune's books really shine for me; they acknowledge all of life's harsher bits, but they're still so damn fun.

Also, two men kissing. It's not hard to appease me.

Heat Wave comes out July 19th, 2022. Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen and NetGalley for allowing me to review an advanced copy.

I will stand by my opinion that Klune can write and do no wrong after reading this. And it was a very bittersweet end of an era for me. I want to go back and reread the entire series again just to live with these characters for a little bit longer. Normally, there is always something to be disappointed in with a finale of a series, but this book left me with absolutely no regrets or disappointment. Highly recommend.

Thanks NetGalley and Tor Teen for the eARC, these opinions are my own! I’ve loved all of The Extraordinaries books and Heatwave is no different! The book right from the start throws you through a loop and had me wanting to skip ahead to figure it out, I didn’t but only barely! I love awkward/nerdy/sarcastic/lovable characters and TJ Klune writes some of the best I’ve ever read! I absolutely adore Nicky in these books and find myself giggling throughout! They’re also action packed as well and Heatwave seemed to ramp up the action! Change has come to Nicky and the gangs life but do they know it? Can Nicky stop Burke and his evil once and for all? What is Shadow Star up too? Can they overcome the growing fear of Extraordinaries in Nova City? All these questions and more are answered in the book! Full of action, LGBTQ+ goodness, and hilarity! I can’t wait to be able to read Heatwave again when it comes out! You’ll laugh, be angry, and just plain happy with this one! Highly recommend! It’s a great time to reread The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire as well!

Let me just start by saying that I love the Extraordinaries trilogy so, so much. I think the characters are adorable and endearing, the plot is interesting and exciting, and it's chuck full of a bunch of funny, cute moments. In regards to Heat Wave -- I have to say that I did thoroughly enjoy it. The first half, on the other hand, did make me feel like there was something more to be desired. I just, for some odd reason, felt a different vibe from it than the other books which can be fine! Until I got to about 40 percent of the way through, I was questioning whether or not I did like it. That's not to say that there weren't moments I didn't enjoy, because I did! There was still this hole, for lack of better word, that couldn't be filled, until the second half during the picnic at the park. That changed everything and it did make me feel good again and it felt, once more, like the Extraordinaries I was used to. Granted, I'm not sure everyone felt that way, but I did, so I hope you don't take it too personally :) but man, what a twist! Owen is back! It feels good again! Moving away from that, there were some things that irked me the wrong way. First and foremost: I'm not a big fan of Nicky's friends or family saying "that was really mature of him" when he said something "out of the ordinary." He's heard it enough, he struggles, but he's trying, and I'm sure no one with ADHD wants to hear that he only acts mature on occasion, which is true! But like... I certainly wouldn't want to hear that. I'm just not sure it portrays the message trying to be put out there. Another con, in my opinion and my opinion only, was the scene with Nick, his dad, and the enema kit. Which yes! Comedy gold: I laughed! But, it felt forced in there as if there needed to be another lesson or message brought into play when there had already been so many. I mean... great! Supportive dad and teaching teens to be safe when having sex, but it felt as if was placed in there as an advertisement of sorts... a break from the story. It withdrew me from the excitement and the momentum of the story and just... overall, felt like another lesson was being forced upon us. That's not to say the other messages weren't great. Those are some of the pros! I love their conversations about the future, involving college and their feelings. That's perfect -- perfect, normal conversations teenagers and friends have with one another. I think another pro was having Gibby take Nick to the rally. Perfect! Great message with the Black Lives Matter movement. It didn't feel forced. It felt natural since it was such an integral part from the last book -- convincing Gibby's parents that Nick's dad was coming away from what he did as a police officer and how the racism and bigotry still plays a massive force in their city. Overall, great book! Seriously great... still a massive fan! I had some nitpicks, but nothing major and it was still, as usual, beautifully written. I just wish we got more moments with just Seth and Nicky together. I know they've both been going through a lot, and it was important to the story, but I couldn't help but want a little more time with our extraordinary cuties! The ending, I do have to say, was brilliant. It didn't feel rushed like other endings to series or trilogies. It felt perfectly paced and just plain perfect in general. I loved it and yes, I absolutely did cry. I can't wait for this book to be out on shelves and to have a copy of my own! Beautiful, beautiful cover by the way.

Heat Wave
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
I was super excited when I got approved for this arc. I really enjoy TJ Klune’s work, and I loved the first two installments in The Extraordinaries. This is the perfect conclusion. It wraps up and ties off all lose ends. The characters are exactly as wonderful as they were in the first two. This book had me on the edge of my seat. It’s so full of heart and joy, and it’s absolutely wonderful.

Seth and Nicky are back!
Thank goodness. Cause I really missed them.

Heat Wave is the third and final installment in the Extraordinaries trilogy by T.J. Klune and it does not disappoint. The previous two books were funny, heartwarming and packed with action. I like how Klune raises difficult tops for the reader to think about without beating us over the head. This makes the stories and characters able to explore these topics safely. So sure it’s packed with jokes and love and action, but under the surface there’s also some deeper and more meaningful questions about society, justice, police and humanity.

The hilarious banter is in full force and I love love love the dialogue between them and their group. Especially Nicky and his dad. OMG. I LOL a bunch and I think I looked like a crazy person in public. Love, in all its colors and forms, are shown in positive and bright rainbow colors. I love this about his books, how deep the love between all of the characters (Nicky and Seth, Nicky and his dad, etc.) are displayed, and how sad and devastating a lack of love and acceptance can have on a character (Owen anyone?). I also love how sex is portrayed between the characters as something positive and healthy and a topic that might be uncomfortable, but needs to be spoken about more, especially between kids and parents. Which of course leads to some very hilarious dialogue.

You do have to read the first two stories to understand what is going on here. This is especially important in this third book because as the story opens, without giving too much away, things are definitely… weird. I will say that I think this whole thing did go on a little bit too long without any explanation and I wished we could have moved through that a little faster, but I think it was a perfect opening for the book and allowed the characters a false sense of security so when everything is taken away, it feels even more jarring and terrible.

Overall this is a wonderful ending to one of my favorite trilogies. It is drenched in love and light and all things good and my only sadness is that it’s the end.

Heat Wave is the third book in The Extraordinaries series. It follows Nick Bell/ Guardian, Seth Grey/Pyro Storm, their friends, and family as they fight for the rights of extraordinaries against Mayoral Candidate Simon Burke and a villainous extraordinary.

I will never not love TJ Klune. I can’t believe I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from NetGalley, but couldn’t be happier. This was the perfect ending to this incredible series. I cried my eyes out, but it’s TJ Klune and he has a gift for making me ugly cry. I fell in love with these characters in The Extraordinaries, especially Nick. How could you not? Heat Wave completed their stories so perfectly leaving you both happy with the ending and needing more all at the same time, another gift Klune has. I can’t wait to get my physical copy when it is released on July 19th.

Random Thoughts While Reading:

I spent 10 chapters thinking I was crazy and needed a reread, but here comes TJ Klune with a hell of twist!!!

The cuteness of Seth and Nicks relationship is adorable in general but the “special moment” was too precious for words.

Just when I think the biggest surprise is behind us….nope a bigger surprise pops up!! I’m 70% through this and I still have no idea where this is taking me.

The fight scene was EPIC and didn’t end the way I thought it would, but looking back I don’t think it could have ended any other way.

I was lucky to receive an arc of Heatwave by TJ Klune from Net Galley and MacMillan Tor/Forge books.
Since finishing Flash Fire, the second book in The Extraordinaries series, I had been highly anticipating the final book in the trilogy. I was not disappointed.
TJ Klune’’s books are filled with humour, love and found family. These characteristics were found in spades in Heatwave. I laughed out loud many, many times. I also teared up and was really nervous as we reached the final climax.
In Heatwave, we find Nick Bell back with his boyfriend, Seth, and his other best friends, Gibby and Jazz, navigating life as an Extraordinary. Team Lighthouse is working as hard as ever, along with their families. Sweet molasses, were they funny. Two words: Dad Squad. You’ll see what I mean.
I won’t say much about the huuuuuge cliffhanger at the end of Flash Fire and how it plays out, other than I did not predict the outcome of that whole scenario. And I’m super happy about that!
We revisit some old friends - and enemies - as well as make some hilarious new ones. There are twists I did not predict, and adventures that had me crazy nervous. And, as always, embarrassing moments from Nick that had me screaming, “Nicky, no!”…and laughing so hard I scared my friends who were nearby.
This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. As always, TJ did not disappoint. Highly recommend!

Initial thoughts: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THIS WAS PERFECTION!

Okay, proper review time:
Heat Wave was ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS! I love The Extraordinaries series so, so incredibly much because it was the first time I've ever been able to read a book and related so hard to the way their ADHD is presented. Nick Bell's chaotic train of thought is exactly how my brain works and so this series has a special place in my heart. And with Heat Wave being the final book of this trilogy and being a T.J. Klune book I had high expectations for it and it was even better than I could have hoped! Flash Fire left off on a cliffhanger "post credit" scene and I had ideas of what would happen next, but I can happily say this books events were pretty unexpected in the best ways possible. Also, I laughed until I cried multiple times!

If you have loved The Ectraordinaries and Flash Fire this book has more of everything you love. Nick's chaotic brain, Seth being the sweetest most precious boy on Earth, Jazz and Gibby being bad asses, Nick and Aaron Bell's wonderful relationship and horrifically embarrassing supportive parenting, the general insanity of Nova City, and Nick and Seth having the sweetest relationship possibly.

If you haven't started this series, I don't know what you're waiting for honestly, it is absolute perfection! And while I am sad it is over I cannot wait to read the whole trilogy again and then force my friends to buddy read Heat Wave with me!

Thank you so much to T.J. Klune for writing such wonderful books and thank you to Netgalley and TorTeen for letting me review this eARC for an honest review.

Heat Wave is a fitting and fun conclusion to the Extraordinaries trilogy. There are so many things I love about this trilogy. It's a romp but there are so many heartfelt moments sprinkled throughout the book, in true TJ Klune style. Heat Wave takes all the characters and events of the last two books and ties them all together with superhero tropes that rarely feel forced.

The relationship between Nick and his father continues to be my favorite thing about the books. All the parents in the trilogy, Owen's aside, are so wonderfully accepting, but Aaron Bell is above and beyond a gem. He's so accepting of his son and the steps he takes to show his caring and love are both funny and heartfelt.

Nick and Seth are another gem of the books. We've moved from seeing them first realize their feelings to then falling in love. This book takes their relationship to a deepening and strengthening of their feelings for each other and is a wonderful example to teens reading of what a healthy relationship looks like. Their relationship is based on communication and trust, and I love seeing that expressed in a way that wasn't common in fantasy books when I was growing up.

I had some hesitations headed into the third book because of the sting at the end of the last novel. How was this going to work in Heat Wave? And I admit, I struggled with the first few chapters, trying to decide if there were some WandaVision level shenanigans going on. But Mr. Klune pulled it out in a way that surprised me!

Overall, would definitely recommend this trilogy to teens, I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure through Nova City as Nick and his friends figure out their lives in the most unusual of circumstances. Thank you to TorTeen and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Overall enjoyed but didn’t love as much as some of his other stories. Fans of YA and superheroes will enjoy this one.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Heat Wave by TJ Klune from NetGalley, Tor Teen, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After prom, Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz continue to help Nova City. An Extraordinary returns and helps Nick on his journey to understanding and using his powers. Team Lighthouse must come together and face off against their enemies; will Nick, Seth, Gibby, Jazz and their families be powerful enough to stop Simon Burke?

There are many aspects of The Extraordinaries series that I love and there are some issues that continued from the first two books. First--what I loved: the LGBTQ+ education. This is a YA book and besides using Google, sex education for LGBTQ+ does not seem prevalent so Klune utilizing this series to do so, is amazing. He provides a ton of details with humor so it isn't awkward (for the reader). In addition, he highlights the importance and awareness of respecting LGBTQ+ relationships and pronouns. Another aspect I loved about this series is making Nick, the lead character, neurodiverse. Providing young adults with a hero who is not neurotypical is not only aspirational for nuerodiverse kids, but it also provides neurotypical kids an example and better understanding of kids who may not think like themselves. I cannot not mention how much I loved Burrito Jerry.

Moving on to some of the things that absolutely irked me. From The Extraordinaries to Flash Fire, Klune had to do a lot of course correcting when it came to his portrayal of the Nova City Police Force (for good reason). Sometimes the conversations about the police force and even the LBGTQ+ communities were so politically correct and repeated so often, that the conversations in and of themselves seemed inauthentic. Do we need to have honest conversations about police brutality and acceptance of all people? Yes. Do we need to do it every five pages in a 1,200 page series? Probably not. The every five pages may be a slight exaggeration, but that is what it feels like. Which leads me to my next point, the repetition. I felt entire conversations were just copied and pasted i.e., Nick, Gibby, Jazz and Seth talking about the future - how their paths may diverge, but for now, they are going to stick together and they are some of the most important pieces of their lives. This was wonderful the first or second time one reads it; however, that same conversation happened multiple times throughout the series.

Overall, I highly recommend Heat Wave and the Extraordinaries series to all young adults. This was a wonderful and funny read that I believe many teens and young adults will enjoy and get a lot from.

What a finale... After reading through the whole series, I can say that it definitely wrapped up in a truly satisfying way. Nick is training in his new role as Guardian, helped along by Seth and the rest of the Lighthouse crew, his former police detective dad and his reappeared mom.

I was a little surprised that this YA edged into a sex scene, but as soon as my surprise passed I was ashamed of it. Why shouldn't it? The boys are old enough, the jokes have all been made, and the second-hand embarrassment was again at a VERY high level. The relationship between Nick and his dad once again saved the day, just as much as the heroes did. I am exceedingly happy with the end of this story.

I love this series and will read anything TJ Klune writes. I don't want to write spoilers, but this book #3 in the series gave it a perfect ending. The writing is charming and heart-warming, and just perfect. !!

Perfect ending to a really great series. Nick Bell is just as adorable and awkward as always. Klune shows how important representation is in literature. Loved this series!

This book doesn’t work as a standalone, so we would not pass it out to our little free libraries. It needed more buildup of the world and the characters to kick off. I haven’t read book 2 in a year, and was having trouble remembering everything building up to the beginning of this book, which makes some references but really just goes into the continued story. Most people will likely need to read them back to back to enjoy. Those who live in Klune’s world or who read book 2 recently will enjoy it for the same snark brought to us in book 1 and 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

Nicky, yes! Heat Wave is the ending the Extraordinaries deserve. Justice is served and the garbage is taken out. I’m sad to see the series end, but am happy with the way things ended. It’s everything I could have hoped for and more.