TJ Klune give readers another romp of a story for the Extraordinaries. In this third installment readers might want to go back and double check the ending of the second book because Nick’s mom seems to be still alive. Don’t fret, just keep reading and let the story unfold to reveal the secrets of the Guardian!
As always, Klune’s dialogue is impeccable and the banter will have you laughing out loud while there are always some touching heartfelt moments to bring a tear to the eye. The Dad Squad doesn’t disappoint and the rest of the ensemble cast of characters are as lovable as before. My only cringe worthy moment was the very frank “sex” scene and the always blunt sex talks from Nick’s dad, but don’t get me wrong, I think there are a lot of students that would be very appreciative of the open and honest portrayal of romance firsts for Nick and Seth. All of that aside, this book does not disappoint!

I've been looking forward to each book in this series. Klune absolutely comes through to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the story. The characters are just as quippy and fast moving as before, and everyone gets a nice button on their narratives. If you enjoy Klune's joy filled romances and with a dash of speed talking, this will hit home for a great summer read.

For the highly-anticipated finale of The Extraordinaries series, I was not disappointed. Klune managed to balance humor throughout to levy the heavy moments, but never let the jokes detract from the serious situations that were bound to occur to tie up this story. After the end of the second book, I didn’t know what to expect the beginning of this to start with, so I was very surprised by the beginning. And even though, as a reader, I knew more than Nicky, I didn’t know when the deception would be revealed. I was almost to the point where it was becoming too much and I wanted for the truth bomb to drop, but the way it did was exactly what this book needed and things really picked up from there.
The further incorporation of the family members and adults into major plot points was done successfully without overshadowing any of the four main teens.
This book felt more subdued than the other three, however I believe that tone shift was 1) intentional as the subject matter was overall heavier than at least the first book and 2) because the characters, for the first third of the book, were all in a situational fog that, at least with Nicky, stifled the usual energy.
All plot points, from my perspective, were tied up neatly by the end, and I felt content when I finished it. I will miss Nicky, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby, but their story has all been told.
I finished this book mostly in one sitting shortly after rereading the second, so the cliffhanger was fresh in my mind, which may have added to my discomfort upon starting this book with the tone being off (understandably). 4/5 stars, only off one because of the few moments early on that I felt I needed to push through to get to the action.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

This series overall has been one that has entirely stolen my heart, even though I wasn’t necessarily expecting it from the beginning. My friend and I have read so (so) many superhero books together, but I honestly really love what this one brought to the genre, alongside being so incredibly queer and diverse.

My favorite thing about this series remains the characters, and I loved how parts of this finale brought us back to the beginning, with a group of friends just trying to do what’s right and keep each other safe. There’s just so much love between them all, and it’s just so nice to read such a strong and secure friend group (that still has issues that they need to work through of course, but does so in a healthy way!) I also just adore both the romances in this series, and I love where this finale brought them all. There was just so much growth amongst everyone and in their relationships with each other, and I loved seeing how it was all tied together at the end.

I also really liked what the plot was here, even though it made me feel like I was losing my mind at first. It really got me good for a while there, and I honestly couldn’t wait to see where it all went. Even as reveals started coming, this remained true, and I was enthralled by this story all throughout! This finale also continued the series’ good balance of softer, character moments alongside the action-packed scenes, which can often be draining, especially in superhero media. It gives the readers a break while still keeping the stakes and tension high enough. It’s just wonderfully done overall!

Heat Wave was the perfect finale for such a wonderful series, and I can see myself rereading this series in the future. I really hope more people start picking up this trilogy now that it’s finished, and I can’t wait to see what Klune writes next!

2.5-3/5

After reading the first two I requested this arc to see how Klune would wrap this trilogy up, especially after THAT cliffhanger at the end of the second book.

I wish I enjoyed this book more. I did try and keep in mind while reading that this is YA, but the dialogue is so cringy that I can't imagine teenagers in real life talking this way (and the adults definitely aren't!) Everyone in this book talks the same, if it weren't for mom/dad labels I'd assume everyone was supposed to be a youth and that's just a pet peeve for me.

The plot is predictable but this may just be a YA thing.

This book tries to cover A LOT of issues - BLM, ACAB, Feminism, Acceptance, LGBTQ, neurodivergence. Unfortunately, because it's trying to cover SO MUCH a lot of it comes off as surface-level and like the author had a checklist of things he needed to cover.

Klune is still trying to fix a lot of the cop worship from the first book, to me it still felt like the book had been edited and the fix wasn't seamless, but I will defer to OWN voices on this on whether or not this was successful.

Jazz and Gibby have a lot of "not like other girls" syndrome which wasn't appealing to me, but I did love their relationship.

Nick and Seth have a very sweet relationship and I did appreciate the emphasis on consent and talking to your partner and checking in during intimacy.

The book had an overall, very "Disney" feel to it (especially the ending) but I do think it is important to show strong supportive relationships with family and friends which this book has plenty of. The open discussions between Nick and his Dad do a good job of showing what a healthy and open relationship (verging on overbearing) looks like.

My biggest gripe with the conclusion was the absolute disservice to Owen. Spoilers ahead.
Owen has been the long-term villain throughout the trilogy but as we learn, he was horribly abused, neglected, and experimented on by his parents. To have him just disintegrate into the air instead of focusing on healing from his trauma and receiving actual mental health help was wildly disappointing. His abuse is of course not a free pass for crimes committed but it did feel uncomfortable to me that everyone just agreed he was beyond help.

Overall the book was fun, the relationships are very wholesome and sweet and yes I did stay up late to finish it because I was having a good time. If you liked the first two I would recommend finishing the series but this one may fall a bit flat.

What an amazing finale to the series! I honestly didn’t love The Extraordinaries, but Flash Fire was much better and Heat Wave blew me away! Great storyline, beautiful growth in relationships, and lots of humor (the descriptions of Aaron’s disguise were the BEST). Not to mention the *chef’s kiss* perfect epilogue. TJ, yes!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book because I wanted to know how the series would finish. The last book ended with Nick’s mother, who is supposed to be dead, coming back. After that bombshell ending, I had to read this book. Well, Nick’s mother is still dead. It was interesting to read everyone’s false memories.

But this book drags. It felt like everyone was just quipping at each other until something happened.

TJ Klune is a fantastic writer of people. You can’t help but love all of the characters. Even if there are times when I want to scream, ‘Get on with it.’

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I got to read the NetGalley ARC, this is my review:

This is very TJ Klune, by which I mean for me there's a little too much explained or detailed, but on the whole, it's a great closing book of this trilogy. This author excels at giving readers flawed characters doing their best despite temptation, and in layering in all the representations I crave in fiction. If you imagine the five stars zooming around and on fire, that accurately represents my enthusiasm for Nicky and all his friends and all their parents. I wish I could have had this trilogy when I was young. I am delighted young people have it now.

I want to start with a big thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for sending me an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This review does contain spoilers.

In short, Heat Wave is everything I could have wanted for the third instalment in the Extraordinaries trilogy. This novel is an absolutely fantastic example of how to finish a series, and it’s beautifully done in every single aspect.

In Heat Wave by TJ Klune, our favourite characters — Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz, one of the most iconic queer found families I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting — return to bring justice, protection and (courtesy of Nick) disaster energy to the people of Nova City.

As an explosive finale, this novel returns an unexpected hero who crash lands in Nick’s home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero.

And what an explosive finale it is!

Heat Wave is an EXTREMELY enjoyable read, and this novel is an excellent example of why Klune is such a good author. He crafts a strong narrative voice, creating an immersive reading experience that made it feel like I was truly in Nick’s head. This is my favourite aspect of Klune’s writing, and one I’ve gushed about in-depth in previous reviews, but it really shone in this book.

Without going into details (yet), the first half of this book is VERY different from the rest of the series. This is obviously done on purpose (and done really well), but it was a bit of a jarring reading experience at different points. With that said, Nick’s narrative voice was as strong as ever, and it created an excellent connection to the rest of the series even when the overall feel of the story was a bit different.

One of my favourite parts of Heat Wave was the way that Klune folded in the adults and made them a bigger part of the story. Flash Fire saw Gibby and Jazz’s parents brought into the “know” about Seth and Nick’s extraordinary powers (and their respective daughters’ involvement), and they are all an integral part of this novel.

(Can I get three freaking cheers for the DILF — I mean… the Dad Squad?)

I actually LOVED the way Klune balanced this group of TEENAGERS with loving, present parents; they were able to be superheroes and save the day, sure, but they also weren’t going in alone as unsupported children. It was great to see this in a YA novel, and will probably hold the top spot for any future YA superhero novels I read just because of this inclusion.

I can readily admit that I might be aging out of YA, so this was seriously a treat for me. The parents being supportive and helping out our main cast of heroes grounded this in a sense of realism that I truly enjoyed, and I hope that more novels in the genre do this in the future.

While this final instalment in the series does involve a larger cast, the different characters are balanced well, and we still get a lot of time with our main four that made this an amazing end to an amazing series! I didn’t feel like I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. The side characters had just enough time on-page that I was able to follow along with what they were doing without it distracting from our main cast.

Hell, even the background relationships (Mateo and Chris!!!) held enough weight for me to care!

Also, a moment of appreciation for Burrito Jerry! I’m love him.

Speaking of parental relationships, Heat Wave builds upon the first two books and Nick’s relationship with his dad is as strong as ever. While it went through some tests and tribulations in the second book, these two continue to warm my heart with one of the most endearing father-son relationships I’ve ever read about. Aaron is likely one of my fictional father figures, <s>and I would like him to Daddy me in every single iteration of that word.</s>

Now, for some more specific details! Spoiler spoilers ahead.

As I mentioned, the first half of this book has a bit of a different tone to the rest of the series. That’s because there is something off, something that isn’t right, but the characters don’t know about what’s off. At first, I found the tonal change was a big shock, but as you continue reading, Klune weaves suspense through small clues that suggest something is off. Quickly, you KNOW that there’s something going on that isn’t quite right, and that feeling of unease continues to grow as the novel progresses.

Unfortunately, as someone who hates unreliable narrators, the first half of this book was a bit more difficult to get through. I was confused. I knew that something was off, Nick knew that something was off, but I didn’t know WHAT was off (and I sure as hell never would have expected THAT plot twist holy fuck).

But, while the first 45% was a little harder for me to get into, I DEVOURED the rest of the book.

Because holy shit. HOLY SHIT. The big reveal is absolutely not something I could have ever seen coming, but it sets up the second half of this book PERFECTLY. While it's a breath-catching sort of moment, it also makes some sort of perfect sense? It’s not what I ever would have expected, but it was SO genius.

From there, every single moment of the book was amazing. I especially loved the sense of adventure in this book. It’s very fast-paced and moves quickly in a way that is exciting from start to finish. Every single action scene was better than the last, and the big fight at the end? HELL. YES. This definitely felt really exciting to me, and it seemed like the most action-y book yet.

I can’t write this review without talking about how much I ADORED the way that Heat Wave built up Nick and Seth’s relationship. We got to see them grow as a couple in Flash Fire, and that same unity and strength they have as a unit is just as apparent here. If anything, they’re stronger and they’re closer than ever. I adored the way that Klune had Nick and Seth balance each other out, and I really enjoyed the way their physical intimacy built up as they grew closer.

The conversations about consent and readiness continue into this book (with some amazing Dad-humour courtesy of Aaron), and it was all a joy to read. I absolutely adored how this book dealt with communication around sex. The way it highlighted consent as a central theme was just… it was amazing.

As a Young Adult novel, I wasn’t expecting any explicit, filthy porn. Hell, I wasn’t even expecting what we got, which was a LOVELY moment of intimacy and care between one of my favourite fictional couples. The way that Klune wrote such a gentle coupling between these two boys was so amazing to read. It was innocent, it was experimental, and it was filled with so much love and affection that my heart was bursting at the seams.

I am so, so very glad that a scene like this exists for queer youth. I can’t even express how much it meant to me to read.

Actually, that’s a sentiment that I feel towards this entire novel, and, even more so, this whole series. In all, Heat Wave by TJ Klune is a fantastic novel. Hands down, no questions asked, it is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and a top read for the year. It’s well-paced, well-written, and it packs a serious emotional punch while being light, engaging, and wholly entertaining.

If you haven’t read this series yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. Every book is enjoyable in its own right, and as series, they all shine together. I can’t wait to be able to read these back to back one day, and I’m admittedly a little jealous of everyone who’ll be able to (the waiting has been HARD, okay?!

I wish I had more to say about this novel, because I feel like it deserves all the praises. I seriously urge everyone to give this series a go — knowing it’s over is making me feel very emotional, but I am so thankful for the time we had with these extraordinary characters, in this extraordinary world.

Another great addition to a very fun trilogy! If you liked the first two you’ll love this. TJ Klune is one of my favorites and I’m always excited when he has a new book out.

Nicky, yes!!
I effing love this trilogy. Not only is it super queer(and at this point if it's not gay what is even the point) it's hilarious. I LOL(literally) most pages.
Heat Wave is a perfect wrap-up to the trilogy. One of my absolute favourite trilogies now. It's meta and current well-being about heroes and villains and teenage hormones and sass.
I just highly recommend this series for a good time.

“I’m supposed to be in a romantic comedy, not a horror movie!”

OKAY. First, thanks Tor Teen for providing me with an earc of Heat Wave!!!!

I adore this series and was SO excited to read the finale and Klune DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I was cackling within 2 pages.

I am both super happy to get to the end but also sad because I ADORE the characters in Extraordinaries and would 10/10 read short stories about future them.

Heat Wave had just as much cringe dad joke content & Nicky embarrassment as in the first 2 books. It gave me so much life. Klune’s sense of humour shines through and I dig the hell out of it!

I loved seeing Nick grow into his powers and see his relationship with Seth strengthen. I also ADORED how honesty and trust was a fundamental part of the story. I always feel really really really anxious when I can’t trust that the characters have each other’s backs. So this really felt like COMFORT.

I admit, I was a scooch upset about the ending of Flash Fire. Like I actually yelled WHAT NO STOP NO WHAT??!!! But Heat Wave DEFINITELY made up for it!!

ALSO I AM IN LOVE WITH BURRITO JERRY. He needs his own spin-off. “Burrito Jerry and Matilda’s Extraordinary Adventures” or “Burrito Jerry Gives Matilda a Makeover” or “Matilda is at the Mechanic so Burrito Jerry Takes a Walk and Sees Some Ducks” or “Burrito Jerry and Matilda Get Into an Accident and Meet a Sexy Paramedic.”

Seriously, Burrito Jerry is amazing.

Anywaaaaay, 10/10 recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to read the ARC of this fantastic end to a beautiful series. Once again, the author does a brilliant job of bringing you into the Nova City world- and when you’re thrown off in the beginning, don’t worry- you should be.

I thought this was a perfect conclusion to not just Nick’s story, but also everyone else’s stories as well.

This book was fantastic! I love the extraordinaries, and for die-hard fans like myself, this is the perfect end to a more-perfect trilogy. Sometimes the pacing felt off, though, and there were so many action scenes that some readers might get lost. Overall, though, I couldn't put this book down!

Nicky YES! I picked up this book because I was in a reading slump and @shelf.acceptance was reading it and loving it and I was like… why am I waiting to read this book I’m so excited about? The ending to Flash Fire had me SO excited for this book, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations for the series. There was a lot of texting Mel “what’s going on?!” and I absolutely flew through the story. I think the mystery was drawn out maybe a smidge too long, but it still has everything I adored from the first books, and wraps up in such a satisfying conclusion.

At first when I started reading it. I was like something fishy is going on but I was going it was getting better and the biggest WTH. Tj klune can make you cry and laugh all I one go. A great ending

I absolutely LOVE Tj Klune and was so excited to get this Arc! It was a perfect ending to a really great series. Nick Bell is adorable/awkward you can’t help but love him!

4/5 stars


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for this eArc in exchange for a honest review.

hank you to Netgalley & Tor Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

★★★★★
5 Stars!

So when I saw this on Netgalley it was an instant request for me. T.J. Klune? Neurodivergent MC? Queer representation? YA? Yesssss!!!!

Only after I requested it and was approved did I realize that the book is actually the last in a trilogy! So I pulled my socks up and read the other 2 first. I love, love, loved this series. Klune's books are always like a big mug of steaming tea - comforting and familiar. I love the way he takes things that are a REALLY big deal (death of a parent, betrayal, life decisions etc, etc) and makes them relatable but also with a tinge of humor.

I'm super sad the trilogy is over but I really appreciated how T.J closed out the series for us. I got so attached to Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz and I'm honestly just glad everything turned out okay in the end. I feel like they're my friends too!

These books are definitely funnier than Klune's other works I've read and I enjoyed the extra laughs very much.

These books have yet to fail me as superhero-fluff that can help me turn my brain off. This series remains funny, absurd, and just twisty enough to keep you reading. This book isn't an outlier, and if you've enjoyed the series so far you'll like this book, as well as the character work wrapping these characters up at the end.

Though, this book is definitely different than the first two. While Nick as always been an unreliable narrator in some ways, that's placed on the forefront in this book, where we finally know for certain more than he does. This book plays with dramatic irony primarily, and instead of zooming along with Nick, uncovering secrets and being a bit brainlessly zany, you're standing at his shoulder trying to pester him into hurrying up and figuring it out so you can go save the day.

Conceptually, this does work. The story is interesting and it brings the series to a close well. But there are some hiccups too. Possibly because this is the last book, and the most dramatic with the most personal stakes, this one just had too much quirk and humor pushed into it in frankly inopportune times. It felt unbalanced, and something that was only more obvious with the strange pacing.
It takes a full half of the book for the truth to reveal itself to Nick- a truth that we the reader are meant to know, and which almost nothing in the plot can actually effect until we get to that part of things. So, much of the book felt pointless. The whole second half focuses on basically one plan/action, which makes the whole thing feel thinner and makes it feel like nothing from the first half should have bothered to have happened, or at least been present for so long.

But it still works well as a trilogy ender, and it holds much of the series' heart and themes. Even though I do wish things felt more balanced, I wouldn't say this book disappointed.

This was the perfect conclusion to the adorable, quirky, sweet and super queer Extraordinaries series! I love T.J. Klune’s humor and writing style and his adorkable characters! There were so many feels, and so many closures (both expected and totally unexpected ones). T.J. Klune managed to tie all lose ends together and give us a wonderful and completely satisfying wrap up.

Since this is the third book, I won’t get into the story too much to not spoil anything of this wonderful trilogy, but to say that it is about Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz who are teenagers dealing with typical embarrassing coming of age stuff at the same time as they are superheroes known as the Extraordinaries bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City.

This series is completely over the top in the best possible way. It’s absolutely hilarious! T.J. Klune is an amazing storyteller who brilliantly nails the awkwardness of being a teenager and trying to figure out all the stuff about love, friendship and sex out (the scene with Nick’s dad helping him figuring the technical aspects of gay sex out almost killed me!), but it also touches on deeper subjects like neurodiversity, grief and loss of a parent. I absolutely love Nick and Seth, their friends and families (the dad squad is just the best!) and the way T.J. Klune lets his characters be themselves in all their awkwardness and relatability. I rooted so much for all characters and the romance was one of the sweetest ever.

All in all, this was a perfect ending to a perfect trilogy!