This review was a hard one for me to write. I was SO excited to be approved for this ARC, but unfortunately found myself more disappointed than happy at the end of the book.

The Good:
- A TON of diversity is in this book (POC, LGBTQIA, disability representation)
- Though there were some things that were intended to be a joke that made me cringe in this book, there were also an awful lot of moments during this book where I did laugh out loud.
- This did end up being a cute story in the end, despite the things I found lacking.

The Bad:
- The characters never seemed to have development. In fact, they seemed to be written as younger than they actually were. This took me out of the book quite a bit.
- A lot of the humor didn't land quite right for me. It seemed awkward and forced at times.
- I spent most of the book irritated that the *big plot twist* was SO obvious even 10% in. It was exasperating that our main character, Nick, REFUSED to see what was right in front of him.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book to those looking for diverse superhero stories, but with caution. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

This book was a blast, honestly. It made me giggle and cry because it is so extremely funny and ridiculous. Nick, our main character, is so loveable and pretty clueless, which is a great combination for a teenage character. The things he did were so dumb sometimes, but he got away with it because he is that wholesome.

I figured everything out when I was about 30% into the book, but that didn't really matter for me. Everything else that happened was enough to keep me entertained.

I can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy because omg that ending. I didn't notice at first that there was still a mini chapter left, which would have been a shame because that cliffhanger!!! I need the next book like right now.

If you like queer superheroes disasters, then totally read this!!

Wow, Wow, Wow! This is probably going to sound cliche, but the extraordinaire was well extraordinary! I enjoyed this book! I won't lie; I was skeptical at; first, I am a superhero buff since childhood, and this book struck all the right cords. It had the right balance of superpowers and slice-of-life. The characters were well thought out, and it felt nostalgic about the ridiculous nature of my conversations with friends at that age. Also, the depiction of the romances was spot on. As a member of the LGBTQ2S community, I find it difficult at times to find portrayals of relationships that are accurate and healthy. I loved that this book was able to do both. I can't wait until it is out in print because I know I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel (I refuse to believe there won't be one)! #indigoemployeereview

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the MCU making for one of the most fun, entertaining and hilarious books I've read in a long time!!!

I fell in love with this book before I was done the first chapter. The author did a very good job portraying a kid with ADHD, there were times in the book I was able to completely understand what he was going through, because I had gone through it too.

I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait for the next!

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune is about a queer teenager with ADHD that is obsessed with the real-life superhero Shadow Star and his archnemesis Pyro Storm. We get to follow him and his also queer best friends as well as his ex-maybe-boyfriend as they move through their days together. The main character Nick bell is fascinated by the Extraordinaries that call his city home and is an avid writer of fan-fiction about them and a non-Extraordinary citizen that bears a remarkably similar name to his own. Throughout the story, you can see how his priorities shift from being self-centered to caring more about those around him and as the transformation takes place, his writings do not seem quite as important and action-worthy anymore as his real life.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely adore it for its representation of the queer community as well as those with ADHD. I would recommend it just for that alone already as I believe we need a lot more representation in many different areas. The writing itself though did not excite me as much. I do not mind the writing of the fanfic as much as it is written by a love-struck teenager who may not care as much about the writing style and fancy words as he does about the action itself in his story. The rest of the book though reminds me more of a middle-grade novel rather than a YA book. There is too much sexual commentary in the book for it to be an actual middle-grade novel though so I see why it would not be marketed that way. I found it very simplistic and the ending was easy to predict right from the start. I also want to point out though that I myself do not have ADHD so I do not know if that drove part of the reason for this writing style (I did enjoy the rambling a lot). Overall, despite the things that I did not enjoy, I do have to admit that I found this book highly entertaining and laughed out loud many times. While Nick seemed rather immature for his age (especially emotionally), I did love his friend group a lot. Gibby was my favorite character and I hope we get a lot about her in the next novel.

I have such high expectations for this book. The cover is beautiful, the synopsis sounds promising, and having read Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, I have nothing but excitement and faith for it. And after reading it, damn, I am so glad those expectations are met and more.

tl;dr: This funny, wholesome, and unapologetically queer book will make you laugh, break your heart, and lure you into the start of what seems to be a great trilogy. Superheroes and villains! Fan fictions! Best friends to lovers trope! You will love this!

~

This book is just perfect. It’s hella funny, it’s poignant, it’s relatable, it’s heartbreaking, it’s shocking, it’s angsty (two boys pining, come on), it’s heartwarming, the plot twists are amazing, it’s wonderfully-written, it’s EVERYTHING.

But let’s start with the writing style. Klune knows how to tell a story. Yes, he does. The book opens up with a fanfic (a freaking FANFIC, formatted just like in AO3) and I knew this is going to be one hell of a ride. It was funny all throughout, but there were heartbreaking and heartstopping moments as well.

Being neurodiverse himself, I feel like Klune managed to encapsulate Nick’s ADHD onto the pages perfectly. There were times when I just wanted to give Nick a hug, and tell him it’s going to be okay. (This is obviously a clear sign that I got invested with the characters AGAIN) Speaking of characters, I loved that everyone in this book had a part. The minor characters weren’t just there for the sake of it. Instead, they added their own flair and stories, they helped Nick, they helped the plot, they made the story alive, and I loved that.

As for the romance, oh boy. Get ready for a lot of pining and cluelessness and angst. But also, get ready for the fluff and the wholesomeness. Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, and the author wrote that well.

When it comes to the plot of The Extraordinaries, it was definitely entertaining. Nick decides he wants to become an Extraordinary and starts all these crazy methods, and then some…other things happen (which I will not spoil, of course!). I liked that the author knows how to build up a plot twist or revelation. He does that really well all throughout the book using flashbacks, a number of foreshadowing, and more. And though, I already had a hunch early on about a specific big plot twist, it was still so exciting and thrilling to read the book.

The world-building, I feel like it can use a little more polishing. However, this is just the first book, and I have faith that we’ll get to know more about the origin of these Extraordinaries in the next installments.

Overall, The Extraordinaries is such an amazing journey of self-discovery, self-love, the beauty of friendship and family, and challenging the very trope that is “superhero versus villain”.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I simply DEVOURED this book!

I don't think I have ever loved a book as much as I loved The Extraordinaries! It's hands down one of my favourite reads of this year and probably even established its name in my list of favourite books of all time. It had everything I could possibly have wanted in a book: an amazing character voice, great dialogue/banter, well written awkwardness, cute dorky characters, ADHD representation, superheroes and fandoms! What wasn't there to love? I found myself laughing, crying and going beetroot red at some scenes. I just couldn't take my eyes off this ARC it was just beautiful and I truly have no words to express how I feel. I didn't think I would love this book as much as I did but I'm just so glad I picked it up.

I saw it being marketed a lot on Goodreads and I knew that this was a book to look out for. It had lots of positive reviews so I knew already it was enjoyed by a vast majority of readers. I think what really got me was the superhero and ADHD rep especially since I never read a book with a focus on it. Although I haven't personally been diagnosed with it, I believed that the representation was quite accurate and you could see it all the way through the novel in Nick's character. He was loud, upbeat, dorky, awkward and he had a lot of heart making him a character I instantly fell in love with. He had his flaws but he tried his hardest at school and had a real passion for the Shadow Star fandom.

The whole idea of this Shadow Star vs Pyro Storm plot line was just genius and I was entirely engrossed in it. I loved how the extraordinaries and being extraordinary became a major component of Nick's life. It was through this that we really got a sense of his personality and character. Nick was determined and although he had good intentions, a lot of his plans fell through. Nevertheless I was entirely enthralled and I found that those parts were the greatest components of the whole book. The scene with the mud and the drag queen ring would forever reign superior. It was safe to say, Nick was no less a hero of the story than Pyro Storm or Shadow Star.

Continuing on with Nick's characterisation, I absolutely loved he was oblivious to everything and a lot of the secrets his friends were keeping. I already worked out the big secret on page 68 to be exact but it took Nick almost 200 more pages to work it out. I was screaming at my screen for Nick to work it out and although I was slightly infuriated with him, I loved him nonetheless. He was so dorky and cute and I loved his relationship with Seth. It just made my heart swoon!

But it wasn't just characters, ADHD and superheroes that this book got right, there was a strong focus on friendships and family relationships. I loved the interactions with Nick's dad and Seth's family and thought they really gave the book a whole new dimension especially to Seth's character and the Shadow Star/Pyro Storm rivalry. There also were Nick's friends Gibby and Jazz, a badass lesbian couple whose sarcasm never wavered throughout the duration of the novel. That whole scene with Gibby, Shadow Star and Nick was the best thing I have ever read this whole year hands down. It was so awkward and Gibby's remarks really made it shine.

There was also so much diversity in this book it made me so happy. Almost every character was either gay, lesbian or bisexual and there was racial diversity too: always a positive.

In terms of storyline, plot and pacing I thought it really worked with this book. I was never bored and thought the pacing was just right: neither too fast nor too slow and I was constantly excited to read on. I thought that the contemporary style writing gave the book an edge and helped to intertwine the action/superhero plot arc with the fandom/friendships and personal life of Nick to make a dynamic and interesting read.

All in all, I absolutely loved The Extraordinaries to bits. This book definitely is going on my favourites list.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.9 STARS

Usually, I stay FAR away from YA books because I prefer reading about more mature characters but when I realised one of my favourite authors was doing YA, I hopped right to it. T.J. Klune is one of those authors whose books I know I'll enjoy even without reading a page of it. This was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience.

This book was set in a world where super heroes(Extraordinaries) exist just like the fictional comic book heroes from the likes of MarvelComics and DC Comics. It is in this world where we are introduced to the Nicholas Bell and his group of friends who were pretty fun to read about. They were all queer, smart and unapologetic of who they were. I adored them all.

Nick was endearingly awkward with zero brain to mouth filter 😂😂. Half of the things he said made me go "huh?". And the other half made me laugh out loud in disbelief. He definitely reminded me of Sam of Wilds from T.J Klune's "Tales From Verania" Series although, Sam was a 1000 times more over-the-top than Nick if you can believe it( grab that series in audio if you can. I assure you won't regret it).

But I digress, moving right back to my point, Nick Bell was a joy to read about. Often times as I said, he baffled me but he was still a joy to read about although he was probably the most oblivious person in the history of mankind. He just could not see what was RIGHT in front him partly because of his beautiful brain and partly because even though his heart was in the right place, he could be quite self-absorbed. The great thing is, he recognised his faults and worked them out in the most "Nick Bell" ways.

As I said, I certainly enjoyed my reading experience. The writing and story telling were as great as is expected from this author and he managed to balance humour, with a story about healing, and recognising one's self worth, no matter how "ordinary" we think may be.

This was Book #1 of what I hear is to be a trilogy and the ending certainly set up the next book quite nicely(with a lot of truth bombs I had began to suspect dropped on us readers). I wouldn't miss it for the world and you shouldn't as well if this book was anything to go by.

Nick Bell has been writing his epic fanfiction for a long time, and he’s a tad infatuated with its subject, Shadow Star. He’s obsessed with exploits of the hero and his arch nemesis, Pyro Storm. Junior year is about to start, and this may be Nick’s hardest year yet. He’ll have to deal with his kind of ex, Owen, and changes in his relationship with his best friend, Seth. Plus, Nick has decided he’ll do whatever it takes to become an Extrodinary to help the people of his city. Being a teenager is hard. It’s even harder when you live in a world with real-life superheroes.

TJ Klune is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for great style and uplifting stories. I am not usually big on stories about teenage boys, but I was completely won over by Nick and his friends. The naturally diverse cast of characters felt like the people I’d like to have been friends with in high school. Nick and his dad reminded me a lot of the dude version of Gilmore Girls, heartwarming bond, sometimes a little weird, and full of witty banter.

I’m not usually one for love triangles, but Klune gave this one an interesting enough spin with a lot of friendship thrown in, so I didn’t immediately roll my eyes as usual. Still not my favorite thing, but it really works here. Nick’s gal friends are my favorite, and I’d really like another book in this universe just about them. So, yeah, if someone could make that happen, hit me up.

I love that the book begins and ends with fanfiction. As a longtime fangirl myself, I was reading X-Files Fan Fiction on dial up. That’s right. I’m ancient. The fic parts were super cute, and I think they will appeal to nerds both young and old. It’s nice to know some parts of nerd culture never change.

This book is just what I needed this month, and if you can get through June and need a smile in July, this one will be out next month. Don’t sleep on it. Be sure to add it to your YA Must Reads.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint!

Nick loves Extraordinaries. Nick wants to be an Extraordinary. So imagine his horror when he realizes he is the comic relief/love interest in his own story. But does he let that stop him from trying?! Never! His heart is in the right place, but the rest of him is crushing hard on the hero of Nova City, Shadow Star.

This book has superheroes, two adorkable best friends who may or may not have feelings for each other (so much awkward blushing), a really awesome dad, fanfiction, and it is #ownvoices queer and neurodiverse rep! Nick is a gay disaster with ADHD, and his friends and family love him exactly as he is. Even when his plans to turn himself into an Extraordinary go awry. Chaos ensues. It’s great fun.

Thank you Tor Teen for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun YA book! An urban fantasy dealing with a couple of superheroes (extraordinaries) called Shadow Star and Pyro Storm. The main character, 16-year-old Nick, is ADHD, queer, and is an obsessed superfan of the extraordinaries - to the length that he writes fan fiction about them. He has a major crush on Shadow Star. Nick's mother has died and he lives with his father, a cop, and has three close friends (Seth, Jazz and Gibby). The banter between these friends is hilarious. Nick's adventures in trying to become a better, stronger person are hilarious too.

This is not an academic read - you need to suspend belief and just go with it. It's funny and lighthearted (mostly) and just a fun read. Can't wait for the next installment in this series. I love T.J. Klune's writing. I read and enjoyed another of his books not too long ago called 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' which was also filled with magic and humor.

Thanks to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an advance copy!

I have many feelings, the first one being: TJ Klune is an absolute gift for this world. I'm honestly so happy he's coming to the dark side of the force (YA) because it means more people will be able to discover his books and see how talented he is, and we stan:) my second feeling is: I'd give my life for Nick and Seth (and can I please kick Rebecca Firestone in the face?)

okay, let's be serious. this book was the funniest thing I've read in a very long time (I'm talking about full belly laugh) while still talking about serious matters, such as death of a parent, grief, living with a disorder and, you know, saving the world:) I fell in love with it right from the start. Nick is such a lovable character even when he's being annoying, and his entire group of friends made my heart melt. I'm so so very excited for the rest of the trilogy!!!!!!

This book blew my mind. I was amazed by the gorgeous writing, the diverse and exciting characters, the totally inventive plot. An easy 5 stars!

I love this new to me author. His books are real, easy to read and very enjoyable. I’ll be recommending this book as well.

This is the kind of book I wish I had had as a young teen. The queer representation is fantastic and the story is compelling — I’m confident this will fly off the shelves with superhuman zeal after publication day.

TJ Klune’s writing hovers between earnest and amusingly absurd, rather just like our dramatic and painfully honest hero, Nick Bell. Klune deftly steers the reader from emotion to emotion, taking us along for the ride on Nick‘s (sometimes extra) highs and lows. Reading this, I was amazed that I could go from laughing aloud to near tears, sometimes within the same chapter, caught up as I was in Nick’s story and his emotions. In Extraordinaries, Klune gives us the familiar: teenage angst in a high school setting, the contrasting pressures to both stand out from the crowd and to conform to societal standards, and the confusing and all encompassing experience of first love(s). He also gives us the strange and unfamiliar in an alternate reality where things are stranger than fiction: superheroes are real... and they’re people you can fall in love with, maybe without even knowing who is behind the mask. And maybe they’re something you could become yourself — if you take the leap. I enjoyed this one immensely and I can’t wait to fly off into Nick Bell’s next chapter in the sequel. Superqueeroes for the win!

I looooove TJ Klune, and, what can I say? I have a total soft-spot for gay superhero stories. This was an absolute delight to read! It's insightful and hilarious, and the fanfiction element was so much fun. Loved it.

This book is so funny but so deep at the same time.
Nick is oblivious and self - centered as most teenagers are but so lovable . The cast is diverse and engaging !
Would highly recommend !

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

I’ll be honest, I was not expecting to love this book the way I did. I was excited for an ARC ebook galley (Thanks Netgalley and MacMillan/Tor for this copy!!) but this wasn’t my favorite one I had requested. I am PLEASED to announce that this book surpassed ALL my expectations and was one of the most hilarious, enjoyable reads I’ve picked up lately.

This story centers around Nicholas Bell, fanboy with ADHD and a heart of gold, as he attempts to become and Extraordinary (a superhero) so he can hook up with his crush, Shadow Star. Also, he’s definitely in love with his best friend Seth, but he’s the only one who doesn’t know it. And he writes absolutely terrible Shadow Star fanfiction. So, you know, the standard teen superhero fanboy.

I was wary of this story mainly because I feel like fandom is so hard to get right. For every Fangirl, there’s a Ship It (sorry if you liked this one). The Extraordinaries got it right. The fanfiction wasn’t spectacular, because that’s not what fanfiction is for. Any time fanfiction was present it showed more about Nick’s mental state than anything else, which I absolutely adored.

I’ve seen some reviews saying they thought that everyone acted too childishly, which was part of the appeal for me. These kids felt like teenagers. They made stupid decisions and fell in love with the wrong people and got obsessed with all sorts of stupid things and were way more clever than anyone gave the credit for. Nick was a kid with ADHD, one I felt I could’ve met and been friends with back in my own superhero fanfiction writing days.

If you need a silly, sweet, and downright-good-time of a novel, I’d suggest picking this one up on July 14. I hope it gets all the hype and love it deserves, and I can’t wait to see what T.J. Klune does in the next book.

I didn't really know what to expect with this book (apart from the description, of course) and I must say, this has made the list of one of my favourite books now. I have already ordered it to add to my library.

One of its strongest points is that as a reader you think you know everything but there's still so much left to discover and piece together that you're as much in the dark as Nick is, just in different ways.
Nick is a wonderful lead character, he's oblivious to the point that it puts his life in danger but he's written so well that I instantly fell in love with him. His relationship with his group of friend, his father and the police officers was just wonderful.

This book definitely left me wanting so much more, and I hope i don't have to wait long for a sequel to this story. I definitely recommend this story to anyone who ... Honestly, basically anyone.