I very much enjoyed this book! The fresh, engaging voice pulled me into the story-- I stayed up all night to finish it! While the characters started out feeling a bit like caricatures, particularly our ADHD protagonist Nick, they grew on me as the story progressed and I found myself charmed by Nick’s hyperactive announcements and quirks.

The Extraordinaries explores the world of a 16-year-old boy obsessed with superheroes and dying to meet his personal crush/favorite hero/star of his fanfic, Shadow Star. I enjoy superhero fiction, and I appreciated the move away from established hero tropes. Shadow Star, who has the ability to control shadows, feel especially unique. Pyro Storm also felt fittingly villanesque, with his fire-controlling powers.

The ensemble alongside Nick provided some of the best moments in the book. Gibby and Jazz were an adorable couple while also providing valuable insight and refusing to take Nick’s nonsense. Seth, with his bow ties and sweater vests, brought in steadfast loyalty to his hero-obsessed friend as well as a good dose of not-quite-sarcastic reality when needed. Owen needles Nick and Seth along, in turn flaunting his past relationships and attempting to charm Nick into a romance with him.

While Nick’s friends are fantastic, his father really steals the show. With the perfect balance of dad jokes, apologetic cereal, and concern and frustration for Nick, he felt so real and so relatable. I teach kids Nick’s age, and I saw his father cope with many of the frustrations I see my students encounter day in and day out. I also really appreciated how all the adults in the book were supportive of the romantic preferences of the children-- the main five characters are gay, and identify as the queers at school. However, they did not have to fight to be accepted or loved. The conflict instead focused on what to do about the superheroes and on dealing with Nick’s ADHD and the problems it could cause, with a good sprinkle of teen romantic angst.

Overall, this is a fun book with a sweet love story and a solid core of learning to love yourself as you are and accept the love of those around you. I definitely recommend!

Consider this more of a 4.5-star rating!

As someone who laughed until she cried at Thor: Ragnarok but only begrudgingly went to see Infinity War and Endgame in cinemas, I've never been a mega-fan of all things superhero - but T.J. Klune's YA debut The Extraordinaries was an utter delight. This book gleefully delves into the often-cheesy realms of fandom, fanfiction, and masked, caped superheroes, and it doesn't take itself too seriously: I was laughing from the very first page and regularly finding bits and pieces to make me giggle or smile.

Klune writes in this wonderful dry-yet-heartfelt tone that manages to make even the most everyday of occurrences amusing, like when a character remarks upon a train being delayed:

"Says it'll be twenty minutes. Which in Nova City Transportation Authority speech means they have no idea what's wrong, something's probably on fire, and it could be up to an hour."

...which - after having survived three years of commuting for my first degree and being left at the mercy of the public transport system - was roughly when I thought, yes, this author gets it.

In addition to the humour, The Extraordinaries is also packed with twists that turned the whole story on its head for me, a heartwarming father-son relationship, and an adorable romance, complete with pages upon pages of pining that had me smiling at the sheer obliviousness of both parties involved. Our protagonist, sixteen-year-old Nick Bell, has ADHD, and Klune is careful to fill the book with messages about how Nick's disorder doesn't define him. Not only is Nick incredibly lovable and relatable, but so are his friends, sapphic pair Gibby (call her by her first name and she'll kick your ass) and Jazz (though she may seem oblivious, she's actually the most insightful of the bunch), and Seth, who can rock a koala-patterned bow tie and look great in the process.

These friendships felt so true to life: each and every one of these characters accepts and loves Nick for who he is, but they'll also try talking some sense into him when need be, too. Though Nick may long to become an Extraordinary (essentially an in-universe version of a superhero), it's made clear that he's already extraordinary just for being himself, and through this, Klune encourages us to embrace our own differences. For that reason, and because of how sweet and wickedly funny this story is, I'd be happy to see this one in the hands of every YA reader!

From what I understand, this is the first novel in a planned series, and I'm definitely keen to see where Nick's story goes next. In fact, I liked this book so much that I'll likely be picking up a physical copy of my own once it comes out!

The story starts slow and I nearly gave up, but about a third of the way in I started to love this book. I realize you need the build up and back story in the beginning. The characters are quirky and awkward and I'm hoping this is only the beginning of what could be a fantastic superhero series.

there were definitely parts where I thought I was gonna die of secondhand embarrassment because Nick is such a disaster, but I think this book has a lot of heart. Its about a queer boy with ADHD who is obsessed with superheroes and still dealing with the death of his mother who decides to try and become a superhero. Its a very queer friendly story and i thought both the friend and family dynamics were wonderful

I was beyond excited to receive an advanced copy of TJ Klune’s upcoming YA debut novel.
I loved everything about this book. The main character, Nick goes on quite a journey of self discovery. TJ does a great job writing teenagers as teenagers. One of my biggest pet peeves in reading is children and/or teenagers being written like adults. Not the case here. This book has the perfect blend of action, mystery and teenage angst.
Highly recommend this one!

Disclaimer : I received an Arc in exchange of an honest review

This book was a let down for me in certain ways, I loved other books by T.J. Klune, in the adult side of his writing. And couldn't wait to see how he wrote young adult, unfortunately I did not love it as much as I enjoyed his other work. The writing style was there and while the story was funny, it did not have the 'je ne sais quoi' that I have come to love from his other works.
This is not to say that there weren't some amazing characters, because the father in the story in my opinion was the real star of the show and totally stole the spotlight from our main character. The father-son relationship was delightful to read.
The novel was funny and quirky, I also loved the way fanfiction was incorporated into the story.
It had great LGBT+ and ADHD representation which was nice to see/read, what really let me down is how Nick and some of the characters often acted in way that made me question their age, it was too childish at moments in my opinion.
Overall this was a good book that dealt with some heavy dark deep stuff while also having a good portion of light and funny stuff which created a nice read.
I recommend this especially for the younger YA and middle YA readers mostly, for the older readers be prepared for some issues in the book that can be cringy.

This was in between a 3 and a 4 stars but more on the lower side.
so 3.4-5/5 stars

Bookarina

I just got the paperback version of this book from goodreads.. I’m already a couple of chapters in on my phone and I love it!! Just wanted to share before it is archived.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I have to say that I 100% requested this book because of the cover and the comparison to Marissa Meyer’s Renegades series. I didn’t really have very high expectations going into this book. I think that’s because the summary of the book really doesn’t cover the awesomeness inside. It’s interesting because it does cover all the things that make this book wonderful, but it’s a case of the summary telling and the book showing these things that really makes the difference.
This book follows Nick, who is a queer boy in high school that has ADHD. I absolutely loved him right from the start. I have people very close to me in my life that have ADHD, so it was really interesting to see Nick’s experiences with it and get his thoughts and feelings. He manages to get in trouble in and out of school very often. Nick doesn’t have it easy, but he really tries so hard and I think that’s what I liked so much about him. He really makes the effort to do and be better. I thought the portrayal of his ADHD was really thoughtful. He also takes medication to help him, which I thought was a great addition. While Nick is the most cinnamon-y of all the cinnamon rolls out there, he was also quite oblivious. He really had a problem getting stuck in his head and hyper focusing on his problems. So, I totally predicted the end of this book around the 50% mark, but I had the secret identities mixed around.
Nick’s friend group was the best. He is a misfit, as are his friends. Seth and Nick have been best friends since elementary school. Gibby joined them in middle school. She’s a lesbian and will literally kick your ass. I loved Gibby. She calls Nick out when he needs it, but is a loyal friend to Seth at the same time. Then there’s Jaz, Gibby’s girlfriend. She was last to the friend group, but no less loved. I really enjoyed getting the history of their friendships and their banter and interactions literally had me laughing out loud.
I laughed so hard during this book, but this author didn’t hesitate to turn it all around. I also balled my eyes out once or twice. Another really great part of the story was Nick’s dad. The relationship that these two have was nothing short of wonderful. But it’s also realistic. It’s hard to be a single dad and Nick’s dad was certainly not perfect. But it was clear how much he loved Nick and how hard he was trying. I can’t imagine trying to grieve the death of my wife while also still having a child to take care of. I loved how accepting his dad was, but also their open communication. They talked about Nick’s sexuality. They talked about his ADHD. His dad was there for him as much as he could be as a cop that had to work nights. Nick and his dad also made me laugh so much.
Overall, this book surpassed all expectations I hhad for it. The writing was fantastic. The characters were incredible and I love each of them so very much (even the villain). The world was really interesting (with a history I’m dying to know more of). And the book left of leaving me wanting so much more. I’m so glad this is a series, but so sad I will have to wait who knows how long for the next book. Please do yourself a favor and read this fabulously queer and heartwarming book.

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune is a queer superhero book that takes you by surprise with its humor, lovable characters, and relatable heart to heart moments. It’s been two years since 16-year-old, queer, ADHD Nick Bell’s mother passed away. It hasn’t been easy for Nick and his cheesy-joke having cop dad trying to figure things out- especially now that there are superheroes (Extraordinaries) in Nova City.

“So you keep on going by yourself, hoping one day it will get better, and the only thing that’s in your head is why you started to begin with. Why you put on that stupid costume in the first place. The promise you made to yourself. And some days, that’s almost not enough.”

Nick is a fanboy to the max, hyper fixating on the concept of Shadow Star falling in love with him, and with the idea of becoming Extraordinary too, one day. His group of friends are made up of Gibby, a self proclaimed baby butch, her girlfriend Jazz, an observant head cheerleader, Seth, Nick’s childhood best friend and maybe the love of his life, and Owen- his sometimes there, sometimes not, overly charming, jerk of an ex.

“He promised himself he would do everything he could to make sure you never had to go through that again.”

This book made me laugh, and cry, and sometimes both. I adored these characters as if I knew them in real life. The friend group and parents felt so real, in the cheesy jokes and the bantering, down to the not-so-pleasant moments of arguing. It was relatable and raw experiencing Nick’s spiraling due to the trauma of losing his mom, and the ways his brain chose to cope with this.

The gay pining between friends that’s developed over the years had me screaming, both in “please get together now before I smack you both” to “this is so soft I’m going to lose it.” The way that Nick’s friends understand him, while still calling him out while he deserves it, felt so good- so rarely do you see healthy friendships in YA novels like this. Nick’s touch and go relationship with his father, who was just doing his best, left me in tears at moments- and laughing the next. Owen, trouble making, daddy-issue having Owen, even had his moments of like ability, just like any well-written bad boy.

The overarching process of Shadow Star vs. Pyro Storm and how that wove itself into the story of teens just growing up and experiencing life made this coming of age novel a new experience; one that was fun and relatable while also having some fantasy aspects that brought new life. It was a gen-z Toby McGuire Spider-Man- except your main character isn’t the superhero this time. I cannot express enough how much I loved this book, and want everyone and their mom (well...not literally) to read this, and I need the second book like...now.

Can I just give this one ALL the stars? This is the first book I've read by TJ Klune, but it certainly won't be the last. Everything about this book was extraordinary - the character development, the pacing, the humor, the heart - just everything. It was all so well balanced and Nick has become one of my all-time favorite protagonists. Also - I absolutely love Klune because he provides such a positive voice for LGBTQIA teens and young adults - his writing is entertaining and fun, but also extremely accessible when it comes to important themes and topics. I think teens and YA audiences will benefit, immensely, from his work and create safe spaces for them to feel seen, represented positively, and loved. I cannot sing the praises of this book and TJ Klune enough and believe, with my whole heart, that this is a must have for every YA collection.

I adored this book so much—the cover art, the queer superhero plot, the humor, the way emotions like grief and fear and love were handled, the twists and turns, the way every single character was written. The only thing that was cringey to me was the fanfiction involving real people, because I find all fanfiction involving real people cringey, but it was intended to be cringey, and thus I coped.

Even though I am not a queer teenage boy living in The Big City, Nick was so relatable. I don’t have ADHD, but I do have a couple mental illnesses (including obsessive anxiety) that affect my impulse control and can make it really hard to settle down and focus. I’ve had those times where I get frustrated that my brain works differently from “normal” people’s brains. And I wrote some terrible fanfiction in middle school, so we also have that in common. He gave me some mild secondhand embarrassment a couple of times, but I loved him and I’m so excited to see what’s in store for him in the next book.

And then there was Seth. Sweet, sweet baby angel Seth. I would die for him. Everyone needs to read this book, if only so we can talk about Seth.

This is probably my favorite book by TJ Klune so far. The cliffhanger ending was delicious. I am so, so glad this is the first in a series, because I want to see so much more of these characters. (Even Rebecca Firestone.)

This book is SUCH a good time. The premise and world are pretty simple and which leaves a lot of room for character growth and interactions, and that's where this book really shines.

Nick is such an engaging main character. He is an "Extraordinary" fanboy, has a huge crush on Shadow Star, Nova City's "Hero", and is the author of the longest running fanfiction featuring Shadow Star and an Original Male Character (*ahem* self-insert). Nick is incredibly awkward, especially around his crush and ex-boyfriend, and I had to set the book down from second hand cringe multiple times. He is also completely oblivious to things that seem really obvious to the reader, but I think that worked really well in this book. One of the best parts of his character is his struggle with ADHD. The ADHD rep in this book is absolute perfection, so much so that I would not be surprised if the author or someone he is close to has ADHD. There were so many times reading this where I thought "YES. THIS is what it's like." And of course ADHD affects each person differently, but Nick's experiences were so consistent throughout the book that it felt completely ingrained in his character. Nick suffers from anxiety in certain situations, as does his friend Seth, and they support each other when they experience it, which brings me to the second thing I loved about this book: the friendships.

The friend group in this book is an amazing example of queer solidarity. It's made up of Nick, who is gay, Seth, who is bi, and Gibby & Jazz, two girls who are in a relationship. They bicker and tease each other but they also wholeheartedly care for and support each other. Nick gives some background about how each of those bonds were formed and I loved that those background scenes were added.

Nick's relationship with his father is also a huge topic in this book. Their relationship is a little rocky, as it is recovering from the period after Nick's mothers death a couple of years prior. A lot of Nick's thoughts and motivations revolve around the loss of his mother and the not quite perfect relationship with his father.

Lastly, this book is laugh out loud funny. Twice I was reduced to hysterical giggles. Nick's obliviousness led to a lot of the humor, as did his friends and families reactions to his rapid topic switching and out-of-the-blue questions.

My only negative for this book is that the writing could use some work. There were quite a few sections that are just repetitions of previous scenes or thoughts, and the author relies heavily on dialogue and the internal monologue of the main character, rarely describing settings or actions in a way that creates a picture in the mind. Regardless, the characterizations, entertainment, and representation in this book more than make up for that.

Feeling a wee bit of a book slump here. I've read Klune's works before and liked them so was curious to see what he did with a YA genre novel, especially one with a ADHD main character in the lead.

Nick Bell is absolutely obsessed with Extraordinaries in general, and Shadow Star in specific. So much so that he embarks upon a plan to find a way to become one of these superheroes himself.

What I found was that Nick was an incredibly childish teenager who was difficult to relate to even by one who had the same kind of traits. The writing of his ADHD traits came across as wishy-washy and, even when his friends were talking about traits typical of ADHD in relation to him, I struggled to find evidence of most of those things in the novel.

Added to that, it's immediately obvious which two friends in his friendship group are Extraordinaries. I really thought that was a not particularly good thing, until there was a twist in the second half of the book that lifted this rating from a one star to a two.

Although part of the write up of this novel talks about how Nick is a fanfic writer, I didn't really think that was a large enough part of the main novel to really comment on after reading this.

The writing was easy to read but I didn't feel like this book added much to LGBT superhero dramas that I hadn't already seen done better.

* I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. *

The Extraordinaries is the first book I’ve read by author T.J. Klune, and I can tell you it won’t be my last. This is Klune’s first YA book and a great series opener. The Extraordinaries follows main character, Nick Bell, a superhero fanfiction writer and his quest to become an Extraordinary.

While at times he can be annoying, Nick is a hilarious kid with a big heart. He has ADHD, so he sometimes has trouble speaking before thinking. He also has trouble seeing what’s right in front of him. Seth Gray is Nick’s best friend and he’s head over heels for Nick. Trouble is, Nick has a huge crush on Shadow Star, Nova City’s resident superhero.

When Nick meets Shadow Star after being rescued by the hero it starts his journey to become an Extraordinary himself. In trying to become a superhero Nick goes through some hilarious moments with his friends. This book kept me guessing and the ending left me wanting more.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. This book is scheduled for release on July 14th.

This book is so freaking good that it boogles my mind. I already knew TJ Klune was a truly amazing and talented writer after reading House in the Cerulean Sea (now one of my all time favorite books) and he did not disappoint and I plan on devouring all his books asap. This book is full of so much heart and humor. I loved every second of it and was invested in the characters so quickly. Nick Bell is such a well written, likable, and realistic character. His struggles with ADHD will be relatable to so many other people and I’m so glad Klune created this character. Seth is just the most adorable thing in the whole wide world and I loved him the second he was introduced. And Gibby and Jazz?? I love my queer girls!! This is such a wonderfully queer book that everyone should read!! We need more queer superheroes!! And queer love stories!! And happy queer stories!! Young me would have loved to have had this book when I was growing up and coming to terms with my identity. I’m glad kids have it now.

First and foremost: THANK YOU Tor Teen for granting me the privilege of this ARC. It is an honor to receive these and I never take any for granted. I am fully aware you have opted to trust me with this book BEFORE release day and it doesn't guarantee I will receive the next installment should there be one. So I don't take ARCs for granted. Ever.

That said, I don't give automatic 5 star reviews just because. So, after I finished reading my provided copy of Tj Klune's 'The Extraordinaries', I concluded that I am giving it a 4.5 /5 star rating. It's good. It's actually BEYOND good. To be Tj's first YA novel or a big league publisher, I take a bow and applaud his talent, his creativity, his penmanship. HE literally is EXTRAORDINARY. And I'm telling you this cause I've read I think almost every single book he's written, and NOTHING, not even the Lightning Struck Heart (which is possibly one of his bestselling series) can compare.

Tj can write a QUEER YA STORY the same way he can write a comedy or fantasy or angsty drama and THAT alone, is a completely extraordinary gift.

I think the concept and overall flow of the story is pretty straightforward and makes this a very easy read. And more than focus on the 'queer' part, (which is pretty obvious) from beginning to end we see this as something second nature to everybody. Everybody knows Nick is gay, and Seth is gay, and Owen is gay and their best friends Gibby and Jazz are a couple. That is pretty phenomenal if you ask me. Some stories tend to be quite repetitive when it comes to justifying one or several character's sexual orientation and in this installment, we see this being the norm and not the exception. If this is something that will boot confidence in the teenage population to embrace their queerness, I am all for it.

As with all the books I've from Tj, I can't say it was perfect though. There was a slight part where I think Nick acted a tad bit childish for a teen of 16 going on 17, but I do think this had to do in part to his ADHD and that's fine. After that small hiccup in the main character, he goes back to the same flow of coolness and I just ended up loving him more. His freidnship with Seth is EVERYTHING! I don't even know who I loved more, if Seth or NIck.

So yes, in my books this is a winner and a complete MUST read for teens and not soo teens who still enjoy reading YA like me :)

TJ Klune provides their contribution to the growing sub-genre of superhero YA novels with The Extraordinaries. The novel follows Nick, a sixteen-year-old "Extraordinaries" fanboy, who has a chance encounter with his city's local hero and the star of Nick's fanfic, Shadow Star. This encounter is the impetus and driving event for the rest of the story as Nick decides that he wants to uncover what is extraordinary within himself.

Klune does an effective job of world-building Nova City and the community's perception of heroes. This helps show why Nick views them as the underdogs, mirroring his own perception of himself. The themes of the novel were not only developed but hammered in through repetition at times. What Klune does well to set up the ideas and concepts of the novel at the beginning do ultimately reflect the opportunities to condense and tighten the plot. It's a book with so much promise that it will find its own fans who have the patience to stick through to the end. Fans of April Daniels' "Dreadnought," C.B. Lee's "Sidekick Squad" series, and Danielle Bana's "The Supervillain and Me" may want to pick up this novel to give it a try.

For the most part, he’d accepted that some people were born to be Extraordinaries, and some people were born to be medicated so they didn’t spin out of control. Fair? Not really, but Nick was learning that his brain could do things that others couldn’t. In a way, he had his own superpower, even if it was called a disorder.” - The Extraordinaries
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. I read about this book before and was very intrigued, especially since I hopped onto the Marvel train recently. I’m in desperate need for more superhero stories and I have to say this was the perfect book for my craving. Out July 14th.
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First and foremost it got me out of a reading slump which is the best thing a book can do.
The style of writing is fast paced, light and fun. I caught myself laughing out loud now and then because there are some really funny lines in there. I feel like the writing style matches Nick’s mindset really well, because we are in constant movement with the protagonist.
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I loved the characters and their relationships. Apart from the protagonist Nick we get to know his best friend Seth, who is the embodiment of a cinnamon role. He wears bow ties to school and always knows the right thing to say to help Nick through his day. He also has the most obvious crush on Nick, it’s kind of adorable to watch. Then there are Gibby and Jazz. They’re so fun, they keep Nick grounded and press pause when Nick is about to take it a little bit too far. And lastly there is Nick’s Dad. I love that we get to explore the relationship of father and son with all its different facets, like embarrassing comments at the breakfast table, getting grounded for life but also lots of love and support.
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I also really enjoyed the fan fiction elements of the story. I expected some more insertions of Nick’s fan fiction but the few that are there were really fun to read.
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The Extraordinaries is TJ Klune’s debut YA book that contains the same heart, passion, found family and humor that is Klune’s signature brand. The Extraordinaries is the first book in the series that follows the lives of The Extraordinaries, the superheros of Nova City, and the fans who love (obsess over) them.

Nick Bell is a neurodiverse teen with a flair for the dramatics. He has a great dad that loves him very much, a tremendous friend group that includes Seth, the adorable bow tie wearing best friend; Gibby, the incredible baby butch; and Jazz, the quietly brilliant cheerleader. These teens juggle high school, friendships, relationships, the unknown of the future, ADHD, all while their city is protected by superheros dubbed The Extraordinaries.

This book follows Nick as he navigates through his emotions and obsession with Shadow Star (The most amazing Extraordinary) and his oblivious crush on his best friend. All while figuring out how to accept his ADHD as something that is part of him instead of something that defines him. Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz are the extraordinary role models we need in the world today. I wish this book existed when I was 16 and figuring out how I fit into the world. This book is for any age group and I recommend that everyone read it because it will provide some light into a place that can contain a lot of shadows.

TJ has woven another tremendous tale of heart, passion, loyalty, and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. There is also a really epic fanfic that is equally as great as the story itself. I’m anxiously awaiting the second book in the series because I know it's going to be exceptional. 5 stars from me which equates to about 10 extraordinary stars!

TJ Klune's books are always a delight. His characters are really the strength of his writing. Both main characters are adorable, awkward, kind, and well-developed. The friends are also really well-written. And there is nuance to people in this book--no one is a complete jerk, and there isn't just good or bad. I really loved the father/son relationship as well. Klune always does an incredible job of showing men who love each other. His vision of masculinity is what I wish we had in this world. You don't have to love fantasy to enjoy this book, but it does help to understand fan-fiction and the world of Spiderman and superheroes. I'm not sure that I needed that as a necessary element when what I care about most were the characters, but it did add some fun energy to the book. Finally, if you have LGBTQIA+ folks, this is a great book with affirming characters in it for them. I will especially recommend to those students as well.