Great YA read with queer representation ina. Fan fiction genre. Looking forward to recommend this to teens.

As soon as I started reading this book I got strong Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson vibes. I love that Klune made a set of strong LGBT characters but everything else felt like something I had already read. Nicky to me was just annoying. I like that he had a bunch of unique to him quirks that readers could identify with but I personally just didn’t like him. I loved Seth, Jazz and Gibby and wanted to know more about each of them as they all felt like fully rounded characters each of whom I would love to befriend. Seth and his bow ties/ general attire, Jazz being the opposite of everyone’s expectations of her and Gibby not apologizing for who she is and how she presents herself to the world. I found this book very much written for younger teens and with the language and word choices, older teens and adults wouldn’t love to pick this up and read it because it would feel too young.

I have to admit that it took me a bit to get into the story.
We follow our main character of Nick who has ADHD. This means that we get the full effect of this in the writing. Nick is almost constantly rambling which I found a bit jarring at first, and made the story feel a bit slow going, but I soon loved it as Nick is also hilarious.
I did like that we got to see the story from Nick, but in the 3rd person POV because Nick is oblivious most of the time so we, as the readers, can infer a lot of what is going on in the world with the extraordinaire and his friendships apart from his narrowed focus.
I did feel like it set it up perfectly for the next book. I still have questions that need to be answered and I want the next book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a bit back and forth with this one. On the one hand, some of the "twists" are pretty obvious. I guessed at Seth and Owen's secrets pretty early on. And typically having that many obvious plot points gets on my nerves. But some of that obviousness was intentional, played up for comedic affect. The plot has some heart. It looks at the ways that trauma changes us, making us protective of others or of ourselves. I appreciate the outsider cast a d the importance of representation.

5/5 Stars
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the advanced E Arc

Superhero’s grab you’re capes and you’re sidekicks because you are in for a wild ride! At this point in my reading journey I will read anything TJ Klune puts out. Klune can do no wrong in my eyes, everything I’ve read by him has been an instant 5/5 and this is no exception. Fan of Marvel? Superhero’s? Spider-Man? This is the book for you! From loveable characters to an edge of your seat plot line, I cannot recommend this book enough!

The Extraordinaries is such a delightful story. In a world where “Extraordinaries” are slowly taking over Nova City and two of which are arch nemesis, tensions will soon start to run high. We follow our main character Nick or Nicky who I would give my heart to because he is the most precious main character! Nick is a teenage boy who is obsessed with one of the extraordinaries Shadow Star. Nick spends most of his days writing fan fiction following himself and Shadow Star. It is now just Nick and his Dad, after his mom was tragically killed Nick is terrified of losing his dad. Nick starts to get his friends help so that he can become the next great Extraordinary and keep Nova City save for his dad.

This book blew me away every character was crafted to perfection. I really appreciated all the representation we got within this book, especially seeing a main character with ADHD I really appreciated that. Nick was a very relatable character, he is your typical 16 year old who is one gigantic fanboy for Shadow Star. You really get to see Nick go on quite the journey throughout this book and I can tell that in future books it’s only going to get better.

One of my absolute favourite aspects of this book was all the positive parental figures we see. It’s so rare in YA we get to see parents/guardians of our main character and with this book we get to know Nicks dad and Seths Uncle and Aunt. All three of them were such positive role models, they cared about their kids and were involved in their lives. In a lot of YA we just see kids running around doing their own thing and I always wonder where their parents are? I also really appreciated seeing the growth of Nick and his fathers relationship. When Nicks mom died his father started to pull away from him and now his father is trying to repair their relationship. You really get to see them start to work together during this new normal for them, and even though Nicks dad is struggling being a single father he is doing his absolute best and cares so much for Nicky.

Another fantastic element of this book is Seth. Seth who is the most precious and adorable character who needs to be protected at all costs! I adore his relationship with Nick, their friendship is so beautiful, these two have known one and other since they were kids and the relationship that they are building is so wholesome. I cannot wait to see where this relationship will go in the sequel.

I could keep going on and on about this book but I think at this point you understand how much I love this book. I truly believe this book is going to be big! It has the early hype and it has such a wonderful story that I cannot wait to see this book become a huge success.

Once again a massive thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with this e-arc!

T.J. Klune is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and it is solely due to how this guy can make me laugh so much that I have tears rolling down my face.

The Extraordinaries is a YA comedy romance with a gay neurodiverse main character, who writes fanfiction about the real life superheroes and supervillains in his home of Nova City. It is hilarious, unexpected and very heartfelt.

If we take away how positively I feel towards this book just because it made me laugh A LOT, the framing of this world where superheroes and supervillains are a real thing certainly could come across as a bit underdeveloped. However, I probably would have been bored to tears reading in depth origin stories and it would have changed the tone of the whole book too. Because, this book is the epitome of what people mean when they say they want a 'feel good' read or a 'comfort' read.

Nick Bell was annoyingly endearing. The overall plot centres around a big secret and there were times where I felt frustrated that he wasn't seeing the obvious clues in front of him (or even that there was a secret to be discovered in the first place.) Yet, in the next instance I was reminded of how his ADHD played a huge factor in the way that he absorbed external information. Klune has always excelled with dialogue, but I think the voice of Nick Bell is the most successful iteration of Klune-esque dialogue that I have ever read. The relationships that he had with his friends and family felt so three-dimensional and I found myself wishing that I had a friend like Nick.

Gibby, Jazz, Seth, Cap and Nick's father, Aaron were all wonderful as well. Each character had a purpose that contributed to the overall plot and ongoing character arcs; especially in regards to that sneaky ending.

The only character that fell a bit flat for me was Owen, whilst I enjoyed the direction his character went in, I would have preferred more detail about how and why he was the way that he was. I would have also liked to see a bit more on paper resolution to that particular plot point. However, it wasn't until I read the ending that I realised that this was going to be a series so hopefully we'll get something to that effect in future books.

I always thought that I wasn't that impressed by Superhero stories but it turns out I just hadn't read T.J. Klune's version of that story and I'm incredibly excited to see what comes next.

When I pick up a book by T J Klune, I know I am in for a ride with some cute characters landing in some wacky situations all the while having great banter and giving friendship goals. I got all of that and more when picked up his latest work as well.
The Extraordinaries tells the story of Nick, who is a mad fan of superheroes otherwise known as Extraordinaries and is high key obsessed with one in particular known as Shadow Star. The book focuses on Nick and his madcap adventures trying to find a way to meet his hero and later, even more insane attempts to become Extraordinary himself so that he could date Shadow Star.
I know. It’s NUTS!! But trust me, you will be laughing the entire way and you might also manage to shed a few tears in between. I got everything I was hoping for after reading House in the Cerulean Sea and it was crazier than ever before but I loved every second of it.
Nick reminded me soo much of my friend Sai (Zanyanomaly) who btw is the one who introduced me to this book, and I would even go so far as to say I was imagining his voice for Nick 😂😂😂😂 Nick was hyper, as extra as can be and sooo completely bonkers that you cannot help but root for him in all his zany expeditions. I loved how ADHD and mental health gets a representation in the book (don’t have enough information to judge it’s accuracy but it sounded genuine) The friendships, the banter and the family ties shown in this book were my second favourite things after Nick.
If you wanted a crazy, entertaining YA contemporary with a superheroes, this is the book for you.

Rating : 5 stars!!!!!
Thank you Netgalley for the earc

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.

With THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA already under his belt, TJ Klune has now written two of the sweetest and funniest books of the year.

In THE EXTRAORDINARIES, Nick Bell is a legendary YA protagonist with warmth and wit. Nicky is the heartbeat of this story and what will give it staying power. But the book is filled with strong, likable characters, which help pull off its Gilmore Girls-esque motor-mouth dialogue and frenetic charm.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age story that understands modern teens in full. The (often awkward and hapless) romantic elements demonstrate that.

Oh, also, superheroes.

Just lovely.

PLANNED COVERAGE:

-Book Riot: YA Novels That Celebrate Fandom

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.