Full disclosure: I have been a loyal fan of TJ Klune for a good number of years and have rarely been disappointed by his adult novels, so this review might be a bit biased as a fan.

This book was a hilarious yet tender-hearted adventure that, I felt, explored what it means to be neuro-diverse within a landscape that has Extraordinaries, aka superheroes and supervillains. Our main character Nick has ADHD and is also dealing with the grief and mourning that comes from losing a parent unexpectedly, so there is an emotional thread of Nick feeling like his disorder makes him a screwup and puts him into deep trouble despite his good intentions (which is bananas, but it's a spiraling way of thinking many people especially teens can fall into). This is why he decides to become an Extraordinary himself and prove himself a hero, the opposite of a screwup (... how exactly, Nick has not figured out, but that's where the hilarity ensues).

I don't think there was anything too surprising in the plot, honestly, but TJ Klune's writing style felt fresh and different from what I've read in YA recently. I didn't care much for the plot itself but was compelled to follow Nick in his superhero quest and discover more about him and the colorful and lovely people who fill his life, support him, and even call him out when he is wrong. And there are enough loose ends left unresolved that we can expect a sequel.

The humor is quite over the top and there are many moments of paragraphs of text dedicated to introspection which I was mostly fine with, but I wish both of the humor and introspection was cut back just a little, especially when the humor did distract from the tension of an action scene or the introspection, especially towards the end, made me want to jump those paragraphs to get to more action-oriented scenes. But those are my main points of criticism.

Another point I found hilarious was a couple of chapters of Nick's Extraordinary fanfic with his self-inserted character! Those chapters read so authentically as self-fulfillment fanfic written by a 16-year-old, it gave me flashbacks to my own fanfic writing attempts at that age and made me smile. The best part is the fanfic was not such a big device used in this novel, the fanfic snipped that we did read was few and struck me as the right amount.

I can't wait to see how teens react to this novel. Good luck, Mr. Klune. I can't wait to see how this series continues.

“The Extraordinaries” is the second book by TJ Klune to be released this year under Tor Books, specifically Tor Teen. Because of the COVID19 pandemic however, release has been moved back from May to 14 July 2020. Many thanks to Net Galley for the eARC. I will post my full review in July, but I will say that I enjoyed this YA book about a teen with ADHD who wants to be a superhero, and how his father and his friends support him. I laughed, and I cried, and I learned something new.

Thanks to NetGalley and Torbooks for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. It was amazing.

The Extraordinaries is TJ Klune's YA debut and the first book of a trilogy with the same name. The second book will be published next year.
The story starts with a fanfic chapter about the Extraordinaries of Nova City (Shadow Star and Pyro Storm), writed by Nick, the most popular fanfic’s writer and our protagonist.

Nick Bell (16 years old) biggest dream is meet Shadow Star and when that happens, he gets the idea in his head of becoming a Extraordinary and he ask his friends for help. His gang are:
- Seth, "the best human in the world and his second favorite person after his dad" in Nick's opinion.
- Jazz, a pretty sweet girl. She's the sweetest character, I love her.
- Jazz’s girlfriend Gibby, who always saves the day because the other three share one brain cell.
- And last but not least, Owen that is the creepy ex-boyfriend who offers his help in Nick's mission. I consider him as part of the gang. I really like this character.

This novel is not a conventional superhero's story. It's about the relationships with family, friends, idols and yourself. It has action scenes, ridiculous humor, ADHD and LGBT representation (Klune is good with these themes) and all that in an amazing book without stereotypes.
For people like me, who during adolescence writed fanfics about anime, manga, superheroes, boybands and all that, this book could be very nostalgic. When I was reading it I really felt the things that the characters were telling and that was awesome. I really think about this as the strongest point of The Extraordinaries.

For all anime, manga, superheroes and LGBT romance lovers, this is your book. And for TJ Klune lovers like me, this novel is not like any of the previous ones, is something fresh and new, but it conserves that unique touch of joyfulness, sarcasm, and everything we love of his others works.
Like Green Creek series and The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries has it all to be adapted in a movie or series. Netflix, this is your chance.


Spanish version

Muchas gracias a Netgalley y TorBooks por la copia avanzada.


The Extraordinaries es el ingreso de TJ Klune al young adult y tambien es la primer entrega de una trilogía que llevará el mismo nombre (la segunda parte será publicada el año próximo, información dada por el mismo TJ en Twitter).

Originalmente se publicaba el 5 de mayo pero a consecuencia de la pandemia y el aislamiento social, se debió retrasar la fecha y finalmente será lanzada el 14 de julio de este año. Esto tambien significa que el otro libro de TJ Klune pendiente a publicar en este año se nos va a Octubre (estoy hablando de Brothersong, el final de la saga Green Creek).

The Extraordinaries empieza con un facfic sobre un superheroe de la ciudad Nova "Shadow Star" escrita por Nick (su mayor fan), que es nuestro protagonista.

Con 16 años, Nick Bell sueña con conocer a su superheroe preferido, y despues de un encuentro con él decide que tiene que ayudarlo con su labor de cuidar Ciudad Nova. Desafortunadamente, la manera en la que se le ocurre hacerlo es convertirse en un Extraordinario.

Para lograr su objetivo va a pedir ayuda a su grupo de amigos conformado por Seth, el mejor ser humano del universo según nuestro protagonist, a Jazz, que es la criatura más dulce y comprensiva de todas y a Gibby, la persona inteligente que les salva las papas todo el tiempo a los demás porque la mayoría de las veces comparten una única neurona. Y quien repetidamente se ofrece a colaborar sin ser escuchado es Owen, su ex novio que parece no haberlo superado.

Esta novela aparte de ser sobre superheroes (no de la manera en la que estamos acostumbrados) es sobre relaciones, la relación que tienes con tus ídolos, con tus familiares, con tus amigos y contigo mismo.

Entre escenas de acción, visibilización de neurodiversidad, representación del colectivo LGBT y humor (todo en lo que TJ siempre destaca) transcurre esta fabulosa historia libre de estereotipos, que tiene lo que promete y más.

Quienes hemos atravesado la adolescencia, el mundo de los fanfics y el amor por bandas, personajes de ánime, comics, etc. vamos a estar muy nostálgicos durante la historia y siento que este es uno de los puntos más fuertes de The Extraordinaries. Es muy probable que te sientas identificado con la enorme cantidad de sensaciones que cada uno de los personajes transmite.

Amantes del anime y manga, comics, superheroes, distopías y del romance LGBT, este es su libro.

Por otro lado, no sé cómo se manejaran hoy los fickers del mundo, pero TODO en los fragmentos de fanfic que aparecen en la novela son coherentes con lo que yo recuerdo haber escrito a los 14. Incluso la ficha técnica.

Para cerrar, si han tenido la fortuna de leer algo de TJ Klune, se darán cuenta de que este libro es muy distinto a lo que ha escrito antes, al igual que The House in the Cerulean Sea. Y cómo Green Creek, tiene mucho potencial para ser adaptado a película o serie (Netflix, aprovechalo)..

First of all, thank you so much to Tor Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have actually never read a TJ Klune book, but when I read the synopsis of this, I knew I needed to read it. This was a fun, very specifically humorous book. As someone who is often looking for a light read (because let's be honest, right now is not the best time for dark reads) this was exactly what I needed!

When Nick, a superhero fan fiction writer, has a chance encounter with Shadow Star, kind of just the coolest superhero from Nova City, Nick is on the hunt to become extraordinary (hey, the title!). Nick's best friend (and love interest) Seth Gray beta reads all of his fan fic (hey, actual publishing terms, yay!). With his mother recently killed in a back robbery and a struggling relationship between he and his cop father, Nick' story starts out a bit rough.

This story kind of has everything. We have a lesbian couple, we have superheroes, great representation with Nick also having ADHD, grief, and just generally well-rounded, non-stereotypical characters. I personally haven't read Fangirl, but I have read the Renegades trilogy (twice) and basically anything comped to it I am IN LOVE WITH.

And now I'm off to read more of Klune's work, because YES! I also plan on listening to the audiobook, because I think this book would be an awesome audiobook and movie!

My only criticism is that this book ended too soon. The ending was beyond spectacular, by the way. The epilogue was super intriguing. 

I have read a lot of books where the protagonist has a disability, such as ADHD. Often times, the way the character thinks and acts does not reflect the aforementioned disability. I am relieved to tell you this book not only accurately portrays being a queer teen with a disability (I have some experience there), but it portrays it so so so well. I absolutely adore Nick. His quirkiness is endearing.

And the romance is absolutely precious. It wasn't weird or gross or teenager-y in a negative way. It was utterly perfect and so so sweet, my heart is crying tears of joy. I can already see a huge fanbase of shippers for this book (not going to spoil the names of who is in the ship!).

I honestly laughed a lot during this book. It's so sweet and fun that I couldn't help it. While this book isn't a comedy or anything, it's written so lightheartedly that I never stopped smiling. Except during that plot twist of betrayal. No spoilers though!

The creativity is beyond words. Every three pages I was like WAIT WHAT OMG YES QUEEN because the plot never got stale. The book is brilliantly crafted and I can already tell the next two books will be best sellers. They don't release for a couple of years, TJ Klune please leak your own books early. Thank you in advance.

I can't find the words to say enough good things about this book. It's simply brilliant. I just love it so freaking much. If you don't read this the second you can, you are officially a fool.

T.J Klune is one of the only writers that succeeds in making me laugh out loud. This book was amusing and heartfelt and important. It was like slipping on a pair of comfortable shoes not having read a T.J book in a while (a couple months max) This is an all star YA debut.

I've been a fan of TJ Klune for awhile now and was really excited to see that he was writing a YA book. He is great at writing interesting LGBTQ books that are equally funny and emotional - which is shown in this book. I loved the twist on a superhero story that focuses on a fanboy. The relationships in this book are great and realistic, especially between Nick and his father. This is one I'll definitely purchase for my library and recommend to readers.

This book sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. I connected deeply enough with the character that I could feel exactly what he was feeling most of the time. He seemed so real and true that I anticipated his feelings and felt them along with him. This book was so heartfelt, wholesome and well-written. It was much more than just a romance. It was a superhero film as a book with a little bit of teenage drama thrown in for good measure. I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys superheroes and has felt different from other people. Because in this book, being neurodiverse makes you a superhero. Looking forward to the second book.

"The Extraordinaries" by T.J. Klune was both funny and realistic. Realistic for a fantasy book anyway. I liked the diverse cast of characters, from Nick and Seth to Gibby and Jazz. Nick reminded me of Cath from Rainbow Rowell's "Fangirl," almost like a gender-swapped version of her. The cover, while appealing, doesn't really match the book's fantastical realism feel. Just looking at this cover with no relation to the book I would think "The Extraordinaries" was a contemporary story.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Alright. Let me start this review with admitting that I am 100% in love with this cover. It's absolutely gorgeous and whoever made it deserves a raise.

Now on to the book itself. Holy shit, I loved it to pieces. Hilarious, outlandish, entertaining, and everything I wanted it to be. Ever want a crossover with Marvel and Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl? Well, your dreams have come true. We got it. And to make it even better, it was hella queer. With ADHD rep. Easily one of my favorite reads this year.

I'm already fighting off a reread.

If you take the plot of The Amazing Spider-man films, the tone of Spider-Man Homecoming, the irony of Miraculous Ladybug, and then make it all gay, you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune!

(I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!)

As someone who has never read a T.J. Klune book before, I honestly went into this book with no expectations. As a fanfiction lover myself and a fan of dramatic irony and superheroes, I knew this could be the kind of book I would love. And, although for half of the book I honestly wasn't sure how to feel about what I was reading, I'm pleased to say that I was ultimately won over by this fun, enthusiastic, and cute story. I've gone back and forth on the rating since finishing this book yesterday. While I enjoyed myself reading it, I think there were also a number of weaknesses that almost made this book feel like a fanfiction written by its protagonist at times. I settled on 4 stars because I think that ultimately, it comes together in a satisfying way, and there are great twists and turns that made me boost my rating, but I did have a few more problems with this book that I normally have with my 4 star reads.

I'm going to start with those issues before I get into the stuff I really liked. Despite Klune being the author of a great number of books, I found a lot of issues in this book that I would expect from less experienced writers. For instance, the characters all fit into "types" so clearly that I started being able to predict all of their words and actions (especially Nick, Jazz, and Owen). A lot of the dialogue in this book is completely unrealistic as well. It felt kind of like Klune wrote a dialogue draft of what he generally wanted the character's dialogue to accomplish, but he forgot to go back in and replace the drafted dialogue with things that don't feel like the script for a TV sitcom. For evidence of this, look no further than the melodramatic cafeteria scene on the first day of school. Also, Nick is kind of unbelievable as a character. And by that, I mean UNBELIEVABLY oblivious. I love a "cute idiot" protagonist as much as the next girl, but I have to draw the line at some point, and Nick far crosses the line of believable obliviousness. No boy who writes self-insert fanfiction would miss THAT many context clues that his best friend has feelings for him, it's simply not realistic. Especially when every. single. character. in the book drops hints to him repeatedly. I also think it undermines Nick's character a little bit--since he spends a lot of the book trying to convince people that he is smart and deserves to be taken seriously.

Lastly, it made me a little uncomfortable that Gibby is called "dyke" twice in this book by an author who is not a lesbian woman. I know that this is a term that some people are trying to reclaim, but I just don't know if we're there yet, and the scene where Owen casually calls Gibby that in conversation and no one raises an eyebrow at it doesn't sit right with me. I know Klune's heart is in the right place and it's awesome to see the mlm/wlw solidarity in this book, but I just think the book could do without questionable language like this.

As for things I liked: this book is HILARIOUS. I laughed out loud a number of times and screamed from secondhand embarrassment for Nick. The fanfiction parts are especially funny because, as a fic writer, I know that T.J. Klune KNOWS fanfiction. The author's notes, the ridiculous fic lengths, the apologies for late updates and the quality of the fic itself were all perfect. I think the sweet romance between Seth and Nick is one of the absolute highlights of the novel, but the relationship between Nick and his dad was also really special. The supporting characters are mostly cliché, but in a fun and readable way at least. I especially love how this book distracts you so much with the obvious foreshadowing that it's able to sneak some subtle foreshadowing past you without you paying it any mind. I audibly gasped in surprise while reading this book, which is saying something.

All in all, I can tell that I liked a lot because I am still thinking about it over 24 hours later, wishing I could pick it back up and keep reading more. SEQUEL WHEN?!

This was such a fun read! Nick's ADHD makes it hard for him to stay focused, which makes it hard for him to see what's right in front of him sometimes. He's so busy pining after the Extraordinary (real-life local superhero) of his fan-fic dreams that he can't see the nefarious plot that is putting the people he loves in danger. There were times when his cluelessness is almost too hard to believe, and there's a little bit of repetitious language that probably won't make it to the final round of edits, but overall this is an enjoyable start to what is sure to be a really fun series or duology.

This is the nostalgic and wholesome LGBTQ+ book of DREAMS! The callout to fanfiction and fandoms nestled so deeply in my soul right from the start. The two main characters?? Their begrudging friendship?? THEIR LOVE. This book is a warm hug wrapped up in forehead kiss. I laughed out loud a few times and hugged the book to my chest near the end.

I really wish I had read something this heartfelt and genuine when I was younger, but I'm so glad I have stumbled onto it now.

Probably one of the best books I'll read this year. Can't believe TJ and the way he ended this, thank god there's more books or I would've been pissed! I loved the characters, the plot and the whole superhero concept. One of the best writing which I'm not surprised about at all. Klune knows how to write a book and I absolutely LOVE his work.

If a book is said to be a mashup of two iconic books (Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Marissa Meyer's Renegades, it's got a lot of promises to fulfill. Unfortunately, a lot of my expectations (which were partly driven by the references to these books in the blurb, but also positive reviews from others), were not met.

Things I didn't like:
1. It's very predictable. It would've been great if the readers could have been surprised along with Nick when the identities of the villain/superhero were revealed, but it wasn't a surprise for me at all. I knew exactly who was who from the very beginning, and Nick's cluelessness went from mildly entertaining to completely infuriating.
2. The characters are very bland and immature given their age. I like the idea of having a diverse cast, but I just found them to be very confusing and not very unique. I kept getting Jazz and Gibby mixed up, which should NOT happen. I didn't like Owen, or Nick. I'm pretty sure I only liked Seth in this book.
3. The main character is seriously irksome. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Nick Bell. I was so happy to see him representing kids with disorders, but he ended up just getting on my nerves sometimes with how...absolutely idiotic he was being.
4. The writing is pretty elementary. Now, YA is pretty varied and unique. We have writers like Leigh Bardugo just KILLING it when complex writing, but also someone like Vernoica Roth with a less pronounced style who still manages to elevate her story by compensating in other ways (concept, world-building). I found Klune's writing to be very elementary and, given that I'm a close age to the main characters, I was surprised to find that I couldn't imagine myself or my friends acting in such a way. I don't know if the intention was to exaggerate their ages or make a point with the childish writing, but I think I missed the memo. The writing flows, sure, but I found the dialogue to be lacking in quality, and the world building was non-existent. We hardly know anything about this Nova City, despite it being the setting for the entire story. That's a problem.

Things I did like:
1. Concept! I like the idea of having diverse characters, kickass female leads, and the juxtaposition between wanting and being.

Do I recommend this book?
Honestly? Not really. I think you'd be better off reading Fangirl and/or Renegades depending on your interest. I don't think you'd be missing much by skipping this one, unfortunately.

I got an ARC of this book through Netgally!

I don't even know where to begin... I freaking loved this book!
It's funny, angsty and so freaking adorable, and I already want to reread it again.
I knew it was going to be a 5 star read for me... because all Klune's books are! He never fails to make me laugh, and I'm really glad I wasn't reading this in public! People would've thought I was crazy.
I don't even know what else to say! I'm so so so happy that I got to read this already!
If you haven't done it already, then you need to get your hands on it as soon as it comes out... because you really dont want to miss out on it!
I need more than 5 stars to give!

The Extraordinaries was so fun and heartwarming and sure super tropey and a bit pradictable but it had my favourite tropes and it was comforting in a way.
It reminded me of Megamind and History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera except this was more fun and Lighthearted while HIAYLM was just pain (The Extraordinaries was just a little bit of pain)
The books strength lies was the characters and their relationships. The relationship between Nick and his dad was moving. That and the friendships was really the core of the story.
The writing and the banter was fun even if it got a bit cringy at points.
Speaking of cringy, the fan fiction in the story was so amazingly cringy I was wheezing with laughter. Reminded me of a lot of fan fiction I read (and written)

Overall The Extraordinaries was fun superhero romp and with lots of heart I can't wait for the sequel

It has bi, gay and lesbian rep, as well as ADHD rep.
It was really intriguing! Loved all the rep! Especially the ADHD rep was so well done, I'm really impressed.
I got annoyed at the main character at some point, because he believed EVERYTHING someone told him... I get it, his mind and thoughts are racing, it's hard to think something through. But some people straight up lied to him (and it was really obvious), and he believed it?
Otherwise, couldn't stop reading! 4.75/5 stars
I didn't know this is a series, and was pretty annoyed (but positively of course) at the end, because it's not really a cliffhanger, but I need the second book NOW.

good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good

I am a huge fan og TJ Klune's books, and have read almost every book he has written. Thus, my expectations were sky high when first starting this book. I know what he can do, and I always expect to like it. With that in mind, I have to say that he also really hit it home for me with The Extraordinaries.

One of the things TJ Klune is best at, is characters. Not only the main character, but every other small character that is included in a book. They are funny and warm, and he manages to give life to everyone of them with a mystifying accuracy. A little old lady in the store with only two lines? Well, be sure that those two lines are either funny as hell or heartwarming and deep, and he gives the character such life with so little it's astounding.

The characters in The Extraordinaries are no exception. The main character, Nick, is a neurodiverse character - which by the way is such a refreshing way to view a character; there aren't a lot of them around! - who talks a mile a minute and has his own internal world all his own. He is funny, kind and a little bit crazy in his shenanigans. And then there are all these supporting characters, and there are a lot of them. From his circle of friends (a shy boy and a couple of kick-ass lesbians), to his father and his circle of friends, to his ex-boyfriend who isn't very nice, but oh so dreamy.

The story ifself circles around Nick and his hang-up on the Extraordinaries, who are superheroes. He is obsessed with becoming an Extraordinary himself, and hilariousness follows. There is action, friendship, love and a lot of lols.

Oh, and the ending. THE ENDING!!! I can't wait to read more from this band of people.

I would recommend this book to anyone, really, but especially if superheroes are your jam.