5 stars!!!!

Although this was darker than the first book, I still found myself laughing out loud throughout the book, mostly because of Nick's dad, but it wasn't just him. I just loved the interactions between the characters and the things that came out of Nick's mouth were completely entertaining made even funnier by people's responses. Plus Nick and Seth are so totally adorable you just can't help but root for them. This will absolutely be a spoiler-free review because you just have to read these two books yourself. But the general gist is that Nick and his gang are generally the good guys and Rebecca Firestone and Simon Burke are the evil guys. I will say that Nick's dad does not come off wonderfully in this book, at least initially, but he absolutely owns his mistakes and knows that he will have to work hard to make amends. But throughout, as angry as Nick might be, you never doubt the deep love they have for each other. Race issues crop up in this book as well, but the author is very clear about the work needing to be done not by black people, but by the people who have committed and perpetuated racial inequality. In fact, the author doesn't waffle around any sensitive issues and just comes right out and says it (one of the reasons Nick is completely embarrassed by his dad, lol!) I adore Nick's gang and the people who support them and am only sad that I will have to wait for the next book! But seriously, I am loving this series!

I received an advance review copy for free (and thank God because I am glad I didn't have to wait), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An excellent continuation from The Extraordinaries with great character development and significant movement with the plot, wrapping up things from the last book and setting the stage for the third. All the characters are loveable and wonderfully written though they often come across as a little younger than their age. Lots of laughs and heart so that you laugh (loudly) often but also end up with some tears.

TJ Klune’s Flash Fire had me laughing out loud from page one. The second book in his YA superhero series, it picks up Nick and Seth’s story where The Extraordinaries left off, with Seth flying around saving the world and Nick writing fanfics in between schoolwork and making out with his boyfriend (who is busy flying around and saving the world).

Public opinion remains divided on the Extraordinaries and their powers. Pyrostorm and the people who keep his secrets are being hunted. And Nick—he’s just dealing with…a lot. The last thing they need are new Extraordinaries showing up and trying to take them down.

I loved the humor, the wit, and snark. The characters FELT like teenagers—making terrible decisions, dealing with drama, disobeying parents. The bonds of friendship between Seth, Nick, Gibby, and Jazz had me deep in my feels. The pacing was spot on, and the themes of courage and friendship and identity are deftly explored.

This book dives more deeply into the complicated and nuanced relationship between police and the communities they claim to protect. Nick has to reconcile his friend’s lives experiences with his dad, the cop, and he also has to reconcile his father’s behavior as a police officer to the man he knows and loves. This feels like a course correction from the first book.

Hysterical and tender in turns, Flash Fire is a love letter to queer kids who long to be super—and need to realize they already are.

Excuse me??? Do kids these days even know how good they have it? I hope this series finds its way into every HS library. It brought me so much joy. It honestly helped me love and accept myself more as someone with ADHD. I always try to hide neurodiversity and Nick and all his friends and family showed me a glimpse of another way to be.

I appreciate that after the apology letter last year Klune addressed the copaganda more directly in plot and dialogue in this book. It was, at times, deeply awkward, but through the lens of Nick as a 16 year old white boy, which means feeling deeply awkward addressing race and police brutality honestly tracks. I hope that young white teens stumble across this book and it helps them look at our shared world from a new angle.

That soft sweet scene of all of them trying on prom outfits will stick around in my head for a good long while and I'm so glad. Can't wait to buy the audiobook and experience it all again bc the narrator for this series is exceptional, one might say, extraordinary. 🤓

The sequel to The Extraordinaries, Flash Fire picks up a few months after book one ends, with Nick and Seth now in a relationship, and their friends helping Seth with his superhero duties. But everything is not so happy-go-lucky. New villains and secrets emerge, and both put a strain on Nick’s relationships with his friends, his dad, and Seth.

It was nice seeing the progression of Nick and Seth together, both the good and the bad. Both have insecurities about themselves—yes, even superhero Seth—but they are cute together, and the best-friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites.

We learn a few startling things in this book about Nick, his dad, and a few other characters, as well as a big revelation at the end. Some of these are predictable, some of them are not, but all of them work well within the story.

We meet a slew of new characters, including the parents of both Gibby and Jazz. Racial issues are touched on, specifically what’s been going on within the police department as of late, something that is important to bring up, especially since Nick’s dad is a cop himself.

Speaking of Nick’s dad, I know he’s meant to be the cool, relatable parent, but his character was a big turn off for me, more so than he was in the first book. The lengths he goes to to embarrass his son got old, and the secrets he keeps, especially from Nick, are unacceptable, regardless of his reasons. I really hope he’s not as insufferable in the next one.

The one other problem I had with this book was the wordiness. There were several scenes and situations that could’ve been scaled back in terms of length, but tended to drag on for several pages, until eventually I ended up skimming large parts of the book near the end.

That’s not to say that I’m not excited for book three. The reveal of the mysterious super helping Nick and his friends was, again, predictable, but will make for an interesting start to the third book, when Nick finally finds out himself who they are. I have a feeling emotions will be even higher in the next installment.

Fantastic follow-up to The Extraordinaries, though it took me a bit longer to read as I did receive this (requested in error) before reading the first book. Once you've read the first book, it's fantastic - but I will say, you do need to have read the first, and this can not be read as a standalone. (I'm saying this as it WAS my mistake, initially, and It took me forever to read, because I went back to re-read the first book in the series before coming to read this one.)

TJ Klune's writing style is fantastic as ever, and if you've ever enjoyed his other books - it's consistently good here. The story is gripping and compelling, the characters fleshed out, and easy to love. I'll read anything TJ puts out, in the future, so I appreciate the free copy I was given from Netgalley!

This was a great follow up to The Extraordinaries. It was very similar in tone and execution. Lots of fun action and gay drama! I was glad to see that TJ Klune addressed the issues of how the police were portrayed in the first book. As I white person I don’t think it’s for me to say if the way it was addressed was appropriate, but I was glad to see an attempt was made at least.

This was a fine sequel. I had fun with it, and enjoyed seeing the romance continuing to blossom, and I loved TJ Klune's signature writing style, but I just didn't really love this. I appreciate that TJ Klune took the time to address some of the criticism of the first book (re: police) and while I'm not totally satisfied with how it was handled, I do think that there were some really good discussions present. Will definitely be reading book 3!

The joy this book makes me feel!! Nick and Seth as the more adorable, lovable dorks ever and I love them! I love how the fit into this fantastic group of characters. Nicky and Seth, Gibby and Jazz, and the parents! All so amazing! There are such amazing, and healthy relationship between these characters! The relationships in general in this series are so pure, honest, and heartfelt with deep love and honesty even in the worst moments. The story in this book book stressed me out and I cannot wait to know what happens next! It's extraordinary!

The Extraordinaries follows Nicky Bell, a teen with ADHD and just a little crush on the city's superhero Shadow Star. After an attempted robbery leads Nicky to a chance encounter with his hero, he decides that he's through with being "normal" (as normal as Nicky can be) and launches several attempts to gain extraordinary powers. After the Battle at McManus Bridge, the city was saved, identities were revealed, and secrets may have begun to come to the surface. Flash Fire picks up in February a few months later, where Nicky, his boyfriend Seth, and their friends, Jazz and Gibby, try to finish off junior and senior year of high school. But things are building in Nova City. And when new Extraordinaries show themselves, the group must face a dangerous threat on a day that is supposed to be nothing but magical.

When Klune threw in a coda after the acknowledgements of The Extraordinaries readers were hoping there would be answers to the questions running through our heads. There was certainly more to the Bell family than Aaron (Nicky's father) had been leading on. I love the dynamics between Nicky and his friends, and we even get to see Gibby and Jazz's parents introduced in this book, which bring about some interesting perspectives and conversations to the mix. Klune really makes you feel things for his characters, whether that is love, admiration, or pure hatred (I feel all three for different characters in this series, and I can't wait to see what they're going to go through in the finale). What I really appreciated about this installment is the discussion around how to gain back someone's trust, especially someone you care for deeply, after they feel you have betrayed them, and if that is even possible. It can be a sore subject, and even if you give an honest apology and vow to due better it is ultimately up to them whether or not to accept it. There's also discussion about the lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe, even if that means keeping something from their or working with the enemy. And, when they find out, dealing with the consequences. I'm always amazed at how fast Klune can cause me to go from laughing out loud to bawling my eyes out - I guess that's his signature along with his humor present throughout. There are moments when the narration hints at something big, and event you know will be coming and will be significant, and the entire time you're wondering if your favorite characters will be able to make it out alive or unharmed. Well, I guess you'll just have to pick up the book to find out (and don't forget to read after the acknowledgements, there's something you won't want to miss).

Before I end, I do want to bring up some discussions that arose after the publication of The Extraordinaries in 2020. Many readers found the portrayal of the police force in the novel as less than satisfactory, especially since the release came around the heightened Black Lives Matter movement last June. Klune did acknowledge this in a blog post and vowed to make his stance, and his characters', abundantly clear in the sequel. I am not a person who this apology is directed towards, and some people may not pick up the sequel due to their strong negative feelings from the first book. Those people would be entirely in their right to do so. I will say that because the book is written from Nicky's perspective, the entire outlook on police is a bit clouded. He's grown up around them, his father being an officer, and has only seen the good, or at least has only wanted to see the good. But now he's forced to face the fact that this is not reality, that there are people on the force who are responsible for causing harm, especially to minorities. I appreciated how we got to see Nicky grappling with this, but coming to understand these truths and no longer make any excuses for his father or the police as a whole. I'm interested to see the direction this goes, especially with how the epilogue wrapped things up, and hope that readers who pick up this installment enjoy it more than the last.

After the last page has been read and the book has been closed, readers will be wondering how things could have happened the way they did and scramble until next year when we finally get to know how things in Nova City are going to turn out. There have been a few shocks and surprises that have kept me curious as to how this series is going to wrap up. Until then, I'll be rereading to find any moments of foreshadowing I may have missed the first time around. *Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Tor Teen, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Aaaaahhhhhh I loved this book so much!! Such a great sequel. This one is not even released yet and I'm already jonesing for the next one. Flash Fire had all of the drama, humor, thrills, and romance as The Extraordinaries, and then some. I thought the twists in each book were pretty predictable but the foreshadowing isn't exactly subtle. The point doesn't seem to be the twists but the journey getting there, especially from Nick's point of view. These characters are so charming and wonderful, I want to be friends with all of Lighthouse. These books are the first I've read by TJ Klune but I will definitely be going back and reading his other works as well. I'm giving Flash Fire 5 stars because that's the most I'm allowed to give.

Thank you NetGalley, Klune, and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Picking up after the events of “The Extraordinaries”, Nick finally has his superhero boyfriend. All should be well. But falling in love with a superhero poses some new challenges and there are still lingering questions. What is Simon Burke’s plans? What happened to Owen? Who are these new Extraordinaries? What’s behind Nicky’s headaches?

Review: I read The Extraordinaries earlier this year and highly anticipated the sequel. It did not disappoint. I loved exploring Nicky and Seth’s relationship further as well as their friendship with Jazz and Gibby. Nicky's growing sexual desire and Aaron's playing on it was hilarious. It added lightheartedness to it. Seth's feeling of isolation because he is PyroStorm make perfect sense. While his friends and family are there for him, they can never understand the pressure he feels being different, being extraordinary. The revelation about Nicky’s mom, Aaron, and Simon’s past had me enthralled. The relationship between Adam & Jenny Bell, and Simon Burke, tension, and possible future involving Nicky leaves so much room for a much needed third installment. The ending was both shocking and satisfying. But the post credit scene with Aaron had me craving so much more.

A running theme of “Flash Fire” is policing, tension, and fear of those different than oneself. A very relevant time for this theme with race relations and police brutality at the forefront of US centric media. Gibby's parents justified apprehension and distrust for Aaron Bell is a clear representation of how Black people in the US feel about police officers. Whether they are a "good cop" or "bad cop", there is still distrust and fear. The inclusion of this serves as interesting and appropriate commentary on current issues. I personally love to consume media that addresses systemic oppression and inequality without forcing real world oppressed peoples to be the educators. By utilizing extraordinaries as the tools, it creates an opportunity for people to relate no matter what their real world identities are. I can definitely foresee myself using elements of Flash Fire in my real world work as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Professional.

TJ Klune wrote an engaging novel that builds on the things we loved about The Extraordinaries, but also provided commentary on real world events through the eyes of a 16 year old kid with ADHD. I sincerely hope that readers understand what Klune was doing and appreciate the efforts.

Nick & Seth are finally together, but the drama isn’t over. Nick’s dad has been hiding things, something weird is going on with Nick, and now Nova City has more Extraordinaries. All Nick wants to do is spend time with his boyfriend and finish his self-insert slash AU bakery PI fic. What’s a 16 year old to do.

Holy crap! TJ Klune had me LoLing from the very first chapter. His ability to take a story from super sweet to insanely hilarious- while weaving in serious topics (police brutality/corruption to be specific) and make it all fit together so perfectly blows my friggin mind.

There are so many things I want to talk about in this review, but can’t without spoiling the entire thing for you. Just be ready for so many A+, epic moments with one heck of a bombshell ending!

This book isn’t even released yet, and I already need book 3 yesterday. More Lighthouse please!

P.S. I have questions about the use of “cerulean” in T.J.’s books. Has he talked about this anywhere? Inquiring minds NEED to know.

*Huge thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge/Tor Teen & Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed The Extraordinaries and this one is even better and so close to perfect. I still love Nick and really appreciated getting to know his friends better in this one. Gibby and Jazz are the lesbian best friends everyone needs, I love them entirely and their scenes in this book were gold. The relationship between Nick and his dad was also used more and may be one of my favorite parent/child relationships I've ever read. They have their ups and downs and a few serious disagreements but overall, they so clearly love each other and Nick's dad loves him unconditionally for exactly who he is. His dad is also hilarious and his unflinching dad humor had me laughing out loud repeatedly.

Flash Fire takes all the best parts of The Extraordinaries but takes it in a new direction that isn't predictable, has an adorable romance instead of a weird love triangle, and really uses the superhero portions in a better, more artful way. I also appreciate that this book dives deeper into issues of race and police that were glossed over in the first one. My only issue with this book is that it really drags in a few parts, particularly a few conversations that just dragged on way after I got the point. It was maybe 50 pages too long overall and could have used a bit of editing to keep up the momentum throughout.

I really enjoyed this book, 4.5 stars rounded down to 4. This one definitely setup the final book in the trilogy and I'm so sad that I'm going to have to wait until it's published in 2022 to read it.

**I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I really enjoyed this sequel to last year's The Extraordinaries! Nick and his friends are it again and I just love the dynamic between them. Nick and Seth are beyond adorable together., and so freakin' endearing. But, like in the first book, the relationship between Nick and his father is really the glue that holds the book together. I didn't find this one quite as laugh-out-loud funny as The Extraordinaries but there were still some moments that made me spit out my tea.

The story here dives into more serious issues than its predecessor, which I really appreciated. While The Extraordinaries didn't take itself too seriously, that was rectified here with a fair amount of page time devoted to the police-related issues from the first book, and I appreciated the conversations and revelations around this.

The queer positivity and sex positivity in this book are awesome, some of it giving way to some of the most hilarious dialogue between Nick and his dad. This was just a lot of fun, a great read for a rainy weekend, full of laughs and action and friendship and family.

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing an ARC of this book through NetGalley !

First of all I gotta say I read the first book because I received this ARC. I really liked the first one, loved the characters and laughed a lot. I just had a fun time.

For this second book, I didn’t get the same feeling and enjoyment. My love for the characters and their dynamics still stands, but the plot wasn’t as interesting and I felt like it couldn’t generate the same funny moments. I felt like the book was too long for what it had to say. I loved the characters and a lot of the elements from the plot could’ve just been added to the first book.

I also know the author was reprimanded for the police brutality in the first book so there were a lot of conversations around that subject but sadly they sometimes felt forced or like just put in there.

Overall, I think this story could’ve been put in one standalone and it would’ve been a great book.

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

I didn’t enjoy "Flash Fire" as much as I thought I would, especially after the explosively good beginning this series had. Sure, book 2 had plenty of laugh out loud moments. My love for Nick and his friends continued to grow. And all the father-son moments between Nick and his Dad were precious gold. Unfortunately the store as a whole was underwhelming.

Many as well as the author have already addressed the issues with the police aspect of this story, so I’ll try to keep this short. I have mixed, uneasy feelings about it, as a Black American, because continued police brutality against black people is a major issue. Police tension in a superhero story is to be expected. I was just surprised by how deep these problematic and deadly issues were going to affect the story and characters, especially after 2020. So I had to stop and read reviews for book 1 and 2 as well as Klune’s August 2020 letter to better understand everything because something felt off about how the police were worked into the story.

"Flash Fire" raises the stakes to a whole new level of tension and friction between the characters and Nova City (the setting). I worried about Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz because they’re such amazing kids and so much is changing for them. They’re growing up so fast and I wish there were more moments within the story for them to just be kids, especially Seth.

I love the turn Nick and Aaron’s (his dad) relationship takes, as bittersweet as it was. They continue to be one of my favorite father-son duos. I liked getting to know the other parents and other Extraordinaries. There needed to be more Office Rookie and less Rebecca Firestone (who I loath).

The writing was and kind of disappointing. Mostly because I’m a huge fan of how Klune writes and this didn’t match up to that or the kind of voice Nick has.

I’m also still on the fence about how I feel about certain plot revelations and plot twists. But I did like their place within the story, what they implied, and how they’ll impact book 3. The climax was awesome but somewhat drawn out.

"Flash Fire" fell short for me. I felt lost and unsure at times. There were things I liked and funny moments. But it wasn’t enough to really enjoy what was happening. I will still read the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I was one of those reviewers who had the time to pull out quotes because this book was full of hilarious moments worth capturing. The dynamic between Nick, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby only gets better in this book as they navigate through different circumstances. Jazz and Gibby's parents learn that they are part of the team that protects Seth. Nick finds out his dad has been keeping secrets from him. Nick makes a startling discovery of his own. Gibby is headed off to college next year, and on top of it all, there is prom to get ready for!

I don't know how to explain that I felt like nothing and everything happened in this book. It took me awhile to get through the book because there wasn't a lot of action until the end. That being said, I wouldn't have left out a single part of the story. I felt like everything that happened was. I love that this story is about more than just The Extraordinaries and a superhero plot line. I feel like 50% of the book was focused on The Extraordinary plot line and the other 50% was focused on four teens trying to navigate life. We are introduced to some new Extraordinaries in this book and while I think it was a little predictable, I loved the cliffhanger at the end.

If you liked The Extraordinaries, I don't think you will be disappointed with this book. It's still full of crazy Nick ideas and quips, Seth being sweet, adorable Seth, and Jazz and Gibby being kick-ass friends who keep everyone grounded.

I was able to read the first book and this sequel did not let me down!! Now I am completely fangirling over this series!

Nick and Seth! I am so obsessed with them! The readers will also be learning more about other characters like, Gibby and Jazz! This book is full of laughs and also some very important conversations. It is also action-packed and full of excitement.

I can't wait to read book 3 bc this one left me with still more questions!

Definitely recommend this series! ❤

Nicholas Bell is the heart of this story/series.
Not just because he is the narrator.
But because he gives the story life.
He brings humor to almost any scenario.
And he offers unwavering support for his boyfriend, who is struggling with his path forward. after book one.

You'd think Pyro Storm would be considered a hero after the last book. But thanks to some sketchy reporting from Rebecca Firestone (I concur with Nick that she is a horrible human), and mixed support from the police force of Nova City, his position in the city is tenuous at best. Lucky for him, he has his BFF and now boyfriend, Nick by his side.

Following some hilarious LOL embarrassing moments with Nick's dad, Aaron, offering safe sex advice should Nick and Seth decide to take things up a notch (this is YA so keep your expectations low), the story evolves to the Extraordinaries role in the city now. With new players revealed, their status as good or bad, remains uncertain. While Seth/Pyro Storm tries to navigate these changes, Nick, along with Gibby and Jazz, offer him back up in only the unusual way a bunch of teenagers can.

The big twist to this story is Nick and the past his father tried to prevent from coming to light. GAME CHANGER!! It was a mix of humorous, sweet and awkward with how Nick handled this revelation. And despite many hiccups, I cheered for him every step of the way.

I enjoyed this book even more than book one and am officially hooked to this extraordinary YA LGBTQ superhero theme. I can't wait for more!! (Yes, this one ends in a mini-cliffy)