I loved this book. Like really, really loved it. After the cliffhanger in the last book, I knew we’d be getting a big reveal moment (or moments) in this book, and I could not wait. Suffice to say, I was not disappointed. And Nick with powers? Just as messy and chaotic as one would expect. After some of the comments made by certain side characters, I’m really hoping we get to see the full extent what Nick can do.

Powers aside, this is also a lovely romance as well—Nick and Seth are perfect. I liked Seth even more this go-round, now that he’s not being dodgy and is a bit more fleshed out. I don’t think there was a single character that didn’t interest me in some way. Some of them pissed me off, sure, but they were all distinct, fully-developed characters. Nick’s dad was again a standout to me, and I’m interested in seeing what direction he ends up going as they all move forward.

And that cliffhanger? Well, I’m not sure how I feel about it, but it’ll be fun to see where the chips fall. Overall, this is a great follow-up, and I cannot wait for the third book.

I really loved the first one in this series - this one was good too! Not nearly as good as the first but that’s okay. The problem lies within the author. I found some stuff out about them and their using of indigenous trauma to make money… and I can’t support that.

Nothing quite like reading a sequel that surpasses its predecessor in every way! 4.25 stars! I received this ARC from Tor Teen on Netgalley. This did not in any way affect my review.

I must admit that I was unsure how to feel about The Extraordinaries when I first read it last year. The story was hilarious and the characters were charming, but often times the book was so obvious or frustrating or borderline nonsensical that I couldn't tell what the author was trying to go for. Overall I enjoyed the first book and gave it a 3.5 star rating based off of its. promising cliffhanger, but I didn't quite know what to expect from Flash Fire. While this book has some of the hit-you-over-the-head obvious writing and weird clash between absurd comedy and dark/serious moments, it also takes the story to new levels!

There is so much to love about this book! Nick and Seth's relationship is better than ever, the MLM / WLW solidarity is at an all-time high, and Nick's relationship with his father becomes even deeper and more complex. It's so satisfying to see how characters grow and change in this book, especially Nick's father. When TJ Klune wrote The Extraordinaries, it is clear that he hadn't fully thought about the repercussions of having multiple members of the police at the center of the story (it is, after all, fairly common in superhero media). And while I feel like many authors would try to overlook what is happening in our world and claim that their books are set in a fantasy world where there are only "a few bad apples" among the police, TJ Klune took the time to thoroughly unpack the abuse and corruptions of the police and handled the role of the police in a way that really earned my respect.

There are also new things in this story that were so great to dive into! Some new Extraordinaries (including a Drag Queen), emerging new villains, and of COURSE (spoilers for book 1!!!) the exploration of Nick's own telekinesis. The world of the Extraordinaries expanded so much in this book and I am confident that book 3 will achieve the same.

Sign me up for the galley of book 3 too please! I'm ACTUALLY DYING to see what happens next.

I love this so much. It's so ridiculous in some places, but the camp is part of the charm. Nick and his friends are loveable and fun.

There were some laugh out loud parts that had tears coming down my face (like when Nick forgets to turn his Bluetooth off and blasts...a movie...into his dad's car and Aaron proceeds to give a very embarrassing demonstration to the boys.

I also appreciate how Klune approaches real life social issues, including how he shifted some of the attitudes regarding Nick's dad and his occupation. I thought things were handled well.

Overall, this may not be for everyone, given the narrator is a teenager with ADHD who tends to be clueless and all over the place, but it was my brand of ADHD, so I appreciate the rep and found it to be a very enjoyable read.

So happy to be back with Nick Bell! He is one of my favorite characters. This book is a must purchase for any high school library.

VERY worth the wait. I admit I was skeptical the sequel would live up to the first book but it proved me wrong by being just AS GOOD as the first with the introduction of new characters and throwing in new stakes that threatens to damage relationships. I mentally need a break after that emotional high and that bloody cliffhanger will be the death of me.

So I'm not really sure how I feel about this sequel, but I know I did not enjoy it, which was such a surprise :( It took me so much longer than expected to read it, and at times I really didn't want to pick it up. I wonder if it's because I read both book 1 and 2 in row...

Everything I loved in the first novel turned sour in this one. The eccentricities I loved became quite annoying and the over the top style just felt too forced this time around, it all felt a bit grotesque. The story felt really disjointed as if it didn't know where to go, and it felt like there was no transition between scenes, which left me feeling like I never got closure on certain moments or never got proper answers. It was hard to focus and follow where each plot point was going. It also felt like the first book was much more character driven than the second book. I was hoping for more dialogues between Nick and Seth, but it never left the surface level. The adults in this story are unbelievably frustrating, and there's little consequence to what some try to pull off for money (talking about the teachers here). I don't know, I felt like I forgot the good parts because the story stretched for too long without being really entertaining. I think this could be due to the fact that we get almost no answers, and I wish we were given a bit more insight. The storyline with Burke just goes on and on, but it's so foggy, it would have been nice to get one question answered on that side.

Now this could be just me, but at times, I felt there was some peer pressure (specifically from Jazz) for Nick to become intimate with Seth during prom night.

Spoilery Bits: I don't know for others, but the ending twist felt really cheap to me. I was actually pretty disappointed with it, especially when I went back to read TK's first interactions with Nick; how they treated him was not okay given the twist and I'm confused.

2 stars ~ ★★

I DNF this book at 51%, and here's why:

I loved the first book because of the characters. Seriously, I got so attached I couldn't stop reading. The Extraordinaires was character-driven, filled with plot points I fell in love with.

Maybe is shouldn't disregard this book purely because it's plot-driven, but it didn't grip me nearly like the first did. So far, I really don't care about the plot that much. The last chapter of The Extraordinaires made me think I'd love it, but it just got boring and impactless.

The cheesiness of the last novel was fun, but this one brought it to a whole other level - one that wasn't nearly as enjoyable. If I get second-hand twice at only 10% in, there's a problem. Plus, I'm not really sure who these books are for. On one hand, the writing and cheesy humour makes me think it's middle-grade, but with all the sexual references, I doubt it.

When it came to the actual characters, I liked how TJ Klune created tension without making either Seth or Nick "the bad guy", but there just wasn't enough to keep me reading. Whatever ups-and-downs they had were solved 8 pages later, which quickly got annoying.

If you have a long attention span, a young sense of humour, and are immune to second-hand embarrassment, read this book. Really. I didn't hate it by any means, but didn't love it enough to keep reading. Maybe you will.

4.5 stars:

And here I am, wracking my brain to come up with <i> something </i> coherent to sum up my feelings for this book. <b> T.J. Klune has done it again </b> I've said this before, but I genuinely think that Klune is one of the best writers out there today. Everything that he writes is magnetic and awe-inspiring. I can't get enough. I don't know how to explain, other than this book is <b> extraordinary </b>. It's clever, fast paced, full of heart, and if you like superhero stories, you would LOVE this series.

Okay, so when I got the arc notification from Netgalley for Flash Fire, I nearly jumped out of my skin. The Extraordinaries was one of my favorite books of last year (and maybe one of my favorite books of all time, if we're being honest here), and I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on the sequel, especially after that cliffhanger ending! As with most sequels, I was terrified that I'd hate this - that it wouldn't live up to how much I adored the first book, but I'm happy to say that it does tenfold.

Without giving anything away, Flash Fire is the continuation of Nick Bell's story after learning that his best friend (and now boyfriend) is a superhero. Flash Fire picks up the year after the Battle at McManus Bridge, where Nick learned that Shadow Star (his first beloved) was actually a supervillain and his boyfriend, Owen Burke, in disguise. Flash Fire is the exploration of identity and coming to terms with one's self after shocking revelations - of kids juggling being kids and also saving the world that looks down on them. It's a powerful story of love, friendship, identity, and grief all packaged up in a fun, superhero package. If I had read these in high school, that would have been it for me - this would have CONSUMED my life.

First and foremost, I am obsessed with Nick Bell, just as much as I was in The Extraordinaries. I've never read a character who thinks the way he does and it feels like you're constantly being kicked around on a ping-pong ball. The connections that his mind makes astound me, even as a reader, and it makes him such a fun character to read about. My favorite part of Flash Fire is how they explore Nick and Seth's relationship. I wanted so much more of them together - figuring out being 16-17 and falling in love for the first time. It was so soft and sweet and I couldn't get enough of it. It's not just the romantic relationships though. Their friendship with Gibby and Jazz is incredibly powerful and I love being surrounded by their antics. It's very easy for an author to create characters that are "friends," but you never feel a connection. You never have that problem with Flash Fire. I genuinely feel their love for each other and it makes you love them even more.

My second favorite part is how unabashedly honest and sex-positive it is. While this gave me way more second-hand embarrassment than I would have liked (and I know WAY too much about homemade dental dams now tyvm), it's so rare to find a YA book that is willing to breach these subjects. Nick and Seth aren't ready to take that next step in their relationship and they don't have to feel pressured about doing anything they don't want to do. While I personally don't understand how open Nick, the whole Lighthouse team, and Nick's dad are so *open* with each other, especially with the sexual innuendos, it's refreshing and it's nice to see it not be stigmatized. Especially topics like consent.

This is SO action packed! I normally struggle with reading action scenes, but not with this book. The scenes are described in a way that there's never any question about what's going on. The scenes are laid out perfectly and they make sense. Writing action is difficult and Klune does it with ease.

My biggest concern going into this was how Klune was going to address Aaron Bell's violent past as a police officer. I remember when Klune said that he was going to workshop a lot of this book to make it more transparent and critical of police officers and I'm really glad that he did. I cannot speak to whether or not this is done in an appropriate manner, but I appreciated that it was much more critical of law enforcement and honest about police brutality. My only gripe is that it felt like the onus was on Gibby and her family to explain their reasoning a bit too much (which they shouldn't have to do).

My only *drawback,* I guess, is that the first part of it is a little slow. It takes about 40% for the story to really get going and progress, so it took me 5 days to read up to the 20% mark and then I finished the remaining part in less than 24 hours. Once I got going, I couldn't stop, but it did crawl for quite a while.

I don't know what else to say. Read this book, it's incredible and you won't regret it. 2022, please come soon, I can't handle waiting another year after that cliffhanger!!!

DNF @ 25%.

It breaks my heart a little to DNF this book, because I truly loved The Extraordinaries. But where everything about the first book was fun and exciting, it feels a bit tired and overdone here. This may simply be a case of the wrong book for me in this moment.

However, one part of the book that was a bit more problematic was Klune's "apology" of sorts for the police brutality in the first book. It felt like something his editor had him add in (and let's be real, it probably was the result of a conversation with the editors). It was so forced, and relied way too heavily on Gibby's family, who is Black, to explain why a police officer beating someone up in custody and then getting rewarded with a promotion was a problem. The whole scene left me uncomfortable.

This book in one word: EPIC

This book is phenomenal! I can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Extraordinaries, so I was excited to receive an ARC of its sequel Flash Fire. This book lived up to and fulfilled all my expectations I had after reading The Extraordinaries. Right out of the gate I was laughing hysterically. I am loving Nick's dad trying to do what is best for him and embarrassing him along the way. So awesome! 

This book is as fast paced as the speed of Nick’s brain. It has teen parental embarrassment in front of the boyfriend. Which had me laughing out loud! A mystery that needs solved. The anticipation of wanting to know what is going on with Nick and waiting for a big reveal. A big bad villain that is sneaky and manipulative. A sweet teen love story. BETRAYAL! ACTION! SUSPENSE! I seriously had so much fun reading this book. I didn’t want it to end but at the same time I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next!

If you haven’t read The Extraordinaries yet, RUN don’t walk and grab it now, so that you can dive right into FLASH FIRE.

Flash Fire is book 2 in a trilogy and I can’t wait for book 3. (Cliffhanger warning)

These characters? Perfection! Klune's writing always sends me into fits of laughter, and Nick might be my favorite character ever. The friend group of Seth, Gibby and Jazz make me want to cry. They support each other through everything, and they don't judge each other for anything. I love that Nick's ADHD is described as his superpower, I think it's beautiful.
I'm not sure I can accurately judge the discussion of police violence and corruption in this book, as a white person. At times it felt forced, as if the commentary didn't fully match the characters. I did appreciate Aaron's choices at the end. It was made clear that his actions were hypocritical and he understood that, even if his goal was to protect his family. I hope that there is further discussion of defunding the police in the next book, as I think it's an incredibly relevant topic for this series.

I loved The Extraordinaries and I was really excited to be able to get this ARC from Netgalley! TJ Kline as a way of writing that speaks to me perfectly! Every book I’ve read has that sarcastic humor that is totally on brand for me! Flash Fire was no different, Nicky is one of the best characters I’ve ever read! This book was so good and a great continuation for the series! I love that we got to explore Seth and Nicky as a couple and also got to explore more about extraordinaries! Klune also creates an incredible cast of supporting characters, Gibby and Jazz are fantastic! I also like how real world issues were included in this book. I thought Klune did a really good job of describing what it would be like to be the child of a police officer and that struggle with knowing that the police don’t treat everyone the same. Nicky’s journey into become himself was so relatable! I can’t wait for this to come out nor to see what comes next for Nicky and Seth!

Nick finally has a superhero boyfriend. However, there are complications with old enemies that don't make his life easy. Then he finds out a secret his dad has been hiding from him for his entire life.

The beginning was a little slow. Nick, the character, can be hard to deal with. However, he is surrounded by a wonderful, loving group of friends and families. TJ Klune writes characters that make me smile. Even side characters are fun.

The book devels with realistic themes. Honestly, who wants to be a hero their whole life? **Spoiler** I'm glad that Nick has ADHD and superpowers. When it was revealed that the pills he takes to control his ADHD muffle his powers, I was worried we would be going down the path of pill=bad. There is bad history with this path. Instead, TJ Klune deals with this unintentional message by Nick getting a prescription for pills that don't affect his power.**

There is a tease for the next book that makes me want to know when the next book is out. So when is the next book coming out?

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Thank you to Tor Teen for the ARC of this book!

TJ Klune follows up his YA debut Extraordinairies with part two, a continuation of humor, heart, and a whole lot of queer!

After the battle at the bridge, Nick is falling into his role as boyfriend of extraordinary Pyro Storm. He's determined to help Seth on his mission to keep Nova City safe, along with best friends Gibby and Jazz. But when new heroes arrive in Nova City and Simon Burke constantly being a snake, they have to decide the right path to follow. With new revelations and old grief hounding him, Nick has a lot to deal with for a fanfic writer.

True to Klune style, this book follows the first in its humor. I love Nicky with all my heart, and nothing changes here. He's messy and loud and queer and he's okay with all of those things about himself. I really love the journey he takes in trying to find where he fits in with everything. He loves Seth, because of course he does, but will he always just be relegated to the back of the room when things get tough?

Klune writes it with witty banter but pulls us in emotionally as he always does. I love the relationship between Nick and his father and how close and affectionate they are. I love a queer kid with ADHD being validated and supported no matter what, even when Dad messes up sometimes, trying to protect Nick. The relationship between Seth and Nick is emotional as well, and we get to see them bloom in this book. Amid the sex jokes and Nicky's lack of filter, we get to see two boys who would protect each other, no matter the cost.

I know there was a lot of criticism from the first book for 1. the pro-police tone and 2. the lack of character development for Gibby and Jazz. It's obvious that Klune took careful measures to try and fix these issues. The police issues are challenged constantly throughout the book, not just a paragraph stuck in to appease the masses. It feeds into Nick's storyline of realizing how he hero-worshipped his dad and the police, assuming they would always be there to protect, and completely missing the point of privilege he has. I am not the one to say whether the job Klune did with this was adequate, just sharing my observations on how he tried to correct it.

Gibby and her parents make the issues incredibly clear. We did get to see a bit more of Gibby and Jazz and their personalities, and their relationship which I really loved. They're so lovely together, and seeing on the page how much they care for each other and how close they are was nice. We saw a bit more of Gibby's drive and strength as well.

Overall, a thoroughly funny and charming book. The cliffhanger is absolutely epic, so I can't wait for book 3!

E-ARC PROVIDED THROUGH NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR HONEST FEEDBACK!!

This book was so much fun! It took everything good about it's predecessor and made it better, and the things that fell flat in The Extrodinaries were fixed in this sequel. This series is very fun and lighthearted. What I love so much is that it is told from the perspective of a love interest. Like yes, Nick is our protagonist, but in any other superhero film Nick would be the love interest. I love the way the lens sits on him.

In the first book, I struggled with the way that police officers were shown (especially given the last year), but TJ Klune really reconciled that in this sequel. He addressed the harms that cops do, and the gray area that Nick feels with his bias and his love toward his dad. It was really well handled, I appreciated that shift in perspective a lot.

What I loved so much about the first book was both the connection between the friends and the connection between Nick and his dad. This sequel just heightened all of those relationships and made me care so much more about their connections and relationships.

The central relationship was very sweet. I love their interactions, and I felt like they truly loved each other. They did argue at times, but it always seemed in character and the way they would resolve and talk worked really well. I love Nick and Seth's relationship, it's very sweet and they clearly love each other so much.

I loved the overall plot of this book. It felt super cinematic, and some of the plot twists shocked me. It was also darker than the first book which I loved. The journey Nick goes on this book is very fun to watch and his development is clear without him losing any of his core traits that I love so much.

This book is an excellent sequel that excited and satisfied me. I can't wait to find out what happens in Book 3!!

Thank you NetGalley and TorTeen for sharing this ARC with me!

Y'all, I really love this series. It's just ridiculous and fun in the best ways.

The criticism the first book got regarding the way police were depicted was definitely warranted, and I appreciate the effort in this one to rectify that, even if at times it came across as a little awkward. There's a lot of needed dialogue here, and it can feel a bit clunky, but again, I appreciate the discussion. This is not me saying he
"fixed" anything, as that is absolutely not my place, but rather acknowledging there was an attempt made.

Also- drag queen superheroes? Hell yes. I literally yelled when this character appeared and Seth had to talk Nicky through learning their name.

TJ has this way of making me cringe with secondhand embarrassment (in the best way) but still not be able to stop reading. Nick is still a mess, I still adore Seth, Gibby and Jazz are still the brains of this entire operation and the others would be lost without them... This was just a super fun, action-packed continuation.

Can we talk about TJ and his ability to cliffhanger?? Hello?

I'm so excited for book three!

Thank you Netgalley SO MUCH for the advanced copy of Flash Fire (and literally any future TJ Klune work please).

I loved this. I don't think I loved it quite as much as the first installment, but it's still a five star read. And I need the next book to come out right now as well, because those CLIFFHANGERS goddamn.

Klune got a lot of flack for his depiction of police in his release of The Extraordinaries, which he addressed last summer. And he came back HARD with a LOT of dialogue regarding police and how they are viewed. And don't get me wrong, I agree with the changes he made with it. But if I had to have one criticism against this book, it would be that it was too over the top and got a bit beating-a-dead-horse trying to make up with mistakes from the first book. But even then, five stars. It's great. Go read it.

TJ Klune does it again, this man cannot write a bad book. Im really happy he confronted the issues from the first book with how it treated the police, but its not my place to say if that change was enough to fix them. I do struggle a bit with suspending my disbelief, I understand the whole point is to lean into stereotypes from typical superhero movies, but it is alot sometime. I will say this is my least fave of tj klunes works, but ill def be sticking around to read the next book

TJ Klune really knows how to write character development for characters. This was a very fun read, and I enjoyed the magic throughout. Also who doesn't like fanfic incorporated into a story? I ended up reading The Extraordinaries in a day, then followed up with this sequel and it was satisfying not being left on the cliffhanger from the first book!