“We stand together so we don’t struggle apart.”

The message of this book is so incredible and near to my heart. This story is sweet, it’s campy, and it is downright hilarious at times (seriously, I listened to the first two on audio and it was sssooooo well done). This book has the power the change queer YA books and how they are written and published from here on out. This story is that good.

Nick and Seth are both Extraordinaries. Nick is a telekinetic known as Guardian and Seth controls fire and he goes by PryoStorm. They are both queer and definitely love each other deeply and with their whole hearts, the way that teenagers know how to do best. They love and fight together and both want to be the best they can to help those disadvantaged around them. They are as the kids say “relationship goals”.

This story is a parallel to the fight that queer individuals face in this country. Politicians and people in power create laws to erase their existence or force them into situations they don’t want. We see it on the news everyday, this book does an excellent job of creating a correspondence between the rights and privileges of Extraordinaries and those who are systematically abused by the system. No one should be barred from going to school just because they are “different” and that is seen as “dangerous”.

This book is wonderfully diverse and filled with queer teens and adults from all different nationalities and backgrounds. These are the types of characters I wish I had been able to read more about when I was in high school, but I am glad that those entering this time of their lives will have access to story that are both truly heartwarming and inspiring. This is a series that I will openly recommend to anyone looking for a book with great representation and characters.

Overall, I genuinely loved this book, but it was definitely my least favorite of this trilogy. The first half was absolutely amazing, although it stressed me out way more than I expected it to. Klune did an amazing job tying together the entire book while still keeping it fresh and interesting. It was a heartwarming ending for all the the characters we love, especially the four kids. The continuous build we see of the relationship between Nick and Seth is wonderful.

As much as I loved it, however, there were parts that disappointed me. The ending felt like it was lacking something, specially when it came to one specific character. I found myself bored at a few moments, desperate for the book to end (or at least the scene), and that wasn’t something I experienced with the other two in the series. I still genuinely adore this book, and I think it was, for the most part, a perfect ending. There just moments—and one specific character arc—the left me aching for something a little more than what we got.

This was the perfect conclusion to the story of these lovely queer, super-extraordinary heroes and the family they create for themselves. As always, TJ Klune creates these amazing places and people that make me want to be friends/family with everyone involved (except you Rebecca Firestone, you still suck LOL). Overall, I LOVED THIS SERIES. The second was my least favorite, as almost always happens with trilogies, but honestly would read all three again.

I received an eARC from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

In this third and final installment to the Extraordinaries series, Nick and Seth, aka Guardian and Pyro Storm, are back to fight old enemies and new ones.

I'd admit, at the beginning of this book, I was a little confused by one of the characters and how they fit into the storyline. Did I miss something? If you are reading this book and have the same thoughts, be patient. All will be explained later, and how it ties into the future of Nova City, was unexpected.

Simon Burke is now running for Mayor, and he has a lot of contingency plans to make the Extraordinaries look bad, while helping him get elected. At times, I wasn't sure Nick, Seth and the rest of Lighthouse (Jazz, Gibby, and all of their family members) had a fighting chance given Burke's secret weapon. However, there are some surprising alliances along the way that help the Extraordinaries defeat the evil that plagues this town.

As always, Nick brings his typical crazy commentary to lighten up tense moments, and they find an unusual partner, known as Burrito Jerry, who also adds some well-timed comedy.

This trilogy has been an absolute delight. I have come to love all of these characters (minus the villains, of course) and liked how they had each other's back throughout. The author did a great job of tying up loose ends and gave us a peek into the future to satisfy my HEA needs.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for an ARC of Extraordinaries in exchange for my honest review.

I seem to love TJ Klune more and more with every book I read of his. He’s brilliant, creative, and funny He’s thought provoking. He spreads love throughout his books.

Extraordinaries is no different. Teenage superheroes with flair. Nick, aka Guardian, is still in training, recently learned about his superpowers. He has a team of supporters. Amongst them, his boyfriend, Seth aka Pyro Storm, jazz and Gibby. Along with the Dads. I chuckled so many times at Nick’s witty, nervous responses to situations.

Can’t wait to read more TJ Klune books!

5 Flaming Stars
The final and brilliant ending to a sensational series. If you hadn't read the other books of the Extraordinaires I firmly urge you to read them in order to really understand this amazing cast of characters.. Nick and Seth are part of a small and unique group of people that are gifted with supernatural powers. The past two books showed us Nick's progression and how he learns to harness these powers. My quirky, bumbling Nick Has remained a delight throughout each book. Between his ADHD and his ability to talk before thinking, he is so much fun and has his own special brand of charisma. Seth his boyfriend who also has superhuman powers is so special and sweet.

Add to the mix a bunch of friends, family and enemies that you will never forget. Nick's dad Aaron adores him and tries hard to be the best for his son. Through a horrible loss and a surprising reappearance of someone long gone, this book tipped my world on its axis. That is such a signature TJ Klune move!

Between Extraordinaries that have naturally evolved and some that are lab created be prepared for an epic time. A dark soul craves ultimate power and nothing will stop him, at least thats what he believes. Nick, Seth, Aaron Jazz, Gibby along with The Dad's and other heros have everyone's back. This novel is action packed, hysterically funny, and brimming with so much love. Sadly this story was over far too soon. Thank you TJ for making my world perfect if only for a short while.

TJ Klune give readers another romp of a story for the Extraordinaries. In this third installment readers might want to go back and double check the ending of the second book because Nick’s mom seems to be still alive. Don’t fret, just keep reading and let the story unfold to reveal the secrets of the Guardian!
As always, Klune’s dialogue is impeccable and the banter will have you laughing out loud while there are always some touching heartfelt moments to bring a tear to the eye. The Dad Squad doesn’t disappoint and the rest of the ensemble cast of characters are as lovable as before. My only cringe worthy moment was the very frank “sex” scene and the always blunt sex talks from Nick’s dad, but don’t get me wrong, I think there are a lot of students that would be very appreciative of the open and honest portrayal of romance firsts for Nick and Seth. All of that aside, this book does not disappoint!

I've been looking forward to each book in this series. Klune absolutely comes through to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the story. The characters are just as quippy and fast moving as before, and everyone gets a nice button on their narratives. If you enjoy Klune's joy filled romances and with a dash of speed talking, this will hit home for a great summer read.

For the highly-anticipated finale of The Extraordinaries series, I was not disappointed. Klune managed to balance humor throughout to levy the heavy moments, but never let the jokes detract from the serious situations that were bound to occur to tie up this story. After the end of the second book, I didn’t know what to expect the beginning of this to start with, so I was very surprised by the beginning. And even though, as a reader, I knew more than Nicky, I didn’t know when the deception would be revealed. I was almost to the point where it was becoming too much and I wanted for the truth bomb to drop, but the way it did was exactly what this book needed and things really picked up from there.
The further incorporation of the family members and adults into major plot points was done successfully without overshadowing any of the four main teens.
This book felt more subdued than the other three, however I believe that tone shift was 1) intentional as the subject matter was overall heavier than at least the first book and 2) because the characters, for the first third of the book, were all in a situational fog that, at least with Nicky, stifled the usual energy.
All plot points, from my perspective, were tied up neatly by the end, and I felt content when I finished it. I will miss Nicky, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby, but their story has all been told.
I finished this book mostly in one sitting shortly after rereading the second, so the cliffhanger was fresh in my mind, which may have added to my discomfort upon starting this book with the tone being off (understandably). 4/5 stars, only off one because of the few moments early on that I felt I needed to push through to get to the action.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

This series overall has been one that has entirely stolen my heart, even though I wasn’t necessarily expecting it from the beginning. My friend and I have read so (so) many superhero books together, but I honestly really love what this one brought to the genre, alongside being so incredibly queer and diverse.

My favorite thing about this series remains the characters, and I loved how parts of this finale brought us back to the beginning, with a group of friends just trying to do what’s right and keep each other safe. There’s just so much love between them all, and it’s just so nice to read such a strong and secure friend group (that still has issues that they need to work through of course, but does so in a healthy way!) I also just adore both the romances in this series, and I love where this finale brought them all. There was just so much growth amongst everyone and in their relationships with each other, and I loved seeing how it was all tied together at the end.

I also really liked what the plot was here, even though it made me feel like I was losing my mind at first. It really got me good for a while there, and I honestly couldn’t wait to see where it all went. Even as reveals started coming, this remained true, and I was enthralled by this story all throughout! This finale also continued the series’ good balance of softer, character moments alongside the action-packed scenes, which can often be draining, especially in superhero media. It gives the readers a break while still keeping the stakes and tension high enough. It’s just wonderfully done overall!

Heat Wave was the perfect finale for such a wonderful series, and I can see myself rereading this series in the future. I really hope more people start picking up this trilogy now that it’s finished, and I can’t wait to see what Klune writes next!

2.5-3/5

After reading the first two I requested this arc to see how Klune would wrap this trilogy up, especially after THAT cliffhanger at the end of the second book.

I wish I enjoyed this book more. I did try and keep in mind while reading that this is YA, but the dialogue is so cringy that I can't imagine teenagers in real life talking this way (and the adults definitely aren't!) Everyone in this book talks the same, if it weren't for mom/dad labels I'd assume everyone was supposed to be a youth and that's just a pet peeve for me.

The plot is predictable but this may just be a YA thing.

This book tries to cover A LOT of issues - BLM, ACAB, Feminism, Acceptance, LGBTQ, neurodivergence. Unfortunately, because it's trying to cover SO MUCH a lot of it comes off as surface-level and like the author had a checklist of things he needed to cover.

Klune is still trying to fix a lot of the cop worship from the first book, to me it still felt like the book had been edited and the fix wasn't seamless, but I will defer to OWN voices on this on whether or not this was successful.

Jazz and Gibby have a lot of "not like other girls" syndrome which wasn't appealing to me, but I did love their relationship.

Nick and Seth have a very sweet relationship and I did appreciate the emphasis on consent and talking to your partner and checking in during intimacy.

The book had an overall, very "Disney" feel to it (especially the ending) but I do think it is important to show strong supportive relationships with family and friends which this book has plenty of. The open discussions between Nick and his Dad do a good job of showing what a healthy and open relationship (verging on overbearing) looks like.

My biggest gripe with the conclusion was the absolute disservice to Owen. Spoilers ahead.
Owen has been the long-term villain throughout the trilogy but as we learn, he was horribly abused, neglected, and experimented on by his parents. To have him just disintegrate into the air instead of focusing on healing from his trauma and receiving actual mental health help was wildly disappointing. His abuse is of course not a free pass for crimes committed but it did feel uncomfortable to me that everyone just agreed he was beyond help.

Overall the book was fun, the relationships are very wholesome and sweet and yes I did stay up late to finish it because I was having a good time. If you liked the first two I would recommend finishing the series but this one may fall a bit flat.

What an amazing finale to the series! I honestly didn’t love The Extraordinaries, but Flash Fire was much better and Heat Wave blew me away! Great storyline, beautiful growth in relationships, and lots of humor (the descriptions of Aaron’s disguise were the BEST). Not to mention the *chef’s kiss* perfect epilogue. TJ, yes!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book because I wanted to know how the series would finish. The last book ended with Nick’s mother, who is supposed to be dead, coming back. After that bombshell ending, I had to read this book. Well, Nick’s mother is still dead. It was interesting to read everyone’s false memories.

But this book drags. It felt like everyone was just quipping at each other until something happened.

TJ Klune is a fantastic writer of people. You can’t help but love all of the characters. Even if there are times when I want to scream, ‘Get on with it.’

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

I got to read the NetGalley ARC, this is my review:

This is very TJ Klune, by which I mean for me there's a little too much explained or detailed, but on the whole, it's a great closing book of this trilogy. This author excels at giving readers flawed characters doing their best despite temptation, and in layering in all the representations I crave in fiction. If you imagine the five stars zooming around and on fire, that accurately represents my enthusiasm for Nicky and all his friends and all their parents. I wish I could have had this trilogy when I was young. I am delighted young people have it now.

I want to start with a big thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for sending me an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This review does contain spoilers.

In short, Heat Wave is everything I could have wanted for the third instalment in the Extraordinaries trilogy. This novel is an absolutely fantastic example of how to finish a series, and it’s beautifully done in every single aspect.

In Heat Wave by TJ Klune, our favourite characters — Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz, one of the most iconic queer found families I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting — return to bring justice, protection and (courtesy of Nick) disaster energy to the people of Nova City.

As an explosive finale, this novel returns an unexpected hero who crash lands in Nick’s home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero.

And what an explosive finale it is!

Heat Wave is an EXTREMELY enjoyable read, and this novel is an excellent example of why Klune is such a good author. He crafts a strong narrative voice, creating an immersive reading experience that made it feel like I was truly in Nick’s head. This is my favourite aspect of Klune’s writing, and one I’ve gushed about in-depth in previous reviews, but it really shone in this book.

Without going into details (yet), the first half of this book is VERY different from the rest of the series. This is obviously done on purpose (and done really well), but it was a bit of a jarring reading experience at different points. With that said, Nick’s narrative voice was as strong as ever, and it created an excellent connection to the rest of the series even when the overall feel of the story was a bit different.

One of my favourite parts of Heat Wave was the way that Klune folded in the adults and made them a bigger part of the story. Flash Fire saw Gibby and Jazz’s parents brought into the “know” about Seth and Nick’s extraordinary powers (and their respective daughters’ involvement), and they are all an integral part of this novel.

(Can I get three freaking cheers for the DILF — I mean… the Dad Squad?)

I actually LOVED the way Klune balanced this group of TEENAGERS with loving, present parents; they were able to be superheroes and save the day, sure, but they also weren’t going in alone as unsupported children. It was great to see this in a YA novel, and will probably hold the top spot for any future YA superhero novels I read just because of this inclusion.

I can readily admit that I might be aging out of YA, so this was seriously a treat for me. The parents being supportive and helping out our main cast of heroes grounded this in a sense of realism that I truly enjoyed, and I hope that more novels in the genre do this in the future.

While this final instalment in the series does involve a larger cast, the different characters are balanced well, and we still get a lot of time with our main four that made this an amazing end to an amazing series! I didn’t feel like I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. The side characters had just enough time on-page that I was able to follow along with what they were doing without it distracting from our main cast.

Hell, even the background relationships (Mateo and Chris!!!) held enough weight for me to care!

Also, a moment of appreciation for Burrito Jerry! I’m love him.

Speaking of parental relationships, Heat Wave builds upon the first two books and Nick’s relationship with his dad is as strong as ever. While it went through some tests and tribulations in the second book, these two continue to warm my heart with one of the most endearing father-son relationships I’ve ever read about. Aaron is likely one of my fictional father figures, <s>and I would like him to Daddy me in every single iteration of that word.</s>

Now, for some more specific details! Spoiler spoilers ahead.

As I mentioned, the first half of this book has a bit of a different tone to the rest of the series. That’s because there is something off, something that isn’t right, but the characters don’t know about what’s off. At first, I found the tonal change was a big shock, but as you continue reading, Klune weaves suspense through small clues that suggest something is off. Quickly, you KNOW that there’s something going on that isn’t quite right, and that feeling of unease continues to grow as the novel progresses.

Unfortunately, as someone who hates unreliable narrators, the first half of this book was a bit more difficult to get through. I was confused. I knew that something was off, Nick knew that something was off, but I didn’t know WHAT was off (and I sure as hell never would have expected THAT plot twist holy fuck).

But, while the first 45% was a little harder for me to get into, I DEVOURED the rest of the book.

Because holy shit. HOLY SHIT. The big reveal is absolutely not something I could have ever seen coming, but it sets up the second half of this book PERFECTLY. While it's a breath-catching sort of moment, it also makes some sort of perfect sense? It’s not what I ever would have expected, but it was SO genius.

From there, every single moment of the book was amazing. I especially loved the sense of adventure in this book. It’s very fast-paced and moves quickly in a way that is exciting from start to finish. Every single action scene was better than the last, and the big fight at the end? HELL. YES. This definitely felt really exciting to me, and it seemed like the most action-y book yet.

I can’t write this review without talking about how much I ADORED the way that Heat Wave built up Nick and Seth’s relationship. We got to see them grow as a couple in Flash Fire, and that same unity and strength they have as a unit is just as apparent here. If anything, they’re stronger and they’re closer than ever. I adored the way that Klune had Nick and Seth balance each other out, and I really enjoyed the way their physical intimacy built up as they grew closer.

The conversations about consent and readiness continue into this book (with some amazing Dad-humour courtesy of Aaron), and it was all a joy to read. I absolutely adored how this book dealt with communication around sex. The way it highlighted consent as a central theme was just… it was amazing.

As a Young Adult novel, I wasn’t expecting any explicit, filthy porn. Hell, I wasn’t even expecting what we got, which was a LOVELY moment of intimacy and care between one of my favourite fictional couples. The way that Klune wrote such a gentle coupling between these two boys was so amazing to read. It was innocent, it was experimental, and it was filled with so much love and affection that my heart was bursting at the seams.

I am so, so very glad that a scene like this exists for queer youth. I can’t even express how much it meant to me to read.

Actually, that’s a sentiment that I feel towards this entire novel, and, even more so, this whole series. In all, Heat Wave by TJ Klune is a fantastic novel. Hands down, no questions asked, it is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and a top read for the year. It’s well-paced, well-written, and it packs a serious emotional punch while being light, engaging, and wholly entertaining.

If you haven’t read this series yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. Every book is enjoyable in its own right, and as series, they all shine together. I can’t wait to be able to read these back to back one day, and I’m admittedly a little jealous of everyone who’ll be able to (the waiting has been HARD, okay?!

I wish I had more to say about this novel, because I feel like it deserves all the praises. I seriously urge everyone to give this series a go — knowing it’s over is making me feel very emotional, but I am so thankful for the time we had with these extraordinary characters, in this extraordinary world.

Another great addition to a very fun trilogy! If you liked the first two you’ll love this. TJ Klune is one of my favorites and I’m always excited when he has a new book out.

Nicky, yes!!
I effing love this trilogy. Not only is it super queer(and at this point if it's not gay what is even the point) it's hilarious. I LOL(literally) most pages.
Heat Wave is a perfect wrap-up to the trilogy. One of my absolute favourite trilogies now. It's meta and current well-being about heroes and villains and teenage hormones and sass.
I just highly recommend this series for a good time.

“I’m supposed to be in a romantic comedy, not a horror movie!”

OKAY. First, thanks Tor Teen for providing me with an earc of Heat Wave!!!!

I adore this series and was SO excited to read the finale and Klune DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I was cackling within 2 pages.

I am both super happy to get to the end but also sad because I ADORE the characters in Extraordinaries and would 10/10 read short stories about future them.

Heat Wave had just as much cringe dad joke content & Nicky embarrassment as in the first 2 books. It gave me so much life. Klune’s sense of humour shines through and I dig the hell out of it!

I loved seeing Nick grow into his powers and see his relationship with Seth strengthen. I also ADORED how honesty and trust was a fundamental part of the story. I always feel really really really anxious when I can’t trust that the characters have each other’s backs. So this really felt like COMFORT.

I admit, I was a scooch upset about the ending of Flash Fire. Like I actually yelled WHAT NO STOP NO WHAT??!!! But Heat Wave DEFINITELY made up for it!!

ALSO I AM IN LOVE WITH BURRITO JERRY. He needs his own spin-off. “Burrito Jerry and Matilda’s Extraordinary Adventures” or “Burrito Jerry Gives Matilda a Makeover” or “Matilda is at the Mechanic so Burrito Jerry Takes a Walk and Sees Some Ducks” or “Burrito Jerry and Matilda Get Into an Accident and Meet a Sexy Paramedic.”

Seriously, Burrito Jerry is amazing.

Anywaaaaay, 10/10 recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to read the ARC of this fantastic end to a beautiful series. Once again, the author does a brilliant job of bringing you into the Nova City world- and when you’re thrown off in the beginning, don’t worry- you should be.

I thought this was a perfect conclusion to not just Nick’s story, but also everyone else’s stories as well.

This book was fantastic! I love the extraordinaries, and for die-hard fans like myself, this is the perfect end to a more-perfect trilogy. Sometimes the pacing felt off, though, and there were so many action scenes that some readers might get lost. Overall, though, I couldn't put this book down!