Extraordinaries (The Extraordinaries, 1)

This was...I want to say extraordinary because hahaha but okay it was amazing. And I’m not even surprised that I loved it, because I’ve always loved everything Klune has written.But my friends,The editing.Also it did feel pretty predictable. It didn’t completely ruin it for me obviously but it was distracting.Running thoughts:Oh man, everyone is about to find out about my not at all secret love of fanfic.Oh my god what is this cheese that is happening right now. It’s almost painful to read and I’m so gleeful about it. How does TJ do this to me.And just like that, I have that achy feeling in my chest that means that this book is going to make me CRY. WHY TJ.Lmaooo.Hahahaha. Okay but for real what I love about TJ is how he can (although he doesn’t always) portray really healthy parent/child relationships. Both teenagers AND adults need to read that that can happen. It always gives me such hope.ManMan. Oh my god. I can’t stop laughing.Tbh this is why I’m homeschooling.Feels.Whoa. WHOA. Guess: Seth is the Pyro Guy. RIGHT?!I had just unfortunately taken a drink of water and then had to work SO HARD to not spit it out or die. Jesus.WHY DO I KEEP TAKING DRINKS OF WATERWhat is up, editing error.Auster. Heart emoji.WHAT. Okay like a) called all of this except for THAT.Okay honestly the editing.

And TJ “Book Daddy” Klune does it again!!! Another epic story!!I’m truly overwhelmed by all the feels and action in this one, and the awesome Nicky & Seth & Gibby & Jazz, I just can’t with them. They were absolutely adorkable (albeit annoyingly naïeve sometimes ;)).But what I loved the most was Nicky & his Dad, they’re are struggling with their relationship, but there’s so much love there. The scenes between the two were definitely my favorites.This is what, in my opinion, TJ does best. Creating the most beautiful relationships between all the (main)characters, that just hits you with all the feels. One minute you’re cackling like a loon, and next you’re ugly crying from all the emotions that exudes from the pages. And what I really like about his books, is that the female characters in his books are always badasses in one way or another.Also, TJ can be a major pain in the ass, because he will make you wait a long time for the next book. Cause this is just the beginning of an epic series.Even though this was written as YA, this is for everyone who loves reading about queer superheroes.

The Extraordinaries is TJ Klune’s debut YA book that contains the same heart, passion, found family and humor that is Klune’s signature brand. The Extraordinaries is the first book in the series that follows the lives of The Extraordinaries, the superheros of Nova City, and the fans who love (obsess over) them.Nick Bell is a neurodiverse teen with a flair for the dramatics. He has a great dad that loves him very much, a tremendous friend group that includes Seth, the adorable bow tie wearing best friend; Gibby, the incredible baby butch; and Jazz, the quietly brilliant cheerleader. These teens juggle high school, friendships, relationships, the unknown of the future, ADHD, all while their city is protected by superheros dubbed The Extraordinaries.This book follows Nick as he navigates through his emotions and obsession with Shadow Star (The most amazing Extraordinary) and his oblivious crush on his best friend. All while figuring out how to accept his ADHD as something that is part of him instead of something that defines him. Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz are the extraordinary role models we need in the world today. I wish this book existed when I was 16 and figuring out how I fit into the world. This book is for any age group and I recommend that everyone read it because it will provide some light into a place that can contain a lot of shadows.TJ has woven another tremendous tale of heart, passion, loyalty, and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. There is also a really epic fanfic that is equally as great as the story itself. I’m anxiously awaiting the second book in the series because I know it's going to be exceptional. 5 stars from me which equates to about 10 extraordinary stars!

I love this book with every fiber of my being. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed, I sighed, and I swooned over and with these oh so precious characters! The world is not worthy of Nick Bell.Up until now, The House in the Cerulean Sea held the top spot of my favorite read of 2020, but The Extraordinaries has pretty much made it a tie. I may have to divide my top reads into Adult and Young Adult. Or I'll just leave it a tie. I'm just so in love with this book I don't know what I'm saying and I don't know what to do with myself.The Extraordinaries is so fun, but also extremely heartfelt. Nick is so wonderfully endearing and clueless and precious, I just adored him. I loved the relationship he had with his dad, it was so heartwarming and realistic. And the friendships in this book are ones we'd all be so lucky to have.This story was just so delightful. Nick with his absolute obsession with a certain superhero, his wanting to be a superhero himself, his cluelessness over his feelings for Seth, his pure obliviousness at times, it was almost too much for my heart to handle. I enjoyed seeing his growth throughout the book, and how, as fun as this story was, it was also full of teachable and learnable moments. I liked the way the heavier issues were handled, and that things weren't glossed over but dealt with in a realistic way.For his first YA novel I think TJ Klune knocked it out of the universe with The Extraordinaries! After that epilogue I'm not sure how we're expected to wait until 2021 for book two, but no matter how long I have to wait, I will be here for it. The world definitely needs more superheroes!

T J Klune has been one of those authors that everyone has been raving about over the last couple of years. Even though I wanted to read House Of The Cerulean Sea, there was something about The Extraordinaries that captured my attention. It was everything I wanted it to be, and I am sad that I read a great book at the start of the year.I have to admit that when I first started to read it, there was a disconnect with the story, and I did not love it. I left it alone a bit and came back to the story again, and it was like something clicked. The writing style and T J Klune's voice is so distinct and funny that it draws you in. Once I was immersed in the story, I found it so hard to leave. This especially happened towards the end of the book, as I just had to know what happened.One of the majors draws to the story has to be the audiobook. The narrator, Michael Lesley, does a great job of bringing the characters and the story to life. So scenes were so well-done that I was laughing out loud. This is also a credit to T J Klune's writing of course.I am a major fan of superhero stories which was a big plus point for me, and I think justice is done to the genre. The story is really grounded. Even though it is set in Nova City, Nick is really relatable and is basically a massive ball of chaotic gay energy. I also think that it is at its heart a superhero story but still manages to keep the stakes quite low. No mythic alien came down in the final acts, and all the tension is built up previously.I loved seeing the plot evolve and progress over the story, and I think it has to be one of the only superhero stories that wanted you to know the secrets before the characters. I managed to guess a couple of reveals quite early on, and I think this was there to reinforce Nick as a character.The story also focuses on family and friendship, and all of these are so well-developed throughout. I loved the relationship between Nick and his Dad and how it evolved over the book through some events. The friendship was also great, and I especially loved Gibby and their involvement in the plotline.It is also less common to get gay characters at the focus of the story, and The Extraordinaries does that which I loved. Nick also has ADHD, which was really great to see although I can't speak for the representation. Also, Nick goes on a journey throughout, and I loved how flawed he was. I think we can see the main protagonists perfect, but Nick develops so much over the course of the novel and makes so many mistakes that were great to read about.Basically, I loved this book and the epilogue/ post-credits scene, left some answers open, and I can't wait to see what happens in Flash Fire!The Verdict:The Extraordinaries is a fun and entertaining superhero story featuring chaotic gay vibes with a lot of heart.

Although I enjoyed The Extraordinaries on the whole, there were a few too many occasions where I had to suspend my disbelief to make it work (none of them to do with the fantasy elements of the story, I should add). The novel was also maybe 25% too long at 400 pages when it was clear from about 100 pages in who the superheroes really were and what was going on. The story still delivers a couple of clever twists, and the characters are as well-drawn and engaging as any of the author's creations, but overall things felt a little drawn out, without enough variety to justify it. Timings seemed to be a bit off a couple of times as well, and I'm not sure I swallowed the main character being quite that unobservant, ADHD or otherwise. But then this all sounds a lot more negative than my overall impression of the novel - which, as I said, was still very enjoyable and well written by the author.

Wow! This book is amazing the humour perfect, the 2 MC’s perfect, the supporting cast perfect. The whole book is just sweet perfection! A must read for everybody. Another knockout addition to this author’s collection. 5*’s is not enough award for this book it’s outstanding Xx

I’m much older than what I presume is the target audience for this book but it’s a genuinely lovely gay-themed superhero adventure with characters that you want to spend time with

As always TJ Klune runs you through a gamut of emotions expertly. You will smile, laugh, cringe and cry - a very satisfying read. Now I want the next one!