Ratings63
Average rating4
An Indie Next Pick! Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves. Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life). Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer's Renegades in TJ Klune's YA debut.
Featured Series
4 primary booksThe Extraordinaries is a 4-book series with 4 released primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by TJ Klune and Melissa McShane.
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF at 30%. Nothing wrong with the writing or characters, it was just very much written for younger audiences and I couldn't get into it.
The Extraordinaries is a fun, wonderful novel.
I didn't know quite what I was getting into when I started the book. Despite reading the summary and several reviews, I was under the impression that Nick wrote fanfiction about a TV show with superheroes. So imagine my surprise when there are actual superheroes and peoples with powers in this world. It didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, but it was a different book than I was expecting!
It took a few chapters to get into the groove of the boo. The dialogue and characters seem over the top and past the point of believability (looking at you Nick). However, that quickly became what I loved about it. I was laughing out loud consistently throughout the story, partly at how oblivious Nick is and the suffering of his friends.
There is one aspect I think some readers may have issues with. Nick's dad is a police officer – a police officer that had been demoted for punching a suspect. Police are a central part of the story. The main character's dad is a police officer - he's around the house, and his job is very relevant to the story. It also seems like Nick's dad will play an active part in a sequel. I don't know - the portrayal of the police didn't sit quite right with me, but I'm also not sure what would make it better.
All in all, I loved reading The Extraordinaries, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Nick Bell and his friends.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Adorable in the way you look at a high schooler and think “Oh, god, I'm glad I'm not there anymore”. I may still be a disaster, but in a different way than that. This was earnest and charming and extremely gay, all of which I appreciated, but you'll need to build in time for pausing to bury your head in your hands at the secondhand awkwardness.
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