“The skin under Dad’s left eye twitched. “That doesn’t matter. Use condom sense, Nick.”
Nick slumped against the door, legs wobbly. “Did you—did you just make a dad joke about condoms?”
“I did. And I regret nothing.”
“Dad, no.”
“Dad, yes. Don’t be an idiot, kid. It doesn’t matter if you’re virgins or not. Get used to needing condoms. The sooner you get that through your head, the sooner you can have something in your—”
“Remember the touching moment we had back at home when you cried and then we hugged?”
“You mean twenty minutes ago?”
“I take it back,” Nick said savagely. “Oh no,” Dad said. “Anything but that.”
Oh, Flash Fire, how does one describe the sheer hilarity, epicness, and unputdownability of you? No mere human is ready for that challenge. Alas, I will try my best to coherently talk about Nick and his gang of troublemakers.
No one writes second-hand embarrassment scenes like TJ Klune, that’s just the truth. I’ve never read a book that had me in stitches quite this often—well, except for the first installment in this series—but there’s just something about laughing so hard you’re actually wheezing and crying at the same time when you’re not even twenty pages into the book that makes for a great reading experience. And while that certainly isn’t the only moment in the story where I nearly died while thinking “Nicky, no!”, a discussion of dental dams between Nicky, Nicky’s police officer dad, Nick’s boyfriend Seth, and his guardians certainly set the tone for this book.
And with that being said, here’s your fair warning: there is absolutely no moment of rest in this book. My initial reaction while reading this was literally: “if this were a TV show, the content of Flash Fire alone would be enough for ten seasons”. Every chapter introduces some new conflict, new characters, or fills in the missing pieces from those cliffhangers you’ve been dying over from book one. Not to mention that Nick’s penchant for chaos and fanfic-y messes adds another layer of upheaval. But somehow, Klune makes it work? Granted, while reading Flash Fire, you’re probably as overwhelmed as Nicky is when he accidentally connects his Extraordinaries porn to the Bluetooth of his father’s car (yes, that is also one of the wheezing moments), but it is just an absolutely wild ride that you cannot help but devour. If you thought book one was outstanding, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Since I can’t really talk much about details since this is a sequel, let me point out some highlights that will probably make you desperate to get your hands on this.
Firstly, Nick and Seth’s relationship. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes but friends to lovers with a superhero twist on things? I don’t have words for it. We really get to see their relationship blossom in this second installment and there’s all kinds of important discussions around the big L, first times, and other fun topics that will either scar you for life or give you hope that there are people in this world who do make the perfect partner, superpowers or not.
Secondly, the friendships in this book absolutely destroy me every single time. Nick and Seth are one thing but Gibby and Jazz? I just love them so much, they honestly have my whole heart. From the sex-positive discussions and the general banter to moments of grief and sadness, these people are always in each other’s corner, ready to fight the world for their friends and it is as awesome as it sounds. We all deserve a friend group like that and I aspire to be as good of a human as any of these individuals are.
Thirdly, Flash Fire picks up on strands discussed in the first book which I really enjoyed. Oftentimes in trilogies, the second installment can drag which was not the case at all here. Instead, we get a lot of new input and more background info on certain things, but plot strings like Nick’s dad relationship with the police and especially his own actions that he needs to be held accountable for are taken up in Flash Fire. Both Nick’s best friends’ parents as well as Nick himself finally get to say their piece when it comes to the concept of defunding the police because police officers have too much power and abuse it all too often and that discussion holds no punches. This adds another layer of depth to an already incredibly fleshed-out story.
Lastly, all the new characters we get are amazing!! There are some new faces that are so electric (hint hint), funny, sarcastic, fierce and overall add so much to this already fantastic group of characters. Watching these new people come join the fight against all evil just makes this book even more extraordinary than the first installment.
On top of all these amazing aspects, you also have Klune’s killer writing style that makes the narrative flow exceptionally well paired with his trademark humour that is just unparalleled. Nick and his dad’s relationship definitely take center stage in Flash Fire and the amount of tears and laughs it induced would baffle you. And Nick is his chaotic, messy, ADHD-ridden, adorable, cannot-will-not-give up self and as always, I was here for it. Nick is and remains one of my favourite YA characters of all time and this book only cemented that fact for me.
Also, the cliffhanger. If you thought The Extraordinaries had a bad cliffhanger, you are not ready for what happens in the last chapter of Flash Fire. Believe me. No one is ever ready for that. I’m still screaming silently in my head and will continue to do so until book three lands in my lap. Damn you, Klune. That was not fair.
With Klune’s trademark humour, new Extraordinary characters and the ultimate squad goals personified in Nick’s gang of queer besties, Flash Fire is an explosive, non-stop, plot-twisty extravaganza—the sequel that’s not to be missed this summer!
Flash Fire is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 13th 2021.
Will you be picking up Flash Fire? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune!
Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.
