You should pick up this book if:
- You’re in need of a laugh-out-loud read
- You’re into superheroes and secret identities being revealed
- You’re into mysteries and like being thrown by unexpected plot twists
- You want a new favourite character about whom you can then write fanfiction
- You love the friends-to-lovers trope
Review:
“Life,” Owen said airily. “We’re teenagers. Everything is unnecessarily complicated. We’re told we have to be a certain way, even if we know it’s wrong. We’re not taken seriously. Our ideas are cast aside as though they’re without merit. Sometimes, we need to act out so that people pay attention to us. So that people know we mean what we say. That we’re capable. That we shouldn’t be dismissed.”
Mr. Klune, I just want to talk, that’s all. How dare you leave readers with that straight-up evil ending? With months of agonising waiting in front of us? I demand answers. ANSWERS, I tell you!
Anyway, in a truly stunning turn of events, this might be the easiest book to recommend because there is literally something for everyone to get out of this story – romance, superheroes, comedy, angst, family vibes, and friendships to die for. You want to laugh your butt off at hilarious dialogue? Read this book. You want to be so aggravated by a slow burn it makes you throw the book against the wall only to pick it right back up again? Read this book. You want normal people becoming their own brand of extraordinary through the power of friendship? The Extraordinaries has got it all!
The Extraordinaries is essentially a queer coming-of-age story about a fanfiction loving boy, the heroes he loves and aspires to be like, and the epic friendships that make life worthwhile.
I have to be honest, the only thing I knew about Klune before jumping into this book was that he was called the “king of slow burn” and that to me was already a ringing endorsement. But then I picked up the book and now I get why people hate how much they love his books.
The levels of angst and pining were off the charts. There’s mutual pining and then there’s what Klune writes which feels like a punch to the stomach while someone’s playing with your hair. No, there’s no better way to describe the romance in this one.
Then there’s the humour. How am I to explain the humour and the hilarious awkwardness I felt when reading what goes on in Nick’s head?
I’ll just tell you this – there is a scene where Nick meets Shadow Star for the first time and I had to actively put the book down because I was crying with laughter and couldn’t see the text through my blurred eyes. You know the emoji I’m talking about. That was me, personified. My entire body was shaking with laughter and second-hand embarrassment as I reread those lines and said them out loud because they were just too good to be real. Because they are real. They perfectly capture what it’s like to be a teen and want to say one thing and completely butcher what actually leaves your mouth.
That’s not to say that Klune won’t break your heart with this book, though. Nick has ADHD and with that come struggles at school, with concentrating, and with seeing things that friends sometimes refuse to point out and make him feel like an outsider. His ADHD also puts strains on the relationships he has but it’s also what makes certain people (no spoilers here) love him even more. Me being one of them.
As for secondary characters, they were incredibly fleshed-out. For the first instalment in a series, I would not have expected this level of depth to every character that graced the pages. From Officer Rookie to Nick’s ex-boyfriend Owen, everyone had their own personality and felt like they could jump right off the pages. It takes a really stellar author to make you feel the tiniest smidgen of sympathy for even the villains in the story, so this was just amazing. Not to mention the bond between Nick and his best friend Seth. It’s achingly familiar and torturous to read about the two of them miscommunicating and keeping secrets but also putting each other first, always.
Another part of this book that made me both laugh and cry was Nick’s interactions with his Dad, who is a cop. Nick’s relationship with his Dad is pivotal, especially after his mother died. Aaron Bell indulges Nick in so many aspects but you can also tell he is still grieving and sometimes, that means lashing out. Here, Klune shows that the people we love the most have the biggest potential to hurt us even when they don’t mean to. Sometimes even unconditional love can smart. But Nick and his dad are an indomitable duo and show us what being a family means.
Lastly, the teen vibes. I know I’m getting on there in years but this took me right back to when I was an awkward teen. Nick’s friend group is chaotic and juvenile and hilarious. Nick is oblivious and definitely not in control of his emotions or actions when it comes to his crush – extraordinary or normal. It was just such an accurate depiction of first loves and fears of committing, of failing and even not being entirely happy when you do get things right for a moment. The Extraordinaries encompassed all the angst and existential fear teens feel and I am going to wait on the edge of my seat for the next instalment after this explosive start to what is sure to be a series for the ages.
The Extraordinaries is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of July 14th 2020.
Will you be picking up The Extraordinaries? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
This is so exciting I can’t wait! And honestly, after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea (also by TJ Klune, one of the best books I’ve ever read), I expect this one to be amazing as well!
This review is actually the best. I am loving every single second of reading this and felt all the things you described just by reading your recollection of it!