The extraordinaries by TJ Klune

Title: The extraordinaries
Author: TJ Klune
Genre/ issues: YA. Superheroes. Friendship. Queer fiction. Mental health.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, search Indies to locate your closest independent bookstore, or find it on Booktopia. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

I love a good superhero story. Can’t get enough YA fiction. And books with great queer characters? Sign me up. I read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune earlier this year and it’s easily one of the best books I’ve read, this year and for a long time before that really. So I was excited to read some more of their work.

The Extraordinaries tells the story of Nick, who struggles with his ADHD, has a fantastic group of friends, and writes a popular fanfiction about the superheroes in Nova City with a heavy dose of teen lust over Shadow Star. If I had to describe this book in one sentence, I’d say it’s what The Boys would be if it was a wholesome quirky queer YA novel.

I personally found some of the plot twists a bit predictable, but that didn’t in any way minimise my enjoyment of it – and, let’s face it, a mid-40s cishet woman is probably not the target audience for this book! I loved the characters – Nick’s feelings for Seth and his bow ties, Jazz and Gibby’s banter, and Nick’s dad’s overwhelming desire to protect his son all felt really authentic and engaging. The way that Nick’s struggle with ADHD is represented was particularly great, and I think would resonate will readers who deal with this themselves. I’m assuming given the stinger at the very end that we’ll see more in this universe, and I’m here for it.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 64/100

Happy reading,