The Extraordinaries - TJ Klune

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⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This book is a little hard for me to talk about, because I loved it so much that I could write a 100-page paper on it. So I'm trying to be brief.

The main character is Nick, a queer teen boy with ADHD who is obsessed with and writes fanfiction about his favourite real-life superhero, Shadow Star. In this version of the world, superheroes do exist, except they're called Extraordinaries. There doesn't seem to be too many of them, and they don't know how people become Extraordinary. To Nick's delight, he meets Shadow Star one day, and decides that the way for them to end up together is for him to become Extraordinary as well, so he comes up with harebrained schemes to do so. But also he's still grieving his mom! And his relationship with his dad is complicated! And his best friend Seth is mysteriously disappearing a lot! And he needs to keep his grades up!

This book is filled with over-the-top characters, particularly Nick. He's so dumb and oblivious, and I love him. His ADHD plays a big role in the book, and he also struggles with some anxiety. His friends are also all queer and amazing as well, and Nick is confused because he's having weird feelings about Seth. All of the characters are kind of exaggerated and their conversations are also unrealistically pithy and witty, but it was definitely on purpose and so fun to read.

It's also very cliche-ridden, with all the biggest cliches from all superhero movies, but in a self-aware way. The author is kind of making fun of them, but he also loves them. It's not a realistic story... but somehow the heart of it still is. Nick struggles with some real things, as do his friends. It's still about grief and anxiety and falling in love and parents and loving your friends. Just also superheroes. 

I love this book with my whole heart. It had several laughs per page, some of the best characters ever, and some truly heart-warming moments. If you have a very low tolerance for things that are unrealistic and ridiculous, maybe this is not the book for you, but if you like things that are hilarious, fun, and make you happy, I definitely recommend it!


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