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sealbrecht's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Ableism, and Homophobia
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
there's something about men in the TJ Kluniverse (yes, i am proud of myself for that, thank you) that's a lot better than irl (in my experience of course), especially dads… consider it part of the apologetic parents canon: https://www.vox.com/culture/23025832/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-parental-apology-fantasy-turning-red. however, this romanticizing of characters also extends to cops, making for some strong copaganda—especially awkward given the book's release in summer 2020. one of its major themes is the myth of good vs. evil and of black & white thinking, yet this only applies to our fictional superheroes and not the institution of policing we actually live with—no no, the police are always unquestionably "the good guys" 🙃. there's even a moment where we're made to sympathize with a cop in a literal act of police brutality, punching a witness (a witness, not even a suspected perpetrator) for not cooperating. we see how much he was going through at the time; maybe we should extend that understanding to other cops who abuse their power? or, maybe a different superhero story got it right: "with great power comes great responsibility," and as such it's reasonable to expect protection from those whose job it is (supposedly) to "protect and serve". another of Klune's books, The House in the Cerulean Sea, used fantastical metaphor to make a political statement; i can't help but see as a glaring omission how The Extraordinaries falls short in that regard.
big thought out of the way, here are some scattered ones:
big thought out of the way, here are some scattered ones:
- there was a lot of build up and the climax seemed to drag on, but insufficient payoff. (though, at least there was any payoff at all, unlike Fence: Striking Distance. that's not relevant here, i just hold a grudge.)
- for the amount of times the narration described what teenage boys are like, i started to think maybe it was the author trying to convince us that he knew, like "how do you do fellow kids"
- it was genuinely funny
- audiobook reader was top tier 👌
- "I'm young and queer and in a fragile place right now." me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical content, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Police brutality, Stalking, Vomit, Car accident, Classism, and Drug use
modernmatilda's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
•The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune•
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Friends to lovers is better than enemies to lovers, there I said it!!
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The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune is a JOY and I enjoyed every minute of Nick and his larger-than-life (aka closer-to-home) fanfic about his local superheros/villains. Like House in the Cerulean Sea, the characters are wonderfully loveable and the plot will make you smile until bursting.
•
Also, I'm quickly realizing that my favorite romance troupe is adorable, oblivious, dorky, slightly-curmudgeony main characters 😅
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This book is for anyone who has ever dreamed about being a superhero, has wanted to fall in love with a superhero, or needs a reminder that they are extraordinary enough already.
•
•
Content warnings: homophobia, death of parent, police brutality
•
•
Friends to lovers is better than enemies to lovers, there I said it!!
•
•
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune is a JOY and I enjoyed every minute of Nick and his larger-than-life (aka closer-to-home) fanfic about his local superheros/villains. Like House in the Cerulean Sea, the characters are wonderfully loveable and the plot will make you smile until bursting.
•
Also, I'm quickly realizing that my favorite romance troupe is adorable, oblivious, dorky, slightly-curmudgeony main characters 😅
•
•
This book is for anyone who has ever dreamed about being a superhero, has wanted to fall in love with a superhero, or needs a reminder that they are extraordinary enough already.
•
•
Content warnings: homophobia, death of parent, police brutality
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Violence
katebrownreads's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Police brutality
stateofiction's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I cannot believe the ratings of this problematic trash. Even ignoring all the TJ Klune controversy, this alone holds enough to "cancel" him yet I haven't heard one person even mention the problems. I have nothing good to say about this book.
Issue #1: The casual use of the D slur written by a gay man, used by a gay man.
Issue #2: Abusive parent. Nick has ADHD, and his father's general response any time Nick had a singular emotion was to say "have you taken your meds?". He also believed privacy was a privilege and grounded without a time limit.
Issue #3: HEAVY COPAGANDA. This book has blue lives matter written all over it. Every few pages Nick would go on about how good cops are, then often within the same page, a cop would be a pig? In one specific example, Nick went off about how cops should be paid more (they should not), then the cop he was speaking to said he wished he could use his taser more freely. There are so many other instances like this as well.
Issue #4: Back to Nick's ADHD. Nick was constantly blaming being a bad friend and being selfish on "lol I have ADHD". How is that type of representation positive to young readers with ADHD? How is that positive for people without it wanting to learn?
This is one of the most damaging pieces of children's literature I have read published post 2000. I would not recommend this to anyone, and I question your judgement if you found no problems with it.
Issue #1: The casual use of the D slur written by a gay man, used by a gay man.
Issue #2: Abusive parent. Nick has ADHD, and his father's general response any time Nick had a singular emotion was to say "have you taken your meds?". He also believed privacy was a privilege and grounded without a time limit.
Issue #3: HEAVY COPAGANDA. This book has blue lives matter written all over it. Every few pages Nick would go on about how good cops are, then often within the same page, a cop would be a pig? In one specific example, Nick went off about how cops should be paid more (they should not), then the cop he was speaking to said he wished he could use his taser more freely. There are so many other instances like this as well.
Issue #4: Back to Nick's ADHD. Nick was constantly blaming being a bad friend and being selfish on "lol I have ADHD". How is that type of representation positive to young readers with ADHD? How is that positive for people without it wanting to learn?
This is one of the most damaging pieces of children's literature I have read published post 2000. I would not recommend this to anyone, and I question your judgement if you found no problems with it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Homophobia
alibader's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really, really wanted to enjoy this especially after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. This book infuriated me almost all the way through.
What I enjoyed: (a short list)
1. Nick's cluelessness (until about the halfway point)
2. The romance (so cute!)
3. The overall premise (I wish I could say the same for the execution)
4. The ending.
What I did not enjoy:
1. The insensitivity towards police brutality and the character of Aaron Bell.
2. The camp - it took away from the story that could've been told and made it look like a bad parody.
3. The dialogue (teenagers do not talk like that)
4. The constant lying. It didn't make much sense when it was finally revealed and it took too long for Nick to find out the obvious that it really hindered my enjoyment. Also when he found out that Seth, Gibby and practically everyone he knows lied to him it's just.... his fault? And it's all okay?
5. The reveals (I'd like to think that these were intentionally obvious but that didn't make it any more fun - also it was super anti-climatic). The ending wrapped up way too quickly too.
6. The "comedy". One of my biggest gripes with this book was that serious moments didn't make that much of an effect and instead served as "comedic relief" - it wasn't funny.
This is my longest review yet but I truly did want to enjoy this queer superhero series but I was so disappointed. I may give the sequel a try in the future.
What I enjoyed: (a short list)
1. Nick's cluelessness (until about the halfway point)
2. The romance (so cute!)
3. The overall premise (I wish I could say the same for the execution)
4. The ending.
What I did not enjoy:
1. The insensitivity towards police brutality and the character of Aaron Bell.
2. The camp - it took away from the story that could've been told and made it look like a bad parody.
3. The dialogue (teenagers do not talk like that)
4.
5. The reveals (I'd like to think that these were intentionally obvious but that didn't make it any more fun - also it was super anti-climatic). The ending wrapped up way too quickly too.
6. The "comedy". One of my biggest gripes with this book was that serious moments didn't make that much of an effect and instead served as "comedic relief" - it wasn't funny.
This is my longest review yet but I truly did want to enjoy this queer superhero series but I was so disappointed. I may give the sequel a try in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
DNF page 111 (27% in).
At first I like the lighthearted tone, but then what was initially sweet started feeling cloying: intense without any heft to it, and no relief. Most moments which seemed like they should have emotional weight and importance just didn’t land for me. Scenes which could have been intense were diffused with humor or antics almost instantly. I like humorous tones sometimes, but when nothing is taken seriously the jokes stop feeling funny. I disliked every scene with the MC’s dad (the few that there were). The MC is oblivious about pretty much everything, and it made me want to yell at the book to get, just, anything about what was going on. I stopped trusting that it would handle anything well, and the way the dad controls the MC's medication didn't feel good.
At first I like the lighthearted tone, but then what was initially sweet started feeling cloying: intense without any heft to it, and no relief. Most moments which seemed like they should have emotional weight and importance just didn’t land for me. Scenes which could have been intense were diffused with humor or antics almost instantly. I like humorous tones sometimes, but when nothing is taken seriously the jokes stop feeling funny. I disliked every scene with the MC’s dad (the few that there were). The MC is oblivious about pretty much everything, and it made me want to yell at the book to get, just, anything about what was going on. I stopped trusting that it would handle anything well, and the way the dad controls the MC's medication didn't feel good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Homophobia
CW for ableism, homophobia (minor), sexism, panic attacks/disorders, medication control, grief, violence, parental death (backstory).
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