Boy, this book. I was so excited to read it - fluffy high school queer romance...with superheroes! And the main character Nick has ADHD, so it was great to see a neurotypical character struggle and eventually own how his mind works. Some of the flaws of the book, though, made this a frustrating read. For one, no matter how many times the obvious is spelled out in front of Nick (who the secret identities of the superheroes are, how his best friend feels about him, etc), he remains frustratingly oblivious, to the point where it goes from realistic self-centered behavior to just sheer stupidity.
Secondly, sometimes the Nick's ideas and mannerisms read as younger than a junior in high school. Some of his schemes to become an Extraordinary himself were so silly and naïve that it was difficult to believe someone older than a 7th grader would have come up with them.
Nick's friends, Gibby and Jazz, are two queer teens whose personalities boil down to the upbeat cheerleader and the Black dyke who's beat you up. They like to make out with each other. And...that's about all the characterization they get.
There's a tantalizing moment when it seems like things might become a bit more complex and nuanced - once character talks about how it's not as simple as good versus evil, hero vs. villain. That there might be more than meets the eye at these two Extraordinaries pitted against each other. Is there? ...Nope. There's a reversal, but then it's the same dynamic: good guy versus bad guy, hero against villain. The guy you thought was a big jerk the whole time? Yep, he's a big jerk. The boy you were rooting for the whole time? Yep, he's good, don't worry! Nothing to see here, nothing to tease apart.
And come on, I was reading this for some sweet queer romance, but there really wasn't that much romance to be found - or maybe the cute moments just felt off to me because of the characterizations and the fact that the book was about 100 pages too long. Just...oof. This one really let me down.
Secondly, sometimes the Nick's ideas and mannerisms read as younger than a junior in high school. Some of his schemes to become an Extraordinary himself were so silly and naïve that it was difficult to believe someone older than a 7th grader would have come up with them.
Nick's friends, Gibby and Jazz, are two queer teens whose personalities boil down to the upbeat cheerleader and the Black dyke who's beat you up. They like to make out with each other. And...that's about all the characterization they get.
There's a tantalizing moment when it seems like things might become a bit more complex and nuanced - once character talks about how it's not as simple as good versus evil, hero vs. villain. That there might be more than meets the eye at these two Extraordinaries pitted against each other. Is there? ...Nope. There's a reversal, but then it's the same dynamic: good guy versus bad guy, hero against villain. The guy you thought was a big jerk the whole time? Yep, he's a big jerk. The boy you were rooting for the whole time? Yep, he's good, don't worry! Nothing to see here, nothing to tease apart.
And come on, I was reading this for some sweet queer romance, but there really wasn't that much romance to be found - or maybe the cute moments just felt off to me because of the characterizations and the fact that the book was about 100 pages too long. Just...oof. This one really let me down.