Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

12 reviews

catcervone's review against another edition

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4.0

I thought this was going to be a little more sci-fi/fantasy, but that element is actually like a sub-plot (which I did not mind at all). This story is about belonging and coming-of-age and relationships between friends, and it’s done masterfully. I really enjoyed it! 

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calamityin's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Honestly, I had this rated much higher until the last hour, (I listened to the audio book). I didn't like Henna for most of it because I couldn't figure out who she was, but it got much worse
after the car crash. Her pseudo-romantic relationship with Mike was fucked up. She knew that he liked her and started kissing him, but didn't enter into a real relationship with him because she would rather "experiment." That is basically the definition of emotional abuse. The line, "For someone I've never dated, you sure feel entitled to being jealous," was atrocious, because she knew he loved her, she was acting in private like they were a couple, but then in public like she was interested in someone else, which is just really messed up. And then this all resolves by Mike "realizing" that they actually don't belong together?? Really?? We're not even gonna address the way she was using him for weeks??

Not to mention the way Jared treated Mike. Like, sorry that you feel like you have to keep every single thing in your life a secret from your best friend, but that means that it's not his fault if his problems take up more time than yours in conversation. You refuse to divulge personal information and then get pissed at him when he does? Like, you're supposed to be his friend, and if you felt like you were more of a therapist, you should have fucking said something, not let it fester. And then telling everyone else about his relationship but not Mike, when he knew Mike was spiraling because of Henna and Nathan, is just cruel. He said it's because he didn't want to make Mike jealous, but like, he was already ruining his relationships with his other friends out of a different kind of jealousy and you had the ability to help him and you didn't just because you didn't want to hurt him. That makes no sense and you aren't a good friend.


Now that I've gotten that off my chest, here's some general reviews. The characters were interesting, although a bit flat. I didn't feel like any of them really grew or changed much over the course of the book.

I really enjoyed the way the book is formatted so that you get to know a lot about the setting, but it is also clear that it isn't the most important thing to the story. You understand what other people are doing, but it never gets in the way of what the main characters are doing.

All in all, I enjoyed the first chunk, but found the latter half and the ending more frustrating than anything and wish it had a bit more of a message to it. I feel like readers should learn something about toxic friendship or how to be better people to those around them, but it just kinda shows toxic friendships that magically resolve in the end because Mike realizes something everyone else already knew. It was a lazy ending without any real resolution to the problems it brought up. Not the mention the way a 19-year-old high schooler is casually dating a 25-year-old doctor and nobody sees this as weird.

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styxx's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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evieep's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-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

A lovely story about the rest of us. And how we are all the main character of our own story.

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laurar's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5


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fancyfroggie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-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

5.0

i really loved this book. only thing is it deals with mental health very seriously so if you're not in a good place mentally you should not read it, it will not be good for you.

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iamkiaraayleen's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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brianna_moye's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

3.5


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ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring medium-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

5.0

You will find a surprisingly heartfelt story amidst the witty writing and unique plot. A ripe coming-of-age story that makes me ache because of its realism. Also one of the most honest, true-to-life descriptions of OCD I've ever read. 

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belleden's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

A really sweet magical realism coming-of-age story for sci-fi/fantasy lovers. Mike is a shining example of a YA protagonist. He’s insecure but deeply caring, enough so that he works on himself to become a better person by the end of the book. The book lacks icky coming-of-age tropes that usually make me avoid YA written by white men. The characters and their backstories felt realistic and reminded me a lot of my average, wallflower high school friend group. Overall this novel was surprisingly genuinely funny and perfectly captured the almost-adult, not-quite feeling of graduating high school.

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