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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
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
This was a fantastic standalone!
I liked the sarcastic tone the author used in the writing and the way the personality of the MC shone through. It had a great balance of seriousness and goofiness, which made the story lighthearted at times but also surprised me with serious modern problems that teens and adults are struggling with themselves.
I liked the sarcastic tone the author used in the writing and the way the personality of the MC shone through. It had a great balance of seriousness and goofiness, which made the story lighthearted at times but also surprised me with serious modern problems that teens and adults are struggling with themselves.
The therapy session was especially great to me. It explained the mental health problem of the MC thoroughly and gave actually meaningful pointers from the therapist for anybody who might be going through a similar problem. I thought that was well done by the author.
I also liked that I actually got two stories in just one book. The short summaries at the start had me laughing so much—it was amazing. It was these parts especially that kept the story lighthearted and gave a fun twist to the usual ‘hero’ story that so many other books focus on.
Lastly, the characters themselves were very complex, and it felt like they had their own lives besides helping the MC, which made them more three-dimensional and well-rounded. I liked the acknowledgment at the end that explained the names of two of the characters. I thought that was a fun little addition.
Smart, funny, realistic fantasy crossover, with appeal for girls and guys alike! What if you are just one of the background characters in one of the huge teen fantasy novels? Like if you aren't Bella or Edward or Harry or Hermione or Katniss or Peeta? What if you're just one of the "ordinary" kids? They've still got their stories too, and still just as interesting as the kids saving the world. Ness is brilliant as ever, weaving bits of the fantasy/action thriller into the "real" world of Mike and Mel and Jared and Henna. Fantastic concept!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. It's very much geared towards YA, but does cover some pretty heavy themes. I did find the main character, Mikey, became increasing insufferable from mid to end book, never giving others a chance. The love interest, Henna, came across a bit cruel at times. There was little character development for either of them, until they slept together and decided they didn't love eachother that way? a pretty unrealistic and irritating resolution to that plot point. Overall I loved the concept of this book, showing the other side of story for most YA novels - what the "normal" or non-hero people go through. I also enjoyed the additions at the chapter beginnings, with the short excerpts of what the "indie kids" (heroes) were doing. I just needed more from the characters. Their flaws are believable and their conflicts mostly realistic, but they drag on a little, showing little growth and development until the very end. A great read, but left me wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Self harm, Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicide, War
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
But when you choose your family, you get to choose how it is between you too. This is how we work. I hope you get to choose your family, and I hope it means as much to you as mine does to me. (Mike) – By “Choosing your family”, Mike is referring to how his friends make up the family that is important to him.
I really, really enjoyed The Rest of Us Just Live Here - each chapter started with a little bit about what was going on in the lives of the “Indie kids” – aka the ones to whom everything supernatural happens, but the main story was about a group of friends who are coming to the end of their senior year of high school, and all that means – beginnings and endings, fresh starts and firey finishes, realizations both simple and profound, and just growing up, really. Our group of five consists of Mike, our narrator, his sister Mel, his best friend Jared, and his secret crush Henna. And you know what? I wouldn’t have traded the “normal” story for the Indies’ story at any time – getting inside Mike’s head, growing with him, learning how he sees the world, how he deals with his own problems, how he perceives himself through the eyes of his friends and family – it had me invested, thoroughly and completely. I wanted to know what was going to happen, I wanted to know how he would deal with each new event that happened to him and/or his family, I wanted to know how they were all going to pull through the massive life shifts which were trying their hardest to stir things up. I laughed out loud, I rooted for them, I was worried on their behalf, I was curious about each new reveal – in short, this book pulled me in, and didn’t let me go, not until the very last word. Even then, it was hard to disentangle myself. There is so much about life and growing up, and it is so varied with so many different angles and nuances, that there’s probably at least a little something for just about everyone there is.
Also, it made for great reading while knitting :)
Some of my favorite lines:
“I think you mistake care for pity. […] We worry about you. […] It’s care, Mike. Who have we got to rely on, except each other? […] Pity is patronizing. Pity is an assumption of superiority. […] Kindness is the most important thing of all. Pity is an insult. Kindness is a miracle.” (Henna)
[Why does it always has to happen to us/the Indie kids?] “Everybody’s got something.” (Satchel asked, and I think it was Mike who answered)
“Why does everything have to mean something? Haven’t we got enough life to be living?” (Jared)
“Everything’s always ending, but everything’s always beginning too.” (Mike)
I really, really enjoyed The Rest of Us Just Live Here - each chapter started with a little bit about what was going on in the lives of the “Indie kids” – aka the ones to whom everything supernatural happens, but the main story was about a group of friends who are coming to the end of their senior year of high school, and all that means – beginnings and endings, fresh starts and firey finishes, realizations both simple and profound, and just growing up, really. Our group of five consists of Mike, our narrator, his sister Mel, his best friend Jared, and his secret crush Henna. And you know what? I wouldn’t have traded the “normal” story for the Indies’ story at any time – getting inside Mike’s head, growing with him, learning how he sees the world, how he deals with his own problems, how he perceives himself through the eyes of his friends and family – it had me invested, thoroughly and completely. I wanted to know what was going to happen, I wanted to know how he would deal with each new event that happened to him and/or his family, I wanted to know how they were all going to pull through the massive life shifts which were trying their hardest to stir things up. I laughed out loud, I rooted for them, I was worried on their behalf, I was curious about each new reveal – in short, this book pulled me in, and didn’t let me go, not until the very last word. Even then, it was hard to disentangle myself. There is so much about life and growing up, and it is so varied with so many different angles and nuances, that there’s probably at least a little something for just about everyone there is.
Also, it made for great reading while knitting :)
Some of my favorite lines:
Spoiler
I liked the little conversation between Mel and Mike about how politics was dirty, which occurred somewhere between 55 and 45 minutes left in the audio at 1x speed – they knew first hand now, and it has echoes in the real world in general, and so much more so recently, too.“I think you mistake care for pity. […] We worry about you. […] It’s care, Mike. Who have we got to rely on, except each other? […] Pity is patronizing. Pity is an assumption of superiority. […] Kindness is the most important thing of all. Pity is an insult. Kindness is a miracle.” (Henna)
[Why does it always has to happen to us/the Indie kids?] “Everybody’s got something.” (Satchel asked, and I think it was Mike who answered)
“Why does everything have to mean something? Haven’t we got enough life to be living?” (Jared)
“Everything’s always ending, but everything’s always beginning too.” (Mike)
3.5⭐
Me pareció buenisimo el concepto, nunca habia leído un libro similar, lo que lo hizo ser muy entretenido. Amé a Mel y a Call me Steve.
Pero creo que Mikey, a pesar de ser un personaje bien construído caía a veces en ser demasiado irritante, y Henna parecía apenas estar en proceso de construir su personalidad, lo que no está mal, pero no me interesaba tanto.
Si recomendaría el libro pero no creo releerlo en mucho tiempo, por eso la calificación.
Me pareció buenisimo el concepto, nunca habia leído un libro similar, lo que lo hizo ser muy entretenido. Amé a Mel y a Call me Steve.
Pero creo que Mikey, a pesar de ser un personaje bien construído caía a veces en ser demasiado irritante, y Henna parecía apenas estar en proceso de construir su personalidad, lo que no está mal, pero no me interesaba tanto.
Si recomendaría el libro pero no creo releerlo en mucho tiempo, por eso la calificación.
YA Rating Scale: 4.
This deserves a proper review, so I'll do my best to make on later on.
This deserves a proper review, so I'll do my best to make on later on.
3.9/5
Me ha gustado bastante este libro, por dos razones principales:
1. Es un libro que rompe con el cliché de EL Elegido (aunque este es un cliché que en realidad considero que en algunos casos es necesario), y además se lleva bien. El romper con este cliché también implica tener que llevar la trama del libro de una forma lo suficientemente entretenida como para no hacer al lector sentir que preferiría conocer la trama del personaje que sí que es el elegido más que la del personaje del cual se está leyendo, y creo que en este caso se lleva de una forma muy buena, y, además, también conocemos un poco de la trama de los elegidos, lo suficiente como para que los sucesos que nuestros protagonistas presencian no nos sean del todo desconocidos y sepamos lo que pasa a grandes rasgos.
2. Se tratan dos temas que creo que no se tratan demasiado en muchos libros que hablan de adolescentes que son los TCA y el TOC, además, en el caso del TOC, que es en lo que más se profundiza en este libro, se representa de una manera muy entendible y cercana a la realidad. Me encantó el capítulo donde.
Me encantó la relación que Jared y el protagonista tienen, la verdad, y en general todos los personajes me han gustado, menos Henna (no sé por qué, simplemente no me ha gustado).
Un libro corto sencillo de leer perfecto para alguien que busque una lectura con la que no romperse la cabeza.
Me ha gustado bastante este libro, por dos razones principales:
1. Es un libro que rompe con el cliché de EL Elegido (aunque este es un cliché que en realidad considero que en algunos casos es necesario), y además se lleva bien. El romper con este cliché también implica tener que llevar la trama del libro de una forma lo suficientemente entretenida como para no hacer al lector sentir que preferiría conocer la trama del personaje que sí que es el elegido más que la del personaje del cual se está leyendo, y creo que en este caso se lleva de una forma muy buena, y, además, también conocemos un poco de la trama de los elegidos, lo suficiente como para que los sucesos que nuestros protagonistas presencian no nos sean del todo desconocidos y sepamos lo que pasa a grandes rasgos.
2. Se tratan dos temas que creo que no se tratan demasiado en muchos libros que hablan de adolescentes que son los TCA y el TOC, además, en el caso del TOC, que es en lo que más se profundiza en este libro, se representa de una manera muy entendible y cercana a la realidad. Me encantó el capítulo donde
Spoiler
Mike acude a la psicóloga/psiquiatra para pedir ayuda y toda la conversación que tienen ellos dos, me sentí muy identificado con muchas de las cosas que este personaje ha dichoMe encantó la relación que Jared y el protagonista tienen, la verdad, y en general todos los personajes me han gustado, menos Henna (no sé por qué, simplemente no me ha gustado).
Un libro corto sencillo de leer perfecto para alguien que busque una lectura con la que no romperse la cabeza.
I really enjoyed this book. I've honestly never read anything like it. I don't usually read books where the main teen characters deal with eating disorders or mental health issues in them. I'm not saying this is the best book for that kind of thing, but it's the first one I picked up and read and it was pretty good.
This book is set in a place where every once and a while a new big evil comes to town and the "indie kids" have to come and save the world. This is not the story of those indie kids. This is the story of the other people in town. The kids you see hanging out in the background and this is all about their lives.
Each character felt so real, and they all had their own issues to deal with. Mike, the narrator, has anxiety and depression, he also gets stuck in these loops of behavior. I loved Mike and felt that he had a huge development in this novel. All the characters went through changes, and ended up being more than what they were in the beginning.
I don't want to say much as not to spoil, but this is a very character driven story. There's a loose plot, but mostly it focuses on the actions and emotions of the main cast. This was a very easy book to read. I read it one day, and recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different that has a lot of substance.
This book is set in a place where every once and a while a new big evil comes to town and the "indie kids" have to come and save the world. This is not the story of those indie kids. This is the story of the other people in town. The kids you see hanging out in the background and this is all about their lives.
Each character felt so real, and they all had their own issues to deal with. Mike, the narrator, has anxiety and depression, he also gets stuck in these loops of behavior. I loved Mike and felt that he had a huge development in this novel. All the characters went through changes, and ended up being more than what they were in the beginning.
I don't want to say much as not to spoil, but this is a very character driven story. There's a loose plot, but mostly it focuses on the actions and emotions of the main cast. This was a very easy book to read. I read it one day, and recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different that has a lot of substance.