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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I surprised myself by really liking this book.
See, based on the premise, I thought it would be a funny, cynical little book. And it turned out to be that.
But when I flipped through the first few pages, there was a lot more that I hadn't expected to be there, and suddenly I wasn't sure if I had misled myself. But I continued on, because I chose this book for Reading Olympics and our team has like three people this year. But I digress.
All of the characters were surprisingly different from anything I've ever really read. Only Mikey—the main character, surprisingly enough—was a little on the stereotypical side, but he more than made up for that in his interactions with the others. They're all pretty damaged, but the book doesn't make them out to be sad or characters to be pitied. They all help each other figure it out, and I think that's what really made it good for me.
Also, the style of storytelling was really interesting to follow! SpoilerI thought the little paragraph about the indie kids at the beginning of each chapter would be more important, but I realized about halfway through that the point is that it's not important. It might be for the rest of the world, and the survival of humanity, etc. but for Mikey and company it's not.
Overall, beautifully done! A profound novel wrapped in some convenient dry humor. A very enjoyable read!
See, based on the premise, I thought it would be a funny, cynical little book. And it turned out to be that.
But when I flipped through the first few pages, there was a lot more that I hadn't expected to be there, and suddenly I wasn't sure if I had misled myself. But I continued on, because I chose this book for Reading Olympics and our team has like three people this year. But I digress.
All of the characters were surprisingly different from anything I've ever really read. Only Mikey—the main character, surprisingly enough—was a little on the stereotypical side, but he more than made up for that in his interactions with the others. They're all pretty damaged, but the book doesn't make them out to be sad or characters to be pitied. They all help each other figure it out, and I think that's what really made it good for me.
Also, the style of storytelling was really interesting to follow! SpoilerI thought the little paragraph about the indie kids at the beginning of each chapter would be more important, but I realized about halfway through that the point is that it's not important. It might be for the rest of the world, and the survival of humanity, etc. but for Mikey and company it's not.
Overall, beautifully done! A profound novel wrapped in some convenient dry humor. A very enjoyable read!
'Not everyone has to be the chosen one'
This was my second time reading 'The Rest of Us Just Live Here', and of course I loved it. Patrick Ness is a wonderful author who writes beautifully, the characters are diverse and full of life. Although Mike annoyed me more this time, Ness finds way to make you empathise with him. Unfortunately, I didn't find it as incredible as the first time I read it, but it still solidly puts Ness as my favourite author.
This was my second time reading 'The Rest of Us Just Live Here', and of course I loved it. Patrick Ness is a wonderful author who writes beautifully, the characters are diverse and full of life. Although Mike annoyed me more this time, Ness finds way to make you empathise with him. Unfortunately, I didn't find it as incredible as the first time I read it, but it still solidly puts Ness as my favourite author.
Most of the books I’ve read by Patrick Ness have been a bit odd, and this one was no exception.
This follows a senior in high school named Mikey and his group of friends, who, as the book points out, are not the chosen ones.
But there is another group of kids, whom everyone else calls “The Indie Kids” and these ARE the chosen ones. These are the ones with names like Satchel, Finn, and Dylan and they are the ones who have to fight the vampires, zombies, soul-eating ghosts and other paranormal threats that face the town and sometimes, these Indie Kids die on the process. These are people like Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, Buffy Summers, and the Scooby gang, Percy Jackson, the Avengers, Luke Skywalker and the like.
But the story isn’t about them — it’s about the other people who live in the town — the ones who aren’t the chosen ones but who attend the same school as them and witness the horrors that they have to face.
Two main storylines are going on here. At the beginning of each chapter, there’s a couple-sentence synopsis of the current danger facing the Indie Kids as they protect the town from destruction. The rest of the chapter is told from Mikey’s point of view as he and his friends try to finish off their senior year without getting killed. Of course, their two storylines overlap including encounters with zombie deer, bombs, glowing blue light, etc. Now Mikey’s circle of friends aren’t quite as normal as we may think, given that one of his friends is the God of Cats.
This story is kind of a blend between contemporary fiction and fantasy with a playful nod to the Chosen One genre, and I thought it was big fun. In one part of the story, there were strange lights going off over the city, and one of Mikey’s friends said something to the effect of, “Hmm...I wonder if the Indie Kids are taking care of that.” So in this way, I thought the premise was so fresh and creative, and I loved how the story focused on the regular kids (the “Muggles”) and not the special and/or gifted ones.
There is also excellent mental health representation in the story as we have a character with Alzheimer’s, one with an eating disorder and one with OCD, and from what I read, the representation seemed to be respectful and spot on. The story also explores issues of unrequited love, friendship, family dynamics, and finding your place in the world.
So what we have here then is a clever and unique story with quirky diverse characters and an intriguing setting. The story was a lot of fun with plenty of laughs and thrills throughout.
This follows a senior in high school named Mikey and his group of friends, who, as the book points out, are not the chosen ones.
But there is another group of kids, whom everyone else calls “The Indie Kids” and these ARE the chosen ones. These are the ones with names like Satchel, Finn, and Dylan and they are the ones who have to fight the vampires, zombies, soul-eating ghosts and other paranormal threats that face the town and sometimes, these Indie Kids die on the process. These are people like Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, Buffy Summers, and the Scooby gang, Percy Jackson, the Avengers, Luke Skywalker and the like.
But the story isn’t about them — it’s about the other people who live in the town — the ones who aren’t the chosen ones but who attend the same school as them and witness the horrors that they have to face.
Two main storylines are going on here. At the beginning of each chapter, there’s a couple-sentence synopsis of the current danger facing the Indie Kids as they protect the town from destruction. The rest of the chapter is told from Mikey’s point of view as he and his friends try to finish off their senior year without getting killed. Of course, their two storylines overlap including encounters with zombie deer, bombs, glowing blue light, etc. Now Mikey’s circle of friends aren’t quite as normal as we may think, given that one of his friends is the God of Cats.
This story is kind of a blend between contemporary fiction and fantasy with a playful nod to the Chosen One genre, and I thought it was big fun. In one part of the story, there were strange lights going off over the city, and one of Mikey’s friends said something to the effect of, “Hmm...I wonder if the Indie Kids are taking care of that.” So in this way, I thought the premise was so fresh and creative, and I loved how the story focused on the regular kids (the “Muggles”) and not the special and/or gifted ones.
There is also excellent mental health representation in the story as we have a character with Alzheimer’s, one with an eating disorder and one with OCD, and from what I read, the representation seemed to be respectful and spot on. The story also explores issues of unrequited love, friendship, family dynamics, and finding your place in the world.
So what we have here then is a clever and unique story with quirky diverse characters and an intriguing setting. The story was a lot of fun with plenty of laughs and thrills throughout.
Not only did this book have an original concept and feel, it had some of the most realistic descriptions of mental illness I've ever read (which is ESPECIALLY important in YA fiction). The characters were diverse, and each had a real weight and complexity. A wonderfully executed story for all of us who enjoy some good chosen-one supernatural drama but wonder where realistic, flawed characters can find their place in those narratives.
"What's important is that I know how much you worry about shit. And what's also important is that I know a big part of that worry is that, no matter what group of friends you're in, no matter how long you've know them, you always assume you're the least-wanted person there. The one everyone else could do without"
It's interesting reading this kind of book that I loved as a teen, as an adult. I bumped it down from 5 stars to 4, since I can't fully enjoy the teen angst in books anymore.
Despite that, I could see things with different eyes. Could reflect on things I still relate to and struggle with despite being ~7 years older. From being very sick with OCD and an ED to being in remission. Appreciating that the hardship of teenhood changes as you get older.
I cant wait to read this 7 years from now
It's interesting reading this kind of book that I loved as a teen, as an adult. I bumped it down from 5 stars to 4, since I can't fully enjoy the teen angst in books anymore.
Despite that, I could see things with different eyes. Could reflect on things I still relate to and struggle with despite being ~7 years older. From being very sick with OCD and an ED to being in remission. Appreciating that the hardship of teenhood changes as you get older.
I cant wait to read this 7 years from now
Patrick Ness did it again. Dang, he's good. It was lighter than some of his previous books, but lovely and insightful all the same.
How wonderful it was to finally read this book! It really did surprise me how much I liked it. It is so well written and really does deliver on that feeling of normal life while covering some pretty intense topics of sexuality, abuse and mental illness with ease. I loved that each chapter started with the fantasy element that was going on outside the world of the main characters. So genius. The last few chapters especially capture that very American feeling of the transition between high school and college and it made me feel a little nostalgic for that time of great change.
emotional
funny
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
Cute. Better for a high schooler to read than an adult, though.