You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I feel very strange about this book. But it's really good.
I don’t know how to rate this book, it’s so far removed from anything I’ve ever read before that I have no frame of reference for comparison. I picked it, unread, off my son’s bookshelf where it has sat since whenever I purchased it in an attempt to get him to read more. I’m kinda glad it remained unread, I don’t know what my straightforward, literal teenage boy would have made of it. The last time I did something similar, or actually exactly the same i.e. picked an unread Patrick Ness book off my teenager’s bookshelves, I ended up with A Monster Calls - a work of such genius that it needs no further comment here. Back to this one, itook me a while to realise what was going on, imagine a book about the kids who go to school with the kids in Stranger Things, and a little while longer again to realise that the Immortals subplot was meant to be funny. When I started reading this with a more tongue in cheek approach I started enjoying it a bit more, but wouldn’t recommend it as one that transcends the YA genre as ‘Monster’ did.
I've been a fan of Patrick Ness's for a while now, so when I first read a synopsis of this book, I was intrigued and excited right from the beginning. I've never seen something like this attempted before, and I could not be more excited with how it turned out. I cannot give this book enough stars. I've already recommended it to everyone I speak to.
I see several reviews complaining that, while they liked the idea of the book, the execution was poor. I’m honestly not sure what they were expecting. The book is about the normal, everyday kids living in the world where they aren’t the “special” or “chosen ones” and having to navigate their normal lives around it. They sometimes find themselves in the midst of all the weird and supernatural that’s happening but for the most part, they just move around it and keep living. I think that’s exactly what you can expect from a book with that type of scenario and I think it was executed pretty well. I give it a 4.5 because I found issues with the way Ness wrote some of his characters. Sometimes, they are brilliant and deep in their conversations. Normal kids getting through pretty horrendous circumstance when it comes to family life that aren’t even supernatural. And sometimes, Ness writes like he’s trying his best to imitate how he thinks teenagers talk and act, but is really clueless. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
This is an astonishingly clever book. It's also a good book, which isn't always the case for clever books. A typical YA paranormal romance/adventure is told in the interstices of this book. The plot developments for that book, a hilarious satire on the genre, occupy the chapter headings of each chapter. In the chapters themselves our characters, the non-chosen ones, have to navigate a scary and incomprehensible supernatural world while also navigating the scary and incomprehensible world of growing up. It's cleverly, thoughtfully, and lovingly done. I highly recommend this novel.
Excellent construction, complex characters, healthy messages about mental health and sexuality, plus a generous, satisfying sprinkle of sassy re: the Chosen One trope
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
I loved Ness's Chaos Walking Trilogy, so I was slightly disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book of his as much. Ness decided to focus this story on the lives of the people in the background, those who are never "the chosen ones". He alluded several times to different tropes related to "the chosen one" concept that have been apparent in YA writing. Each chapter started with information with what was going on in the lives of the Indie kids, who are designated as "chosen ones". It didn't seem to serve much purpose, until the two stories begin to overlap in a sense. These background characters begin to be impacted by what is occurring to these Indie kids, I liked how he focused on the people in the background, because it highlighted how real and relatable their problems can be. "Chosen one" or not, everyone has their own struggles. It wasn't a strong enough story though to be told on its own without being tied along with what was occurring to the Indie kids. It was the interweaving of these two worlds that I felt really drove this story.
Spoiler
like when the bomb goes off at the Bolts of Fire concert.
TWs: eating disorder, OCD, anxty, addiction, alcoholism.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is one of the best YA novels I read this year and a wondrful wrap up to my 2020 reding. I was really interested by the premise of regular teens living their lives while the Chosen Ones save the world, hopping that their school doesn't get blown up by the monster of the week before graduation.
Patrick Ness explored this idea a lot deeper than I expected, and twisted it so that it could explore not only the topic of normalcy, and what being a regualr. it is quite diverse (the protagonist has OCD and anxiety, his sister has anorexia, as well as some POC and queer rep). The book also has a very positive attitude to teraphy and medication - the teraphy session scene was among my favourite moments in the story.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is one of the best YA novels I read this year and a wondrful wrap up to my 2020 reding. I was really interested by the premise of regular teens living their lives while the Chosen Ones save the world, hopping that their school doesn't get blown up by the monster of the week before graduation.
Patrick Ness explored this idea a lot deeper than I expected, and twisted it so that it could explore not only the topic of normalcy, and what being a regualr. it is quite diverse (the protagonist has OCD and anxiety, his sister has anorexia, as well as some POC and queer rep). The book also has a very positive attitude to teraphy and medication - the teraphy session scene was among my favourite moments in the story.
Great book with really great characters. I'm glad that the rest of us has a book that deals with the real world problems even if a cat God is involved.