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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Excuse me as I go an weep a bit. This was brilliant but damn I'm so sad right now I could cry (okay I admit I cried). I really liked the friendship between Jared and Mikey, I thought it was what gave the whole book its charm which is why I'm kind of mourning the ending to the book right now. In the beginning, I was really afraid that something would kill Jared (I might even have looked at the ending to make sure he survived) and then Mikey kind of ends up losing him anyway. I will just weep over here in my little corner! Can I get a sequel named "Mikey and Jared = Friendshipping ever after"? It would make me truly happy!
That said then the book was bloody brilliant! I loved the whole OCD with Mikey and generally the feeling of him living at the edge, like any moment he would tumble down and do some damage to himself. Multiple times I thought something would push him but surprisingly he kept fighting and that's quite nice though I also felt unsatisfied sometimes like I wanted him to fall so he could be picked up again. The charm was that it was a rollercoaster just like life is I guess but did it have to be so sad as well? Why did I feel like I lost my best friend in the end? Oh I sometimes hate ending a book because I feel like I've just had to say goodbye to someone I really knew well and it will take me some time to get over this book.
That said then the book was bloody brilliant! I loved the whole OCD with Mikey and generally the feeling of him living at the edge, like any moment he would tumble down and do some damage to himself. Multiple times I thought something would push him but surprisingly he kept fighting and that's quite nice though I also felt unsatisfied sometimes like I wanted him to fall so he could be picked up again. The charm was that it was a rollercoaster just like life is I guess but did it have to be so sad as well? Why did I feel like I lost my best friend in the end? Oh I sometimes hate ending a book because I feel like I've just had to say goodbye to someone I really knew well and it will take me some time to get over this book.
3.5/5 Stars.
Another slightly confusing one for me. I thought his style was interesting and easy to read, but I didn't particularly feel for the story. It felt a bit like a forced merging of contemporary and supernatural YA, and it didn't quite hit the right balance.
Another slightly confusing one for me. I thought his style was interesting and easy to read, but I didn't particularly feel for the story. It felt a bit like a forced merging of contemporary and supernatural YA, and it didn't quite hit the right balance.
So it has been confirmed, I knew it already in my heart and now it has been confirmed for the world to see, Patrick Ness is a genius. There is an argument to be had that I begin a Patrick Ness novel deciding that I like it already without having read a word, I will never know how much this influences my final opinion but I think that's ok, I'm not a critic and therefore don't have to be objective if I don't want to be, I love his work. The concept of this book is just brilliant and even richer if you read a lot of YA books. Loved it!
“Everything’s always ending. But everything’s always beginning, too.” -Mikey Mitchell
Patrick Ness is a masterful storyteller. Through the narration of practical, obsessive compulsive, anxious Mikey, we learn about the world of the Indie Kids—the teens that are always the “Chosen Ones” and, consequently, the ones who always die—and the rest of us that just live here. Each chapter heading keeps the reader informed with a basic summary of what the Indie Kids are up to, leaving the rest of the chapter up to Mikey to fill us in on what is happening in the background that is his life. We are immediately introduced to Mikey and his core group, his adopted family—Jared, his best friend; Mel, his older sister; and Henna, who Mikey has crushed on for forever and a day. Lucky or unlucky—that is up to your discretion—none of them are Indie Kids, but that doesn’t mean that the trouble Indie Kids get into doesn’t affect them. With Mikey leading the way, Ness paints a lifelike picture of the plot bystander—the characters affected by the central plot of an adventure, but are not mentioned as they are deemed unimportant.
Never before have I been so proud to not be a “Chosen One.” Mikey and his little family simply want to live normal lives and have no interest being Indie Kids—they’d rather not die a gruesome death by vampires, zombies, soul-eating ghosts, or whatever decides to plague their school this year—and I feel like that’s all any of us really want (with the exception of outliers—probably having a deviation to accommodate fans of JK Rowling). For Mikey, Jared, Mel, and Henna, the most important thing is surviving senior year and enjoying their last summer together before heading off to college. Ness’s characters are optimistic with cynical senses of humor and are desperately trying to ground themselves in reality, which is no easy feat.
One the best aspects of The Rest of Us Just Live Here is that Ness does not romanticize any of the struggles the central characters face. The challenges that Mikey brings attention to—his anxiety loops, his grandma’s Alzheimer’s, and his relationships with his friends to name a few—all feel authentic. As Mikey guides readers through his story—the last few months of senior year—you experience his hardships and trials. You learn what it is like firsthand from Mikey how it feels to be completely at a loss when it comes to moving forward.
Patrick Ness is witty, creative, and full of honesty about how we really have no clue what the meaning of life is. A must-read.
Patrick Ness is a masterful storyteller. Through the narration of practical, obsessive compulsive, anxious Mikey, we learn about the world of the Indie Kids—the teens that are always the “Chosen Ones” and, consequently, the ones who always die—and the rest of us that just live here. Each chapter heading keeps the reader informed with a basic summary of what the Indie Kids are up to, leaving the rest of the chapter up to Mikey to fill us in on what is happening in the background that is his life. We are immediately introduced to Mikey and his core group, his adopted family—Jared, his best friend; Mel, his older sister; and Henna, who Mikey has crushed on for forever and a day. Lucky or unlucky—that is up to your discretion—none of them are Indie Kids, but that doesn’t mean that the trouble Indie Kids get into doesn’t affect them. With Mikey leading the way, Ness paints a lifelike picture of the plot bystander—the characters affected by the central plot of an adventure, but are not mentioned as they are deemed unimportant.
Never before have I been so proud to not be a “Chosen One.” Mikey and his little family simply want to live normal lives and have no interest being Indie Kids—they’d rather not die a gruesome death by vampires, zombies, soul-eating ghosts, or whatever decides to plague their school this year—and I feel like that’s all any of us really want (with the exception of outliers—probably having a deviation to accommodate fans of JK Rowling). For Mikey, Jared, Mel, and Henna, the most important thing is surviving senior year and enjoying their last summer together before heading off to college. Ness’s characters are optimistic with cynical senses of humor and are desperately trying to ground themselves in reality, which is no easy feat.
One the best aspects of The Rest of Us Just Live Here is that Ness does not romanticize any of the struggles the central characters face. The challenges that Mikey brings attention to—his anxiety loops, his grandma’s Alzheimer’s, and his relationships with his friends to name a few—all feel authentic. As Mikey guides readers through his story—the last few months of senior year—you experience his hardships and trials. You learn what it is like firsthand from Mikey how it feels to be completely at a loss when it comes to moving forward.
Patrick Ness is witty, creative, and full of honesty about how we really have no clue what the meaning of life is. A must-read.
I completely agree that this isn’t Patrick Ness’ best, but even Patrick Ness’ “meh” books are better than most speculative YA. The melodrama of the friend group combined with the gentle fantasy/science fiction in the background (someone help the indie kids stop the apocalypse, please) is a trademark of Ness and never fails to capture my attention.
The perfect audiobook for a cross country travel day.
The perfect audiobook for a cross country travel day.
For the first quarter of this, I was feeling a bit disappointed; the gimmick of the story being about the non-indie kids in town was starting to wear a little thin and making it like any other YA book, although the paragraph about the over-the-top antics of the indie kids at the start of each chapter /was/ always fun.
I'm not sure what the turning point was, probably after the protagonist, Mikey, talks about his sister's eating disorder and his own OCD. It's handled SO WELL, especially when Dr Luther (the type of councillor the world needs more of) compares it to physical, visible illnesses. Jared may be one of my favourite characters of all time: three-quarters Jewish, one-quarter God OF CATS. His friendship with Mikey, and the friendship group as a whole, is so believable.
I think the reason I didn't race through this, like I've done with other Patrick Ness books, is because this is more of a slow-burner, all about the characters. I do prefer his books where he pairs the fast-paced plot with the interesting characters - but this was still written excellently. The only part which was glazed over slightly was Mikey and Mel's dad, that could have been explored/followed up on more.
I'm not sure what the turning point was, probably after the protagonist, Mikey, talks about his sister's eating disorder and his own OCD. It's handled SO WELL, especially when Dr Luther (the type of councillor the world needs more of) compares it to physical, visible illnesses. Jared may be one of my favourite characters of all time: three-quarters Jewish, one-quarter God OF CATS. His friendship with Mikey, and the friendship group as a whole, is so believable.
I think the reason I didn't race through this, like I've done with other Patrick Ness books, is because this is more of a slow-burner, all about the characters. I do prefer his books where he pairs the fast-paced plot with the interesting characters - but this was still written excellently. The only part which was glazed over slightly was Mikey and Mel's dad, that could have been explored/followed up on more.
This is the first of Patrick Ness’s books I’ve read, and I wish I’d discovered his writing sooner! This book is so beautifully real, with characters which are so wonderfully human. I really related with the main character, Mikey, in particular, as he has anxiety and OCD; and also I felt it was refreshing to read about characters who have the same problems that everyone else does. Even though at times the plot felt could have felt like it was getting too heavy or depressing, the writing was so beautiful and meaningful that even when the dialogue was deep and emotional, it worked. I don’t usually enjoy books like this, but I found it really refreshing and different; I loved the humour, especially the Indie Kid prologues at the start of each chapter!
For more bookish loveliness, check out my blog!
For more bookish loveliness, check out my blog!
Okay, SO in full disclosure, YA contemporary is usually not my thing. I’m older than the targeted age range, and generally find it hard to relate to the high school age kids that the books feature.
My all time favorite show in the world is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I was really intrigued by the premise of this one focusing on the kids who *weren’t* the chosen ones. I liked the concept of that, but I found myself more intrigued by the blurb at the beginning of each chapter that outlined what the chosen ones were doing than I was about the rest of the book.
Ultimately, this wasn’t my favorite, but if you enjoy YA contemporary, you’d probably enjoy this, especially if you like a touch of fantasy/sci-fi in your books.
My all time favorite show in the world is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I was really intrigued by the premise of this one focusing on the kids who *weren’t* the chosen ones. I liked the concept of that, but I found myself more intrigued by the blurb at the beginning of each chapter that outlined what the chosen ones were doing than I was about the rest of the book.
Ultimately, this wasn’t my favorite, but if you enjoy YA contemporary, you’d probably enjoy this, especially if you like a touch of fantasy/sci-fi in your books.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a cool take on what happens to the regular people in a town who have heroes/protagonists taking care of all the sci-fi/fantasy stuff that comes along like vampires and aliens. This is about the people on the sidelines. The teens who go to music concerts with their kid-sister and who yearn for graduation and who sit in fields with their best friends to talk about what the future will look like. I thought this book was very clever and kinda meta and I really enjoyed how the characters all fit together. They all felt very real.