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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Too real. Too relatable.
Too much for me in my current situation to handle. Because me.
Jokes aside, this book was very good! I enjoyed almost every single second of it. It took me a long time to get through it, but it wasn't about the book, but more about personal stuff. So that is no indicator for anything.
If you like a story that is far from your average superhero story, you are right with this one!
Too much for me in my current situation to handle. Because me.
Jokes aside, this book was very good! I enjoyed almost every single second of it. It took me a long time to get through it, but it wasn't about the book, but more about personal stuff. So that is no indicator for anything.
If you like a story that is far from your average superhero story, you are right with this one!
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A neat concept, I felt like it was trying to do too much at once without depth or resolution to most of it. Also, for a book billed as YA, content was very mature.
This book didn’t work for me at all. Extremely trope-y and doesn’t do enough to subvert them.
The protagonist isn’t the most pleasant of characters. The handling of his mental illness was seemingly sensitive, at least.
I was initially excited by the diversity of the cast of characters but they weren’t well-developed and felt both exoticised and stereotypical.
The love interest had no inner life and existed solely for the growth of the protagonist.
Her see-sawing desires are meant to make her interesting, but she comes across as performing the indecisive woman trope.
There’s also some disturbing non-consensual stuff that is brushed off too quickly. Considering the audience for this book, that’s really problematic.
I liked the concept of this book but the characters weren’t well written and I didn’t enjoy reading it.
The protagonist isn’t the most pleasant of characters. The handling of his mental illness was seemingly sensitive, at least.
I was initially excited by the diversity of the cast of characters but they weren’t well-developed and felt both exoticised and stereotypical.
The love interest had no inner life and existed solely for the growth of the protagonist.
Her see-sawing desires are meant to make her interesting, but she comes across as performing the indecisive woman trope.
There’s also some disturbing non-consensual stuff that is brushed off too quickly. Considering the audience for this book, that’s really problematic.
I liked the concept of this book but the characters weren’t well written and I didn’t enjoy reading it.
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book - until the last few chapters, which honestly ruined it a little.
Some of the relationships were thrown out the window and then seemingly stuffed back into that window without anyone caring that it was thrown out in the first place(Jared's completely out of character remark and the subsequent 'just kidding didn't mean it') .
Some characters got 'redemption' with no work and no changes(the mum, Henna's hot-and-cold 'maybe I like you, maybe I don't, you'll never know' attitude for half the book) - suddenly they're all just okay now.
The depiction of mental illness throughout the book is handled well, with depictions of Mikey's struggles really showing the struggle he is facing daily.It is, however, absolutely unhinged to assume anyone suffering from mental illness would say no to having their mental illness magically healed, just for some moral superiority of seeing if they can tough it out?
That being said - I liked the little 'indie kid' story synopsis at the beginning of each chapter. The relationship between the three siblings was sweet. I liked the idea of focusing on the 'normal' people in these epic YA stories, I just don't think it was wrapped up very well.
Some of the relationships were thrown out the window and then seemingly stuffed back into that window without anyone caring that it was thrown out in the first place
Some characters got 'redemption' with no work and no changes
The depiction of mental illness throughout the book is handled well, with depictions of Mikey's struggles really showing the struggle he is facing daily.
That being said - I liked the little 'indie kid' story synopsis at the beginning of each chapter. The relationship between the three siblings was sweet. I liked the idea of focusing on the 'normal' people in these epic YA stories, I just don't think it was wrapped up very well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death
If you're finding the 'only you can save the universe (or the prom at the very least)' story approach leaving you a little jaded - and frankly even if you aren't - you have to check out this book.
The tongue in cheek jabs at the dominant genre in teen reading don't detract from the fact that this is a beautifully told story about people just as flawed and stressed as the usual heroes, but whose lives are equally worth following and as full of surprises, sorrows and joy.
While the indie kids are busy saving the world Mikey, his family and friends are finding ordinary life quite challenging enough. He's convinced he's the one in the group that nobody really needs and is focussed on getting through prom night and graduation without the school or his OCD blowing up.
Mikey paints the 'ordinary kids' story, running in parallel to that of the indie kids and the geas they have to fulfil. We discover them dealing with OCD, anorexia, 'is it love or lust?' dilemmas, a dementia-afflicted granny, cat-god-adoring felines and zombie deer just as heroically as any Harry Potter or Buffy Anne Summers.
Patrick captures voices perfectly, particularly that of sharp-witted but self-deprecating Mikey, growing up in a town that has faced more than one apocalypse, including a vampire invasion:
The theme of our prom is "Forever Young".
I know.
Patrick makes the most of his fan base too, in clever ways. One of the characters is named after a fan who won a charity auction (he acknowledges he lucked out when she won, because she has a wonderful name). He also persuaded a friend who lost to donate the the Red Cross to get his name in, just because he like it so much.
Go on, give it a try.
The tongue in cheek jabs at the dominant genre in teen reading don't detract from the fact that this is a beautifully told story about people just as flawed and stressed as the usual heroes, but whose lives are equally worth following and as full of surprises, sorrows and joy.
While the indie kids are busy saving the world Mikey, his family and friends are finding ordinary life quite challenging enough. He's convinced he's the one in the group that nobody really needs and is focussed on getting through prom night and graduation without the school or his OCD blowing up.
Mikey paints the 'ordinary kids' story, running in parallel to that of the indie kids and the geas they have to fulfil. We discover them dealing with OCD, anorexia, 'is it love or lust?' dilemmas, a dementia-afflicted granny, cat-god-adoring felines and zombie deer just as heroically as any Harry Potter or Buffy Anne Summers.
Patrick captures voices perfectly, particularly that of sharp-witted but self-deprecating Mikey, growing up in a town that has faced more than one apocalypse, including a vampire invasion:
The theme of our prom is "Forever Young".
I know.
Patrick makes the most of his fan base too, in clever ways. One of the characters is named after a fan who won a charity auction (he acknowledges he lucked out when she won, because she has a wonderful name). He also persuaded a friend who lost to donate the the Red Cross to get his name in, just because he like it so much.
Go on, give it a try.
I see the Buffy influence. The final part disappointed me a bit (between the main character and his best friend). But I really thought it was clever and I liked some of the family and friendship dynamics the book explored.
And, is it just me, or does the first chapter not let you know the main character's name or gender?
I did feel like the first chapter became character soup. It took me a while to keep track of everyone.
And the point of the story, everyone is important even if they don't have special powers, basically wasn't true in the last chapter. As we went through, yes, there's bravery in dealing with life as an ordinary person. But that wasn't the part about saving he day. I don't want to spoil anything.
And, is it just me, or does the first chapter not let you know the main character's name or gender?
I did feel like the first chapter became character soup. It took me a while to keep track of everyone.
And the point of the story, everyone is important even if they don't have special powers, basically wasn't true in the last chapter. As we went through, yes, there's bravery in dealing with life as an ordinary person. But that wasn't the part about saving he day. I don't want to spoil anything.
I fell into the hype before reading this book, and unfortunately my expectations were set too high. And although came out of the novel thoroughly enjoying it, I was not wowed beyond belief.
‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ broaches varied topics all at once, treating race, (supernaturally) gifted, and sexual identity as an everyday thing. Which is comical and amazing into itself; it has a bit of that X-Men feel, or what you get after 5 or 6 seasons of ‘Buffy’ or ‘Charmed’ – the novelty has worn off and it seems nearly everyone has something special about them. This mix of issues woven into the world created by Patrick Ness added a dash of something extra.
Loving the melodrama – everyone is on the edge of something – and this novel is chock full of it. Even the stuff that goes down behind the scenes (brief descriptions in the chapter headings). But did everyone in the main cast have to have some sort of disability? It felt a little overdone. I know the ‘normals’ are meant to juxtapose against the special ones, the chosen ones; but really? I kinda wanted more grittiness to the main characters to balance out the fantastical elements of this story.
A big plus for me was the fact the parents are at the forefront of the story line. Not the typical single parent family where the caregivers are mostly absent. Maybe it’s because we are dealing with ‘everyone else’ and bucking the trend of a typical Y.A. stereotype and serving up a big plate of irony, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the involvement of the family unit as a whole.
We get to experience a truly unique antagonist in the form of the Immortals – though only really a subplot, and dealt with directly in the main story line – but their presence and influence affect the world of our cast. It was a refreshingly brilliant way to tell a story.
Light-hearted and a fast read – I completed it in a day. Though it took a while for the pace to pick up, as it was setting up each character. A great conclusion that gave me a lot of satisfaction – a salute to the fact that we can have great impact on other people’s lives without even being aware of it.
Would have rated it higher if it had more comedy/irony and dragged out some more intense feelings, overall it was simply enjoyable like an afternoon at the movies.
‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ broaches varied topics all at once, treating race, (supernaturally) gifted, and sexual identity as an everyday thing. Which is comical and amazing into itself; it has a bit of that X-Men feel, or what you get after 5 or 6 seasons of ‘Buffy’ or ‘Charmed’ – the novelty has worn off and it seems nearly everyone has something special about them. This mix of issues woven into the world created by Patrick Ness added a dash of something extra.
Loving the melodrama – everyone is on the edge of something – and this novel is chock full of it. Even the stuff that goes down behind the scenes (brief descriptions in the chapter headings). But did everyone in the main cast have to have some sort of disability? It felt a little overdone. I know the ‘normals’ are meant to juxtapose against the special ones, the chosen ones; but really? I kinda wanted more grittiness to the main characters to balance out the fantastical elements of this story.
A big plus for me was the fact the parents are at the forefront of the story line. Not the typical single parent family where the caregivers are mostly absent. Maybe it’s because we are dealing with ‘everyone else’ and bucking the trend of a typical Y.A. stereotype and serving up a big plate of irony, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the involvement of the family unit as a whole.
We get to experience a truly unique antagonist in the form of the Immortals – though only really a subplot, and dealt with directly in the main story line – but their presence and influence affect the world of our cast. It was a refreshingly brilliant way to tell a story.
Light-hearted and a fast read – I completed it in a day. Though it took a while for the pace to pick up, as it was setting up each character. A great conclusion that gave me a lot of satisfaction – a salute to the fact that we can have great impact on other people’s lives without even being aware of it.
Would have rated it higher if it had more comedy/irony and dragged out some more intense feelings, overall it was simply enjoyable like an afternoon at the movies.
The best of Patrick Ness...beautifully told with just the right amount of humor and fantasy to keep you reading well into the night.