The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Patrick Ness's The Rest of Us Just Live Here unfolds in a world where your typical YA "Chosen One" stories have a tendency to unfold on a regular basis. A few years ago, it was soul-sucking vampires; this year, it looks like immortal beings...but rather than focusing on that story, Ness focuses on the titular "rest of us" - the kids who just hope their high school doesn't blow up before they graduate and are able to get the hell away from their difficult families, this tiny judgmental town, and their fraught adolescences. That's a fun dynamic, and Ness plays with it beautifully, making clear that there's a whole epic story unfolding in the background of our narrative, but for the most part, our kids are just focused on what's next: a long-term crush that has gotten unbearable; a gay football player who can't wait to be able to be himself; kids whose politician mother uses them as props and forgets that they're people - and honestly, that's all they have the room to deal with. The result is funny, yes, but it's also deeply human and heartbreaking, as we have these kids on the verge of the next step of their lives, but all running from their own traumas - and those traumas have led to eating disorders, crippling guilt, overwhelming OCD patterns, and more. In some ways, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a great coming of age story, one invested in its characters and their struggles, all done with a willingness to let its characters be flawed and a desire to avoid easy categorization; in another way, it's a great riff on modern YA fiction and its tropes; and in a whole other way, it's about what it's like growing up in a world where it feels like your life can't get started, but the world outside is falling apart. I absolutely loved it; I loved its core group of friends, I loved the humanity and depth that Ness gave them, I loved the complexity of every character in the book, I loved the wry humor and the heartbreaking details, and more than anything else, I loved the sense of this moment in time where everything will change and you're just not sure how you feel about it. What a wonderful piece of fiction.

This book was not what I was expecting and I am totally okay with that! I was expecting some superhero book or anti-hero book, or something along those lines, but it ended up being about family, and friends, and some paranormal happenings in their town. This book is definitely unique!Where do I even start with this book? This book was emotional, relatable, funny, and so not what I was expecting. It takes place in this alternate world where the Chosen Ones are the hipster kids (aka “indie kids”). Instead of focusing on the indie kids and their next adventure, it follows an ordinary group of kids who are dealing with end-of-school anxiety, and relationships. A secondary part of the story just happens to be a mystery of zombie deer and indie kids dying.I loved Mikey and his sisters, Mel and Meredith. They were so supportive of each other through each of their issues, and watched each others’ backs; it was so great to see a sibling relationship like that in a book. Mikey deals with OCD and gets stuck in these loops until something distracts him and the loop is broken. Mel is recovering from an eating disorder, and Meredith just happens to be the genius in the family. All of their issues stem from their parents, and especially her mom’s bid for political office.“I can’t tell you what’s real for you.But in return, you can’t say what’s real for me either. I get to choose. Not you.” -pg.77Besides focusing on the sibling relationships, it also focuses on friendships and the family you choose. Jared just happens to be the best friend any kid could ask for. He loves Mikey like a brother, and is there for him when he gets stuck in a loop. Henna, another friend and crush of Mikey’s, I can’t say I really liked. She seemed to lead him on, which I found extremely frustrating.This book was so good! Seriously, if you love Patrick Ness’s unique writing, you will love this book!

I love a good dystopian/coming of age novel. An unintentionally rebellious young main character asking the questions that lead to trouble and a revolution? I will ALWAYS read it. But what I loved about "The rest of us just live here" is the playful teasing of their troupes, and not only looks at the bystanders of these events, but talks deeply about trauma and family, and mental illness in an unhealthy atmosphere. It is both sarcastic and witty while hitting some very heavy topics. I thought it was a great read .

Perfect !! Thank you so much !

Eu estava procurando fazia tempo por uma história que contasse sobre a vida dos coadjuvantes, sobre aqueles que sempre estiveram ali no plano de fundo, mas que as histórias de grandes protagonistas sempre ignoram. O jeito que Ness organiza a história também é interessante: todo começo de capítulo ele relata o que está acontecendo com "os personagens principais", as crianças indies que sempre são escolhidas como protagonistas e sofrem muito com isso. Eu recomendo essa história para quem quiser saber sobre a simplicidade e profundidade da vida daqueles que sempre estiveram ali, mas sempre foram esquecidos - talvez algo bom (afinal, assim não sofrem) ou chato (uma vida sem perigos pode ser excitante? Fica a dúvida).

El libro me llego en buen estado y lo tuve a un excelente precio.The Rest of Us Just Live Here es un libro simple y fácil de leer. Es muy diferente a lo que estaba acostumbrada porque la historia no gira alrededor de los chicos que van a salvar al mundo, sino en torno a los que son "normales".

A wonderful YA novel about the last year of high school, written from the point of view of the kids who ARE NOT the heroes of the story--each chapter starts with a summary of the action-hero novel (fighting the invading Immortals or vampires or whatever) while our point of view characters live their ordinary lives in the background, sort of noticing but not involved with the alien invasions or etc. The novel brilliantly makes the point that EVERYBODY has something going on in their lives, even when it's not as splashy as fighting aliens, and everyone has strengths and abilities that contribute, even if the contribution is more subtle than saving the world. I really enjoyed this inventive and slightly skewed YA--not just a break from the Hunger-Games-style end-of-world books, but a refutation of the idea that heroes only exist in opposition to villains....

My daughter really enjoyed the book.