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The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Patrick Ness

Start date: April 1, 2017

Finish date: April 30, 2017

Discussion: Stand Alone

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Showing 2 of 156 topics — 4,048 comments total

Stand Alone

* Stand Alone- Maybe Meant to Be
By Bailey · 3 posts · 29 views

last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:04PM

* Stand Alone- The Summer of Broken Rules
By Bailey · 4 posts · 48 views

last updated Jul 08, 2025 08:57AM

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What Members Thought

Jul 09, 2016 Sara rated it it was amazing

I actually listened to this book on a (very) long drive - I listened to the whole book in one ride. It was so good. I liked how the story focused not on the "big" story that was going on but the "other" characters. The story is told by Mikey, and focuses on him and his sister Mel, best friend Jared, love interest Hannah, and little sister Meredith. Starting out it's a little over a month until graduation and Hannah has just broken up with her boyfriend but a new kid - Nathan - has just transferr ...more

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Oct 26, 2015 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, fantasy, own-ebook-read, young-adult

This is one of those rare books that I just don't know how to put into words how I feel about. I honest to goodness don't know what I am feeling right now. This book is not bad, but definitely did not connect with it. It was a surprisingly quick read for me, even though I wasn't "into it".

The premise of this book is shining a light on the regular people. The ones that don't stand out. The ones that are not destined to save the world, stop an enormous evil, or be front and center for the next bi This is one of those rare books that I just don't know how to put into words how I feel about. I honest to goodness don't know what I am feeling right now. This book is not bad, but definitely did not connect with it. It was a surprisingly quick read for me, even though I wasn't "into it".

The premise of this book is shining a light on the regular people. The ones that don't stand out. The ones that are not destined to save the world, stop an enormous evil, or be front and center for the next big "supernatural" or "fantsastical" thing. The ones that are near the action, but not a part of it. Think from the perspective of the nerdy girl in Bella Swan's science class, Percy Jackson's mother, or a random student from Ravenclaw House. So close to the action, but not really a part of it.

This book is about a group of friends in their senior year of high school. They are all dealing with their own struggles and are jumping their own hurdles just trying to make it to graduation. While these friends are living their lives, they encounter some of the "indie kids" that just happen to be the ones in the story that are engulfed in a "supernatural" happening.

Some of the best things about this novel are the characters. They are very relatable and I found myself rooting for the main character. I actually personally felt connected to the main character because I also suffer from anxiety. So some of the things that he struggled with hit close to home for me. There was not a character that I disliked in this book. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, to be quite honest. The story flowed very well.

At the beginning of each chapter, there was a paragraph describing what was happening with the "indie kids" as the story progressed. This describes the "supernatural" or "fantastical" elements. Very brief, and just enough to let you know that something was happening in the background, behind the normal lives of the main characters. Then the chapter would progress into the characters and their "normal" lives. I have to admit, when I read the synopsis for this book it really piqued my interest. I don't exactly know what I was looking for, but after reading this I can say that it wasn't found. I am not the biggest fan of contemporary pieces, and this book reads like a contemporary book. Since it read mostly like a contemporary book, the "supernatural" or "fantastical" things in the book seemed fake and out of place. It didn't feel real. When you read a straight fantasy or supernatural book it feels real. This did not.

While the book did not read like I thought it would, I really appreciate what Ness was trying to do. It didn't work for me personally, but this is a unique concept and it is well put together. I think that this could have been much more than what the finished product was. I would definitely recommend this book to others. Especially if they are looking for something with a new and interesting concept. I think that readers that are fans of a quirky read will love this most. ...more

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