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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

Jan 21, 2018 Colleen Scidmore rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mental-health, paranormal, fantasy, audio-books, supernatural, young-adult, sci-fi, overcoming-obstacles, lgbtq, books-read-in-2018

I’m going to make this review short, not for a lack of things to write about regarding this book but because I am desperately behind in reading and other reviews.
Interesting novel. It was both entertaining and weird to me. The sub plot where aliens want to take over the world and the Indie kids had to stop it was kind of strange, but again entertaining. Mikey and his group of friends were also strange but entertaining. They each were unique and had something special (not necessarily super powers ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, supernatural, relationships, growing-up, favorites

Really great book on growing up and figuring out relationships. A group of friends all have their issues and are dealing with them the best they can. But they also live on the equivalent of a HellMouth and have Chosen Ones running around fighting supernatural beings. If you're looking for the story about the Chosen Ones and supernatural beings, look elsewhere. You get glimpses of it and our heroes get involved a bit at the end but for the most part it's about "the rest of us." However their stor ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

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: fantasy, contemporary, 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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May 07, 2017 Naomi rated it really liked it

This was really good. So far everything I've read by Patrick Ness I've loved, and this was no exception. It was different than what I expected, but still great. I really liked the characters. I feel like there were still a lot of unanswered questions and things that could have been explored further. But over all I really enjoyed it. ...more

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Sep 16, 2015 Sarah Bramble rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fall-seasonal-reading-challenge

Really really loved this. It was my first Patrick Ness novel and makes me want to read more it was surprising to have a novel from the angle of the people who werent the chosen ones.

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