Book review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (first published in 2016 by Walker Books)

Mike Mitchell is just trying to get through high school and graduation, without drama or disaster. 

Sure, in the past there may have been vampire killings and alien invasions and the like, but those things only truly involve the indie kids – the ones with the weird names that always seem to be embroiled in these plots to save the world. 

Mike and his friends aren’t really in the ‘supernatural’ demographic, they’re just ordinary kids in extraordinary scenarios, trying to get by. 

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Who needs the extra stress of teen stardom when you have an alcoholic father, a ruthless politician for a mother, and two sisters, each with their own issues? 

Certainly not Mike, who just wants to work out his feelings for his crush, and stop his anxiety ruining his life. 

The Rest of Us just Live Here is an incredibly unique take on your average YA narrative of teens who save the day. 

Here, our protagonist is not a beautiful but misunderstood girl who’s just moved to a new school where she’ll be wooed by vampires of save the universe from demons. 

Rather, it’s about the other kids in these narratives – the average kids who just want to go to graduation in a building that has not blown up or sunk into hell. Don’t even try to tell me you’ve read a book from this perspective before, because I don’t think it’s been done. 

A unique plot is not all that Patrick Ness offers in this book; prepare to laugh until you cry. 

While there is your (completely average, run of the mill, no supreme being) teenage drama and heartache, there’s also a sharp wit that pervades the narrative, making the characters as loveable as the plot which contains them. 

 This book is such a treat – an eye-roll at conventional YA fiction and a brilliant look at the intricacies and complexities of a ‘normal’, ‘average’ life. 

Patrick Ness shows that each of us has a story, and that these all are worthy of being told. 

In addition, he highlights some of the problems that plague real teens, and not their perfect representations as depicted in the media. 

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Ness shifts the focus from fantastical vampires and demons of Hollywood to the vampires and demons of the real world; mental health, broken families, and social oppression. In this story that is life, Ness shows himself as one of the heroes, even without an indie kid name.

Purchase a copy of the book from Takealot.com.

Read more of Samantha’s reviews on her book blog and check out her Instagram account.

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