The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Award-winning writer Patrick Ness's bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable. Award-winning writer Patrick Ness's bold and irreverent novel powerfully asks what if you weren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you were like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend might just be the God of mountain lions... An exceptional novel from the author praised by John Green as "an insanely beautiful writer".

Short-listed for "The Bookseller" YA Book Prize 2016
Short-listed for Carnegie Medal 2016

If you could ask the ghost of Douglas Adams to write a Contemporary Young-Adult, the resulting book would look a lot like Patrick Ness’ latest novel, The Rest of Us Just Live Here. It is a spellbinding novel that alternates between hilarious parody of YA tropes and heartbreaking sincerity. Brett Michael Orr
It can be argued that Patrick Ness is the doyen of young adult fiction writers and that everytime he steps up to the plate with a new novel then it is a literary event. So it is with this novel which can only be described as a mystery inside an enigma. Your Weekend
Beautifully imaginative, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is an exploration of those who aren't meant to save the world, but the bystanders who create their own storyline. Patrick Ness is a phenomenal author, who can enchant, enthrall and entice readers to believe in the impossible. Bizarre, incredible and utterly captivating. Diva Book Nerd
I just felt the book was suffocatingly perfect. Plus the writing is just gorgeous. It’s heavy on the dialogue and doesn’t waste time and knows how to hook you in with just a few words. It’s a little big magical and yet perfectly real. Paper Fury
Everything is perfect – the story world, the characters, the sibling and friendship dynamic, the portrayal of mental illness and supporting each other. Patrick Ness is now definitely one of my favourite authors. 5/5 Loony Literate
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a rather smartly written, satirical contemporary. Happy Indulgence
With his trademark wit and pitch perfect characterization, Patrick Ness juggles cliches and tropes with the greatest of ease, taking a familiar (and much-beloved) theme and then turning it upside down. Booktopia
Man, I loved this book. A lot. I could write about it for oodles. But, I’ll just end with: read The Rest of Us Just Live Here if you’re looking for an awesome book that reads like a contemporary, but has incredibly cool paranormal things going on in the background. Books for a Delicate Eternity
Patrick Ness has nothing to prove, and this book is yet more evidence of his formidable talent. Booksellers NZ
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is not contemporary, nor fantasy or paranormal – but a wonderful mix of genres told in a truly unique voice. Kristy Book Nerd
It’s so heart-breakingly, soul-crushingly perfect. The characters will get inside you and make a home in your chest. You’ll never lose these guys now. And that’s the best news I’ve heard all year. 100% Rock Magazine
One thing that is predictable about Patrick Ness’ stories is their unpredictability. He mixes action, heart and cleverness in strange and unusual ways, so each book is completely different and worth exploring. Children's Books Daily
With Ness’s trademark wit and efficacy, The Rest of Us Just Live Here shows we’re all heroes. Boomerang Books
This one’s got it all. Definitely a favourite for the year. QBD
A new novel by one of the world's most exciting young adult authors justifiably creates a reading frenzy. Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
Ness skirts around cliches but never falls in, and the result is a sentimental and humble story for the everyone else inside of us. Robinsons Bookshop
Ness has a knack of writing warm, funny, brilliantly realised books about teens and this is no different. ABC Radio Central - Deborah Abela
These days, it feels like there's always some dystopian/sci-fi/undead element in pop culture. This is the story of Mikey, who isn't the Chosen One. He just wants to do normal teenage stuff and leave the end-of-the-world saving stuff to the other guys. That might not be totally possible though... Girlfriend
It’s a great concept. Truly. It really is. The Galaxial World
The relationships in this book, particularly between Mikey and his siblings, were a highlight. The core message is that what is important in life is who you are on the inside - you don’t have to be on a quest to save the world! Lamont Books
His tongue-in-cheek descriptions of the impending apocalypse at the start of each chapter had me giggling away and the overall theme, that life isn’t always explosions and romance, is much needed in today’s YA fiction. Bravo Patrick Ness, I adore you. Readings
Another great read from the award-winning author. Daily Telegraph
The main characters are so well drawn, so real, that readers will have no trouble feeling for Mikey and his group, their various problems and trials, and their hope for something better than today. Highly recommended. This book should do well in public and upper secondary school libraries. Reading Time

Patrick Ness is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, A Monster Calls and More Than This. John Green has described him as "an insanely beautiful writer". He has won every major prize in children's fiction, including the Carnegie Medal twice. He's written the film of A Monster Calls as well, out 2016. He lives in London.

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