Praise for The Rest of Us Just Live Here: "Fresh, funny, and full of heart: not to be missed." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Praise for The Rest of Us Just Live Here: "Ness' deadpan sci-fi novel pokes fun at far-fetched futuristic fantasies while emphasizing the important victories of merely living. This memorable, moving, and often hilarious read is sure to be a hit." - Booklist (starred review) "Patrick Ness is an insanely beautiful writer." - John Green Praise for The Rest of Us Just Live Here: "Fans of madcap humor and satire and those seeking more thought-provoking alternatives to the usual fare will appreciate this unique and clever take on a familiar trope." - School Library Journal (starred review) Praise for The Rest of Us Just Live Here: "Clever and laugh-out-loud funny, the supernatural side notes add tension and humor to the story. This is highly recommended for libraries serving young adults." - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review) "Every sentence in this gorgeous little novel feels perfect and necessary.
This focused, humane book is a joy." - The New York Times Book Review "Literary, illuminating, and stunningly told." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A frank, riveting portrayal of a gay teenager's sexual awakening." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A heartbreaking dual narrative follows Adam, a gay teenager with homophobic parents, and the ghost of a classmate murdered by her meth-addicted boyfriend, over the course of one, defining day. In the hours before a going-away party for his first love, Adam Thorn has fateful confrontations with his evangelical pastor father and with the creepy boss who has been sexually harassing him. But the real bombshell is dropped when Angela, a friend Adam relies on, announces that she's moving from Washington State to the Netherlands for senior year. Ness (The Rest of Us Just Live Here) interleaves Adam's multipronged crisis with a strand tracking the murdered girl's spirit as it seeks revenge (in the company of a seven-foot-tall faun) against her killer. Adam's story dominates the narrative and provides a frank, riveting portrayal of a gay teenager's sexual awakening (an endnote acknowledges the influence of both Woolf's Mrs.
Dalloway and Blume's Forever). The paranormal storyline isn't quite as affecting as the plotline that follows Adam, but it conveys a sense of the mystery that can infuse ordinary lives." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This book's self-awareness lends its events a dreamlike feel. Though it functions as an accessible, standalone coming-of-age story, awareness of its influences makes for a layered reading experience." - The Horn Book "Told in alternating chapters narrated by both main characters, this novel (heavily influenced by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever) is meant for sophisticated readers who will appreciate its various textual subtleties, minute attention to detail, and sophisticated sexual symbols and scenes which are explicit yet celebratory, serving to provide important contrasts between unhealthy and loving relationships. Adam is immensely likeable and his story is hilarious, gripping, and viciously insightful throughout. [T]he novel's main points are continuously, beautifully conveyed: family consists of people chosen as much as those related by blood; and while all meaningful and positive relationships are difficult and messy, their maintenance is essential for fulfillment.
" - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA).