The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness

When things get weird, it helps to have a solid friend group. You know, people who have your back through thick and thin, family dramas, breakups and breakdowns, and always, always when the Zombies (or whatever) attack. When things get weird, friends will get you through.

And no one knows this better than Mikey. Mikey isn't The Chosen One or anything and neither are any of his friends, but his town has seen more than its share of strange happenings, be it zombies or aliens or vampires or whatever it is this time around.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness is a truly unique story about what happens to the normal, everyday people while (this generation's) The Chosen One is off Saving The World (this time)...and usually blowing up the high school in the process. Or maybe the local shopping mall. But even more than that, this book is about the importance of friends friendships when life gets crazy. 

Mike's mom is running for office again, meaning she's kind of an absent parent who is more concerned with how she looks to the voting public than how she treats her family. That is, she's kind of a self-obsessed jerk. This means Mike and his sisters are getting the short end of the straw in a lot of ways. Meanwhile, a group of immortal alien beings have landed and are looking for new host bodies among the town's popular kids, presumably so they can take over the planet and who knows what else.

At least there are good friends to make everything manageable.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is one of the more memorable YA books I've read. One, for the unique concept (because how often do you read a story where the main character is NOT The Chosen One?), but also for the characters, which are so fantastic you hate to leave them behind when the story is finished.

Check it out, y'all! I think you're gonna like this one!

--AJB  
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