The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness is a coming of age story all high schoolers and college students should read. The novel discusses common topics like love, stereotypes, prom and teenage angst. Through twenty one chapters, the stereotype known as the “indie kids,” strangely disappear and it then all starts affecting everyone else. The jocks, nerds, stoners, and everyone else in a student body. Patrick Ness’s novel really shows how people change throughout high school, he also proves a great point. On page 289, the main character Michael states this, “I think everything’s going to be okay. All of it. All of us.” This is what every high school student should take away from this book.

During the novel, the main character Michael faces multiple challenges during his senior year, just like any other senior would have. Except for him he goes through other things like multiple people dying, a car accident, and a school bombing. Other than those very dramatic events any high school student can relate to this book. When Michael and his friends are driving to prom they get into a very bad car accident caused by deer in the middle of the road. This can be a relatable thing for some high school students.

Another thing that is relatable is the use of stereotypes. “The indie kids, huh? You’ve got them at your school too. That group with the cool-geek haircuts and the thrift shop clothes and names from the fifties. Nice enough, never mean, but always the ones who end up being the chosen one when the vampires come calling or when the alien queen needs the source of all light or something. They’re too cool to ever, ever do anything like go to prom or listen to music other than jazz while reading poetry. They’ve always got some story going on that they’re heroes of. The rest of us have to just live here, hovering around the edges, left out of it all, for the most part. Having said that, the indie kids do die a lot. Which must suck.” After reading that quoted paragraph you, can see how much this novel is relatable to teenagers and high school students. During this whole crazy time in his life he is still just trying to pass all of his classes and get a prom date.

Helen Corcoran of Disability in Kidlit states, “Instead of writing a novel about, well, the Chosen One, he’s written about the characters most of us would, in all likelihood, actually be: the background ones. The ones walking down the hallways; standing at lockers; hanging out after school. The ones who’d die not because of destiny, but from being at the wrong place at the wrong time. What’s not to love?” This review really shows how people can relate to this interesting story. We are all the background characters in someone else’s life. Sometimes we don’t think we're much of anything but this book shows how we’re all important to at least a few people. On page 316, one of the other main character’s Henna, states the simile, “High school is like living through fire.” High school takes up four years of our lives, some think they go fast, others slow. But, we are all living different stories and are all trying to get to the goal; our cap and gown. 

The Rest of Us Just Live Here shows and states themes of how high school life actually is.  A quote from the book that could be the theme of the novel is on page 317, Michael states, “Everything’s always ending. But everything’s always beginning too.” Another theme is that life is short. Nathan states on page 167, “I want something I did in high school to be…. high school-y. So I can look back in fifty years and say, ‘At least I did something stupid and young as proof I was there.” Many students can definitely relate to this quote. If you're not a popular, a stoner, or a jock, most of the time you don’t go to wild high school parties or have crazy and exciting adventures in highschool because everyone is different.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a coming of age story that any high school student can relate too.