This Adventure Ends | The Amateurs | The Rest Of Us Just Live Here

I am actually obsessed with This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills. You know how you can be blase about some books but then others become this total all waking hours consumption? This Adventure Ends was an all waking hours consumption for me. I could not put this book down for the life of me, I even had that itch to read it while I was super busy at work. And usually, if I am having a busy day books are the last thing on my mind.

DO YOU LIKE BOOKS WITH FRIENDSHIPS!! ME TOO! Okay, so This Adventure Ends is about this girl named Sloane (for Sloane Petersen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) who moves from New York to Florida. Sloane is kind of a loner. However, she ends up kind of falling into this awesome friend group when she tells off this douchebag at a party. Among the friend group are twins Vera and Gabe. Vera is a social media maven and the best friend Sloane has never had. Gabe is fairly serious and Sloane can’t help being really attracted to him.

So, okay, the premise of the plot is that Gabe and Vera’s dead mom had this special painting that their stepmother sold. This really, really upsets Gabe. And so, Sloane along with the help of Remy goes on this quest to find the painting and return it to Gabe and Vera. ALSO A LOT MORE HAPPENS.

See, there’s also Sloane’s family which is excellent. Her dad is a famous author who is kind of like Nicolas Sparks, only not a douche. Her dad is having writer’s block and only really overcomes it by reading fanfic for a show that is vaguely like Teen Wolf. Sloane’s mom is sort of on the outs with her dad, but well, you’ll see. Then there is Sloane’s little sister who also has this larger than normal role.

Okay, so basically the characterization in Emma Mills This Adventure Ends reminds me a lot of Emery Lord and Kasie West and Sarah Dessen. It essentially SLAYS in that way where you’re like okay I want to go back in time to being a teenager and join this friend group because these people are the best and I love them all. AND THE PLOTTING IS GREAT TOO. I love every aspect of this book. Now I am about to go put a hold on Mills’ debut at the library, because of this obsession.

Other Reviews of This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills:

• A Book And A Latte – “This book took me by surprise.“
• bookstacked – “perfectly captures the beauty of friendship and family“
• The Young Folks – “a heartfelt story about friendship, family, love, and life“

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The Amateurs by Sara Shepard is a relatively recent addition to the young adult mystery-thriller genre. The Amateurs, first in Shepard’s latest series is sure to appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars. It’s a popcorn sort of read and one that did not necessarily inspire me to create a fan club or want a tv show. Yet, it did make the time pass a little faster than normal with an interesting mystery.

The Amateurs follows a group of teens who convene in a wealthy Connecticut town to unravel the cold case of this girl Helena who was murdered years ago. Three of the teens meet online through this message board and are ultimately called to the town by Helena’s little sister, Aerin. However, when Seneca, Maddy (short for Maddox) and Brett arrive in the town of Dexby, Aerin changes her mind. Strange things begin to happen to the amateur sleuths – warnings for them to back off of the case as they find themselves coming closer and closer to the truth of what happened to Helena.

Honestly, I won’t say that The Amateurs is the best book ever written. Not every book I read has to blow me away. I did like how the plotting was full of twists. Also, I liked how the mystery unravelled bit by bit. I enjoyed how not everyone had these great intentions. Yet, you’re lead to believe at first that each person involved is innocent. Readers who enjoy a thrilling plot more so than deep character explorations will love this book.

Other reviews of The Amateurs by Sara Shepard:

• YA Books Daily – “constant twists and turns.“
• Dazzled By Books – “a fast read“
• The Disney Driven Life – “suspenseful and interesting to read“

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Patrick Ness’s books for youths have a special place in my heart. There’s a place where Manchee and Todd and Viola dwell. I even have a place carved out for Conor and the monster. Thus, I was anticipating The Rest Of Us Just Live Here because well, there’s always room in my heart for more books by Patrick Ness. So, of course one of the first audiobooks I borrowed was The Rest Of Us Just Live Here after getting my library card and installing Hoopla and Overdrive on my phone. I can’t think of a better place of honor for a book.

Alas, The Rest Of Us Just Live Here is not entirely my favorite Patrick Ness book. It just did not make quite the same impression as Chaos Walking or A Monster Calls. So, The Rest Of Us Just Live Here is a book that is basically about what you would consider to be the side characters in a paranormal story or an epic quest story. It is about the characters who are not exactly the chosen ones. Mikey is the main character and basically he’s not out to save the world. He just has a crush on this girl named Henna and he really wants to go to prom with her. Also, he has this best friend Jared who is kind of a god who is worshipped by mountain lions and who it seems, Mikey is also kind of attracted to.

One cool thing about The Rest Of Us Just Live Here is the fluidity of sexuality. I do not really see this all that often in the young adult fiction that I read. I’m glad that this exploration of sexuality is included, because this is an experience that many actual young adults have.

The audiobook that I listened to is narrated by James Fouhey, who is definitely a new to me narrator. I’ll be honest and say that for some reason I thought this was narrated by Nick Podehl, so if you like Nick Podehl, you’ll like this audiobook. It’s also a quick listen – it clocks in at 6 hours and 23 minutes unabridged. I’d definitely recommend this audiobook if you want to listen to a book that subverts common tropes and feels entirely unique.

Other reviews of The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness:

• (un)Conventional Bookviews – “Refreshing, fun and quite fast-paced“
• Fine Print – “features one of the best YA protagonists I’ve read about in a long time”
• YA Midnight Reads – “I’m very impressed“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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