Rules We’re Meant to Break
Natalie Williamson
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: June 11th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Honest and full of heart, this clever contemporary romance debut deftly combines utterly relatable family drama with all the sweetness and uncertainy that comes with falling in love.
Rule #1: Don’t get attached.
Amber lives by strict rules to survive her mother’s love life: Always keep your eyes on the horizon and never get close to anyone connected to Mom’s boyfriends.
But after they move in with Kevin, the latest of her mom’s “soul mates,” the rules become increasingly difficult to follow. Kevin’s daughter, Cammie, keeps acting like Amber’s friend, even though she’s definitely not. And Jordan—star basketball player, hottest boy in school, and Cammie’s best friend—keeps showing up at the most inconvenient moments.
Amber has reasons for every one of her rules, and following them is the only way to protect her heart when her mom inevitably moves on. But as she spends more time with Kevin, his daughter, and especially Jordan, she starts to wonder if the rules might be worth breaking this time.
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Rules We’re Meant to Break is a charming, heartachingly real story of family and young love by debut author Natalie Williamson.
Praise for Rules We’re Meant to Break:
“The last time I devoured a book like this—I can’t even remember. … It was so openhearted and raw.” —Clarissa, reader on SwoonReads.com
“It is such a true true story about a girl finding herself within her first love. I loved it!” —Forever Bookish, reader on SwoonReads.com
Our Review
This is not a romance-centered YA (but of course there is enough romance to satisfy us fans).
Amber has learned the hard way to survive the succession of boyfriends her mother gets: she had to create a list of rules not to get attached ever again either to the boyfriends nor to the kids that come along or anyone else. That's until she finds out her current crush is the childhood friend of the newest partner's daughter. To make things worse, she needs to tutor him, and boundaries seem to stretch too thin.
3.5, rounded up to 4.
As I said the focus here goes beyond the romance, romancing is actually the least of Amber's problems. I find this the ideal read for teenagers with divorced (or single) parents, because I'm sure lots of them have had to face the aftermath of their parents' failed relationship. Of course, I don't think Amber's mother was the best in dealing with it, it really seemed like she went through life doing away with everything she started building the moment the relationship itself ended. Although the examples I have in real life are different, I think there may be many who do exactly like Amber's mother and thus there must be many Ambers, who don't know to trust in everlasting bonds anymore. But I digress.
To be honest, I didn't like Amber that much, she could be too obnoxious. I think it was intentional but I didn't feel like she redeemed enough so I never grew fond. On the other hand, I loved all of the other main characters. How can I find a stepfather like Kevin, someone please help me! I also found interesting how the stepsister involved through the story, it was easy to imagine how she was feeling even though this was all Amber's POV. And book-boyfriend Jordan! As I said, this is not really worried about the romance but it doesn't mean it's not cute. I even wish we could have had some more scenes but the ones present in the book were already nice enough.
I recommend this to contemporary YA fans, even those who are not that into romance.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by the blog tour and Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Author Bio:
Natalie Williamson is an HR person by day and a YA writer by night and nap time. She referenced Harry Potter in her first ever full time job interview, which tells you almost all the things you need to know about her. Other important things to know include: she loves her husband, daughter, dogs, and cat; she has a serious dessert problem; and she frequently Wikipedias movies and TV shows to find out if they have happy endings. RULES WE’RE MEANT TO BREAK is her debut novel.
Thanks for hosting today, Anita! :)
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