BOOK REVIEW: The Summer of Broken Rules

When Meredith Fox lost her sister, Claire, eighteen months ago, she shut everyone out. But this summer she’s determined to join the world again.

The annual family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard seems like the perfect place to reconnect. Her entire extended family is gathering for a big summer wedding, and although Meredith is dateless after being unexpectedly dumped, she’s excited to participate in the traditional Fox family game of assassin that will take place during the week of wedding festivities. Claire always loved the game, and Meredith is determined to honor her legacy.

But when Meredith forms an assassin alliance with a cute groomsman, she finds herself getting distracted. Meredith tries to focus on the game and win it for her sister, but she can’t help falling for him. And as the week progresses, she realizes she’s not only at risk of losing the game, but also her heart.

Spoiler Free: 

Eighteen months ago, Meredith’s older sister, Claire died and now she has to address her whole extended family for a week at her family’s farm on Martha’s Vineyard. The problem? Her boyfriend and plus one for the weekend dumped her last minute, she’s struggled to reply to friends while grieving, and on the ferry to the farm she kicks a boy in the face escaping her car through the sunroof. A perfect start to the week filled with wedding festivities and Claire’s favorite game of assassin.

When Meredith realizes her cousin Sarah, the bride, is marrying the stepbrother of the boy she collided with and her success of winning assassin relies on their alliance, Meredith learns things can only get more complicated. They have seven days, and then it’s all over. But when Meredith starts having feelings for Wit Witry, the stepbrother/groomsmen with a yellow bruise on his cheek, she just might start breaking the rules of assassin to hold on tighter to their relationship. He’s the only place that’s felt normal since Claire’s passing, letting go of it may prove to be a lot harder than winning the game.

This instant-love young adult romance will make you laugh and cry in all the feelings of young love and figuring out the type of life they want. If you’re looking for a heart-warming book set in a beautiful place surrounded by family interactions and a cute wedding at the end, then definitely check this one out.

Spoilers Full:

Okay,

Here we go with the spoilers.

If you do not want to know please exit left.

No, but seriously. . .

Well, if your ready, I guess I’ll begin.

I didn’t dislike this book, yet it wasn’t my favorite book. It was good. I read it quickly, got semi-connected to the characters, and loved the setting. But let’s get into the details first. This book is a YA Contemporary Romance with 353 pages, set in the scenic Martha’s Vineyard. The entirety of the piece is a week-long, structured from Sunday to Sunday with timeline tags. Because of this the romance between the two main characters Meredith and Wit is very much instant-love. Like by day two (Monday) she’s already sleeping in his bed which she continues to for most of the nights remaining on the trip. As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of an instant-love trope, it wasn’t something that I absolutely hated. Even while reading I would forget that they had only been there for three or four days, but at the end it became a little more apparent.

I absolutely loved the assassin game with the entire family. I felt like it was a perfect vehicle to include all the family members and show their personalities, while also not overloading the reader with so much information at once. It also was just something fun to read and be a part of. This environment reminded me of my family trips growing up and often we would play all different types of games and I think playing assassin every year would’ve been the main thing I would’ve looked forward to. Not to mention it brought a sense of community and closeness within the piece.

Because the game very much took the front seat in many situations, I do feel like the love story wasn’t as strong for me. Specifically, towards the end we find out that Wit had met Claire the next that she passed. It didn’t fit into place for me. I felt like Sarah the cousin would’ve mentioned something prior. But also, Meredith’s reaction to him not telling her was also a little off for me. I can’t totally understand where she would be upset for feeling like he was hiding something from her, but there wasn’t really a moment of realization or relief on Meredith’s behalf. What I mean by that is she never had a moment of realization that Claire got to meet the man she loves. Like, sure, she talked his ear off about her, she always said she’d marry a Stephen, but he got to know the person she loved the most in this world. As someone who has lost someone significant in their life, and now married someone after the fact, I wish everyday they could’ve known each other even if it was just one conversation. I wish the focus would’ve been on that fact instead that Claire picked him for her because at the end of the day, Meredith is capable of choosing her own partner.

Just a few things I loved and didn’t care for: No rules were every broken, The Grandparents names, The Wedding at the end, and her dad. The title of the book is The Summer of Broken Rules, insinuating that rules will be broken, but I’m not sure there were any. Sure, did Meredith not play as ruthless like years prior; yes. Did she fall for the guy after saying she wouldn’t; yeah. But we’re they broken rules? I could see Broken Things being more fitting for Meredith is broken with grief over her sister’s death. Some of her family relationships have been broken through that process. And in the end her trust is broken when she finds out he was with Claire that night. I know I’m not the only reader to be confused by this title, so I’m curious why Walthers called it this. Next is the names of her grandparents; Wink and Honey. I don’t hate Honey as much as I hate Wink. It was too close to Wit to when I was reading it slowed me down (especially in the beginning) to make sure who it was talking about. Even Grandpa Wink would’ve been better. I know the whole week was revolving the wedding at the end of the week, but when the wedding came it felt like an after thought to me. I’m not sure if its because it felt rushed or certain details like Meredith BIKING to the chapel after getting her hair and makeup done. The ceremony was quick in which she’s barefoot for. The reception felt even quicker with the quick interaction about pretending for the rest of the night with Wit. Like I said, it just felt off. But the thing I LOVED; her dad. I mean a man who eats funfetti frosting to feel better is a man after my own heart. He was a character that got me to actual giggle and smile at.

In the end, I gave this book a 3.8 because as much as it wasn’t my favorite it was still a good and simple read. I’m not sure I’ll find myself reading for more of Walther’s books in the future. For this book to technically be on the cusp of YA and NA it felt very young, almost like the characters were 15 and 16 not 19 and 20.

K.L. Walther

K.L. Walther was born and raised in the rolling hills of Bucks County, Pennsylvania surrounded by family, dogs, and books. Her childhood was spent traveling the northeastern seaboard to play ice hockey. She attended a boarding school in New Jersey and went on to earn a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She is happiest on the beach with a book, cheering for the New York Rangers, or enjoying a rom-com while digging into a big bowl of popcorn and M&Ms. And listening to Taylor Swift on repeat, of course.

ISBN-13:   978-1728210292

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