The Summer of Broken Rules was such a wonderful, wonderful surprise. Filled with heart, it reminded me of some of my favorite summer reads and I know I’ll be recommending this one for a long, long time. Read my full review below!
And a gigantic SHOUT OUT to my friend Kat for gifting me this book and knowing exactly the kind of stories I fall for. Check out her blog here!!
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther Published by Sourcebooks Fire on May 4, 2021
Genres: contemporary, young adult
Format: Paperback
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Meredith Fox has been going to Martha's Vineyard for the summer as long as she can remember. But this summer is the first one back since the death of Meredith's sister. It will all be overwhelming, but even more since since the entire extended family will be together for her cousin's big wedding.
Unfortunately, Meredith's longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumped her two weeks before the wedding, leaving her dateless. Luckily, she has the perfect distraction. Her family has a tradition of playing the ultimate game of Assassin every summer, and this year it will take place during the week of wedding festivities.
But her target just happens to be a very cute groomsman. She's determined to not let herself get distracted, not let herself be lost in another doomed relationship. But as the week progresses, she can't help falling for him, which may cost her not only the game, but also her heart.
Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Katie Cotugno, this is a story of loss, romance, and the time it takes to become who you really want to be.
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:
grief, loss of a sibling (sister, in the past).There are no spoilers in this review.
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I ENJOYED…
☂️
- The Summer of Broken Rules is like a time capsule, buried in your backyard. You open it and you’re suddenly transported into this summery, wonderfully warm setting and you don’t ever want to leave it. Every summer, Meredith’s family vacations in Martha’s Vineyard and I kind of want to experience summer on this little Massachusetts island now, with the sandy trails, all of Meredith’s family houses, the bike rides, the beach and the pond and everything else. This book’s setting made me dream of summer in the middle of winter and I loved it SO much.
- Meredith was a great main character to follow. I immediately fell for her, my throat closing up as I read about her, still trying to deal with the loss of her sister. I loved how tough and smart she was, yet also all soft and a little mushy inside with love. It was lovely to see her grow, to see her take accountability for her own actions in the past with her friends, to see her try to live, as much as possible, as wildly, as happily as possible, too as the story goes on. I really liked her.
- Of course, I have to talk about the romance, here. Meredith meets Wit and, while their first encounter certainly isn’t the meet cute you’d expect, the rest of their relationship pretty much goes smoothly, their feelings catching on really, really fast. Despite the fact that it was, well, fast, I still ended up appreciating it A lot. I felt a real chemistry and connection between those characters, I loved every single one of their interactions and just knew those two were meant to be. They made my heart soft okay. That’s all I want in a book like this one.
- If you’re a fan of big families, you’ll love The Summer of Broken Rules. In this story, they’re reuniting to celebrate a wedding and… well, let’s just say: there are A LOT of people to keep track of. While this would usually annoy me, I was so carried away with the story I didn’t even mind. I liked seeing these big family dynamics, how everyone’s relationship was different, I loved seeing Meredith with her grandparents and more. More families in books!
- What certainly makes The Summer of Broken Rules stand out from other typical, summery YA contemporary books, it’s the Assassin game. Every year, the entire family plays this game and I found that it brought more excitement, a bit of suspense and a LOT of fun in the story!
OVERALL
☂️
The Summer of Broken Rules is a heartwarming story, with a heartbreaking undercurrent of grief. The lovely romance, big, beautiful family and all of the summer feels won me over and I can’t WAIT to read more from this author.
FINAL RATING : 4,5 stars!
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Did you read The Summer of Broken Rules, or do you want to? What’s the latest YA contemporary book you fell for? Let me know in comments!
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oooo, this sounds like a book I’m going to love! I’m definitely moving this wayy up my list ( I know I say this every time). But not only do I love summer reads, but I love everything you mentioned you loved about it. Great review xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahhh thank you so much, Melina, I hope you’ll get to read it soon, I have a feeling you’d really enjoy it!! 😊
summer is just what i need here in 13 degree weather! i’ve been picking up and putting down a bunch of contemporaries lately and have been feeling a bit burned out but this sounds exactly up my alley – time to check if my library has a copy so i can dive right in!
Oh I really hope this one will do the trick for you and that you’ll enjoy it, Riv! Thank you so much for reading! <3
I AM SO HAPPY YOU LIKED THE BOOK!! But I do like that this confirms that I know your taste hahaha
I agree on everything and also that they fell in love REALLY fast, but as you said, that worked in this story. Not sure about the title of the book, but the author’s previous novel and the characters are apparently mentioned in little easter eggs in this one. I plan to read the other book at some point and try and figure out who they were in this one haha
YES ahah you know me really well, I love it! <3 Oooh that's good to know! I definitely plan on reading more by the author, I loved this one so much! :D
I hadn’t heard of this book before but it sounds wonderful and gives the perfect summer vibes!! Plus, I love the cover. The colours are awesome!! aanndddd… there’s an assassin game with the family… that’s sounds amazing and soooo fun!! Glad you ended up loving the romance too!!! 🥰
Yeees this has the perfect summer vibes! I hope you’ll pick it up sometime, Sophie! 🙂
This is the first time I’ve heard of this book, but it sounds fantastic and gives off the perfect summer vibes!! I also like the cover. The colours are fantastic!! aanndddd… With the family, there’s an assassination game… That seems incredible and a lot of fun!! I’m glad you enjoyed the romance as well!!!
It was a lot of fun to read, that’s for sure! I really hope you’ll pick it up and will love it! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂