Love Rules

Title: Love Rules

Authors: Dandi Daley Mackall

Publisher: Thirsty

Date: 2005

Number of pages: 256 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Nonfiction

Summary: Emma is stuck in Hamilton, Missouri, while her best friend, Mattie, and her brother, Jake, head to the West Coast for college. Emma always knew she was really close to her brother, and enjoyed the company of his best friend Mattie. She never thought them heading west would hit her so hard. After their departure, she felt empty, and without purpose. To stay in touch while they're gone, Emma makes Jake and Mattie promise to send a postcard back to her once a week. Each postcard has to have a new Love Rule uncovered that week. In the process, Jake and Mattie discover that love was right under their noses. 

After being away awhile, Mattie writes back to Emma, saying she misses her, and asking her advice about Jake. With the full support of Emma, Mattie and Jake pursue a love that they never knew was hiding within them. They fall in love, and write home to Emma that they are happy, and thank them for helping them write the rules of love - opening up new avenues to them.

My reaction: Although cute and fun, I thought the plot was pointless, and lacked a significant event to which we would credit the climax. The characters were poorly developed, and the text wandered from subject to subject. It was fairly hard to follow.

Potential problems: The moral obligation between best friends and a brother really get in the way of the story. I feel that many young readers will think that it's OK to travel off with you best friends brother to fall in love - and morally that's not acceptable. 

My recommendation: I don't recommend this book to anyone. It was poorly written and the worst novel I have read since I was 13. I feel that although mildly entertaining, the time it takes for the story to get anywhere, I could have read and finished a far better/more worthy book.