Hi! I saw this book on Net Galley Read Now a few months ago,
and I grabbed it because it seemed like a fun Middle-Grade novel. I’m glad I
decided to take the plunge and grab this because I had such a fun time reading
this.
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Characters
This book had wonderful and complex characters, which is why
I gave it the first star. If you know me, you know that I prefer to read
character-driven novels as opposed to plot-based ones. I loved the characters
in this book because like the world they were living in, they were raw and
real. I would call this book middle grade because the characters had
personalities that kids of that age group tend to have. The principal character
Maggie was sweet, and she had a passion for design, which I loved to see. Her
half-brother Tony was a guy who wanted what was best for his mother, and he
wanted to help her as much as he could. Olive was one of Maggie’s best friends
who was sweet and helped around the house with her little brother, which I
thought was very sweet. Rachel is Maggie’s other friend, and these two really
go on a journey in the book, I don’t want to spoil the book for you, because
the ending for these two was beautiful, but Rachel was closed off at times, due
to what was happening at home.
Plot
This novel has layers and layers of plot. The plot kept me
wanting to read further to find out what was going to happen, and see how the
story was going to pan out, so I gave a star. On the surface, this is a story
about finding yourself and finding that everyone has a past, you might not know
about. As the story moves on we see that this is also a story about not knowing
what is going on in someone’s life and learning to give people space. Themes of
Alzheimer’s, old age, and addiction were also discussed. Maggie finds out she
has a brother she never knew about, and that only a few years earlier, her
mother had found out about Tony. Maggie not only expands on her passion for
design, but she finds a relationship with Tony, and with herself that I thought
was very sweet. Rachel, Maggie’s friend, and Tony’s girlfriend’s parents are
having a tough time, and this is why she was distant with Maggie and Olive over
the course of the novel. Maggie’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s and at different
parts in the novel, Maggie’s grandmother didn’t know who people were and didn’t
remember things.
Writing
The writing and tone of this book matched the genre and
story the book was made for. The writing style was simple to read and easy for
any middle-grade reader or adult to follow. During the lighter, or scenes that
were more fun, the tone was light to match what was going on in the scene.
Contrary to that, during the serious scenes, or scenes dealing with heavier
topics, the tone was darker to match the mood of the scene. I thought the
writing helped the flow of the story and helped you get to know what the
characters were thinking and feeling.
Setting
Setting always plays a big part in a story for me, so I
wanted to add a star to my review for the setting. I want to taken to where the
story takes place and Rules of Three took me to where Maggie lived. From the
time spent at school and seeing all the different rooms, and all the workers
there to the home where Maggie lived I felt transported to her world.
Personal Enjoyment
I loved reading this book, and so I wanted to give it a star
in my review. The story had me laughing during the funny parts and feeling
emotional during the more serious parts. Rule of Threes is a delight, and I
hope others enjoy this book as much as I did.
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