I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by Amity Hope! The Rules of Rebellion was cute and managed to tackle a tough topic: bullying. In high school, Kylie's sister was body-shamed and bullied so intensely, she begged her parents to let her move in with an aunt. I liked that the author addressed such a serious issue, and brought attention to something so important.

As for the story itself, I started off incredibly confused. Kylie has three older siblings, three girlfriends with three boyfriends, and then Leo. Leo also has three or four older siblings, so it all became a bit too much. There were a lot of names being thrown around in the beginning, and I kept getting them mixed up. Was Meg dating Adam, Nate or Luke? Which guy lived out of town? Did he date Julia or Maddie? Wait, no... Maddie was one of the sisters...

I was almost finished with the book before I started to sort people out. It didn't help that the secondary characters (other than Allie) didn't get addressed very often. They were just fluff for the story and didn't really have any defining characteristics of their own. I think if they had been fleshed out a tad more, I wouldn't have felt so lost when names were tossed around.

I will admit to being super judgmental of Kylie's parents. They wanted to control every male aspect of their daughter's lives, and I felt like they went a little overboard. You can tell two teenagers to keep their hands in "safe places" until you are blue in the face, but you can't watch them forever. I'm pretty sure hands will wander, because that's what teenagers (and adults) do. I think parents should trust their kids, and be confident in their ability to make good decisions. They shouldn't be terrified to bring a love interest home with them.

However, Maddie's circumstances did warrant a little extra protectiveness, and I can see why her parents were on edge when it came to boys. It just sucked for all of Maddie's sisters.

I loved the idea of having a list to cross off. I am a big fan of lists and love how it feels when I complete one. It's like I've accomplished something spectacular! I wish I had made lists like this in high school, because I think it might have made me take a few more chances and try new things.

Leo was adorable, and I loved his projects. I think he and I would have gotten along smashingly, but only after I punched his dad in the face. He's sweet, considerate, but lacked the ability to say what was important. A little more honestly on both sides, and this book would have turned out a lot differently.

This review got away from me, so I guess I had more to say than I thought. I liked the book and thought it was fun, but I wasn't wowed by their story. There were too many things nagging at me while I read this, so it took away from my overall enjoyment.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on April 10, 2018.
https://www.doyoudog-ear.com/2018/04/the-rules-of-rebellion-by-amity-hope.html ( )

This was a cute, fun read by a new author to me. I love reading YA, and NA books, and this hit the spot. The book was well written, and handled very well. I love the unrequited crush story line, cause well I love, love, and I am a sucker for it.lol Really, do not miss out on it, it's not over the top, and it's a great YA book without being explict as some can be from time to time. ( )

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is a voluntary review; all opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

I'm a sucker for "secretly in love with" scenario--especially in high school settings--and I loved the idea of Kylie and Leo completing a high school bucket list of sorts. So I couldn't wait to read this!

I think the synopsis is a touch misleading because it implies that Kylie and Leo are already good friends--or at least that's how I read it. It's more like they are within the same friend group but don't know that much about each other. Which honestly, just makes this story even sweeter because you get to see them form that deeper bond of friendship...and watch it bloom into something else.

The pacing for this novel was fabulous. It simply strikes the right balance between romance, character growth, the "to-do" list plot as well as the "big secret". I'll admit, I had totally guessed that secret wrong so I liked the twist that provided as well.

What I love about Kylie and Leo is that they are genuine people. They have big hearts, care about their families and are just nice people. You really want them to succeed in whatever they set out to accomplish in this story.

But they are also human and have their flaws. It was great watching them grow a little more confident in themselves as the story progressed thanks to their relationship. They both have some solid character development throughout the story and I always like to see that in my YA contemporaries.

Well, I found myself a new book boyfriend with Leo! Swoon! He was just adorable and immediately stole my heart by the end of his first POV chapter. He is so in love with Kylie and watching him try to win her over was as sweet as it was fun.

The romance here was positively charming and everything I wanted it to be when I picked this novel up.

This book will definitely melt your heart and put a smile on your face!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2zV
Actual Rating: 4/5 ( )

Rules of Rebellion is a lighthearted and fun contemporary YA. Leo and Kylie are all kinds of adorable together, and the premise of a "list" to help Kylie break out of her "tediously boring" life (her little sister's words, not mine. I'm all in favor of sitting home nights reading fantasy novels) is a fun one.

Ms. Hope did a nice job of showing the fun and peril of dating among a group of friends without going over the top with angsty teenage drama. When Leo's "secret" puts their relationship in peril their friends are sympathetic but don't go overboard with picking sides or the like. Even though I didn't always agree with the parental attitudes here (what is up with Leo's mom's bias against his hobby?) I did appreciate the role that both Leo and Kylie's families played in bringing the two of them back together in the end.

Though I do have to wonder if Leo's big brother Mike will always be the villain he's portrayed as here--surely he's going to grow up at some point and regret his actions in high school...?

The Rules of Rebellion is a sweet romance, with some hand holding, kissing and one freezing cold, almost-but-not-quite skinny dipping scene. It shares some characters with another of Ms. Hope's novels ( The Rules of Persuasion ) but works fine as a standalone.

This was my first book from this author, but definitely not my last!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )