A great follow up to the first book! Still really love all the characters and think they feel very real and liked the sub-plot with Bridger's dad even though it was hard to read sometimes. There are a lot of nerdy jokes and general humor but it doesn't feel forced like it does in a lot of books like this. A good blend of action and romance and the world-building continues to be fun and put a bit of a new take on things. I would definitely recommend this series to someone looking for a fun YA urban fantasy story that doesn't devolve into pointless drama.

This is a great YA UF book with plenty of weirdness, growing up, moving on and learning boundaries. It reminds m a little of all the spooky books I read as a teen, and all the times I wished I had been that special one who found the magical doorway.

Bridger is an adorable hero, who is yes a bundle of anxiety but is also loyal and kind. And he and Leo are too fucking cute. I love the found family trope this novel leans into, and I am down for more of that please. The plot was generally predictable but it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of it.

It's like if Rainbow Boys and Young Wizards had a love child, so if you enjoyed either of them, you'll enjoy this one.

As far as sequels go, I think this one hits the mark. Where it could have been repetitive, I was very very interested in the story just as I was the first.

I adore this series. It is a modern and poignant coming of age story with plenty of laugh out loud moments, quippy dialogue, memorable characters and a fun, supernatural twist. What I love most are the heartfelt moments where I will admit to tears.

I love FT Lukens. Her books are hilarious and heart-felt and this is no exception. A perfect sequel to Rules and Regulations for sure.

I did not read the first book in the series prior to reading Monster of the Week, but I do not feel that interfered with my ability to follow along with what was going on. F.T. Lukens does a great job of giving enough information about previous events that I could jump right in with the story, while being just vague enough to get me to want to go back and read book 1. She also weaves together monsters, high school drama, and supernatural elements so well that the story flows naturally. The message that family is more than just those to whom you are biologically related seems especially important for young people today. I liked that the relationship between Bridger and Leo is an important part of the story, but not the main focus - another good message about balancing priorities and not allowing your dating life to always take center stage. Summer makes a good foil for our heroes - not completely unsympathetic, but not especially likable either. Overall, this is a great book for high school-aged readers. The supporting characters do just what supporting characters should do - they add to the main character's story while also maintaining their own identities and parts within the larger story.

Also, I have to say the reference to Leverage (one of my favorite TV shows) may have endeared this book to me a little more.

I hadn't read the first book in this series, and though there were hints of previous events that made me want to, it wasn't necessary. Bridger is a relatable, anxiety ridden teen working with a whole host of supernatural creatures. The story was fast paced and fun.

3.5 stars
Monster of the Week is the sequel to The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, and while it was an enjoyable read it didn't really bring much new to the table.

Content warnings include: homophobia, invasion of privacy, break-in and theft, panic attack, absent parent.

I did have a good time reading the book, but to me it didn't really expand the setting or add to the first book. The character development was minimal and the plot felt much lower stake than the first book - which isn't a bad thing, but I kept expecting something bigger or worse to happen. It didn't compare to the excitement of book1.

A lot of the tension was based on Bridger's anxiety and how it lead to him doing ill adviced actions. While I can 100% relate to that personally, I still found that frustrating to read about.

I particularly liked the friendship dynamics among Bridger's friends, and the found family theme around his boss, Pavel. The subplot about Bridger's father and how it was handled and resolved was something you don't often encounter in books, especially YA ones, which I appreciated.

Bridger Whitt is a wholly enjoyable character, and F.T. Lukens creates a world in which the reader will want to immerse himself. While Monster of the Week is the second book in a series, I did not know this while reading it, and was easily able to understand and get into it. The book delves into many crucial YA issues, such as parental abandonment or dissatisfaction, sexuality, and responsibility. If readers enjoyed the Percy Jackson series as kids, but are looking for something that matches their burgeoning teenage edge, this is the book for them. I'd recommend for 8th grade and up.

This might just be my new favorite series, honestly. I love bridger SO FREAKING MUCH. I love his big heart and how he gets anxious and how much he loves and how he just wants to be himself and how he has this big huge family that loves him when he thought he was all alone for so long. I love Bridger and I need so much more of this perfect little cinnamon roll.

I really loved getting more of Bridger and Leo's relationship in this one. I love how sweet and soft they are with one another. I love how cute and adorable they are. I loved how their picture was on the front of the school paper and how the whole school loves them. I loved their sex talk and how comfortable they were with each other. I loved how they still get nervous and how adorable it was when Leo asked him to prom. I love them. They own my heart and soul.

I like Astrid and how she's there for Bridger and how Luke asked her to prom and how they started dating and how cute they were and how the four of them would hang out together and ugh, so adorbs. I love.

Pavel is forever my fave. I love how he's the father Bridger deserves and how much he loves Bridger and how he assigned him a toaster and how he would show up the moment it started ringing and how he always offers to help in whatever way he can. He's just amazing and incredible. I love his friendship with Elena and how she offered to help Bridger and views him as her family. I love how the pixies made all that money and gave it to Bridger and how they're paying for his college tuition and how Pavel was so low key about it, like OF COURSE this is a thing they would do for him. I just love their little family. They make my heart happy.

Bridger's dad was the absolute worst and it hurt how much he hurt Bridger, how much he could still hurt him even after ten years of being gone. I loved when Bridger told him off and how it was okay because he had this great, big support network that was there for him when his dad couldn't be. I loved the Riveras and how they love Bridger. Bridger's mom is the greatest and I love how much she loves Bridge and how she defends him and ugh, she's the greatest mom.

I just really love this series and all these amazing characters and I just need a thousand more books with them all <3

This was absolutely adorable.

I hadn't read the first book but was attracted by the title and the cute cover. It's a credit to the author that I could dive in and catch up with what's going on (with tantalizing hints about prior events that definitely make me want to read the prior volume).

Bridger is an ordinary teenager, balancing an after school job, a relationship, family drama and school. His job doesn't entail lifeguarding at the neighborhood pool or flipping burgers though-- Bridger is assistant to Pavel, a mysterious secrets wrangler who keeps the existence of magical beings like fairies, wolfmen and unicorns firmly under wraps. When a reality TV host visits Bridger's town with the hope of getting a good scoop, Bridger's promise to Pavel about keeping a low profile quickly goes off the rails…

Plot aside, this is a really sweet story about forging your own family and becoming an adult. The plot definitely plays second fiddle to the slice-of-life quality of this book, which is also its strength. I got caught up in Bridger's sweet relationship with Leo, the banter with his friends, and the drama over coming out to his dad. The plot wraps up perhaps a little too neatly, but it was never the draw anyway. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars. This series (which began with last year's The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic) reminds me of the original Men in Black movie, in the best possible way. Magic is real, unicorn poop smells like cotton candy, pixies have their own cosmetics line, and oh yeah, the rest of the world absolutely CANNOT find out about any of this. Fortunately we have Intermediaries like Pavel Chudinov to keep the worlds separate and Intermediary assistants like Bridger Whitt to - well, mostly to mess things up, actually, but his intentions are good.

It's now the final semester of high school for Bridger, his best friend Astrid, and his perfect boyfriend Leo. Everything would be fine except for the fact that Bridger's long-absent father suddenly wants be part of his life, and Bridger isn't sure how to be a good boyfriend now that his relationship with Leo is out in the open. And an annoying Ghosthunter-type reporter is nosing around town, and if she finds out the truth, everything Bridger and Pavel have been working to accomplish will be destroyed. Just your average senior year.

To my disappointment, there were actually fewer encounters with magical cryptids in this sequel, although the ones that take place are memorable. The focus is more on Bridger's relationships - with Leo, with his father, and with Pavel. Bridger and Leo have a few ups and downs but I was relieved that there were more significant developments to their romance than real problems, and that almost everyone (with a few key exceptions) was supportive of their relationship. Leo still has anxiety issues, but he has developed enough confidence in himself that he doesn't engage in any (well, not much) self-destructive relationship behavior. And the growth he has experienced is apparent as he deals with his hopes for a renewed relationship with his father compared to the reality.

I found the plot with the reporter, Summer Lore, less engaging than the major conflict in Rules and Regulations, but the character development, the snarky humor, and the opportunity to spend time with some delightful people in a setting with lots of LGBTQ+ rep, made the reading experience more than worthwhile. Plus a cat (sort of) saves the day! As it should always be.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, round up

spoiler ahead

I generally adore this series. I absolutely loved the first book. I can't say I loved this second one quite as much, but I did really enjoy it. I'll start with what I like. There is a lot of love here. Bridger has a wonderfully supportive crew and the theme of Found Family is a wonderful one. The cast of regular characters are quirky and fun and effortlessly diverse. And I really appreciated that Lukens allowed Bridger to cut the toxic family member from his life, rather than force an artificial reconciliation.

Things I didn't like as much was the plot dependance on the ambitious, 'evil professional woman.' It's more nuanced than that here, but it's still a pretty crappy trope that I hate. I thought things got a little didactic at times. And the focus of the book was less on the action and antics of the cryptic, here in Monster of the Week, and more on Bridger's school life. I preferred the former.

All in all, I can't wait for more of Lukens' work.

This series is quirky & adorable and Monster of the Week made for a great next installment! Bridger is his usual hilarious mess and I love him. Leo is practically perfect. Getting to see their relationship develop more was icing on the cake. And where would the book be without the rest of the gang, Astrid, Pavel, Elena, & the Pixies? The world continues to be both fascinating and endlessly entertaining, so I certainly wouldn't mind getting even more books! *hint hint* Overall, I'm completely smitten and loved every sparkly page of this goofy not-at-all-horror/totally-a-romance story.

Adorably quirky, this book was a riot from start to finish. The main themes of queer identify, familial trauma, and the angst of growing up was super relatable and the action scenes in the book added to what (in my opinion) would be described as a mostly character-driven novel, as opposed to the more action-driven plot of the first novel in the series.

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"He'd become a cautionary tale about the hazards of eating fish tacos from the diner and dating hot baseball players and carrying ancient books around in his backpack."

I was provided this novel (as an advanced reader copy) by NetGalley. All views expressed in this review are my own.

I love this series so fucking much; I will attempt to articulate my feelings further, but that is an important thing to know to start. I picked up the prequel to this novel (The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic) on a whim a month or two ago and was immediately in love with the book and its characters and all of the cryptids involved (as, fun fact: i love cryptids so much).

If you like YA contemporaries, with cute romances and lgbt+ characters, but wanted a little bit (or a lot bit) more story-wise, then this is the book for you. In the first book in this series (I love duologies, but I would love another book in this series), Bridger learns about the world of myths and magic as well as learning a lot about himself and acceptance. He falls for a jock, comes out, and ends the book with good relationships all around. This sequel introduces some new conflicts for both Bridger's personal life and for the magical world that he has grown to love; not only is Bridger facing graduation and college and the return of his absentee father, but someone is trying to expose the cryptid world to the human world. To say the least, Bridger's anxious about a few things.

I'm so impressed with how well this sequel continued the story--expanding in scope and introducing new conflicts and relationships--while still remaining true to its roots. Everything that I loved about the first book--Astrid and Bridger's banter, Leo and Bridger's relationship, the cryptids, and more--were present here, but even better. I loved seeing the contrast between Bridger's relationship with Pavel and with his father, and how he learned to prioritize himself by the end of the novel and recognize that not everything has to be solved at once. As someone with anxiety, I think that his day-to-day anxiety was really relatable (as were his moments of increased stress and anxiety attacks). These are some realistic ass teenagers in some unreal situations, and it such a great contrast; I can't wait to see what FT Lukens comes out with next!

These books are an absolute joy to read and laugh-out-loud funny. This is one of those stories that will make drive your partner nuts by reading parts of it to them. (Personal experience. I know this.) This is the second installment in Lukens’ The Rules series. I would recommend reading the first book as it sets up and explains a lot of the insane world in which Bridger lives. You see… what’s awesome is that his world is perfectly normal… until it isn’t.

In this book, legends and myths are often very real and, for the most part, much friendlier than one might think. Friendly, that is, if you’re armed with an instruction book on how to deal with the world of mythical and legendary creatures, you have a boss who is an Intermediary with magical skills, and a best friend who kicks ass and a boyfriend who is a hero.

Bridger’s world changed drastically in The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic (The Rules, #1), he realized that werewolves and pixies and the like were real and that he had a crush on Leo… the heroic quarterback. When book 2 begins… Bridger is in his last year of high school, dating Leo, still learning the ins and out of the mythical world, still working for Pavel and still his loveable, bumbling self.

When a Ghosthunters type of TV show arrives in town, things begin to get complicated again for Bridger. The host is relentless, digging into the lives of Bridger and his friends. One of the lovely things in this book is that way that Bridger slowly comes to realize that he’s created a chosen family. Having his estranged father back in town really illustrates to Bridger that family is about a lot more than blood relations.

There is a little heart-ache in this book and the perfect amount of sweet friends to help Bridger move forward. These books definitely give me a warm fuzzy feeling while being incredibly entertaining! Very enjoyable.

Monster of the Week is a fun continuation of the story started in The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic. Book Two picks up Bridger's story as he deals with the drama of coming out to his absentee father, graduating high school, and attending prom, all the while also navigating mythological mayhem. Once again Lukens provides plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour without neglecting the emotional side of things. For me, this story doesn't quite have the zing of Book One, but it is still highly enjoyable and made me smile, and I would certainly be keen to read more in the series in the future.

F.T. Lukens writes a story with the clever wit and edge that young readers (and older YA connoisseurs) will enjoy. What struck me most about this book was the balance of sharp voice and original, inventive prose. The chapters, at times, lagged a bit but not enough to lessen the overall reading experience.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

In the sequel to F.T. Lukens' The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, spring semester of Bridger Whitt’s senior year of high school is looking great. He has the perfect boyfriend, a stellar best friend, and an acceptance letter to college. Oh, he also has this incredible job: assistant to Pavel Chudinov, an intermediary tasked with helping cryptids navigate the modern world. His days are filled with kisses, laughs, pixies, and the occasional unicorn. Life is awesome.

But as graduation draws near, Bridger’s perfect life begins to unravel. Uncertainties about his future surface, his estranged dad shows up out of nowhere, and, perhaps worst of all, a monster-hunting television show arrives in town to investigate the series of strange events from last fall. The show’s intrepid host will not be deterred, and Bridger finds himself trapped in a game of cat and mouse that could very well put the myth world at risk. Again.

In F. T. Lukens' novel, Monster of the Week, it's the end of the senior year of high school for Bridger Whitt with all the anxiety, stress, and sheer anticipation that time of year brings to kids everywhere. For Bridger that means being in a new relationship with the popular sports star boyfriend, finishing his finals, dealing with prom and the yearbook quotes!  But that's not enough, because for Bridger, it's also about daily tasks like gathering unicorn poop for pixies. All  part of his job as a assistant to Pavel Chudinov, intermediary extraordinary to the non human realm that Bridger is  now a part of.

That realm and it's beings actually form an unconventional "family" for Bridger, along with his  boyfriend Leo, and bestie Astrid,a support system Bridger will need if he's to graduate and make it through to attend college next year.

I adore this story.  It's a sequel to The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic but if you haven't read that one, the author does a great job in  giving the reader all the pertinent information here so  you don't feel like you have missed too much.  Except for all the joyful and scary goings on that is but that's another story.

Here we are dealing with the end of senior year and that plenty scary enough.  Bridger is full of senioritis!  All the "what ifs"  are filling his brain and making him crazy.  The leaving behind, the fear of the future, the new boyfriend, the what will happens, ....everything!  And Lukens makes us remember ours while bringing Bridger's freakout front and center in funny and heartbreaking ways.

Plus there's his job and  there is always something wonderful and fundamentally hairraising going on there. This time it's a cable TV show headed to town for an expose to film the residents about the events that happened in the previous story.  Things Bridger was in the middle of and no one wants exposed!

The pace is fast.  The writing is excellent and the characters amazing.  Lukens has gifted the readers with a story that resonates with genuine teenage feelings, sharp, sparking dialog, and in some truly heartrending moments, recognizable angst and family drama to empty many a tissue box.  Those scenes with his returned absentee dad?  Felt so authentic and sadly real.

As this is a true YA, the sex  scenes are non existent or left to the mild kissing.  Everything else happens "stage left" as it were.  And that's perfect.

I'm hoping this isn't the end for this gang and couple.  I would hate to see the end of Pavel, and Elena, the pixies, and the Unicorn.  More of Astrid and Luke, and even Bridger's mom.  She's hilarious.  And most definitely more of Bridger and Leo.

Because this ends on a HFN, as it should.  They are, afterall, teenagers.

But wouldn't you like to know what comes next?  I certainly would.  Here's hoping Lukens is listening.

Until then I highly recommend both stories in The Rules series.  Read them both.  They are quite remarkable!

Cover art is sassy and fun.  Love it.