Rules for Moving is a tender hearted story about how a young boy and his mother cope with life. It is a moving story about family love and growth.

A beautiful read which had me in tears in most of the book.

Lane was a columnist who have advice to others but her own life was a disaster. Her husband had died and her son had stopped speaking. She needed a break and hence decided to move. During the summer, she looked into herself to find her inner strength. Find herself.

Author Nancy Star had written a heart wrenching realistic book which had me reaching for tissues frequently. The prose evoked all my emotions, it was poignant and inspiring. The characters came alive under the direction of this talented author.

I loved the way Lane found her way back to life and got to understand the reason of her marital problems. The story was all about forgiveness and healing and second chances. A brilliant read, I would say.

Lane Meckler and her husband Aaron were living in the same house as virtual strangers. They were on the brink of divorce but Lane, intensely private, intensely reserved had not spoken about it to anyone. Henry their little boy was very sensitive, was probably aware of the tension and in the midst of it all Aaron dies in a car accident with his supposed girl friend beside him.

Lane did not experience the outpouring of grief that is expected of a young widow and she also did not know how to cope with the barrage of sympathy from office mates, neighbours and parents of children in the same school as Henry.

Like another book I read just a little while ago, the story highlights the difficulties of when one is different and when one does not know the normal way to react to social situations, which many of us, the majority really take for granted. The telling of a white lie, the effusiveness of greetings, the reality of cut throat office politics took both Lane and her son by storm leaving them bereft and rudderless not knowing which way to turn.

Unlike Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory, Lane and Henry had no support system of friends and family empathizing with what was considered an aberration - and people do not know what to say, how to react to people who are different.

The story evolves in Lane's fight for her son and why he has gone mute of a sudden, changes which they must adapt to and how they are going to survive alone in this little world of Two.

A very strong emotional read, this was sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Lake Union Publishing.

Rules for Moving by Nancy Star is a beautifully written and emotional book that tells the story of Lane Meckler. She has lost her husband in an accident and she is struggling with her small son. She moves but as we all know, our problems follow us where ever we go.

Take a look:

To the outside world, beloved advice columnist Lane Meckler has all the answers. What no one knows is that she also has a secret: her life is a disaster, and it’s just gotten worse. Her husband, whom she was planning to leave, has died in a freak accident. Her six-year-old son, Henry, has stopped speaking to everyone but her. Lane’s solution? Move. Growing up, that was what her family did best.

But when she and Henry pack up and leave, Lane realizes that their next home is no better, and she finally begins to ask herself some hard questions. What made her family move so often? Why has she always felt like an outsider? How can she get Henry to speak?

On a journey to help her son find his voice, Lane discovers that somewhere along the way she lost her own. If she wants to help him, she’ll need to find the courage to face the past and to speak the truth she’s been hiding from for years.

I think fans of Katherine Center’s books will enjoy this one.

Don’t miss this book! You will love it. Get it here!

Rules for Moving is an emotional and heartfelt read about a mother and her son as they navigate grief and moving on, whilst taking a glimpse into self denial and the things people sometimes conceal.

Lane Meckler is a respected advice columnist who has all of life's answers for everyone... except herself. Planning to divorce her husband Aaron, she has recently learned that he died in a freak accident. Her son Henry, aged 6, is not speaking to anyone except her, and Lane decides that a house move is the order of the day and should solve all of their problems. After all, that's the conclusion her own parents would have arrived at when she was a young girl, growing up, right?
Lane’s moves into a rental house but it is in desperate need of substantial repair - a bit like Lane herself. When her mum suddenly lands for an unannounced visit and her landlord invites them all to stay at his summer home on Martha’s Vineyard, a crossroads is reached.

Nancy Star is a magical storyteller with a flair for great description, dialogue, and portraying the individual voices of her characters. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of this compelling, multilayered story, and each of the distinct but interwoven threads are fully explored. The timelines bounce around as the story is told from differing viewpoints, including Lane's in the present, and Henry's from a year earlier, going back further to Lane's own childhood memories, with letters to 'Ask Roxie' (Lane's Agony Aunt column) interspersed between. Once I got used to this format, it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the story, rather it enriched my reading experience as I was able to gradually see the complete picture in a similar vein to Lane.

Overall, Rules for Moving was an emotional read encompassing grief, healing, accepting the past and self discovery. An upbeat, terrific and insightful story with love and laughter that is well worth 5 shiny stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Lake Union via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

A good interesting read. I really felt for Henry the whole way through. This was a heartbreaking read in places. My only gripe is I think that I would have liked the story more if it had been a bit shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a powerful story with so many elements. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is an emotional story about loss, grief, second chances and moving on.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beautiful, beautiful book. Perfect for snuggling in your favorite chair with a drink by your side so you can devour this amazing well written heart wrenching story. The characters will linger with you long after you finish the last page. A must read. Happy reading!

From the very beginning I could tell that there were many layers to this story. Each layer seems to play into another layer and as those layers start coming apart there are many ah-huh moments. For some reason, with this story I did not try to solve the story. I let Nancy Star tell the story and I happily followed along with it. There were times that I was surprised at where I was taken and times that I was shocked that I did not see what was happening coming.
Henry was “the character” for me. I loved that he got his own voice and got to tell his story from his own point of view. The misuse of words was perfect for his age, the following the rules was true to a young child, and the love he felt for his mother made my heart full. Henry had an interesting story to tell and an interesting perspective on many adult issues. He took things his own way, handled them the only way he could, and was still a lovable, fun little boy.
Rules for Moving is my first book by Nancy Star and I will be looking forward to more from her.

Rules for Moving is a story about grief, growth, family and the things we carry with us. Lane Meckler, also known as Roxie, writes an advice column but feels unqualified to give advice to anyone. She is in an unhappy marriage and trying to keep it together for her son when all of a sudden, tragedy strikes. As Lane tries to pick up the pieces after the death of her husband, she falls into an old pattern of her parents... picking up and carrying her burdens to another home...another house. When Lane's son Henry stops speaking to anyone but Lane, she can see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. As secrets from the past threaten to come forth, Lane searches for an answer to heal herself and her son.

I am very drawn to family dramas, I find the intricacies of familial relationships to be both poignant and tender but also relatable. There were so many special moments to love in this novel. Henry's chapters were heartwrenching in the best way and I loved the way Nancy Star wrote his psyche using all kinds of differing sentance structure and capitalization to depict his thoughts. There were also some laugh out loud hilarious slapstick moments and a few heartbreaking scenes that threatened to draw a tear from me. In all those ways, this book won me over.

However, I had a hard time with the length of this book. I would say it was about 100 pages too long for what it was. The entire section of the book written from New Jersey almost felt like it could have been removed. I almost stopped reading the book a couple times because I was getting lost in a section of the book that felt confusing or tangental. I'm glad I did push through, because the ending brought me some of the answers, but unfortunately not all.

I think this book would appeal to those that loved Ask Again Yes or The Last Romantics as the story is completely built around relationships and our emotions about them.

The parent (Lane) in this book really resonated with me. It’s so hard to raise children. Every day you worry if you have managed ok, if you made good judgement calls or errors. Whether you should have done this or that. In this book, we see a parent who is not always aware of her circumstances, makes mistakes and at times leaves others confounded by her acts or inaction. She is often misunderstood, and when her child has a traumatic experience, and clams up and refuses to talk to anyone but her, she has to tread carefully in the hope of enabling him to find his voice again. Secrets from the past slowly come out into the open and eventually we find it why Henry has stopped talking.
I enjoyed the characters and the plot line of the story and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t actually reading. I finished the book in just over a day.
A nicely rounded story
Thanks to #NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Lane Meckler and her husband, Aaron, are planning to divorce when he is killed in a car accident, leaving her to navigate widowhood and single parenting their six-year-old son, Henry, who loved his father. While Lane is an advice columnist by profession, she is stymied when it comes to dealing with her own family problems, as evidenced by her relationship with her parents and sister, Shelley. One thing she has learned from them—when things get difficult, move.

So she and Henry leave their New York City apartment (where everyone adored Aaron), for a bedroom community in New Jersey. But that proves not to be best for Henry, and when the rental house needs repairs, Lane finds herself moving to her landlord Nathan’s summer home on Martha’s Vineyard. With Nathan’s steadying presence, Lane works through an unexpected visit from her mother and lays to rest demons from her own childhood.

Engrossing, heartwarming, and entertaining, RULES FOR MOVING kept my interest from the very first page. #RulesForMoving #NetGalley

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Nancy Star for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it and it is guaranteed to make you feel!

Lane is the voice behind the popular Ask Roxie column, but in real life she doesn't have any of the answers figured out. When Lane's husband dies suddenly and Lane is trying to deal with her 6-year-old Henry's grief and the fact that he has stopped talking to everyone but her. Lane grew up moving constantly for her father's jobs and as a means of escape and her mom developed strict rules for moving. Moving seems the best solution for Lane and Henry too. But their next home has serious issues and requires moving yet again. All of this forces Lane to confront and deal with her childhood of secrets for both her and Henry's sake.

You will fall in love with Henry as he and Lane struggle with their grief and moving on. Definitely a great read!

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken. This is an interesting story full of very human characters who are each flawed in some way yet doing the best they can with what they have. Perhaps a bit drawn out, and perhaps a touch too circumspect in some aspects, it does a solid job of telling its tale primarily through the lens of a mother who is about to divorce her husband when he suddenly dies, as well as through the perspective of her young son just trying to make sense of the adults who clearly aren't telling him everything. Ultimately it seems to hit all of the RWA rules for "romance", though I suspect it will instead be marketed as "women's fiction". Definitely a drama regardless, with a smattering of humor to keep it just this side of depressing. Solid work. Recommended.

Rules for Moving wasn't what I expected but in the best way possible. This family drama focuses on mother-and-son pair Lane and Henry. While Lane presents herself as having it all together to the world, she doesn't. When a trauma renders Henry temporarily mute, she tries to move in order to change the situation. What she learns is that you can't run away from your problems and that there are some long-buried secrets from her childhood she's got to figure out as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Rules for Moving is a beautifully constructed novel which has characters that make you feel, It's overwhelmingly sad in parts, but it's realistic to the characters and their stories and depicts how we would all likely feel in the situation.

I was not really sure where this book was going and if there was a point to the story. At least that is how I felt for the first quarter of the book.

Lane’s husband Aaron and his drinking partner Brielle took a final ride to nowhere, dying along the way. He appeared to be a cheater but he was also a beloved tenant in their apartment building, making friends with everyone. Lane was the polar opposite and with Aaron’s death it became clear that she and her son Henry had to move. Well, that wouldn’t be a problem because Lane’s parents, Marshall and Sylvia Meckler, had moved a gazillion times and Lane knew the drill. Take only what you love.

Now about the Mecklers. Very strange people. They show no emotion, they avoid confrontation, they have a pent up secret that has destroyed their home life and driven their daughters away. Their characters surface, disappear and resurface as needed as they are an integral part of the story. Sylvie is the maker and the keeper of The Rules - the ones her daughters can recite on cue, the ones that have dictated behavior, the Rules that have muddled the Meckler Family.

Not only is Lane lost in the Meckler family but she can’t breathe in her life. She mostly finds her voice when she is sorting other people’s problems - meet her alter personality “Dear Roxie” and this is partly where the story comes alive. Her advice column and the challenges she faces in the workplace compounded by being a single parent in a new locale in a house that is falling apart - well it would all be too much if there wasn’t a bit of comic relief thrown in.

The very best of the book is devoted to Henry. I loved the voice she gave her son Henry. I loved that she made him so special. I loved his many truisms; “Don’t Lie. Don’t Tell, Don’t Think About It.” He is sweet, kind, thoughtful and wise beyond his years and not talking to anyone except Lane. Not talking to his friends, his teachers, no one and we don’t know why.

Will Lane be able to navigate her employment minefields? Will she be able to maintain a home for Henry where they may find some happiness? Will Henry ever speak again? Will the Mecklers become unmuddled? Will they all keep moving? Stay tuned and as Roxie ends her letters; “yours forever, or at least for now.”

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy.

Grief hits people in different ways. Lane, whose husband died (along with others) in a drunk driving accident opts to move. Her son Henry opts not to speak to anyone but Lane. You'll get both of their perspectives in this novel that slowly unpeels the secrets in Lane's life. Lane's an advice columnist and her columns preface the chapters (some of then are quite interesting). Nathan, who rents a house to her, tries to help both of them, including letting her use a house on Martha's Vineyard. He's a good guy. Lane's mother turns up and well, I'll let you decide what you think. Star has a nice storytelling style and if the plot doesn't plow new ground, that's ok because the characters are so believable. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Well-written, with complex characters. Many complicated issues are addressed, but the resolution is both realistic and satisfying. This is not a light read. The point of view changes quite a lot, from present tense, to Lane's point of view and Henry's point of view from a year earlier, back farther to Lane's own childhood memories, with letters to Roxie interspersed between. Surprisingly, this doesn't detract from the story but, rather, adds to the experience as the reader gradually pieces things together similarly to Lane.

I especially enjoyed the contrast of "Roxie" giving the advice that children "can’t make sense of [a situation], without context or information. It’s that they can make the wrong sense of it," coupled with the "mix-understandings" of her own son, and the gradual realization that Lane has also connected the dots incorrectly in her own life.

I did think there were relationships and situations that felt unresolved from when Lane and Henry move to the new house and school. What happens with Francesca? Why does nobody forgive Lane for the "kidnapping, but they forgive Claudine for creating the problem?" Why does the book start from Dana's perspective, but we never really hear from her again? Many of these frustrating situations do add to Lane's mounting frustration, which is necessary for her to finally begin making sense of her own feelings, however, as a reader, I was left wanting a greater understanding of why certain events were included in this story.

Though Lane's challenges might not be our own, she puts it well when she says, “I used to think the letters were a rotation of agonies. But now I think there’s just one. One agony. The agony of letting ourselves down. We want to do better but we don’t know how.” It does lead one to think about the complexity of grief and question what assumptions are skewing our own perspectives. The book ends in a hopeful tone with the idea that we can keep trying and occasionally get another chance to improve.

This book tugged at my heart when Lane's husband dies in a car crash and has a mystery woman in the car with him as well, her husband causing the crash by hitting the other car and killing them as well.
Lane is now left to raise their six-year-old son alone.

After her husband, Aaron's funeral Henry stops talking to everyone but Lane. This story was at times hard to read it is about loss, grief, and learning how to move on. Henry is such a sweet little boy who will never really know his father. I was on a wild rollercoaster ride of emotions, when I found out why Henry quit speaking to others I couldn't help but shed some tears.