4.5 stars

Rule of Threes refers to the phenomenon where “bad things always happen in threes.” In Maggie’s situation, that’s her half-brother, school troubles, and her grandmother’s failing memory. As is so often the case, these three elements are tightly intertwined.

Author Marcy Campbell has done an excellent job blending hard topics — divorce, substance abuse, neglect, etc. — with authentic interactions that run the gambit from humorous to heart-wrenching and everything in between.

That authenticity particularly comes into play with Campbell’s characters. Maggie has the sort of one-track mind that is both endearing and a little annoying. As the book progresses, so too does her world view. Tony is a multilayered mystery that becomes more compelling with each chapter.

The one character who is kind of flat, is Maggie’s dad, who, at first, comes across as a complete jerk. Though his reason for not initially wanting Tony is believable, it makes him look completely two-faced in comparison to his relationship with Maggie.

Rule of Threes isn’t the easiest of reads. Because of the topics, it’s not a book I would hand to younger middle readers. But older, more mature readers (ages 10-14) shouldn’t have a problem.

This is a lovely story, we read it so quickly and spent quite a while discussing it afterwards. It introduced so many problems that young people face- problems with parents, families and friends. I opens up so many avenues for discussion and could be especially suitable for encouraging children to open up if issues are bothering them. It's a great one to have on a school bookcase.

Maggie is an aspiring interior designer so she knows all about the rule of threes. Three is the perfect number for a family, a group of best friends, and accent pieces on a table. So what happens when Maggie's friendships start falling apart with everyone keeping secrets? What happens when a mysterious boy shows up, becoming a part of their family? What's going to happen to grandma now that she's losing her memory? Maggie has a lot to deal with in her life right now but she is determined to make the best of it. Well-written and full of heart, this book is perfect for fans of character-driven middle grade realistic novels.

Honestly this book is a must read! And is definitely too good for words!
I loved the way the bond between Maggie and Tony grew, and how they rescued her mother.
Plus they totally should have won the competition! ;)

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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

I read this on NetGalley Shelf, which isn’t my favorite format, but it didn’t take away from how wonderful this book was. I thought at first that it might try to take on too many issues at once: a sick grandparent, middle school friendship issues, a sibling you didn’t know about, and parents with drug addiction, but the author weaved everything together seamlessly and beautifully.

4.5/5 stars.

This is such a good middle-grade story! I really love when middle-grade authors choose to tackle hard-hitting topics in their books, and Marcy Campbell was able to include not just one of these topics, but three! Now, taking on three different topics in one story could have been a downfall for this book, since it can get tricky to give each topic the attention that it deserves, but I honestly think all three topics were handled well here.

This novel covers 1. parental affairs, divorce, and secret half-siblings, 2. drug abuse, addiction, and rehab, and 3. mental illness (Alzheimer's), which might seem like a lot for a middle-grade story, but the reality is that many children face these obstacles in their real lives... My own parents divorced when I was young, and my grandfather also faced memory loss in his final years. I think it is important for kids to understand that not every family is picture-perfect, and that you never truly know what someone else is experiencing at home.

I really enjoyed the interior design element of the story as well. Although I do feel that Maggie could sometimes get a bit carried away with her hobby, I like that she was given an outlet that helped her relieve stress in a fun way, and also the potential for a lasting career path.

The one thing that I wish the story had dived deeper into is the relationship between Maggie and her friends, Rachel and Olive. I feel that Maggie often takes her friendship with Olive for granted, and there was never a super clear discussion of how she could improve as a friend. Additionally, in my opinion, her friendship with Rachel seemed somewhat half-developed or glossed over for a lot of the story. I think a clearer direction might have been including a conversation of friends naturally growing apart from each other, but the author did provide a bit of clarity for their friendship toward the end of the novel, so I did appreciate that.

Other than that, my only other criticism is that I think the actions that Maggie and Tony take towards the ending were slightly far-fetched, but I liked how the book itself was wrapped up. Overall, if you like hard-hitting middle-grade, definitely pick this one up when it's released!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book.

This book just couldn't keep my attention. I really liked the concept and thought I would love it, but it didn't hit right for me. I don't think it was a bad book, I think it was just the wrong time for me to try to read it.

Maggie's life is unexciting but happy. She and her parents are happy, she loves her best friends, and she has the coolest grandma ever. But one day Maggie realizes how quickly the life we want can change completely. Her dad reveals a hurtful secret that upends everything Maggie ever thought was true, one of her best friends is changing so fast she can't seem to keep up with her, and her grandma is starting to struggle in ways Maggie has never seen. Will Maggie be able to be happy again and adjust to her new life? Can she learn to be happy when things aren't just the way she wants them to be? Will she be able to reconnect with the people in her life she loves the most?

This book is fantastic for kids going through big changes in life. It had real issues that many kids struggle with when finding out their parents aren't perfect and the consequences of their mistakes. Maggie also offers a good example of how to work through those issues in a mature way, and how sometimes we don't handle those issues maturely, but that's ok too.

This is a heartwarming story not only for kids but adults too. The way that the book also touched upon marital problems, substance abuse, and the struggles of Alzheimer's disease is admirable.

I loved the way Maggie's relationship with her brother, Tony, developed. It was not smooth, it sure had lots of ups and downs, but it helped them seem more realistic and lovable. The characters are not perfect which makes them all the more relatable and interesting.

This is an enjoyable read. I'd love to read more from the author.

First and foremost, this book features drug use & overdose, marital problems, and memory loss in aging grandparents, but does so with sensitivity to a childlike perspective. I really like the characterizations of Tony, and the friends, but sometimes felt Maggie was over-enthusiastic and ingenuous. But maybe that was the point. This one brings up quite a few topics like privilege, friendship, and family structure in the 21st century that book clubs and families could discuss together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book...

It is raw, honest, and a page turner. An only child becomes a not only child when her stepbrother is thrown into the mix suddenly. The main character struggles with not only opening her space but her heart as well. Family secrets, heartache, and acceptance are all a part of this beautiful novel.

I absolutely loved this one. A few parts are tear inducing so be prepared but the story is one of hope and love

An easy 5/5. I can't wait to read more from this author.

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.

My heart!

This is a story about found family and accepting people into your life, even when you don't trust them.

I felt that this story really captivated me and I am so looking forward to more of Marcy Campbell's works.

This book tackled a lot of really, really hard subjects—marital infidelity and other secrets parents keep, new siblings, aging grandparents, addiction and recovery, and changing adolescent friendships are all issues that are given a lot of care in these pages. Really well done.

So good I lost track of time while reading and was almost late to work. I'm glad this is a book about accepting change and others into our life while also accepting the emotional tornado it can cause. Maggie takes a little bit but she is a well rounded person in that she rolls with the punches, learns, and comes out better on the other side without too much drama.

I received an ereader arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my first read by this author. I thought it was a great middle grade story about a family that thought it was all together. Maggie was all about ‘threes’-in her BFF decorating club, her family of just her and her parents. Then comes a half brother she’s known nothing about. She learns quickly that life can be good outside of threes. Lots of lessons for family issues, drug abuse and simply unfair things in life. Life in Middleschool can be hard but add a new sibling that's only one year older than you are then it gets real tough. Are you dealing with a grandparent and Alzheimers? This story incorporates so many issues that are hard to deal with, and Ms Campbell does it in an excellent way!

This was such a unique Middle-Grade book. It covers topics that are so hard to talk about, especially towards a young audience, like drug addiction or Alzheimer's, and it does so in a way that allows the reader to understand such challenging situations without it being a traumatic experience.

At first, I was scared of the point of view, but the main character grows throughout the novel and learns to see her own privileges, she evolves and starts empathizing with the struggles of others.

All the characters were flawed like all humans are, but there was a lot of development and I really appreciated that too.

Overall, it was a great book. I highly recommend it.

A beautifully written Middle Grade book that focuses on the challenges and obstacles facing our young protagonist. A compelling read.

I loved this book! Rule of Threes is about a young girl that is just starting middle school and suddenly things are changing. At first, it's just normal things like friends drifting apart in a new school, but soon enough drastic changes start happening. I felt so bad for the kids in the story. It was so realistic and a lot of it was stuff that, even as an adult, I could relate to. The characters were well written and really came a live to me and the storyline was great. At some points, I had to struggle not to cry and at others I was so proud of the children. This is a story about family and friends, struggles, and growth. It was an amazing read and I think that it is a great story for kids to understand that even though life may not be perfect we can still make a good life. Such a touching story! I would highly recommend it to others!