What color is your current read?

My most recent read, The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissely, is a fun shade of yellow! I don’t see too many yellow books, but the ones I do know of are all so nice to look at!

Today is my stop on Pride Book Tours' tour for The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley! I really enjoyed this contemporary YA novel about friendship and queer identity, and I hope you will too!

The characters in The Rules of Us felt both like authentic humans and real high schoolers. With their concerns about college acceptances, coming out, and friendship statuses, they are quite relatable to anyone who has endured high school in recent years! I found Jillian and Henry to be compelling characters to follow, and before I knew it I had finished the book. Time flew while I was reading, as I was invested in the characters’ journeys and their relationships. This book is one of the first contemporary novels I have read that had queer friendship at its core, with romance supplementing the plot, and I adored it. While I enjoyed the relationships that Jillian and Henry explored romantically with others, the driving force in the book is their connection as best friends, which I adored.

My Recommendation:
If you’re a fan of queer young adult contemporary novels like Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli or Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen, I would recommend you give The Rules of Us a chance! This book is a fresh and well-written take on queer friendship experiences that you won’t want to miss!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

What stands out most in "Between Us" is its nuanced portrayal of the non-linear nature of coming out and self-acceptance. The author deftly captures the emotional turbulence and uncertainty that accompany Jillian and Henry's journey as they grapple with newfound attractions, desires, and aspirations. Through their experiences, the narrative beautifully underscores the fluidity of identity and the importance of embracing one's authentic self, even in the face of societal expectations and personal insecurities.

At its core, "Between Us" is a celebration of diversity, resilience, and the power of love in all its forms. The author's compassionate storytelling and authentic portrayal of queer experiences resonate deeply, offering readers a poignant reminder of the universal quest for acceptance and belonging.

This was a uniquely told queer YA romance about characters who are trying to figure out their identity and what is right for their relationship. These characters were flawed and realistic, but the story just didn't quite work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

It took me a while to get into this one, and ultimately, I didn't really click with the story or the writing style as much as I hoped I would.

2.75 stars. A lighthearted high school romcom between two best friends and former romantic partners who both come out as queer and explore other relationships. Sadly, I found their relationship to be decently unhealthy and super co-dependent. This story just didn’t do it for me.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & Labyrinth Road for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest w review.

This is one that I didn't immediately love and it took me a while to really get invested in the story but once I was in there was no putting it down. I loved that they were both struggling to find out who they were without the other person. I also liked how they were trying to figure out who they were to each other when the romantic element was taken out of the relationship.

First off Thank you to #NetGalley for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review of the book. "The Rules of Us" follows two teenagers on a quest to find themselves before their senior year. This story follows Jillian as all of her best laid plans and rules seem to have a different plan for her. The raw truth of and unfiltered lens of teenagers discovering their sexuality, what labels work and "feel right" and finding support in those around you even if you are not the "same". This coming of age novel is refreshing in the blunt language used for a more mature YA audience.

The Rules of Us is an extremely unique lgbt coming of age story by Jennifer Nissley.

Henry and Jillian are best friends and are dating. Then everything changes as they both come out to the other.

Honestly, I wanted to love this story, as it had so much promise.

But...

the main characters repeatedly annoyed me. they were in an unhealthy relationship, making all of their decisions around the other. It was highly toxic and I just couldn't get past then in the end.

I love that this book includes friendship love, and getting to know yourself, but that doesn't work when both characters are hard to root for.

I was never able to get emotionally invested because they were pretty insufferable.

Great premise, bad execution.

I liked this book a lot. The author does a good job of capturing Jillian and Henry's thrill and worry as they leave the security of their relationship to discover and explore who they truly are.

You can see as a reader how important their relationship was to both Jillian and Henry and how much of their lives were built on that foundation. You can also see how unstable it is to gradually come to terms with how that will change as they forge their own, independent identities and the pain that comes with it.

It is a thorough investigation into how identity is formed, both personally and in relation to those who are closest to you.

I just really don’t like this book unfortunately. The characters are in an unhealthy relationship and toxic. And they make all their decisions around each other and they felt super immature for older teens.

It was just a miss for me.

While I enjoyed this story overall - I did find Jillian quite unlikeable and at times that overshadowed the story for me. I'd say give reading it a try, to see for yourself. Overall I enjoyed the book, just not one of the main characters at some points.

An interesting idea that was unfortunately poorly executed. Henry and Gillian are just...so incredibly annoying, such that I struggled to care at all about them.

I was really excited about this book's premise but unfortunately the execution left a lot to be desired. I found Jillian very annoying, and I almost DNFed it.

Maybe I wasn't someone that worked my ass off to be the best in HS. (I worked but didn't care so much about being the top student but rather just getting out of HS) so I thought the main character's whole plan to be the best was tiring at times. Yall, are not getting the scholarship because you aren't well-rounded individuals that have various interests. Gillian and Henry's co-dependency was also very frustrating to read about and kinda wish they would have moved on from one another by the end of the book because they both expected something different out of their relationship.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
I didn't love this book. Jillian and Henry's relationship was just weird, and it seemed like they were too dependent on each other to date other people. Jillian is controlling and self-centered, and I just wasn't rooting for her as a character. The writing is cringy and drags on, and the story as a whole was just super messy and seemed like it was going backwards.
Also, it was incredibly unrealistic. These two have clearly never spoken to a college guidance counselor.

THE RULES OF US is a perfect high school book, with a unique perspective on queerness, coming out, and the different types of love one experiences + the value they hold in our lives. Henry and Jillian are complex, emotional, and sometimes rash or wreckless or immature or hypocritical - but that's how they SHOULD be. They are teenagers and everything they feel seems bigger/amplified. They make mistakes, but it is such an important journey to witness, and a realistic outlook on navigating first loves and friendships in high school today.
This is an important book that should be in high school libraries everywhere.

The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley is a young adult, coming of age story. It's all about finding your person. It was a miss for me. I couldn't connect to the characters and the ending just ended. I feel like there could have been more depth to the story. Very predictable.