3.5 stars. This is a tough one to review because I had a very strong emotional reaction to this book; it made me so, so sad at points! The entire book you are in Jillian’s head watching her life turn upside down, and it’s a lot. The ending is emotionally satisfying and hopeful, but it’s also a heartbreaking journey to get there. Overall I think teens will feel like this is an authentic portrayal of disentangling yourself from the person who is your everything.

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.

This was a lovely read about true love and how true love can be friendship, not just a romantic relationship. Good story and realistic characters. I enjoyed this read by Jennifer Nissley. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.25/5 stars! I think what I loved most about this book is that it showcases that friendship love is its own special kind of love. I think a lot of us with our 'high school sweethearts' realized that person was supposed to be our friend, not our lover. This book highlighted that perfectly. I really like all the characters, although Henry is probably my favorite. I think he highlighted the most growth throughout the story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really need to stop reading YA contemporaries. Because even though I used to enjoy them, I don't anymore. The characters are simply too close in age to me. All of the inconsistencies with reality are glaring and it drives me crazy.

For example, the whole scholarship drama. There are SO many scholarships out there. I've spent this year finding and applying to them. Sure, not every one is 85K, but there's more than one. The Purdy being these kids' ride or die drove me crazy.

As for the college drama, that was worse. It's literally drilled into every high school kid not to go to college with your best friend. Don't plan your life around them. And that's exactly what these two did. And just like we're warned, it backfired.

I also couldn't stand the relationship between Henry and Jillian. It was SO codependent. Unhealthily so. And I get that was what the book was trying to showcase. But it just ruined their relationship for me. I wanted them to go through it so they would face reality.

I also think this is advertised in a misleading manner. Based off the synopsis, I expected more romance. This wasn't a romance. The romances didn't work out. They were on the page every once in a while, and that was it. This was a friendship drama, and not a particularly enjoyable one.

Ugh, and don't even get me started on the whole ineligibility for the Purdy thing. I mean come on, two of the best students in this school never did clubs, sports, or took a foreign language?? Foreign language ios literally a requirement at my school. You can't graduate without it. And even when you ignore that, its ridiculous. To get into top schools, every kid is told to pack their resume with extracurriculars. And you're telling me these two didn't? Yeah right.

So yeah, this wasn't for me. I'll be happy to forget about it in a week.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

A fun, enticing and intriguing novel that has some awesome characters, great moments of friendship and powerful, cutting edge twists.

I didn't love this one. It definitely has realistic elements to how feelings are and questioning, but I still struggled with the main plot line.

Jillian and Henry do everything together, they are that couple: from taking classes together, going out together, and are planning to go to college together. Yet one day Henry shares a secret, he’s gay... only for Jillian to also say that she is gay too. This then prompts a sudden breakup between the, yet after years together and sharing everything they both want to maintain their friendship... yet can’t seem to stop being friends with benefits. Both Jillian and Henry have other people they are crushing on but their relationship is complicated as they keep returning back to each other. Jillian doesn’t do well with change and feels the constant need to be in control of everything. Things only get more complicated as they both navigate their new feelings and re-evaluate their own relationship. This one was unfortunately not for me, I couldn’t stand Jillian and all the teen drama was just not it. Jillian and Henry do not have a healthy relationship and are extremely codependent on one another, throw in the mix of figuring out their sexual identity and it really was a lot going on. Honestly, I found the story to not be as interesting or the relationship drama to be great. It just didn’t feel like a fun read and I just didn’t care all that much for the characters or their relationships. That’s just me though, maybe you’ll have a better time with it but it really did not work for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and andom House Children's, Labyrinth Road for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

interesting story of trying to figure out high school and sexuality and dealing with wanting to try something new and getting into college. This was a different book and liked that they tried being friends and not.

I knew in a way where this was headed, at least the beginning. From there we see Henry and Jillian navigate their feelings and new relationships.
This was a good look at how friendship can affect and be effected by other relationships. Especially after you have been with that other person for a long time. A good representation for LGBTQ relationships.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

(Goodreads Author)
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Come out. Break up. Stay friends? In this heartwarming queer love story about love of all kinds, exes navigate new crushes, new feelings, and a newly uncertain future after unexpectedly coming out to each other on prom night turns their lives--and their friendship--upside down. Can they figure out how to move on without losing each other?

Jillian and Henry are the kind of couple who do everything together. They take the same classes, have the same hobbies, and applied for the same super-competitive scholarship so they can go to the same dream college. They even come out as gay to each other on the same night, after junior prom, prompting a sudden breakup that threatens their intertwined identities and carefully designed future. Jillian knows the only way to keep everything on track is to approach their breakup with the same precision and planning as their scholarship application. They will still be "Jillian and Henry"--even if they're broken up.

Except they hadn't planned on Henry meeting the boy of his dreams or Jillian obsessing over a cool girl at school. Jillian is desperate to hold on to her best friend when so much else is changing. But as she and Henry explore what--and who--they really want, it becomes harder to hold on to the careful definitions she has always lived her life by. Stuck somewhere between who she was with Henry and who she might be on her own, Jillian has to face what she can't control and let go of the rules holding her back.