I'm a sucker for anything that involves myths or folklore, so I snapped this up right away. Unfortunately, it fell flat. It was a bit too slow of a slow burn for me, and because things plodded along, I had a hard time connecting and engaging with it.

This was so different than other books I've read! As soon as I finished it, I felt like "WTF did I just read?", but now that I've had time to think about it, I really liked this book! The story is told through 3 main POVs, and I enjoyed the feeling of dread and suspense throughout each section. The story moved slowly in some parts, and left me questioning everything in others. The ending was definitely done in a creative way, and this is one book that will probably live in my brain forever.

**I would definitely recommend that the author adds TW about suicide and self harm.

This book sadly wasnt a great read for me. I was kinda bored and it definitely was a slow burn. It was hard to read this one or feel a connection with any of the story and just fell flat. I almost DNFed it but decided to pull through and read it all.

The slowest of slow burns. If you like slow burns, this could be for you, but it was much too slow for me. There are three different character views overall, but I honestly didn’t care much for any of them. This starts off very heavy though so please be aware of the trigger warnings - suicide, death, drug addiction, and more.

A gripping and suspenseful thriller. Do bad things always happen in three? The story is very engaging and atmospheric and hard to put down. Each protagonist brings a different perspective to the story.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one was not for me. I found it to be too all over the place and it didn't capture my attention. Sorry!

This sounded amazing! But it moved too slow and I lost interest several times. I kept coming back to it but ultimately, I could not finish.

Fabulous premise that was killed by the slow moving story. We know the rule of three - bad things happen in threes. The story begins with the loss of a sibling and then more family. It’s tragic. But the story falls flat. I could not become invested in any character - and that was my disappointment. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley is a dark, twisty novel that is weirdly compelling to read. Part thriller mixed with stalk-y horror, it drew me into its brooding depths of urban myth “The Rule of Three…it’s coming for you like it came for me!”
The main characters, three young women, tell their stories in first person with occasional commentary directly to the reader. Each has endured serious loss of family members, and each is looking over their shoulders as they fear being the third doomed victim, fulfilling the “Rule’s” dark prophecy. Their journeys are littered with psych hospital stays, group therapy meetings and online forums where users profess insider knowledge of the reality of the “Rule of Three.”
No spoilers here—I encourage the reader to stick with the story as each woman’s tale unfolds, with much introspection and fear of potential tragedy to come. I found the suspense intense and the conclusion startling.
The descriptive prose is very good, albeit sprinkled with pretty graphic street language re sex and drugs, giving the novel a YA feel. But the occasional hyperbole does not diminish the intense, twisted horror of this thriller and it’s clever numerical threads throughout the story. Fans of King, Koontz, and Hendrix may enjoy this twisty tale.

Thank you to Emily Bestler Books/Atria for the DRC. This is my honest review.

The Rule of Three was an interesting read. There were times where I felt like it was slow moving but then there would be something to pick up the pace. Ultimately I liked but didn't love this one. Overall it was creatively done. There were times where the dialogue felt very juvenile for what the age of the characters seemed to be. I did like how there were time jumps and different victims. I was not expecting the end result which was a fun twist at the end. I would recommend this to people who are newer to thrillers as it is not overly complicated and has a lot of fun twists and turns.

“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.”

I was sold from the descriptor of this book: ‘The Whisper Man meets the paranoia of The Blair Witch Project’ (I LOVED The Whisper Man), and it delivers.

The idea of an urban myth coming to life isn’t new, especially the idea that things - usually bad things - always happen in threes, but the way in which this tale is told is. The beginning is from Amy’s point of view, told directly to the reader; she is hoping that writing will help her piece together the truth, and self-referentially help the reader. I was absolutely floored when Amy’s point of view got cut off and a part two opened with a whole new character that didn’t seem related, until the unanticipated connections were shown. It takes a lot of skill to switch protagonists, not once but twice, in a story and make you care about each one. Amy, Ila and Eve are all flawed (and somewhat unlikeable, maybe due to their age and self-centredness), but I cared for them and wanted to see if they’d break the curse? Sam Ripley creates a few scenes around the use of microfiche that had me remembering my childhood days of playing with the microfiche machine at our local library but having no real idea how it worked, and then again at university when I would study in a room devoted to it. The story has a ton of tension, with some genuinely heart pounding scenes, and Ripley showcases a complex final third, that had me astonished at the amount of plotting it must’ve taken!

The Rule Of Three is a story of curses, terror, grief, the fear of vulnerability, and pushing for survival. Once it gets going, it is unputdownable right until the surprising end. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the premise of this book and I was so excited to read it. While I did enjoy it overall and thought it was very well written, I did find it to be a very slow read, which then made it hard for me to want to keep going. I’m glad I pushed through though because I did enjoy it, I just wish it would’ve been a little faster paced. But this was a solid 3 star read for me!

I really felt that the premise, however I felt that the pacing was definitely abysmally slow. I had to keep taking breaks to try to renew interest to continue reading which is never good. The character switches helped a bit with this, however it was really not enough. It really picked up toward the end though finally and tied up pretty nicely. I love urban legends and had high hopes with this one, however it ended up a bit flat. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This book had me flipping back to the first page the MOMENT I finished it. I felt like I had to revisit so much to see if I missed anything. I definitely thought I knew what was going on but as soon as I felt confident, there was a twist that left me with my jaw on the floor.

I enjoyed this! The ending wraps everything up good. I like the writing style and the pacing. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Sam Ripley, Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Rule of Three
Unfortunately this book didn’t sit well with me. Despite having an interesting plot and layout, the story felt laboured and drawn out. Choosing to place a great deal of emphasis on drug use and all their finer points, including long narration on various uses and intakes. While there were glib references to not encouraging substance use they were one liners to a paragraph of salacious and gratuitous of using and it being “fun” and “the best” and so forth. Ultimately this detracted from my ability to get into this book and have any buy-in with respect to the characters curse.

At first I wasn't sure I was a fan of the journal entry format and the initial tone of "maybe what you read can save you even though it didn't save me." I'm glad I kept going though because it didn't take long for me to get a better picture of how the format and tone worked together and fit the story, and I have to say that I really liked it.

Some parts were pretty predictable, but I never would have guessed the ending as a whole. There were definitely some twists that I didn't see coming.

The Rule of Three is a chilling tale that expertly blends urban legend with psychological suspense.

The novel follows a group of friends who become entangled in a terrifying game of cat and mouse when they discover that a local myth about three deaths preceding a tragic event might be true.
Ripley's writing is both atmospheric and evocative, drawing readers into a world of paranoia and dread.

The characters are complex and relatable, making it easy to root for their survival. As the plot twists and turns, the suspense builds to a fever pitch, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.
While some may find the supernatural elements a bit far-fetched, they ultimately serve to enhance the overall atmosphere and tension of the story.

The Rule of Three is a must-read for fans of horror and suspense! Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC!

For a thriller, this really drags along. I was hoping for something more intriguing, not just a quest to discover the truth behind a supposed curse.

this didn't work for me. the pacing was sooo slow and there were so many scenes that were overly drawn out for no reason.