THE UNWRITTEN RULE by Elizabeth Scott Posted by Mrs. Schauer

THE UNWRITTEN RULE

by Elizabeth Scott

AR: Not Yet (but soon, or so they tell me!)

Interest Level: Upper Grades

I have read four of Elizabeth's books, and holy smokes, does this lady have some kind of range! My first experience with her books was LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU, which is the story of a girl dealing with the death of her best friend. It was a heart-wrenching read, but the characters were so believable that the pages seemed to turn on their own. After finishing it, I wanted to read more by Scott, so I gave SOMETHING MAYBE a try. I listened to the audio of it on a road trip and I’m sure I had people in passing cars wondering if I was either drunk or crazy, because I laughed my way through most of it—what a delightful read! (err, listen) I was on an "Elizabeth Scott roll," so I selected another one...and it stopped me dead in my tracks. The experience of reading LIVING DEAD GIRL was like slamming myself full force into a brick wall—repeatedly. I had to wait a month after reading the book before I was able to formulate the blog entry for it. It isn’t a very long book, and the plot-line makes for an extremely fast read. Emotionally, though, it was one of the toughest books I've ever gotten through. Now, I’ve just finished THE UNWRITTEN RULE and I have to say, it's in a class all by itself, just like her other books are.

At first glance, the inside flap summary and cover (love the game of "footsie!") make this seem as if it could be any other teen angst story. You know, girl crushes on boy, boy kind of crushes back, misunderstandings ensue, boy dates girl's best friend, girl secretly pines for boy....blah blah.

WOW...are first impressions wrong! I don't want to divulge too much of the story because I want readers to experience the book for themselves. In Brianna, Sarah and Ryan, the author has created totally relatable characters that unfold for the reader in layers. To me, the way the characters are developed, is what makes this book more than "just another teen angst novel." The girl you want to hate because of her shallowness and catty behavior, you simply can't, because her character has been developed in a way that makes you totally understand why she behaves the way she does. The girl you want to smack upside the head for being a doormat....again, you can't, because you totally get why she tolerates years of treatment that most people would walk away from after just a few days.

THE UNWRITTEN RULE is a story about friendship and first love...but it's not all tied up neatly with a bow, which is the thing I liked the most about it.

I can’t wait to see what Elizabeth brings to her readers next! (Next on my list? BLOOM.)