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The Six Rules of Maybe

by Deb Caletti (Goodreads Author)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 2,238 ratings · 262 reviews

Scarlett Hughes is overly involved in the lives of everyone around her, and exceptionally interested in the habits of her neighbors. But Scarlett is thrust solidly into her own life when her sister, Juliet, returns home from school—pregnant and surprisingly married to a sweet, handsome man whom she seems to have no interest in, but who is hopelessly in love with her. Force...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published March 16th 2010 by Simon Pulse

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Jun 27, 2012 Rabia rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: looking for a light but insightful read

3.5 stars actually
i really liked this book.it was exactly what i hoped it to be,a laid back read.the plot centers around a 17 year old girl Scarlet who has this overpowering need to help people,not just her family and friends but her entire neighborhood. she's a giver by nature and taking care of everyone works for her until scarlet's elder sister Juliet moves back home... pregnant and married to a guy she barely knows.
things spiral out of control when scarlet falls for her brother in law,Hayd...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

I'm not exactly sure if this book would be classed as 'a favourite' of mine.

The main character Scarlet was really interesting and I loved being stuck in her head. Scarlet cares about everyone else's needs before her own and when her sister Juliet comes home married and pregnant, Scarlet finds herself getting mixed up with her emotions. I could really understand Scarlet and while reading how she felt in some situations it would be the exact words I could never grasp when trying to understand my...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Melissa Jackson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, contemporary, romance, young-adult

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. While I absolutely loved Caletti’s Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, I felt only lukewarm about Wild Roses.

It was the summary that ultimately got me to pick up The Six Rules of Maybe (I often go by recommendations): "Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are practically strangers, and then there are the ones no one else even notices. Trying to fix their lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her...more I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. While I absolutely loved Caletti’s Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, I felt only lukewarm about Wild Roses.

It was the summary that ultimately got me to pick up The Six Rules of Maybe (I often go by recommendations): "Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are practically strangers, and then there are the ones no one else even notices. Trying to fix their lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her own needs to the side is part of the deal.

So when her older sister comes home unexpectedly married and pregnant, Scarlet has a new person to worry about. But all of her good intentions are shattered when the unthinkable happens: she falls for her sister's husband..."

I’ve been known to get sucked into the occasional scandalous Lifetime movie, and this sounded like it was that type of book. I was happy to discover that it's deeper than that.

We have three women at the heart of this story: Scarlet, her sister Juliet and their mother. Scarlet observes life, Juliet lives it, and their mother fills scrapbooks with all the places she's never been, of all the experiences she’s missed. But they’re all terrified, in a way. Scared of honesty, scared of commitment, scared of being alone. "Right then I knew we were all liars, Mom and me and Juliet. I just lied to other people. Mom lied to herself. Juliet, it seemed, lied to both."

We experience the world through Scarlet's deft observations. The little details she notices are what drew me to her as a character. She’s sees people for what they are, sees past their exteriors. But she spends so much time focused on everyone else, that when Hayden comes into the picture she doesn’t quite know what to do. (I can’t blame her. I want Hayden. Caletti was even able to make Hayden’s dog a lovable character!) Hayden, and Scarlet's love for him, throw Scarlet for a loop. She, for the first time, has found something she wants. Something just for her.

(view spoiler)(less)

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Jul 05, 2010 Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Sarah Dessen

Shelves: five-stars

My expectations for The Six Rules of Maybe were exorbitantly low after reading The Fortunes of Indigo Skye, also by Deb Caletti. In the latter novel Caletti's writing was insightful but tedious, and her characters were too eccentric without explanation. However, The Six Rules of Maybe was wonderfully written and has a large cast of colorful characters.

The book jacket's summary reads something like: this is the story of Scarlet, a nice girl who has trouble fending for herself. When her older sist...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Phoebe rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, read-in-high-school, coming-of-age

I did not like the ending to this book. The ending is pretty much why I rated this book a 1 out of 5. The rest of the book would probably be a 3 out of 5. I like books where the guy and the girl fall in love and live happily ever after. However, in this scenario I suppose it would be sorta wrong..... but still... *sigh* Juliet's character just annoyed me completely and she totally did not deserve Hayden. Despite this, the book is well written, although it is a bit slow, and I like the Six Rules...more

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May 06, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

Seventeen year old Scarlet Ellis lives on Parrish Island with her mother. She is known for being the “designated listener” at school, and spends much of her time observing people and finding ways to be useful to them. One day, Scarlet’s older sister, Juliet, comes home from Portland, where she has been working as a hotel singer, pregnant, and with her new husband (neither Scarlet or her mother were aware of this) and his big furry dog named Zeus in tow. All this happens in the first fifteen page...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Leah Liebman rated it 5 of 5 stars

The author’s purpose was to tell a story of a girl who cared a lot about others and her surroundings. The author states in her summary that the book is about crossing that blurry line between helping other people and hurting ourselves and how to step back over it. The author’s style of writing is entertaining and informative.
The theme of this book is to take care of yourself and your problems and not worry so much about other people and their decisions. The author is trying to make you’re awa...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Lacey Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: at-library, realistic-fiction

Although I've steered more and more away from realistic fiction myself, I found this book to live up to, if not exceed, my expectations of it. While the central storyline of Scarlett falling for her older sister's husband is what initially captured my interest in the book, I appreciated that it was so much more than a story about sibling rivalry over a man. On the contrary, Scarlett and the storyline takes the high road, with Scarlett supporting her sister's marriage both for her sister's sake a...more

Although I've steered more and more away from realistic fiction myself, I found this book to live up to, if not exceed, my expectations of it. While the central storyline of Scarlett falling for her older sister's husband is what initially captured my interest in the book, I appreciated that it was so much more than a story about sibling rivalry over a man. On the contrary, Scarlett and the storyline takes the high road, with Scarlett supporting her sister's marriage both for her sister's sake and for the sake of the man that Scarlett has fallen in love with. At the same time, Scarlett is not entirely altruistic or above her emotions, and her attraction to Hayden does manifest in anger toward her sister that may sometimes feel disproportionate to the situation at times.

While the "love triangle" is the hook, this story's strength lies both in its depiction of sister relationships and in Scarlett's realization that you can't live your whole life putting others first -- and that doing so, is, on its underside, just another attempt to control people and circumstances. The way she comes to this realization feels believable, as do most of her experiences as a "nice," introverted teenager. The central characters in this book--Scarlett, sister Juliet, and Juliet's husband, Hayden--are vivid, as is the time in which the story takes place (spring and summer). The secondary characters, with perhaps the exception of Scarlett's mother's boyfriend and her scam-believing elderly neighbors, are not as developed, but don't really need to be to serve the story.

My main quibble with this book is that it felt too long; I think certain story threads could have been resolved more quickly, or descriptions tightened. And while I would recommend the book, I'm not sure I'd recommend the audio version -- Teri Clark Linden does all right with the narration and central characters, but the way she voices some of the minor teen characters is downright insulting. I think they'll definitely get a fairer hearing through the printed version.(less)

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Jul 15, 2011 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

i honestly can't get over how incredible this book was.
everything was just perfect.
i'm a big fan of deb caletti, becoming one after reading her book "the nature of jade." her writing is beautiful. it's full of poetic sentences and inspiring quotes.
i thought this book would be a basic chick-lit novel, but its very deep and interesting.
scarlet, the main character, is fascinating and relatable. i found myself yelling out things like, "she is exactly like me!" or "i've wondered about that too!"
my...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 04, 2011 Karthy (Hiding in the Stacks) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-rf

I loved this book and I am not sorry for that.

I'm starting to really enjoy Deb Caletti's writing and I'm really glad I picked this up from the library. Her writing is very reminiscent of Sarah Dessen with possibly a dash of David Levithan in there. The prose was very fluid and her writing is so insightful. The book is ridiculously quotable and filled with so many truths.

The novel is really dependent on the likability of Scarlet, whom, I could really relate to. Her introspective narration and her...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenbooks

Summary: It’s interesting and somewhat serendipitous that I read this book after The Things A Brother Knows, because instead of a thorny brother relationship, we have a thorny sister relationship. Scarlet’s older sister Juliet has always been the shining star and boy magnet. It seems that everything comes effortlessly to her. Unlike her big sister, Scarlet is used to putting Juliet’s and other people’s needs ahead of her own desires. When Juliet finally left home and embarked on a career as a si...more Summary: It’s interesting and somewhat serendipitous that I read this book after The Things A Brother Knows, because instead of a thorny brother relationship, we have a thorny sister relationship. Scarlet’s older sister Juliet has always been the shining star and boy magnet. It seems that everything comes effortlessly to her. Unlike her big sister, Scarlet is used to putting Juliet’s and other people’s needs ahead of her own desires. When Juliet finally left home and embarked on a career as a singer, it seemed possible that Scarlet could now come into her own. That is until the day Juliet came home with a new husband and a baby on the way. Scarlet is once again relegated to baby sister status. But who’s really the baby? Juliet has a new husband who adores her, but still yearns for her old boyfriend. Juliet lives only for Juliet. To make matters even more complicated, Scarlet is falling in love with Juliet’s husband. And she wonders who will protect this new baby from a mother who is only interested in herself.
Plot/Setting: The tension of the contemporary plot centers upon the unspoken adversarial relationship between the responsible Scarlet and the immature Juliet.
Characters: This is a character book and the plot serves to highlight the complexity of the characters and the decisions they make. Self awareness is a huge issue in this book. Scarlet condemns her sister for being immature and selfish, but Scarlet goes too far in the other direction, sacrificing her own wants and needs to keep the peace and to avoid conflict. But she finds out that the more she runs from conflict, the worse that it gets. Both characters need to grow and become more self aware and they do accomplish this by the end of the novel. Scarlet learns to just say no and Juliet begins to accept the kind of love that is self sacrificing.
Style: Wonderfully written using startling poetic imagery to convey the emotions of the characters. The book has many layers of complexity and subtlety. I love how nuanced the book is and how the characters are so true. Scarlet’s description of being an introvert was dead on! Written in first person narrative, the author lets Scarlet’s voice unintentionally reveal Scarlet’s own flaws, even while she is justifiably complaining about Juliet. Caletti may be a contemporary Jane Austen.
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Aug 13, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I almost didn’t read this book. I was about forty pages into it and wasn’t enjoying the first person narrator, Scarlet, very much. I remember thinking I would give it a few more pages. (I have a fifty page rule: if I don’t care by fifty pages in, I don’t finish the book.) And then I came across a passage that made me realize I didn’t like Scarlet for one very good reason: she was far too much like me. So I finished the book after all.

The Six Rules of Maybe follows high schooler Scarlet during a...more I almost didn’t read this book. I was about forty pages into it and wasn’t enjoying the first person narrator, Scarlet, very much. I remember thinking I would give it a few more pages. (I have a fifty page rule: if I don’t care by fifty pages in, I don’t finish the book.) And then I came across a passage that made me realize I didn’t like Scarlet for one very good reason: she was far too much like me. So I finished the book after all.

The Six Rules of Maybe follows high schooler Scarlet during a confusing season: her elder sister, Juliet, has just shown up back at home with two very big surprises – a new husband and a baby on the way. Their mom wants to act like nothing is amiss, but Scarlet's not buying it. This is a very big deal - especially when she develops not-so-fraternal feelings for her new brother in law.

Scarlet's biggest strength is also her weakness. She helps others with little to no thought of its impact on her and is somewhat surprised to realize not everyone operates this way. After identifying so closely with Scarlet throughout the book, it was a little stunning to have her experience a turn of events nearly exactly out of my own life when her best friend has a crush on a boy who's not interested in her in the least - but IS interested in Scarlet. Almost this exact same thing happened to me in high school and I was blindsided by the whole experience.

I enjoyed seeing Scarlet come to understand herself and her family better. I liked seeing her learn that trying to help others was just another way to have an illusion of control. I learned lessons right alongside her.

So if you're not me, should you read The Six Rules of Maybe? If you like a book with a tortured first person narrator who experiences change, growth and evolution in a book, this could be a good choice. While I like a book that doesn't end happily, this book is an exception. Each character ends the book in circumstances that are changed - almost without exception, for the better. So if you want a book to encourage you on your own path, a book to remind you that change is possible and good (if painful), The Six Rules of Maybe is a good one.(less)

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May 25, 2010 Dottie rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Six Rules of Maybe is my third Deb Caletti book. I thought that The Nature of Jade and The Fortunes of Indigo Skye were okay, but I also felt that there was something missing in them that failed to make me want to check out Caletti's other works... until this one. My biggest problem with her books was that I had little to no emotional connection with her heroines. Some people read to escape reality, to find an alternate universe that is so very different from their own. I'm not one of those...more The Six Rules of Maybe is my third Deb Caletti book. I thought that The Nature of Jade and The Fortunes of Indigo Skye were okay, but I also felt that there was something missing in them that failed to make me want to check out Caletti's other works... until this one. My biggest problem with her books was that I had little to no emotional connection with her heroines. Some people read to escape reality, to find an alternate universe that is so very different from their own. I'm not one of those people. I read to discover lives similar to mine, to come across characters who are imagined yet relatable. So between Jade (the main character from Nature of Jade who suffers from panic disorder and enjoys watching elephants in the zoo through her webcam), Indigo (the main character from Fortunes of Indigo Skye who suddenly becomes rich after receiving a 2.5 million dollar tip from an overly satisfied customer), and Scarlet (the main character from The Six Rules of Maybe who maybe has a Messianic complex and definitely suffers from the social problem of being too nice), Scarlet wins as my hands down favorite because she is exactly my kind of girl. Scarlet is a rescuer, a savior, a helper. Wheras Scarlet is stable and loyal, Juliet, her older sister, is fickle and flighty. When Juliet comes home pregnant and newly hitched, Scarlet sees to it that her sister does nothing to jeopardize her fragile marriage. Lucky for her, Juliet picked an amazing husband. Hayden is a lot like Scarlet. His love and commitment to Juliet knows no bounds that Scarlet becomes convinced her self-centered sister will be his doom. He is nice, too nice (just like her), and somewhere along the way she falls in love with him, so she needs to find a way to spare him from getting his heart broken. Saintly Scarlet does this while planning to save her neighborhood one needy neighbor at a time.

While reading, I kept thinking of the line "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". The Six Rules of Maybe explores the real danger in thinking that you know what is best for other people. It illustrates the very thin line between being nice and offering help and being a bully and insisting that people do what you say. You can want to save someone so much- out of love, out of desire, out of need- that you lose sight of the fact that there's a limit to what you can do. The rest is up to him/her. I also loved Deb Caletti's take on hope. A lot of YA books have hope as a theme, but this has got to be one of its most relistic portrayals. Hope is a good thing; it's a great thing. But you have to know when "misguided persistence" becomes nothing but a pathetic endeavor. You have to know when to stop.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was brimming with insight and you can quote practically every line. There were even moments towards the end when I got a little teary eyed. In the beginning, Scarlet reflects that "a good lot of the time, nice people are doomed", to which Hayden agrees. This is the story of how both of them learned to finally save themselves first and become the exception.(less)

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May 23, 2010 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, good-for-girls, young-adult-books

It's funny. I had never heard of Deb Caletti before. She doesn't have the following, it seems, of Dessen. This is a shame, because I think she may have a little something on her. It's a double-shame, really, because Caletti's book covers are created to look like your garden variety chick-lit Dessen knock-offs. But it seems like Caletti's writing is denser than Dessen's, in a good way, mostly. There are moments where things get a little too abstractly poetic, but mainly, the story keeps moving in...more

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Apr 28, 2010 AnnaBnana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

This book is about Scarlet--a nice girl. Problem is, Scarlet is so busy being nice that she doesn't have time to think about herself, or what might be best for her. When Scarlet's selfish sister Juliet comes home pregnant with a fantastic new husband though...Scarlet is soon obsessed with what she wants; and what she wants is Juliet's husband Hayden.

I liked this book. As with Caletti's other book that I've read, Dad is absent from the picture. The girls have been raised by their mother alone and...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Sierra Hastings rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-finds, fiction, young-adult

Scarlet Ellis is seventeen, and in her junior year of high school. She lives with her mom on an island off the Western coast of Washington/Oregon. Her life consists of worrying about the people around her - from her neighbors to the rejects at school to her best friend. When it seems like she couldn't possibly have more people to keep content, her sister shows up, married to a man that she hardly knows and pregnant with his child. This just piles on to Scarlet's plate, and when she realizes that...more Scarlet Ellis is seventeen, and in her junior year of high school. She lives with her mom on an island off the Western coast of Washington/Oregon. Her life consists of worrying about the people around her - from her neighbors to the rejects at school to her best friend. When it seems like she couldn't possibly have more people to keep content, her sister shows up, married to a man that she hardly knows and pregnant with his child. This just piles on to Scarlet's plate, and when she realizes that her sister has considered being unfaithful to her shockingly nice husband, she becomes overwhelmed. On top of all of this, she begins to realize that she might have feelings for her sister's husband, as conflicting as that may be to keeping the stability of the situation. Throughout the novel, Scarlet has to juggle these emotions with her constant need to keep those around her happy.

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Having been a fan of Deb Caletti since I came across 'The Nature of Jade' at the bookstore, I was delighted to see a book that I hadn't read by her on the library shelf. I've been pleased with all of the books that I had read by her, so I had fairly high expectations for 'The Six Rules of Maybe'. However, it became quickly clear that these expectations would not be met.

I'm not quite sure where this book fell short - whether it was in some slight character flaws (or, shall I say, lack of flaws) or the very 'prose-y' feel of the writing, there was just something that didn't settle right with me while reading.

I tried to relate to the characters, and while I could see many characteristics that I shared with Scarlet, I found myself unable to sympathize with her. Maybe it was her constant overanalyzing of the people around her... and 'what would the psychology books say about THAT?'. With Juliet (sister) and Hayden (her sister's husband), they just felt too contrived. While Juliet was a character that was easy to dislike, with the faults that Scarlet pointed out to no end, Hayden felt entirely too perfect. Yes, he loves his wife; yes, he loves his dog; yes, he's handsome... the list goes on. Even the small vice of smoking that Caletti gives to Hayden is blamed on Juliet.

Even if the characters were relatable or realistic, I struggled to get through the writing. This might just be me, but I feel as though this novel could have been reduced down by at least a hundred words. The amount of drawn out metaphors and airy prose was agonizing. While this is decent in small amounts, as is seen in Caletti's other novels, it just felt forced. There was entirely too much unnecessary information that was just hard to get through.

When I was looking for an easy read, I turned to a familiar author to provide that. If you're looking for something that you can easily get through - no stress, no critical thinking - I suggest that you look to Caletti's other novels. While there are aspects of Six Rules that can be endearing and readable, I found that they are few and far between. (less)

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Nov 15, 2011 Hannah Reilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I chose the book "The Six Rules of Maybe" for my cei. I chose this book because of the drama and romance. This book is about this girl named Scarlett her sister Juliet and her sister's husband Haydan. Juliet was always the outgoing girl she was never afraid of boys, and she lost her virginity at a semi young age. But, Scarlett was always the one who was shy and instead of going out on a friday night she would rather saty home and do her homework. Juliet went on to a singing career after college...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Karen Keyte rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-girls-realistic, all-time-favorites, favorites

I have never agonized over a review the way I have over this one for The Six Rules of Maybe. It's not just that the book is extraordinarily good and I want to do it justice, it's how to to explain why this book is so good without giving too much away. This books is wonderful, that's the most important thing I want to say.

Scarlet Ellis believes she has a role in life. She has taken it upon herself to make life easier for others - to smooth over their problems and to help them get what they want....more
I have never agonized over a review the way I have over this one for The Six Rules of Maybe. It's not just that the book is extraordinarily good and I want to do it justice, it's how to to explain why this book is so good without giving too much away. This books is wonderful, that's the most important thing I want to say.

Scarlet Ellis believes she has a role in life. She has taken it upon herself to make life easier for others - to smooth over their problems and to help them get what they want. In the privacy of her own mind Scarlet might admit that her reasons for helping others are not always altruistic, but that doesn't change the fact that she spends more time worrying about other people than she does thinking about she wants from life. That all changes when Scarlet's older sister Juliet comes home to stay.

Twenty-year-old Juliet has always been the center of their single mother's world. Talented and temperamental, Juliet is more than self-centered, she's often selfish. The last thing Scarlet ever expected was for Juliet to give up her job as a singer and move back home, especially since she's pregnant and newly married to Hayden Renfrew. As Scarlet gets to know Hayden, she realizes several things: Hayden is a nice person, just like Scarlet; Juliet doesn't love Hayden like she should; and most importantly, Scarlet wants Hayden for herself.

I have read several of Deb Caletti's novels and all of them have been wonderfully written, but the prose in The Six Rules of Maybe is so exquisitely lyrical it approaches poetry without seeming contrived or out of place. I would have a hard time coming up with any other Y.A. author who has a better command of her craft than Deb Caletti. Her way with words, her finely crafted characters and the profound truths that her stories delicately reveal put Caletti firmly in the very top tier of those writing for young adults. I immediately knew Scarlet because I once was Scarlet. The need to fix everyone's problems, the tendency to tell small lies - and the reasons for those behaviors - Ms. Caletti captures it all so perfectly. This novel spoke to me in a very personal way, but I would have loved it even if it hadn't. It's just that wonderful.(less)

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Oct 22, 2010 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars

well, I enjoyed this one much more than Caletti's "The Fortunes of Indigo Skye", but it still wasn't my favorite. I think this author overwrites, she explains too much. We get too much information that we didn't even need, pointless information. It was a semi-fun ride, this book, but i feel like i just read 321 pages to only go "eh".

I like this though....
The six rules of maybe
1. respect the power of hope and possibilites. Begin with beleif. Hold onto it.
2. If you known where you want to go, you...more

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May 30, 2010 laaaaames rated it 3 of 5 stars

I keep saying I'm gonna give you up, Deb Caletti, but let's face it, I'm not going to because holy hell your prose is lovely (except for that time you wrote about kissing-as-sea-lions-lolling-about WTF) and you have written some lovely things before.

But, again, I find myself thinking Caletti doesn't really write YA. Hers is not a YA voice. There are many "adult" books about teenagers, and I feel as if hers should be some of them. (This may not be her fault; it could be a marketing exec or who kn...more

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Apr 04, 2010 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I really enjoyed this story about a mother and her two daughters, dealing with life, love, marriage, and pregnancy. All of these items combined in a YA novel are often too melodramatic or syrupy, but Caletti hit all of the right notes with her flowing writing style and fantastic supporting cast. I will copy the Six Rules of Maybe to keep on hand in my planner.

A YA book that teens and adults can both enjoy, I look forward to reading more by the author.

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Jan 10, 2012 Amber rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: easy-to-read, fun-to-read, january, three-and-a-half-stars, written-very-well

Scarlet is the type of girl who likes to take care of people and fix their problems-- or rather she does it to make herself feel better. She helped her next door neighbour, a girl who always draws on the sidewalk, and is currently trying to help her bestfreind. But when her sister, Juliet, comes back home unexpectedly married and pregant, she finds herself wanting to fix any troubles they might have. But then, something even more unexpected happens, she falls in love with her sister's husband, H...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Brianna Bridges rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti is an interesting book that pulls teens in. It’s a very hard situation when you sister comes home with an unexpected husband and pregnancy. Some people would think that this book is a romance, but I would file it under drama.

When Scarlet’s sister, Juliet comes home she brings home someone that no one knew about, a husband. The family was already shocked at her decision. Scarlet is an individual kind of person, and is usually in the background instead of th...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Rene Kirkpatrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really like Deb Caletti's books. They are pretty meaty, deal with some issues that most teens go through at one point or another. She's local. She lives on a houseboat.

Six Rules deals with a girl who feels like she will always be in her sister's shadow. Especially now that the sister has come home pregnant and newly married. Scarlet is completely surprised at this turn in the family's life, especially since she finds herself falling for her sister's husband.

It felt quite real and I could feel...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Lacey Louwagie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult

Although I've steered more and more away from realistic fiction myself, I found this book to live up to, if not exceed, my expectations of it. While the central storyline of Scarlett falling for her older sister's husband is what initially captured my interest in the book, I appreciated that it was so much more than a story about sibling rivalry over a man. On the contrary, Scarlett and the storyline takes the high road, with Scarlett supporting her sister's marriage both for her sister's sake a...more Although I've steered more and more away from realistic fiction myself, I found this book to live up to, if not exceed, my expectations of it. While the central storyline of Scarlett falling for her older sister's husband is what initially captured my interest in the book, I appreciated that it was so much more than a story about sibling rivalry over a man. On the contrary, Scarlett and the storyline takes the high road, with Scarlett supporting her sister's marriage both for her sister's sake and for the sake of the man that Scarlett has fallen in love with. At the same time, Scarlett is not entirely altruistic or above her emotions, and her attraction to Hayden does manifest in anger toward her sister that may sometimes feel disproportionate to the situation at times.

While the "love triangle" is the hook, this story's strength lies both in its depiction of sister relationships and in Scarlett's realization that you can't live your whole life putting others first -- and that doing so, is, on its underside, just another attempt to control people and circumstances. The way she comes to this realization feels believable, as do most of her experiences as a "nice," introverted teenager. The central characters in this book--Scarlett, sister Juliet, and Juliet's husband, Hayden--are vivid, as is the time in which the story takes place (spring and summer). The secondary characters, with perhaps the exception of Scarlett's mother's boyfriend and her scam-believing elderly neighbors, are not as developed, but don't really need to be to serve the story.

My main quibble with this book is that it felt too long; I think certain story threads could have been resolved more quickly, or descriptions tightened. And while I would recommend the book, I'm not sure I'd recommend the audio version -- Teri Clark Linden does all right with the narration and central characters, but the way she voices some of the minor teen characters is downright insulting. I think they'll definitely get a fairer hearing through the printed version. (less)

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Aug 17, 2010 Kricket rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of sarah dessen

Shelves: 2010, bildungsroman, teen-fiction, pacific-northwest

this is a special book for me. i've had a lot of complaints about materials in my teen collection at the library, but this marks the first time that someone has actually filled out the requisite paperwork to challenge a book. fortunately, i was there when mrs. x turned in the paperwork and was able to work out that the reader (her daughter, little x) is a rather young 11. i showed mrs. x some reviews of the book, and together we decided that this is actually a perfectly appropriate book for teen...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first picked up Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti when I was 16, and I remember it was the first time I really understood what people meant when they said they truly related to a character. Caletti's leads tend to be teenage introverts (always female), and being a quite shy and awkward youth, I always felt a sense of sisterhood with her characters. I think Caletti's protagonist Scarlett makes a decent point about introverts in that there isn't really anything WRONG about finding yourself...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Carolyn Teschler rated it 3 of 5 stars

Too bad there isn't a choice for selecting half stars, as this book is really a 3 1/2. The story follows young 17-year-old Scarlet and her relationships with family and friends as she gradually learns that trying to solve people's problems, even with the best of intentions, leads to frustration and heartbreak. The story open with Scarlet's older sister, Juliet, coming home- married and pregnant. Scarlet sees her older sister as the golden child, the one that fortune smiles on who never had to wo...more

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May 13, 2010 Robby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Deb Caletti is one of my favorite YA authors. There are so many things I love about her writing, nothing I can pick out and criticize. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to interview her for the blog. She was kind and sweet and just as beautiful as her books are. She answered all of my questions and I was sent a finished copy of this book for review and this is by far her greatest novel yet.
There are six rules. They are six rules to live by, to remember, to recite as a mantra in your brain....more

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Jan 18, 2010 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: peach-consideration

So if this is a draft of my review for SLJ, am I breaking copyright to post it here? Not sure. They do pass them on to Follett and Amazon, and I see them on the public library catalog, too. Anyway, here goes:
Caletti invites readers into Scarlett Hughes’ life and all its maybes. The introspective teen copes when her charismatic sister Juliet shows up pregnant and married after a Portland hotel singing job. Both Scarlett and her mother quickly come to adore the husband—Scarlett perhaps a little to...more

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About Deb Caletti

Deb Caletti is an American writer born in San Rafael, California. She was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the recipient of other numerous awards including PEN USA finalist award, the Washington State Book Award, and SLJ Best Book award.
Deb went to Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A., and graduated in 1981. She earned a BA in Journalism/Communications from the Uni...more

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Quotes from The Six Rules of Maybe

“I shouldn't have to be a liar to make someone love me. I shouldn't be so afraid of losing someone that I'll do anything to make them stay.” — 208 people liked it

“If letting go, if letting people and things work themselves out in the way that they needed to without your help was the most important thing, then it was also the hardest.” — 153 people liked it

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