From the Bookshelf of forever and evermore swifties…

The Summer of Broken Rules

K.L. Walther

Start date: August 1, 2023

Finish date: August 31, 2023

Discussion: 2023

Why we're reading this: both for august which we are comparing to hey stephen
[close] both for august which we are comparing to hey stephen

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Showing 2 of 7 topics — 81 comments total

2023

the invisible life of addie larue - i forgot that you existed, rwylm, wildest dreams, mtr and wcs
By millie , lovermore · 3 posts · 32 views

last updated Sep 30, 2023 11:26PM

little women- champagne problems
By millie , lovermore · 18 posts · 46 views

last updated Sep 29, 2023 02:07PM

What Members Thought

Aug 12, 2022 zoii rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, favorites

4.5✨

while reading this book, I told myself several times that I would stop after one more chapter but eventually i ended up finishing it in one sitting and god the ENDLESS TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES MADE IT SO MUCH MOREE ENJOYABLE ....
also i would not be able to listen to hey stephen ever again without thinking of this book

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Sep 02, 2023 Chanda Ferguson rated it it was ok

“The Summer of Broken Rules” is a YA contemporary romance, also categorized in ChickLit, and I suppose my disappointment in this one could be blamed on myself. Maybe I went in with too high of expectations for the story based on popular opinions, but I just felt bored and unengaged most of the time.

My favorite aspect of the novel was Meredith’s special connection to her sister Claire who has passed away. As she copes through the loss of a her best friend, Meredith changes and the direction of h “The Summer of Broken Rules” is a YA contemporary romance, also categorized in ChickLit, and I suppose my disappointment in this one could be blamed on myself. Maybe I went in with too high of expectations for the story based on popular opinions, but I just felt bored and unengaged most of the time.

My favorite aspect of the novel was Meredith’s special connection to her sister Claire who has passed away. As she copes through the loss of a her best friend, Meredith changes and the direction of her life is changed by that. This depiction of grief felt like the most authentic portrayal in the book, and it was these moments of discussion about Claire and the loss of her that connected me most to the novel. However, the focus of the story was on the romance, and it just felt too instant for me to believe.

Thus, I didn’t feel emotionally involved with the book and as the focus became more on Wit and Meredith, I found myself waiting for a different scene. I felt the same way about the water gun fight, the break-up with Ben, the romantic conflict, the tension with her cousins, and most other aspects.

While I didn’t thoroughly enjoy this novel, I’m also not the intended audience, so perhaps that also influenced my lack of interest in the story. I did appreciate some of the Taylor Swift references, but even these eventually began to draw me out of the story because they happened so much. Reading this story made me conscious of the fact I was reading, and I honestly kept thinking to myself that when I was teaching Creative Writing, I was reading better stories from some of my students. I did have a creative bunch of kids at times, but honestly, some of their stories had more voice, original ideas, and engaging romances than this did for me. I hoped to be convinced by the end, but it felt lackluster all the way through.

If you prefer escapism literature that doesn’t feel realistic, but has entertainment value, this could be a good option for you. It’s extremely light-hearted, and I could see readers of Colleen Hoover, Carley Fortune, or Jenny Han enjoying this story as well. I honestly didn’t dislike it, but I just didn’t love it either.

Book 126/150
⭐️⭐️ 2.5 ...more

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Jun 30, 2024 Scarlett rated it it was ok

1.9 it was cute nothing memorable, mainly I didn’t like the romance, I think it would have made a better contemporary with a very side plot of romance and the third act, was not it the miscommunication was really annoying but was kinda cute and probably the best I have read. But still my least favorite trope.

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Apr 01, 2022 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: favs

had me giggling and smiling like a dumbass the whole book. this was actually one of the best books i have ever read. the whole vibe was just fantastic and now i want it to be summer like now.

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Oct 19, 2022 Aubree rated it it was amazing

Shelves: positively-going-to-read, books-i-have, reread

I love this book SOOOO MUCH.
I will never stop recommending this book. I wish I could re-read this book for the first time.

The playlist I made as promised
1. All Too Well (Taylor's Version)
2. Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)
3. Begin Again (Taylor's Version)
4. Everything Has Changed (Taylor's Version)
5. Gorgeous
6. Dress
7. Invisible String
8. Epiphany
9. Getaway Car
10. Afterglow
11. Starlight
12. Dancing With Our Hands Tied
13. I Think He Knows ...more

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Aug 14, 2022 liyana rated it liked it

dnf at 31% only because I’ve had it open for 2 weeks now and I don’t think I’ll finish it. I went into because I’m a swiftie but I’m realising i just don’t really vibe with romance books especially when there’s nothing else going on. might pick it up again later though

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Feb 05, 2025 oria rated it liked it

I feel like a few years back I would have enjoyed this alot more but it isn't really my style anymore! That being said, it was still a nice book. There were quite a few characters though so I kept forgetting who was who. Not a bad book though! ...more

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