The Summer of Broken Rules: A Young Adult Heartfelt Summer Romance

The Summer of Broken Rules wants to be a heartfelt story about grief, family, and first love. What I found instead was a romance that repeatedly pulled focus from the far more interesting story waiting underneath it. Meredith returns to Martha's Vineyard for her cousin's wedding after the death of her sister, Claire. She finds herself surrounded by family traditions and memories of the person she misses most. She enters her family's annual game of Assassin hoping for a distraction from heartbreak after a recent breakup. Then she meets Wit who is a charming groomsman who quickly becomes the center of the story. My biggest frustration was that Meredith's grief journey never felt like the true priority. The novel introduces compelling ideas about loss, healing, family relationships, and moving forward after tragedy. Those themes are frequently pushed aside so Meredith can obsess over a boy she met during a week-long family vacation. I kept wishing the book trusted its strongest material. A coming-of-age story focused on Meredith rebuilding herself, reconnecting with her family, and honoring her sister would have been far more meaningful than another whirlwind vacation romance. The romance itself never convinced me. Wit spends much of the novel feeling clueless and Meredith feels idealistic. Their relationship develops with the intensity that often comes from being seventeen and on summer vacation. I struggled to take the relationship seriously when the story shifts toward long-distance plans and future commitments. These characters barely know each other outside the heightened atmosphere of wedding festivities and island adventures. The book treats their connection as life-changing while I remained unconvinced they would survive a semester apart. The Assassin game also did little for me. It is clearly intended to provide energy and humor throughout the wedding week. I found those sections repetitive rather than entertaining. The game often felt like a mechanism to create opportunities for Meredith and Wit to interact rather than a genuinely engaging subplot. The writing style contributed to my disconnect. Much of the emotional development is explained directly to the reader instead of unfolding naturally through character actions and interactions. I rarely felt invited to discover Meredith's feelings for myself because the narration frequently spelled them out. The frequent references to Taylor Swift also felt inorganic. The novel is often described as being inspired by Swift's music, but I never felt that influence meaningfully woven into the storytelling itself. The audiobook narration did not improve the experience. Lyssa Browne struggled to create distinct voices for the large cast making conversations harder to follow than they should have been. Her performance also carried a consistently whiny tone that made Meredith's perspective more difficult to connect with over the course of the novel. Readers who enjoy light young adult romance, summer settings, and wedding-week shenanigans may find plenty to enjoy here. Unfortunately, I finished the book wishing it had spent less time chasing romance and more time exploring the grief, healing, and family relationships.

It was better my first time reading it but it Is a great book

honestly the perfect summer read

so so cute and super summer!

really cute romance that gives perfect summer vibes