Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Rules of Arrangement

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

4 reviews

hannalizzy's review

adventurous emotional funny informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was hands down the best ARC book I have ever read. I was immediately gripped after the first chapter, and I was ALL FOR some of the fake dating /older sexy rich guy tropes. Adelaide was a great narrator, and I loved her stubbornness, her clever mind, her independence. Her character arc is satisfying, and the relationship in the end is more than satisfying — it’s swoon worthy. I loved this book. 10/10 recommend!

(Pro tip: imagine the sexy older guy as Jack Harlow. Or any celebrity crush of choice. You will fall in LOVE)

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC copy 💕

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danaslitlist's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TLDR; I hated this book. Minor thematic spoilers throughout but not major plot points.

When it comes to romance novels it's not uncommon to have to suspend your belief for the sake of the story. Tropes and clichés come with the genre and for the most part it's not hard for me to find those familiar ideas enjoyable. However when the book becomes so saturated with trope upon trope upon trope, it can begin to feel like you're reading a script for a bad Life Time movie. This is one of the problems with Rules of Arrangement. It suffers from “too much” syndrome and as I read further and further I just kept rolling my eyes.

There is also the huge issue of using mental health as a plot device and in doing so creating the “bad guy” who is only “bad” because he is mentally ill. And the reaction of the characters who find out is to either pass judgment on his “weirdness” or to make the whole situation about themselves. There is no grace, compassion, or care in the depiction of mental illness nor is there any actual reason the author needed to include it in the story other than for shock value. It would have been simple to rewrite the character's motives without having it based on a mental illness. Instead we are left with the character not receiving love, support, or an ounce of real understanding.

Not only was there just too much drama and soap opera dynamics, there was just the glaring issue of the plot trying to be more serious than it really is. Yes, getting suspended from a college would be devastating. However making it out that she'd go to jail for writing papers for other students made me laugh out loud. The plot just reads as contrived and forced when it really didn't need to be. I agree with the comments of other reviewers who also felt mislead by the cover and synopsis. I was under the impression going in that the plot was going to be more of an art heist situation, but instead it's a watered down soap opera.

I might've been able to deal with a soap opera-esque plot if I had liked any of the characters. But they were equally as disappointing. Our three main players are Declan, Jack, and Adelaide.

From the get go I was not a fan of Declan at all; he's a snob. Rude and materialistic, self centered and completely absorbed in himself. His “problems” scream first world, rich white guy and it's hard to feel anything for him. He can choke. The way he describes Jack is exactly how I'd describe him: “all he cares about is himself and his own success. He's calculating, vengeful and ice cold”. He's another tool in the author's arsenal to dispense misogyny and toxic masculinity.

Jack is our supposed bad guy in terms of what Declan tells Addie. At first I found him the only likable and real character out of the three, but the more the story progresses the less I liked him. He's controlling and fickle. He's the best example of another glaring issue in this book: The personalities for each character change drastically page by page On one page he was kind and patient, but the next he was jealous and angry out of nowhere which made it quite difficult to get a handle on who he was. This constant flip flopping also spreads into the character relationships. One moment Addie likes Jack and she knows he's a good person, but the next he is reduced to nothing but an evil person. It's very disorientating and confusing, not to mention frustrating.

I saved our main female character for last because I have the most to say about her. At first I felt for Adelaide and the situation she was in. Cut off from her family and desperately trying to make her way through college by writing essays for other students for a price. I honestly don't see the problem with what she's doing and if anything the fault lies with the students who are fine with lying their way through college. At first I viewed Addie as hard working and self reliant and I could at least respect her struggle. However, just like with everything else in the story, the further I read the more I ended up hating her. It took until page fifteen for me to loathe her.

Addie is supposed to be smart, both when it comes to other people and also academically, but she isn't smart at all. She comes off quite dumb. Not just with how she interacts with other people but also in the fact that it just suddenly occurs to her after three years of this side hustle that she could face serious consequences for what she's doing. We're supposed to find Adelaide smart and cunning, mature for her age, but she really isn't. She's incredibly immature and foolish, quick to throw tantrums and quicker to judge. Almost every time she gets mad at Jack I feel the same sense of “boohoo”, because she forgets that she's the one lying, deceiving, and ultimately attempting to rob him. But she wants to act as if she has moral high ground. Nothing can be her fault, she's not the one who was in the wrong. She's not a character I want to root for her even read about.

One of the most disgusting aspects of this book and the biggest turn offs to me was the constant (and I mean almost every chapter) slut shaming and the blatant hate for sex workers and escorts. She belittles them, calls them sleazy, sluts, whores, etc. It's disgusting and a huge turn off. Honestly it feels as though the author has a problem with escorts and sex workers, and used the story as a way to express it. There's one single moment in the book where Jack tells Addie that she should do some work on how she sees escorts which was great, but nothing comes of that at all.

For someone who should understand how difficult it can be to be on your own both in terms of relationships and finances, she is judgmental and snobby when it comes to how others get by. Her constant trashing on escorts especially is nasty and her apparent disdain for them is hypocritical. She's a classic example of “I'm not like other girls” female character. We also get some body checking from her in terms early in the book that gave us a great insight into how she views beauty.

If I had picked this book up and not known what year it was published, I would've assumed it was written in the early eighties based solely off of the way women treat women within the story. In 2022 I would've thought we had grown past the need for female characters who treat other women like trash because they express their sexuality differently or because the main female character simply has some unchecked misogyny.

I feel that my critique is harsh, mostly on Adelaide's character, because I am tired of seeing romance and erotica riddled with such old school views on women especially when it comes to sex work and escorts. And even more so when the author is a woman and honestly should know better. I was hesitant at first to write this review, but ultimately I decided to write it for two reasons:

The first being that I feel other readers should be aware of some glaring issues and potential triggers throughout. My reviews are typically meant for potential readers only hence my I believe they should receive an honest and unfiltered review.

My second reason is in the hopes that maybe if for some reason the author sees this, that she does better. She is a talented writer and there were a handful of moments that I found myself smiling at, but at the core there were so many red flags. Sex work is real work. Escorts and sex workers deserve respect regardless of the reason behind why they're doing what they do. As long as it is consensual there isn't any reason why we should be shaming them.

I implore the author and readers of romance to do better.

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litwithstef's review

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Struggling college student Adelaide Wright is blackmailed by her childhood neighbour and troubled artist, Declan, into becoming Jack Nolan’s newest contracted arm candy. With her entire future on the line, she must get close to Jack, a successful art dealer, to find Declan’s stolen paintings.

This was such an easy, enjoyable read. The characters were wonderful to get to know and I was hooked as soon as Jack was introduced.

I love me an age gap romance! Adelaide and Jack’s attraction to each other is instant however, as their relationship becomes more complicated, it’s as if their romance goes from a fast to a slow burn as we watch them figure it out.

I absolutely adore Adelaide. A college student who has experienced more than your average 22-year-old, she’s scrappy and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. So it was really nice to see her become so vulnerable with Jack.

I really loved how many emotions I went through as I got to know Declan. One moment, I sympathized with him and the next, I hated his guts, and then I sympathized again. That’s a sign of a great story, in my opinion!

Overall, I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. Great plot, intriguing characters, and sprinkled with a little bit of spice!

Thank you to NetGalley and Marmack Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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storieswithbee's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense, Spicy Reads

Age range: 18+

Spice: 3/5

Overall: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4.5/5

Writing and Setting: 4.5/5

TW: suicide attempt, mental illness, sex, sexual themes, mentions of underage sex, language, mentions of parental death, grief

I was absolutely FLOORED by this book…!

I was not prepared for how much of a page turner this book was going to be. I was already singing it’s praises after reading only four chapters, and I binged the rest without hesitation.

‘Rules of Arrangement’ gives you everything you want in a book - romance, suspense, some mystery, hits of spice and so much character- driven chaos and drama that I just couldn’t put the book down.

Characters: 5/5

The three main characters in this book are extremely well fleshed out. For instance, you can understand the motivation behind what ultimately dropped Adelaide into the blackmail situation. You can feel just how intense and how completely absorbed Jack is towards Addie, and you can’t ignore the slight feeling of Declan being ‘off-centre’ at different points throughout the book. Although the plot is central to this story, without these characters being as engrossing as they are, this book would not be as good as it is.

Plot: 4.5/5

I really have nothing bad to say about the plot. It was original in its approach as I have never read anything like this book before, however, the only downfall (if you can call it that) is that the ending was little bit predictable (aka - the HEA) .

Writing and Setting: 4.5/5

Very similar to the plot, the writing and settings were damn-near perfect. I loved the third-person narration, and I truely think that the book wouldn’t have been the same written in first person. The only irk I have was that the beginning was a little slow, but from the minute I picked up the book, I knew that it was going to be worth it in the long run.

The setting takes place mainly in New York, but also spans across American and some international travel. Sometimes when the narrative jumps location a lot, the story can feel a bit disjointed, but the travel blended seamlessly with Jack’s lifestyle and it was realistic and believable to plot itself.

Conclusion:

This is one of the most successful debut novels I think I’ve ever come across and I’m so pleased that I was able read and review this book as an advanced reader. I really look forward to reading more from Maren Mackenzie.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and this review has been posted on my own terms. Thank you to Maren Mackenzie, Marmack Books and Netgalley for the opportunity.

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