Reviews with content warning for Grief - Rules of Arrangement

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

3 reviews

kylieshadereads's review

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

"He was terrible and frustrating and complicated and then something would crack open, and he'd reveal a different, softer self underneath."

⭐️⭐️.75

Rules of Arrangement follows Adelaide ⏤Addie⏤ Wright, a 22-year-old senior who writes papers for other students to pay her way through Cranst University. Although she has measures in place to protect herself from being expelled, in the form of mutually assured destruction, when she runs into an old friend Declan Jones, her art history teaching assistant, he threatens to reveal her secret and have her expelled if she doesn’t help him recover his paintings from art dealer Jack Nolan.

Addie enters into an arrangement with Jack with the intention of finding the paintings, but as her feelings grow she comes to realize that Jack may not be the person Declan described.

TW: suicide, suicide attempt, grief, loss, blackmail, age-gap, death of a parent

This is the debut novel from Maren Mackenzie and although I enjoyed the writing and overall thought the story was entertaining I felt like I have read it before and was left a tad disappointed.

It took me some time to really get into the novel and it wasn’t until chapter eight that I really felt myself starting to want to read it. I felt frustrated by Declan’s character, although he is only two years older than Addie he treats her like a child and is controlling and he often puts her down.

The relationship and vibe between Jack and Addie gave me 50 Shades of Grey vibes but without the “spice level”.

I also felt like Addie’s relationship with her family didn’t always add to the story but hindered it by adding an element that sometimes explained Addie’s flaws but it also felt like conflict for the sake of conflict.

Overall, Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie was an easy read but left me feeling like something was missing. 2.75/5 stars

Thank you to #netgalley and #MarmackBooks for the eARC in exchange for the honest review, all opinions are my own.

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hannalizzy's review

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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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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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