A review by kylieshadereads
Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

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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