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A review by becca
Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud
5.0
(Rating is actually 4.5 stars, rounded up!)
First reviewed on my blog Pretty Little Memoirs. With thanks to Scholastic for the ARC!
Our main character Simone is Haitian-American and has spent a great deal of her young life acting as her Parents expect her to, which by their rules, means that she has lived within a certain box. For a start, Simone cannot date, goes to an all-girls school (so that the “no dating” is even further instilled) and has a strict curfew. Not only that, but as prom is looming – something Simone can’t wait for – their rules imply that she can only go with a boy that they choose. After so many of these things stack up on her shoulders, Simone and her friends, who depict themselves as the late-bloomers, decide to break the rules as Senior Year nears it’s end.
On their bucket list, they decide to just go for it. They make notes upon notes of things they haven’t been able to (or weren’t allowed) to do, like kiss a boy, sneak out of the house after curfew, choose their own date and even skipping classes. For a while, it goes without a hitch. Simone has never felt more free. But then things get super complicated. She’s crushing on a boy that she could really see herself with, but she’d never be allowed to see him in her Parents world they’ve made for her. She knows that right now she’s breaking the rules, but she has to put her heart on the line and decide which ones are actually worth the heartache.
Overall, I really loved Simone Breaks All The Rules. What started slow and steady, turned to turning pages until after dark, immersed in a world so different from my own. I’ve never had rules, per say, growing up, but I was always over-cautious of everything because of anxiety/fear of breaking a rule at school. Even though I personally didn’t go to prom (I was home-schooled after I was 14 because I was sick) I can understand the perfect-image that Simone wanted it to be, actually wanting to make these choices for herself and make her own mistakes instead of living so carefully. Something I adored inside the book was that there is so much appreciation for her Haitian culture, for her family and friendships, and especially a deeply-rooted love to want to live a life she’s happy of. I found myself rooting for Simone and her heart, desperately clinging on to her story until the last page was turned. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story and can’t wait to read more in the series to come.
**Review coming 06/07!** My first thoughts are basically just that this was such a stunning read that had character, whip-smart humour and characters that felt authentic down to their core. I'll gather my thoughts and arrange a review tomorrow!
First reviewed on my blog Pretty Little Memoirs. With thanks to Scholastic for the ARC!
Our main character Simone is Haitian-American and has spent a great deal of her young life acting as her Parents expect her to, which by their rules, means that she has lived within a certain box. For a start, Simone cannot date, goes to an all-girls school (so that the “no dating” is even further instilled) and has a strict curfew. Not only that, but as prom is looming – something Simone can’t wait for – their rules imply that she can only go with a boy that they choose. After so many of these things stack up on her shoulders, Simone and her friends, who depict themselves as the late-bloomers, decide to break the rules as Senior Year nears it’s end.
On their bucket list, they decide to just go for it. They make notes upon notes of things they haven’t been able to (or weren’t allowed) to do, like kiss a boy, sneak out of the house after curfew, choose their own date and even skipping classes. For a while, it goes without a hitch. Simone has never felt more free. But then things get super complicated. She’s crushing on a boy that she could really see herself with, but she’d never be allowed to see him in her Parents world they’ve made for her. She knows that right now she’s breaking the rules, but she has to put her heart on the line and decide which ones are actually worth the heartache.
Overall, I really loved Simone Breaks All The Rules. What started slow and steady, turned to turning pages until after dark, immersed in a world so different from my own. I’ve never had rules, per say, growing up, but I was always over-cautious of everything because of anxiety/fear of breaking a rule at school. Even though I personally didn’t go to prom (I was home-schooled after I was 14 because I was sick) I can understand the perfect-image that Simone wanted it to be, actually wanting to make these choices for herself and make her own mistakes instead of living so carefully. Something I adored inside the book was that there is so much appreciation for her Haitian culture, for her family and friendships, and especially a deeply-rooted love to want to live a life she’s happy of. I found myself rooting for Simone and her heart, desperately clinging on to her story until the last page was turned. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story and can’t wait to read more in the series to come.
**Review coming 06/07!** My first thoughts are basically just that this was such a stunning read that had character, whip-smart humour and characters that felt authentic down to their core. I'll gather my thoughts and arrange a review tomorrow!