vcannon 's review for:

Breaking Rules by Anastasija White
5.0
adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
 When a parent or caregiver verbally abuses a child, the abuser robs the child of self-worth, self-love, and self actualization.  How does an abused child learn to overcome these losses?  In Breaking Rules, Anastasija White explores how an abused person learns to overcome hurt and learns to love.  Bella was abused by her mother, and this abuse affects Bella's adult life interactions: "As I take a step forward, skirting one of Jake's coaches, my mother's words float through my mind: Keep your back straight, Isabella. You look like a gremlin. Stop embarrassing me. On instinct, I pull my shoulder back and put a smile on my face, silently repeating the words I've heard since I was little: Look good and keep quiet. No one cares what you think or how you feel."


Those words not only affect Bella as a child but also as a young adult. She craves for someone to care about her, but Bella also worries that people will perceive her as damaged.  She hides herself in anime and interior decorating books, while she medicates her soul and body with sex.

Bella remains with Jake Miller, her boyfriend, because he creates the illusion that she is loved. This illusion dissipates after Bella meets Xander who is Jake's frenemy from college. Xander and Bella are attracted to each other, but football regulations do not permit team members to have affairs with their teammates' partners.  Will Bella and Xander find their way to each other? 
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