Overall I enjoyed this, but it could have been way shorter, and felt rambling at times. It was a little bit nostalgic as well, which I enjoyed. I'd pick this one up if you're looking for a very mild horror (it leans more mystery) with urban myth and serial killer themes.

Interesting plot line for a story. I did not expect some of the twists. I did find it a little slow in parts, but overall a good read

Amazing book. Still in shock by the ending. Takes a while to pick up and it's a bit strange but once it does you can’t put it down.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Rule of Three. This is so different and I was getting lost in the beginning but kept going. This book is very tense and twisty.
The author really keeps you on your toes. It’s hard to talk about this book without giving valuable previews. What I can say is that this is different and scary., suspenseful and complicated, gripping and frustrating. Keep reading. It’s very good!!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book.

The Rule of Three! We have all heard that before. This was such a great thriller with so many twist and turns. Had me hooked from page one.

My momma always told me death came in threes. The book kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the take on the superstition my momma always told me about.

The rule of three, death comes in threes. One by natural causes, one by accident, and one by suicide will die. It came for me, it will come for you. When life deals these cards to you, what will you do?

This was a bizarre book to read. I wasn't sure what I was getting into. The summary gives very little away and the book takes you on a ride. You don't know if there's supernatural elements, a serial killer, or just the strangest set of circumstances. Trigger warnings of death, suicide, mental illness, and illegal substances. If you don't mind those things in a story, give this one a try. It's some ride. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of The Rule of Three.

This was a really good suspenseful book! I really enjoyed all the twists. I was on the edge of my seat many times during the story. I enjoyed the characters and found them all interesting. Thanks for the ARC of it!

The idea of bad things happening in 3's is one that I do subscribe to. Deaths, accidents, etc all do tend to happen in a row....or is it that our senses are hightened?

What Sam Ripley tried to do with The Rule of Three is take this idea and present it from three different POVs. This is where it all goes downhill. It's boring and entirely too long. These characters could be interchangeable. Every one of these people felt like a commentary from the author. I...just didn't care.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

They say bad things come in threes . Therefore the premise of this unique horror novel. How our beliefs shape urban legends is interesting. There are three main female characters each with different character traits . This novel has nods to different urban legends There is a big twist ending however I felt the book could have been a little tighter . I almost DNF but I am glad I did as the ending paid off

With so many points of view and numerous timelines, you'd expect to be confused following the story. That doesn't happen, though. Each timeline and each point of view gives you another clue about the Rule of Three. It's an urban legend that sparks in the mind of a few, then spreads like wildfire. It becomes a fascination, an obsession, a nightmare. If it weren't for the journals of those involved, you would not know the rules, and you would not know that it can spread like the Flu. The tale highlights how connected we really are to those around us. The story is so eerie, and the scare really sneaks up on you. I admit that I sat, blinking, thinking to myself "but, wait ..." at the end. This is the kind of book that you can read 3 times and get new information each pass. I will likely read it again to catch those clues that I missed the first time around. Because I still have the words "how the heck" rolling around in my brain. This book slowly gets it grip on you and doesn't let go even at the end!

I was really intrigued by the concept, focusing on urban legends, and the early creepy some-vague-time-in-the-not-too-distant-past setup initially drew me in, but I rather quickly realized that this wasn't a good fit for me. The writing feels somewhat stilted - it's supposed to be a young woman, but her voice never resonated with me at all. And the "urban legend" component - that if two bad things happen, a third must be just around the corner - felt a little forced. I I subsequently came to realize this initial section was part one of three, with each a unique story showcasing the Rule of Three. The format in that regard didn't really work for me, and the characters felt more forced as each section moved on. I just didn't get this one...

Thank you Atria Books and Sam Ripley for the gifted digital ARC!

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about 25% in. I had a hard time connecting to the story or the main character, but that is just me. As we all know, every book is not for every reader!

NetGalley is the only consumer site I will give this book a rating to since I did not finish it.

I love a good Urban legend book. This book was good enough but it didnt blow me away. But I previously read a 5 star book. So this book felt flat. I liked it. It was exactly what I expected. So 3 stars for you Sam Ripley.

I appreciated the commentary on how our beliefs and biases shape urban legends, and the nods to famous legends such as the choking Doberman were fun to come across. Other than that, the book was entirely too long to be effective. The three main female characters are each given character traits (one a drug addict, one a diabetic, and one an MMA fighter) that are way overly explained in order to distract from the fact that all three are written in the same voice and would be indistinguishable from the author’s voice. In each of the three FMC’s journeys, there is a character who gives a sweeping philosophical speech in order for the author to get their overarching commentary across. Unfortunately it just left me feeling like the author was beating me over the head with their ideas and opinions.
While the big twists at the end were fun, I didn’t feel like it was adequate payoff. Outside of the commentary on how our beliefs shape our experiences, I struggled to find out what else exactly the author was trying to say. Had this book been about 30% shorter with tighter writing, it could have been super effective for me, but it was a bit of a struggle to push myself through.

Loved it. I really don't give a lot of 5 stars but this earned it. It also earned a spot in my spooky season collection. I wouldn't say it was scary but if you scare easily maybe don't read this at night

I loved the idea of a urban legend turning out to be true, it worked with everything that I was looking for from that concept. I was engaged with the characters and how they worked with the urban legend element. It was great because I’ve also heard of the rule of threes and that’s a scary concept for it to come out. Sam Ripley has a great writing style and I enjoyed the overall package of this book.

I got 20% into this book before I gave up and decided to not finish it.
Why did I stop?

1) The writing was so badly a case of a man trying hard to write a cool teen girl and failing miserably.
2) the writing is just plain bad. Example:
"It's all worth it because even in the worst-case scenario that pain is going to vanish like a smoke ring in the moonlight. One instant it's there, recognizable, tangible. The next, poof. Gone.
Now, bitch, you're high as fuck.
Drop a pill and you can expect at least half an hour before you come up, and it can take as long as an hour. Digestion works only so fast, after all. Far quicker to let your lungs push it directly into your system. And better yet: it's more powerful, more potent because it dumps into your bloodstream all at once.
It's the atomic fucking bomb of getting fucked-up."

Leave the drug stuff to Ellen Hopkins dude because wtf is this. I was waiting for the creepy urban legend stuff to start, but instead this girl is going on about her dead parents who she called by their first name's and how she's not really too sad they are gone because at least she's somehow very rich?! And because she's rich she doesn't care about anything?! Idk I was so annoyed by the writing and lack of background on the characters and plot that I gave up. Good luck if you try this mess.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the ARC.

I wanted to like this. I really did. I love urban legends and I could sense the 90’s horror vibe the author was going for, but unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.

I enjoyed that the book was broken up into different points of view, each spanning over a different time frame. Everything was tied together and interconnected which usually always makes things fun and breaks up monotony. Unfortunately, these breaks felt more disjointed than flowing to me.

At times it felt like the writing tried too hard to be “cool” and “relatable” when in fact it just made me feel less empathetic towards the characters because they felt like pompous assholes.

I wish I could pinpoint exactly what it is about this book that didn’t hit the mark for me, but I hope that you take the time to read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. There are good parts, good twists, and maybe for you it will be exactly what you’re looking for!

As someone who grew up on urban horror, this hit so well for me. This definitely gave Blair Witch vibes and I was here for it! The ending was SO SHOCKING and I can't stop thinking about this. Thank you so much Ataria for my gifted physical copy!