Raw and chaotic. An insight into life in a small town, mental illness and how it feels to be a walking billboard for "the crazies". Beautiful relationships, interesting backstory.

I really enjoyed this story about Will who suffers from bipolar disorder and how it affected his past life with his former wife and child. But also the continued impact it had on his present family members who love and tried to care for him. This was a really good first novel by this author. My only criticism is that every character was complex and in some areas could have been delved into more. I wanted to know more about why Regan left her step-father the only father she seemed to know for a father who never knew she existed? There just wasn't enough of an explanation for me. I would have also liked more details on Gretchen's and Jane's relationship? And, lastly the ending I didn't quite get. I think there was something subtle I was supposed to understand, but it seemed something was left out? Overall a good book, but characters needed better development for the reader to understand fully what was going on. It felt like the author knew but couldn't quite convey it to the reader.

This story depicts bipolarism and its effects on a family. The story did not grab me in the first 1/3 of the book, therefore I lost interest and did not finish it.

4 Stars for this debut novel about the stigma of mental illness & the family dynamics of Will and his family, who really just want to live a "normal" life! This is not easy to do when living in a small town, where everyone knows his business & he can't erase the traumatic events of his past! There is a secret revealed at the very end of this book & I wish there would have been more time & explanation spent on that- but otherwise a good read! Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

Insipid, unrealistic, cringeworthy. This book attempts to fit four viewpoints into one in a hurried novel that rivals Nicholas Sparks in terms of cheesiness. I think that everything with Will's disorder was also overblown. This is not the first novel to tackle a mental health disorder, but it's one that does it in an irresponsible way. There were no likable characters in this book... except maybe Lindsay? But her declarations of love made me roll my eyes. I could get get into Regan and Lane because I'd felt like we saw little of them. The only relationship that had enough time was the father daughter one--but Will was such an ass throughout that i found myself not caring.

3.5 stars
*I received this ARC from Spark Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Having a mental illness is an awful thing to carry throughout your life. It condemns you to a life where you have lost control of yourself, placing an enormous burden on your family, and becoming a pariah to society. Such was the case with Will Fletcher, his sister Janey, and eventually Will's teenage daughter, Regan, who finds her dad after witnessing the suicide of her mother thus left with having no one to care for her.

Will Fletcher was formerly a successful veterinarian, a happily married man to the daughter of the mayor of his town, and a father to a newborn daughter. After the death of his newborn child, Will starts his descent into the world of mental illness. He is diagnosed with bi polar disease (later changed to schizophrenia, which his dad suffered from) and becomes what he believes to be a menace, not only to himself, but also to the people around him. He becomes the brunt of the town's teenagers' jokes and pranks. Their incredible viciousness is evident in the way they treat this poor man. The townspeople shun Will and treat him as a pariah. His sister becomes his custodian and Will losses his profession, gets divorced, and takes a job mucking out cages at the local shelter. Into this turmoil comes his daughter, Regan. He is shocked and thrown off kilter by Regan's arrival as he knew nothing of her before and he suffers with guilty feelings that he was the cause of his infant daughter's death. He initially rejects Regan but through Regan's desire for a dad and her need for love in what had been her very troubled life, she ultimately succeeds in making inroads with her dad. Will feels that he is undeserving of love, any kind of love and even though the town's high school principal falls in love with him, Will thinks he does not deserve her love or any love for that matter. Meanwhile, because of numerous episodes Will engages in, the town, pushed by Will's former father in law, gets a petition to have Will committed. A court case ensues.

This was a moving saga of the life a mentally ill person oftentimes faces. The problem for me with this book was certainly not the subject matter, but that oftentimes the author tried to cram too much into its telling. Her characters were all flawed but the author seemed, in a desire to show their flaws, to touch on too many topics. In my opinion, that took away from the main idea of the book, that of mental illness. Often too, the book seemed to meander and lose focus making the reader wonder who the author was writing up with abrupt changes of focus. Perhaps a better editing job would have been beneficial.

However, I do applaud Ms Patrick for broaching the topic of mental illness and presenting her main character as a person who was to be respected and not judged for a condition he could not help.

A good character study about a mentally ill man, his surprise daughter, his controlling sister and the daughters boyfriend. The relationships between them all was interesting to read about and how the characters grew and changed during the book was satisfying.

This was a delight to read an amazing book, well written and so graphically describing the issues of mental illness. Will was so well described that it was hard not to fall in love with him and his gruffness when he was trying to hide his true feelings from himself. The title of the book is made clear throughout in so many ways, starting with Regan giving a clear understanding but there are many different threads of this meaning hidden within the story. This puts across a clear vision and understanding of mental illness mixed with a variety of other life issues that centre around the main characters and brings it all together in a clear and concise way. I found that all of the characters were so well described that I could picture them in my local environment. The final words of the judge brings mental illnesses into perspective so well with a clear logical set of statements. Jenna Patrick has written a moving reading medical type drama. I would highly recommend this book for everyone to read and also think that it should be a part of all school pupils required reading lists.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2000430923

This book was so emotional! I cried more than once while reading and could not put it down. Jenna Patrick has written a superb debut novel. The Rules of Half tells the story of Will Fletcher, known as the “town crazy” to the citizens of Half Moon Hollow. Once a successful veterinarian and happily married father, the death of his infant daughter brings his bipolar disorder to the surface. His sister, Janey, becomes his caretaker, trying to prevent him from becoming institutionalized. Their father had suffered from schizophrenia and Janey is determined to prevent Will from following a similar path. Will’s life is upended when a teenage girl, Regan, arrives at the Fletcher home, announcing she is his daughter. Regan has overcome her own incredible loss and is on a search to find the unconditional love she has been denied her whole life.

The challenges the Fletcher family faces throughout the novel are handled with humour, honesty and raw emotion. Patrick’s characters are well rounded and their stories intertwine seamlessly. I easily became invested in the lives of the Fletcher family, rooting for them to find happiness by novel’s end.

This book’s biggest strength is the way it describes the intensity of living with mental illness, not only on the individual afflicted, but also on their family members. Janey sacrifices everything for Will, intent on keeping their family unit together at all costs. The Fletcher’s are the pariahs of Half Moon Hollow because of Will’s disorder. Throughout his story, we see the fear and anxiety his neighbors harbor towards him as a result of his erratic behavior. Few people ever offer him support; instead they would rather send him away and forget about him. Unfortunately, this mentality is reality for many in our world today, which makes this novel so timely. Mental illness is often ignored or downplayed by those who do not understand it, and instead of aiding those in need, society retreats into a mindset of fear and exclusion. Jenna Patrick does an excellent job bringing awareness to this issue through her story of Will Fletcher.

I highly recommend this novel. This is a story of love, sacrifice, loss and rebirth. Humorous at times and sad at others, The Rules of Half examines the unconditional love between family members. I cannot wait to see what Jenna Patrick writes next.

This is Patrick's debut novel , which comes out June 6th. I was excited to receive a digital copy of this for free from NetGalley, prior to its publication. I found that I enjoyed Patrick's writing style and that the pace of the book was good. The characters were believable, likable and I was really happy with the first 2/3 of the book. However, I felt that things fell apart at the end.

In Rules of Half, Regan Whitmoor, along with most of the other characters, is dealing with a lot. Her mother committed suicide in front of her, leaving her with an abusive stepfather. Regan runs away and finds her biological father, Will, a man who is bipolar, and dealing with his own divorce and the recent death of his infant daughter. Regan's aunt, Janey, is a lesbian and dealing with the discrimination of a small, backwards thinking town that is run by a power hungry mayor. She has left her home and girlfriend in NYC to take care of her brother.

This book had the potential to shed light on mental health issues that deserve recognition and thought. However, there were so many other major issues that distracted me from Will and his struggle to deal with his illness. It may be too much to expect one book to tackle mental illness, homophobia, parental abuse, teenage romance, and the death of a child.

My major issue with the book however, was its ending. The book has an epilogue that takes place one year after the "end" of the story. In my opinion, that epilogue should not have been included. I was so upset by the way the author left things; I did not feel that the character's actions were authentic or true to the way they would have acted, based on what I had come to know about them. The author had left some loose ends at the end of the story and it seemed like she was trying to tie them all up in a page or two; which didn't work in my opinion.

The reviews of this book on Goodreads are fantastic (4.11) so clearly my opinion is not shared by many. Even though I had trouble with the ending, I would read something else by the author in the future.

This book tells the story of Will Fletcher and his struggle with bipolar disorder. It is funny and sad and thought provoking. His sister looks after him and he has a daughter who appears that he didn't know about. There is the right balance of family life and coping with the illness. This is a story I enjoyed reading and will definitely recommend.

Currently reading this one! Will edit to post review soon.

THE RULES OF HALF is a unique and engaging debut novel. Very enjoyable and informative. Memorable and reliable characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Compelling, intriguing and captivating . The plot was unique, original, well built ,the characters deep, strong and engaging while the prose was flowing and perfect. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone. This was a one sit read for me.

I found it rather formulaic and predictable. Teens may appreciate this more than adults.

4 1/2 Stars
What an amazing debut by Jenna Patrick! This book was delivered beautifully. As the story progressed the reader was completely immersed. A story of mental illness and so much more. A book that has you on edge as you root for the underdog. A story rich with emotions and redemption with a perfect ending that leaves you rethinking the whole novel. Wondering what if ... Well done!!

Absolutely loved this book. It's so beautifully written, showing the impact bipolar disorder, depression, grief and guilt can have on life, how that effects the individual, family members and friends. While also having to deal with the stigma of mental health from there community.
Jenna Patrick brings the four main characters alive, intertwining there problems, thoughts and personalities so realistically. you feel you are part off them, sharing their emotions which will have you laughing and crying to the very end.

Thank you Netgalley, Sparkpress and Jenna Patrick for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This complex novel contains enough subplots for 3 books. 16-year-old Regan shows up on her father's doorstep after her mother committed suicide in front of the teenager. Regan is eager to escape an abusive stepfather, but finds herself in over her head when she discovers that her father has bipolar disorder and is deeply grieving the loss of his infant daughter and the end of his marriage to that child's father. Small-town politics, several romances and many layers of grief make for a compelling story despite the sad subject matter.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC copy for a fair and honest review.

What would you do if you had nothing to lose because you had already lost it by the age of 15? That's the case of Regan Whitmer, a teen girl that had been raised on the streets of Chicago by her mother, until her mother married a pastor by the name of Steven. This all takes place before the start of the book and we learn more and more about what Regan has faced as she thinks back to what she and her mother had endured prior to her mothers suicide.

How would we behave if we saw our own parent kill themselves with our own eyes? Would we even resemble normal? Well Regan runs away from her stepfather to look for her father, a man that her mother had said was a hero, and other great things, but what she finds is a man that the small town has shunned as crazy and scary. Is he really those things? Is he dangerous, or simply misunderstood. These are things that you will find out as you read this heartbreaking, but at times funny, story about what it's like living with someone with Bipolar Disorder. The high highs and the low lows, mania and severe depression, not easy things for anyone to deal with, but with support from the people that love you, the proper meds and therapy many people can lead normal lives. The author covered all these things beautifully!

It's hard to not care about Regan, her father Will, her Aunt Janey, boy friend Lane and her Principal Lindsey. They all play an important part in how Will handles life after the loss of his baby daughter, meeting his teen daughter that he didn't know he had, and simply life in a town that seems to despise him as they believe he was the cause of his infant daughter's death.

It shows how our own misunderstandings, our own biases and our own ignorance can easily affect others. This is one of those books that I could not put down and am very much looking forward to reading more by this very talented author and see what other issues and faces she will put on them to make them real to the masses!