The story of an advice columnist suffering and figuring out her life, slowly and with lots of change. I loved this tale, and felt it in my heart. From the loss suffered, to the truths discovered, and the family secrets being revealed, all the way to the child coping in his own way and coming to terms with everything - this was a great great book. I found myself immersed in their world through the writing style, and really tied emotionally to Lane and her world. Thank you Net Galley and Lake Union for the ARC.

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Characters: 3.5/5 Stars
Believability: 3/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 2.5/5 Stars

From a rather broad perspective, this is a pretty good story, but there were several things that bothered me and made it difficult for me to really like it. I kept hoping to see those things turn around or wrap up in a way that felt satisfying, but in the end, never really did.

One issue is the multiple layers of storylines going on through this. Normally, I really enjoy this level of complex storytelling, as long as all of those separate but intertwined pieces are fully fleshed out. Here you have the story of Lane and her husband and the background behind their marital problems, Lane’s relationship with her son who won’t speak to anyone but Lane, her relationship with her parents and sister which is deeply intertwined with whatever is going on with her uncle and his daughter and whatever history that shapes all of that, and finally the side story about her relationship with Nathan.

Of all of those different lines and pieces, you only get resolutions that are on the slightly murky side for nearly all of them. The only clear resolution you get is why Nathan chose not to speak. You never get any indication what so ever about why Lane’s family is so incredibly odd and dismissive. The situation with the uncle forces the reader to make some huge guesses and assumptions, but is never given any real understanding.

The bigger historical revelation kind of isn’t one and really doesn’t do much to address all the various different pieces in a way that is satisfying as a resolution and the wrap up with Lane’s husband fell completely flat with me. I felt like it was a “what was the point” kind of thing that did nothing for the rest of the story and definitely didn’t give any kind of clarity.

There were lots of parts of Lane’s character that grated on me, especially in her role as a mother. There were too many incidents with Henry where her reaction didn’t exactly mesh with the concept of being the deeply invested, mama bear type of parent. While I’m sure it was supposed to be due to whatever dysfunctional upbringing she went through and the scars that left, those two parts didn’t work well together for me.

Outside of Henry, I don’t think I really liked any of the other characters. Lane’s parents and sister were absolutely horrible and you never get any believable justification for why. The fact that they would behave the way they did, knowing what Lane thought about that historical reveal, is so unbelievable it was impossible to swallow.

Many of the overall concepts in this were intriguing, but I just wasn’t a fan of how they all played out and the number of unexplained threads left hanging by the end.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions stated are honest and my own.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt the story line was a bit all over the place. It was good but needed a bit more planning. It was a good mystery though. It definitely kept me guessing.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

When Lane's husband dies suddenly in a car accident, she does what she has been conditioned to do - move away. Following the laundry list of her mother's rules, she packs up her life along with son Henry, and moves to a quiet town where all seems well.

Until it doesn't. Henry's new school isn't working out so well and suddenly he stops speaking to anyone but Lane. Her house is falling apart and her family and her job all seem to be doing the same. Lane slowly starts to realize what it might take to put her life back together.

This started out really interesting. Then the middle starts to drag and meander a bit. I struggled to keep going. In the end, the big family mystery is revealed and it's a bit of a letdown. The writing was excellent but I did not connect at all with the main character. But her flaws were realistic, given her family's dysfunction.

Rules for. Moving was a decent read. Lane is an advice columnist, but she could use some some advice. Her husband died unexpectedly and her son Henry went silent. She also has drama with her parents that hardens back to her turbulent childhood. Finally, toward the end, readers are given some answers. I couldn't connect with most of the characters in this book. I struggled at time reading, but the writing was good.

The novel immediately grabbed my attention. Lane and her husband, Aaron have a tumultuous marriage and have every intention of getting a divorce. Aaron is drunk more often that not. With the exception of caring for their son, the couple virtually spend no time together. Lane is the feisty writer of the beloved Roxie advice column and ironically, she doles out advice to people while she seems incapable or unable to practice what she is preaching. When Henry is killed in a drunk driving accident and her world is turns up-side-down.

This is where I get lost in the novel and in my opinion, the storyline becomes a little choppy. Lane and her son move out of town for a fresh start. Henry stops speaking to everyone but Lane. Lane grapples with her strange family dynamic, her budding friendship with her landlord, and the contentious changes in her office which leave her filling replaceable. I just did not affiliate with the character and never became invested in her plight.

I received an advance copy of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This book was so good. There was a mystery you didn’t know was even there, the characters and their relationships were so relatable. I really loved everything about it.

A very sweet novel about an advice columnist coming into her own. I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story of a mom and her son as they navigate grief was emotional and heartfelt. It was an ok read but it left me feeling very frustrated throughout the book. I’m glad I finished it, as I got answers to my many questions towards the end of the book, but I thought about putting it down many times. This covers a wide range of family issues and in my opinion, the author took on too many. Overall a fine read but it didn’t leave me feeling satisfied. Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

The story of rules for moving revolves around an advice column writer with a small son who doesnt speak.
There are shake ups in the job scene. Tragedy strikes and requires a move which has lots of issues. Loneliness, frustration and a family with a rocky background add uo to lots of drama. The main character and her son are going through so many changes and stuggling daily to keep up . The book is endearing and we can all relate to some of the issues that make this book hard to put down.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This was a sweet novel that I'm really glad I read. I really like Nancy Star's style of writing in this novel and will look for other titles by her in the future.

I loved the take on an advice columnist who struggles to take her own advice, somehow the author was able to do this without making our main character look incapable, but rather as someone with flaws who is looking to do the right thing in each situation and to make others feel a little bit better about their own shortcomings.

I adored the mother-son relationship between these two, I felt so protective of Henry and was happy with how the story wrapped up for him.

I do think there were a few disconnected pieces in this novel. One being the opening chapter, which was really a flash forward. It was out of context and just not really necessary. Also, the character of Dana who kind of inserted herself into the lives of Lane and Henry but then just kind of disappeared for the rest of the story.

What could have been a more tragic story ended up being a heartwarming read that I really enjoyed.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Rules For Moving.

There are parts of this book that are very interesting. I enjoyed Lane providing advice to others. Some of the story for me was slow and hard to get through. I found this story to be slow and at times hard to get through. I feel like maybe it didn't need to be as drawn out as it was.
Lane was a likable character. Her ability to provide advice to others yet struggled when it came to her own life was something I could easily relate too. I think for a lot of people will too. Henry was a little boy struggling with the loss of his father and with being uncomfortable in social settings.
This book is Lane’s journey to find a path forward after her husband's unexpected death. Her focus is on her son Henry who has stopped talking to everyone but her. When things get tough Lane packs up and moves to NJ which doesn't help.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book that I think is easy to relate too.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced ebook copy.

Beautiful story about discovering yourself. I loved the writing. The characters were well developed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Engaging story with flawed characters about family, parenting, grief, and starting over. Honest emotions and regrets; well written and rings true.

ARC provided by Netgalley; Opinions are solely my own.

Lane moves. It is part of her, it is in her blood. As we dig through with bits and pieces of her past, we sort of see what her family was constantly moving from. There are pieces missing for me, though. I liked this book - its characters, their flaws, the story, the places, the descriptions. But something needs to tie it all together. I love Henry and just want to squeeze his personable little self. I want to know more about Uncle Albie. I want to know more about Aggie and Griffin. We get brief glimpses of the how's and why's, but no nice little bow at the end. I don't mind leaving an ending up for interpretation (unless it is awful, and this one definitely not awful), but when you have characters that alive, I want to know those how's and why's rather than inference. .
This is a very readable book and those pages just kept turning. I would recommend this book and I think I would really like to discuss this one in a book club.
I was invited to read an advanced copy of this book for a review in my own words. Thoroughly grateful.

“Rules for Moving” is an unexpectedly sweet story about grief and moving forward.
Lane is an advice columnist who loses her husband, Aaron, in a crash caused by his drunk driving. Lane had stopped loving Aaron a long time ago and was planning to divorce him, but must put up a front for all of the people who admired Aaron as well as for her young son, Henry, who stops talking to anyone but Lane.

Hoping for a fresh change of scenery, Lane decides to relocate to New Jersey where she rent a property that is not doing much better than she or is son are. Lane moved around a lot as a child and this move brings on flashbacks of her previous struggles of adapting. While there is a lot of loss in this book, I can promise a happy ending, though the author’s eager efforts to resolve the story’s major conflicts perhaps made that ending less than satisfying.

The story of an advice columnist who cannot control her own life could be a cliché in another writer’s hand, but Ms. Star makes an effort to keep the plot fresh. The story is told predominately through Lane’s point of view, though a reader gets to climb into Henry’s mind, which was my favorite part of the novel. I would have been delighted to have been told the entire story from his perspective.

All and all, I give it three and a half stars. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Loved it!! I was excited to read this because I LOVED "Sisters One, Two, Three." It definitely didn't disappoint and had the same feeling as the author's previous book. I would have never guessed the reason why Henry stopped talking. I figured it had to due with the unexpected death of his father. Then there was the "vacation" to Florida. I'm pretty sure torture is an accurate description for the time Lane and Henry spent with her parents. How did Lane and Shelley survive Marshall and Sylvie? I can definitely understand why Shelley moved to London. Their parenting style is very questionable. They were so strange even when Kane and Henry came to see them after Aaron's death. I have so many questions about Uncle Albie. It felt like Sylvie put her brother before her daughters. What exactly was wrong with him? Why did he move in with Sylvie and her family? Was he really the reason they kept moving? What was up with all the moving? Sylvie's rules were crazy. What was with the box incident? Lane is lucky Henry survived his trip to Florida. I loved the characters, writing story and story. I found Lane very humorous. Why would someone leave a puppy on your doorstep? She was a great mom, even if she didn't have a great role model. Aaron's letter was heartbreaking and bittersweet, but at least Lane knew she was loved.

Definitely recommend the book and look forward to reading more books by the author. I loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I don’t know what I expected from this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was reminiscent of Alice Hoffmann, but not quite as well written or interesting. The character of Lane seemed to have so much promise at first, but the book just didn’t grip me.