It has been awhile since I read a YA contemporary rom-com and this one did not disappoint! It is a beautiful tale of loss, family, love and heartbreak.

Y’all the best part of this story was the game of Assassin. Literally what drew me in to request this one! I adored the characters, they were all well written and relatable. The setting was beautiful and made me want to travel to Martha's Vineyard.

I highly suggest this fun and moving story!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A heartwarming coming-of-age summer novel. Full of family, loss and heartache, young love, and vivid descriptions of a charming coastal setting. Looking forward to further titles from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this title.

Summer lovin', had me a blast .... summer lovin', happens so fast ...

K.L. Walther's sophomore novel, The Summer of Broken Rules, is a delightful summer read that will have you wishing for long and lazy days on the Vineyard and the headiness of young love.

Meredith Fox is headed to Martha's Vineyard for a week of fun festivities leading up to her cousin's wedding on her family's sprawling property, tucked away on the island. Paqua Farm is the perfect place to play a game of Assassin, as her family does every summer, but this year, things won't be quite the same without Meredith's sister Claire, who recently passed away. Meredith, still in the throes of grief, has good days and bad, but she misses her sister terribly. Not only is Meredith grieving the loss of her sister, but the end of her relationship as well. Her boyfriend, who was supposed to be her date for the wedding, dumped her just two weeks prior, leaving Meredith heartbroken, but determined to move on. So when she crosses paths with a cute groomsman and feels a spark that could possibly turn into something more, she has to make a decision - is she ready to trust her heart again?

The Summer of Broken Rules perfectly captures that exhilarating, all-consuming kind of love that is a hallmark of youth. Meredith and Wit's relationship blooms and grows over the course of a week, and is the sort of summer love we all deserve to experience once in our lives - running wild and free around an island with the one who has captured our heart. While their romance is of the insta-love variety, it will appeal to young readers and those who remember what it was like to crush hard on someone at that age.

Walther also brings Martha's Vineyard vividly to life in The Summer of Broken Rules, and even if you have never been to the Vineyard (like me), you will still feel nostalgic for this cozy and quaint place. Using actual locations on the island, Meredith shows Wit around town, and we readers get to tag along too! I'll admit that I looked up all of the places that Meredith and family visited, even browsing photos and perusing menus ... it was like taking a vacation from the comfort of home!

The game of Assassin played in this novel put a fun spin on this story, and gives it some "lagniappe," because let's face it, falling in love at a wedding has been done in stories plenty of times before. But the game turns this novel into something more than just a romance. It really made this book feel genuine and authentic, like we were with Meredith's family on Paqua Farm, enjoying good food, family, and friends.

Lastly, Walther touches deeply on the lasting effects of grief and demonstrates how it manifests itself in those who are left behind. Walther shows how we carry our grief and those that we have loved and lost with us wherever we go, and gives a realistic portrayal of moving forward in our lives while still actively grieving the loss of someone important to us.

This was an excellent YA book, that was both sad and hopeful. I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for my copy of The Summer of Broken Rules! All thoughts are my own.

Oh, I just adored this book. Between the cover and the Martha’s Vineyard setting, I knew it was a must read for me. And then I was just delightfully surprised by what I found inside! Romance, a sex positive relationship between the main character and her parents, a huge magical family, and so much heart. I loved it, finishing it very quickly and wish there was more.

If you enjoyed 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston, I think you’ll like The Summer of Broken Rules!

“Meredith Fox has been going to Martha's Vineyard for the summer as long as she can remember. But this summer is the first one back since the death of Meredith's sister. It will all be overwhelming, but even more since since the entire extended family will be together for her cousin's big wedding.

Unfortunately, Meredith's longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumped her two weeks before the wedding, leaving her dateless. Luckily, she has the perfect distraction. Her family has a tradition of playing the ultimate game of Assassin every summer, and this year it will take place during the week of wedding festivities.

But her target just happens to be a very cute groomsman. She's determined to not let herself get distracted, not let herself be lost in another doomed relationship. But as the week progresses, she can't help falling for him, which may cost her not only the game, but also her heart.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—As a New Englander, I crave summer stories set on the magical islands we have. I haven’t read as many books set on Martha’s Vineyard so this was such a treat. The vast family farm and beaches, local shops, bike baths. It was so wonderful to escape into.

The Romance—This book is marketed as YA but I really think it blurs the lines between YA and New Adult, with an 18 year old protagonist and 20 year old love interest. It’s sex positive and sweet and though things move fast, it felt totally believable as a summer romance that swept away the characters.

The Family—The family aspect of this book is SO GOOD. Everyone is on the family camp/estate for a wedding plus there’s a family wide game of Assassin happening. I love those kinds of stories and I think if you enjoyed 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston, you’ll be a fan of this one.

What Didn’t Work:

I can see some people complaining about a certain “cheese level” to the romance, and usually I am the first one to roll my eyes, but it WORKED! I think when young people feel so strongly and know they’ve found a connection, they say and do things that feel so dramatic to those of us on the other side of adolescence, but it doesn’t mean it’s not genuine.

TW/CW: death of a sibling, grief, car accident

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5

WHAT! Another favorite?? Wow I flew through this one, it's the perfect summer read! The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther is about family, grief and love. I absolutely loved the writing and the characters. Even though there were many, they were all distinct. Meredith and Wit were wonderfully cute! I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy in exchange of an honest review.

Overall I thought this was a great book! I was surprised by the twists in the plot, and happy with the ending.

THE SUMMER OF BROKEN RULES by K.L Walher is a perfect summer read. Meredith just graduated high school and is still mourning the loss of her big sister, Claire, who died in a car accident 2 years prior. Her cousin Sarah is getting married at Martha's Vineyard so both families are getting together for a week long celebration and a family tradition: a huge game of assassin. Claire was known as being the best of the best, so Meredith has big shoes to fill and does her best to make her sister proud. Along the way, she falls for the groom's stepbrother who rivals her with his game-playing skills, but also has some secrets he's having a hard time sharing.

So real talk, I didn't realize this book was YA until I started it! I definitely read YA from time to time, but that threw me off guard a bit and may have tempered my thoughts about the book as a whole. I think a teen would love this swoony romance about a big family coming together for a summer wedding after a major loss, especially with an "assassin" game as the backdrop. The main characters are well-defined and while it might be hard keeping track of the huge family, it is lovable and sweet with realistic heartbreaks and coming-of-age journeys. Not totally my speed, but a very well done executed story all in all.

Meredith has been going to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer for as long as she can remember. This summer is the first time she’s going back since the death of her sister. She is spending a week celebrating her cousin’s wedding, and right before she leaves her long term boyfriend dumps her.

This one was super cute summer YA! I love reading books that contain a huge tight family. Getting to know Meredith and her cousins was a delight! If you love reading about families with long-standing traditions, this one is for you! What originally gravitated me to this book was the mention of a game called “assassin”. It was a super fun water gun game that helped reconnect Meredith’s family after mourning a loss.

I ended up rating this one 3.5⭐️. One of the main focuses of this book is the romance, and I really didn’t care for Meredith and Wit. I did enjoy them together but I just didn’t enjoy how they were written. The instalove confused me as Meredith was recently single after a four year relationship and Wit was described as a player. Overall, this was a cute summer read that I did enjoy!

This story started off slow and slightly confusing because it hints at previous events but takes a while to explain what actually happened.
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However, once it picked up I quote enjoyed following the journey!

Unfortunately my Amazon account got hacked numerous times and I closed my account. When closing the account, I lost all of my electronic kindle ARCs from netgalley under that email including this title which I am unable to review

What is the perfect book to get you into the summer mindset?

Look no further. This book is simply amazing. This is the perfect coming-of-age story that captures truthfully what it’s like to both grieve and celebrate a lost loved one. Though this book showcases the stages of grief in a way that doesn’t consume the whole story. It’s done in a way that’s authentic to the grieving process where life will continue and it’s how you deal with the daily struggles and emotions. There’s ways to find happiness, there are days that are harder than most, the anger still can be consuming, but overall the memories and love will forever be in your heart.

There’s something about this book that made it hard to put down. There was just enough mystery to keep you guessing on how the story would unfold, enough romance that had you excited for any interaction between them, and enough family fun there you were excited to see who was assassinated next. It was the perfect mixture of playful and heartfelt with great chemistry with all the characters. The writing style flows nicely, filled with vivid imagery and a wide range of emotions and situations that made this more than a YA fiction book.

I adored these words on the pages, characters that felt like extensions of myself, everything. This book is so well written that it captivated you without you realizing it. It’s the type of book that sneaks up on you and you find yourself lost within its pages for hours and leaves you with the best kind of book hangover.

This book was the perfect summer read! I really loved the fun, light-hearted aspects of the story, such as the game of Assassin, but I also really loved the deeper, emotional aspects of the book as well. Meredith's journey towards self-discovery, new love, and dealing with the lingering grief of her sister's death was a pleasure to read. This is a wonderful book and makes a fantastic beach read! I really enjoyed it!

The Summer of Broken Rules was an incredibly tender summer read that I loved every page of. The premise was already so fun (a game of assassin at a family reunion? Sign me up immediately), but add in Wit, the cute male lead, and I was somehow even more hooked. I loved Meredith and Wit's chemistry, and how watching their relationship develop was like watching two of my best friends fall in love. K.L. Walther has such a way of writing that you feel like you're in the book right there with the characters, and her future releases will definitely be at the top of my to-read list from here on out.

This was a really great summer romcom read. The book really felt like a summer story. The writing is light and airy. It's a YA romcom so it's lighter on the romance aspect.

This one is laugh out loud funny, as well as being completely relatable emotionally.

I loved the quirkiness of the entire family. All the characters were really well rounded.

The dialogue is great, there's witty banter and the author handles the death of a loved one well, without it being too overpowering for the comedy in the story.

This one really is a great book. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a YA romcom.

The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Swipe for @goodreads synopsis.

It’s summer time. It’s a time to escape, to heal, to find new love maybe? Meredith and her mom and dad are recovering after a great loss. They have hidden away and are now coming back to their family for a cousin’s wedding. Meredith wants to just survive this wedding and the memories being back at her family’s home. She doesn’t expect for others to bring more memories rushing up. Like a game of assassin. Meredith has never tried to shine in this game, that was her sister. She wants to honor her and win for her. But the game actually helps heal her in unexpected ways. All the rules Meredith set it place for this summer will get broken, or maybe they won’t, read to find out!

Perfect YA book of romance, grief, and healing all set at Martha Vineyards on a family estate. The game of assassin is perfection and this feel good book is just what you need! Also if you are a fan of Taylor Swift then this will make you want to turn her Fearless album up to full volume!

Thanks to @sourcebooksfire and @netgalley for providing this E-ARC for an honest review!

I must say that this cover bought me. It is soooo pretty and summery.

I really enjoyed this book, and I was very happy to get it.

3.5 stars

I was stoked to get this early - this was such a hyped read for me and the cover was just beautiful.

This is a great summer read and one that I think most will enjoy and should be added to their TBR lists.

Meredith and her family use to spend their summers in Martha’s Vineyard every year, that is, until Meredith’s older sister Claire unexpectedly passed a few years ago. After years away, Meredith and her family are finally returning to the Vineyard for Meredith’s cousin’s wedding #HoorayShesaDupré. Having recently been dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Meredith is definitely not looking for a summer fling! But, right from the get-go, Meredith literally jumps into a whirlwind romance with the groom’s bruised yet handsome stepbrother, Wit, while playing a huge game of assassin with all the wedding guests. Along the way, Meredith deals with her overwhelming grief, makes more concrete decisions for after high school, reconnects with the family she’s been ignoring, and determines her own self-worth.

The Summer of Broken Rules is ideally suited for those who enjoy contemporary romance. This book reminded me a lot of books like P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han, The Beach House by Beth Reekles, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Breathless by Jennifer Niven, and Fade Into the Bright by Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Schwartz. This book deals with themes such as coming of age, growing up, death and grief, family, love and heartbreak, travel, and identity.

Firstly, the references to Taylor Swift’s songs in this book were so enjoyable because, like Meredith, I am a huge “Swiftie”. This book had a little bit of everything: a beach destination, some family drama and healing, a summer love, a fairytale wedding, lots of adventure, and an epic game of assassin. It’s very well organised and in addition to numbered chapters, the book is also broken down chronologically by the day of the week. I loved how Walther included both an epilogue as well as a chapter taking place one year after the conclusion of the book. This made it so satisfying to read about what was happening with Meredith post happily ever after. Lastly, I thought that the tropical descriptions of Martha’s Vineyard were an excellent form of escapism.

To be honest, there wasn’t a lot about this book that I didn’t like. One critique is that the game of assassin was rather long as well as a little bit juvenile and intricate. Another critique is that Walther doesn’t give us the whole story of Claire’s passing at the beginning of the book; I was left guessing as to what happened to Claire until the whole story was revealed approximately mid-way through the book.

Since this book is relatively short and takes place during summer vacation, I think that it would be a perfect summer or beach read!

Meredith Fox has been going to Martha’s Vineyard every summer for as long as she can remember. But after losing her sister in a tragic accident, she knows this summer at the Vineyard won’t be the same without Claire. With her cousin’s wedding just two weeks away, the last thing Meredith expects is to be dumped by her longtime boyfriend and showing up dateless. Luckily, Meredith has the perfect distraction. Every summer the family plays the game Assassin, and this year it takes place during the week of the wedding. But when her target is revealed to be a very cute groomsman, will Meredith lose her focus and end up broken-hearted again?

Okay, so unpopular opinion! I was not a huge fan of this one. Really my biggest complaint is how long the book dragged on. I honestly felt myself getting bored halfway through. I also felt that Meredith’s references to her sister happened too often and it got to the point where it stopped feeling genuine for me. Other than that, I do want to end on a good note and say how much I enjoyed the family dynamic! They were so lovable and fit together so well. It definitely made me miss vacations with my family! I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!