The Summer of Broken Rules is such a great summer read and was exactly what I was looking for! I read this book in a single day as I found myself unable to put it down! Not only was a swept away in the adorable romance between Meredith and Wit but the intense game of assassin that they play brought me back to playing man hunt at my own cottage during the summer! And on top of all of this, Meredith is trying to navigate the loss of her older sister. Oh, and did I mention, there’s also a wedding happening?! This book is so fun and sweet and will make the perfect beach read! I recommend this book to any YA fan looking for a cute contemporary novel to read this summer!

The Summer of Broken Rules is the feel-good summer read of my dreams! It’s the book I only hope to have in my hands on those hot summer days, lounging on the porch or by the pool. Its delightful family of characters and expansive farm setting cast a warm glow across each page. I enjoyed the intoxicating romance, but I fell in love with the story’s healing properties more and more as time went on.

This book finds success by clinging to the comfort of togetherness in the darker moments of loss and tragedy — something we could all use a little more of right now. This isn’t just a stellar seasonal read for the beach. In the story’s most honest and ridiculous moments, it is a blissful escape brimming with family, love, comfort food, and summer shenanigans.

I am a sucker for any summer read that takes place at a cottage or beach house, but The Summer of Broken Rules manages to combine every aspect of the perfect getaway to create a glorious beachside farm in Martha's Vineyard, where this ambitious tale has the room to play without restraining the plot. This perfect setting is encompassed by many wonderful story elements that allow it to shine, but none are greater than the decision to include Assassin in the wedding festivities.

The yearly tradition to play a farm-wide game of Assassin could have easily been a fun side-plot, similar to the shenanigans present in Jenny Han’s P.S. I Still Love You. However, this book insists on making the ridiculously petty, high-stakes, adrenaline-pumping, game of water-gun tag its crowning achievement. Each storyline finds a way to revolve around the game in some capacity and it might just be the best decision this author makes when choosing to frame Meredith’s melancholy summer in a new light.

The reader can embrace the sadder parts of Meredith’s story and invest in her all-consuming flirtation with Wit. Yet, we are never dragged down by the heaviness of that conflict because Assassin is just too fun, and the characters are just a little too bloodthirsty in their mission to be the last one standing.

I'm not entirely worried about this book’s minuscule flaws when the greater plot is giving me everything I could want from a summer read. Any story with a plot twist that revolves around a Taylor Swift song and features a gaggle of grown adults acting like maniacs in the name of a plastic trophy as they galavant around a gorgeous estate is worth the hassle. It always will be because stories as magical as this don't come around too often.

Thank you NetGalley and Source Fire Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! What a sweet summer read. This story follows Meredith Fox as she returns back to Martha's vineyard for a cousin's wedding. She and her family vacation here every year, but this is their first time going without Meredith's sister, Claire, after she passed away unexpectedly last year. On top of that, Meredith's boyfriend, Ben, dumped her two weeks before the wedding, leaving her high and dry. Luckily, she has her family's annual game of Assassin to keep her distracted and her target just happens to be a very attractive groomsman.

Having no experience with the game Assassin, I absolutely loved how this was intertwined into the story! I could just picture Meredith's huge family playing this game every summer and getting super into it. It made me wish my own family had a fun tradition like this! I also just adored the setting of this book! It made me want to go to the beach, drink wine, and soak up the warm sun, SO BAD. The way the setting was described and how much of the vineyard played a role in Meredith's life made this book so enjoyable to read. As light and breezy as this was, there was still the element of grief and loss of a loved one. Meredith is still very much mourning the loss of her sister and trying to navigate this new phase of life. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book as I get closer and closer to summer! The romance between Wit and Meredith was cute without being too cheesy. I was rooting for both MC's, which is always a win in my book!

Meredith is headed to her family's beloved vacation compound for the first time since her sister died. There to celebrate her cousin's wedding, Meredith meets groomsman Wit. What starts as a pact to have each others' back for a week-long game of Assassin quickly turns into something much more.

This is my favorite kind of YA summer read!! A beach, a cute boy, and a sad back story. 🎶 These are a few of my favorite things 🎶

The game of Assassin really made this book, I think. It was such a fun way for Meredith the reconnect with her family and get out of her own head a bit. It was also a creative way to introduce the extended family - personalities really come out in a competitive setting.

Wit was the ideal YA love interest - he was funny and clearly intelligent, but also incredibly caring and perceptive. He and Meredith were a perfect match, in my opinion.

As much as this was a love story it was also about grief and life after loss. I was glad we got to hear a little about it from several perspectives - a sister, cousin, friend, and parent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

When I started this book, I didn't have very high expectations as it seemed just like another young adult contemporary book but I was quickly proven wrong. Walther managed to craft a story that just felt like happiness, even though the plot revolved around a very tragic event. The strong family ties and friendships were something that I could only dream of having. That what this book felt like, it felt like I was reading a dream come true. I loved watching Meredith grow and find peace with everything that happened. Grief is a an insanely hard subject, but I think that Walther crafted a beautiful story of how one moves on after the loss of a loved one, while still managing to keep the story light hearted. Also, if I could marry Wit right now, that would be greatly appreciated. The characters in this book were unforgettable, and I truly felt like a part of the family while reading it.

This book was an absolute delight and will make the perfect summer read. YA fans of Morgan Matson, Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and more will adore it just like I did! The story has it all, from a setting on summer Martha's Vinyard, a family wedding, young romance, overcoming grief, and even an action-packed game of Assassin! I loved every minute of this and would recommend it to anyone who loves a feel-good summer YA novel. I cannot wait to read more by K. L. Walther!

I love summer. My best memories come from summer months. Whether it is reminiscing on family cookouts, my years as a camp counselor, or vacations at the lake; I look back fondly on these months. Which is why, as a reader, I immediately connected to this story.

Meredith and her family use to vacation on Martha's Vineyard with her extended family every summer. That is until her sister, Claire, passes away and the family has a difficult time returning to the place that holds so many memories. However, this summer her cousin is getting married and everyone must return to celebrate.

The Summer of Broken Rules is a fun, summer read with pain and grief. The reader follows Meredith as she reconnects with family, falls in love, and discovers herself after loss. One of my favorite aspects was how a game of Assassin threads the whole story together. Overall, this was a book I couldn't put down, so it made me laugh and cry late into the night.

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this ARC of The Summer of Broken Rules. It was such a fun, but meaningful read - I've already recommended it to students and friends! I can't wait until it is published in just a few days... 💕

this book was so sweet and heartwarming! definite content warnings for loss of a sibling, but working through that grief with our main character felt so raw and real.

Wit was SUCH a gem and honestly an ideal love interest. There were so many different relationships that this book surrounded, familial, friendships, and obviously young love.

the little bits of humor and fun were great and now I want to play a big ole game of Assassin with my while family. For sure recommend this book to YA lovers!!

Meredith Fox returns to Martha’s Vineyard for her cousin’s wedding after the death of her sister, Claire. However, she can’t stop missing her sister while being in the place where they spent so much time together. However, she has an opportunity to turn her summer around with the help of the game Assassin. To make it better, her target is a cute groomsman. Can Meredith overcome her grief and learn how to live again?

This book isn’t just a book about summer love, but also grief and how to keep living after the loss of a loved on. This was such a cute cute book! I loved Meredith and was able to identify with her and remembered my teen years. She clever and sweet, she went after what she wanted and challenged herself to overcome her fears. She felt lost for so long but allowed herself to experience life again.

I also loved the descriptions of Martha’s Vineyard and the little stores. I felt like I was apart if the Fox family as I read about the family traditions. I loved how close her family was. Wit and Meredith were really cute together. I was really proud of Meredith at the end of the book she really grew as a person and left me smiling. It’s the perfect summer read.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

This book isn’t just a book about summer love, but also grief and how to keep living after the loss of a loved on. Boy, did it also give me all the summer feels. I started reading it while it was rainy and cold here, and all I wanted was to go to Martha’s Vineyard with my family.

Meredith Fox returns to Martha’s Vineyard for her cousin’s wedding after the death of her sister, Claire. However, she can’t stop missing her sister while being in the place where they spent so much time together. However, she has an opportunity to turn her summer around with the help of the game Assassin. To make it better, her target is a cute groomsman. Can Meredith overcome her grief and learn how to live again?

I got lost in this book. I really did. I read it really quickly because I didn’t want to put it down. My heart really went out to Meredith, because I can’t imagine losing my brother. I felt like her grief was genuine. She felt lost for so long, and I think it’s completely relatable. I also loved the descriptions of Martha’s Vineyard and the little stores. It almost felt like I was there! (And now I totally have plans to visit.) The family traditions that Meredith’s family participated in made my heart feel warm. I loved how close her family was. I also thought that Wit and Meredith were really cute together. Lastly, I was really proud of Meredith at the end of the book (that’s all I’ll say about that!). It’s the perfect summer read.

So, the story happens pretty quickly. I thought that Wit and Meredith getting together so quickly was a *little* unrealistic, especially since he apparently was a big player during his freshman year of college. Like, he fell REALLY fast. Also, I’m not sure if it’s just me, but there were some parts that caused confusion (not going to list them to avoid spoilers). I made assumptions that maybe the author had wanted me to make, but the way the story played out, I got the impression that I just understood it incorrectly. Those were the only two things that stuck out to me though!

If you’re looking for a great summer read, this is the one. I think fans of Sarah Dessen, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Deb Caletti, and Susan Colasanti will really enjoy this book! I give it my recommendation!

I’ll post my review to Goodreads, Bookstagram, and BookTok sometime between 05/02-05/08! (Publication week, yay!)

I loved this perfect summer book. Sun, fun and plenty of heartbreak. This book while fiction accurately portrays what it’s like to grieve. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book. Truly and completely. It has been so long since I've read something that made me want to soak it up and live in it and rush through to get the whole story all at once. It has been so long since I've read a romance plot that made my stomach swoop with happiness. This is told first person, one POV, and it was so perfect. I know dual POV is so popular right now, but oh my goodness, this story is the textbook on why one POV creates and ratchets up tension like dual POV can only fathom.
Meredith was darling. She was witty and confident in ways that YA often overlooks. She was insecure in a realistic and heartbreaking way, given the loss of her sister. The loss was written so beautifully, and upon reading the acknowledgments, I can tell that it was written honestly and from the author's heart and personal experience. It made me tear up multiple times. I loved how all of the different plots were woven together seamlessly--I never sat there and thought "oh, cool, here's the B story". The B story was vital to the A story and vital to the C story. The romance, the assassin game, the grief, the wedding... it all blended together so well. I'm now longing for a week on Martha's Vineyard, a big, eclectic family full of so much love, and a beautiful, summer wedding.
I loved this book. So so much. And I thought it was almost completely perfect, so I as much as I love it, I really don't have many nitpicky complaints like I normally would about something I loved.

~ I received an ARC of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks from the publishers for the opportunity!~

~~~

The Summer of Broken Rules is just the YA book you'll want to read if you're after something fun and romantic with a touch of comedy and a lot of heart. The story follows Meredith during a summer at hers and her family's favourite vacation spot Martha's Vineyard. This summer, the whole extended family will be there for a cousin's wedding and it's the first time she and her family have been back there since Meredith's sister died. When a surprise game of Assassin, the family's traditional summer activity, is announced, Meredith finds herself determined to play and win like her sister would have before - and it certainly distracts her from thinking about her ex who broke up with her a couple weeks ago. She doesn't expect to become close to one of the groomsmen who becomes her target, nor to feel herself (reluctantly) fall for him.

I really enjoyed this book because it gave me all those fun, tingling summer feels I love in a romantic comedy. The game of Assassin is thoroughly entertaining and I really loved seeing how it played out. Some of Meredith's family are certainly competitive, which made for some really funny moments and interesting family dynamics. The way the game develops the relationship between Meredith and Wit, the groomsman, was exciting and often pretty dramatic. The whole summer vibe with the game in play was just a lot of fun and made for a really good character development and plot, which meant I was super keen to keep reading.

I also really enjoyed the characters. Meredith is a wonderful lead female character. I loved how she wanted to be known for everything she was, not just for her pretty face. There was a real depth to her character that I feel like a lot of people will relate to. The way the book explored her relationships with her ex, her sister, her friends and how she dealt with her grief was moving and true to life. I really engaged with Meredith as a character as she developed herself and came to terms with her past, what she wants and who she wants to be throughout the summer. Wit is a fantastic character, both as Meredith's new love interest and as his own person. He is gives the story a really brightness and is just honestly adorable in every way and will definitely make you swoon right alongside Meredith. I loved seeing how the relationship developed between them throughout the story, it was lovely and everything I want in a romance. Meredith's sister Claire, though we only meet her in flashbacks, was an integral part of the story and I really enjoyed how her character and her death was explored in the book.

This was a really fun read for me and it also had its heart-wrenching/warming moments too. I would definitely recommend picking it up when it hits the shelves next week in May. If you've enjoyed books like Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, and A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey, this is the book for you.

For her whole life, Meredith and her sister has gone to her family compound on the vineyard for the summer. This year, the first after the death of Meredith’s sister, she knows things will be different. What she doesn’t know is that what could have been a summer of loss turns into a summer that gives her new meaning.

I really enjoyed this author’s debut last year, but she’s really found her stride with this one. It really pulled me out of my teaching-in-the-age-of-covid/rainy April in NY life and put me right into Martha’s Vineyard with family in the summer. I felt the wedding events, the game of assassin, and the acute loneliness of being in a place without your person juxtaposed with the excitement and, yes, anxiety of letting in someone new who has something special to offer you. It was such a welcome reprieve, and I didn’t want it to end. I actually put off reading the last couple of chapters to make it last longer. Much like Meredith, I wasn’t ready for my sun soaked summer vacation to come to an end. This novel was a really great point-in-time novel capturing a summer that would ultimately be both an end and a beginning for our MC, one of those pivotal life moments and transitions. It was beautiful, and charming, and funny, and heartbreaking.

I loved the family dynamics and appreciated Meredith’s relationship with her parents, grandparents, and cousin. And while I usually like more build-up, like Meredith, I completely fell for Wit. Hitch me to Witry indeed. And I loved the cameos from previous characters. And the setting was done so well; you really feel like you’re on the vineyard for the summer. I could practically smell the sunscreen.

I have heart eyes for this book, it is simply amazing. This is the perfect coming-of-age story that captures what it’s like to both grieve and celebrate a lost loved one. There are 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 excitement to keep you guessing on how the story would unfold, enough romance that had you excited for any interaction between Wit and Meredith, and enough family fun there you were excited to see who was assassinated next (the whole group there for a family wedding takes part in a giant game of Assassin). It was the perfect mixture of playful and heartfelt with great chemistry with all the characters.

This book is incredibly well written and it captivates you. It’s the type of book that sneaks up on you and you find yourself lost within its pages, forgetting life around you, which is really the best type of book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Sourcefire Books, and K. L. Walther for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review

This book was so fun and the absolute perfect summer read. I couldn't put it down. The writing was just so perfect for the genre and I definitely will be going to read K.L. Walther's book from last year.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the gifted ebook.

3.5 stars.

Summary: Meredith and her family are going back to Martha’s Vineyard for their annual family reunion and to celebrate her cousins wedding. While still grieving the death of her sister, she’s looking forward to time with family and friends and especially their annual game of Assassin.

This was a cute summer-y read that would be great to take along on a vacation (or staycation). Here’s what worked and didn’t work for me...

What worked: I loved the family dynamics and the cast of characters. The setting was fantastic and made me wish I could vacation in Martha’s Vineyard! The balance of joy and grief was handled well. A very bingeable read.

What didn’t work: Although the Assassin aspects were fun, it was also just too drawn out at time. Some of the drama felt forced/unnatural.

All in all, a cute YA/new adult beach read and a good escape for some armchair travel.

I LOVED "The Summer of Broken Rules"! I read this in a day and was fully captivated. I will definitely be buying this for my shelves.

Virtually every summer of her life, Meredith Fox has spent several weeks on Martha's Vineyard surrounded by friends, family, and cherished traditions. In THE SUMMER OF BROKEN NEWS, K. L. Walther shares the story of Meredith's return to her beloved island for a cousin's wedding, mourning her sister's death and being dumped by her boyfriend, but also looking forward to going to college in the fall and heading into a new life. The past and her present collide when she finds herself falling for Wit, a groomsman who makes her feel seen and beautiful for the first time in a very long time. Throughout the story, I felt the tugs of old familiar and exciting novelty and was seduced by pie, by loving connections, salty air and tall grasses of a wonderful story. I received an early reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Summer of Broken Rules is the story of Meredith Fox and her extended family. Meredith has been going to Martha's Vineyard for years, but this is the first summer they've returned since the tragic and untimely death of her sister (who was also her best friend). Meredith and her family are returning for the wedding of her cousin and at the last minute her "plus-one" breaks up with her, so she's left without a date. Fortunately, there's a handsome groomsman to keep her company.

Meredith and Wit strike up a relationship throughout the wedding festivities and it seems to be "fate" that they've come together. The Summer of Broken Rules tells the story of grief, growth, and forging your own path in life. I love how Walther wrote Meredith as a strong female lead and that we were able to follow her journey as she matured. She began the novel as a timid teenager bending to the whims of those around her and unsure of her own path, but as the book progresses, you see Meredith come into her own. She emerges as a confident, self-assured woman - one who is not afraid to speak her mind.

This book is a wonderful addition to the YA genre. It has just enough easy romance to be a fun summer read, but also enough depth and substance to carry far beyond the beach.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.