This was pretty good—messy in the best way. The stakes are high right from the start: a broke college student writing papers for cash, blackmailed by her TA, and suddenly wrapped up in an art-world heist? It’s got tension, slow-burn attraction, and plenty of morally gray choices. Adelaide’s voice is sharp and smart, and the dynamic with Jack walks a fun line between dangerous and surprisingly tender. Nothing is simple, and that’s what makes it addictive. If you’re into secret deals, complicated power plays, and a little slow-burn drama, this one delivers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Rules of Arrangement in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie is an addictively readable debut that blends romance and emotional tension with a twist of mystery. The story follows Adelaide Wright, a college senior juggling coursework, grief, and financial pressure. Her secret side hustle—writing papers for classmates—keeps her afloat, until Declan, a former flame and her art history TA, discovers the scheme. Instead of reporting her, he ropes her into a high-stakes plan: infiltrate the world of wealthy art dealer Jack Nolan to retrieve stolen artwork.


The Details
What begins as a calculated arrangement quickly evolves into something far messier. Jack is magnetic, charming, and morally gray. Adelaide, drawn in by his world and his presence, finds herself torn between loyalty, survival, and desire. Their relationship pulses with tension and slow-burning chemistry, bringing the kind of romantic suspense that makes you keep flipping pages.



The novel excels in atmosphere and pacing. Mackenzie writes with clarity and control, keeping the story tightly focused on Adelaide’s perspective. It’s easy to root for her, even when her choices are questionable. Her emotional arc—shaped by loss, estrangement, and the need to prove herself—feels genuine and well-paced.



While the romance is a clear highlight, some side characters fall flat. Adelaide’s friendships, though mentioned, lack depth and closure. A few key relationships seem to vanish without consequence, which leaves parts of the story feeling slightly unfinished. The ending also comes faster than expected, with several threads tied up a bit too neatly.



Still, the book never loses momentum. Adelaide’s voice remains sharp and engaging, and her interactions with Jack are electric. There’s a satisfying blend of vulnerability and resolve in how she navigates her choices, making her a heroine you won’t easily forget.


The Verdict
Rules of Arrangement is a fresh, emotionally rich romance with just enough edge to keep things interesting. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it hits the right notes with confidence and style. For fans of romantic tension, flawed heroines, and morally complicated love interests, this one is well worth your time.

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but it has been three years and I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

This book started slow but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. What a delightful read! It was hot, intriguing, gripping, and at times, heartbreaking. I loved the dynamic between the main characters as well as the depth in some of the minor ones. I adored Addie's story and how much she grew by the end.

Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I was hoping that art would take more of a forefront here, but sadly, it really doesn’t. The art dealing world was just a backdrop to a rather steamy story. (I also somehow thought this was about an art heist? Dunno where I got that idea from.) Despite that, I really enjoyed Rules of Arrangement for what it was: a romance book with a contract. The main characters had amazing chemistry, which kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how their story would play out.

Alright, this took me by surprise! It's got everything from romance to drama to spice and I ate it up. The plot and characters stuck with me so well, and I found myself rooting for the Adelaide and Jack almost immediately. Their chemistry was jumping off the page and it was so refreshing! If you're into a fake dating trope with an age gap, this might work well for you.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. It was well written, however I personally could not seem to engage with the plot or characters.

Unfortunately, I decided to DNF (not finish) this book. I found it very slow and uninteresting for me and my taste. However, I am sure it will be well received by the bookstagram community for its genre and content. Good luck to the author and I hope their publication goes well.

4.5⭐️
Adelaide is your run of the mill college student who has to do what she must to get by including writing papers for other for money. However, Declan, her art history TA, threatens to out her to the university if she doesn’t help him recover his stolen art pieces from cutthroat art dealer, Jack Nolan.

What a fantastic debut novel from Maren Mackenzie. Rules of Arrangement has drama, romance, spice, emotional depth, and a plot that will keep you hooked! Adelaide and Jack’s chemistry was HOT! I will say that Jack fave off Christian Grey Vibes in the beginning and I didn’t like him at first, but I warmed up to him eventually. If you aren’t into age gap romance and faking dating, you might wanna skip this one. But I ate this shit up and loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CW/TW: death of parent, blackmail, attempted suicide, mental illness, manipulation, medical content,

Most of the time, this was an enjoyable read. I just thought the romance was a little flat in some places.

Overall, I liked the dark academic vibe here.v

Super easy book to read! It was really a lot of fun! Good plot, interesting characters, heist, romance. Great rainy day read for sure!

I loved this book! I read it so quickly and it was such a great read to get anyone out of a reading slump!

This one didn't really live up to my expectations - although the premise sounded fun, in execution it just didn't really make sense or seem even remotely possible.

This was such a good read! I’m a sucker for art heist books with dark academia vibes and the fact that it had romance as well? So so good!

sometimes you are surprised by a book and that is what happened here!! it was so good and i will probably reread it in the future when i feel like winding down

I loved this book. The characters, the plot, the story, the romance elements. Judging a book by its cover never worked out so well for me, that I can say. The blackmail element had me so frustrated but kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Jack and Addie's relationship was perfectly balanced, spicy and sweet and moments of pure, unadulterated care that I appreciated. When I first started, I didn't know that it was going to be a romance-heavy novel, so I'd advise that the age rating be made aware for all audiences. I also loved how the author dealt with heavy content in a way that made it easy to read about and sympathize with her. It was realistic and I loved it. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by her, and this was a fabulous debut novel from Mackenzie. Thank you to NetGalley and Marmack Books for an ARC copy!

I had a feeling I would love this book. It had intriguing tropes and the cherry on top is the incredible cover.

It started a little bit slow but when chemistry hits everything changes. The author did an excellent job of building a real love story amidst a difficult situation. The romance betweeen Addie and Jack was amazing. There was so much tension, tension, excitement, and it was very interesting. And throughout the bookd there are more profound themes discussed which adds a certain kind of depth to the book and the characters.


Thank you to NetGalley and Marmack Books for an ARC of this book.

The cover of this book is what first grabbed my attention because it's beautiful and mysterious at the same time. I enjoyed reading this story and it was very easy to get lost within this book, but I'm not sure how I feel about the characters. While reading this book I felt like I was getting whiplash by both Declan and Jack's mood swings. Both men were grade A assholes at one point or another throughout this book. Also, Adelaide annoyed me at times, but I feel like this could be played off in the story as her being young and naïve. Overall, this was a good book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was not something that I expected. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the characters that are in this book. My best friend suggested that I should read this and that I would like it and she wasn't wrong. The storyline was very interesting and I will definitely be reading more books from this author in the future!

This book is incredible to say the least. It had me turning pages constantly. I kid you not, my heart was pounding nonstop. The plot was strong and intriguing. The POV, description, emotional flow and characters voice was superb. I wanted to read this book again and again. I finished it in one sitting, so you could imagine how good this is. the cover is astounding. The feeling of danger is palpable throughout.