This was such a joy to read! I quickly fell for these two flawed overachievers, and their resistance to each other. Bobby might be the most anxious leading man I've come across, yet somehow he's all the more charming for it. Winter is intimidating, yet so confident in her sense of self, and prioritizing her comfort over public opinion.

When neither of their parents want to go on a college tour with them, Bobby and Winter are forced to make the journey together. They've been rivals for as long as they can remember, and they've developed rules to help them stay civil around their families. Winter's grandmother encourages the two to use this trip as a chance to live a little, to not be so hemmed in by the rules they've built for themselves.

A great YA roadtrip book, with a wonderful supporting cast of friends and flawed family. I was so interested in how Bobby and Winter's experience with their family culture shaped them. Their rivalry wasn't too hurtful, which is always a tough line to walk, and I loved their banter when they forgot to guard themselves.

Thank you to the publishers through Netgalley for the ARC! I can't wait for this book to come out, and for everybody to get a chance to meet these two!

I think this can be another cute enemies to lovers story. I am not sure if the ending is going there, but it is setting the story up to do that. I think this will work well for the target audience, but I can tell early on that the writing style isn't working for me. There are some awkward references that I don't even think the target audience will get, let alone like it enough to laugh. I think this one is just not for me.

“How did you know to do that?” Bobby asked in a low, tired voice.
“We’ve known each other a long time, Robert. I’ve observed a few of your deactivation codes throughout the years.”
Bobby pouted. “I’m not the Winter Soldier.”
“Is that why you’re never ready to comply?”

———

Rules for Rule Breaking is a sweet, romcom with a dash of a coming-of-age story swirled in. Bobby and Winter are childhood frenemies who embark on a college visit roadtrip that upends both of their lives. While they bicker their way to Boston, they find more than what they bargained for in the small space of their car, college campuses, and some of the most historic cities in the US. Fans of contemporary YA fiction will enjoy the exploration of the feeling of going from high school to college. And if you’re a child of immigrants, like myself, you will enjoy seeing Bobby and Winter strive to navigate teenage life in America with their culturally packed home lives. A cute but thoughtful rivals-to-lovers story through and through.

Rules for Rule Breaking is Talia Tucker's debut novel featuring a childhood frenemies turn academic rivals as they found out that their parents set them up to have a roadtrip together as they do college visits over the summer.

Cute, heartwarming, and fluffy, Rules for Rule Breaking is perfect for YA romcom fans looking for a summer read featuring nerds who surely know how to throw a joke.

What I liked the most is the cover, it's eye-catching and will surely get your attention when your browsing on bookstores. I like how it portrayed both Bobby Bae and Winter Park.

I also enjoyed this one because I always tend to enjoy books with Korean culture and influences. Though this one has a bit minimal exposure since the two MCs are raised in US, I still enjoyed reading about their struggles as someone who grew up in a different place than what their parents/relatives experienced.

The chemistry is also overflowing! Love how Bobby and Winter turned from childhood friends to academic rivals and then wrapped up their story with a fairytale ending. Their hate-to-love chemistry and banters are on-point and I enjoyed reading their on and off flirting.

In terms of what didn't work well with me, it's the pacing. There are moments that there's a lot of happening in a chapter which felt too overwhelming to read. Also, I am not the biggest fan of third person POV SO it's also a factor in my overall enjoyment.

Still, this is a solid debut and I'm excited for everyone to read this one one.

2.5 stars.

i was so ready to love this book, but unfortunately, i just could not get behind the writing style. there was a lot of showing instead of telling, and the dialogue felt very stilted. a lot of the time characters would be completely honest with each other and just spell out their entire character arcs, and it made me so aware that i was reading a book. i did love the few kiss scenes that we got, but the moment the characters started talking again i was taken out of the scene. there was also some really weird breaks in the writing, like characters who've supposedly known each other for a very long time would ask questions that they should know the answers to... it was very strange and i'm wondering if that's just because i read an unfinished version of the book. this book does get huge props for the cover because it is absolutely adorable.

If you like:
- academic rivals
- college tour road trips
- breaking rules for the first time
- nerds with dry senses of humor

Then you absolutely have to read Rules for Rule Breaking by Talia Tucker out on 3/19!

I truly have not had so much fun reading a book in a while. Rules for Rule Breaking had me laughing out loud, tearing up, and rooting for these two awkward nerds.

Winter and Bobby are the most lovable main characters. Their flaws were so relatable and well developed on the page, I could feel their struggles. I absolutely fell in love with their little quirks and passions. The side characters Kai and Emmy were also such vibrant characters. I really enjoyed the tension in Winter and Emmy's relationship and how they resolved it in such a healthy and understanding way.

Tucker's writing absolutely stands out. Her sense of humor was so deadpan and well utilized, I highlighted so many interactions. I truly am just enamored with her writing style, I need more books from Tucker asap please!

A side note that there are a number of niche New Jersey jokes in the book that absolutely warmed by heart (excessive cursing, jug handles, pumping gas).

I cannot wait for this book to come out so I can have a copy on my shelf!

This is a cute, fun read, and I thank NetGalley and Penguin Teen for sharing the ebook with me!
The romance in the story is cute and makes sense. It develops nicely and at a good pace. I enjoyed the characters--they're all interesting and funny and well-developed. Unfortunately, for me, the plot and characters arcs aren't developed enough or deep enough. I wish that Tucker had focused more on the major conflicts--Bobby's issues with his family and Winter's conflict with Emmy. If those conflicts had been developed further, the book overall would've been deeper. I think a lot of issues were throwaways, mentioned to add depth to the characters but never developed.
I did enjoy this book, and I would recommend it to someone who wants to binge read a frenemies-to-lovers romance.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Winter and Bobby have always been working to one up each other academically. Being the only two Korean students in their grade and having their parents push them together all the time certainly doesn’t help that.
When their parents give them an ultimatum that lands them in a car together for 700 miles, chaos erupts.
This book was a celebration of culture. Between the conversations between family members and the discussions about minorities there were just so many different types of culture shown in this book and it made me so happy.
I ended up reading this book in one sitting and I think that was the perfect decision for me, because this book had the perfect pacing and reading it was really just a dream.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kokila for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC of Rules for Rule Breaking. This was such an adorable rom-com, though I would recommend this to the younger side of YA rather than the middle or older end of the spectrum. The road trip and development of the relationship overall felt clunky, but I think this is the perfect rom-com romance book for middle-grade readers beginning to transition into YA!

Cute cover, cute premise, cute characters, cute execution! Did I say this was cute? I feel as if I know Winter and Bobby as well as their friends and family after reading this book. The only criticism I have is the sense of place is just not there. For most of the book I felt it was taking place on the West Coast somewhere and the few times North Carolina was mentioned I was like, what?!? But this is a small thing. Thank you to #netgalley and #kokila for this arc of #rulesforrulebreaking to read and review, all opinions are my own.

this is very cute. a little simplistic and not very different to the many other ya rom-coms on the market, but generally very sweet. i honestly don't have much to say, but i do love that the characters are both education-minded, as that's a specific trait that i resonate with. solid book, interested in what else this author can do.

I like it. I think it's a fun YA / Middle Grade kind of read. Not usually what I would read. I enjoyed it overall but definitely not what I usually read though.

“Rules for Rule Breaking” made me want to pick up more middle grade books at as advid YA reader. I LOVED IT

This was a fast-paced, fun, and endearing coming-of-age story.

When I requested it I didn't realize it was for quite this young of an audience (I'm old), but I would defintiely recommend it to my teen nieces.

That being said, this is a book I wish I could've read as a teen, but we just didn't have that many diverse books covering these amazing topics back then. I'm really glad today's teens do so they can all feel represented and seen.

This book had a really sweet slow-burn romance story and plenty of laugh out loud comedic relief. I absolutely adored it.
This cover is adorable, too!

Tysm Penguin Teen for the ARC!

This had a lot of potential! But I felt like I couldn’t get a read on these characters’ personalities- it read like how someone thought teenagers spoke and acted. Not a huge fan of the dialogue. It was fun at times and I did like their adventure, it just needed some work!

4.5 stars

Overall, I did enjoy this book, character development, and the overall plot. My only issue with this novel is the pacing for me there were times where it felt too fast (like when they were developing feelings for each other) and just the whole road trip felt rushed to me in terms of pacing.

DNF- first off, thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the ARC! I requested this because I thought it sounded cute and the plot seemed promising, but this book just isn’t for me personally. The main characters and the writing just feels too juvenile (I know this is YA) and so I don’t think this is my type. Thank you again for the ARC copy!!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.