Breaking the Rules

Isabelle LaFayette attempts but fails, to end her own life in what her mother calls a selfish act. Her suicide attempt haunts her, along with her other past regrets and the inability to forgive herself,

Jack Riley comes into Isabelle’s life and becomes her first love. He makes her feel alive, but she cruelly pushes him away, mistakenly believing that she doesn't deserve to be happy. Can she find the strength to confront her pain and be released from her troublesome past?

Isabelle needs to break the rules that have been imprisoning her. It is the only way for her to move on and piece her heart back together again.

Izzy, as she is known to her friends, is an extremely likeable character and I could really empathise with her. I thought this book was very insightful and thought-provoking. Although I thought that some of the dialogue between Izzy and her new beau, Nick Sterling, was a little repetitive, I found it a very enjoyable read, The author's writing has depth and the ending was very good.

This was, at times, a very tough book to digest because of the trials the main character, Isabelle, endured and how these trials affected her entire life. At times, I wanted to throttle her and tell her to get some counseling because her inner turmoil was too much to bear. The story itself is so worth reading as she begins a rough journey to healing helped along by a very caring boyfriend and a tough question asking counselor.

Isabelle LaFayette tries to end her own life. Her failed attempt haunts her, along with her other past regrets and the inability to forgive herself.
Jack Riley comes into Isabelle’s life and makes her feel alive, but believing she doesn’t deserve to be happy, she pushes him away.

Isabelle needs to give herself permission to heal and break the rules that have been imprisoning her. It is the only way for her to find ultimate freedom from the past and piece her heart back together again.

I initially wanted to read this book because of the cover and the description, but the more I read the more I could relate to Isabella. I loved reading about her journey through her hardships and going on a better path. I enjoyed the author's writing style, however the story did have some repetitiveness to it. Altogether though, it was an easy, quick read!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #BreakingTheRules
Pub Date: 13 Nov 2018

I liked this book far more than expected because at the beginning I was very frustrated by her emotional ineptitude and inability to let people in. However, she became stronger and in facing her isdues, I had a great deal of respect and enjoyed how the book evolved. Well written.

I was lured into reading this book because of the cover illustration that purported to it being a light read,but the actual story was a deep,sensitive and life changing one that the main character lived through.Working through my frustration with Izzy for her slow realization that her early adulthood environment was toxic ,I was glad to see her finally find her inner strength to make positive changes.Her aborted relationship with Jack became the central focus for her introspection and the incentive to confront her real and perceived demons, and while I would have liked that relationship to survive,the significance of it's demise shouldn't be devalued.The plot twists were an interesting but almost predictable sidebar to the story until the final not so obvious reveal.I enjoyed this free read from Netgalley.

Spoilers

The beginning shows Isabelle trying to kill herself by taking toof many aspirin with wine. Isabelle is at college and 18 years old.Her mother feels she is so fish for trying to kill herself. I do feel the suicide can be a selfish act but is also a act of immense desperation.I've had moments in my life where I wanted to kill myself.the people In the community are told Isabelle gave up on college and doesn't know what to do with her life.Isabelle meets a young man named Jack and there is an instant attraction.Isabelles parents are not a fan of Jack. I instantly liked Jack since he was in military and related to someone she knew.Isabelle gets a good job as law farm secretary.She battest with her parents to be allowed to see Jack after he keeps her out past curfew.I can relate to Isabelle struggling with depression. Isabelle feels better at Christmas time because there are no snide remarks and she fakes surprise at the gifts. Isabelle is good at faking surprise and faking her way through life.Isabelle mom is constantly telling her to not be easy and sleep with Jack.Isabelle pulls away from jack sometimes because of her complicated feelings. She moves to the coast of va and gets a job at publishing company. Isabelle starts to talk with a guy she met Nick but must face her feelings before they can have a relationship .

Interesting book which makes you experience many emotions from hatred to sad to love. A sad beginning and lots of barriers built. Very good book. Look forward to reading more from Emma.

Breaking the Rules by Emma Leigh Reed is a wonderful book. The female lead character, Isabelle seems very weak at the very beginning of the novel. The reader will be surprised to see the transformation of Isabelle by the end of it. She attempts a suicide and fails in it. She feels out of place while with her parents. When she falls in love with Jack, she finds happiness in his company but pushes him away thinking that she doesn't deserve to be happy.

Isabelle finds a new job and moves to a different place after her heartbreak. She continues living in a shell afraid of causing herself yet, another heartbreak. The whole story changes when she meets Nick accidentally. Her walls start cracking around Nick and her fears kick in forcing her to push Nick away. Nick stands like a rock and helps her in fighting with her demons of past and fears about the future.

With the new found strength, Isabelle sets out to find out about her family secrets. The story is very engaging. I like how Isabelle finally forgives herself for her mistakes in the past and gives herself another chance at the future. The author did a great job. The story was very easy to read and in some parts, I could see myself in Isabelle. This is a very good read for young adults but I'm sure anyone would totally enjoy this book. I really hope the author is planning to write a sequel to this book sometime soon.

#BreakingtheRules #EmmaLeighReed #YoungAdult #Netgalley #WomensFiction #LiteraryFiction #Amazon #Kindle #BooksGoSocial #BarnesAndNoble #Chapters #Indigo #Librarything #Edelweiss+ #Booksamillion #BAM #Goodreads

Isabelel, or Izzy to friends, has to overcome her issues which make life unbearable for her. She has to learn to break the rules imposed by her parents and the ones she makes up for herself. This story about a young women who has to undergo an incredible difficult emotional journey to become a more wholesome person who is able to love herself ,give and receive love. While it is an interesting read, Isabel actions at times seems childish and stubborn. Her story demonstrates that at times we can be our own worst enemy. I mostly enjoyed reading this book.

I really liked this book. It held my attention the entire time, and I found it hard to put down at night! I wasn't really sure what exactly was going to happen with the main character; she had so many issues. I felt bad for her and she really had a hard time in life. I could not stand her mother. She made me cringe! The ending was great. I wasn't expecting it, so it was like wow, what a turn of events.

In some parts of the story I felt like it went too fast and were too far fetched, like that wouldn't really happen in real life. I also felt like I didn't know a lot about the character herself besides she was very unhappy and didn't like her family. Some of the details about her, what she looked like, and descriptions of her town were missing for me and I like to be able to picture stuff in my mind while I read and I couldn't do that. Overall I liked the book and it was an enjoying read for me!

Izzy tried to commit suicide at a young age because of a lifetime of feeling unloved and unwanted. She had so much guilt for this and for years could not forgive herself. Because she felt unworthy she pushed her first love, Jack, away and was never able to forget the hurt she caused him.
This book was great but at times frustrating as Izzy put herself
through so much unhappiness before finally seeking help and moving on with her life. She did however, meet someone who supported her and helped her to realize counseling would help her sort out her issues.
I really enjoyed reading this and would love a sequel.

A heart wenching story of the life of Isabelle. After trying to take her own life she returns to her family home and meets Jack. From there self doubt and not having dealt with her issues sends her life in a completely different direction.
A very moving read.

I devoured this in a couple of days. This is an easy read, but also gets you empathising with the lead character. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book lured me by cover and the synopsis. Truth be told I probably wouldn’t have picked it up because it’s just not my type of read.
The story itself is deep and moving; it’s sensitive. The characters were real and the emotions were strong.
I’m glad I picked it. I cried some, I laughed and I also sat back and let it all play out. Grab some popcorn and tissues!

This was a very thought provoking novel. Isabelle has a lot of inner chaos and after her suicide attempt has a hard time getting her life together. Thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, talk about a hard book to review... Yes, I liked it, but damn the ending...

Isabelle (Izzy) attempts suicide at 18 and it is swept under the rug and not discussed by her parents. At a time where she feels no hope or happiness, she meets Jack and suddenly feels alive again. But her guilt about feeling happy leads to her pushing him away, and she moves on with her life.

Seven years later, she has moved to Virginia and is a junior editor at a publishing house. Her job is her life, but then she meets Nick. Nick is wonderful, fabulous, and as close to perfect as a man can get. But Izzy is still holding onto the idea of Jack. She is still paralyzed by her suicide attempt and how it was never dealt with. Seeking help from a counselor, Izzy begins to make progress, she learns incredible things about her family, and she tries to feel o.k. again.

After finishing this novel tonight, I looked at some other reviews, none of which mentioned the ending. I hate to start with that, however, being true to the typical reviews that I write, this is not a novel that wraps everything up into a perfect little package. I am sitting here now, hours after reading, wondering what happened next. The author eludes to a sense of inner-peace for Izzy, which, it's about time, but I need more closure in what I read unless it's a clear-cut cliffhanger and I will get more if I read the next in the series. But I don't even know if this is a series.

Despite my discontent with the ending, Emma Leigh Reid has written such a raw and honest novel that I'm not sure I can find the words to convey the beauty of it all. Izzy is real, broken, has issues, etc. Whether she's being a workaholic, drinking too much, not sleeping, or trying to use Nick for sex - Reid has written a brutally honest character that I found amazing, addictive, and compelling. Unfortunately, I was able to identify with several of her issues regarding her mother, as well as, issues surrounding her feelings of not being deserving of happiness in her life. Bad mothers can do a number on you, trust me, I know.

But what I loved was how things weren't sugar-coated. As a reader, I knew when Izzy was trying to be evasive, when she was down-playing her emotions, and when she straight-up just refused to deal with and/or think about any of it. I commend the author for writing something so honest, regardless of whether it became uncomfortable or awkward. Which again, brings me back to some other reviews I've read, especially one describing this as a quick and easy read. I did not in any way find this a quick or easy read because of the emotion and depth of the writing. And until the ending, I had decided this was one of the best books I've read in quite awhile. 

I remember during my undergrad and graduate years reading novels, most of them considered the "classics," and I've always struggled with ambiguous endings. One of the big ones that comes to mind is Kate Chopin's The Awakening. I had to re-read the ending several times before I understood what she had done. I kept thinking that I was just left hanging and it frustrated me to death. For me personally, I either need closure or some distinct direction about their being a follow-up novel. This is the only thing I disliked about Breaking the Rules. Besides that, I think that Reid has written something with incredible depth, enormous life lessons, and appealing to a variety of readers.

*Thanks to NetGalley and ELR Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Emma Leigh Reed is a brilliant writer and has a knack of making you feel every deep raw emotion along with her characters.
the pain of the lows and the joy of the highs were felt in every page. i really couldn't put it down.

When i finish a book i like to mull it over for a while after but i found myself constantly think "well, what happened next" i think i would have enjoyed it more had there been a epilogue or the promise of another book to continue this journey.
it does not take away however from the brilliant read that it is and the author should be praised for that

Overall, I enjoyed this book! Izzy's journey to figuring out herself and her past was fun to follow. There were a few things that were a little unbelievable, though. Izzy and Nick's relationship seemed to move very quickly, as did her relationship with Jack, and it seemed like they didn't even know each other's last names in those first few days they were hanging out constantly. I wish we could have learned more about Nick as a character and seen him develop a little more. How old is he? What does he do for work? We didn't ever learn that stuff which was odd to me. He also exhibited some stalkerish behavior in the beginning if you ask me. Then, I couldn't get over how slow Izzy was to realize how the pieces fit together when she was figuring out her family history. Also, her not realizing until the end of the book that she could use social media to look Jack up was a little unbelievable. She's a 25 year old girl! C'mon now. The first thing I would have done was facebook stalk him. I understand the author deciding to leave the ending kind of open for interpretation, but I would have liked to know how things ended for Izzy, Jack and Nick. Again, I enjoyed it overall. It was a quick, easy read.

I started thinking that it was going to be a quick train ride read but it made me stop and think. The story involving suicide while the protagonist is in college and how she deals with her decisions after being released to her parents care made me sit up and give more mindful thought to the story line. I wanted Izzy to make it..
Much heavier read than I thought it would be but wonderful nevertheless.

Ugh, what a great way to end the story, and by great I mean, an open ending question of “what's next?” I don’t know if the author did it on purpose, maybe trying to see if we’re looking for a sequel or will ask her to do an epilogue.

The ending well, it might not go as planned or what we expect but I think the most important lesson here is to learn how to forgive yourself. Sometimes we are too caught in our own drama and problems that we thought we don’t deserve to be loved, and we try to shut down people who show us, love.

Lovely feel good summer read. What’s not to love sun sea and sadly ur reading about it instead of living it. Easy to read and flowed well. Perfect summer book