Loved it. I really don't give a lot of 5 stars but this earned it. It also earned a spot in my spooky season collection. I wouldn't say it was scary but if you scare easily maybe don't read this at night

I loved the idea of a urban legend turning out to be true, it worked with everything that I was looking for from that concept. I was engaged with the characters and how they worked with the urban legend element. It was great because I’ve also heard of the rule of threes and that’s a scary concept for it to come out. Sam Ripley has a great writing style and I enjoyed the overall package of this book.

I got 20% into this book before I gave up and decided to not finish it.
Why did I stop?

1) The writing was so badly a case of a man trying hard to write a cool teen girl and failing miserably.
2) the writing is just plain bad. Example:
"It's all worth it because even in the worst-case scenario that pain is going to vanish like a smoke ring in the moonlight. One instant it's there, recognizable, tangible. The next, poof. Gone.
Now, bitch, you're high as fuck.
Drop a pill and you can expect at least half an hour before you come up, and it can take as long as an hour. Digestion works only so fast, after all. Far quicker to let your lungs push it directly into your system. And better yet: it's more powerful, more potent because it dumps into your bloodstream all at once.
It's the atomic fucking bomb of getting fucked-up."

Leave the drug stuff to Ellen Hopkins dude because wtf is this. I was waiting for the creepy urban legend stuff to start, but instead this girl is going on about her dead parents who she called by their first name's and how she's not really too sad they are gone because at least she's somehow very rich?! And because she's rich she doesn't care about anything?! Idk I was so annoyed by the writing and lack of background on the characters and plot that I gave up. Good luck if you try this mess.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the ARC.

I wanted to like this. I really did. I love urban legends and I could sense the 90’s horror vibe the author was going for, but unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.

I enjoyed that the book was broken up into different points of view, each spanning over a different time frame. Everything was tied together and interconnected which usually always makes things fun and breaks up monotony. Unfortunately, these breaks felt more disjointed than flowing to me.

At times it felt like the writing tried too hard to be “cool” and “relatable” when in fact it just made me feel less empathetic towards the characters because they felt like pompous assholes.

I wish I could pinpoint exactly what it is about this book that didn’t hit the mark for me, but I hope that you take the time to read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. There are good parts, good twists, and maybe for you it will be exactly what you’re looking for!

As someone who grew up on urban horror, this hit so well for me. This definitely gave Blair Witch vibes and I was here for it! The ending was SO SHOCKING and I can't stop thinking about this. Thank you so much Ataria for my gifted physical copy!

I did not enjoy The Rule of Three for three reasons. Firstly, it was too slow paced. Secondly, it was not creepy or interesting, thirdly, the characters were unlikeable.

I am sure many readers will like this story, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

Who doesn’t believe in the rule of three? Your washing machine breaks, your television is on the fritz, what’s next! This story is told in three narratives each person cursed by the rule of three. Two other members of their families have died by accident or natural causes and they are third in line. They each feel they are doomed but can find no way to stop the curse. As you read, each story is interweaved and come to an unexpected ending.

I usually pride myself in my detective abilities when it comes to mysteries. But, this book kept me guessing. It is seriously deceptive. The ending left me entirely shook. That being said, something about this book didn’t entirely click for me which is why I gave it four stars ⭐️. It is definitely a book I would recommend for someone else who likes thrillers, but I probably wouldn’t give it a reread myself. For myself, I wasn’t totally thrilled by the pacing of the book and I wouldn’t necessarily call it creepy or paranoia inducing. However, there were MANY aspects of this book that I loved: multiple POV’s, psychological thriller, urban legend, foreshadowing clues. The author also wrote in a way that broke the “fourth” wall, as the characters talk as if they are speaking to you, and I thought he integrated that very eloquently, as it wasn’t that way through the whole book. 
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I think it deserves the read! Sam Ripley did a great job with this one and I’m curious enough to check out what other books he has available.
✨ This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ✨

Creepy and dark, this novel focusses on the urban legend that predicts death comes in threes, so when Amy's parents hang themselves and then sister Maya dies in a tragic car accident, Amy is convinced she's next. Of course she tries to learn everything she can to prevent it, even going to group therapy where she meets other troubled souls. Ila's brother and parents died as well, and then there's Eve whose sister jumped off a bridge and her parents had heart attacks. There are mysterious journal entries, DNA results, and an abandoned psychiatric hospital; all of which kept me reading until I scared myself and may sleep with the lights on tonight! I got a little bogged down with the details, but it was worth the ride! Just cringe if someone yells, "You're next!"
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Ugh unfortunately this synopsis is so much better than the actual book. & pushed through but was bored almost the entire way

I was really interested in this book after reading the synopsis, but this book wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t get into it.

This book absolutely sucked me in from the start… I kept thinking I had it figured out, but then a character would disprove my theory. This was so well written and organized. I absolutely loved it. The usage of 3 just getting deeper and more all encompassing. This is truly a light read, with heavy themes and a contemporary mystery.
I recommend so wholeheartedly.

Thank you to Sam Ripley, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

That’s the one. That’s the girl who’s going to die.
I didn’t believe in the Rule of Three. Not at first. It was just one of those urban myths you hear about all the time. A story my boyfriend told me about a girl cursed by the number three. A girl whose parents had killed themselves after her sibling had died in an accident. Which meant that she was doomed to die too because that’s the Rule of Three.
Bad things always happen in threes, they say, and they are right. Because it’s happening again.
But this time the curse is coming for me. And worst of all?
It’s coming for you, too.


The synopsis of this book really had me intrigued, because I've always heard about the rule of three, so this made me quick to dive in. Unfortunately, I found this writing style to confuse me and the pacing made the story almost boring and repetitive. It reminded me of a mix of YA thriller and late 90's horror flicks. I actually love YA thrillers and old school, kind of cheesy horror movies, but this wasn't it. It lacked the thrill and tension that a good thriller should have. It did have redeeming qualities such as different POVs (which I'm a big fan of), journal entries, urban legends, and murder mysteries...but it wasn't enough to save the overall storyline. After I finished it, I was so confused at what I had just read. I'm not sure if that's the author's intent or not. I liked it, but didn't love it. This book publishes August 6, 2024 and I think you should still give it a try because we all have different thriller preferences and this may just be the one for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy of The Rule Of Three by Sam Ripley. I wanted to read this because the description was intriguing and the blurbs were great. Shame on me for ignoring my rule about ignoring author blurbs. Well at least I learned my lesson about author blurbs! It started out with a shocking surprise in Amy’s story. The book and the subsequent stories went downhill from there. The writing style couldn’t keep my interest, so paired with the lackluster stories, this was tough read. Maybe if it hadn’t been so long the stories would have been more concise and would have been easier to read. The premise of the book was really clever, I just wish the execution had been better. 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

I struggled with this one. The writing style was confusing, disjointed. The characters were a bit dumb, making ridiculous choices. The pacing crawled.

This was definitely a slow burn. It had an interesting premise and will have me thinking about the number 3 for awhile. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Rule Of Three is split into three sections over twenty years and follows Amy, Ila and Eve who each have their own personal issues that they are dealing with. Separately, they each hear of an Urban Legend based around the idea that bad things happen in three's and notice the spooky similarities to each of their own circumstances. As the characters start to think that the legend and the mystery behind the deaths is in fact real, Amy, Ila and Eve need to work out how to stop it before they become the next victims.⁣
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I'm a big fan of creepy horror / thriller books and spent a lot of time when I was younger watching horror films, and The Rule Of Three had that exact 2000's horror film vibe. There was also a really interesting meta fiction element to this story, with the journal entries of the main characters breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the reader. A fun, nostalgic and creepy story.

Amy is a college student who has undergone major trauma. A now it seems there is a darker force surrounding her…the Rule of Three. It may have stolen her family and now it is after her. How can she protect herself and will the curse go on?

Interesting suspense/horror. It’s best not to know too much about this going in. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the lack of a god origin story, but maybe we don’t need to know everything. I kept turning the pages.

The Rule of Three
By Sam Ridley
Pub date: 6 Aug 2024
• Boring, repetitive, slow paced slugfest
• Does not live up to the hype
• Deals with suicide, drug abuse, self harm, and family grief
• Reads like a YA imitation thriller
• Unlikeable and frankly quite stupid main characters
• A real struggle to get through with a puzzling & unsurprising ending