Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin Review

There are two sides to every summer.

When seventeen-year-old Rory McShane steps off the bus in East Hampton, it’s as if she’s entered another universe, one populated by impossibly beautiful people wearing pressed khakis and driving expensive cars. She’s signed on to be a summer errand girl for the Rules — a wealthy family with an enormous beachfront mansion. Upon arrival, she’s warned by other staff members to avoid socializing with the family, but Rory soon learns that may be easier said than done.

Stifled by her friends and her family’s country club scene, seventeen-year-old Isabel Rule, the youngest of the family, embarks on a breathless romance with a guy whom her parents would never approve of. It’s the summer for taking chances, and Isabel is bringing Rory along for the ride. But will Rory’s own summer romance jeopardize her friendship with Isabel? And, after long-hidden family secrets surface, will the Rules’ picture-perfect world ever be the same?

I am a huge fan of Philbin’s previous works, so I had high expectations for this first entry in a new series. It is essentially the absolutely perfect summer read. There are elements of betrayal, fun, romance, friendship—everything.

I absolutely loved the world created in Rules of Summer. While turning each page I felt like I was escaping to extravagant world of the Hampton’s.

I could gush about how much I loved the author’s style of writing, or her developed characters forever.

If you are itching to get away for the summer but can’t, I suggest you read this book. It is easy to live vicariously through the characters.

Thanks to Hachette Canada for the review copy.