The Unwritten Rule
I LOVE LOVE LOVED it!
From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down-I read it through in one sitting! It was sooooo good!-Completely heart-wrenching-Sarah and Brianna have typical teenage relationships, concerns, and insecurities; but instead of becoming teenage stereotypes, Elizabeth Scott created characters that felt so real they could just as well have been me or my own friends and family.
I think everyone can relate to having a crush on someone who's unavailable, the premise of the story. I love that this is the "best friend's" story-because as a character, she doesn't usually get a chance to tell her story, which is funny considering that most people would probably relate better to the insecure Sarah, than to a beautiful, confident, popular Brianna. Interestingly enough, Brianna's character is just as real as Sarah's, and her story is just as relatable; their common insecurities become the catalyst for both the beginning and the end of their friendship. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping throughout that Sarah would finally get the guy, but not being able to turn away from the impending train-crash of her friendship with Brianna.
I've felt the tug-of-war in Sarah and Brianna's friendship, many times in my own friendships-Neither of the girls is perfect; instead, they are human, and their friendship is real, made up of the little slips and accidental insults, and taking each other for granted, combined with force of habit, and those special moments that form our most valuable friendships-It's amazing how much we can overlook for the bond of an important friendship-but not boys; that's where girls draw the line, and where they have to make their choices. It's easy to wonder how many girls might have missed out on the chance of true love, when it's at the cost of a friendship-How many of us are that brave?
I also found relationships with the parents really touching. I, myself, was lucky like Sarah, in having very loving, caring parents. But I also saw enough of my friends who weren't so lucky; both those that were divorced, and some still married. Parents who DID love their children, and raised them, but after eighteen years, that was it, as if they were done. Parents who seemed to turn into acquaintances, who wished my friends the best of luck and that was that. I saw their relationships from Sarah's side, and felt sorry for them. It was such a vivid dynamic, seeing how Brianna's parents put their own problems and insecurities on her, how scared and confused it made her feel, and then to see her both fight against her fear of becoming and ending up like her parents, and subconsciously mimic their behaviors as defense mechanisms.
I was blown away by the depth of the story, and at the end, the only question I could think of was, "Why hadn't I heard of this author before???"
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