Review: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Pages: 224
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: March 16th, 2010
IBSN: 9781416978916

Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore...


[Synopsis by Goodreads]

In The Unwritten Rule, Elizabeth Scott took a new take on an old trope: girl likes best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah was a likeable enough character, and also relatable. She's insecure, loyal, and kind (perhaps even too kind). Her voice was clear through the text, and had realistic and well-written emotions.

Her relationship with her best friend, Brianna, wasn't perfect but it was perfectly written and described. The selfish foundations that the friendship was built upon was subtly referred to, leaving us to figure the pairing out.

You'll notice that in my reviews for Elizabeth Scott's books that I use the word 'realistic' a lot. Because that's what really appeals to me in her books: the realism. Her narrators are just normal girls, with crushes and family problems and questionable friends. You can get invested in her books like you can't in paranormals or dystopias because the characters are just like you are or were or knew someone else to be.

I liked the ending. It was happy, but had repercussions from the complication of the novel. I like how not every character gets out unscathed, like it would happen in real life.

I give The Unwritten Rule a 4 out of 5.