Book Review: The Six Rules of Maybe

The Six Rules of Maybe

By: Deb Caletti

Published By: Simon Pulse

Release Date: February 2010

Buy it at Amazon

Source: Library

Audience: Young Adult

Deb Caletti has a knack for creating teen voices that speak to readers of all ages. Her writing style is down to earth and sucks you right into the world she has created. Her characters are real, flawed, and seeking answers to life's most puzzling questions. 

The Six Rules of Maybe tells the story of Scarlet, a teen living on an island in Washington State, as she tries to navigate the tricky waters of love, high school, family, and teenage drama. I really enjoyed Scarlet's voice and her outlook on the situations in the book. She is one of those people who always tries to see the best in others and extends her friendship to those who are so often shunned.

This novel also takes a long, hard look at relationships and how they can affect our lives in such dramatic ways. Scarlet must deal with her pregnant recently married sister moving back into the house with her husband, a man that neither Scarlet nor her mother have ever met or heard anything about before the pair shows up in the driveway. Along the way, readers get to see that loving your family isn't always an easy task. Scarlet's relationships with her mother, sister, Hayden, Jessie, and her friends fascinated me. We often forget that our lives are a tangled web of relationships with others. This book calls that to attention and serves as an excellent guide for teens struggling with forming those same kinds of relationships. Scarlet must take a look at her feelings and her notions about others to decide what course is best for her future.

As always, I love books set in the Pacific Northwest so I enjoyed that aspect of this read. Deb Caletti did a wonderful job of bringing the setting alive in my mind.

One Last Gripe: In the two books I have read by this author, the father figure is absent. I want to know why this is the case. Why are they never around?

My Favorite Thing About This Book: Seeing Scarlet mature in her emotions and ways of approaching the people around her

First Sentence: You could tell something was different about Juliet the moment she stepped out of that truck.

Favorite Character: Scarlet

Least Favorite Character: Juliet

Summary:

Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are practically strangers, and then there are the ones no else even notices. Trying to fix their lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her own needs to the side is part of the deal. So when her older sister comes home unexpectedly married and pregnant, Scarlet has a new person to worry about. But all of her good intentions are shattered when the unthinkable happens: she falls for her sister’s husband. For the first time in a long time, Scarlet’s not fixing a problem, she’s at the center of one. And ignoring her feelings doesn’t seem to be an option...