Simone Breaks All the Rules is a fun contemporary read about finding and speaking up for ourselves. I powered through the last 30% in one sitting! It’s a cute story about family, friendship, and love. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Simone Thibodeaux’s life is sealed in a boy-proof container.
Her strict Haitian immigrant parents enforce no-dating rules and curfews, and send Simone to an all-girls school. As for prom? Simone is allowed to go on one condition: her parents will select her date (a boy from a nice Haitian immigrant family, obviously).
Simone is desperate to avoid the humiliation of the set up — especially since she’s crushing on a boy she knows her parents wouldn’t approve of. With senior year coming to a close, Simone makes a decision. She and her fellow late-bloomer friends will create a Senior Year Bucket List of all the things they haven’t had a chance to do. On the list: kissing a boy, sneaking out of the house, skipping class (gasp!), and, oh yeah — choosing your own prom date.
But as the list takes on a life of its own, things get more complicated than Simone expected. She’ll have to discover which rules are worth breaking, and which will save her from heartbreak.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
It’s easy to fall into Simone Breaks All the Rules. How she just wants to experience prom and to have some freedom. Our empathy with Simone exists in relation to our ability to see her parent’s dreams for her and the experiences they never could have. How they toe the line between protection and smothering. At the same time, Simone Breaks All the Rules is a story about friendship and being so convinced we know what we want.
We can become so obsessed with what we don’t want. Defining ourselves in opposition, without ever considering what we might want. It’s like when we become fixated on what we shouldn’t be, that when we step back we aren’t sure who we are. Hasn’t everyone had that situation? Simone is just such a charming and endearing character! Simone Breaks All the Rules is a story about change, honesty, and love. It’s such a fun and charming contemporary that is the perfect read for August!
Find Simone Breaks All the Rules on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.