Six Rules of Maybe

Six Rules of Maybe
By Deb Caletti
2010
321 pages

Summary: Scarlet has always been concerned with taking care of people and worrying about their well being. So you would think that when her young and unexpectedly married sister returns home pregnant she would be happy to take care of her. Maybe she would be if she didn’t start having feelings for her sister’s husband, and her sister didn’t start acting like she didn’t want to be married. With all the confusion and mixed up feelings Scarlet will have to decide if she will continue thinking of others or will finally do something for herself.

Review: Six Rules of Maybe has all the elements one comes to expect from a Deb Caletti novel: lots of character development, personal reflection and a slower but rich plot. While I didn’t connect to the main character the way that I usually do in a Caletti novel, I thought she did a great job at crafting intriguing supporting characters with their own side stories. This includes Scarlet’s family members, her neighbours and even her friends. The romance between Scarlet and Hayden was hard to watch at times, it just didn’t feel right and ultimately it’s really not supposed to. The plot is also slightly faster paced than Caletti’s other novels, as the reader is propelled by the desire to find out what happens with Hayden and Scarlet. Not my favourite Caletti novel, but nonetheless a great read. Those who enjoy realistic fiction will definitely find something to like in this novel.

Also by Deb Caletti: The Nature of Jade, Wild Roses, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

If you liked The Six Rules of Maybe you might also enjoy: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott, A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner, I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan

Author website: http://debcaletti.com/

Rating: W3/4 C2.5/4 P3/4 O3/4 PP3/4 CR2.5/4
Grade Level Interest: S