Nancy Werlin

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin is the story of a teenage boy who is desperately trying to save himself and his younger sisters from his very disturbed and dangerous mother. This is an intense and riveting story that I couldn’t put down, I was in turns horrified and disgusted that this mother of three was able to get away with how she treated her children. Her sister reveals at one point that Nikki, the mother, was an extremely difficult child who was always lying and having tantrums show more which makes me believe she had a lifelong mental problem that was never diagnosed.

This is a heartbreaking story as Matthew relates how their mother’s abusive behavior was overlooked by many as she never beat them or sexually molested them. Instead the children had to deal with her manic behavior, mood swings, and reckless endangerment. This is a portrait of a family in crisis that certainly stirs the emotions.

The Rules For Survival is told in the form of a letter that an older Matthew writes to his youngest sister, Emmy, but it is also a way for him to look back on events that shaped his life and help him to both heal and understand who he is. Although this book is labelled as YA, the story is powerful and haunting as it deals with a very adult subject matter. The author totally pinpoints the impact that an untreated mental illness can have. show less

This book makes me want to go to another DragonCon! It made me nostalgic for my congoing days and the camaraderie that you find among fellow fans of your favorite show. It's a great story about an overachieving girl who learns to loosen up and unleash her inner nerd, and be proud of it. Zoe sneaks off to attend the early premiere of her favorite show, "Bleeders" (a sci fi show about women doctors in space seeking the cure to a horrific bleeding virus), at DragonCon. She doesn't tell her show more boyfriend Simon, because she knows he won't understand why she's a fan; he is super serious about saving the world and volunteers for a state senate campaign, and doesn't spend time on so-called "frivolous" hobbies like tv. She usually feels the same way, and thinks this will just be a quick fling with fandom and soon she'll leave it behind and get back to planning their life together. (She's only looking at applying to colleges that they can attend together; she intends to marry him someday.) But, she has more fun at the con than she intended, makes several new friends who share her love of Bleeders, and ends up secretly going to multiple cons throughout the year, claiming to be visiting colleges instead. She also gets blackmailed by Simon's younger sister, another Bleeders fan, into bringing her along. As Zoe's lies grow more complex and convoluted in order to maintain her fannish lifestyle, something's gonna give--will it be her relationship with her boyfriend or her newfound fandom family? Is Simon really the one for her if he doesn't agree with her choice of hobby?

Great story about fandom, with some funny scenes involving cosplay mishaps and other shenanigans, and a nice diverse multigender cast. I liked that from the outset Zoe gives her pronouns when meeting new people and the cons are all very gender-inclusive; one of Zoe's new friends is "enby" (nonbinary) and it's just an ordinary thing. There's also a nice scene with Zoe and friends talking to older adult fans and getting advice on relationships and cons. Werlin created a believable world for her fictitious tv show, complete with showrunner and character bios and plots the fans argue over, and of course the obligatory fun name for its fans, "Bloodygits." Love it! show less

There aren't that many writers whose books I will pre-order without even knowing anything about them. I really vibe with Nancy Werlin. The way she writes truly speaks to me. My favorite kind of story is one that presents itself as a light-entertainment potboiler (in this case a YA novel) but also throws in being profound, just because why not, that's how life is. This book is that kind of story and it is also about that phenomenon--the main character becomes a foaming fangirl of a science show more fiction TV show, against her will, because of the meaning the show brings to her life. It was a treat to have a non-binary secondary character, who is maybe also aro/graysexual. Actually, there was more than one non-binary character. I loved the group of nerdy friends, and there was just the right amount of their conversations to remain interesting. The characters talk about how an absent/offscreen figure can also be a character in a story and whether that figure should finally appear. There is an offscreen character in this story, the main character's well-intentioned but stifling boyfriend, and I was interested to see if we would ever actually meet him or not. I finished the book fully satisfied, yet wishing it wouldn't end.

Here's the part where I review the acknowledgements page: Nancy Werlin thanked a long list of people, everyone except her agent. I thought I knew her agent was Ginger Knowlton, who was my dream agent when I still thought I could get an agent. (I don't even remember why; I know I saw her on some panels.) So I did some light digging and it turns out that now Werlin is her own agent! If anyone ever looks down their nose at me for not having an agent, I will deliver the devastating retort that notable author Nancy Werlin doesn't have one either, and the rude person will beg my forgiveness. show less

There are many things I like about this book: it's a sequel to a strong story that is well written and stands alone. It has a romance angle, but that is by no means the focus of the book. It tells a creepy fairy story and does it pretty well. Like Impossible, though, I am frustrated by the character's lack of ability to come up with clever solutions to fairy riddles, and a little annoyed at the complete self-absorption that Fenella exhibits. Of course, that being said, I love that the Fairy show more Queen calls her on that, and the transformed fairy prince, Ryland, as fuzzy cat with yarn control issues is both hilarious and awesome!

My copy provided by Edelweiss. show less