bbboeken's review against another edition
3.0
Spannend, goed gestructureerd, maar een beetje te hopeloos romantisch. Zeker niet slecht voor de jonge doelgroep.
mandalouwho's review against another edition
2.0
It could have been so good. Could have. The plot moved so slowly and to be honest I didn't bother finishing it. It's such a crappy book.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars...couldn't put this down. Review to come.
hereistheend's review against another edition
4.0
pretty good. don't let the cover fool you like it did to me- this is a *thriller*.
bizarre at first- guess i didnt realize that existed, haha.
guessing there'll be a second book...
I'd write a real review, but I'm not really in the mood... :/ haha ;)
bizarre at first- guess i didnt realize that existed, haha.
guessing there'll be a second book...
I'd write a real review, but I'm not really in the mood... :/ haha ;)
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
As soon as I found out The Rules for Disappearing is about a Witness Protection program, I wanted to read it. I can not recall if I ever read a book that covers that subject and I thought that it was an opportunity for some great character development. When I started reading The Rules for Disappearing, very soon it was clear to me that I was right.
The story is narrated by 17-year-old Meg who talks to us about problems and experiences that her family encounters while being 'protected witnesses'. The strain and tension of constant moves, names changes, crappy living condition and tension of expecting an unknown trial date has taken it's toll on everyone. Her father, mother and young sister are all just shadows of their lovable perky past personalities. So what to do when you are moved to yet another strange town? The best is to keep everyone away and do not get involved. Meg learned that the hard way. But keeping people away is not so easy as it looks. I loved Meg's inner struggle, her monologues and thoughts, she sounded like real teenage girl.
Additional charm to the story is added with cute rules for disappearing that are written at the beginning of each chapter. They contain some lessons Meg had to learn the hard way and sometimes hints what is going to happen. If I am ever enlisted into the Witness Protection, those are going to come in handy.
RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Only use public transportation. It's the one true way to look completely uninteresting. That is, unless, you have a hideous wood-paneled station wagon. That'll work, too.
Compared to strong family and personal drama both mystery and romance in The Rules for Disappearing seem secondary and somehow lacking. The final twist and bad guy are too predictable. The love story happens too fast and jumps from instant attraction into dreaded territory of insta-love. In fact, the whole second part of this book when romance starts to really grow and develop and mystery to unravel seems a little bit too easy and unbelievable. More like a Hollywood movie than a realistic life story. Because, where else will you see a teenage girl without any weapons and combat training go on a quest against bad guys? Only in movies. And even there it's usually some tough guy like Jason Statham or Liam Neeson.
Despite these flaws, I think that The Rules for Disappearing is going to find a wide range of fans in both lovers of realistic contemporary young adult fiction or fans of fluffy romantic suspense novels, if they do not set their expectations too high.
My rating: 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
The story is narrated by 17-year-old Meg who talks to us about problems and experiences that her family encounters while being 'protected witnesses'. The strain and tension of constant moves, names changes, crappy living condition and tension of expecting an unknown trial date has taken it's toll on everyone. Her father, mother and young sister are all just shadows of their lovable perky past personalities. So what to do when you are moved to yet another strange town? The best is to keep everyone away and do not get involved. Meg learned that the hard way. But keeping people away is not so easy as it looks. I loved Meg's inner struggle, her monologues and thoughts, she sounded like real teenage girl.
Additional charm to the story is added with cute rules for disappearing that are written at the beginning of each chapter. They contain some lessons Meg had to learn the hard way and sometimes hints what is going to happen. If I am ever enlisted into the Witness Protection, those are going to come in handy.
RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Only use public transportation. It's the one true way to look completely uninteresting. That is, unless, you have a hideous wood-paneled station wagon. That'll work, too.
Compared to strong family and personal drama both mystery and romance in The Rules for Disappearing seem secondary and somehow lacking. The final twist and bad guy are too predictable. The love story happens too fast and jumps from instant attraction into dreaded territory of insta-love. In fact, the whole second part of this book when romance starts to really grow and develop and mystery to unravel seems a little bit too easy and unbelievable. More like a Hollywood movie than a realistic life story. Because, where else will you see a teenage girl without any weapons and combat training go on a quest against bad guys? Only in movies. And even there it's usually some tough guy like Jason Statham or Liam Neeson.
Despite these flaws, I think that The Rules for Disappearing is going to find a wide range of fans in both lovers of realistic contemporary young adult fiction or fans of fluffy romantic suspense novels, if they do not set their expectations too high.
My rating: 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
michellesantiago's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. It wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. Full review to come.
Reviewed on Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks:
The Rules for Disappearing is one of the 2013 debuts I was most excited for because I just love the sound of the Witness Protection premise. Sadly, while it wasn't a bad read, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
We follow "Meg" (her real name is Anna) as she and her family are once again transfered to a new town by the Witness Protection Program. This time they are transplanted in a small Louisiana town and Meg is determined that this will be her family's last move--for that to happen she will have to lay low and not draw any attention to herself, especially in school. She is also making it her mission to figure out what her dad did to get them into the Witness Protection Program in the first place. However, her plans didn't quite work out because her family seem to attract attention like flowers attract bees and a cute boy, Ethan, was adamant in getting to know her and to be her friend.
Like I said, The Rules for Disappearing is not a bad read. If you are looking for a mystery-lite with a strong romance, you may enjoy this. But for me most of the story was too conventional, too cardboard. Nothing really surprised me when I was reading it and the twists I saw a mile away. There were some parts that may have added some meat to the story like Meg's alcoholic mom, her dad who may be making deals with the wrong people and the man who may not be who he says he is--they could have turned the story into a darker fare but they were mostly glazed over. Instead the story focused more on Meg's relationship with Ethan.
I am all for romance but I thought, Meg and Ethan got together too easily. I never really understood Ethan's interest in Meg in the first place because it seemed there wasn't much to like about her when they first met. Also, Ethan was too perfect to be realistic.
But I did sympathize for Meg/Anna's character--how she was dealing with all the moving around and her frustration of not understanding why they were in the Witness Protection Program, the pressure of keeping her family together and taking care of her little sister, and basically having to carry all her possessions with her (in her "go-bag") so that she and her sister will have their stuff in the highly likely chance that they will be plucked in the middle of the night and moved to a new location without warning. I felt sorry for her and I rooted for her to figure out the "whys" and hopefully help her family get out of Witness Protection.
The Rules for Disappearing did not quite live up to my expectations but it was still a pretty good read. If you like mystery/thrillers on the lighter side, you may enjoy it more than I did. Oh, and the daisies on the cover? **Wink** They show up at the end of the novel. While The Rules for Disappearing is not a book I'd recommend you run to the bookstore to buy, it's definitely worth borrowing in the library.
Reviewed on Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks:
The Rules for Disappearing is one of the 2013 debuts I was most excited for because I just love the sound of the Witness Protection premise. Sadly, while it wasn't a bad read, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
We follow "Meg" (her real name is Anna) as she and her family are once again transfered to a new town by the Witness Protection Program. This time they are transplanted in a small Louisiana town and Meg is determined that this will be her family's last move--for that to happen she will have to lay low and not draw any attention to herself, especially in school. She is also making it her mission to figure out what her dad did to get them into the Witness Protection Program in the first place. However, her plans didn't quite work out because her family seem to attract attention like flowers attract bees and a cute boy, Ethan, was adamant in getting to know her and to be her friend.
Like I said, The Rules for Disappearing is not a bad read. If you are looking for a mystery-lite with a strong romance, you may enjoy this. But for me most of the story was too conventional, too cardboard. Nothing really surprised me when I was reading it and the twists I saw a mile away. There were some parts that may have added some meat to the story like Meg's alcoholic mom, her dad who may be making deals with the wrong people and the man who may not be who he says he is--they could have turned the story into a darker fare but they were mostly glazed over. Instead the story focused more on Meg's relationship with Ethan.
I am all for romance but I thought, Meg and Ethan got together too easily. I never really understood Ethan's interest in Meg in the first place because it seemed there wasn't much to like about her when they first met. Also, Ethan was too perfect to be realistic.
But I did sympathize for Meg/Anna's character--how she was dealing with all the moving around and her frustration of not understanding why they were in the Witness Protection Program, the pressure of keeping her family together and taking care of her little sister, and basically having to carry all her possessions with her (in her "go-bag") so that she and her sister will have their stuff in the highly likely chance that they will be plucked in the middle of the night and moved to a new location without warning. I felt sorry for her and I rooted for her to figure out the "whys" and hopefully help her family get out of Witness Protection.
The Rules for Disappearing did not quite live up to my expectations but it was still a pretty good read. If you like mystery/thrillers on the lighter side, you may enjoy it more than I did. Oh, and the daisies on the cover? **Wink** They show up at the end of the novel. While The Rules for Disappearing is not a book I'd recommend you run to the bookstore to buy, it's definitely worth borrowing in the library.
bookishnicole's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty sweet book. I really love my crime shows as some of you may have noticed, and one of my favorites was In Plain Sight which was about the Witness Protection program. What I really liked about this book was the plot line that they were in witness protection and that they had to be moved around a lot. I feel that everything that Meg had to face made her a little more realistic.
At first I was annoyed at Meg's attitude towards her dad, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how hard it must of been for her and her sister. As a teenager, that is the time that you're supposed to figure out who you are and who you want to be, but how can you do that when you're name is changing once a month and you're never really settled down. Not only that, but you have no time to get to make friends and you feel like you can't trust your own parents, I just can't imagine what that was like for Meg.
That being said she was pretty awful towards to dad as everyone in the family struggled to adapt. I was agitated by Meg's mother, and how she acted so selfishly. I understand that it was so hard to move around and to lose yourself, but when you have children that you need to take care of, they should be your priority, they should be who you take care of.
I adored Ethan and how he used little things that Meg said to figure out that she was lying about everything. I love that even when Meg pushed him away, he pushed back and tried to get her to open up to him. I loved that even he had a point that he couldn't take her not trusting him because I think that in YA, there is a problem with the guy being a little too perfect. Which Ethan was, but he was very adorable about it.
I really enjoyed the little rules that Meg added to the top of each chapter that sort of clued you in as to what was going on in that chapter. Ie the one that talked about not using the internet when she wanted to. (Although it would be more suspicious to be a luddite and avoid all things internet and technology in todays world.) I felt that that was really cute. I didn't really like Meg's whole plan when she got to Louisiana which was to not get to know anyone and try to figure out what her dad did. The latter part of the plan was fine, but I felt that she went about trying to not get to know anyone all wrong. When you got to a small town and you're the freshest meat these kids have seen since Kindergarten, there is no flying under the radar without a little bit of info. I think the plan would have worked much better had she dropped little bit of information and was a little friendly, then she could have passed by with no hassle. (I think)
All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was a cute, fun read that had me hooked from start to finish. I loved the mystery that was wrapped up in Meg's ordeal and how she slowly pieced things back together using clues from her old life and her new one.
At first I was annoyed at Meg's attitude towards her dad, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how hard it must of been for her and her sister. As a teenager, that is the time that you're supposed to figure out who you are and who you want to be, but how can you do that when you're name is changing once a month and you're never really settled down. Not only that, but you have no time to get to make friends and you feel like you can't trust your own parents, I just can't imagine what that was like for Meg.
That being said she was pretty awful towards to dad as everyone in the family struggled to adapt. I was agitated by Meg's mother, and how she acted so selfishly. I understand that it was so hard to move around and to lose yourself, but when you have children that you need to take care of, they should be your priority, they should be who you take care of.
I adored Ethan and how he used little things that Meg said to figure out that she was lying about everything. I love that even when Meg pushed him away, he pushed back and tried to get her to open up to him. I loved that even he had a point that he couldn't take her not trusting him because I think that in YA, there is a problem with the guy being a little too perfect. Which Ethan was, but he was very adorable about it.
I really enjoyed the little rules that Meg added to the top of each chapter that sort of clued you in as to what was going on in that chapter. Ie the one that talked about not using the internet when she wanted to. (Although it would be more suspicious to be a luddite and avoid all things internet and technology in todays world.) I felt that that was really cute. I didn't really like Meg's whole plan when she got to Louisiana which was to not get to know anyone and try to figure out what her dad did. The latter part of the plan was fine, but I felt that she went about trying to not get to know anyone all wrong. When you got to a small town and you're the freshest meat these kids have seen since Kindergarten, there is no flying under the radar without a little bit of info. I think the plan would have worked much better had she dropped little bit of information and was a little friendly, then she could have passed by with no hassle. (I think)
All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was a cute, fun read that had me hooked from start to finish. I loved the mystery that was wrapped up in Meg's ordeal and how she slowly pieced things back together using clues from her old life and her new one.
blushling's review against another edition
3.0
I think that most of us have heard about the Witness Protection program. If you're an avid viewer of cop shows and mystery/thrillers, then it must have crossed your ears at some point. The usual scenario is that someone witnesses some kind of crime and murder, so the US Marshalls enlists the person in the Witness Protection program to keep them safe before they have to testify in court. The Rules for Disappearing tackles with what happens when you're in the Witness Protection program. Not before or after, but during the whole gruesome process. I haven't read any other young adult book with the same subject matter and I dived right in.
One of the things that The Rules for Disappearing did well was the depiction of the changes in Meg's family. They used to be really well-off and were depicted as happy go-lucky in all of Meg's flashbacks, but everything suddenly fell apart when they entered Witness Protection, and it was all pretty apparent. Meg's dad, who used to be a successful accountant but now works rough jobs, is really stressed out and unattached, her mother falls into the habit of drinking and passing out at any hour of the day, and her little sister Teeny just gave up in general and freaks out whenever she's left alone or whenever she sees a man wearing a suit. Meg is also sick of all the moving and pretending and won't allow herself to get attached to anything anymore, in turn creating a set of rules for herself. They were the perfect family before the whole mess and the program really took a toll them.
Meg was a really hard character to get used to. Meg was the only one who tried to pull things together when everyone else just refused to function. She isn't an ignorant girl, she knows when there are problems and she doesn't deny not figuring out that Ethan planned on asking her out. She was really observant and I admire her love for her sister. I liked her and her headstrong determination at times, but I got really confused whenever her resolution wavered. Ethan was a really cute supporting character, although sometimes a bit too cute for my liking. I really appreciated his lightheartedness whenever it balanced out Meg's defiance but there were times when (although appreciated) he was a bit too good to be true.
The thing that irked me in this mystery read was the lack of mystery and thrill. The scenes that were supposed to thrill me were being told rather than being shown, and that's not good for a mystery book. Some things in the story were also unjustified, like the reason behind the whole Ethan-Meg attraction among other more important things. Everything conveniently falls into place. Some instances and situations were too unbelievably unrealistic, especially the reactions of those who eventually got involved. I was waiting for that exciting climax but it came and went without me even realizing it and I had to backtrack. I have to admit that the ending disappointed me a bit- everything was rushed and stuffed to fit into the last handful of pages.
The Rules for Disappearing works amazingly well as a young adult contemporary read, but I wasn't feeling the mystery aspect of it. The book wasn't as dynamic and adrenaline-filled as I expected but I would still recommend it to someone looking for an light action movie-type read with great character building. The Rules for Disappearing is a really cute and light quick read that chronicles a girl's journey through Witness Protection, and I really enjoyed all the relationships she formed and all the roadblocks she went through along the way.
Read more: The Selkie Reads Stories
Follow us: @ellietheselkie on Twitter
One of the things that The Rules for Disappearing did well was the depiction of the changes in Meg's family. They used to be really well-off and were depicted as happy go-lucky in all of Meg's flashbacks, but everything suddenly fell apart when they entered Witness Protection, and it was all pretty apparent. Meg's dad, who used to be a successful accountant but now works rough jobs, is really stressed out and unattached, her mother falls into the habit of drinking and passing out at any hour of the day, and her little sister Teeny just gave up in general and freaks out whenever she's left alone or whenever she sees a man wearing a suit. Meg is also sick of all the moving and pretending and won't allow herself to get attached to anything anymore, in turn creating a set of rules for herself. They were the perfect family before the whole mess and the program really took a toll them.
Meg was a really hard character to get used to. Meg was the only one who tried to pull things together when everyone else just refused to function. She isn't an ignorant girl, she knows when there are problems and she doesn't deny not figuring out that Ethan planned on asking her out. She was really observant and I admire her love for her sister. I liked her and her headstrong determination at times, but I got really confused whenever her resolution wavered. Ethan was a really cute supporting character, although sometimes a bit too cute for my liking. I really appreciated his lightheartedness whenever it balanced out Meg's defiance but there were times when (although appreciated) he was a bit too good to be true.
The thing that irked me in this mystery read was the lack of mystery and thrill. The scenes that were supposed to thrill me were being told rather than being shown, and that's not good for a mystery book. Some things in the story were also unjustified, like the reason behind the whole Ethan-Meg attraction among other more important things. Everything conveniently falls into place. Some instances and situations were too unbelievably unrealistic, especially the reactions of those who eventually got involved. I was waiting for that exciting climax but it came and went without me even realizing it and I had to backtrack. I have to admit that the ending disappointed me a bit- everything was rushed and stuffed to fit into the last handful of pages.
The Rules for Disappearing works amazingly well as a young adult contemporary read, but I wasn't feeling the mystery aspect of it. The book wasn't as dynamic and adrenaline-filled as I expected but I would still recommend it to someone looking for an light action movie-type read with great character building. The Rules for Disappearing is a really cute and light quick read that chronicles a girl's journey through Witness Protection, and I really enjoyed all the relationships she formed and all the roadblocks she went through along the way.
Read more: The Selkie Reads Stories
Follow us: @ellietheselkie on Twitter
brokenrecord's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to enjoy this, but I was never really able to get into it. I thought the premise was interesting, but I was annoyed by how much the main character was trying to dig into why she and her family were in witness protection and how she assumed her father had done something awful and that's why they were there. I kept wanting to shake her and be like, "YOU DO REALIZE THAT PEOPLE ARE PUT INTO WITNESS PROTECTION FOR THEIR OWN PROTECTION, RIGHT??? SO MAYBE DOING THINGS TO RISK LETTING OTHER PEOPLE FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE ISN'T THE BEST IDEA???" And I figured out the ~twist as to why they were actually in witness protection pretty early on (not all the details, but the general reason). I also didn't get very into the main relationship? Ethan kind of bugged me when he was first introduced and I couldn't figure out why, and I'm not a huge fan of the ship set-ups where like… the girl is new to town and the dude takes a totally random sudden interest in her and wants to be her best friend even though she's being kind of cold to him and isn't interested in the same. And it also bugged me how he was pushing her about telling him everything she was hiding. Also, idk if it's just me, but if I realized someone had lied about where they actually came from, I… wouldn't really care and wouldn't bother confronting them about it? Like, I would've actually really loved if he figured out she wasn't from that town in Arkansas early on but kept it to himself and helped her cover with other people, and then near the end when she's ready to tell him everything, he's like, "Yeah, I figured out you weren't from Arkansas, but I figured it was your choice to tell me when you wanted and you probably had a good reason for keeping it a secret." Like, I would be so into that!!! But idk. I mean, I was able to get through it and there were pieces I enjoyed, but overall I was hoping I'd be a lot more into it than I was.
scribesprite's review against another edition
3.0
Meg (it's Anna really) is in the witness protection program with her family and she is now on her sixth move. This time she is determined to survive it unscathed, meaning no clubs, no friends, and no boyfriends. And this time she is going to find out what her father did to get them into all this. Her mother is drinking too much, her little sister is withdrawing into herself, and her dad is not telling her anything.
I was intrigued by the premise of the book, probably because I don't read a lot of suspense stuff. The fact that it was set in Louisiana gave it a different setting than the usual. I liked that. I also liked the developing relationship she has with her dad.
The problems I had with the book were mostly minor annoyances, but it took away from my enjoyment. Yes her life is not the best but the way she goes about it I just didn't like it. Anna would whine about things like how going on the school bus her senior year was humiliating and made her a loser. She seems kind of immature about the situation, but she is a teenager and she does have her reasons so I tried not to let her complaining bother me too much. Also I didn't feel as much urgency or suspense as I thought I would. The romance with Ethan felt like too much too fast and actually unrealistic. Most of the time I can take some unrealistic situations (it's fiction for a reason) but I could tell the writing was trying to be realistic. I couldn't buy it entirely.
At times I could feel for her though. The second half I liked better, so if you don't like the beginning you may like it near the end. I can’t really talk about it without giving spoilers though.
Now the end left some unanswered questions and I slammed the book covers in frustration without reading the acknowledgments, but then I saw this is part of the series and simmered down. I might read the next book, but probably not.
I was intrigued by the premise of the book, probably because I don't read a lot of suspense stuff. The fact that it was set in Louisiana gave it a different setting than the usual. I liked that. I also liked the developing relationship she has with her dad.
The problems I had with the book were mostly minor annoyances, but it took away from my enjoyment. Yes her life is not the best but the way she goes about it I just didn't like it. Anna would whine about things like how going on the school bus her senior year was humiliating and made her a loser. She seems kind of immature about the situation, but she is a teenager and she does have her reasons so I tried not to let her complaining bother me too much. Also I didn't feel as much urgency or suspense as I thought I would. The romance with Ethan felt like too much too fast and actually unrealistic. Most of the time I can take some unrealistic situations (it's fiction for a reason) but I could tell the writing was trying to be realistic. I couldn't buy it entirely.
At times I could feel for her though. The second half I liked better, so if you don't like the beginning you may like it near the end. I can’t really talk about it without giving spoilers though.
Now the end left some unanswered questions and I slammed the book covers in frustration without reading the acknowledgments, but then I saw this is part of the series and simmered down. I might read the next book, but probably not.