bcat0124's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gigidiva's review against another edition
3.0
this was a cute read. it did lag a bit after getting halfway through, but it picks up towards the end.
my favorite part of this book is all the french and creole that was woven throughout the dialogue.
i don't know what else to say other than that it was cute. although the dialogue was giving 2014 middle schooler at times and all the main characters are high school seniors in what I'm assuming to be 2020/2021. the characters are also a bit one dimensional i fear but it was still a cute read. something fun for the kids.
my favorite part of this book is all the french and creole that was woven throughout the dialogue.
i don't know what else to say other than that it was cute. although the dialogue was giving 2014 middle schooler at times and all the main characters are high school seniors in what I'm assuming to be 2020/2021. the characters are also a bit one dimensional i fear but it was still a cute read. something fun for the kids.
missprint_'s review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to her strict immigrant parents, Simone Thibodeaux's life is 100% boy free. After three years with a curfew and doing everything that's asked of her from her parents and her all-girl's school, Simone is more than ready for a change.
College is supposed to be a fresh start but with her parents threatening to make her commute to Rutgers like her older sister, Simone knows it's time for drastic action.
Enter new friends Amita and Kira and the trio's senior playlist. All three girls are used to life on lockdown and they are sick of missing out. With one year left to cram in all the classic high school experiences they've missed the girls are ready to go dancing, skip class, and pick their own prom dates.
Simone thinks she has the perfect boy picked out. But what happens when the date her parents arranged for her years ago turns out to be better than she could have hoped? After a year of breaking rules, Simone will discover that sometimes you can't plan for love (or heartbreak) in Simone Breaks All the Rules (2021) by Debbie Rigaud.
Rigaud's latest contemporary romance is an ode to high school nostalgia and small acts of rebellion. Simone's narration is filled with funny quips and fun facts about teen activists she has researched for her senior project whom she draws from for inspiration throughout the story.
While readers might be quicker to recognize the OTP here than Simone herself, the journey to that discovery is well worth the wait. Simone and her new friends have instant chemistry and while they all pursue their own dates for prom, the real love story here is the lasting friendship they forge. Ben--Simone's arranged prom date--is her perfect foil and their dialogue as they get to know each other adds a fun dimension to this story.
Simone Breaks All the Rules is a laugh-out-loud story about friendship, prom, and learning that sometimes you don't have to look as far as you think to find yourself. Recommended for fans of stories with bucket lists, high school nostalgia, and witty banter.
Possible Pairings: Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant, 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston, I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma
College is supposed to be a fresh start but with her parents threatening to make her commute to Rutgers like her older sister, Simone knows it's time for drastic action.
Enter new friends Amita and Kira and the trio's senior playlist. All three girls are used to life on lockdown and they are sick of missing out. With one year left to cram in all the classic high school experiences they've missed the girls are ready to go dancing, skip class, and pick their own prom dates.
Simone thinks she has the perfect boy picked out. But what happens when the date her parents arranged for her years ago turns out to be better than she could have hoped? After a year of breaking rules, Simone will discover that sometimes you can't plan for love (or heartbreak) in Simone Breaks All the Rules (2021) by Debbie Rigaud.
Rigaud's latest contemporary romance is an ode to high school nostalgia and small acts of rebellion. Simone's narration is filled with funny quips and fun facts about teen activists she has researched for her senior project whom she draws from for inspiration throughout the story.
While readers might be quicker to recognize the OTP here than Simone herself, the journey to that discovery is well worth the wait. Simone and her new friends have instant chemistry and while they all pursue their own dates for prom, the real love story here is the lasting friendship they forge. Ben--Simone's arranged prom date--is her perfect foil and their dialogue as they get to know each other adds a fun dimension to this story.
Simone Breaks All the Rules is a laugh-out-loud story about friendship, prom, and learning that sometimes you don't have to look as far as you think to find yourself. Recommended for fans of stories with bucket lists, high school nostalgia, and witty banter.
Possible Pairings: Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant, 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston, I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma
becca_willie04's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
robinheat's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
gwenchen's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I think I’m at an age where reminiscing on high school is of no interest to me, as a result this wasn’t of much interest. The plot and characters are good however
sapphic_swiftie's review against another edition
3.0
eh, this book was okay. i actually read a small portion of it back in july but dnf'ed it because i wasn't super into it. i decided to pick it back up and it did get better but still wasn't great.
the biggest problems that i had were that the writing was immature and the plot and characters were very cringe at times. maybe if i read this a few years ago i would have liked it more, but the writing just didn't seem to really match an 18 year old, even if part of her personality is being a "late bloomer." some of the ways some things were described and some of the things that happened just make me cringe. due to this, it made it a bit boring and hard to get through at times. i also found the story as a whole to be very unoriginal, predicable and cliché. i didn't mind this too much but i probably would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit more unique.
i will say that there was a cool vibe/aesthetic and it was a super lighthearted, easy read. the diversity was also really good. it reminded me a lot of [b:you should see me in a crown|50160619|You Should See Me in a Crown|Leah Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568912283l/50160619._SX50_SY75_.jpg|69288604] with all the emphasis on prom and i would defintely recommend it over this book since they are similar.
the biggest problems that i had were that the writing was immature and the plot and characters were very cringe at times. maybe if i read this a few years ago i would have liked it more, but the writing just didn't seem to really match an 18 year old, even if part of her personality is being a "late bloomer." some of the ways some things were described and some of the things that happened just make me cringe. due to this, it made it a bit boring and hard to get through at times. i also found the story as a whole to be very unoriginal, predicable and cliché. i didn't mind this too much but i probably would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit more unique.
i will say that there was a cool vibe/aesthetic and it was a super lighthearted, easy read. the diversity was also really good. it reminded me a lot of [b:you should see me in a crown|50160619|You Should See Me in a Crown|Leah Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568912283l/50160619._SX50_SY75_.jpg|69288604] with all the emphasis on prom and i would defintely recommend it over this book since they are similar.
olivia_meret's review against another edition
4.0
This was so cute and fun. All about friendship and growing up.
mattylovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I love seeing my culture reflected in literature. Simone Thibodeaux is a Haitian American girl preparing for prom and graduation. However, with strict parents, she has not been able to truly live that typical teen life. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands and not waste these last few months of high school.
I relived so many moments from my own teen years, from all the no’s I heard from my mom to the overbearing relatives knowing a little too much about your business. Debbie Rigaud does a great job capturing the things all Haitian American kids went through, specifically us girls (boys were treated differently and got way more freedom).
Simone was so relatable, if not a tad bit reckless at times. But I understood exactly what she was feeling and why she did what she did. The dynamic with her mom is something I knew all too well. Her mom, Constance, only wants what’s best for her youngest daughter and of course is trying to protect her from the world. At the same time, Simone feels stifled and wants to break free desperately, much to her mothers chagrin.
There’s a bit of romance going on in here too and it was so cute. I needed more of Ben though! His character was so interesting and I wish we got to see more of him and Simone together. The friendship between Simone and her HomeGirls (as she calls them), Amita and Kira, is so wholesome and sweet. I loved to see it.
Simone Breaks All the Rules was such a fun read. It was relatable, funny, emotional, and perfect for teen readers.
I relived so many moments from my own teen years, from all the no’s I heard from my mom to the overbearing relatives knowing a little too much about your business. Debbie Rigaud does a great job capturing the things all Haitian American kids went through, specifically us girls (boys were treated differently and got way more freedom).
Simone was so relatable, if not a tad bit reckless at times. But I understood exactly what she was feeling and why she did what she did. The dynamic with her mom is something I knew all too well. Her mom, Constance, only wants what’s best for her youngest daughter and of course is trying to protect her from the world. At the same time, Simone feels stifled and wants to break free desperately, much to her mothers chagrin.
There’s a bit of romance going on in here too and it was so cute. I needed more of Ben though! His character was so interesting and I wish we got to see more of him and Simone together. The friendship between Simone and her HomeGirls (as she calls them), Amita and Kira, is so wholesome and sweet. I loved to see it.
Simone Breaks All the Rules was such a fun read. It was relatable, funny, emotional, and perfect for teen readers.