Click to purchase! Publisher: Sparkpress
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 376
Source: Publicist/Publisher
Genre: General Fiction
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: If Will Fletcher's severe bipolar disorder isn't proof he shouldn't be a parent, his infant daughter's grave is. Once a happily married, successful veterinarian, he now lives with his sister and thrives as the small-town crazy of Half Moon Hollow. But when a fifteen-year-old orphan claims she's his daughter, Will is forced back into the role he fears most: fatherhood. Her biological dad isn't the hero Regan Whitmer hoped for, but he's better than her abusive stepfather back in Chicago. Still haunted by her mother's suicide and the rebellious past she fears led to it, Regan is desperate for a stable home and a normal family--things Will can't offer. Can she ride the highs and lows of his illness to find a new definition of family? The Rules of Half explores what it is to be an atypical family in a small town and to be mentally ill in the wake of a tragedy--and who has the right to determine both.
* This book was provided by BookSparks in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 376
Source: Publicist/Publisher
Genre: General Fiction
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: If Will Fletcher's severe bipolar disorder isn't proof he shouldn't be a parent, his infant daughter's grave is. Once a happily married, successful veterinarian, he now lives with his sister and thrives as the small-town crazy of Half Moon Hollow. But when a fifteen-year-old orphan claims she's his daughter, Will is forced back into the role he fears most: fatherhood. Her biological dad isn't the hero Regan Whitmer hoped for, but he's better than her abusive stepfather back in Chicago. Still haunted by her mother's suicide and the rebellious past she fears led to it, Regan is desperate for a stable home and a normal family--things Will can't offer. Can she ride the highs and lows of his illness to find a new definition of family? The Rules of Half explores what it is to be an atypical family in a small town and to be mentally ill in the wake of a tragedy--and who has the right to determine both.
* This book was provided by BookSparks in exchange for an honest review.
Not all happy endings are completely happy, and “The Rules of Half” is a perfect example of this. Jenna Patrick’s debut novel is set in modern day small-town America, and follows Will Fletcher, the town ‘crazy’, and his sister Janey. Will and Janey’s childhood involved a father that was suffering from a disorder of the mind, and it appears that Will is following in his footsteps. Janey has been there for the last five years to pick up the pieces, all while keeping her own life on the back burner.
Enter Regan-a feisty 16 year old who is fleeing from her own grief who claims that Will is her biological father. Can the trio learn to live together and not drive each other insane, literally?
Enter Regan-a feisty 16 year old who is fleeing from her own grief who claims that Will is her biological father. Can the trio learn to live together and not drive each other insane, literally?
I felt that the characters were all very relatable, very real, and I have an especially soft spot for Will. Ms. Patrick really made both sides of the mental disorder (of both the patient and their family members) come alive. It’s rare, in my opinion, to find an author that can describe a mental illness from the viewpoint of the patient and make it believable and not so far-fetched that the reader can’t relate with the character. My heart broke for him in more ways than one, and to be labeled the town’s lunatic just makes it that much harder for him to become the man that he can be. Regan is an important piece of the story here to help Will really grow, and to give him the strength to believe in himself. Throughout the story, Will evolves, and I found myself rooting for him, even when everybody had given up on him.
I did have trouble with some of the backstories. There were numerous instances in the book that the author referred to stories of prior characters which led me to believe that there may have been a prequel to those stories. But alas, this is definitely the author’s first book, so I don’t know if she plans on writing a sequel about those events? I am not normally a fan of series, but it definitely left Ms. Patrick’s options open for future novels.
I would put this book in the same category as books written by Karma Brown (especially her latest (In This Moment), Dani Shapiro, and Diane Chamberlain.
Grab a cup of joe, a warm blanket, and tuck in to enjoy this story of human relationships and family dynamics.
I did have trouble with some of the backstories. There were numerous instances in the book that the author referred to stories of prior characters which led me to believe that there may have been a prequel to those stories. But alas, this is definitely the author’s first book, so I don’t know if she plans on writing a sequel about those events? I am not normally a fan of series, but it definitely left Ms. Patrick’s options open for future novels.
I would put this book in the same category as books written by Karma Brown (especially her latest (In This Moment), Dani Shapiro, and Diane Chamberlain.
Grab a cup of joe, a warm blanket, and tuck in to enjoy this story of human relationships and family dynamics.
