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Love Rules
Emma is stuck in Hamilton, Missouri, while her best friend, Mattie, and her brother, Jake, head to the West Coast for college. To stay in touch while they're gone, Emma makes Jake and Mattie promise to send a postcard back to her once a week. Each postcard has to have a new Love Rule uncovered that week. In the process, Jake and Mattie discover that love was right under their noses.
243 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
361 people want to read
About the author
Dandi Daley Mackall
352 books299 followersA professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 500 books for children and adults alike, with sales of over 4 million.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 22, 2014
I would recommend this book. Not super amazing but I enjoyed it.
February 16, 2018
This book was sooooo good! I didn't want to put it down (though I had to)! I would not recommend this book to people who stereotype Christians, because it would not be a fun read.
June 5, 2009
Emma and Jake Jackson and Mattie Mays -The Three Musketeers, The Three Stooges, Three Coins in a Fountian. When Mattie and Jake (Emma's brother) decide to head for California to Freedom University, Emma is left behind; but before they leave Missouri, Emma makes them promise to send her postcards about everything they learn about love. And from the looks of things, it's going to be pretty hard too.....
LOVE RULE #1:
The chances of finding love at this university are slim to none. And slim went home.
From "Greek God" to the nervous nerdy Jeremy Skittles, Mattie sets out to find true love-but could it possibly be right under her nose?
This book was absolutely stunning and so very fun to read! The book is narrated by Mattie who is the best character I've read in a long time. (I think I was secretly glad to read a character who thinks like me.) I mean, she's so animated and realistic! She's got a unique sense of humor, an inspiring view thats all her own, and a funny habit of speaking in foreign accents. Plus to top it off, MacKall puts the best little details in the book about Mattie, Jake, and Emma's friendship. (My favorite detail in the entire book was the "moon checks".)
Though Mattie is the main narrator, another neat thing about this book is that you get to see inside the minds of Mattie's dates or other guys she meets.
Okay don't get me wrong, this girl is not some tramp who goes around deliberately dating guys nor is college the best time to look for true love, but nevertheless it made a wonderful heartfelt story about finding true love and what true love should really be.
To tell you the truth I sorely miss Mattie, Jake, and Emma and am excited to read more of MacKall's books!
Courtesy of BLT reviews: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
Please stop by for more reviews!
LOVE RULE #1:
The chances of finding love at this university are slim to none. And slim went home.
From "Greek God" to the nervous nerdy Jeremy Skittles, Mattie sets out to find true love-but could it possibly be right under her nose?
This book was absolutely stunning and so very fun to read! The book is narrated by Mattie who is the best character I've read in a long time. (I think I was secretly glad to read a character who thinks like me.) I mean, she's so animated and realistic! She's got a unique sense of humor, an inspiring view thats all her own, and a funny habit of speaking in foreign accents. Plus to top it off, MacKall puts the best little details in the book about Mattie, Jake, and Emma's friendship. (My favorite detail in the entire book was the "moon checks".)
Though Mattie is the main narrator, another neat thing about this book is that you get to see inside the minds of Mattie's dates or other guys she meets.
Okay don't get me wrong, this girl is not some tramp who goes around deliberately dating guys nor is college the best time to look for true love, but nevertheless it made a wonderful heartfelt story about finding true love and what true love should really be.
To tell you the truth I sorely miss Mattie, Jake, and Emma and am excited to read more of MacKall's books!
Courtesy of BLT reviews: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
Please stop by for more reviews!
July 27, 2017
October 18-19, 2013
That was as cute, but also cheesier than I remember.
Okay, so this is a really cute little story about three friends... Mattie Mays, and Emma and Jake Jackson. Mattie and Emma are best friends that are the same age and Jake's Emma's older brother by a year. Mattie skipped a grade though, so Jake and Mattie are going off to college in California and Emma (who is deaf and has lupus) is staying in Missouri to finish high school. Emma devises a cheesy, but apparently effective, way of making sure Jake and Mattie get together once a week and in a context where they will be thinking about love. Jake and Mattie are both looking for love, but it seems that love is a lot closer than they thought it would be...
Cute story. And I don't know what my deal is. I'm a Christian, and a pretty darned devout one at that, but when the author started throwing in Bible verses... I dunno. I grabbed my Bible and read the King James versions of the verses Emma mentions, and MAN! All these new-age, modern-English interpretations of the Bible leave a lot to be desired. Half the meaning of the scriptures are lost in the translation! So maybe that's just a pet-peeve of mine, but there you go.
I guess my other thing is just Mattie. She seemed a bit too far-fetched. A bit too much to be real. A bit too capable. I wanted her to be more down-to-earth, more flawed, I guess. But overall, a great little Christian YA romance! :)
Also read some time in 2006
That was as cute, but also cheesier than I remember.
Okay, so this is a really cute little story about three friends... Mattie Mays, and Emma and Jake Jackson. Mattie and Emma are best friends that are the same age and Jake's Emma's older brother by a year. Mattie skipped a grade though, so Jake and Mattie are going off to college in California and Emma (who is deaf and has lupus) is staying in Missouri to finish high school. Emma devises a cheesy, but apparently effective, way of making sure Jake and Mattie get together once a week and in a context where they will be thinking about love. Jake and Mattie are both looking for love, but it seems that love is a lot closer than they thought it would be...
Cute story. And I don't know what my deal is. I'm a Christian, and a pretty darned devout one at that, but when the author started throwing in Bible verses... I dunno. I grabbed my Bible and read the King James versions of the verses Emma mentions, and MAN! All these new-age, modern-English interpretations of the Bible leave a lot to be desired. Half the meaning of the scriptures are lost in the translation! So maybe that's just a pet-peeve of mine, but there you go.
I guess my other thing is just Mattie. She seemed a bit too far-fetched. A bit too much to be real. A bit too capable. I wanted her to be more down-to-earth, more flawed, I guess. But overall, a great little Christian YA romance! :)
Also read some time in 2006
June 23, 2015
While reading this book, you're sure to experience tons of reactions; laugh, smile, get angry, be annoyed, cry (although I didn't), and a lot more.
When I read the first chapter, I instantly adored the characters. A boyish all-around witty unsociable girl, your cliché nice-guy jock who gets tired of things really fast, and his sister, the God-loving, mature-thinking, and innocent deaf.
Together, they make a great team. Out-of-the-ordinary traits mixed in with ordinary ones. And it worked. It fit.
The story itself was really exciting. Their day-to-day adventures were very entertaining & funny. It showed bits of college experiences on how it would be on a new school, away from home, away from a dear friend. Love was the main focus of the story though, on its mysteries & on what it really was.
Although, what bothered me, was that a lot of scenes were a little too familiar. Like I've already heard it somewhere. An example would be the student-as-teacher-scene that reminded me of the movie Catch Me If You Can. But of course, there were still parts that differ from other romance books. It's like a replica of the same old predictable love story, but it was cooked entirely in a whole new way. Still with the scrumptious & desirable ending, just a tad more exciting.
Overall, it's a splendid read, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was hard putting it down when I had to, because this book will be hard to tear away from.
Thanks to my best friend, Antonette, for suggesting this.
When I read the first chapter, I instantly adored the characters. A boyish all-around witty unsociable girl, your cliché nice-guy jock who gets tired of things really fast, and his sister, the God-loving, mature-thinking, and innocent deaf.
Together, they make a great team. Out-of-the-ordinary traits mixed in with ordinary ones. And it worked. It fit.
The story itself was really exciting. Their day-to-day adventures were very entertaining & funny. It showed bits of college experiences on how it would be on a new school, away from home, away from a dear friend. Love was the main focus of the story though, on its mysteries & on what it really was.
Although, what bothered me, was that a lot of scenes were a little too familiar. Like I've already heard it somewhere. An example would be the student-as-teacher-scene that reminded me of the movie Catch Me If You Can. But of course, there were still parts that differ from other romance books. It's like a replica of the same old predictable love story, but it was cooked entirely in a whole new way. Still with the scrumptious & desirable ending, just a tad more exciting.
Overall, it's a splendid read, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was hard putting it down when I had to, because this book will be hard to tear away from.
Thanks to my best friend, Antonette, for suggesting this.
May 30, 2013
Just finished! Love it! This is such a beautiful story and even the way it is written is beautiful. A story of three friends, two are siblings, that are discovering love in different ways. Love for friendship, God, partners, and oneself. The three main characters, Emma, Jake, and Mattie are so love-able and relate-able. Love can surprise us sometimes, often we don't recognize it even when it's staring us in the face. And this story definitely captures that. I love the way it's written. Mostly from Mattie's point of view, but it switches to other charters that come up and they're narrating for a bit. It allows you to get to know the new character better but it really allows you to see Mattie in different ways; not just from her point of view but from seine one else's as though your watching her through someone else's eyes. This is a brilliant book and story! Definitely heart warming and funny! Please take a moment to read this book! You could definitely learn things about yourself and actually learn Love Rules! :)
November 22, 2018
I’m a little biased because I first read this book as an early teenager when I idealized life a lot and appreciated a good love story with a side lesson of the importance of God and religion.
Now being a lot more realistic person, I still think the story is cute, just a little cliché. And towards the middle, it became easy to tell how the story was going to end.
The love rules are still very valid though.
The religious agenda just might be a little irritating for a non-religious/non-spiritual person.
Now being a lot more realistic person, I still think the story is cute, just a little cliché. And towards the middle, it became easy to tell how the story was going to end.
The love rules are still very valid though.
The religious agenda just might be a little irritating for a non-religious/non-spiritual person.
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August 15, 2011I have read this book over and over, it is just that good. It's a great story about a girl connecting with her friends through God, through college, and through post-cards. I truly love this book, and when I say I have read it over and over, I mean it. I have never gotten bored of this book. Mattie is absolutely hilarious, a great stronghold for her friends, and an absolutely amazing person. Dandi Daley Mackall really hit the nail on the head with this book, truly. I reccomend this book to all.
March 13, 2009
If your in the mood for something sweet and romantic this is a good read then. I really like books which are somewhat short, and have a very sweet story line and ending. I have read a lot of books like that but this one is really worth the read. Its for more of a person who likes to read straight on romance fiction:)
May 18, 2012
Most amazing book I have ever read. It makes you think about your own life and relationships and how God can be there always, whether you are ready to admit it or not. Plus it helps that the characters are so well written you cannot help but love them as they go out into the world of college dating and laughing at their attempts to discover love in all the wrong places.
November 29, 2011
This was shelved in with the regular fiction, but reads as a YA novel. A "Christian" YA at that. It was poorly written, the characters weren't well developed, and the God angle was hammered into you at every spare moment. I did not like it at ALL.
June 19, 2014
There's a lot of references to God and Christianity and I can see that bothering some readers but I thought it was a pretty sweet story. As long as the book isn't trying to convert me, I think references to god and religion can totally be included in a good YA novel.
February 13, 2009
I absolutely adore this book. I love how outgoing Mattie is. It makes me want to be a better person. Haha I hate Carson though. DOUCHE!
June 15, 2009
Cute read. I kinda figured out what would happen but still liked it. It was cute and kinda of a fun look at college, though I am not sure my dating life was as eventful.
March 23, 2010
My favorite book of all time. If you want to be closer to god without reading the bible read this.
November 3, 2010
I love this book! It had a great plot, great characters, and it kept me laughing. The ending was somewhat what i had wanted, but it didn't live up to the rest of the book's greatness. I wanted more.
January 17, 2018
- interesting read (learn about love)
- likable protagonists
- likable protagonists
Read
August 6, 2011great book...very refreshing...and relatable...
December 3, 2011
This book was wonderful. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. I loved it.
January 5, 2012
loved the teacher scene
April 28, 2013
Something about this book is off.
March 1, 2015
I highly recommend! It was a pretty quick read, a really fun, heart-warming story that holds a wonderful truth and message within. I recommend this for any young-adult and beyond!
February 2, 2016
I like how this book has a realistic view of Christianity and how the characters have struggles we all face in college.
November 20, 2019
A great Middle school YA book... had everything to make me happy!! A nice coming of age story.
January 30, 2025
I love this book so much that I have read it several times now and will most likely read it several times more. Realistic, funny, hard to put down, and a great look at what love really is, and what it is not.
April 30, 2012
One of my favorite books. I am a sucker for a love story.
January 13, 2016
awesome book
Read
September 23, 2017When Mattie Mays leaves Hamilton, Missouri for college life in California, she has trouble leaving behind her best friend Emma. So when she and Emma’s brother Jake prepare to drive off, Emma gives her one assignment. Every Monday, Mattie and Jake must get together and send Emma a postcard containing one “love rule” they have learned throughout the week. In just one semester, Mattie and Jake learn a lot about the difference between love, infatuation, and desperation.
Overall, this was a fun summer read. I found myself emotionally invested in the characters and how they would get out of the messes they found themselves in. It is peppered with advice from Mattie’s Christian friends, yet still manages not to be overly preachy. But there were still some times that I simply could not relate because my college experience was nothing like Mattie’s.
While others I know love Mattie’s character for her animation and spontaneity, I found her to be overbearing and contradictory. For example, she complains that she doesn’t feel comfortable making new friends, but is quick to jump out of the car to help a homeless man, crash a concert, or even take over a professor’s lecture. Some might find her quirks endearing, but I only rolled my eyes and mumbled, “Again?” And for someone who is bad at making friends, she goes on an awful lot of dates.
This was a fun book, and could definitely be a lighthearted read for a high schooler or college freshman. Most problems I had with the book were personal preferences, and could be overlooked by other readers. At its core, Love Rules is a wholesome and engaging story.
http://www.meganalms.com/book-blog
Overall, this was a fun summer read. I found myself emotionally invested in the characters and how they would get out of the messes they found themselves in. It is peppered with advice from Mattie’s Christian friends, yet still manages not to be overly preachy. But there were still some times that I simply could not relate because my college experience was nothing like Mattie’s.
While others I know love Mattie’s character for her animation and spontaneity, I found her to be overbearing and contradictory. For example, she complains that she doesn’t feel comfortable making new friends, but is quick to jump out of the car to help a homeless man, crash a concert, or even take over a professor’s lecture. Some might find her quirks endearing, but I only rolled my eyes and mumbled, “Again?” And for someone who is bad at making friends, she goes on an awful lot of dates.
This was a fun book, and could definitely be a lighthearted read for a high schooler or college freshman. Most problems I had with the book were personal preferences, and could be overlooked by other readers. At its core, Love Rules is a wholesome and engaging story.
http://www.meganalms.com/book-blog
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews