Release Day Review: The Rules of Half by Jenna Patrick
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.
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
"When everyone else looks at you and sees crazy, I see complex. When they see someone who's not worth a second of their time, I finally see someone who is actually worth every bit of mine. When they see a man who's damned, I see one who's yet to be redeemed."
Every once in a while I come across a book outside the romance genre that piques my interest. When I read the blurb of The Rules of Half, I just knew it would be emotional, heartbreaking but also unique and real. There are many people who have Bipolar Disorder and I can't imagine it being easy for them and their family. This book gave a very well-rounded look into a man struggling with his disorder, but also with the heartbreaking events from his past. Will had so much on his plate and he couldn't let go of his inner demons or forgive himself.
This book is told from four POVs: Will, his sister Janey, his teenage daughter Regan and the the new school principal Lindsay. I thought it was very essential in this book to hear what all four of them were thinking, and they all had their own struggles and problems. There were multiple story lines intertwined into the main one, and the author did a phenomenal job in the way she told everyone's story. There were so many heartbreaking scenes that had me tearing up, especially the scenes with Will and Regan were sad. I loved how everything developed in this story, and I couldn't get enough. I loved that there was some romance, even though it wasn't the most important part. It was about the bond between brother and sister, father and daughter, and people who are attracted/in love with each other. Friendship played an important role as well. The Rules of Half is a very strong, complete, raw and beautiful debut novel of Jenna Patrick. I am very impressed by her writing and I'll definitely keep a close eye on her upcoming books.
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