If you need to see the world in a different way - then this is the book for you to get stuck into. Beautifully written, emotive and with truly lovable characters, this is a brilliant read.

I loved the premise of this; Nova has sight restored after years of being blind and falls in love with Kate, a troubled woman with an abusive husband and although it was a fast read I wasn't entirely convinced by the story.

Nova and Kate lacked chemistry and I didn’t get a strong sense of attraction or desire and the relationship felt platonic, nothing more.

A great psychological thriller - two women meet in unusual circumstances. Nova has been blind from birth but has had an operation to give her sight - but is this really what she wants ? Kate is happily married but there’s something about her husband that she can’t put her finger. They meet each other at a time in their lives when they both really need a friend. This book will make you look at the world in a different way . Highly recommended

Nova has been blind since birth. Kate is in a manipulative, violent marriage with a detective in the Met police.
A groundbreaking operation means that Nova has the chance to see for the first time in her life. Whilst in hospital her and Kate meet.
What follows is a charming story of love and learning to see the world through the eyes of a person who has never seen before.
I enjoyed seeing how Nova adapts to a sighted life. Part up-lit, part domestic thriller, I can't say that it was anything like Eleanor Oliphant as some reviewers have said. But it's non the worse for that.
A solid four star read.

Hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The writing and characterization are very assured. The originality of the story appealed - a girl born blind who has an operation to give her sight and this has a very unexpected result in hope she then views the world. Also a touching depiction of human relationships. An excellent read.

The Rules of Seeing is a poignant debut novel. A blind interpreter is given the gift of sight and by chance meets an architect in an abused relationship. Sensitive writing makes this a compelling read.

The rules of seeing by Joe Heap. I had read reviews of this book before reading it and they were very mixed, seems a lot of readers either loved or hated it! Nova has been blind from birth but has had an operation to try and give her sight. Kate found herself involved in a violent attack and was in hospital recovering, there the two very different women met! This is a very gentle story or love, loss and friendship written by a man. It was a very different book to any other I have read, generally I loved it but I did find some parts a little repetitive and didn't hold my interest but over all a great book which I would definitely recommend.

Beautiful book and very well written.
I enjoyed the characters and the story made me reflect a lot.
Highly recommend

Thank you for the advance review copy, took me long enough but enjoyed reading it and would recommend!

I don't often choose books based solely on their cover, but this one I did and it didn't disappoint.

Nova was born blind. She has spent the first 30 years of her life only able to see pale shapes, but now her brother has learned about an operation that could give her sight and a whole new world to discover. Unsure, she undergoes the operation and in order to make sense of the world she now sees before her, she comes up with the Rules of Seeing.

Kate, an architect, is married to Tony, a police officer. Following a head injury at home, she meets Nova outside the hospital. As their friendship develops, the 2 women help each other to see the world in a whole new way.

This was a thought-provoking and emotional read. I found myself imagining what it must be like to see things around me for the first time, and try to make sense of them. Exploring complex, changing relationships I was hooked from the first page. I also loved how each chapter focused on a shape or an object that linked to the developing story line.

Towards the end of the story, the 2 women travel to Bradford, my home city and I enjoyed reading a little about a place that was familiar to me.

This was a brilliant debut and I will keep my eye out for more by Joe Heap in the future!

Thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like some other reviewers I loved the first half of this book and thought the love story between Kate and Nova and the sensory exploration that Nova experiences were brilliantly handled. Sadly though I was less interested in, and convinced, by the psychological suspense element and by Tony’s character which felt stereotypical/undeveloped and like a missed opportunity. I thought the author’s writing was excellent and fresh and despite not loving all the elements of the plot would definitely read another title by this Joe Heap.

Beautifully written book about love and friendship and how we can overcome adversity. The characters came to life with incredible ease, such as they do with good writing. Harrowing in parts, but stick with it.
Thanks NetGalley and Joe Heap for the great read.

Two very different women are brought together by a chance meeting in a hospital ward... one blind since birth has just had her sight restored through surgery, the other must open her eyes to the world she is living in if she wants to survive. The Rules of Seeing takes us on a journey with Kate and Nova, but life is never as smooth as it looks... can these two women help each other to see the world through a fresh lens, only time will tell.

In truth I found myself not that bothered whilst reading this book, neither character grabbed me and with time started to annoy me in their own ways. Thankfully the evil Tony kept things interesting but I found these encounters predictable in their outcomes. It would be unfair to say I’ll be racing to read Joe Heap’s next story.

Thank you to#nergalley for the chance to read this title.

I wasn't sure what this would be like but I was gripped from the first page, my emotions where all over he place. A beautiful story of love and friendship. Outstanding book that I highly recommend.

The Rules of Seeing was an exceptional novel!
Having been blind from birth, Nova becomes "cured" and finds her sight. This unravels a new complex map of problems for her. She meets a women named Kate who is also going through a terrible time in her life. Her abusive husband to name one.
Kate and Nova find love with each other and while the story is about love and friendship, it is also about embracing change and finding ones true self.
I found the science behind Nova's new sight very fascinating but I also became slightly annoyed by the constant metaphors which didn't gel well with the book. Was hard to relate to Nova at times as her sight seemed less of a gift and more of a problem...

I can't put into words how I feel about this book. It has everything in it, love, loss, friendship, domestic violence and it becomes a "will they, won't they". It is an all round winner of a book.
I wish I had a Nova in my life, she would make everything brighter.
I wish I could give more than five stars.

I was completely enthralled by this book and once I picked it up it was impossible to put down. It isn’t fast-paced or action-packed, just incredibly beautiful in it’s simplicity. The friendship that develops between Nova and Kate is so gentle and it touched my heart. Experiencing the world as Nova does was mesmerising and displayed a wonderful depth to the author’s writing. This is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished

Nova has been blind since birth. Now in her thirties she has learned how to cope and her skills are vast. She can. Speak five languages and she has a lucrative job with the Metropolitan Police Force in London. She gets a operation to restore her sight. She wakes up into a world where she will need to learn everything all over again. Kate finds herself dealing with anxiety after an accident. Nova tries to help Kate.

I didn't really know what I expected when I wished for this book, but I'm glad the publishers granted it. The theme for this story is learning to see, not just literally but metaphorically for others. Rhe main characters are likeable and believable. The story is split into three parts, "Shapes", "Bodies" and "Objects". Each part has a different focus. The third part I was not so keen on. It changed to become a thriller. If this part had stayed the same as the first two, this would probably be afire star read. Overall, a really good debut novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Joe Heap for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like two books in one, and with somewhat conflicting purposes for the reader.
As I've seen several reviewers already have pointed out that they fell deeply in love with the first part of the sensory journey through blindness - and then learning to see for the first time. But then were left cold when the psychological drama comes in.

Why was that? Hmm...

I guess we all have certain expectations with each book and the opening chapter (or three) pretty much set the tone. So maybe it's kind of logical that we feel left hanging when that tone drastically changes.

But for the most part (the first part at least) it is a deeply educational account of one's life and feelings told in a rather heartwarming and eye-opening way.

I got this arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written book, not only is this an excellent read it is very thought provoking. Being born blind and having spent all your life in darkness ones imagination has a world of its own. How to cope when you have sight given to you is written so well by the author, really made me think about so much else it is not just simply seeing. Loved reading this and would recommend it very highly.