This was a fast paced novel that grabbed my attention from the first page. I couldn't put this one down until I'd finished, it was a chilling story about survival and obsession.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

This book is well written and has a fast pace , it’s told in both past and present expressing sensitive topics like obsession 

It tells a story of Amber , a girl who’s been raised to be a survival by following a set of rules set by her father and always be prepared for the worst  runs away from home to live a new life..

2 years later she’s on the run again when she receives a letter from her dad , she knows her surviving techniques but how can she hide from him when “𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺“

This book is definitely a 5 star for me and I will always recommend it to others 
 My most favorite character is josh because he’s really quick witted and always managed to stay cheerful even in the hardest times 
 And he is definitely the reasons for most of my laugh

All I can say is Tracy Darnton must be psychic! The rules is a perfect book for the second half of 2020.

Amber Fitzpatrick is a feisty product of the chaotic lifestyle created by her survivalist father, she has lived a life of fear and suspicion, a world away from other young girls in the southwest of the UK. She can break down a rifle, treat a knife wound, and is ready to purify water at a moment’s notice. When her mum dies, Amber is left with her (frankly kooky) scary dad and a dawning realisation that she’s got to make a move.

The father is a creepy mess, a ‘prepper’ who treated his wife as property and his daughter as an unwilling apprentice. His cruelty knows no bounds, meaning Amber has a good reason for running away for the school she has come to think of as ‘home’. But thanks to him, Amber is able to make a stealthy off-grid escape across Britain using her survival skills and courage.

The plot is fast-moving and exciting, helped by Tracy deftly weaving backstory through the action as it unfolds instead of spending distinct chapters explaining Amber’s complicated psychology. She’s got Amber’s sarcastic mistrustful voice right, too — so right that I believe I would know Amber if I passed her in the street. Amber grows in confidence through the story — always the mark of the best in YA — it’s great to see her soften those edges roughed by her overbearing father for many years.

Tracy confidently allows Amber a slip-up or two, which puts in play a few chance encounters as well as a story rich in tension and twists. It would be too easy if she were SAS-ready, she knows a lot more than most, but she was a reluctant prepper after all. Throughout the story Amber recites the Rules that her dad drilled into her. They are her prison and the key to getting out of it. Clever.

‘The rules’ is balanced. Though thrilling, I really liked its humour. Not laugh-out-loud, but there are moments to savour and this adds realness. The fact that Amber is studying ‘unreliable narrators’ in English Lit was quite funny as were the hapless antics of the character and confidante Josh (personal favourite); may we please have a Josh-spin-off? As in her previous novel ‘the truth about lies’ there are several objects important to the plot — bin liners, poo shovels, stuffed penguins, Grab-and-go bag — but I want to award Tracy the 2020 prize for ‘Best Use of a Advent Calendar in YA’.

Tracy’s previous novel ‘The truth about lies’ shares a few elements with her new book. There is a boarding school, an unreliable narrator without parents, nail-biting action, intrigue, self-sufficiency and the great British countryside. ‘The rules’ reminded me of ‘After the fire’ by Will Hill in its creepy restrictions and committed outsiders and if you liked ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth, you’re going to love Tracy’s sassy taking-care-of-business Amber Fitzpatrick.

I hope you liked my little review. I read the paperback version of this brilliant book, and I couldn’t put it down.

While this is probably not the best time to read a book about doomsday preppers, it was a pretty good read with enough intrigue to keep me going and I enjoyed the characters, though I was put off by some fatphobic comments which are just so unnecessary and harmful in YA books.

Amber is on the run. After her mother died, she was put in foster care, bouncing from family to family, until she was placed in a boarding school. Her social worker is excited to tell her they've finally found her father, but Amber knows this means she has to leave. Her father is a survivalist, preparing for the end of the world, and Amber knows how dangerous he is. Following the rules he set, she goes into hiding.

This was so good, maybe not the best book to read during a pandemic, but if you want a distraction from our worldwide catastrophe with a book about survivalists then this is the one for you. We follow Amber in the past and present, as she recalls the rules her father taught her, and the ones he still lives by. I enjoyed the tension and the build up. I didn't necessarily like Amber but i don't think she was meant to be a likeable character, and it's obvious why she acts the way she does. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and would 100% recommend it.

Oh boy, I was not prepared to read this book during a global pandemic, but here we are. 

‘The Rules’ by Tracy Darnton is a fast-paced thriller detailing the life of Amber, a teen who is trying to outrun her ‘prepper’ father by following the survivalist rules he has taught her to live by. 

The book opens with Amber, a seemingly normal (if a little cynical) teenage girl. She’s out bowling with her social worker. We learn that her mother has died, meaning that Amber has been placed in the social care system. The tone quickly shifts from one of mild annoyance (from Amber) to a rising panic that lasts the entire book until the explosive ending. What has caused this panic? Amber’s social carer has tracked down her father and given Amber a deceivingly sweet letter from him. From the moment she receives the letter, the survival instincts that her father, a self-confessed ‘survivalist’, ingrained in her kick start and she flees the life she was beginning to feel comfortable and safe in. First stop is an older foster home of hers, ‘The Haven’, where she meets Josh, a happy-go-lucky teen with baggage of his own, who tags along for the ride. Amber knows that it’s only a matter of time before her father catches up with her, and that anxiety-inducing threat looms over Amber and the reader throughout the novel. 

I thought this book was very cleverly written with nods to the current climate (Greta Thunberg and hoarding toilet roll) and the way it brings the reader along for the dizzying ride. I found myself on many occasions in a pool of panic-stricken sweat, with my heart hammering in my chest. However, this book was also quite difficult to read at times when realising the extent of abuse Amber had suffered, and the rules that governed her life - rules that her father had created. Ultimately, he created the rules for this cat and mouse chase and seems to have an unfair advantage, but we find out that Amber isn’t as behind as the author would have you think. 

Initially, I didn’t really like the character of Amber (I’m a teacher and seem to have less and less patience and time for teenage angst and attitude) and this made it difficult to get stuck into for the first few chapters, but it soon becomes clear why she is the way that she is. And, if I’m being honest, during this current pandemic she has given me a lot to think about…

All in all, this was a fast-paced, thrilling read that will leave you thinking about the characters beyond the last page.

This is a slow-reveal book.  We know at the beginning that Amber is in boarding school, under social care, and is hiding away from an abusive father who is a 'prepper'.  We don't know the exact nature of the abuse.  We don't know what happened to her mother.  We don't know exactly why she is trying to run away from from him, and we think get a fair idea as the book progresses, as she flees to a holiday home belonging to a previous foster family.  The lessons Amber learnt from her father's paranoid obsessions rule her life still, but when she comes across Josh, another foster-child she'd met once before, and allows him to accompany her, her fast-held rules begin to fumble and she makes mistake after mistake.
The narration of events makes it appear fast-paced, but actually very little happens in the first half of the book.  The reader is kept in suspense, led by Amber's constant anxiousness.  It is almost a relief when what she has been dreading comes to a close.

I am not sure quite what to say about this book. I think under different circumstances I would have enjoyed this a lot more but I don't think that with everything going on in the world surrounding the global pandemic it was quite the right time for me to read this.
However that being said, I did enjoy this book. I enjoyed the plot and especially the characters. I thought that they were well rounded and were interesting enough to keep you wanting to find out more about what was going to happen to them. I was never quite sure what way the book was going to turn next and had no clue to what extremes the character was truly in. 
I really enjoyed the ending of this one and thought it was quite a unique ending in YA thrillers. 
I think this is a book I may reread in the future when the world is in a better place, however if you are up to reading about a girl whose father has trained her to prepare for every doomsday scenario then I think you should give this one a go. It was short, snappy and kept me interested the whole time I was reading. It did not take me long to get through at all as I couldn't put it down.
For now 3 stars from me.

What a time to read about preparing for a lockdown – whilst in a lockdown because of a global virus pandemic! However, Amber’s case is different in that her Dad became more and more obsessed with the Government, and indeed the whole world, watching and controlling his life and was determined to avoid that. He, however, took this to the extreme and it became a one-man cult. He was a ‘Prepper’, someone prepared to be cut off from society by being self-sufficient, not just in providing food and energy for the family, but also in skills aimed at surviving outdoors if necessary, or indoors under lockdown. 
We learn this early on, and that Amber has managed to escape his clutches, only to experience the death of her Mother and being left alone in the world. The authorities have no option but to contact her Father, unaware of his extreme views and lifestyle. Unaware, because Amber has never talked about it, still under her Father’s influence of never trusting or talking to anyone. So when she knows her Father is on his way to be reunited with her, Amber leaves her happy place – the school where she felt safe, taking her Grab-and-go bag in which she always has packed rations, change of clothes, survival tent, shovel, matches and cooking gear.
Amber heads for a holiday cottage where she spent some time with a foster family whilst her Mum was in hospital. She knows she can stay there for a while before carrying out the rest of her plan, the details of which she doesn’t reveal. However, what is not in the plan is being joined in the holiday home by another foster child – Josh, who seems the complete opposite of Amber – happy-go-lucky, taking advantage of anyone who offers to help, and some who don’t. Josh is much more talkative and open than Amber and we soon learn that his life hasn’t been plain sailing. But they don’t see eye to eye and after an argument soon split.
Keeping to The Rules her Dad made, Amber tries to carry out the remainder of her plan. Unfortunately, if The Rules were made by her Dad, he also knows them and their paths once more cross. 
Amber and Josh have a different outlook on life but end up working together. Their relationship didn’t turn into a romantic one which was refreshing.
This book is fast paced and powerful, taking quite a few surprising twists and keeping the reader on their toes.

ʀᴜʟᴇ: ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ.
Amber is one of life's survivors, she is literally prepared for anything, her Dad has made sure of that. He set The Rules. The Rules Amber follows. 
But how does someone stay one step ahead of the person who taught them everything they know?

Amber's Dad is a controlling and abusive Father and also an obsessive prepper. (someone who actively prepares for emergencies) He is looking for her, whilst she is trying to get as far away from him as possible. But what happens when her past catches up with her and the survivalist lifestyle her father follows goes too far? 

Reading this at the time of a global pandemic was interesting! There was even the mention of toilet roll shortages! This story was gripping and different from any other I've read before. The author feeds the reader with small amounts of information whilst flicking between past and present which really helped to build the tension and allow you to see exactly why Amber was afraid of her Father. The explosive ending was a real highlight, showing Amber as a dedicated "Rule" follower right up until the end!

(Now excuse me whilst I go prepare a grab and go bag! 🎒)

I love YA and this is a prime example of why! 
Incredibly well written, brilliant characters and great storylines. 
It feels very topical and current given what’s currently happening in the world.

The Rules was unlike any other book I have ever read, from the way it was set out to the story. I really enjoyed how the book was set up and thought the character building was immaculate. I loved Josh's character and enjoyed how the story unfolded. I thought the way the author incorporated Amber's history and memories into the book was very good, and I found it very clear to differentiate what was set in the past and what was set in the present.

The Rules is a book about a 17-year-old girl named Amber who is in the foster care system and has finally found somewhere she feels she can fit in. That is until one day when her social worker receives a letter from her survivalist father who has been looking for her. Whilst everyone around Amber thinks this is wonderful news, Amber realises she only has one option: to run. Amber packs up and leaves her boarding school and heads down to the coast where she knows there is a vacant holiday home belonging to her past foster parents. During Amber's time there she reunites with a boy named Josh, who she was previously in care with. 
Throughout the book, Josh and Amber's friendship grows, as they start to learn what a real family feels like. I really enjoyed Josh's character and I felt like both characters had a lot of death. I feel that Amber -although she can seem harsh at times- has a very empathetic side which is displayed through her care for other people although she may not show it, and even for her father after all he has put her through.
The book did have a few confusing parts but I found that they weren't really essential to the story. And they were made up for in a million different ways. The plot twist towards the end was brilliant, and I think that Darnton represented Amber's father really well.
Overall I think The Rules was a really good and different read and I highly recommend.

Hard-hitting and pacy read that had me gripped from the opening chapter. Amber, the spiky heroine, is strong, resourceful and amazingly resilient, she feels like an authentic product of her upbringing, and she is beautifully juxtaposed by the shambolic but warm character of Josh. Dual timelines were effective at creating pathos for Amber and tension as we glimpsed the extent of her father's control and madness. A very good thriller with enough depth to work for a reading group. Recommended.

The description of this book had me hooked from the start.

It was gripping and interesting and had me quite creeped out at times. I loved the writing style and the way it goes back and forth between the past and present. It helps out to really visualise what has happened and get in Amber’s head.

Amber’s dad is a prepper. He is constantly thinking that the government is watching him, listening in and soon enough that the world will go to pot. He is a survivalist. 

Amber has had to be a survivor since her dad has always made her follow his ridiculous rules. A lot happened to Amber as her dad got worse and worse (trigger warning for abuse).

She ended up in foster care, far away from her dad and always hiding. That is until social services locate him and soon Amber’s dad is back in her life and Amber is in hiding again.

She meets Josh (my favourite character!) who is an old sort-of foster brother who helps her along the way. 

There is a huge twist at the end of the book (which I obviously can’t share with you 🤫) but I certainly didn’t see it coming. 

If you like gripping mysteries, then this one is for you!

Amber has always had to follow the ‘rules’. Her father has dominated her life and even though she has managed to escape he still manages to track her down. Will he drag her back into his warped reality or will she manage to keep out of his range. Wit the help of Josh she hopes to break free but will she ever live a life that is no longer dominated by her dad’s rules.
A tense thriller which sees Amber having to learn to trust others but still be reluctant to believe that she can have a normal life free of threat & fear.

What a good book. It’s fast paced and well researched.
I felt sorry for Amber and was hoping that she would get a happy ending. Josh I just wanted to cuddle and give him lots of motherly love.
I felt that the book was topical as we’re dealing with Covid-19 at the moment.

In this book you can see another version of control obsession where a child is too scared to talk about the real problem. A book that should be read by everyone who is afraid to have a voice. 

It's first time when I'm reading a book about peppers and how they live their life. It had a bigger impact especially with this global pandemic. It makes you think twise if you are ready if something bad would happen. But I think we are never ready. The plot is interesting. It gave me goosebumps to read about Amber's life and how she tries to handle her problem. I don't know what I'm feeling about the ending. It gave me too many feelings. 

I love the cover, the idea of burned matches, that you have one life and you can get burn so easily. This is why you should talk about your problems. Don't worry, somebody will hear you. Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Tracy Darnton's The Truth About Lies, so understood the chapter structure, which could potentially be a bit confusing at first for teenage readers with the flashbacks to the past starting each chapter before the present day part of the story.  It was refreshing to read a story with a teenage girl and a teenage boy which was NOT a romance!  I rejoiced!  The characterisation of both teens, with their chaotic past home lives, trust issues and more, was quite realistic and the descent of one character into acceptance of what she eventually has to do to escape her past is long and hard to read.  

There are plenty of plot twists in the thriller, although I must say I personally saw the last twist coming (may be because I am an adult reading this title - not sure if a YA or teen would), but I did enjoy the last chapter that spelled out exactly what that twist was and how it was carried out.  Overall, a twisty thriller with enough family drama and teenage angst for YA readers.

This book was a very appropriate read in the current climate. The story focused on a group of people known as ‘Preppers’, preparing for any eventuality such as alien invasion, economic collapse, global pandemic! The Rules is a ‘Cat and Mouse’ chase style story of father and daughter and really started to pick up around 40% of the way through. Cliché I know but I couldn’t put it down, definitely a book to persevere with.

As a character, Amber comes across as resilient from the start, although lacking a few manners, but I felt a great deal of empathy and sadness for her. As the story progresses it delves into the sheer amount of physical and mental abuse that was present in her life from an early age at the hands of her father. The Rules addresses many issues regarding foster care, homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health problems, in a way I feel was readable and had few triggers yet ensuring the seriousness of these issues were portrayed.

I personally love novels set in the UK and I was lucky enough that I had a familiarity with several of the locations mentioned in this book, being from the Northumberland area myself, so this was also a nice surprise.

A four star read from me, an easy writing style, good strong characters and enough suspense to keep me on tenterhooks until the very end. Thank you Tracy Darney.

I was intrigued by the story of The Rules and wasn't sure what I'd think of it but I loved it so much I was through it in a few days. The story follows Amber who has had a challenging life and after her father gets in contact again she realises she has to get away and make sure she's never found but following his rules gives a disadvantage when it's harder to stay one step ahead. 

I thought this was a really interesting and gripping read and I was never sure where the story would go next. I liked Amber as a character as she showed such determination, bravery and at times you could see her vulnerability. I think by having the story in two timeframes, the past in which Amber learnt from her dad and the present when she tries to stay away from her dad, it makes it so easy to understand why she feels and behaves as she does today. I wasn't sure about Josh at the start but it was nice to see him being supportive and a good friend even when Amber wasn't always giving the same back. 

The story moved at a good pace that always left me wanting to read more. It was good to see how the rules were represented in how Amber lives her life despite knowing that they mightn't be the best for her. This is a brilliant story and makes me want to read more from the author. It's hard to review this book without spoiling anything but I love how it ended with many thought provoking questions which make you rethink what you've just read.