Review: Much more light hearted than expected.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2013
Sophie is feeling a bit lost in the world.  Senior year is about to start and she has no real plan for her life.  She's been content with fulfilling her days with the status quo expected by her uninvolved father and over protective mother.  Now Sophie is the same age as her deceased aunt when she suddenly lost her life and finding a 'to do before I die'  list of Aunt Susie's has her re-thinking everything.  Sophie enlists her two best friends to help cross off all the items and maybe add a few of their own.Sophie, Ella and Grace are all distinctly different. Sophie is subdued, calm, a fly under the radar kind of girl. Ella is funny, outspoken and artistic. While Grace is controlled and proper, her life follows a strict plan.  The three play well off of each other and I enjoyed seeing three very different girls nurture a life long friendship.Life, as it usually will, gets in the way of the plans this trio has made.  Sophie becomes obsessed with the list and her handsome, though unavailable neighbor, Johnny.  Grace is being obsessed over by an extreme boyfriend and Ella is spinning in an all new direction that threatens to enrage her dramatic mother.  These girls must fight through problems and relationships to keep it together and end up on the other end with feet planted firmly on the ground.While the characters in None of the Regular Rules are not always as mature as their age would lead to believe, the way they resolved a lot of the personal issues was.  As well, the relationship between Sophie and Johnny took a slow and steady climb from friendship to a little more.None of the Regular Rules is a much sweeter story than I expected from the synopsis.  Key phrases like 'dead girl's bucket list', 'fatal fall' and 'long-held family secret', had me believing this would be a darker tale. Perhaps one filled with a bit of intrigue.What None of the Regular Rules truly is, is a somewhat lighthearted coming of age story with refreshingly real characters in fairly real life situations. It's an enjoyably solid read without a lot of angst, just enough turmoil and plenty of resolution.