The Six Rules of Maybe

There are some books that just simply surprise you, usually by being more than they seem. The Six Rules of Maybe, by Deb Caletti, had just that effect. There were times when it was a typical girl meets boy (who she isn't supposed to like) YA, but then there were times where this book was putting my innermost thoughts out there on paper! Scarlet grew up in her older sister Juliet's shadow. Juliet was beautiful, always had boyfriends (bad boys, of course), and never worried about how her actions affected other people. Their mom worked hard to raise them, and their father left them long ago, leaving plenty of abandonment issues behind him. When Juliet comes home married and pregnant, Scarlet and her mother aren't surprised by the whirlwind situation, but are surprised Juliet chose to stick with the commitment of a baby and a husband. Hayden and his dog Zeus may be unexpected additions to the house, but to Scarlet, they are incredible and surprising. Scarlet begins to have feelings for Hayden she knows are wrong, but she can't help. When she realizes Juliet is sneaking around with her ex-boyfriend, she is conflicted- she is furious that her sister would hurt Hayden, but elated because she is falling in love with him herself. But nothing is more forbidden than your sister's husband, no matter how perfect he is. There are parts of this story that are like windows into a high schooler's soul. In particular, it is a glimpse into the soul of a pleaser. If you aren't a pleaser yourself, you definitely know one. She is that girl who can't reject even the most annoying guy for fear of hurting him. She is a weirdo magnet because she will never do anything that might make someone feel bad. She also never thinks about how this all affects her, because she is too worried about everyone else. She seems so strong, so impervious, but really? She is a mess. She questions everything she does, feels trapped, and can't stand up for herself. Scarlet is a piece of all of us we wish we could squash but know will always be there. This book is interesting, but is more in Scarlet's head than anywhere else. There is little dialogue or action, but when there is some, it is well done. The insights are incredible, but I am afraid it might be lost on a punchy teenaged reader who just wants gratuitous entertainment. This is a brilliant story with beautiful writing, but might not capture the attention of many of my students. I wish it would teach them a little about themselves or the people they know, but the lessons might be too subtle. I think this book is more valuable for the teacher or mother who deals with adolescent girls than for the girls themselves. While Ophelia Speaks gave us a glimpse into the minds of real girls, The Six Rules of Maybe can do so with a fictional girl who seems so real, you will swear you know her.

Scarlet is used to keeping people close and helping them with their problems. Whether it's the depressed teenage girl across the street or her gullible next door neighbors involved with an internet scam, she is the one always helping them out. But when her older sister Juliet comes home pregnant with her new husband Hayden, the problems Scarlet encounters--like her uncertainty at Juliet being a good mother, her frustrations with her mother, and her attraction to Hayden--might be a little too much to handle. Now for the first time, Scarlet will have to take a step back and learn to solve her own problems, and let those she loves do the same. The Six Rules of Maybe is a beautiful and insightful novel. Scarlet's story and her struggle to deal with all of the issues that are unfolding around her not only mold her into a stronger and better person, but also open her eyes to her own nature, and her mother's and sister's, and the underlying cause for the way she and her mother cling to those they love, and Juliet pushes so many people away. Scarlet's attraction to Hayden also adds a very interesting and complicated twist to the story, and though it is warranted and understood, it is like watching a car wreck unfold--you know there will be a collision, and things could get quite messy, but you need to see it through in order to see just how many pieces there will be left to pick up at the end. It is through these revelations and events that each of the Ellis women ultimately learn that life is complicated and messy, and not everything can be fixed immediately (or ignored)--sometimes you have to let go and let others stand on their own, and sometimes you need to reach out for help. With a smart, sensitive, and modern voice, Caletti has created in The Six Rules of Maybe a strong and lovely book about forgiveness, trust, responsibility, and growing up.

To their mother's ambitious-for-her-daughter disappointment, Scarlet's older sister Juliet abandons her career as a singer to come back home. Scarlet has mixed feelings about the return of the prodigal daughter. At home, their single mother is generally loving, but she has always placed most of her attention on charismatic, gorgeous, sociable, unreliable Juliet --- often leaving quiet, contemplative Scarlet to brood on her own. Scarlet's feelings are further complicated when it turns out that Juliet is pregnant, and she has in tow an absolutely adorable husband named Hayden. While Juliet is dismissive of Hayden and takes his love for granted, Scarlet essentially falls head over heels for him, drinking in his humor, his dog Zeus, his manly wrists, and his incredible decency --- along with his considerable good looks. When Scarlet sneaks peeks at the love notes and romantic poetry Hayden leaves for his careless wife, she aches with envy. Scarlet is a funny and sympathetic main character who defends introversion as "an alternate lifestyle that gets less respect than any other alternate lifestyle." She specializes in being nice, reading psychology textbooks to gain insight into what others are lacking in their lives, and then trying to fill that gap for them. Scarlet is the listener and advisor for her friends. She goes out of the way to treat the truly strange people in her world with loving kindness. For example, she leaves her Goth artist neighbor, who creates sidewalk art featuring a telling meld of her family with vampires, notes praising her talent. Scarlet also tries to keep her gullible elderly neighbors from being sucked in by an Internet scam and hopes to protect another neighbor suffering the beginnings of dementia. And yet Scarlet would be the first to admit that she is far from perfect. She detests her mother's boyfriend, the priggish Dean. She tries to dodge her own high school admirer/stalker, repugnant Reilly Ogden, who is such a sad case that Scarlet can't bring herself to be blunt about her wish to be left alone. Scarlet is also an accomplished liar even about minor things, such as telling people she had her hair styled by a professional when she actually just hacked it off with the kitchen shears. Now, Scarlet finds herself in a nearly unbearable conundrum. She wonders about her new niece or nephew, nicknamed "Jitter" by Hayden. Scarlet knows Hayden will be a loving, attentive father, but she has doubts about her sister's ability to selflessly parent. She is terribly torn because she really wants Hayden and Jitter for herself, and yet she loves Hayden enough to want for him what will make him happy --- which happens to be Juliet. Scarlet knows her romantic dreams about Hayden are impossible, even as she and her new brother-in-law form a close friendship. Author Deb Caletti has yet to make a misstep, and this book is a shining example of her talent. The characters, in all their quirky and human glory, could walk right off the p

THE SIX RULES OF MAYBE DEB CALETTI Contemporary YA Rating: 4.5 Enchantments Between her older sister, Juliet's, unexpected return home, not to mention unexpected husband and news in tow, it's hard for seventeen year old Scarlet to adjust to the new turn her summer has taken. Her sister's husband, Hayden, is nothing like the bad boys Juliet usually dates and Scarlet finds herself falling for the sweet, soft-hearted guy. Scarlet's the kind of girl who wants to look after everyone, including the elderly neighbor couple across the street who are falling prey to an internet scam despite Scarlet's best efforts. I have to say that was one of my favorite sub-plots in the book and it's ending made me crack up. Ms. Caletti creates a wonderful read with THE SIX RULES OF MAYBE. I loved Scarlet, how she was always wanting to look out for those around her, whether it was creating mail for Clive Weaver across the street; setting up the Goth Girl who draws on the sidewalk with a date for prom, or trying to fix her sister's marriage, all without really acknowledging that maybe the ones that need the help the most are her and her sister. It takes Scarlet awhile to dig deep enough to discover the real reason behind it all, why her sister keeps shoving Hayden away and why she herself is the way she is. I loved the scenes between Scarlet and Hayden, how she takes him on a tour of the small island they live on and the way she goes out to keep him company when he goes out to smoke in the middle of the night. I love how she's completely blind to the guy from school who seems interested in her, the same boy one of her BFF's is crushing on and how one of the oddest guys in school is trying to convince her to go out with him, even though that's the last thing she wants. THE SIX RULES OF MAYBE is full of everything I love about Ms. Caletti's books: great voice, characters and plot. Definitely one for my keeper shelf. Ms. Caletti is the author of The Queen of Everything; Honey, Baby, Sweetheart (a National Book Award finalist); Wild Roses; The Nature of Jade; The Fortunes of Indigo Skye; and The Secret Life of Prince Charming. She lives with her family in Seattle. You can visit her online at[...] and become a fan on Facebook. Lisa Enchanting Reviews May 2010

Generous and mature Scarlet takes in the unexpected homecoming of her older sister, Juliet with a mix of spite, instigation and protection. She's a high school junior but just about as caring and independent as a girl that age can be. She and her sister lived with their single mom until Juliet moved to Portland to be a headlining singer there. Now shes back with two surprises: a husband and "Jitterbug." That's the affectionate name of the couple's yet-to-be-born baby. Scarlet befriends her new brother-in-law, Hayden, and takes it upon herself to also be his tour guide and surrogate companion in the witching hours when neither can sleep, meeting outside of the house. Scarlet really admires easy going, good-looking Hayden and his dog, Zeus, too. As Hayden adjusts to life in a new city, Scarlet adjusts into a little crush on her sister's husband. You may expect it to amount to more than it actually does, but Hayden's admirable integrity don't allow anything too bad or life altering to take place. The six rules (or maybe there are just five? hmmm...) come from Hayden's mother's philosophies which he passes on to his wife in a love letter and inadvertently onto sometimes snoopy Scarlet who secretly reads letters and poems written adoringly to Juliet. Scarlet's neighbors and school mates benefit from her thoughtful nature as she tries to fill in emotional holes she senses in others by matchmaking, penpalling and refereeing possible relationship missteps by her sister in her spare time. Juliet's marriage temporarily goes array due to Juliet's bad habits before they get better and Scarlet's mom wisely encourages Scarlet stay out of it all. As they always do, unfortunate events pass with time and with the following of life's little rules. With just the right amount of sentiment and honesty, the book ends satisfyingly and lithely.