From bestselling author Nancy Star comes a deeply moving novel about the truths we hide from others and the lies we tell ourselves.To the outside world, beloved advice columnist Lane Meckler has all the answers. What no one knows is that she also has a secret: her life is a disaster, and it’s just gotten worse. Her husband, whom she was planning to leave, has died in a freak accident. Her … accident. Her six-year-old son, Henry, has stopped speaking to everyone but her. Lane’s solution? Move. Growing up, that was what her family did best.
But when she and Henry pack up and leave, Lane realizes that their next home is no better, and she finally begins to ask herself some hard questions. What made her family move so often? Why has she always felt like an outsider? How can she get Henry to speak?
On a journey to help her son find his voice, Lane discovers that somewhere along the way she lost her own. If she wants to help him, she’ll need to find the courage to face the past and to speak the truth she’s been hiding from for years.
more
Lane Meckler is an advice columnist, whom everyone goes to for answers. However, when it comes to her own life, she’s terrible at giving herself advice. Her marriage is falling apart when suddenly her husband dies in a car accident. She’s left raising her 6 year old son by herself. But he stops speaking. He will talk to her, but no one else. Her job is hanging by a thread it seems and she tends to keep everyone at a distance, including her own family. Lane decides that moving is the best option. Just like her family always did when she was growing up. Pack and move. Pack and move. That’s all she remembers. But as she’s navigating a new life and trying to help her son overcome his sudden loss to speak, she realizes that there’s so much in her past she hasn’t dealt with or gotten answers to. And in order to help him, she needs to find her own voice.
I really enjoyed this book! There are so many things going on under the surface of each character. The complexities of Lane’s family dynamics are intriguing to say the least. Nancy Star did a great job with the characters and building their personalities. There was even some suspense added in, which I wasn’t expecting!
I received a copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own
A great read! Reminder to walk in someone’s shoes before judging and that you can’t run away from your problems.
I loved this story. All of the characters came fully alive for me, and I loved that Star gave even those I kinda wanted to hate redeeming qualities, portraying them as scarred humans trying to find their way. The warm relationship between Lane and her troubled son, Henry, who has stopped speaking following his father’s death, is beautifully portrayed, and I loved the dynamic of the tension between Lane’s ability to offer advice in her advice column, and her difficulty finding solutions to her own life problems. A beautifully written story of a mother’s love, the destructive power of family secrets, and the incredible freedom of finding the truth.
With Rules for Moving, Nancy Star takes us beyond the paywall to ask what happens when our favorite internet advice columnist needs help of her own. A tender exploration of family, friendship, and what it means to be the black sheep.
From the very beginning I could tell that there were many layers to this story. Each layer seems to play into another layer and as those layers start coming apart there are many ah-huh moments. For some reason, with this story I did not try to solve the story. I let Nancy Star tell the story and I happily followed along with it. There were times that I was surprised at where I was taken and times that I was shocked that I did not see what was happening coming.
Henry was “the character” for me. I loved that he got his own voice and got to tell his story from his own point of view. The misuse of words was perfect for his age, the following the rules was true to a young child, and the love he felt for his mother made my heart full. Henry had an interesting story to tell and an interesting perspective on many adult issues. He took things his own way, handled them the only way he could, and was still a lovable, fun little boy.
Rules for Moving is my first book by Nancy Star and I will be looking forward to more from her.
Lane moves. It is part of her, it is in her blood. As we dig through with bits and pieces of her past, we sort of see what her family was constantly moving from. There are pieces missing for me, though. I liked this book – its characters, their flaws, the story, the places, the descriptions. But something needs to tie it all together. I love Henry and just want to squeeze his personable little self. I want to know more about Uncle Albie. I want to know more about Aggie and Griffin. We get brief glimpses of the how’s and why’s, but no nice little bow at the end. I don’t mind leaving an ending up for interpretation (unless it is awful, and this one definitely not awful), but when you have characters that alive, I want to know those how’s and why’s rather than inference. .
This is a very readable book and those pages just kept turning. I would recommend this book and I think I would really like to discuss this one in a book club.
I was invited to read an advanced copy of this book for a review in my own words. Thoroughly grateful.
This book is both so sad and moving. It is a heartfelt story about a mother and her son navigating grief and finding a fresh perspective on life. Not only did we have a delightful cast of characters to familiarize ourselves with, but we also got this touching story that weaves between our mother and son.
I really liked the take on an advice columnist not knowing what to do. I think it’s so accurate because we can oftentimes dish out the best advice, but when it comes to our own lives we are lost. And this is a book about being lost. I mean, I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I were in the same circumstances. But as we follow Lane this story develops into something truly moving and inspiring. There were so many hidden layers that really added depth and movement to these characters.
And the characters were really special. I loved learning about Lane and her introspection. I really connected with her desire to move when things get tough, because I feel like I often act the same way (even if I only browse through Zillow instead of actually picking up and moving). And Henry was such an adorable character to get to know as well. These two will definitely enter your hearts and leave you with a sense of understanding.
Rules for Moving is a beautifully written Women’s Fiction Novel that I really enjoyed.
The author has created characters that are complex, complicated, flawed and well fleshed out.
Lane Meckler is a widow that disperses advice to other people, though everything is not as it appears.
This is a story of love, faith, family and so much more. The story is poignant and well written.
If you enjoy stories about family dynamics and starting over, you will LOVE this book!
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Rules For Moving” by Nancy Star, Lake Union Publishing, 2020 for Suzy Approved Book Tours
Nancy Star, the author of “Rules for Moving” has written a memorable and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are fiction, dramatic fiction, and dramatic family fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are secrets and betrayals. I appreciate that Nancy Star discusses the importance of family, friends, growth, confidence, love, and hope.
Widowed Lane Meckler gives the advice to help other people with problems. Lane might give the appearance of being confident, but that is furthest from the truth. Before her husband had died in an accident, she wasn’t sure of their marriage. Her 6-year-old son only speaks to her, and she patiently tries to help him and is frustrated.
When Lane decides to move, following the pattern that her parents often did, she follows the simple rules that she is used too. Lane starts to question the dysfunctional things that she sees in her parent’s lives and hers.
Lane has to find the courage to grow for not only herself but for her son. I would recommend this thought-provoking and heart-breaking story to other readers who enjoy reading about family drama.
An advice columnist in desperate need of advice. A son who won’t talk. A rented house unfit for habitation. Nancy Star’s poignant novel Rules for Moving captures the chaos and heartbreak that is life — and also the wonder and joy.
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken. This is an interesting story full of very human characters who are each flawed in some way yet doing the best they can with what they have. Perhaps a bit drawn out, and perhaps a touch too circumspect in some aspects, it does a solid job of telling its tale primarily through the lens of a mother who is about to divorce her husband when he suddenly dies, as well as through the perspective of her young son just trying to make sense of the adults who clearly aren’t telling him everything. Ultimately it seems to hit all of the RWA rules for “romance”, though I suspect it will instead be marketed as “women’s fiction”. Definitely a drama regardless, with a smattering of humor to keep it just this side of depressing. Solid work. Recommended.
I really enjoyed Rules for Moving. I particularly fell in love with Henry, Lane’s son. The parts of the book that are from his point of view were heart-wrenching. Henry is always reading his mother’s expressions and seemed to be more in tune with her emotions than she was with his. After losing his father, Henry stops speaking. He will only speak to his mother. But there is more to his not speaking than the death of his father.
Lane’s family… her parents and sister all seem to be detached from her and throughout the story Lane is not really sure why, but it turns out that it is because of something that happened when she was a child. I spent the entire story trying to understand her mother and father and it finally made sense in the end.
The reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is that I felt that Lane’s husband, Aaron who passes away at the beginning of the book is never really developed. I wanted to know more about him, and I never got that from the story. I also could not sympathize with Lane’s loss since she seemed so unmoved by her husband’s death. Overall, I really liked the book and I am a big fan of Nancy Star, but I felt she did not provide certain details that would have given more insight into Lane and Aaron’s relationship. But she brilliantly developed Lane’s son, Henry. I think she could right a spin-off just based on Henry’s perspective!
Fine family messes.
Wonderful characters and compelling storylines kept me cheering the whole way through! I loved the sweet tenderness between a mother and her son.
First and for most let me say that the only reason this book gets three stars from me is because I actually finished it. I did not enjoy this book at all. It started out with a lot of promise but then fell flat. I was bored with it but determined to finish it. I hate to start a book and not finish it. It happens but I do hate it.
Lane/Roxie is a wife, mother, daughter and advice columnist. I didn’t like her very much. She did have some good qualities about her, but overall she was just not that likable to me. She was a great mom and a great wife. She was even a very good daughter considering she had the worse parents ever in my opinion. The only time I liked them during this whole story was at the end when they finally treated her and her son, Henry, like they matter. Her dad was very condescending and her mother was just so fragile and meek it was kind of sickening. Sorry but that is how they came across to me.
I loved Henry and Nathan. Henry is Lane’s son. Nathan is their landlord and great friend.
Henry had stopped speaking and it is thought that that is because of his dad’s death. It could be some other reason but let’s say it’s the death of his dad. He dad was a loser and a drunk. He was not good to Lane at all as a husband but it seems he was a good dad to Henry. So Henry was very distraught over losing his dad.
This is not a book that kept me interested yet I did read it as fast as possible. I wanted to get it under my belt and start something else. That is brutal I know but honest. I actually found myself skimming over parts of this story because it became kind of monotonous. It seemed to drag on and on for me. I liked the advice parts. I think Rokie/Lane gave great advice for the most part. She just needed to maybe give herself and her parents some much needed advise. I liked her sister also by the way. She was up front and honest in how she felt about things. That was a good thing.
So not a lot of likable characters, not a likable plot, no great descriptions so I didn’t feel much for the area where this took place. It was just a story that gave me absolutely no emotion. That was not good. I need a book to make me feel what the characters are feeling. This one did not.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, #NanceStar for this ARC. This is my own honest review.
I gave it 3 stars and like I already said thee because I actually finished it. I can’t in good faith recommend this one. It let me down big time. Other’s may love it. I did not.
Lane is an advice columnist. Little do her subscribers know, but her life is a complete mess. She thinks she can fix her life by moving. This is what her growing up years were like…if all else fails…MOVE. However, Lane figures out this is not the answer and she is going to have to show some strength to get through this and help her young son.
This was just a so-so read for me. I did not feel very connected to the characters, especially Lane. She is nerve wracking and annoying in places. But, the story surrounding Lane and her son revolve around strength and resilience.
I did enjoy parts of this tale. The rules about moving are pretty interesting and in most cases…spot on! I am sure there are many of us who need to hear them. And, I am sure, abiding by them would be tough to handle!
This is a novel about overcoming hardships and letting go of the past.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Enjoyed the relationship between mother and son as the story progressed.
Nancy Star has written a beautiful, luminous novel filled with quirky characters so real you want to bring them home with you and give them some tea and a hug. This book has it all: an advice columnist who is struggling to follow her own best advice; an adorable little boy who has decided to stop talking; and an eccentric family that is burdened with secrets and rules. There is love and laughter and sweetness — and Star’s insightful writing and humor sweep us right to the heart of things. I loved every page!
Nancy Star’s delightful and wise Rules for Moving could have been called Rules for Living. Advice columnist Lane offers her readers the help we would be lucky to receive: kind but unwaveringly honest, unexpected but utterly sensible. While Lane makes a boatload of mistakes, she never wavers in her fierce dedication to understanding and protecting her sweet but troubled young son, who Star paints with humor and rare insight. Readers will be transformed by watching Lane surmount her own tragedies with the grace and courage we dearly wish for ourselves.
Rules of Moving was an interesting read, however I didn’t really enjoy it that much. Even though there were times I wanted to put the book down, I still managed to finish it. The first half of the book was very slow, but thankfully it got more interesting towards the end. My favorite character was Lane Meckler’s six year old son Henry. He went through some heavy stuff for someone his age. Lane is a bit of an anti-social person, but she was a great mom. She had a lot of patience with Henry, and even though she was still being affected by her past, she still did a great job raising Henry. I can’t really blame Lane for turning out the way she did if you look at how she was raised.
Her relationship with her parents and sister was very weird and I couldn’t really get a feel of what was going on. It felt very chaotic and not everything made sense. Her parents were very secretive and I had no idea why. It was very difficult for me to like Lane, I couldn’t really connect with her. I still don’t feel like I really know her. The change of pace in the last quarter felt refreshing and the new characters elevated the story. I especially enjoyed Henry’s friendship with Nathan. I also liked seeing Lane grow as a person and finally be happy. I just wanted the change to happen a bit earlier in the story. Honestly, this book wasn’t my cup of tea and that is probably why I didn’t really like it that much. I do love the cover of this book and I think it fits the story really well.
There are parts of this book that are very interesting. I enjoyed Lane the columnist providing advice to others. I found this story to be slow and at times hard to get through. The thoughts and plot of the story were good and interesting. The execution of the story seem to be long and drawn-out. I don’t think it took as long as it did to get the substance of the matter.
Lane was a likable character. Her ability to provide advice to others yet struggled when it came to her own life rang true to me. Henry was an adorable little boy who was struggling with the loss of his father and with being uncomfortable in social settings. Henry was a bright little boy would mastered all of Lane’s family rules about moving. It is in his repeating of these rules to Lane that I believe causes her to take a deeper look at the situation.
This is Lane’s journey to find a path forward after husband unexpected death. It is compounded that Lane was planning to leave him is really unsure how to feel. Her focus is on her son Henry who has stopped talking to everyone but her. When things get tough Lane reverts back to her childhood and how her parents handled things, so she packs up to move. When the change does not provide any relief to the situation, Lane has to ask herself the very hard questions about her childhood. It is only through this journey with her sister and parents that Lane remembers her past and from an adult point of view is able to see the truth.