Review: 'I Followed the Rules' by Joanna Bolouri (2015)

Rule 1: Never ask him on a first date. Rule 2: Laugh admiringly at all his jokes. Rule 3: Always leave him wanting more.
. . . wtf?!
Have you heard of The Rules of Engagement? It's a book that promises to teach you to find the man of your dreams in ten easy steps. Unsurprisingly, I don't own a copy. What is it, 1892?
But I'm a journalist, and I've promised to follow it to the letter and write about the results. Nevermind that my friends think I'm insane, I'm stalking men all over town and can't keep my mouth shut at the best of times.
My name is Cat Buchanan. I'm thirty-six years old and live with my daughter in Glasgow. I've been single for six years, but that's about to change. After all, I'm on a deadline.
I Followed the Rules and this is what happened.
Last year I got the chance to read and review Joanna Bolouri's debut novel 'The List', which turned out to be an incredibly funny and simply great read. I was really excited to see what Joanna would come up with next, so when her second novel 'I Followed the Rules' was released in July 2015, I immediately requested a review copy via NetGalley. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of trouble with getting a readable review copy of the book, so a few months ago I just decided to order a paperback copy of the novel. As soon as it arrived I added it to the top of my to-read list, because I couldn't wait to finally check it out, especially after all the 5-star reviews I'd seen on Goodreads and Amazon...!
Thirty-something single mother Cat Buchanan has been single for almost six years and she realises it's really time for her to change that. But how? When a colleague recommends the dating book 'The Rules of Engagement', written by author Guy Wright, Cat just knows the book won't be her cup of tea. But when she gets herself into the position where she will simply have to follow the rules as part of her column for the newspaper she works at, Cat decides to give it a fair try. However, the idea of finding the perfect guy by following 10 simple rules? That's something Cat is not so sure about will actually work...
With 'I Followed the Rules' Joanna Bolouri has given us another simply wonderful and incredibly funny read which I enjoyed just as much as her strong debut novel 'The List.' Joanna really has her own distinctive writing style; a style that is quite fast-paced, filled with sarcastic remarks and swear words, so one that might not be everyone's cup of tea but I personally really loved it. I thought the plotline, focusing mainly on Cat following the 10 dating rules mentioned in Guy Wright's 'The Rules of Engagement', was entertaining and it held my attention from beginning to end without any difficulty. There is some great dialogue in the book and just the right amount of scene setting and mood descriptions.
I think Joanna Bolouri is going to be a name to watch within the romantic comedy genre in the next couple of years, which is proven by just looking at the high number of four and five star reviews her books have so far gathered on sites such as Goodreads and Amazon. Readers who enjoy authors such as Rosie Blake, Tracie Bloom and Lisa Dickenson will undoubtedly fall in love with Joanna Bolouri as well, and 'I Followed the Rules' is certainly worth the pick-up. What else is there to say, really? I loved this book from start to finish; it's a hilarious, thoroughly entertaining and well-written romantic comedy that lived up to my pretty high expectations and one I highly recommend to any chick lit/romantic comedy fan!

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads