Rules For The Summer by Meghan Quinn

Full Cast Narration by Shane East, Stella Hunter, Gary Furlong, and Cassandra Medcalf

Standalone RomCom

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Meghan Quinn has been one of my favorite authors for 10 years now, and she rarely disappoints, especially in audio. Her books are the perfect blend of ridiculous humor, emotion, romance, and sexy times, and her full-cast audiobooks always add an extra layer of fun. But I have to admit, when I first started Rules For The Summer, I was a little concerned. The opening felt almost too over-the-top ridiculous for me at first, but I quickly got over that and completely fell in love with the story. So if you are wary at the beginning, stick with it.

Renley is trying to prove herself in a small tourist town that has never shown her or her family much respect. She wins the bid to take over the Main Street candy store with the help of her Aunt Kitty, believing her aunt has the $20,000 needed to renovate it. Spoiler alert… she absolutely does not. So Aunt Kitty takes it upon herself to find a financier online.

Theo is a wealthy playboy who needs to settle down and get married to secure his title as Duke. During a drunken game of truth or dare, his best friend Rupert signs him up on a matchmaking site looking for a fiancée, and Theo ends up matched with a beautiful American woman living in a tiny tourist town.

See the problem?

Theo and Rupert were ridiculous in the best possible way. These are two men who have spent their lives surrounded by luxury, servants, and absolutely zero responsibility. At first, I honestly didn’t see Theo as leading-man material. He felt more like the chaotic comic relief side character. But as the story went on, he completely won me over and showed so much growth.

The banter in Rules For The Summer was incredible. Theo and Rupert were hysterical together, and Rupert honestly stole almost every scene he was in. The chemistry and flirting between Theo and Renley were just as entertaining. Theo rents the house right next door to Renley while trying to convince her to marry him, so she can’t exactly escape his constant flirting and chaos. Their truth or dare games were some of my favorite scenes in the entire book.

“Oh fuck. I think truth or dare just became a whole lot more serious.”

Renley lives with her Aunt Kitty, an eccentric woman portrayed as a bit elderly even though she’s only 56. (Meghan, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive you for that.) As entertaining as Kitty was at times, I struggled with her character throughout the book. Even after the explanations later on, I still had a hard time understanding how Renley tolerated her behavior. Still, Kitty being a hobby horse influencer added a huge amount of the absurd humor and chaos to the story.

Though Theo initially came across as too pampered and posh to give true leading-man energy, once Renley finally gave in to the temptation of the man who always seemed to say and do exactly the right thing, he completely worked for me too. 🔥

“Eyes on me, love.”

Likes

One of Meghan’s funnier books.
The bromance between Theo and Rupert.
Theo’s acts of service while trying to win Renley over.
So much push and pull between the characters.
There was real emotional depth underneath all the humor.
It wasn’t just light and silly. The story actually had heart.
Rupert. Period. That closet scene nearly made me pee myself laughing, especially in audio.
How the “Rules” kept changing.
All the Truth or Dare games.

Dislikes

I disliked Aunt Kitty from page one and never fully came around on her, even though she’s basically the catalyst for the entire story and a major source of the humor.

The Narration

Shane East and Stella Hunter were fantastic together as Theo and Renley in this full-cast duet narration. But honestly, Gary Furlong completely stole the show as Rupert. Every scene with him was even funnier because of the performance. Cassandra Medcalf’s portrayal of Kitty may have contributed to my issues with the character because the exaggerated “older lady” voice felt odd for someone who was only in her fifties.

That said, I still wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook. This was such a fun listen.

The Down & Dirty

As always, Meghan Quinn made me laugh and delivered a book I didn’t want to put down. Even though it was on the longer side, it never actually felt too long because once I got past the first couple of chapters, I was fully invested. Yes, the online matchmaking confusion initially felt a little too ridiculous for me, but after that, I was all in.

Rules for the Summer wasn’t just a romance. It was also a bromance, and honestly, I loved both relationships equally. Theo and Renley brought the swoon and chemistry, while Theo and Rupert delivered nonstop chaos and laughter.

Once again, Meghan Quinn delivered a fun, chaotic, slightly over-the-top summer romcom that made me laugh like an idiot, swoon hard, and want to hug my audiobook when it was over.