It’s one of the most common sayings –everyone knows that bad things happen in threes. This is a dark and sinister story that will leave you wondering…

Amy has issues. It’s not in the least surprising that she does. Her sister died in a car accident and her parents killed themselves not long after. Amy knows that bad things happen in threes and that means she’s next. She’s doing a lot of drugs to help her forget, but she’s also completely sure that hers is not drug induced paranoia. She knows for sure she will be next and everyone she meets she looks at with suspicion. So she starts to keep a record of what she does, who she meets and what happens to her.

As unreliable narrators go, it’s fair to say Amy is a classic case. Sam Ripley builds up a compelling portrait of an Amy living on the edge – weird but with cause. She delves into the idea of the rule of three, investigating what it is, how it came about and why it has gained the status of urban legend.

It is quite hard to work out where this story is going and you may find it doesn’t feel all that much of a thriller. But stick with it, because this is actually a very cleverly put together story and the theme of three comes through in many ways.

We hear not just from Amy, but also from Eve and Ila who have also kept diaries in very similar circumstances. As Amy reads she can see similarities between her life and that of these other young women. Is she seeing things that aren’t there? Or has she uncovered a terrifying pattern?

That idea of pursuing an urban legend and looking at through different eyes is a really good one, but this is a bit like one of those rings that link concentric circles. You can see that they are joined together, but prising them apart to see how they are put together is much more difficult.

The Rule of Three is very creepy with horror elements and will worrit its way into your brain. Sam Ripley has a very engaging writing style which carries you with it and encourages you to stay the course, even when you’re not entirely sure what’s going on. He builds the tension through his characters and makes you care that they each feel the weight of death on their shoulders. His storytelling is innovative, his dialogue sings and he takes you right inside the dark psyche of his characters.

Verdict: The Rule of Three is a sinister, creepy story that will keep you wondering. A psychological thriller, it is cleverly written and is a really compelling and propulsive read.

#TheRuleOfThree #NetGalley
Awesome.
That’s the one.
That’s the girl who’s going to die.
I didn’t believe in the Rule of Three. Not at first.
It was just one of those urban myths you hear about all the time.
A story my boyfriend told me about a girl cursed by the number three.
A girl whose parents had killed themselves after her sibling had died in an accident.
Which meant that she was doomed to die too because that’s the Rule of Three.
Bad things always happen in threes, they say, and they are right.
Because it’s happening again.
But this time the curse is coming for me.
And worst of all?
It’s coming for you, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for giving me an advance copy.

The Rule of Three
Thriller, Mystery
Sam Ripley
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The start of this book was very slow for me and I found it hard to keep reading to be honest. The pacing only picked up at around the 60-70% mark.

I liked the multiple POVs, some more than others, but there was something about the writing style that I just didn't click with.

The premise itself though was very interesting and I was curious about what really happened and why.

Overall I was left a little disappointed. I do think other readers would enjoy this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

Sinister, Compelling..
Bad things happen in threes - or so we have all been led to believe. Is it a myth? An old wives tale? Perhaps so. Do you believe? With such an age old basis a unique premise is formed for this chilling, dark and menacing suspense. Three narratives, three perhaps unreliable narrators and that rule of three. Told with a confident pen, tackling often difficult themes and maintaining a vein of creeping claustrophobia comes an unpredictable plot populated with credible and well defined characters. Sinister and compelling.

This is one of those books that will make your head spin. A day after finishing it, I'm still mulling things over in my head, going around in circles, and I just love it when that happens.

The Rule of Three. We're all familiar with it, I'm sure. Bad things come in threes. Death comes in threes. It is a myth? An urban legend? Or could it possibly be more sinister than that? Even real, maybe?

The story starts with Amy. Amy's sister died in a car accident. Three years later, her parents hanged themselves in their garage. Now, again three years on, Amy is convinced she's next. Fate, or the rule of three, is out to get her. Amy decides to write down everything she knows, hoping it will somehow help whomever is next when she's no longer around. But Amy isn't exactly the most reliable narrator. Is her paranoia being caused by her abundant drug abuse, or should she really be afraid that her time is up?

Amy's story is pretty much the entire first half of the book, and I personally felt it was a little too long. It sometimes left me wondering where the thriller element was. It all seemed a little too slow, maybe just that little bit too much dragged out. In hindsight though, it was the perfect way to set things up. And if you pay attention, there might just be a wee clue here or there.

Around halfway through, things definitely started to pick up and 'The Rule of Three' had my full attention until the very end, suddenly turning into the most wonderfully addictive read. I don't want to give too much away, but as the blurb mentions more girls will make an appearance, and each will try to solve the rule of three before it's too late. Sam Ripley manages to give each of these girls a very distinctive voice, so that even though they're telling you, the reader, their story, it never gets confusing as to who is talking.

The rule of three isn't new. It seems it's always been around. But Sam Ripley has found a highly refreshing way of tackling this myth. The multilayered characters are complex and incredibly believable. The plot is remarkably devilish. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Sam Ripley pulled the rug right from under my feet. It's one of those storylines that will get under your skin, worm its way into your dreams, take over your thoughts during the day because ... did I solve the rule of three? I think I did, but I'm not really sure.

'The Rule of Three' is an original, twisty, twisted and dark crime thriller. Not quite what was I expecting but I very much enjoyed the ride, and I look forward to more from this author.

I am strongly of the opinion that all things happen in three's. Well normally in my life, and not positive things unfortunately. The book works on the premise that if two people already died in the rule of three, there would be another. Entertaining read.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy in return of an Honest review.

I started this book last month and ended it today. Only because nothing was able to catch my attention. Story, characters and writing nothing worked. I literally had to force myself to read it. Not my cup of tea.

3.5 rounded down

Bad things happen in threes. Urban legend or the truth? Amy is a tortured soul, who wouldn’t be in her shoes as her sister is killed and then her parents die together - is she next? The story is told in three narratives over twenty years by Amy, Ila and Eve.

I think the premise of this horror/thriller is a really good one though initially it’s very confusing and slow with the storytelling going round and round the houses. However, I guess if we found ourselves in this unenviable situation then this is quite possibly what our own thoughts would do. The three narratives are a good contrast to each other and the deeper you get into the novel there’s an escalating uneasy and unsettled vibe with all three characters becoming increasingly paranoid. At times it’s very creepy, you almost want to look over your own shoulder yet conversely there’s a sense of unreality. Amy and Eve’s perspectives work the best for me, Ila’s is less convincing and there’s something very yukky in her narrative. It’s in Eves story that the twists come and some of those are very good. The ending appears to be unresolved which is pretty freaky!

On the whole, it doesn’t entirely deliver on its promise for me although it is undoubtedly different which is a plus.

It deals with some difficult themes such as suicide, drug addiction and mental health issues.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Three girls that have experience family grief and sorrow tell the story of The Rule of Three.
The synopsis of the book was rather gripping, but as I was reading through, I struggled to retain interest in the plot as it become quite slow in places and hard to connect with the main character.

Ok, so... wow.

The Rule of Three takes what we know of thrillers, mysteries and murder and turns it upsidedown. It takes the best elements of Gone Girl style diaries, mixes it with a classic whodunnit and the notorious genre twists and delivers something fresh and new.

A must-read for those who are bored of the usual mystery & thriller genre style.

The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley is hard to describe, part chilling suspense novel, part examination of human behaviour, part urban legend. The books style was very unique with the characters talking to the reading through the use of diaries. The first part of the book is very heavy in its themes of suicide, mental health and drug abuse and could be potentially triggering for some readers. Being in this character’s headspace felt dark and depressing. The book them took off on a strange and chilling path bringing in horror elements, urban legends which felt a bit like a paranoid fever dream. I loved the college/academic setting and the questions about determinism and fate. There were many sections/sentences which I highlighted as the words were just that powerful I wanted to remember them. There were several abrupt POV changes which were a bit confusing at first as there are no chapter headings to let you know that a new character has been introduced. I felt the author did a very good job portraying difficult subject matter and you could tell that they understood what they were describing. While what I got wasn’t what I expected, I did thoroughly enjoy this strange and chilling thriller. I’ll look out for my books by this author.

I thought this had been added to my NetGalley app, but due to either lack of space or a weird quirk of the app it disappeared before I could get a chance to read it and for some reason is archived months before its release date, and I usually read in order of publication dates, so this has unfortunately left me without access to the book.

Unfortunately this didn't tick the boxes for me. I like horror/crime however this feels like a young adult read. The main character is rather irritating and I found myself not connecting with the novel.

This is the first time I’ve heard of this author – the title, premise and cover drew me in. Billed as The Whisper Man meets The Chalk Man with the paranoia of The Blair Witch Project – that’s a bold statement.

Did this book live up to the hype? Yes.

Told from multiple (and often conflicting) points of view – this will keep you guessing, if not a little confused at times. I did have to review earlier pages a couple of times!

Well-crafted characters: some of whom I couldn’t stand – this does not detract; in fact it adds to the tension.

Trigger warnings: graphic at times and recreational drug use.

Thank you NetGalley and x for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book has creeped me out in the best way possible that I didn’t want to start part 3.

At first I was confused how the story was progressing so quickly but when I reached part 2 the puzzles started to fit together.

This is easy to read, at times funny and downright freaked me out with anything to do with 3s.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. It was slow paced and dredging. I found myself disengaging from it regularly. The premise was good but sadly it didn’t translate into a good book.

Reading the blurb of this book I thought it was going to be right up my street.
Sadly I was very wrong and debated giving up on it so many times.
The storyline could have actually been pretty good and fast paced, but I found it slow, and quite boring at times and found every opportunity to check my phone as I could.
I usually read on average 3 books a week, but this took me almost a week just to read this one.
At about 70% I felt it picked up a lot, and I started to enjoy it a lot more, but then the ending left so many questions unanswered that I actually feel pretty frustrated that I spent so long on a book, that didn't really take off and go anywhere, but then didn't conclude anything either.
It's a no from me - sadly not my sort of read at all.

Sorry but I found this totally confusing and had to give up which was a shame as it sounded like a good story.

Im so surprised by how great this book is but in the most positive way! I knew I was going to enjoy the premise but I wasn’t expecting just how well written it is, such fab twists that kept my Interest peaked at all times. Great character building! I finished this in one sitting I loved being kept on my toes with this!

Sarah Pinborough’s endorsement and a comparison to The Chalk Man were my reasons for requesting The Rule of Three. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me mainly due to my major dislike of the main character and the almost constant promotion of ecstasy as a recreational drug.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.