The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
"I liked him first, but it doesn't matter.
I still like him.
That doesn't matter either.
Or at least, it's not supposed to."
"Everyone knows the unwritten rule. You don't like your best friend's boyfriend."

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend. Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful. Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...."- summary from Amazon

Scott's latest offering is different from her last release and is closer in tone to Something, Maybe and Perfect You. What I like about her books is that, with the way they're released, it goes back and forth between serious and more light-hearted. There are issues brought up in these more light-hearted novels, but they're not as much in the forefront as her serious novels. The way everything unfolds in this novel is just done so well and compelling that it's hard to put the book down (short chapters also helped). All the characters are well-written and are relatable, and the interactions and reactions from everyone involved make sense for the character. The romantic tension between Sarah and Ryan is executed in a great way and paced very well; it made for some fun reading. I wanted so much to hate Brianna whenever she came on the scene, but at the same time, you feel so bad for her and it almost seems like she can't help how she is. Overall, what this all leads to is that Scott has written another hit, one that's sure to please her current fans and bring in tons of new ones.