Rule Number One by rcpcswrites
Reviewer : RavingBlack
PLOT
Is there a clear goal/direction?
No.
A romance plot usually entails two people struggling to overcome their flaws or external obstacles in order to be together in a romantic relationship. What Rule Number One seems to be missing is struggles, flaws, and/or external obstacles of a conventional plot. Tyler and Emily seem to have no obvious flaws or problems that stop them from being together, so why is it that they cannot simply date? There is no central conflict in the story—the element that induces change and character development. Without conflict, things in the story essentially stay the same which makes for a boring story.
There are some pieces of conflict in the story, but they are usually resolved quickly and with no real change. Emily and Tyler experienced conflict over him preventing her from getting a boyfriend, but even Emily doesn't quite seem to care about this judging by her actions. Tyler is implied to have been driving off her love interests for a long time, and she only expresses some annoyance about it but ultimately never puts her foot down. It's not a strong source of conflict when she got him to take off the ninth rule simply by crying and making him feel guilty. The other piece of conflict was Tyler's "secret girlfriend". Emily was upset that he didn't tell her about his girlfriend, and it was a thorn in their relationship for all of a couple paragraphs before it resolved itself. At the moment, there is nothing in Rule Number One that forces the two to change or confront their own flaws.
Moreover, when Emily and Tyler already treat one another and emotionally regard each other as their significant other, why are they not already dating? Tyler claims that he didn't want to kiss her during truth or dare because he sees her as a sister, but they do not treat each other like siblings when they flirt and nearly kiss. It is abundantly clear that they have romantic feelings for one another, so I'm unsure what the real obstacle is between them and having a relationship with each other. For that reason, it seems like the plot is contrived. I suggest you consider why Emily and Tyler are not already dating and how they will work past whatever the reason is to be able to have a romance with one another.
Is it connected to the characters on a personal level?
Most if not all of the main characters must hold some type of personal emotional stake in the plot. If characters have this deep connection to pushing the plot, it demonstrates why the plot is important and why readers should be invested in reading it.
With Rule Number One being a romance novel, the two main leads' romance is the book's central plot. Within the first few chapters, the emotional stakes for each character in their own romance should be obvious within at least the first few chapters if not the opening paragraphs. It is not clear how Emily and Tyler's characters would change or improve with the development of a romantic relationship. This is mainly because Emily and Tyler's characters are not explored independently of one another. Much of Tyler's characterization is done through Emily's exposition. We only ever see what he's like in the ways that he interacts with Emily or how she sees him, and this is okay since it's a romance novel, but what we know about Tyler is still limited. What do we know about Tyler as a person? Why should readers care about him developing a relationship with Emily if it doesn't seem like his personality or life would change in any way if they began dating? The same problem is present with Emily as well.
An example of characters with emotional stakes in a plot is Tangled. The movie features the lost princess Rapunzel and the outlaw Flynn Rider. They each have emotional stakes invested in the progress of their relationship/romance, but in particular Flynn Rider begins as a self-centered, materialistic man that is jaded from his upbringing as a lone orphan. However, his meeting with the bright, optimistic Rapunzel with big dreams forces him to revisit his own dreams and ideas of happiness. By the end of the novel, their fulfilled relationship has helped Flynn develop into a selfless, noble character. Flynn Rider is an excellent example of a character with personal stakes in the development of a romantic relationship. He is impacted by how his romance with Rapunzel changes.
