Love Rules »

Marilyn Reynolds is a retired high school teacher and the author of the True-to-Life from Hamilton High series of young adult books. She lives in Sacramento, California.

This young adult novel accurately portrays the widespread effects of a young lesbian’s decision to come out of the closet and live openly and honestly while still in high school. The story line revolves around Kit Dandridge—a young lesbian struggling to be herself in a repressive environment—her best friend Lynn, and their families and friends. Included are plot elements seen in recent headlines that include the often tragic consequences of high school intolerance and bullying as well as the development of support group networks for gay and lesbian students and their heterosexual allies.

Book Magazine

Lynn Wright, a senior, is thrown for a loop when her best friend from childhood, seventeen-year-old Kit Dandridge, tells her a long-kept secret: She's a lesbian. Lynn, who had always envisioned double-dating with Kit, struggles to readjust her expectations and her attitude as she learns to help Kit come out to her less-than-enthused parents and deal with homophobic torment at school. The girls join a Gay/Straight Alliance at a neighboring school, and they learn to recognize and fight the gay bashing that occurs routinely in the hallways. A poignant examination of the bonds of friendship, Love Rules takes a gritty, realistic look at the trials of being a gay teenager. It's also a fast-paced read that races to a climactic conclusion.
Kristin Kloberdanz