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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
in the very short time I listened, they said "scratch that" so many times. Might translate better on paper
Many thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy.
I'm a huge fan of Adib Khorram's books, so I already knew I was going to love this, but still I was surprised by how much fun I was having.
The writing was just so incredibly fun, and it made me want to continue reading. I would highly recommend reading this in one sitting if you can because it's exactly that kind of YA romcom, the kind you won't want to put down and is just so fun to consume all at once. I didn't quite manage that this time, and it was a struggle to put this book down!
This book very much stood out to me in writing style. I loved reading the self-censoring Jackson does: striking certain words and phrases from the narration and replacing them by more palatable, but less honest ones. This was a brilliant way of letting us get to know Jackson really well as a main character without having to explicitly tell us that he struggles with saying what he means instead of pleasing the people around him.
Jackson is also deaf and wears hearing aids. I can't speak for the representation, but I did like how we got to experience a large part of what it means to Jackson to be disabled. In dialogue, it would often say "somethingsomething" in places where Jackson doesn't catch what someone is saying, which means that, since we also didn't get that information, we got to experience exactly how frustrating this is for him. I also appreciated the attention to how exhausting his disability can be for him.
And the romance? Is so sweet?? I love love LOVED seeing the budding friendship between Jackson and his crush, Liam, in the beginning of the book. I loved seeing them grow closer together and each thinking the other doesn't feel the same way, so both making terrible choices and creating a real mess.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is caught in the crosshairs of this mess, or you could say she firmly inserted herself there, depending how you look at it. I've seen some reviews be very critical of her, and I understand why, but I didn't feel quite that strongly about her. I do think she messed up, but Jackson also could have talked to her more. I think she was realistically flawed. The one thing I didn't like was how she took out her anger with him at school. Since they're siblings, that felt like a step too far, and I feel like it was a betrayal of sibling trust to take a conflict like that outside of their family environment.
I'm a huge fan of Adib Khorram's books, so I already knew I was going to love this, but still I was surprised by how much fun I was having.
The writing was just so incredibly fun, and it made me want to continue reading. I would highly recommend reading this in one sitting if you can because it's exactly that kind of YA romcom, the kind you won't want to put down and is just so fun to consume all at once. I didn't quite manage that this time, and it was a struggle to put this book down!
This book very much stood out to me in writing style. I loved reading the self-censoring Jackson does: striking certain words and phrases from the narration and replacing them by more palatable, but less honest ones. This was a brilliant way of letting us get to know Jackson really well as a main character without having to explicitly tell us that he struggles with saying what he means instead of pleasing the people around him.
Jackson is also deaf and wears hearing aids. I can't speak for the representation, but I did like how we got to experience a large part of what it means to Jackson to be disabled. In dialogue, it would often say "somethingsomething" in places where Jackson doesn't catch what someone is saying, which means that, since we also didn't get that information, we got to experience exactly how frustrating this is for him. I also appreciated the attention to how exhausting his disability can be for him.
And the romance? Is so sweet?? I love love LOVED seeing the budding friendship between Jackson and his crush, Liam, in the beginning of the book. I loved seeing them grow closer together and each thinking the other doesn't feel the same way, so both making terrible choices and creating a real mess.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is caught in the crosshairs of this mess, or you could say she firmly inserted herself there, depending how you look at it. I've seen some reviews be very critical of her, and I understand why, but I didn't feel quite that strongly about her. I do think she messed up, but Jackson also could have talked to her more. I think she was realistically flawed. The one thing I didn't like was how she took out her anger with him at school. Since they're siblings, that felt like a step too far, and I feel like it was a betrayal of sibling trust to take a conflict like that outside of their family environment.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a fun time reading this book! It was very over-dramatic teen problems (which is absolutely not a bad thing, and makes sense considering the huge role theater plays in the book). Liam is the perfect romantic lead, and I loved Bowie. My biggest issue with the book is I find it hard to believe that Jackson’s tag is sticking out *that* much. At this point I wonder if it’s a user error or something. Someone please get Jackson some tag-less clothes.
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m not sure why I don’t read more YA romances because I usually love them when I do. This story hit me on so many levels. I was a theater kid who also did stage crew and that’s actually how my husband and I met. My kids were both swimmers. There were so many things in this story I can say the author got spot-on. It seems weird, but the way the smell of the swimmers was described brought authenticity to this book for me.
One of the things I love about this story is the way Jackson’s family is portrayed. From the outside, they are a loving and supportive bunch. Jackson and his sister get along great, he loves his step-mom, and his dad mostly stays out of the way of his kids as he’s a busy doctor. Yet, as is the case with most families, there are underlying issues that may not be seen from the outside. In truth, I couldn’t stand Jackson’s family. Jackson is deaf and they are all ableists. His sister is selfish and self-centered. It quickly becomes obvious that they get along so well because Jackson doesn’t push back about anything, and he often should.
The romance in this book is so sweet and angsty. There is so much uncertainty in how Jackson and Liam interact and dance around each other, yet it’s obvious from the start that there is a spark there. It’s a wonderful portrayal of what it’s like to be a teenager and fall for someone you don’t know enough about. Add in the fact that one character is openly gay and the other is an unknown and there’s even more confusion. The way things get sorted is a fumbling mess that is plainly going to implode eventually.
As much as I adore Liam and Jackson, the unsung hero of this story is Jackson’s best friend Bowie. Where Jackson’s family is lacking, Bowie and their family pick up the slack. Even when Jackson isn’t such a great friend, Bowie is still there to pick up the pieces and be his sounding board. Their relationship is often one-sided, but Bowie is patient while Jackson sorts himself out.
I’ll definitely be seeking out more from this new-to-me author. I loved this story, his writing, and his characters.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Minor: Abandonment
THE BREAKUP LISTS by Adib Khorram is a sweet yet angsty teen romance. It manages to stay light-hearted while touching on real issues of discrimination and complicated high school relationships. Jackson is a likable leading character, He does make some frustrating mistakes, but they're justified well by the plot and characterization.