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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
A theater-centered YA romance featuring phenomenal disability rep and an extremely diverse QPOC cast of characters!
The queer romance was really sweet, and the story was truly inspiring. I loved the intense portrayal of just how difficult it may be to live with a disability. As a theater nerd, I truly enjoyed all the references woven into the narrative. Jasmine was an extremely tough character to like and I'm not entirely sure if I bought her borderline toxic character til the end of the book.
I honestly wish I read this entirely in physical format instead of reading through most of it via the ALC since the way the way the book was written was as if it was journal style with passages and lines crossed out. However, this did not make for an enjoyable reading experience since the way this is interpreted via audio is through frequent "scratch that" that was extremely grating and distracting to the overall reading experience.
(+) HOH and CODA rep, Iranian American MC and author, nonbinary, bisexual, aroace secondary characters, Black secondary characters, nonbinary Egyptian-Palestinian audio narrator.
The queer romance was really sweet, and the story was truly inspiring. I loved the intense portrayal of just how difficult it may be to live with a disability. As a theater nerd, I truly enjoyed all the references woven into the narrative. Jasmine was an extremely tough character to like and I'm not entirely sure if I bought her borderline toxic character til the end of the book.
I honestly wish I read this entirely in physical format instead of reading through most of it via the ALC since the way the way the book was written was as if it was journal style with passages and lines crossed out. However, this did not make for an enjoyable reading experience since the way this is interpreted via audio is through frequent "scratch that" that was extremely grating and distracting to the overall reading experience.
(+) HOH and CODA rep, Iranian American MC and author, nonbinary, bisexual, aroace secondary characters, Black secondary characters, nonbinary Egyptian-Palestinian audio narrator.
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC. This in no way changed my rating**
This is the first Khorram book that wasn't a 5 and it breaks my heart. I love his writing style and most of his characters. The main character in this book is named Jackson and he has some issues stemming from his parent's divorce. It causes him not to get too close to anyone. He is biracial and deaf and gay and a the drama department's stage manager. He's pretty much running the tech department single-handedly. The story starts when he starts to become closer with swimmer-turned-actor, Liam.
Enter the reason for this being a 4. Jasmine, Jackson's sister.
I've read all of Khorram's other YA books and all of them were a 5. This is the first one with a teenage, female main character. I honestly think maybe he shouldn't do another after Jasmine. I despise her. She IS the entire book's problems. Yes, there are individual issues between Jackson and Liam, but the vast majority of the plot's central conflict stems from Jasmine. She's selfish. She (and the rest of her family) didn't even attempt to learn ASL to help her brother communicate better. She asks him to make these lists of reasons why her (MANY) relationships have failed (none of them include her being psychotic). She starts dating Liam because he's hot and sees nothing past that. She forces her brother to write a list when that inevitably doesn't work out. I have nothing redeeming to say about her. Literally nothing. I knew what the conflict was going to be a mile away and that is what made it a slower read for me than most of Khorram's other books, which I fly through. I didn't want to read about Jasmine being awful and overdramatic.
Jackson and Liam both have their own issues. Jackson's stems from unresolved childhood trauma. Liam's stem from a current divorce between his parents. They both have individual qualities to work on. Neither one is perfect. But they both have a dimensionality to them that feels real as opposed to Jasmine just being annoying the whole book. That's why I didn't go deep into these two. I rooted for them. I liked them together. The little dates they went on were cute.
I also REALLY liked Jackson's friend, Bowie. They're amazing . They're very supportive, but also willing to give it to Jackson straight. If, in the future, there was to be a spin-off about Bowie, I would read it in a heartbeat.
Given that I loved the writing and the two main characters, I'm giving this a 4, rounded to a 4.5 on Storygraph (4 on Goodreads). Jasmine was a HUGE flaw for me and a character I did not enjoy, even a little. That was a bummer. But the rest of the book was fast-paced and sweet.
Edit: VERY small nitpick: I don't know any high school that would do Jesus Christ Superstar as a musical in this climate. Seems like an incendiary choice. Good musical, though.
This is the first Khorram book that wasn't a 5 and it breaks my heart. I love his writing style and most of his characters. The main character in this book is named Jackson and he has some issues stemming from his parent's divorce. It causes him not to get too close to anyone. He is biracial and deaf and gay and a the drama department's stage manager. He's pretty much running the tech department single-handedly. The story starts when he starts to become closer with swimmer-turned-actor, Liam.
Enter the reason for this being a 4. Jasmine, Jackson's sister.
I've read all of Khorram's other YA books and all of them were a 5. This is the first one with a teenage, female main character. I honestly think maybe he shouldn't do another after Jasmine. I despise her. She IS the entire book's problems. Yes, there are individual issues between Jackson and Liam, but the vast majority of the plot's central conflict stems from Jasmine. She's selfish. She (and the rest of her family) didn't even attempt to learn ASL to help her brother communicate better. She asks him to make these lists of reasons why her (MANY) relationships have failed (none of them include her being psychotic). She starts dating Liam because he's hot and sees nothing past that. She forces her brother to write a list when that inevitably doesn't work out. I have nothing redeeming to say about her. Literally nothing. I knew what the conflict was going to be a mile away and that is what made it a slower read for me than most of Khorram's other books, which I fly through. I didn't want to read about Jasmine being awful and overdramatic.
Jackson and Liam both have their own issues. Jackson's stems from unresolved childhood trauma. Liam's stem from a current divorce between his parents. They both have individual qualities to work on. Neither one is perfect. But they both have a dimensionality to them that feels real as opposed to Jasmine just being annoying the whole book. That's why I didn't go deep into these two. I rooted for them. I liked them together. The little dates they went on were cute.
I also REALLY liked Jackson's friend, Bowie. They're amazing . They're very supportive, but also willing to give it to Jackson straight. If, in the future, there was to be a spin-off about Bowie, I would read it in a heartbeat.
Given that I loved the writing and the two main characters, I'm giving this a 4, rounded to a 4.5 on Storygraph (4 on Goodreads). Jasmine was a HUGE flaw for me and a character I did not enjoy, even a little. That was a bummer. But the rest of the book was fast-paced and sweet.
Edit: VERY small nitpick: I don't know any high school that would do Jesus Christ Superstar as a musical in this climate. Seems like an incendiary choice. Good musical, though.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
No
emotional
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
Thank you to Dial Books and PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.
Jackson loves the theater and is the stage manager for all of his high school's productions. When Liam, the captain of the swim team, earns the lead in the next play, most of the theater kids are surprised. Jackson enjoys getting to spend more time with Liam and develops quite the crush. But Jackson's sister Jasmine also has a crush on Liam.
I quite liked many of the characters, most notably Liam and Jackson's best friend Bowie. I was impressed by the LGBTQ representation throughout the book. And I found the concept of breakup lists of people's flaws as a way to manage emotions fascinating. A love triangle featuring a brother and sister was a new dimension.
I found this book funny and poignant and greatly appreciated Jackson's first person POV. Jackson's difficulty with hearing is portrayed so well. When he can't make out what someone says, neither can we as readers. It's incredibly powerful.
While I generally love audiobooks, I think I would have preferred a different version of this book. Based on the excerpt on the website, I can tell that the printed versions included a large amount of text that was struck through. On audio, that striking was indicated with "scratch that." But it wasn't entirely clear which parts had been scratched out. It made it tough to follow and was quite distracting. That's not a knock at all on Amin El Gamal, who was an excellent narrator. But had I known, I would not have chosen audio here.
I recommend this as an ebook or paperback. And I think it's a particularly good fit for theater aficionados.
Jackson loves the theater and is the stage manager for all of his high school's productions. When Liam, the captain of the swim team, earns the lead in the next play, most of the theater kids are surprised. Jackson enjoys getting to spend more time with Liam and develops quite the crush. But Jackson's sister Jasmine also has a crush on Liam.
I quite liked many of the characters, most notably Liam and Jackson's best friend Bowie. I was impressed by the LGBTQ representation throughout the book. And I found the concept of breakup lists of people's flaws as a way to manage emotions fascinating. A love triangle featuring a brother and sister was a new dimension.
I found this book funny and poignant and greatly appreciated Jackson's first person POV. Jackson's difficulty with hearing is portrayed so well. When he can't make out what someone says, neither can we as readers. It's incredibly powerful.
While I generally love audiobooks, I think I would have preferred a different version of this book. Based on the excerpt on the website, I can tell that the printed versions included a large amount of text that was struck through. On audio, that striking was indicated with "scratch that." But it wasn't entirely clear which parts had been scratched out. It made it tough to follow and was quite distracting. That's not a knock at all on Amin El Gamal, who was an excellent narrator. But had I known, I would not have chosen audio here.
I recommend this as an ebook or paperback. And I think it's a particularly good fit for theater aficionados.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rtc
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
• Young Adult coming of age/romance
• LGBTQ+ rep
• High school theater
• Making pro/con lists and drinking smoothies
• Books that are cheeky but also have a deeper message
• Own voices novels
• LGBTQ+ rep
• High school theater
• Making pro/con lists and drinking smoothies
• Books that are cheeky but also have a deeper message
• Own voices novels
I loved that it had so much diversity but there was too much diversity in just the main character- he has a disability (hearing impaired) - he is Iranian American (cultural diversity) - he is gay (sexual diversity) - and he’s a theater kid (I’m counting that as a diversity group kind of tongue in cheek but kind of not because they are always set apart from the main group). As an adult when I read a YA story I look for one of three things (1) could easily be adult and characters are actually adulting; (2) I can relate either from my own teen years or because of the students I work with, or (3) it’s a recommendation I can pass on to my students. This story is just too much on the diversity and not enough on what it’s like to be a teen today. Most teens today are in one or maybe two under-represented groups, never 3-4ish and their issues are more about finding their way as a teen while still celebrating their diversity and finding the self-love and acceptance to be okay with being who they are. It’s a very fragile balance and hard for them to navigate. Because of this, I couldn’t even get past 25% - especially knowing what was to come was a brother and sister interested in the same guy and where that leads - that just added one more unbelievable element to the mix.
emotional
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I loved the diverse representation in this book. Jackson, our narrator and main character, is a biracial, Iranian-American, gay teenager. He's also deaf and wears hearing aids. Jackson's best friend, Bowie, is Black, aroace, and nonbinary (they/them pronouns). They're also a CODA (child of deaf adults), so they and their parents know sign language (which is how Jackson learns sign). I can't speak to the accuracy and authenticity of the deaf representation, but I hope due diligence was done in terms of sensitivity readers.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is a bit of a lovesick teenager. She has a LOT of ex-boyfriends. To help her feel better after the breakups, Jackson writes breakup lists that he recites to her whenever she needs to be reminded why her ex is undesirable and why she's better off single. The breakup lists are easy to write, until she makes him write one for her latest ex, Liam. The same Liam he fell in love with, and who was his friend before dating Jasmine. Liam is on the swim team with Bowie, and Jackson and Liam become closer when Liam tries out for, and gets the lead in, the fall musical, for which Jackson is the stage manager.
I thought the relationship between Jackson and Liam was so cute! I felt their chemistry and loved them together. I swooned over the little touches before they were officially together, and before either knew the other liked him (these touches had me SCREAMING at Jackson, "He's NOT STRAIGHT!!!"). In my opinion, this was friends to lovers done right. We see the start of Jackson and Liam's friendship and see them growing closer before they ever get romantically involved. Liam is a fantastic love interest. He learns sign language to communicate with Jackson. I'm not sure if it's possible to pick it up as quickly as he does, but the effort is sweet, especially when Jackson's own family couldn't be bothered to learn for him.
Jasmine is insufferable. I couldn't stand her in EVERY scene she was in, and she does little to redeem herself in the end. She is so self-absorbed, shallow, and manipulative. You'd think SHE was the theater child, given her propensity to dramatics. She does something unforgiveable and cruel to Jackson (something I would NEVER do to my brother, no matter how mad at him I am), instigating the third act conflict and subsequent breakup (no spoilers). I didn't like the placement of this breakup, because Jackson and Liam don't get back together until the VERY end. Like, we're talking after 95 percent. The resolution felt rushed in relation to the slow burn in the first and second acts. This was a very fast read, and it probably could have been a bit longer to extend the resolution.
It feels statistically improbable that Jackson's shirt tag would be sticking out as much as it was. It feels like user error. Jackson... bro... you know they make shirts nowadays that have no tags in them, right? Like the tag is printed directly onto the shirt? You might want to think about investing in some of those. Cuts down on the sensory overload, too.
This is a minor criticism, but I didn't like all the cross-outs. In the ARC, the text didn't show as crossed out, so it got confusing. I'm sure this will be fixed in the final copy, but I still think the cross-outs were overdone. I wouldn't say "get rid of ALL of them," because they were a part of Jackson's voice, but I think there should have been fewer.
I mostly liked this book and would recommend it if you want to read an interracial queer romance with Deaf/Hard of hearing representation (not OwnVoices)!
Thank you to Penguin for the complementary advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are voluntary and my own.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is a bit of a lovesick teenager. She has a LOT of ex-boyfriends. To help her feel better after the breakups, Jackson writes breakup lists that he recites to her whenever she needs to be reminded why her ex is undesirable and why she's better off single. The breakup lists are easy to write, until she makes him write one for her latest ex, Liam. The same Liam he fell in love with, and who was his friend before dating Jasmine. Liam is on the swim team with Bowie, and Jackson and Liam become closer when Liam tries out for, and gets the lead in, the fall musical, for which Jackson is the stage manager.
I thought the relationship between Jackson and Liam was so cute! I felt their chemistry and loved them together. I swooned over the little touches before they were officially together, and before either knew the other liked him (these touches had me SCREAMING at Jackson, "He's NOT STRAIGHT!!!"). In my opinion, this was friends to lovers done right. We see the start of Jackson and Liam's friendship and see them growing closer before they ever get romantically involved. Liam is a fantastic love interest. He learns sign language to communicate with Jackson. I'm not sure if it's possible to pick it up as quickly as he does, but the effort is sweet, especially when Jackson's own family couldn't be bothered to learn for him.
Jasmine is insufferable. I couldn't stand her in EVERY scene she was in, and she does little to redeem herself in the end. She is so self-absorbed, shallow, and manipulative. You'd think SHE was the theater child, given her propensity to dramatics. She does something unforgiveable and cruel to Jackson (something I would NEVER do to my brother, no matter how mad at him I am), instigating the third act conflict and subsequent breakup (no spoilers). I didn't like the placement of this breakup, because Jackson and Liam don't get back together until the VERY end. Like, we're talking after 95 percent. The resolution felt rushed in relation to the slow burn in the first and second acts. This was a very fast read, and it probably could have been a bit longer to extend the resolution.
It feels statistically improbable that Jackson's shirt tag would be sticking out as much as it was. It feels like user error. Jackson... bro... you know they make shirts nowadays that have no tags in them, right? Like the tag is printed directly onto the shirt? You might want to think about investing in some of those. Cuts down on the sensory overload, too.
This is a minor criticism, but I didn't like all the cross-outs. In the ARC, the text didn't show as crossed out, so it got confusing. I'm sure this will be fixed in the final copy, but I still think the cross-outs were overdone. I wouldn't say "get rid of ALL of them," because they were a part of Jackson's voice, but I think there should have been fewer.
I mostly liked this book and would recommend it if you want to read an interracial queer romance with Deaf/Hard of hearing representation (not OwnVoices)!
Thank you to Penguin for the complementary advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are voluntary and my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
hopeful
reflective
I've loved everything else by this author, so I'm disappointed to say The Breakup Lists was just okay for me. I really loved the main character, and the love interest, and the best friend. I loved all the stuff about the stage production. But I could not stand Jasmine, the main character's sister. Her being so completely selfish and unlikable really hurt the story for me. I think I would have felt much more conflicted and emotionally invested if her character was actually someone I cared about, since she's such a big part of the story. Everyone here is messy and making mistakes, but while I felt I could so easily understand the choices most of the characters make, Jasmine's whole attitude and her actions are just plain awful.
I also kind of felt like there was too much going on in the story, to the point that I didn't connect with much and felt less invested than I would have liked. I think that the sweet moments between the MCs were really well done, and those, along with the moments between Jackson and his best friend, were my favorite part for sure. I also felt the pacing was somewhat off, especially toward the end. I did appreciate that an MC seeks out therapy and that we are shown young people in love can break up and still move on with their lives and find new interests and joys.
So yeah, this was a mixed bag for me because there was a lot to like, but also some aspects that didn't quite work for me. I wish I'd felt happier and more invested overall while reading but it was kind of 50/50 on the parts I enjoyed and the parts I just wanted to be over with. \
*ARC provided by NetGally
I also kind of felt like there was too much going on in the story, to the point that I didn't connect with much and felt less invested than I would have liked. I think that the sweet moments between the MCs were really well done, and those, along with the moments between Jackson and his best friend, were my favorite part for sure. I also felt the pacing was somewhat off, especially toward the end. I did appreciate that an MC seeks out therapy and that we are shown young people in love can break up and still move on with their lives and find new interests and joys.
So yeah, this was a mixed bag for me because there was a lot to like, but also some aspects that didn't quite work for me. I wish I'd felt happier and more invested overall while reading but it was kind of 50/50 on the parts I enjoyed and the parts I just wanted to be over with. \
*ARC provided by NetGally