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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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:
Complicated
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
Super fun and relatable. I haven't read as much YA recently as I used to, but I do read a lot of second chance romance and I've realized that teenagers are little shits and going to the nuclear option (as Jackson's sister Jasmine does towards the end of the book) isn't as unbelievable as I might have once thought.
Overall, though, I really like the way that Jackson is a flawed kid who gets to have a love story. And I like that the adults around him are real people - neither all good or all bad.
This is good stuff.
Overall, though, I really like the way that Jackson is a flawed kid who gets to have a love story. And I like that the adults around him are real people - neither all good or all bad.
This is good stuff.
As a certified Theatre Kid (with the degree to prove it) I absolutely love a good YA romcom that centers on theatre, and The Breakup Lists absolutely nailed it. I loved that it was a love letter to technical theatre, and the level of detail was fantastic (the names of the different styles of theatre lighting! Jackson securing his wrench to his belt before he goes up to the catwalk! Lamenting that its the stage manager's job to erase all the pencil marks in the libretto at the end of the show!) The details had me smiling almost the entire time. While I really didn't enjoy some of the stuff Jackson had to deal with, mostly the treatment he received from his sister and his ex, the story and the characters made it worth getting through even the more frustrating parts. I really enjoyed Jackson and Liam's romance, and the diverse cast of side characters. I also didn't realize going into this that Jackson had a hearing loss, or didn't remember, and I loved how that was incorporated into the story in what felt like a really realistic way. Such a great read for Pride month and beyond!
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 have loved every book I’ve read from Adib Khorram and was so excited to get to read through an ARC of this (thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books/Penguin) prior to its release.
This cute queer rom-com explores the relationships of high school stage manager Jackson, from his loving, but sometimes inconsiderate family and his steadfast best friend Bowie, to his theatre teacher and his classmates. While this is a delectable love story, it also explores the issues that come with being hard of hearing, the throes of young heartbreak, and the many stresses of high school theatre.
I adored Liam, Bowie, and Jackson and I loved to despise Jasmine and Cam (to different extents throughout the book). The author has such a good way of writing his characters in ways that make them immediately accessible to the audience. It was great to have such a diverse cast of characters (both main and extended) that felt real and three dimensional.
Even though there were some more predictable moments, I don’t think that detracts at all from the book and it made some less predictable moments even more surprising and enjoyable!
A younger version of me would have absolutely loved a book about a queer high school stage manager (and 30 year old me was still simply enamored). I already want more, but I’ll settle for rereading it once it has been released!
This cute queer rom-com explores the relationships of high school stage manager Jackson, from his loving, but sometimes inconsiderate family and his steadfast best friend Bowie, to his theatre teacher and his classmates. While this is a delectable love story, it also explores the issues that come with being hard of hearing, the throes of young heartbreak, and the many stresses of high school theatre.
I adored Liam, Bowie, and Jackson and I loved to despise Jasmine and Cam (to different extents throughout the book). The author has such a good way of writing his characters in ways that make them immediately accessible to the audience. It was great to have such a diverse cast of characters (both main and extended) that felt real and three dimensional.
Even though there were some more predictable moments, I don’t think that detracts at all from the book and it made some less predictable moments even more surprising and enjoyable!
A younger version of me would have absolutely loved a book about a queer high school stage manager (and 30 year old me was still simply enamored). I already want more, but I’ll settle for rereading it once it has been released!
I'm signing up to be in Adib Khorram's official fanclub after reading this one. Adib always delivers and The Breakup Lists is no exception to that.
In this book, we follow Jackson Ghasnavi who is a lot of things but his love for theater (especially being a techie/stage manager) is the one thing that remained constant in his life. And yes, Jackson is also NOT a romantic after being a first-row audience to his parents' divorce and his sister Jasmine's romance misadventures. That was until Liam entered the scene.
Jackson and Liam hit it off as friends but soon they realized that they're feeling a bit more than friendship but both are too shy to act on it.
This is more complicated than the typical 'boy meets boy' as the author included a conflict than made me rethink of what I'll do if I was in Jackson's position.
The Breakup Lists talk about both the beautiful and messy sides of loving someone while also sublty discussing about the importance of letting a person decide and explain about their gender and identity.
And as someone who loves reading about characters who actually care about others, not just themselves, this is a topnotch characterization. I want to hug Jackson after finishing the book.
The romance is where I'm really conflicted because of the way Jasmine was involved in the scene, and I really had a hard time thinking about what I'll do in that situation. But in the end, it's good to know how things worked out for them.
And yes, friends to lovers enthusiasts won this one iykwim.
RATING: 4.5stars
In this book, we follow Jackson Ghasnavi who is a lot of things but his love for theater (especially being a techie/stage manager) is the one thing that remained constant in his life. And yes, Jackson is also NOT a romantic after being a first-row audience to his parents' divorce and his sister Jasmine's romance misadventures. That was until Liam entered the scene.
Jackson and Liam hit it off as friends but soon they realized that they're feeling a bit more than friendship but both are too shy to act on it.
This is more complicated than the typical 'boy meets boy' as the author included a conflict than made me rethink of what I'll do if I was in Jackson's position.
The Breakup Lists talk about both the beautiful and messy sides of loving someone while also sublty discussing about the importance of letting a person decide and explain about their gender and identity.
And as someone who loves reading about characters who actually care about others, not just themselves, this is a topnotch characterization. I want to hug Jackson after finishing the book.
The romance is where I'm really conflicted because of the way Jasmine was involved in the scene, and I really had a hard time thinking about what I'll do in that situation. But in the end, it's good to know how things worked out for them.
And yes, friends to lovers enthusiasts won this one iykwim.
RATING: 4.5stars
While I loved the concept and characters in this book, I wish we had spent more time in the main conflicts and less in the build up. It felt pretty slow until the last 50ish pages and I wish it had stayed there a little longer.
Adib Khorram writes wonderful wonderful wonderful characters and The Breakup Lists proves to be one of his best efforts to date. The book is filled with beautiful characters brought to life vividly and authentically. I'm completely enamored. Great characters make for great books, and it doesn't hurt to have terrific dialogue and a storyline that draws you quickly and easily onto Khorram's stage. I can't wait for August 27 2024 when his next book comes out: I'll Have What He's Having
3.5 Stars
This book was so sweet!! I absolutely loved the relationship between Jackson and Liam, the buildup of their relationship was so satisfying and they complimented each other so well. They were just so cute I could die.
The representation in this book was great as well, so many different sexualities and gender identities, a long with a variety of different ethnicities and races being featured. It flowed well and felt natural to witness on page.
In terms of my gripes, they’re mostly minor. The dialogue was weak in some areas, primarily with Jackson. How his voice was juxtaposed with the situations he was in felt slightly out of balance compared to other characters. When it comes to plot, nothing infuriates me more than characters make decisions that are so obviously going to feed into the conflict later. Jackson keeping the list about Liam boiled my blood because obviously he was going to find out, like come on think this through a bit. My last complaint comes down to the scene where Jackson comments on how utterly flat Liam’s ass is. That was so weird and was not needed. I don’t care nor do I want to know how his ass looks. Ok so I lied, not my last musing but why was Bowie applying to Early Decision in January. January?? Early Decision is turned in November at the latest?? You find out about Early Decision in January, you apply in October. Anyways! It’s the little things that can bring you out of a story.
This book was so sweet!! I absolutely loved the relationship between Jackson and Liam, the buildup of their relationship was so satisfying and they complimented each other so well. They were just so cute I could die.
The representation in this book was great as well, so many different sexualities and gender identities, a long with a variety of different ethnicities and races being featured. It flowed well and felt natural to witness on page.
In terms of my gripes, they’re mostly minor. The dialogue was weak in some areas, primarily with Jackson. How his voice was juxtaposed with the situations he was in felt slightly out of balance compared to other characters. When it comes to plot, nothing infuriates me more than characters make decisions that are so obviously going to feed into the conflict later. Jackson keeping the list about Liam boiled my blood because obviously he was going to find out, like come on think this through a bit. My last complaint comes down to the scene where Jackson comments on how utterly flat Liam’s ass is. That was so weird and was not needed. I don’t care nor do I want to know how his ass looks. Ok so I lied, not my last musing but why was Bowie applying to Early Decision in January. January?? Early Decision is turned in November at the latest?? You find out about Early Decision in January, you apply in October. Anyways! It’s the little things that can bring you out of a story.