You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
This book seriously made me cry, I felt like my own heart was broken because of this. I kept wanting there to be happy ending and I was telling myself even though I predicted the ending, "No, he's not going to do that." I would however like to find out if this letter made Ed feel like crap, because it'd make me feel better knowing that.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
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
its difficult to find a novel as refreshingly wistful as this one. i'm biased, of course, as i've picked this book up several times over several years. it's hard to describe the violent nostalgia that comes with the chapters; you have to read it to know. the writing style is truly unique, and i find myself wanting to look at this novel under several literary lenses. a synopsis is unnecessary in my opinion; the less you know about this book before reading it, the better! i'll for sure be returning to this little masterpiece again.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
I loved reading something more mature from the author also known as Lemony Snicket, but it went on a bit too long. Just how big was that box?
During the month of August, I fell into a very deep rut…of love stories. For weeks I binge read love stories. I couldn’t get enough. Finally, someone recommended Daniel Handler’s Why we Broke up. A love story flipped upside down.
Now for those of you unfamiliar with Daniel Handler, Handler is the infamous Lemony Snicket himself, publishing under his real name. For years, he published A Series of Unfortunate Events under that pseudonym, which is also a fantastic book series if you’re looking for some quick reads.
But Handler/Snicket’s Why we broke up is the opposite of a love story, and sometimes we need that. I mean, boys have cooties, right?
The story is from the perspective of Min Green, a girl who already broke up with the love of her life. And she hates him. A lot.
The book is Min’s letter to Ed, a dreamy senior basketball jock. Min was only a junior, but she thought her relationship with Ed would be the perfect high school romance. But that’s never the case. Min sends her letter with a box of things she saved from their relationship, explaining the importance of each, like the pair of bottle caps. And she tells him why they broke up.
Min is sassy and spunky (and deserves better than Ed). So if you’re done with boys, or need a break from the “girl gets the boy” books, then get a copy of Handler/Snicket’s book ASAP. Sometimes, you just need to be mad at boys. They deserve it.
Now for those of you unfamiliar with Daniel Handler, Handler is the infamous Lemony Snicket himself, publishing under his real name. For years, he published A Series of Unfortunate Events under that pseudonym, which is also a fantastic book series if you’re looking for some quick reads.
But Handler/Snicket’s Why we broke up is the opposite of a love story, and sometimes we need that. I mean, boys have cooties, right?
The story is from the perspective of Min Green, a girl who already broke up with the love of her life. And she hates him. A lot.
The book is Min’s letter to Ed, a dreamy senior basketball jock. Min was only a junior, but she thought her relationship with Ed would be the perfect high school romance. But that’s never the case. Min sends her letter with a box of things she saved from their relationship, explaining the importance of each, like the pair of bottle caps. And she tells him why they broke up.
Min is sassy and spunky (and deserves better than Ed). So if you’re done with boys, or need a break from the “girl gets the boy” books, then get a copy of Handler/Snicket’s book ASAP. Sometimes, you just need to be mad at boys. They deserve it.
My first reaction when I received this book was: wow, that is an awesome title. And then it was: Oh my god, I finally know Lemony Snicket’s real name?! This is Daniel Handler’s young adult debut. And in a Lemony Snicket fashion, this isn’t a fluffy tale with unicorns and rainbows. It’s actually quite depressing. It’s the story of Min and Ed and why they broke up.
I’m just going to take this time right now to give props to the fabulous Maira Kalman, illustrator of the gorgeous gorgeous watercolor illustrations in this book. My copy is an ARC. Unfortunately, I am only graced with a few black and white photographs in the book. LUCKILY, luckily, my ARC had come with these gorgeous postcards that were printed with the illustrations that were to be on the book. I know very little about critiquing art, so I will save all that mumbo-jumbo art talk because it’s not like I can execute. But what I’m trying to say is that the art just fits so well with Min’s story.They are a bit whimsical and they match the flow of Min’s stream-of-consciousness. This is a book you have to buy just because it’s made so well. (Yes, I’ve also seen the final version of this book and I had to pull myself away from Barnes & Noble.)
But unlike, the illustrations, I have to admit that I did have a hard time with the writing style. Stream-of-consciousness is not my favorite. Props to Virginia Woolf and all that, but this prose had way too much flow going on for me. I like periods. Not never-ending sentences. But the writing style does reflect the way some people ramble when they talk. It added a conversational tone to the story, but
But despite the fact I skipped a few paragraphs here and there – Min rambles that much – I couldn’t help but notice how much truth there was in her words. Daniel Handler truly captures what it’s like to be a teen blindingly in love. I knew that Ed would turn out to be Big Trouble – hell-o, the title of the book is WHY WE BROKE UP – but I could totally see why Min would fall so easily for Ed. He’s super charming and he says the right things. All the time. But come on, for a movie buff like Min, she had to know that a jock with a string of slutty ex-girlfriends had to mean bad news. She even realizes this later on. Ed was just a little too good to be true.
And for the record, oh my heart breaks for the best friend, Al. I constantly root for the underdog and this was no exception. Al is just so perceptive. It’s hard not to like him.
I love that we get a little glimpse to what Min is like post-Ed. The ending is hopeful, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of Min for overcoming such a bad break-up but at the same time realizing she has to move on to much better things in life. But at the same time, I wanted a more dramatic Happily Ever After, but that is totally just the romantic in me left unsatisfied.
WHY WE BROKE UP is a fantastic book to give to a friend who just experienced a really bad break-up. Or to an ex-boyfriend who is quite similar to Ed. Those who don’t mind a bittersweet contemporary would most likely enjoy this one as well.
And if you’re curious as to how Lemony Snicket does YA, pick this up. He effortlessly transitions into writing the YA genre and I look forward to reading more of Daniel Handler’s work.
Why I’m Biased: I had high expectations for this book because my friend Tasha loved it so much.
I’m just going to take this time right now to give props to the fabulous Maira Kalman, illustrator of the gorgeous gorgeous watercolor illustrations in this book. My copy is an ARC. Unfortunately, I am only graced with a few black and white photographs in the book. LUCKILY, luckily, my ARC had come with these gorgeous postcards that were printed with the illustrations that were to be on the book. I know very little about critiquing art, so I will save all that mumbo-jumbo art talk because it’s not like I can execute. But what I’m trying to say is that the art just fits so well with Min’s story.They are a bit whimsical and they match the flow of Min’s stream-of-consciousness. This is a book you have to buy just because it’s made so well. (Yes, I’ve also seen the final version of this book and I had to pull myself away from Barnes & Noble.)
But unlike, the illustrations, I have to admit that I did have a hard time with the writing style. Stream-of-consciousness is not my favorite. Props to Virginia Woolf and all that, but this prose had way too much flow going on for me. I like periods. Not never-ending sentences. But the writing style does reflect the way some people ramble when they talk. It added a conversational tone to the story, but
But despite the fact I skipped a few paragraphs here and there – Min rambles that much – I couldn’t help but notice how much truth there was in her words. Daniel Handler truly captures what it’s like to be a teen blindingly in love. I knew that Ed would turn out to be Big Trouble – hell-o, the title of the book is WHY WE BROKE UP – but I could totally see why Min would fall so easily for Ed. He’s super charming and he says the right things. All the time. But come on, for a movie buff like Min, she had to know that a jock with a string of slutty ex-girlfriends had to mean bad news. She even realizes this later on. Ed was just a little too good to be true.
And for the record, oh my heart breaks for the best friend, Al. I constantly root for the underdog and this was no exception. Al is just so perceptive. It’s hard not to like him.
I love that we get a little glimpse to what Min is like post-Ed. The ending is hopeful, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of Min for overcoming such a bad break-up but at the same time realizing she has to move on to much better things in life. But at the same time, I wanted a more dramatic Happily Ever After, but that is totally just the romantic in me left unsatisfied.
WHY WE BROKE UP is a fantastic book to give to a friend who just experienced a really bad break-up. Or to an ex-boyfriend who is quite similar to Ed. Those who don’t mind a bittersweet contemporary would most likely enjoy this one as well.
And if you’re curious as to how Lemony Snicket does YA, pick this up. He effortlessly transitions into writing the YA genre and I look forward to reading more of Daniel Handler’s work.
Why I’m Biased: I had high expectations for this book because my friend Tasha loved it so much.
I hated most of this book but the last 50 pages made it worth three stars to me.
I didn't like the writing style, the run on paragraphs were super annoying and a lot of the wording was confusing. The illustrations were great I loved them.
The characters were also kind of annoying. Min seemed so naive to me and Ed was a jerk from the beginning.
I didn't like the writing style, the run on paragraphs were super annoying and a lot of the wording was confusing. The illustrations were great I loved them.
The characters were also kind of annoying. Min seemed so naive to me and Ed was a jerk from the beginning.
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Thought that the tone was refreshing in the beginning, but became a little tedious.