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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is a perfect book
I loved how Min just kind of went on and on the whole time-you don't usually see that because it's not wonderful grammar, but it is definitely how a teenager would write a book.
Spoiler
It broke my heart that the movie star (I forget her name) was actually dead. Who knows? Maybe she and the woman we long-lost sisters or something. I was also sad that Min gave up on her film dreams.
I am honestly appalled and offended at how bad this book was. It's Daniel Handler! Lemony Snicket!! Before Why We Broke Up I would have sworn the man could have done no wrong. And I will say, at least, overlooking the magic pixie dream girl artist protag and the dumb jock boyfriend, this mess of a plot is at least well-written. Even at his worst Handler knows how to spin a phrase.
But I really can not get over how mundane & ordinary & pointless this entire story was was.... a terrible couple breaks up. There's no mystery - there's really no drama. Just two dumb teenagers and a jerk of a guy.
But I really can not get over how mundane & ordinary & pointless this entire story was was.... a terrible couple breaks up. There's no mystery - there's really no drama. Just two dumb teenagers and a jerk of a guy.
*audiobook*
I think the main reason why this book didn't really speak to me was because I listened to the book on tape version, and I was forced to listen to this obnoxious woman voice all of the characters, even the boys. It was upsetting. Also, I learned later that there are pictures in the novel. And there were parts that I didn't understand because I didn't have the pictures to help me through the words.
All in all, I think this book was very smartly and creatively written. The entire book is written as a letter from Min to Ed, explaining why they broke up as she looks through the box of stuff she is giving back to him. If they weren't in high school, and if their love wasn't so cliched in that overdone-high school teen drama-quirky girl falls for basketball star-Nathan and Haley-One Tree Hill-Cinderella Story sort of way, I would have liked it better. I feel like I've graduated from that particular brand of teen fiction. I'm not being snobby, I just didn't like it as much as I maybe would have when I was younger. Back before I read all those books, and watched all those movies that were just like it.
I think the main reason why this book didn't really speak to me was because I listened to the book on tape version, and I was forced to listen to this obnoxious woman voice all of the characters, even the boys. It was upsetting. Also, I learned later that there are pictures in the novel. And there were parts that I didn't understand because I didn't have the pictures to help me through the words.
All in all, I think this book was very smartly and creatively written. The entire book is written as a letter from Min to Ed, explaining why they broke up as she looks through the box of stuff she is giving back to him. If they weren't in high school, and if their love wasn't so cliched in that overdone-high school teen drama-quirky girl falls for basketball star-Nathan and Haley-One Tree Hill-Cinderella Story sort of way, I would have liked it better. I feel like I've graduated from that particular brand of teen fiction. I'm not being snobby, I just didn't like it as much as I maybe would have when I was younger. Back before I read all those books, and watched all those movies that were just like it.
Now I know why I stopped reading this the first time – the old movie references. I could not relate, having never watched any of the movies Min talked about. The experience was sort of like watching The Jane Austen Book Club, a movie I first watched back when I haven’t read any Austen books yet. But I ended up loving the movie (and buying all of Jane Austen’s novels), and now I’m in love with Min and Ed’s break-up story. I might just look up those movies one of these days. Maybe.
People who loved David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary would most probably enjoy this book.
People who loved David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary would most probably enjoy this book.
Let me begin this review by being very clear that I never read books like this. my love of Lemony Snicket is one of the only reasons I even bothered. This book made me feel a little old, and at first I was a little disinterested in the way too fast intensity of Min & Ed, but then I remembered what first loves & relationships felt like. In a word, intense. Once I figured this out, it was easier to understand this book. I love that this is a letter to Ed, and that in a way it becomes closure for Min, plus the whole concept of the box, and the little things that add up, even in a short amount of time. I also have to say, I love Min, she was just so real, and that my friends is why she needed to break up with Ed, and why you should read this book.
Really really really loved the journey of a heartbreak ♥️
This book didn't do it for me. All the obscure references to movies and books just kind of irked me. It reminded me of [b:Love Walked In|8044951|Love Walked In|Marisa de los Santos|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1271359947s/8044951.jpg|3000860] but in a bad way. And I will admit to skimming some of the middle of this novel. It's an ARC, so quite a bit of it wasn't finished. The pictures weren't all drawn in yet, but I don't think that would have helped. I'd like to see a finished copy when this book comes out.
Min's letter was a little long and very detailed. It's cleverly written, but some of the paragraphs are actually pages long. That's a little distracting for me. And the dialogue just didn't feel like it was coming from high school juniors sometimes. Ed seems like a douche, but I guess that's clear since they broke up. And poor Al. He is so understanding and slightly desperate.
This wasn't a bad book, really. I just didn't get into it. Maybe it was the timing, but I feel like a good book will reel me in at any time. But maybe someone else will like this one. Give it a shot, because it was definitely an interesting read. Just not entirely for me.
Side note: I think this book was made from lead because it's the heaviest book I've ever read. It's not because it's that long. It's just HEAVY.
Min's letter was a little long and very detailed. It's cleverly written, but some of the paragraphs are actually pages long. That's a little distracting for me. And the dialogue just didn't feel like it was coming from high school juniors sometimes. Ed seems like a douche, but I guess that's clear since they broke up. And poor Al. He is so understanding and slightly desperate.
This wasn't a bad book, really. I just didn't get into it. Maybe it was the timing, but I feel like a good book will reel me in at any time. But maybe someone else will like this one. Give it a shot, because it was definitely an interesting read. Just not entirely for me.
Side note: I think this book was made from lead because it's the heaviest book I've ever read. It's not because it's that long. It's just HEAVY.
emotional
slow-paced
I really have mixed feelings about this book. At first I really didn't like the characters and although I got to know them better as the story progressed I still didn't like Ed or Min at the ending. The diction of the writing confused me, Min wrote more like a middle schooler than a junior in high school. I still don't get why she even wanted to go out with Ed in the first place. I was really turned off by Ed in the beginning and then he was sweaty all the time (gross)! And I don't like basketball players to begin with with. But anyway back to the writing; sometimes I knew exactly what was happening but then sometimes, especially during the Halloween party, I had no idea what as going on. Overall I enjoyed the pictures but it was too confusing for me to like the plot, story, or even the ditsy characters.