Scan barcode
lostinmylibrary's review against another edition
2.0
The first 200 pages of this book:
The last 120 pages of this book: I'll take plots that could be completely resolved by polyamory for $400, Alex.
After really enjoying [b:North of Happy|27391973|North of Happy|Adi Alsaid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490709663l/27391973._SY75_.jpg|47436898], I really wanted to love this, but I very much didn't. It was just so obvious that everything was going to go badly in entirely preventable ways. It was engaging enough that I didn't DNF it, but that's about all I can say for it. There are multiple books that I've enjoyed much more that explore the idea of "just because love ended doesn't mean it wasn't love."
CW: injury, underage alcohol use
I recieved an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lu: I'm going to do this thing.
Pete: That's a bad idea, here's why, and you're going to regret it later.
Lu: I'm still going to do this thing.
The last 120 pages of this book: I'll take plots that could be completely resolved by polyamory for $400, Alex.
After really enjoying [b:North of Happy|27391973|North of Happy|Adi Alsaid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490709663l/27391973._SY75_.jpg|47436898], I really wanted to love this, but I very much didn't. It was just so obvious that everything was going to go badly in entirely preventable ways. It was engaging enough that I didn't DNF it, but that's about all I can say for it. There are multiple books that I've enjoyed much more that explore the idea of "just because love ended doesn't mean it wasn't love."
CW: injury, underage alcohol use
I recieved an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
samwlabb's review against another edition
4.0
I guess this is a black sheep review, because I enjoyed this book.
Graduating from high school comes with the promise of so many wonderful beginnings, but sometimes those beginnings are accompanied by endings.
Lu was excited to be attending NYU in the fall until her boyfriend, Leo, preemptively breaks up with her since he would be attending college upstate. And so, Lu began her summer with a broken heart and a crippling case of writer's block. By some serendipitous stroke of luck, Lu overheard two other teens doing the pre-college breakup thing, and thought their story would remove her block, but as the summer wore on, the pressure to produce her column or lose her scholarship was amplified.
This was a story about heartbreak and love. It was about knowing which relationships were worth fighting for and which ones had run their course. I liked the juxtaposition of Cal and Iris' story to that of Lu and Leo. Lu may have fell in love with both Iris and Cal, as well as their storybook romance, but it also helped her dissect her her emotions with respect to Leo and her relationship with him. It took Lu quite a while, but she eventually came to terms with her heartbreak and where she stood with her ex.
There were times I felt like I wanted Lu to reach some conclusions a bit sooner, but I enjoyed the journey. I got to frolic in NYC with a bunch of kids, who engaged in some great and amusing banter. I loved Lu's mom, her penchant for Italian food, and her affection for her daughter. Pete was also a standout character. He was a straight shooter, who made astute observations, and he also cared deeply for Lu.
Obviously, I would have been more over the moon if there had been an epic romance, but this was a realistic situation, and I think Alsaid tempered my heartbreak by including Cal and Iris' story. I enjoyed spending the summer with Lu, and appreciated the ending (new beginning?) Alsaid gave her.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Graduating from high school comes with the promise of so many wonderful beginnings, but sometimes those beginnings are accompanied by endings.
Lu was excited to be attending NYU in the fall until her boyfriend, Leo, preemptively breaks up with her since he would be attending college upstate. And so, Lu began her summer with a broken heart and a crippling case of writer's block. By some serendipitous stroke of luck, Lu overheard two other teens doing the pre-college breakup thing, and thought their story would remove her block, but as the summer wore on, the pressure to produce her column or lose her scholarship was amplified.
This was a story about heartbreak and love. It was about knowing which relationships were worth fighting for and which ones had run their course. I liked the juxtaposition of Cal and Iris' story to that of Lu and Leo. Lu may have fell in love with both Iris and Cal, as well as their storybook romance, but it also helped her dissect her her emotions with respect to Leo and her relationship with him. It took Lu quite a while, but she eventually came to terms with her heartbreak and where she stood with her ex.
There were times I felt like I wanted Lu to reach some conclusions a bit sooner, but I enjoyed the journey. I got to frolic in NYC with a bunch of kids, who engaged in some great and amusing banter. I loved Lu's mom, her penchant for Italian food, and her affection for her daughter. Pete was also a standout character. He was a straight shooter, who made astute observations, and he also cared deeply for Lu.
Obviously, I would have been more over the moon if there had been an epic romance, but this was a realistic situation, and I think Alsaid tempered my heartbreak by including Cal and Iris' story. I enjoyed spending the summer with Lu, and appreciated the ending (new beginning?) Alsaid gave her.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
rachelkc's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Went a little long and Lu is hard to stick with, but overall felt genuine and is a sweet story of a summer-between-hs-and-college love crisis. Pete is super charming - would have loved more of him and less of Lu!
jennicareads's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. The main premise of this story (interviewing couples heading off to college about whether they would remain together or not, and why) was interesting enough. There’s a lot of promise in delving in to relationships to see how they tick and what might have gone wrong. However, the book dragged and repeated itself a LOT. Very little happened to progress the plot or help me get invested. The main character, Lu, is struggling to understand why her boyfriend dumped her, and is simultaneously attempting to right an article about a couple, Cal and Iris, who have decided to stay together for the summer, but break up at the end. Lu was insufferable and boring. Her inner dialog was very repetitive and whiny. I found her problems to be self-created and avoidable, so almost impossible to care about. Cal was the most compelling character in the story, and there was not enough of him. I found it very difficult to buy in to his relationship with Iris. It was described, repeatedly, as this special thing but it didn’t land that way. The interactions with Lu and Iris didn’t feel natural or especially believable either. So much of this story feels forced. I wasn’t sure who or what I was supposed to be rooting for, and It was very hard to root for Lu with her over abundance of self-sabotage. On the positive side, this story gives a great feel for what it might be like as a NYC teen, born and raised.
enchantedtoreadyou's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the first book by Adi Alsaid, but I know it will not be my last. I was instantly pulled into Lu’s story and couldn’t wait to see what happened.
In the beginning, and throughout the whole book, really, I wanted this weird relationship with Lu and the couple she eavesdropped on – Cal and Iris. I wanted Lu and Iris to become bffs. They seemed to instantly click and they jsut had a nice flow to their friendship. However, Lu met Cal before she met Iris. He sat beside her on a bench where they talked in fake French accents and helped French tourists find their way. They seemed to have instant chemistry and I really wanted Cal to be the one to mend Lu’s heart.
For a while, this weird situation seemed to work. Lu started hanging out with Cal and Iris together, then separate. When she and Cal were together, it seemed like a romantic connection. When Lu and Iris were together, they seemed like they had been friends forever.
Lu had a best friend before all this went down – Pete. He might have been my favorite. He was asexual and Lu described him as her wise old uncle, which he thought was pretty fitting. He was funny and smart and gave the best advice.
Lu was eavesdropping on Cal and Iris because she writes a love column. Since her boyfriend broke up with her, she had writer’s block. She was listening to what she thought was their breakup for inspiration. This is really the central plot of the book – Lu working through her heartbreak so she can write again. Besides, her whole future lies in this column. She has to keep it to get her scholarship to go to NYU for journalism.
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak was such a quick, fun read. It made me laugh out loud at times. It also took me back to my past days of high school romance when a break up was totally the end of the world.
I would recommend this book if you like YA romance contemporaries – but the ending will surprise you! I want to say more thoughts about the ending, but I’m scared it’s spoilery so I will refrain.
This is the first book by Adi Alsaid, but I know it will not be my last. I was instantly pulled into Lu’s story and couldn’t wait to see what happened.
In the beginning, and throughout the whole book, really, I wanted this weird relationship with Lu and the couple she eavesdropped on – Cal and Iris. I wanted Lu and Iris to become bffs. They seemed to instantly click and they jsut had a nice flow to their friendship. However, Lu met Cal before she met Iris. He sat beside her on a bench where they talked in fake French accents and helped French tourists find their way. They seemed to have instant chemistry and I really wanted Cal to be the one to mend Lu’s heart.
For a while, this weird situation seemed to work. Lu started hanging out with Cal and Iris together, then separate. When she and Cal were together, it seemed like a romantic connection. When Lu and Iris were together, they seemed like they had been friends forever.
Lu had a best friend before all this went down – Pete. He might have been my favorite. He was asexual and Lu described him as her wise old uncle, which he thought was pretty fitting. He was funny and smart and gave the best advice.
Lu was eavesdropping on Cal and Iris because she writes a love column. Since her boyfriend broke up with her, she had writer’s block. She was listening to what she thought was their breakup for inspiration. This is really the central plot of the book – Lu working through her heartbreak so she can write again. Besides, her whole future lies in this column. She has to keep it to get her scholarship to go to NYU for journalism.
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak was such a quick, fun read. It made me laugh out loud at times. It also took me back to my past days of high school romance when a break up was totally the end of the world.
I would recommend this book if you like YA romance contemporaries – but the ending will surprise you! I want to say more thoughts about the ending, but I’m scared it’s spoilery so I will refrain.
thegeekishbrunette's review against another edition
2.0
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak follows Lu after her summer after graduating high school doesn’t go as planned and she is now faced with being single. She still must maintain her job as a journalist for a love column and meets a couple that may just be the break she needs for inspiration and starting the healing process.
I didn’t have any expectations going into this book and so when the characters didn’t really stick out to me it wasn’t upsetting. This is book is a typical contemporary about love and break ups. Lu wants to get back with her ex and never sees the the one guy friend who is always there for advice as someone more than just a friend. She makes horrible decisions and tries to fall in love with someone she just met and when that goes sour she still doesn’t see the person who has always been there for her.
Out of all the characters I liked Pete the most. He stuck by Lu through all her bad decisions and still tried to push her down the right path. At times I thought they would get together and when I was on the last chapter I had high hopes but sadly that ship never sailed. I think it would have been a better ending if it did.
There wasn’t much character development besides learning of one couple’s relationship and Lu becoming okay with her own break up. The pace moved quickly and the plot was okay and those are the two reasons why I kept going with this book.
Overall, it was okay. Maybe if I was younger it would be a different story but this book just wasn’t for me.
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak follows Lu after her summer after graduating high school doesn’t go as planned and she is now faced with being single. She still must maintain her job as a journalist for a love column and meets a couple that may just be the break she needs for inspiration and starting the healing process.
I didn’t have any expectations going into this book and so when the characters didn’t really stick out to me it wasn’t upsetting. This is book is a typical contemporary about love and break ups. Lu wants to get back with her ex and never sees the the one guy friend who is always there for advice as someone more than just a friend. She makes horrible decisions and tries to fall in love with someone she just met and when that goes sour she still doesn’t see the person who has always been there for her.
Out of all the characters I liked Pete the most. He stuck by Lu through all her bad decisions and still tried to push her down the right path. At times I thought they would get together and when I was on the last chapter I had high hopes but sadly that ship never sailed. I think it would have been a better ending if it did.
There wasn’t much character development besides learning of one couple’s relationship and Lu becoming okay with her own break up. The pace moved quickly and the plot was okay and those are the two reasons why I kept going with this book.
Overall, it was okay. Maybe if I was younger it would be a different story but this book just wasn’t for me.
mrsdmvh's review against another edition
3.0
Meet Lu. A whiny, eighteen year old who thinks life is horrible because her boyfriend broke up with her. Ever since her boyfriend broke up with her, she can't write. This is a huge problem because she writes for a popular online blog that is connected to a scholarship for college. Without it, she can't go.
Her column is about love. Think Sex & The City vibe column. She has written about her love and about what she hears around her. She meets a cute young man on a park bench and ends up eavesdropping on his conversation with his girlfriend where they break up. This gives Lu the fantastic idea to write about couples that break up before they go off to college.
Honestly, this whole book is Lu going on and on and on AND ON about how she can't write and how if she could just write about Cal and his girlfriend she will be set! Does she start to fall for Cal? Come on now...what do you think? Seriously though, I could barely handle Lu and all of her pity me attitude. Even her best friend gets tired of her crap.
This is truly a young adult novel. I think if 18 year old me read this, I'd be like YAAAAASSSS GIRL YAAAAASSSSSS. But the 30-something me is like, get over it. Haha. Keeping in mind that she truly drove me bonkers with her whiny self, I am going to rate this book twice...because again, 18 year old me would have fawned over this and been like, ugh, why can't anyone feel for Lu.
4 stars for the 21 and under crowd. 3 stars for the over 21 crowd. Why? This book truly will resonate with the younger crowd who is going off to college. They will have all the feels for this read. I just...don't. Not that it wasn't a well written book, it was, it's just I wanted to duct tape Lu's mouth shut, hahaha. The overall message of the book was good and in the end, I am happy how everything turned out.
Her column is about love. Think Sex & The City vibe column. She has written about her love and about what she hears around her. She meets a cute young man on a park bench and ends up eavesdropping on his conversation with his girlfriend where they break up. This gives Lu the fantastic idea to write about couples that break up before they go off to college.
Honestly, this whole book is Lu going on and on and on AND ON about how she can't write and how if she could just write about Cal and his girlfriend she will be set! Does she start to fall for Cal? Come on now...what do you think? Seriously though, I could barely handle Lu and all of her pity me attitude. Even her best friend gets tired of her crap.
This is truly a young adult novel. I think if 18 year old me read this, I'd be like YAAAAASSSS GIRL YAAAAASSSSSS. But the 30-something me is like, get over it. Haha. Keeping in mind that she truly drove me bonkers with her whiny self, I am going to rate this book twice...because again, 18 year old me would have fawned over this and been like, ugh, why can't anyone feel for Lu.
4 stars for the 21 and under crowd. 3 stars for the over 21 crowd. Why? This book truly will resonate with the younger crowd who is going off to college. They will have all the feels for this read. I just...don't. Not that it wasn't a well written book, it was, it's just I wanted to duct tape Lu's mouth shut, hahaha. The overall message of the book was good and in the end, I am happy how everything turned out.
ruthsic's review against another edition
3.0
Rep: Filipino main character, POC secondary characters, aroace secondary character
An exploration of romantic love and the longevity of relationships from the point of view of a young adult, this book would have been much more enjoyable if not for the length. Lu, freshly dumped, is suffering from writer's block and is unable to write anything for her love and relationships column, which is also her ticket to getting a scholarship to college. She is understandably stressed and when she happens upon Cal's and Iris' breakup, she suddenly finds inspiration for what her next article should be, and hopes analyzing their decision to have a timed breakup will help her understand her own heartbreak.
Lu's main problem is, she can't bring herself to write anything and her procrastination lasts for like 300+ pages, which can be very frustrating for a reader, even if it is relatable from the point of view of a master procrastinator. I think a part of me gritting my teeth through some parts was because I was suddenly having flashbacks to all the times I had backed myself into a corner because I just couldn't finish a task. Anyway, surprisingly for me, the romance was the highlight of the book; I should also make clear which romance I am talking about. It is Lu falling in love with the ideal that Cal and Iris represent to her.
She is pretty much in love with their love, and she vacillates between figuring out her own relationship with Leo and basking in the comfort she finds with them.
The chemistry between the three of them is amazing, and she fits in with them both individually and as a trio. But as the days go along and she gets in deeper, she is ignoring everything else in life for that sole obsession. Her friendship with Pete gets sidelined, her mother worries about her, her editor is giving her second and third chances she isn't taking, but it finally takes her talking to a third-party someone about it that she realizes she wasn't approaching the situation with the right mindset. The message is optimistic in tone, but I just wish it didn't take that long to arrive at it. The start and the middle were nice to read, with how Lu was enjoying her time getting to know them, but by the last quarter, it gets tiresome waiting for a resolution. It doesn't help that it does go the love triangle route, too. Ultimately, these were the things that had me dropping the rating from an initial strong 4.
Overall: a sweet and optimistic book about love, but it could have done with a shorter length.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Inkyard Press, via Edelweiss.
An exploration of romantic love and the longevity of relationships from the point of view of a young adult, this book would have been much more enjoyable if not for the length. Lu, freshly dumped, is suffering from writer's block and is unable to write anything for her love and relationships column, which is also her ticket to getting a scholarship to college. She is understandably stressed and when she happens upon Cal's and Iris' breakup, she suddenly finds inspiration for what her next article should be, and hopes analyzing their decision to have a timed breakup will help her understand her own heartbreak.
Lu's main problem is, she can't bring herself to write anything and her procrastination lasts for like 300+ pages, which can be very frustrating for a reader, even if it is relatable from the point of view of a master procrastinator. I think a part of me gritting my teeth through some parts was because I was suddenly having flashbacks to all the times I had backed myself into a corner because I just couldn't finish a task. Anyway, surprisingly for me, the romance was the highlight of the book; I should also make clear which romance I am talking about. It is Lu falling in love with the ideal that Cal and Iris represent to her.
She is pretty much in love with their love, and she vacillates between figuring out her own relationship with Leo and basking in the comfort she finds with them.
The chemistry between the three of them is amazing, and she fits in with them both individually and as a trio. But as the days go along and she gets in deeper, she is ignoring everything else in life for that sole obsession. Her friendship with Pete gets sidelined, her mother worries about her, her editor is giving her second and third chances she isn't taking, but it finally takes her talking to a third-party someone about it that she realizes she wasn't approaching the situation with the right mindset. The message is optimistic in tone, but I just wish it didn't take that long to arrive at it. The start and the middle were nice to read, with how Lu was enjoying her time getting to know them, but by the last quarter, it gets tiresome waiting for a resolution. It doesn't help that it does go the love triangle route, too. Ultimately, these were the things that had me dropping the rating from an initial strong 4.
Overall: a sweet and optimistic book about love, but it could have done with a shorter length.
"What a realization, to know that you are in love with someone. Even if it was just a crush, even if it was ill-advised, even if it was confusing. It was still some degree of being in love."
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Inkyard Press, via Edelweiss.
mall3tg1rl's review against another edition
3.0
I had zero expectations with this book, and I think it’s a solid read, but it just didn’t hook me from the get-go. I get where Lu is coming from, being heartbroken and not knowing how to really function afterwards. But she kept...idk, expecting her ex to come back? Expecting Cal to be something for her.
moonykitten's review against another edition
1.0
got this book in exhange for a honest review at Edelweiss+
I keep wondering if my expectations were too high for this one? I had hope for lots of laughs, some raging and sadness. But I felt kind of empty? I had hoped this would be awesome and I would not want to put it down, but when it hit the 50%’s mark I was not really… interested anymore? The whole book felt meh, and Lu who comes obsessed with a couple who’s ending? - sort of. Just…idk, I didn’t care about it at all. Plus, sometimes she moped around Leo, but not that much anyhow? and there was Pete who were slightly interesting. But I don’t know? I craved more? I skimmed the rest half, just because I’m a stubborn one, who wanted to see the book through at the end. Sadly, the book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect nor care for any of the characters in the book. Cal seemed overly romantic, which would have been fine – if he wasn’t so “perfect” especially in Lu’s eyes, I guess? I just ended up giving it 1 star, because….in the end, I were both confused and bored.
I keep wondering if my expectations were too high for this one? I had hope for lots of laughs, some raging and sadness. But I felt kind of empty? I had hoped this would be awesome and I would not want to put it down, but when it hit the 50%’s mark I was not really… interested anymore? The whole book felt meh, and Lu who comes obsessed with a couple who’s ending? - sort of. Just…idk, I didn’t care about it at all. Plus, sometimes she moped around Leo, but not that much anyhow? and there was Pete who were slightly interesting. But I don’t know? I craved more? I skimmed the rest half, just because I’m a stubborn one, who wanted to see the book through at the end. Sadly, the book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect nor care for any of the characters in the book. Cal seemed overly romantic, which would have been fine – if he wasn’t so “perfect” especially in Lu’s eyes, I guess? I just ended up giving it 1 star, because….in the end, I were both confused and bored.