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A review by toofondofbooks_
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you, and then presumably coming back to you? What does your love with this person offer? Does it make you happy? Does it give you what you need to be a better person?”
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This graphic novel took me no time to read, it was quick, compulsively readable, with a diverse cast of characters and an intriguing, sort of campy, but ultimately relatable story. Freddy is completely enamored with Laura Dean, but the issue is, Laura Dean is basically a textbook narcissist who won't stop breaking up with her (usually around holidays). Freddy is so invested in Laura that she frequently bails on friends and other responsibilities, and she ultimately needs to examine whether this relationship does her more harm than good. I thought that seeing a story like this told from a queer lens was refreshing and honestly really important. As I've spoken about before, toxic dynamics in wlw relationships are rarely examined in media and this was a stellar example of that. It's also a simple, but effective way to show that sometimes breaking up with someone you're in love with is not only okay, but necessary. The only thing that kept me from giving it the full 4 stars was that I would've added at least 100 more pages to it, because I really would've liked to see more!
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This graphic novel took me no time to read, it was quick, compulsively readable, with a diverse cast of characters and an intriguing, sort of campy, but ultimately relatable story. Freddy is completely enamored with Laura Dean, but the issue is, Laura Dean is basically a textbook narcissist who won't stop breaking up with her (usually around holidays). Freddy is so invested in Laura that she frequently bails on friends and other responsibilities, and she ultimately needs to examine whether this relationship does her more harm than good. I thought that seeing a story like this told from a queer lens was refreshing and honestly really important. As I've spoken about before, toxic dynamics in wlw relationships are rarely examined in media and this was a stellar example of that. It's also a simple, but effective way to show that sometimes breaking up with someone you're in love with is not only okay, but necessary. The only thing that kept me from giving it the full 4 stars was that I would've added at least 100 more pages to it, because I really would've liked to see more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Vomit
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia