A review by nadjsim
The Breakup Artists by Adriana Mather

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

In a world where most new YA books seem to follow the same structure and tropes, this was such a breath of fresh air.

Valentine and August have a unique summer job: they get hired to break people up. For every new job, they create entirely new personas, use aliases, and have strict rules that prevent them from falling for their targets. But, when they start a new case, August can't help but feel like something is different with this one. And soon, he finds himself breaking all the rules.

The Breakup Artists is a unique, well-crafted story about friendship, love, grief, growing up, and so much more. It has some of the best and funniest banter I read, but it also portrays very relatable fears about leaving for college, healthy male-female friendships, strong character growth and development, and how hard yet necessary healing from trauma is. For lack of a better phrase, I really loved it and look forward to reading Mather's other work.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.