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Why We Broke Up

by Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman (Illustrator)

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 15,671 ratings · 2,556 reviews

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a...more

Hardcover, 354 pages

Published December 27th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Lists with This Book

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18th out of 240 books — 1,862 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jun 05, 2013 Scott Pilgrim rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who want to tear their eyes out

Shelves: big-disappointments, contemporary, annoying-protagonists

My old review was pretty terrible so one of these days I'll rewrite it!

42 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Reynje rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp-or-realistic, cover-loving, emotional-napalm, i-regret-nothing, illustrated, it-s-complicated, read-2012, unexpectedly-liked, young-adult

Why We Got Together by Reynje

Dear ‘Why We Broke Up’,

It wasn’t that long ago that I thought I would be writing you a break-up letter. A terse, thanks-but-no-thanks, it’s-not-me-it’s-you-now-kindly-get-lost note. I can be acerbic when I’m annoyed and there it is, the admission, the honest truth that I thought you would annoy me.

It makes me wonder why I buy books sometimes, whether it’s truthfully the book itself I want or the simple act of acquisition I crave. Is it the words I tell myself I need...more

224 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 oriana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

First, here's just one elided line—not even the most wonderful line, just a lovely one—out of a million beautiful lines that encapsulates why Daniel Handler is the most wonderful startlingly unique best ever: "You snacked away into the other room, and the rubber band sat in my hand, a loose worm, a lazy snake, a wide-open lasso ready to rodeo something." Who writes like that? Who is more fantastic than Daniel Handler? No one, no one, no one. Holy goodness gracious this book is so good.

Another t...more

48 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2013 Bern rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone with feelings.

Shelves: 2012, loved-it-to-bits, perfection, romance, ya, the-feeeelings-are-drowning-me

I'm going to tell you something, whoever-is-going-read-this-review,

if anybody will be reading this piece of junk that I am writing as I go at all. I'm going to tell you something and you better believe me because if I bothered to tell you this, it's because it has to be true since I'm not one to give advice to strangers. I don't know how personal this might get or how convoluted and confusing the message i'm going to attempt to convey to you will be, but I guess it's what some people say, righ...more I'm going to tell you something, whoever-is-going-read-this-review,

if anybody will be reading this piece of junk that I am writing as I go at all. I'm going to tell you something and you better believe me because if I bothered to tell you this, it's because it has to be true since I'm not one to give advice to strangers. I don't know how personal this might get or how convoluted and confusing the message i'm going to attempt to convey to you will be, but I guess it's what some people say, right? "The important thing is to try"? Never mind that those people are mostly losers, let's forget that for a moment.

Whatever it is that I end up telling you, it's going to start now so if you're in dire need of a potty break, I suggest you do it quickly because there's some serious feeling-dumping about to take place here.

I honestly hated this book. For a while there, for who-knows-how-many-pages, I saw reading this pretentious bundle of heavy and colorful pages as a chore. I did. Thinking back to the time when I honestly wanted this book to bust in spontaneous combustion and who gives a damn about the 20 dollars I spent of my mom's hard earned money on this piece of crap?, I can actually understand where all the hatred and deeply rooted annoyance came from.

Really, it makes sense. I hated this book right off the bat and I did so with reason because it wasn't what i expected. I wasn't really sure of what i expected, but it certainly was not this, all these dormant feelings just waiting around the corner to beat me in the head with a shovel, all these run-on sentences that ended up forming something eerily cohesive, all these words and words and more words and where's-this-damn-story-going?

I hated how the main character's - Min's - train of thought were literal train wrecks, I hated how everything was so pretentious and seemingly unreal, I hated the pages and pages and pages of run-on sentences depicting the most trivial, tedious stuff that had me doubting I could even finish what I'd initially dubbed a piece of utterly arrogant crap. In short, I wanted it gagged, tied up, dragged to the woods and shot dead.

But you see, the freakiest thing is that I didn't. Don't. Hate it, I mean. It's not my favorite book - although it could be, and maybe tomorrow it might, once all the haze that finishing it has got me on is gone. I don't really know what adjectives to attach to this book, because compared to its savvy way with words, nothing that I come up with right now will ever do it justice. What I can say, is that it was a thing of beauty. And that's not an adjective so don't give me that look like I'm pretentiously contradicting myself, because dammit I'm trying to quit that! But i'm veering off the point here:

This book didn't make me cry. It has, it seems, made lots of people cry, but not me. It did shock me, though. It made me tremble, gasp and stare at it agape, like some scared idiot who wasn't in on a surprise party. This book made my heart hurt and I have never - ever - felt or lied about feeling that way while reading any other book. This book crushed my feelings and handed them back to me in a platter, shrugging when I asked what the hell was I supposed to do with them now? This book made me lots of things but the one I liked the most - the one that stayed with me for as long as it could before I started PTSD'ing about it like a traumatized soldier who's seen it all and wishes he never had - was that it made me smile.

As I said, the smile didn't last long - when you're this shocked about something, it's kinda hard to stop your mouth from freezing in a permanent "O". But it was there and it was beautiful and blissful and all those gushy things we see and watch and read about but never really happen to us - to me, at least. It was there and for one brief moment, I didn't want to let this book go. I didn't want to put it back in my shelf - the one it sits in now, still all pretentious looking and looming over its lesser peers - and have it more then inches away from me. I fought back the overwhelming feeling, obviously, and I did win, kinda-sorta-not-really, but although I am not clutching it with my wishful fingers or staring at its cover like it just whispered dirty and unknown things in my ear, this book is Why I Smiled, an establishing shot of The Idiot Who Made Assumptions That Weren't The Least Bit Right, a whole box filled with insignificant feelings that I now give back to you, person-who-has-probably-not-read-thus-far.

Make what you want of this because I'm done. I am done and I never want to revisit this, not today, not ever, probably tomorrow.

Bernardo(less)

25 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Imani ♥ ☮ added it Recommends it for: Weightlifters

Shelves: 2012, abandoned, abittoalotofromance, disappointing, dontwasteyourtime, tried-to-read, summer-reads, souwannabeholdencaulfield, howaboutno, excusemewhileiyawn

I did not finish this book.

Nor, do I have any intention of doing so.

I don't pretend to be an expert on Lemony Snicket or whoever. I did not read that 'series of unfortunate events' series and frankly, never plan on doing so, either. But I can say, that this author, has-theoretically-disappointed me.

It's not that the plot was bad...necessarily.

It's just that...the whole thing was very annoying. I didn't like the main characters. I didn't like how every little thing of every thing someone did had...more

33 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to begin of with saying that the book was different and that's what caught my attention in the first place. It was interesting, it kept me reading.

Each souvenir, I guess I could say that Min collected each time she spent with Ed or spent doing something for Ed has a story behind it, and that is this story. After they broke up Min sends back each of them back to him along with a letter and so the story unspools to the reader.

It speaks about how fragile a lust-driven teenage can be. The st...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Fred rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: immediate-re-reads

This is a book where describing what happened kind of misses the point, because it's not really about that. But, I've gotta start somewhere, so ... it's written as an angry, passionate, heart-broken and heart-breaking letter, from Minerva Green, a quirky off-beat cinephile, to her former boyfriend, king jock and jerk, Ed Slaterton. The letter accompanies a box, filled with "the prizes and debris of this relationship, like the glitter in the gutter when the parade has passed, all the everything a...more This is a book where describing what happened kind of misses the point, because it's not really about that. But, I've gotta start somewhere, so ... it's written as an angry, passionate, heart-broken and heart-breaking letter, from Minerva Green, a quirky off-beat cinephile, to her former boyfriend, king jock and jerk, Ed Slaterton. The letter accompanies a box, filled with "the prizes and debris of this relationship, like the glitter in the gutter when the parade has passed, all the everything and whatnot kicked to the curb." The first items are two bottlecaps, from the Scarpia's Bitter Ale they shared at Min's friend Al's bitter sixteen birthday party (that's the kind of quirksters they are). A relationship that begins with a beverage named after one of the all-time creepiest opera villains might portend problems, but Min and Ed's relationship ignites with improbable incandesence. Until suddenly, one day, it dramatically doesn't any more, and Min is left sorting through the souvenirs, trying to make sense out of what happened. There are many wonderful things about this book .. it captures and conveys so lyrically and intensely the thoughts and feelings of falling crazily and inappropriately and overwhelmingly in love with a completely unsuitable partner. But two things really stood out for me: the beautiful and dizzying language with which Min tells their story; and the world that the author creates, one that is so close to ours, but just slightly askew. There are no Starbucks - there are coffee shops like Leopardi's, In the Cups and Federico's. There are revival movie houses like the Carnelian, which show a series of fascinating, if fictitious, films of mystery, poetry and wonder. There's a Boris Vian Park (is there a less likely candidate for civic recognition than the author of I Spit on Your Grave?), where it really does seem possible that a unicorn might materialize at twilight or dawn, or the hazy boundary between them. There's no facebook or cell phones to distract our characters from engaging directly with each other. Sometimes, there's an almost hallucinatory quality to the prose, especially the scenes of Ed's bonfire and Halloween party that are really extraordinary and almost disturbing. And at other times, the luminous, tender and lyrical descriptions of Ed and Min's times together are so emotionally vivid and impactful that it's easy to get caught up in their improbable experience. This really seems more like an extended poem than prose, and it's a beautiful reading experience. Min is a special girl, to the point where the final few pages are particularly painful. Her story will stay with you long after you close the covers of this lovely and beautifully illustrated book. And speaking of the "story," this is not just an extended improvisation of linguistic loveliness, it's a compelling story that draws you in an unfolds with twists, suprises, and all the narrative goodness a major book provides. So, it's got fantastic magical language, awesome characters (even Ed, as flawed and frustrating as he is, is fully realized and not without his appeal) and a gripping story. Definitely worth investing your precious reading time!(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: holy-shit, mmxii, the-kids-are-all-right

I have never experienced a break up.

You know, one of those, ‘she doesn’t have to have her fresh young fellows tape back, but there’s not a long of things that she’ll take back’ kind of break up or the ‘And I’m here to remind you of the mess you left when you went away-It’s not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me’ angsty throw yourself across the room break up. Or the pathetic ‘It’s been seven hours and 15 days / since you took your love away’- no… can’t say that I have… unle...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Ariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Wow. I haven't read something I so enjoyed in quite a long while.

I read this book with my friend Jesse. Every day we would set a target and read up until that point, sharing what we thought of that section, gushing or ranting. That experience was so much fun and it definitely added to the reasons why I loved it - it was something I shared with a friend.

However, this book didn't need that added loveliness for me to give it five stars. The biggest point of WOO for me is the writing. Daniel Handler...more Wow. I haven't read something I so enjoyed in quite a long while.

I read this book with my friend Jesse. Every day we would set a target and read up until that point, sharing what we thought of that section, gushing or ranting. That experience was so much fun and it definitely added to the reasons why I loved it - it was something I shared with a friend.

However, this book didn't need that added loveliness for me to give it five stars. The biggest point of WOO for me is the writing. Daniel Handler really has his own style, and he can really work it. The novel read as a stream of consciousness, as a person thinking and feeling without the filters of editing and proper grammar. Some of the passages were so poetic, so well constructed, that I reread them. I never highlight things, never take notes while reading, but I did with this book. It was so deserving.

The plot can also not be forgotten. We are all aware, even before the book has started, that the two main characters will be splitting up. But I found myself searching for hope that maybe they could make it work, searching for loopholes. Even though I knew exactly where the plot was going, could even guess a bit of the ending, it still had me excited and intrigued.

Finally, the realism of this book. In a lot of ways it is instalove, but done ironically. In a lot of YA novels instalove isn't done on purpose.. the author simply doesn't know how to write love. In this, however, the instalove was bold and true. It was the reason that they had to break up. Because it's instalove. It isn't real. The characters too, had so many flaws that you don't often get to see with YA novels. I hated them sometimes, but relished in their flaws.

I loved this book. I enjoyed every moment of it. It had it's setbacks of course, there were several times when I was quite confused, not understanding what was going on, misinterpreting. But I think that might have been a bit on purpose. You can't understand everything.

What I do know is that I loved this book. Loved it loved it loved it.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tina

Shelves: 2013, award-winners, fiction, illustrated, romance, young-adult

Originally posted here.

description

Ah, young love. The bliss, the contentment, the intoxication of being young and in love.

But when things don't turn out exactly as expected, there's the agony. The torment. The eventual depression.

Ah, to be so young and (already) jaded.

* * *

Why We Broke Up is actually a long-winded letter written by high school sophomore, Minerva "Min" Green, to her erstwhile basketball jock boyfriend, Ed Slaterton. (I am not enclosing the fact of their breakup in spoiler tags because l...more

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 25, 2012 Keertana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-linger, teary-eyed-reads

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I read this novel last week, so I don’t remember much of how I felt while I read it, except from what I have to go by from my notes, but I do remember thinking, the very moment I finished it, that I hated it. I hated this book with a passion. Ironically, it wasn’t even because I didn’t like it – it was because I liked it so much, I was so sucked into this tale and its characters and wrapped up in this crazy, beautiful, teenage dream that was the life of the main character...more

19 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-objects, so-this-is-love, youngfolk

MMmmmmaira Kalman.

And also, Daniel Handler. But mostly Maira. I wish I could paint like her.

My first exposure to Daniel Handler was through his pen name, Lemony Snicket. I bought a boxed set at Target the first time I laid eyes on the books. I packed the first three in the Series to go camping and kicked myself for not bringing the rest. I think the series should have maybe ended earlier and sort of lost steam, but maybe it's just that I got used to his tricks and such, and stopped being blown a...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Greg rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5. This one is difficult for me because as I was reading this book I HATED it. Seriously, passionately, vocally. As a book of my memory, my hatred is softened, but still present. However, and this is a big however, I'm not convinced it's a bad book. I didn't like it, but I think it's a taste issue.

The narrative style is interesting and it seems like he spent some time thinking about the mechanics of it, but ultimately decided to make the reader suspend a certain amount of disbelief. I was una...more 2.5. This one is difficult for me because as I was reading this book I HATED it. Seriously, passionately, vocally. As a book of my memory, my hatred is softened, but still present. However, and this is a big however, I'm not convinced it's a bad book. I didn't like it, but I think it's a taste issue.

The narrative style is interesting and it seems like he spent some time thinking about the mechanics of it, but ultimately decided to make the reader suspend a certain amount of disbelief. I was unable to. The technicalities kept bugging me. How long is this van ride? I know she mentions it, but mentioning a complaint is not the same as resolving it. I'm also not sure this particular narrative style (highly subjective first person/second person) was the right way to go. Why is Min rehashing things Ed knows already. It feels highly redundant. Also, have you tried to write in a moving car? It is hard and it makes me very carsick. Also, have you tried to write something concurrent with it happening (which occurs towards the end when Min relays conversations she is having with Al at the very moment)? That is hard because we cannot write anywhere near as fast as we can talk or think. I always end up forgetting things and you can't very well ask the person to repeat what they just said so you can write it down.
The narrative style also presents problems with voice. Particularly Ed's. The dialogue sections occur mostly tagless, which is fine when you have two distinctive voices, but Ed and Min do not have distinctive voices in dialogue. The dialogue is extremely hard to track and I constantly had to backtrack handfuls of pages to figure out who was talking. For the longest time I thought Min's written voice was a problem, but I actually think it's a strength. I just didn't like Min as a character, so that's why I didn't like her voice, but Handler shows some undeniable skill with the depth of hurt and betrayal in Min's voice. It made me feel very itchy.

Now the whole idea of falling in love in such a short amount of time and completely losing yourself has always irked me, which is why I'm willing to set aside my own feelings on the matter and say that Why We Broke Up is actually quite well-written. Handler gives Min a unique and quirky sensibility and style (yes, a little too precious, but not so manic pixie dream girl as to become a Zooey Deschanel stand-in), but some elements really got my goat, like the movie quotage, which officially left cute and endearing and entered possible mental illness because she can't stay out of dream worlds, and the speed with which she becomes a girl cliche, all abandoning her friends and schlepping herself to basketball practice.

Kalman's illustrations are beautiful, but I think they may not be consistent with the tone. Min is a ball of neuroses and hurt feelings, but the pictures are these beautiful, organic, and romantic views of life. You could argue that they are snapshots of the way Min originally saw them before the breakup, but the whole point of the novel is the break-up and the illustrations should follow the tone as well. I imagined something much more along the line of angry, ink drawings or something like a Lucian Freud.
(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Nov 12, 2011 Alexa marked it as didnt-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, borrowed, tour

I read up to page 41 in Why We Broke Up, and I could not bring myself to read more. I felt like the story was going so fast, and I got irritated with Min's voice (the story is a letter Min wrote to her ex-boyfriend, some jock guy from her school called Ed). And Ed? Who? I couldn't even picture him in my head. Seriously, I just saw a blob. I even skimmed to see why they broke up, and it was very annoying. If I actually read the entire book, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a headache.

Now, with...more

28 likes · like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: words-and-pictures, visualstorytelling, favoriteillustrations, cool-covers, age-high-school

Disclaimer: I'm a romantic and the plot of this book hit really close to home. I set myself up to love this book (I love the author, I love the illustrator, I practically tackled Mickie when she got the ARC), and I did indeed love it. I get why people found Min annoying, but I identified with her a lot. Sure, there were lots of signs that she and Ed weren't a good match, but I saw the story as a unique angle on the coming-of-age process: Min coming to terms with looking at things in a real way....more

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Sep 08, 2012 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5

i don't know why i like this... but i do.

it's those images, her words, of ed and then of herself, of what happens. and why it happens that allowed me my first impression of trying (too) hard at something or other. except there's all that praise, so there i was struggling at times to get through the more than often annoying, sometimes too much a little too young, and a bit too in love voice of min waxing poetic about why she was in love and what changed so that that no longer was the case.

i do...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 Eileen Daly-Boas rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ehhh, this didn't do anything for me. I finished it only to find the predictable ending did actually happen. Maybe it's just too much like high school, which I didn't enjoy all that much in the first place. I could imagine my 15-18 year-old self liking it perhaps. Seemed just a bit too long...there's only so much self-involved teenage angst one can reasonably be expected to read. Handler does a good job with the voice though. The fake movies the main character cites get annoying after a short wh...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Miguel rated it 1 of 5 stars

So this is it. The definitive breakup story. The ode to all those who loved not wisely but too well and were caught like a deer in headlights by some hackneyed plot-twist, irony, that everyone could see but them.

Handler could had written this book just for me. But not because I identified with his generic and lowest-common-denominator story of heartbreak, but because I am "breaking up" with one of my favorite authors who has released one of the most disappointing works of "modern literature" I'v...more So this is it. The definitive breakup story. The ode to all those who loved not wisely but too well and were caught like a deer in headlights by some hackneyed plot-twist, irony, that everyone could see but them.

Handler could had written this book just for me. But not because I identified with his generic and lowest-common-denominator story of heartbreak, but because I am "breaking up" with one of my favorite authors who has released one of the most disappointing works of "modern literature" I've ever had the displeasure of reading.

I guess I can start with the positive... because there's very little. The reason I gave this book two stars rather than one is that, while I am not sure this is entirely to the book's credit, I definitely felt something closing the book. I identified, vaguely, with Min, because just as she was hit with the train of her boyfriend's infidelity when the signs were all there, the signs were all there for me to put this book down. But I let myself get disappointed by one of my favorite authors who used one of the most uninspired love story archetype one can imagine. Seriously, though, Min's feelings at the novel's conclusion are well articulated and her sorrow is something to which I think all readers would be able to relate. However, the poignant nature of her soliloquy at the end of the book doesn't make up for clumsy prose and an abhorrent plot. In fact, it reflects on the terror this book inspires in the reader and the distaste one would likely develop for the characters. Only in self-abuse and the realization of their own insignificance can a reader relate to them.

To a degree, if this has not already been clearly established, I need to disclose that this review is tinged with my expectations. Handler is (was) one of my favorite modern authors. A Series of Unfortunate Events was nothing short of genius. Adverbs was quite possibly even better, a brilliant articulation of love and heartbreak of all types. So why, then, did Handler choose to explore the most generic and least realistic romantic archetype?

Ed and Min's star-crossed affair, the generic and morally repugnant jock and the "artsy" cinema-buff who is contemptible in her own right, follows a familiar archetype. One may listen to New Edition's Cool It Now in lieu of reading the book's first half and probably be the better for it. However, the book slogs onward, on the way problematizing youthful love and validating all the concerns parents and would-be well wishers have about teenage relationships. Why ask the question when you already know the answer?

What makes this book even more detestable, and arguably acutely harmful to readers, is Handler's patronizing portrayal of young love and his didactic tone of "told you so" toward Min's "mistakes." Handler both pathologizes young love and divests Min of her sexual agency. I have a hard time believing that Handler intended to make such a heavy-handed moral statement of shaming those who lost their virginity without "knowing what they're doing" or whatever the misogynistic status-quo attitude is on that front, but that is certainly what comes through in the novel.

While this could be a normal hum-drum young adult novel, it is instead bogged down with some of the most abominable and try-hard prose this side of avant-garde poetry written by failing liberal arts college students. "They just don't get me," they cry. Keeping track of what's going on in this text is as much a chore as enduring the formulaic plot.

Readers who manage to make it to this book's conclusion will probably feel, just as Min did, that they were complete idiots. Taken in by promises of an author who they thought was something truly special. But, like Ed, Handler shows us that there just aren't that many good men (or, in his case, authors) anymore. I will wonder, in the wee hours of the night, if the greater betrayal was Ed to Min or Handler to his fans, serving them this trash. The young readers for which this book was intended know that these types of static and one dimensional characters and "edgy" youthful situations are as common on television shows as mediocre books are numerous. (less)

9 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea-2011

I loved the premise of this novel. Absolutely loved it! I thought it was genius. I mean, didn’t everyone make one of those boxes full of all those obscure items from your relationship that don’t really many anything to anyone but you. I know I’ve burned a few of those. What can I say? I’ve had some bad break-ups. I think I was so excited about the premise of this novel that once I was done reading I felt very underwhelmed.

The only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see why they broke u...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, own, 2012-debut-author

4.5 out of 5

I think I understand Min.

I think Handler's vision for the novel did reach a sensible and believable climax.

I think some of the details had an edge of imbelievability and that the writing would get a bit ahead of itself, sacrificing perfect clarity for artistry.

I can respect that. I respect the whole project, the idea and these characters specifically.

Min was a girl who just happened to fall in love with the wrong boy, when she could have had a prince. She had a heart to love and she...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Tatiana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tatiana by: Kirkus

Shelves: ala-ya-2012, tres-annoying, ya, romancelandia, printz

This breakup story has a nice premise, but the narrator, as written by Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), is too artsy/quirky/hormonal/annoying for my taste. Her penchant for run-on sentences and pages-long angst-filled paragraphs is hard to appreciate. The dialog is mostly annoying too.

It is worth mentioning though, that this book got starred reviews from pretty much every major professional review publication. So I am clearly going against the grain here.

41 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Sydney Young rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who has lived through their first break up

Recommended to Sydney by: My Aunt -- thanks Auntie!

Shelves: must-read-in-your-lifetime, my-favorites, pop-cult-or-modern-fiction, 2012-favorites, book-club-pitch

Meet Min (short for Minerva, Roman Goddess of wisdom) who has a penchant for saying "whatnot" and for old films. Meet Ed, co-captain of the basketball team who has a penchant for all things jock and for saying "no offense" - an annoying habit if there was one. This treasure of a book is their breakup story, told through the articles of their falling in love story. Min's voice makes this journey worthwhile - the voice of a teen girl who is just beginning to know what she thinks, despite not knowi...more Meet Min (short for Minerva, Roman Goddess of wisdom) who has a penchant for saying "whatnot" and for old films. Meet Ed, co-captain of the basketball team who has a penchant for all things jock and for saying "no offense" - an annoying habit if there was one. This treasure of a book is their breakup story, told through the articles of their falling in love story. Min's voice makes this journey worthwhile - the voice of a teen girl who is just beginning to know what she thinks, despite not knowing as much as she thinks she does.

Published by Little Brown and Company, the hardback book is a treasure in itself for the silky pages and color graphics of all of the "items." More fun is found on the web page, which possibly helps first timers (or repeat timers) get through the break up, and the rest of us to laugh and smile in relief that the past is the past and we've all been there done that, but yes, we'll all do it again because it is soooooo worth it.

Daniel Handler is the author of the Lemony Snicket books: "A Series of Unfortunate Events." But I hope teens don't pick it up for that reason because this little book has some real treasures of its own and should be enjoyed just for the purpose of the first love break up story. (Also, warning to parents, while this book doesn't describe sex it also doesn't sugar coat or hide it's existence. In fact, the should we- shouldn't we part of sex is very much a part of the story. It's not appropriate for preteens).

Min conjures up that whole first love thing. For example, Min, writing of their first real conversation, says: "After a few minutes, we'd stop rattling, we'd adjust, we'd settle In, and the conversation would speed into the night. Sometimes it was just laughing at the comparison of favorites, I love that flavor, that color's cool, that album sucks, I've never seen that show, she's awesome, he's an idiot, you must be kidding, no way mine's better, safe and hilarious like tickling. Sometimes it was stories we told, taking turns and encouraging, it's not boring, it's OK, I heard you, I hear you, you don't have to say it, you can say it again, I never told this to anyone, I won't tell anyone else. You told me that time. . . I told you that time. . . . That time. . . . That time. . . ."

I'm glad Min survived the breakup, may we all do so well.(less)

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Feb 16, 2013 Laura added it

I'm a little better than halfway through this and really enjoying it, but there's one part that I wanted to talk about with you.

Near the beginning, the first time that Min cooks with Joan, Joan hands her a rubber band and tells her to put her hair up. Ed playfully yanks it out, then Min puts it back up. Min says that they keep rubber bands on all their doorknobs. Now. It is entirely possible, I suppose, that their family keeps elastic hair bands on all their doorknobs. However, it seems more lik...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Joyce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-reads, relaxing-reads, young-adult-reads, reviewed-reads, contemporary-lit-reads

Why We Broke Up?

This is not a book that immediately held my interest. Initially, I was immensely annoyed by the too-long-sentences that made me want to yell, "WHY DON'T YOU USE THE FULL-STOP ALREADY!!!' at the top of my lungs. Because, when sentences are that long without full-stops and you keep using the word 'and' which gives the impression that you are getting incoherent as your train of thoughts are spilled across the pages without considering that readers will eventually lose interest in w...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Franny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: printz-2013-challenge, not-for-middle-school

(My reviews are intended for my own info as a language arts teacher: they serve as notes and reflections for teaching and recommending to students. Therefore, spoilers may be present, but will be hidden.)

SUMMARY: Min and Ed have broken up, and Min has decided she is finally ready to move on. Why We Broke Up is a lengthy letter Min writes to Ed, explaining why they broke up (duh) and why she is returning a box of items she's collected that remind her of him. The artifacts are where the illustrat...more (My reviews are intended for my own info as a language arts teacher: they serve as notes and reflections for teaching and recommending to students. Therefore, spoilers may be present, but will be hidden.)

SUMMARY: Min and Ed have broken up, and Min has decided she is finally ready to move on. Why We Broke Up is a lengthy letter Min writes to Ed, explaining why they broke up (duh) and why she is returning a box of items she's collected that remind her of him. The artifacts are where the illustrator, Maira Kalman, comes in: she has created a series of beautiful and quirky paintings that depict the love mementos Min is dumping on Ed's doorstep. Beautiful and quirky are actually good descriptions for Handler's writing, too. I read and loved his Series of Unfortunate Events and, while this is a very different genre and story, Why We Broke Up is clearly a relative of the Lemony Snicket novels. (Maybe like a wild older cousin.)

But back to the story. As Min explains each artifact she is leaving with Ed, she slowly reveals the story of their doomed-from-the-start relationship. The two have next-to-nothing in common, but Min loves the attention she gets from a popular jock and Ed is a serial dater (read: man-whore). All the while, it is clear to readers that Min should really be with her best friend, Al. By the end of the story, some suspense builds. I cruised through the last third pretty quickly, wondering why exactly the two did break up;(view spoiler)

READABILITY: See notes for appropriateness. Handler's unique writing style may throw off some readers but it is one of the main reasons I really ended up loving Why We Broke Up. Min gets into a sort of "stream of consciousness" flow ("stream of ranting"?) that is captivating but could be a deterrent to struggling or reluctant readers. One of my favorite examples of this is when Min is describing the daily ins and outs of high school: "Because the day, it was school. It was the bells too loud or rattly in broken speakers that would never get fixed. It was the bad floors squeaky and footprinted, and the bang of lockers. It was writing my name in the upper right-hand corner of the paper or Mr. Nelson would automatically deduct five points, and in the upper left-hand corner of the paper or Mr. Peters would deduct three. It was the pen just giving up midway and scratching invisible ink scars on the paper or suiciding to leak on my hand, and trying to remember if I'd touched my face recently and am I a ball-point coal miner on my cheeks and chin" (80). And this goes on for another two pages. The dialogue was also refreshingly...well, real. Handler wrote how people really talk, and I think it worked for this story.

APPROPRIATENESS: I wouldn't offer this to my eighth-graders. A BIG chunk of the plot focuses on the narrator's decision to lose her virginity to Ed. While there is no graphic sexual language or description used, it just wouldn't work for 14-year-olds and under. There is also some profanity and scenes with teen drinking. The literary qualities and realistic portrayal of teens outweigh the presence of these, however, and mature readers could not only handle them, but really love the book (as I did).(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Sadie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Okay, I'll start with the one thing I liked about this book: the paintings. I loved the paintings so much, just so pretty. The physical book itself really is aesthetically pleasing, there is no denying that...but that's pretty much where the good stuff ends for me!

This book bothered me in a big way. First of all, it's filled to the brim with references to fictional movies. Really. A constant stream of references to movies that aren't real. It's unbearable. They sometimes went on for PAGES and PA...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Kimberly Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, contemporary-ya

This book. I don't even know where to start. Sigh. I'll attempt to get a real sentence out now. --- This is why I read, I love when books make me feel something. I was totally thinking of a bad breakup I had in HS. This whole book was a trip down memory lane for me. I guess I was just wondering; am I the only person who didn't want them to break up? Ed was very teenage boy to me, but I liked him. I knew where the plot was going from the beginning (and not because I read the title) but I hated, I...more

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Jun 16, 2012 NJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, love-the-cover, must-haves-slash-wishlist, so-this-is-love, top-of-my-list, young-adult, reviewed-uhm-sort-of, i-recommend-with-reservations

It was so cute. I think that's the perfect word for it, "cute". And I love the writing. This was my first time reading a second person POV (if this, in fact, could be considered second person POV), and I kind of liked it. It was refreshing.

Min was naive to a fault, and I can say that I can (in some ways) relate to her. Only sometimes, she can be so out of this world. I mean, I just wish I knew at least ONE of those old films she's talking about. Ed Slaterton was not a complete jerk, like I thoug...more It was so cute. I think that's the perfect word for it, "cute". And I love the writing. This was my first time reading a second person POV (if this, in fact, could be considered second person POV), and I kind of liked it. It was refreshing.

Min was naive to a fault, and I can say that I can (in some ways) relate to her. Only sometimes, she can be so out of this world. I mean, I just wish I knew at least ONE of those old films she's talking about. Ed Slaterton was not a complete jerk, like I thought he would be, but he cares so much about what other people think of him. He was actually adorable, with his awesome Math and drawing skills. See this is what's wrong with him: he tries to be this "cool guy" (who uses "gay" as an insult and says "no offense" when he's about to say something offensive) that he loses the things that make him likeable. I liked Min's friends, they're my kind of friends. I loved Al, particularly for Min. And I know it's cliché, but it's one cliché I could encounter over and over again.

And I know I'll come across someone saying how Min overreacted, and she shouldn't have acted so rashly, and that she did wrong breaking up with ED SLATERTON FOR GOD'S SAKE! Let me tell you now, that I am side-eyeing these people. 1) Min was not overreacting, and she didn't act rashly. She has given this some thinking. THAT'S WHY THE BOOK EVEN EXISTS. For god knows how many pages of paper, she wrote why she broke up with this guy; and 2) Min is better off without Ed Slaterton because a) he's a jerk, and b) he CHEATED ON HER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

I also love the artworks in Why We Broke Up! I swear, if I ever write a book, I want Maira Kalman to do the cover. I love her. And Daniel Handler of course. He's one of my role models. He's a genius. I obviously recommend this book. I guess it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth your time.

Oh! And that bonus quotes from some of the best Young Adult writers today (like Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, David Levithan, etc) about their own break up stories - WOW JUST WOW.(less)

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Jan 04, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars!

This book wasn't really on top of my TBR read until I saw it in person and fell in love with its design. It's a really beautiful book, it has those high quality shiny pages and it's filled with lovely illustrations from Maira Kalman. The back cover of it reads "Min and Ed's story of heartbreak may remind you of your own" and has blurbs of first break-ups from people like Neil Gaiman and Sara Zarr. The whole marketing ploy for this book is summed up in that one line and once I read the...more 3.5 stars!

This book wasn't really on top of my TBR read until I saw it in person and fell in love with its design. It's a really beautiful book, it has those high quality shiny pages and it's filled with lovely illustrations from Maira Kalman. The back cover of it reads "Min and Ed's story of heartbreak may remind you of your own" and has blurbs of first break-ups from people like Neil Gaiman and Sara Zarr. The whole marketing ploy for this book is summed up in that one line and once I read the book, I can see why.

The book is written in long letter form, Min is detailing the aspects of her relationship to Ed and like the title says, why they broke up. She writes dramatically, it's stream of consciousness and second POV. That might turn off some readers but it fit for the story. Daniel Handler writes in a way where you feel like you're actually transplanted back to their relationship too.

I could see what Min liked Ed in the first place, he's such a teenage boy. I really appreciated that, sure YA love interests are great but they're not very realistic to me. But Ed is not that, he is just your average, high school boy. It actually felt like I was reading about a high school boy and a high school girl, as opposed to that weird, cliched high school world where everyone is in cliques that seems to prevail. Sometimes teenage boys do things that are really really great and makes you think, "I love boys!" and then they turn around do things that are really really dumb and makes you think, "Boys are the worst." Ed has his fair share of that in this book, I found myself smiling at certain moments and getting really angry in others. That's what I like about the book - the emotions are there and it feels very real.

The ending didn't take me by surprise because I could spot it a mile away. It still hurt when it came though and I wish there was more a resolution. The whole book is a catharsis in itself and I like the vibe I got from the end. That it's okay when you broke up because you pick yourself up and move along.

Originally posted at Novel Sounds. (less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Paige rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, contemporary, recommended, pretty-cover, mystery, romance, want-to-read

I need to start this review with a warning. It isn't a bad warning in particular. The warning simply is this: I didn't enjoy A Series of Unfortunate Events much when I was younger. I liked the macabre tones of the novels, but I always felt a bit disconnected as I read the entire series. Warning aside, I was eager to read a copy of Handler(aka Lemony Snicket)'s first YA novel, a collaboration with artist Mara Kalman.

Now onto the specifics. The novel easily could have become gimmicky, and people...more I need to start this review with a warning. It isn't a bad warning in particular. The warning simply is this: I didn't enjoy A Series of Unfortunate Events much when I was younger. I liked the macabre tones of the novels, but I always felt a bit disconnected as I read the entire series. Warning aside, I was eager to read a copy of Handler(aka Lemony Snicket)'s first YA novel, a collaboration with artist Mara Kalman.

Now onto the specifics. The novel easily could have become gimmicky, and people were very interested in the concept of the novel itself when the book was introduced to the world. But Handler took a gimmicky plot and made it interesting, and it is no wonder the novel was awarded a 2012 Printz Honor. The book essentially resolves around the course of the relationship--the first meetings and dates, the highs and the lows, the fights and eventually the breakup. Min has recently broken up with her boyfriend Ed and the book is written as a letter to explain "why we broke up." She also attaches a box, filled with memorabilia gathered through the course of the relationship, to accompany the letter. Kalman's illustrations show the objects.

Now to the characters. As stated at the beginning of this review I could not relate to Handler's characters. I don't know if it was my young age, the book, or how different the series and this novel are, but I related to these characters far better. Min I really related to, with her questions of identity and relationships and how everyone finds her "arty". You really feel her pain and sadness, as it becomes apparent that Ed may not even read the story or look at the objects she has collected. I related to Ed far less, but I think that was the author's intention : we want to root for Min,not the person who broke her heart. I understood both Ed's good and bad sides, and he was a very well rounded character. But while his actions represented his character and made sense, it was hard to like him because of what he did to Min and his choices.

The writing was the one part where I struggled and took off half a star. Handler writes the novel in vignettes, essentially, as Min remembers every event of the relationship and each of the objects' meaning to the relationship. Because Min is writing directly to Ed she refers to him as " you" during the writing. This makes sense for the novel but it is very jarring at first. Sometimes I would forget "you" was Ed. Handler also uses very little dialogue tags, with pages and pages devoid of tags. This was hard to read, and sometimes I had no idea who was speaking. Other than those two qualms Handler's writing was very fresh and fluid.

Side note on the art: I'm no art critic but the drawings were very fresh and fluid. I received an ARC in a giveaway and many of the drawings were missing from the galley. What I saw of the art, however, was very impressive.

Why We Broke Up is a fantastic book. If you enjoyed Handler's other novels or like epistolary novels this is a book for you, and I think many people would enjoy it. It's a great novel deserving of awards and I'm glad to have read the book.

Four point five stars(4.5)

(less)

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About Daniel Handler

Daniel Handler is the author of the novels The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, Adverbs, and as Lemony Snicket a sequence of children's novels collectively entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events." He also plays the accordion.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_H...

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“Stop saying no offense,” I said, “when you say offensive things. It’s not a free pass.” — 253 people liked it

“I was stupid, the official descriptive phrase for happy.” — 163 people liked it

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