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Instructions for a Broken Heart

by Kim Culbertson (Goodreads Author)

3.31 of 5 stars 3.31 · rating details · 607 ratings · 133 reviews

Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart

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Paperback, 304 pages

Published May 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire (first published March 26th 2011)

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Lists with This Book

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

What will you read this year (2011)

124th out of 588 books — 434 voters

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

In The Shadow of the Volcano by Maureen Klovers

Vacation Reads

2nd out of 88 books — 22 voters

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Community Reviews

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May 30, 2011 Arlene rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: street-corner-pick, just-awful, ya-contemporary, read-2011, young-adult

Warning: If you loved/liked this book or if you don’t like to read spoilers, please don’t continue with my review. I’ve got lots of spew and spoilers to share, and I feel I’ve earned the right to do so seeing as this craptastic story threw me into a book slump for close to two weeks! I actually hissed at my beloved Nook… HISSED!!... every time I picked it up trying to finish Instructions for a Broken Heart it was that bad IMO!

I usually reserve the One Star Honor Rating for books I simply can’t f...more

25 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2011 KM added it

Shelves: arc-for-review, girly-wonderfulness, globe-trekkers, sourcebooks

This book has been marketed as Eat. Pray. Love. for YA and for good reason. Instructions for a Broken Heart details the emotional journey and healing of Jessa Gardner as she travels around Italy on a school trip. The letters she receives from her best friend take her through the different stages of grief until she is finally able to really be over her ex, not only with help from the letters but also from the beautiful world around her and new friends.

YA contemporary isn't my favorite genre, but...more This book has been marketed as Eat. Pray. Love. for YA and for good reason. Instructions for a Broken Heart details the emotional journey and healing of Jessa Gardner as she travels around Italy on a school trip. The letters she receives from her best friend take her through the different stages of grief until she is finally able to really be over her ex, not only with help from the letters but also from the beautiful world around her and new friends.

YA contemporary isn't my favorite genre, but I really enjoyed this book, especially Jessa's questioning of whether she brought all her troubles upon herself because she was too busy to be a girlfriend, she had forgotten about her best friend, etc. A lot of issues Jessa faced were real for many teens (and adults, too), I think. How do you balance your future aspirations with making sure to live in the moment?

This isn't a romance book, although there is romance. It's a book about soul-searching, about discovering who you are and what you want to be. It would have been easy for Kim Culbertson to throw in an Italian love interest for Jessa or make Jessa's ex boyfriend be a huge jerk. But Culbertson doesn't take the easy road. She allows Jessa to wander her way through heartbreak without the advantage of falling for a new guy, and she actually creates a believable character in Sean, Jessa's ex - he made mistakes, but we can see why he chose to do what he did. And he's just as miserable as Jessa.

I was really impressed with how Culbertson portrayed all the relationships in this book, both romantic and not. There were a lot of hook ups and a lot of break ups, but not in a cheesy, dramatic way. They felt true-to-life. I remember in high school how everybody was going in and out of relationships like they were trying on new clothes, and there's definitely a level of that in this book. But Culbertson shows how, sometimes, that can really hurt you. A great issue for parents to discuss with their teens? I think so.

While I was expecting a little more romance from this book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading about Jessa's story and how she handles love and loss and finding out her true identity. There's also a lot of amazing Italy-ness that made me want to hop on the next plane to Rome.(less)

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May 20, 2011 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-the-road-again

Street corner optional May read.

We've all been there. High School. In love with some tool. Dumped by said tool. Devastated.
However, after being dumped I did not have to fly halfway around the world with said Dumper and his new girl toy with HUGE boobs (whom he was cheating with.) Poor girl. I did feel a certain amount of sisterly love and pity for her in the beginning.
BUT
seriously, she was in Italy. Put on your big girl panties and suck it up a little. Yeah, the situation sucked and I know in...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Tammara added it · review of another edition

Jessa has just had her heart smashed to bits. Instead of being able to avoid the heartbreaker, Sean, she is committed to a class trip to Italy with him, a couple of theatre teachers, and the rest of her HS's theatre troupe - including the girl with whom Sean betrayed Jessa (in front of her very eyes, no less), but minus a few members like Jessa's BFF Carissa. Luckily, she has secondary (and in my opinion, better) BFF Tyler - and a set of instructions Carissa wants Jessa to follow on her 20-day t...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Talatha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: predictable-but-good, read-in-2012, wonderful-freindship, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed reading this book. The writing is wonderful, the setting is gorgous, and I loved most of the characters in this story; but that's what's wrong with this story!
The characters that I liked were the wrong characters! I liked Sean, though he was the cheater, I liked Francesca, though she was a seriously minor character (I don't know why maybe it was the frog), and I especially liked Dylan, even though for a love intrest he has a serprising lack of parts; but I didn't like the main characte...more I enjoyed reading this book. The writing is wonderful, the setting is gorgous, and I loved most of the characters in this story; but that's what's wrong with this story!
The characters that I liked were the wrong characters! I liked Sean, though he was the cheater, I liked Francesca, though she was a seriously minor character (I don't know why maybe it was the frog), and I especially liked Dylan, even though for a love intrest he has a serprising lack of parts; but I didn't like the main character or any of her friends! How does that even work, a story were I liked the cheater better than the main character. No, it's obvious why I like Sean better than Jessa; in the whole novel the only mistake Sean makes is the mistake of cheating on his girlfriend. Though usually cheating on you girl/boyfriend would be enough for me to forever put you on my hate list forever, the more I read into the book the less I care that he's a cheater. I mean even when Jessa lists out the things that make him a bad boyfriend I still can't help but feel a sort of understanding for his character. He just seems too unconventially kind for me to hate.

Though I can't say that about Jessa. I mean I haven't read a more predictable or stupid main character since reading vampire kisses. I mean you could predict every stupid mistake she makes from the beginning to the end of this book! She wouldn't even be that bad a character if she didn't make just about every cliched mistake a main character can make in a story. I literally rolled my eyes every time she made another mistake. I mean she does it all! She doe the 'kissing the wrong boy', the 'angering her friend by obsessing so much over her own problems that she ignores his life' the 'making her private problems a public fiasco' the 'completely missing that her friend has a crush on her' oh ya she even does the 'lying to everyone about something horribly pointless' gag. The only good thing I got from this one was that her constantly lying about her scar distracted me enough that I was able to ignore al the stereotypical mistakes she was making! Well at least until I found out about how she got that scar. I was so disappointed by this that I couldn't help but think "why on earth would she lie about this!?" I mean, half her lies are less exciting then the actual story! This was entirely uselessand should NOT have been added to the book! In fact none of the mistakes that she makes should have been added! They are so overused that when ever I read a story that has them it just pulls me out of the story, and makes the author look unoriginal. You don't have to add this to a main character to make her seem realistic us readers will believe the main character is real even if she isn't an selfish, lying, idiot! In fact we might even like her better!

Then there's her so called 'best friends' Ok where to start. How about Carissa. Jessa's childhood friend. The person who's she confides all her secrets to and trusts with all her heart. She`s too obsessed with saving herself to care about her 'best friend'! And I don't care that everyone says she loves Jessa and just wanted to get all this out now that she knows Sean's a cheater. Actually, yes I do care, because that makes this even worse! Because she knew for months that Sean was prone to cheating on Jessa and was too scared about ruining their friendship to tell her. I mean she kissed him twice and yet didn`t think to tell her about this until after she finds out he cheats! That isn't something a loving friend who only wants whats bests for her would do! That's something a selfish wimp who doesn't think, or care, about her friends would do! Jessa even says it herself Carissa loves drama; she would go out of her way to create drama in her relationships and in her friendships, she's untrustworthy and only does things that would benefit herself. Not her friends! she's in no position to be giving the instructions and the fact that she did only makes me more angry at her character.
And then there's Tyler. There isn't too much i don't like about his character; just one thing about him really bugged me. And that was how accepting he is of all the secrets and lies Carissa has with Jessa. I just can't trust him because he, not just supports, but encourage them keeping secrets from each other! What kind of a friend does that! He doesn't even seem apologetic about this until he's caught. And just like with Carissa, I just can't like a character I don't trust.

Anyhow, though I wrote mostly about what I didn't like about this book does mean I don't like this book. The writing was enjoyable and Culbertson's visual descriptions really helped me to imagine Italy and thus get sucked into the story. Though it is annoyingly corny and predictable This is still a nice story about a girl trying to find herself. And I recommend it to anyone looking for a decent coming of age novel.(less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Stella rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really did like Dylan Thomas, but not as a love interest. He's an interesting character on his own, and sounded like a fun guy to hang out with. The whole liking Jessa thing seemed more of an afterthought and kind of actually demoted him in my mind. I did love some of the descriptions, but this book really seemed to go one step forward two steps back with her development and interactions with the characters, especially with Cruella and Natalie. First she's sympathetic, then cussing them out, t...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Kelly added it

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2011

Not rating because I didn't finish this one. I made it most of the way and skimmed through to the end.

Why, I ask, why is it always a boy who has to send a girl toward her crisis of person hood? Toward her moment of becoming? Sometimes it makes me sad this is the message that gets sent again and again. I get it. Relationships are important, but they shouldn't be the catalyst for a girl becoming herself and realizing she's lost who she is and needs to find it.

The biggest problems I had with this...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

So, YA isn't really my thing. And in addition, books focusing on the journeys of soul-searching-women (girls in this case) aren't really my thing either. Don't get me started on Elizabeth Gilbert. But I read this even so, and enjoyed it all the way through. Kim has a knack for getting to and expressing the thoughts and motivations of kids this age, and emphasizing that there is more than meets the eye to all of them. If Jessa's personality quirks didn't remind me so much of myself at that age, I...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Jodi Papazian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads

I literally just closed this book and figured I may as well quickly sum it up before it becomes forgettable to me. Which it most definitely will. Although, if I need to call on something to help me remember, I guess I could think of Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes I(which I highly enjoyed) because this book seemed to borrow heavily on that concept.
After walking in on her boyfriend making out with another girl, Jessa finds herself in the uncomfortable position of joining them, along...more I literally just closed this book and figured I may as well quickly sum it up before it becomes forgettable to me. Which it most definitely will. Although, if I need to call on something to help me remember, I guess I could think of Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes I(which I highly enjoyed) because this book seemed to borrow heavily on that concept.
After walking in on her boyfriend making out with another girl, Jessa finds herself in the uncomfortable position of joining them, along with other classmates, on a trip to Italy. Jessa has decided that she is going to wallow throughout this trip rather than make the most of it. Enter Carissa, writer of Jessa's 20 envelopes containing examples of why Jessa's ex sucks. Each envelope has a reason and instructions for some un-Jessa-like thing for her to do as a follow up. Sound familiar? It certainly did to me!
I had several problems with this story (in addition to the obvious similarities of Maureen Johson's novels). I disliked the constant references to Broadway musicals. It seems that Jessa (yes, a theater kid) defines and sets her moods to different Broadway musicals. While I do know many of the ones that were referenced throughout the book, I feel that constantly referring to certain shows, characters or songs might be a bit out of touch for many teens. Especially those who don't have an interest in that type of music.
Also - and may I enter now that this will contain a brief and pretty insignificant SPOILER - the whole brief kiss with the hot/young/clearly-has-boundary-issues teacher just felt very cliche. I knew it was going to inevitably happen and yet that didn't stop the very dramatic eye-roll that it produced.
Lastly, Jessa's character just wasn't that enjoyable to me. While Culbertson clearly had a character who was going through something that everyone experiences, she still wasn't relatable and I didn't sympathize too much with her. I kind of wanted to tell Jessa enough already - get over it. Her character was constantly attention-grabbing and pretty much cast a pal over the trip to Italy.
Boring. It took every ounce of energy just to will myself into finishing it. Which I did quickly because I really didn't want to have to talk myself into opening it partway through to finish it.(less)

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Aug 19, 2011 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars
I hate when I read a book and feel really dense for not getting it. I feel like I should have felt sympathetic towards Jessa and relate to her heart break after having her heart crushed by a slime ball boyfriend but I really couldn't and found it hard to figure out why I should like her at all. If you know why please let me know. I know she's a teenager and just caught her boyfriend rolling around in a tongue lock with another girl but from what we begin to see maybe she did bring it up...more 2.5 stars
I hate when I read a book and feel really dense for not getting it. I feel like I should have felt sympathetic towards Jessa and relate to her heart break after having her heart crushed by a slime ball boyfriend but I really couldn't and found it hard to figure out why I should like her at all. If you know why please let me know. I know she's a teenager and just caught her boyfriend rolling around in a tongue lock with another girl but from what we begin to see maybe she did bring it upon herself. She gets so caught up in herself and what's going on in her life that she's oblivious to what's going on around her even with those who are her supposed best friends. Then she obsesses so much over the break up she can't even enjoy herself the tiniest bit even though she is traveling to all these amazing destinations, seeing places I can only dream of and meeting wonderful people like Dylan Thomas, a funny, nice guy, from another school. She even has the nerve at one point to accuse one of her best friends of being distant because he meets someone else on the trip and stops paying her attention 24/7. Then there are all these little things she finds out about her relationship with her boyfriend and best friend that gives you the impression that she was pretty self-absorbed even before the break up.

The other part that wierded me out was her relationship with one of the chaperones Mr. Campbell. Maybe it's the way I read it but some of their interactions seemed totally inappropriate for a teacher/student relationship even if the teacher is young and cool. It would not have been so bad if amidst all of her misery and confusion Jessa acts rashly and does something she knows is totally inappropriate but I got the impression that even though the teacher knows it's wrong he wishes he could pursue it.

The only part that I found fun in reading this book was the wife of one of the chaperones from the school that joins Jessa's school on the tour. The comments that come out of her mouth are so unbelievable that you just have to laugh. She's the epitome of the ugly American tourist and you can't help but feel sorry for everyone that has to travel with her. Other than that this book was quite the let down for me. There are several other things that bothered me but I don't want to get into as it would start giving away bits and pieces of the story but they just did not flow well in my opinion and never came together in the end.(less)

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Jul 18, 2011 Lily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Instructions for a broken heart by Kim Culbertson
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews

Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which J...more

1 like · like · see review

May 11, 2011 Cindy Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just before she’s set to leave for Italy with her high school drama club, Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with another girl. Going on the trip is harder than she thought it would be, especially because Sean and his new girlfriend are also part of the drama club.

So she sets out to get over Sean with the help of her best friend, Carissa, who has sent along instructions for Jessa to do one thing each day of her trip that takes her out of her comfort zone and onto the path of getting o...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Selina rated it 2 of 5 stars

I love books that have the concept of a list with instructions through letters (does it have a proper genre name that I am not aware of?) like P.S. I love you (the book, not the movie!) and 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I think there is something really touching about somebody taking the time and effort to prepare thoughtful letters to help somebody through a difficult time. Unfortunately, Instructions for a Broken Heart did not do it for me.

Was it funny? Not really... Emotional? Not at all... Ente...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Jordyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, cybils-11, ya

When Jessa finds her boyfriend making out with another girl just before their drama club's trip to Italy, she has no idea what to do. But her best friend does; she gives Jessa twenty envelopes, each with a different reason that Sean (the now-ex-boyfriend) is a jerk, along with instructions to help heal her broken heart. However, when Jessa gets to Italy and starts following her friend's meticulously thought-out reasons and instructions, she realizes that in some ways they're causing more harm th...more When Jessa finds her boyfriend making out with another girl just before their drama club's trip to Italy, she has no idea what to do. But her best friend does; she gives Jessa twenty envelopes, each with a different reason that Sean (the now-ex-boyfriend) is a jerk, along with instructions to help heal her broken heart. However, when Jessa gets to Italy and starts following her friend's meticulously thought-out reasons and instructions, she realizes that in some ways they're causing more harm than good and maybe she has to find her own way to figure things out.

Every so often I'll read a book that doesn't seem to match the back cover/inside flap pitch, and this is one such book. While the summary would have you believe it's a love story orchestrated (or at least helped) by the instructions from Jessa's best friend. This isn't quite true. Not only is it not a love story, but it quickly becomes clear that Jessa - and the friends around her - have some misgivings about the instructions. Instead, this is a story of Jessa trying to get over her heartbreak, sure, but also figure out why it happened and who, away from her everyday life, she really is and wants to be.

Jessa's pain, right from the outset, is huge and overwhelming. Unfortunately, these emotions are told more than shown -- I never truly felt Jessa's pain and maybe part of this is because while Sean is a huge force in Jessa's thoughts, he's really not very present in the book. We get her thoughts of him (sort of) and her best friend's angry thoughts, but I never felt that Sean's character or their relationship was very dimensional. He felt like a placeholder and their relationship felt, sadly, like a sort of stock "first love," which prevented it from having much depth or resonance. Her hurt just never clicked with me even as those around her echo how hard it must be for her to be on a school trip with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. I consistently felt like I was missing something.

The strength of this novel lies not in its emotions or the actual catalyst of Sean's betrayal, but in the setting of Italy and the group of people that Jessa is with. It's clear from the beginning that her drama club -- students and teachers -- act as something of a large family together. While Jessa has her friend Tyler by her side the entire time, there are also glimpses of her relationships with other students in the class as well as both teachers on the trip. This gives more insight into Jessa's character and life as we get snippets of what her classmates think of her and how they react to the various instructions she's following. In the end, this was more a story of Jessa finding out what, not who, she wanted. There were aspects of the book that felt underdeveloped; I would have liked more personality when it came to Sean and Jessa's best friend and, in many ways, Jessa herself. Many times during this book I wondered why Jessa continued following the instructions as they didn't seem to be helping as much as they were meant to and the extreme anger that they were written with did not endear me to her best friend. There were subplots, usually concerning Jessa and her best friend, that held so much promise and disappointed me when they seemed unresolved by the end.

There's a lot of beauty in this book; the Italian setting seems written so well for Jessa's personal journey, and the closeness of the drama club was refreshing. The characters kept me interested and I did enjoy the book, but many aspects didn't tie together so well, leaving the overall effect to feel somewhat frayed and scattered.(less)

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May 09, 2012 Courtney Moffett rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: color-challenge

The quote on the cover says that this is a must read for Sarah Dessen fans. Since I have read and own several of Dessen's books I thought I would give it a try. Let's start on the good points - Dylan Thomas is such a fun character. Pairing him and Tyler in conversation points or story lines together make the book enjoyable for the time being. Okay that's about all I have for positives. I understand this is a young adult book. But where does it say that a YA has to be so shallow? This book felt l...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, ya-contemporary, young-adult, library-ebook

I really liked this a lot and there are some specific things that will appeal to certain of my GR friends.

1) Well-described travel. Not just Italy, but the weight of a non-stop bus trip, plus the inter-group hookups that happen when you're traveling with multiple groups. I took one of those trips the summer after high school. It is frighteningly realistic.

2) There's a student-teacher thing.

I do have to say, though, that I'm noticing more and more that I don't like the way female friendship is wr...more

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May 17, 2011 Alison (AlisonCanRead) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrenyalit

The perfect book for the armchair traveler. See Italy without leaving home. Jessa goes on a school trip to Italy in Instructions for a Broken Heart. What should be the trip of a lifetime is horribly marred just before Jessa leaves. She catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Worse yet, both the ex-boyfriend and the new girl are on the trip to Italy with Jessa. To break her out of her misery, Jessa's best friend sends along twenty reasons that Jessa is better off without Sean along wi...more The perfect book for the armchair traveler. See Italy without leaving home. Jessa goes on a school trip to Italy in Instructions for a Broken Heart. What should be the trip of a lifetime is horribly marred just before Jessa leaves. She catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Worse yet, both the ex-boyfriend and the new girl are on the trip to Italy with Jessa. To break her out of her misery, Jessa's best friend sends along twenty reasons that Jessa is better off without Sean along with twenty (often vengeful) things that Jessa needs to do to get over him.

Instructions for a Broken Heart is as much a journey of break-up recovery as it is through Italy.. Jessa is lost in her anger, humiliation, and grief throughout the book. She slowly comes out of her shell either because of or in spite of her friend's instructions.

A lot of Jessa's antics were hilarious. Stuff you always wish you'd done to an ex but never had the courage. Jessa doesn't have the courage either, but a mixture of anger and obligation toward her friend make her do some crazy things. Add to Jessa's heartbreak a young and cool teacher who sympathizes with Jessa a bit too much, another school group who seems to care nothing about Italian culture, a nice guy named Dylan Thomas (like the poet), and an interesting (although not really a big part of the story) Italian guy, and you have a strong set of subplots that break up the monotony of Jessa's moping. The book also does a great job describing Italian scenery, major landmarks, and art. I was uber-jealous of Jessa.

The book isn't exactly fast-paced. It's always moving - everything that happens to Jessa is important for plot development, but it happens slowly. Perhaps because I read this book on a car trip that lasted 2 hours long than I expected (Augusta, Georgia is a long ways from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina), this book felt like the school trip that would never end. Don't let that scare you away from the book though. It's quite enjoyable - just realize going in that it's slow-paced.

Jessa's grief and anger is so consuming that she is sometimes hard to like. There's only so much time you can bear being around a jilted girlfriend. But I got enough of an idea of who she normally is to think that I'd like her. She's extremely driven, a perfectionist, kind, and very smart. I love that she appreciated Italian culture. And her passion for Broadway musicals. She also grew a great deal throughout this book - learning that while Sean was a cheating jerk, she may not have been the best girlfriend either. The side characters were all interesting. I felt they functioned more as teachers for Jessa - helping her understand an element of herself - than characters of their own right.

Instructions for a Broken Heart is a great book for anyone who loves Italy and who likes stories where characters go from rock bottom to standing tall again. It's a little slow, but consistently interesting.

Rating: 3 / 5(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Adrianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson, and I have to say it was a fun read. The beginning was similar to one of my old favorites; The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper. But the similarities, much to my happiness, ended there. The story follows Jessa as she heads to Italy with her drama club...with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend in tow. She struggles to let go of the past, but with a little help from her best friend Carissa and 20 step instruction kit, she...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

this book is at a disadvantage with me, but i am not going to bump its rating just because i know exactly what buttons of mine it pushed.
1. i have read 13 Little Blue Envelopes. My brain can not help but compare and few books could be as good as that one.
2. i recently had a personal tragedy and all of the italy details tend to rake that up. this one is not your fault, book.
3. i realize that teens in bad breakups are a bit changeable, but as a reader, i like a core of consistency with my charact...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Stephanie A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-ya, girl-protagonists

I read this book because the cover reminded me of Rachel Berry in the season 3 finale of "Glee." "Slimy Jerk Bastard" brought Jesse to mind. I may or may not have then had a merry old time fitting Glee characters into every role imaginable.

That's not the only reason I loved it, though. I like books with a hook, if you will, and the 20 envelopes added a driving force behind the narrative as I eagerly anticipated both the reason and the instructions to follow in each one. That turned into an intr...more I read this book because the cover reminded me of Rachel Berry in the season 3 finale of "Glee." "Slimy Jerk Bastard" brought Jesse to mind. I may or may not have then had a merry old time fitting Glee characters into every role imaginable.

That's not the only reason I loved it, though. I like books with a hook, if you will, and the 20 envelopes added a driving force behind the narrative as I eagerly anticipated both the reason and the instructions to follow in each one. That turned into an intriguing side plot all on its own. I also like reading books about class trips, which helps me relive my own and all the fun I had, so that's a winning formula right there.

I fell in love with nearly all the characters as soon as they were introduced, starting with Jessa, to whom I felt an instant connection as she navigated the waters of her first heartbreak. Tyler was my second fave, the wonderful and supportive friend looking out for her. I also loved her younger teacher and all the conversations they had, how instead of dismissing her broken heart as silly teenage angst, they had real and thoughtful (if brief) conversations.

(spoiler note: (view spoiler))

The rich and descriptive writing style was lovely. I've never had the slightest interest in visiting Italy, but she made it sound beautiful (thus undoing all the damage that Pretty Face did in making it sound like backwards/boredom central).

Do yourselves a favor and don't focus too much attention on the "cute Italian boy" promised in the summary - he shows up late, he's not your endgame (it's not worth hoping he is, and as for the end -- (view spoiler)), and honestly he was the least interesting person in the book for me. Focus on the people around her.

In sum? This is one of the best YA novels I've read so far this year. It's one of the rare few I'm going to have to buy, because I can't wait to start this trip all over again.
(less)

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Jan 30, 2012 Lisa (Badass Bookie) rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Short Story? – Instructions for a Broken is a bittersweet YA contemporary about the pain of a broken heart and the steps it takes to start moving on. Culbertson has captured the heartbreak of a teenager romance. Beautifully written and a wonderful character development, it wasn’t what I expected but nevertheless, I’m sure many of you would enjoy it! For fans of Sarah Dessen!

The Long Story? – I really wanted to like this one especially after I pinned away on the book for a good deal of 2011 b...more The Short Story? – Instructions for a Broken is a bittersweet YA contemporary about the pain of a broken heart and the steps it takes to start moving on. Culbertson has captured the heartbreak of a teenager romance. Beautifully written and a wonderful character development, it wasn’t what I expected but nevertheless, I’m sure many of you would enjoy it! For fans of Sarah Dessen!

The Long Story? – I really wanted to like this one especially after I pinned away on the book for a good deal of 2011 but it really didn’t meet my expectations. More than anything, I think the blurb lead me to believe the book was going to be different from what it happened to be. I was expecting a little more romance and comedy and a little less ‘poor me’. Maybe a rebound guy, some parties, few stray kisses and at least flirting with the smexy Italian boys! I really would have liked to see the Italian setting used to its full advantage. For fans of Sarah Dessen – this is your book; you’re going to love it. The broken heart, the instructions and the healing process. For me the novel sat a little too close to the line between “reasonable sadness over cheating boyfriend” and “completely ridiculous, man up and get over it”. Most of you would love Instructions for a Broken Heart but I’m not a huge fan of contemporary to begin with and for my picky taste, this just didn’t make the cut.

As far as characterization, initially I wasn’t a huge fan of Jessa. I could understand that she was broken hearted over the fact that her boyfriend cheated on her but she just went on and on about it. It got to the point where it was just pathetic, I wanted to shake her and say ‘SO WHAT, you boyfriend cheated, he’s a guy! GET OVER IT!’ Eventually, following the instructions (Which were really fun! They were my favorite part of the novel!) she didn’t start to heal her broken heart and I started to like her. In the end, she really became a different girl and I really want to applaud Culbertson on her fabulous character development!

Instructions for a Broken Heart wasn’t bad. There were parts about the novel that I loved. The Italian setting, the instructions and the moving on in the end were fantastic! It wasn’t what I expected and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have like but I’m certain, many of you would love, LOVE this novel. It’s the perfect contemporary for a contemporary lover :)
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Jul 29, 2011 Kate (VerbVixen) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Instructions for a Broken Heart is among a very select group of books that have made me cry. That alone makes this bookexceptional. Never have I seen so much of myself in a book, not necessarily in Jess, but in the prose and ideas itself. The writing is lovely and words chosen so accurately that beautiful sentiments are conveyed without cliche. Jessa is the most realistic portrayal of teen heartbreak I've read. The comedic best friend Tyler, the charming boy of interest Dylan Thomas, and the bac...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Ashley - Book Labyrinth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, from-publisher

3.5 stars

‘Instructions for a Broken Heart’ is a read that fell somewhere right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it, though I really liked certain aspects of it. I loved the descriptions of the Italian scenery and all the different monuments and places that Jessa and her classmates visited. I also thought the letters from Jessa’s best friend Carissa were a great plot device. The letters allowed Jessa to do things that were out of character for her, and while a lot of them ended up in catastrop...more 3.5 stars

‘Instructions for a Broken Heart’ is a read that fell somewhere right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it, though I really liked certain aspects of it. I loved the descriptions of the Italian scenery and all the different monuments and places that Jessa and her classmates visited. I also thought the letters from Jessa’s best friend Carissa were a great plot device. The letters allowed Jessa to do things that were out of character for her, and while a lot of them ended up in catastrophe it was interesting to read about, and they helped Jessa grow.

One reason why I’m sort of on the fence about this book is that I was sort of ambivalent toward Jessa. I felt bad for her, but she had so many confusing emotions running through her that it made it hard to relate. She kept changing her mind about things, and she felt everything SO DEEPLY that at times her narrative voice seemed a bit melodramatic. I appreciated the base emotions that Jessa was expressing, though, and her good heart made it easy enough to root for her.

The secondary characters each had their moments as well. Carissa, with her putting all the letters together, appears to be a great best friend, but some of the letters’ content showed how this might not necessarily be the case. I was a bit confused about why this drama really needed to be part of the plot, because there was definitely enough going on already. Jessa’s other BFF Tyler was an awesome addition to the story as he was funny, sweet, and supportive until suddenly he’s not: his character transformation seemed a bit sudden, but for the most part he's a really enjoyable character. Then there’s Dylan Thomas who is smart and cute, but is too absent for much of the story.

This is a interesting (though predictable) story with a lot of good parts to it, and it was well written as well. I just feel like it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi. I know that’s not very helpful, but despite the issues above I can’t exactly put my finger on what stopped me from absolutely loving it. If you enjoy travel stories or narratives with tasks outlined in letters then this is well worth a read. It has a good message to it about being yourself and embracing your emotions without being ruled by them.(less)

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Apr 28, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Instructions for a Broken Heart is a different kind of road trip book. It’s not the happy go lucky friends barreling down the road and partaking of the requisite highjinx. Nope, this is a trip that follows Jessa as she travels through Italy in a torturous mending of her broken heart.

See, just prior to departure Jessa walks in on her long time boyfriend Sean getting busy with another girl at school. Caught completely off guard she’s justifiably stunned, so much so she contemplates forgoing the bi...more Instructions for a Broken Heart is a different kind of road trip book. It’s not the happy go lucky friends barreling down the road and partaking of the requisite highjinx. Nope, this is a trip that follows Jessa as she travels through Italy in a torturous mending of her broken heart.

See, just prior to departure Jessa walks in on her long time boyfriend Sean getting busy with another girl at school. Caught completely off guard she’s justifiably stunned, so much so she contemplates forgoing the big trip they’d been planning to go on together with their fellow drama students. Enter, girl power! Jessa decides (with some not so gentle nudging from her BFF Carissa) that the only way to get over it is to forge ahead as planned and experience Italy. Hoping to mend her broken heart, though armed with a healthy dose of speculation about doing so, she boards the plane with her other bestie Tyler to prove that not only can she get over Sean but she can enjoy Europe at the same time. But wait, not only does she have Tyler as support but she is also in possession of a series of daily tasks (via sealed envelopes) set for her by Carissa.

Chaos ensues!

So, the plot is pretty simple. Let me set the scene…

Girl walks in on boy in compromising position with questionably moraled female classmate. Immediate breakup occurs. Girl #1 decides that despite the happy new couple’s attendance she will go on previously planned school trip. In doing so Girl #1 is forced to watch them paw all over each other across Italy. Wait, Girl #1 is also expected to do all these strange tasks she would never undertake under normal circumstances all in an effort to make boy feel like (a) crap and (b) he’s missing out on the best thing since sliced bread. Add in a bunch of rich snobby kids, an emo boy who can’t stand them and a hot Italian dude and what have you got?

Ugh, recipe for disaster, thank you very much!

Honestly, this was not the most unpredictable read. I knew within a couple of chapters how the story would play out and I wasn’t surprised to find out that I was right. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t so entirely predictable that the details and subtle nuances were foreseen. I was glad that the characters personalities and a few of the plot elements were fresh enough to keep my interest going. This made it an enjoyable read despite the lack of surprises in the plot.

The best part of the book was without a doubt Jessa. i found her realistically portrayed as a teen who is hurt by first love. Enduring a great deal of torment and mockery she showed great strength and restraint. Though not an adult she maintained relative poise throughout her trip despite Sean and Nicole throwing their new coupledom in her face left and right. This isn’t to say she didn’t have moments of weakness. She was vengeful and showed some spite here and there which humanized her and went to show some vulnerability.

Outside of that, the rest of the characters were a bit more peripheral. Tyler was entertaining (especially when he and Dylan Thomas were bantering) but turned a bit selfish and harder edged as the story went on. His reasons for doing so were understandable so it wasn’t jarring behavior or surprising but I found it a bit off. I suppose it opened the door to allow for Jessa to have the opportunity to interact with others so it achieved it’s purpose but it still seemed off. For his part Dylan Thomas was just this kid who randomly popped up here and there. I couldn’t quite latch on to him as any kind of romantic lead.

As for the plot, again much of what happened wasn’t entirely unforeseen. Didn’t make the ride less enjoyable just unsurprising. The plot element of the daily tasks sent from Carissa was interesting in some respects. It certainly went a long way in moving the story along and added some fun and funny moments. Definitely kept Jessa from curling up into the fetal position in the corner. So for that I’m happy. Had this not been part of the story I think she would have been too introspective and depressed. It would have become a much different slightly darker story. Having said that there were parts of it that were extremely childish (which were appropriate for the story) but also hurtful. Revelations are made and I for one felt like one of the revelations wasn’t needed. I wasn’t surprised by it but I think the story had enough conflict without it.

So, can you tell I’m a bit conflicted on this book? It literally fell right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. The weakness was the predictability and the believability of a few of the plot elements. The strength was definitely Jessa — she’s realistic as all get out and a character you’ll definitely root for.(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 J.cuevas rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found her time in Italy quite surreal. I mean, I'm not the most sensitive girl out there. But I don't see the use of sulking about her cheating boyfriend and break up when she's been dreaming of visiting Italy for the most part of her life. If I were Jessa, I would just forget all about him, he's not worth my time.

Over more, I think Culberstone didn't focus on Jessa's recovery from her first broken heart. (view spoiler)...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked up this book because I felt the title was pertinent to my life at the moment. I wasn't expecting it to give me any revelations, but it was a nice read, if a little inconsistent at times. The concept was quite sweet - a girl, recently jilted, goes to Italy on a school trip. On this trip she is tasked with reading twenty envelopes given to her by her best friend of how to help her mend her broken heart.

Unfortunately the setup is actually more interesting than the pay off. I don't feel lik...more

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May 01, 2011 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, reviews

Days before she is to leave for Italy with her drama club Jessa catches her boyfriend Sean cheating on her. Now she's stuck watching them cuddle and make-out on the trip. She thinks this trip will be torture. But her bff Carissa, has devised a cleaver way to help her get over her jerk of an ex-boyfriend.

Plain and simple this is a very good story. I'm not a big fan of contemporary settings. Mostly I love spending time in fantasy and paranormal worlds. But there is something about Ms. Culbertson w...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

It wasn't as good as I hoped and I was definitely confused.
Is it normal for boyfriends to kiss other girls and notify you about it because he THOUGHT you guys were over?
Is it normal for your friend and boyfriend to have kissed two times and not tell you expecting you to forgive her?
Is it normal to kiss your ex-boyfriend and then believe it meant nothing?
Is it true that kisses mean nothing anymore?
Those are the questions I asked myself because I believe all of that is ABNORMAL.
I definitely didn't...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Kristin Rae added it

Shelves: arc, read-in-2011, young-adult, sourcebooks

Jessa is seriously broken after her boyfriend cheats on her, but what better place to overcome than Italy on a 10 day trip? Except that said ex boyfriend is on the same trip, along with the rest of the drama club. DRAMA.

I enjoyed being taken to so many parts of Italy through this story--I can't believe they fit in all that in only ten days! I was there for a week and we didn't see half the things they did...

I liked most of the characters in this, and I'm glad one of the friends mentioned the s...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Books and Literature for Teens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-ive-read-in-2011, drama, published-2011, realistic-contemporary, relationships, teen-issues, young-adult, to-trade-swap

I thought Culbertson’s first novel Songs for a Teenage Nomad was a great story so I was anxious to read another book by her. Instructions for a Broken Heart however did not impress me as much...it was sort of ho-hum. There are tons of books with plots that deal with relationships, break-ups, and dating but if it doesn’t have some sort of unique aspect or characters that make the book different from the rest, it will more than likely won’t be a big hit. That’s exactly what it was for me. Because...more

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About Kim Culbertson

Kim Culbertson is the author of the teen novels Songs for a Teenage Nomad (Sourcebooks Fire 2010) and Instructions for a Broken Heart (Sourcebooks Fire 2011).

She believes books make the world a better place and likes to be on the look out for books she really connects with and loves. Any book she reviews on Goodreads is one of these finds.

Happy reading.

Each month I write a newsletter called Poin...more

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“Instructions for a Broken Heart
I will find a bare patch of earth, somewhere where the ruins have fallen away, somewhere where I can fit both hands, and I will dig a hole.
And into that hole, I will scream you, I will dump all the shadow places of my heart—the times you didn’t call when you said you’d call, the way you only half listened to my poems, your eyes on people coming through the swinging door of the café—not on me—your ears, not really turned toward me. For all those times I started to tell you about the fight with my dad or when my grandma died, and you said something about your car, something about the math test you flunked, as an answer. I will scream into that hole the silence of dark nights after you’d kissed me, how when I asked if something was wrong—and something was obviously so very wrong—how you said “nothing,” how you didn’t tell me until I had to see it in the dim light of a costume barn—so much wrong. I will scream all of it.
Then I will fill it in with dark earth, leave it here in Italy, so there will be an ocean between the hole and me.
Because then I can bring home a heart full of the light patches. A heart that sees the sunset you saw that night outside of Taco Bell, the way you pointed out that it made the trees seem on fire, a heart that holds the time your little brother fell on his bike at the fairgrounds and you had pockets full of bright colored Band-Aids and you kissed the bare skin of his knees. I will take that home with me. In my heart. I will take home your final Hamlet monologue on the dark stage when you cried closing night and it wasn’t really acting, you cried because you felt the words in you and on that bare stage you felt the way I feel every day of my life, every second, the way the words, the light and dark, the spotlight in your face, made you Hamlet for that brief hiccup of a moment, made you a poet, an artist at your core. I get to take Italy home with me, the Italy that showed me you and the Italy that showed me—me—the Italy that wrote me my very own instructions for a broken heart. And I get to leave the other heart in a hole.
We are over. I know this. But we are not blank. We were a beautiful building made of stone, crumbled now and covered in vines.
But not blank. Not forgotten. We are a history.
We are beauty out of ruins.” — 8 people liked it

“What’s painful is that what you had together, all your inside jokes and favorite restaurants and that movie you both loved but everyone else hated—that’s gone, and there’s no replacement for it, you never replicate it, never get to have it ever again…” — 7 people liked it

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