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The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Jess Rothenberg (Goodreads Author)

4.03 · Rating details · 15,579 ratings · 2,058 reviews

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best f ...more

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Hardcover, 375 pages

Published February 21st 2012 by Penguin Young Readers Group

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2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

1,041 books — 6,586 voters

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

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2012 YA Contemporaries

308 books — 2,616 voters

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Average rating 4.03 ·

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· 15,579 ratings · 2,058 reviews

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Jan 25, 2012 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: debut-author, young-adult, reviewed-in-2012, 2012-favorites, favorites, i-see-dead-people, totally-saw-that-coming, made-me-cry, incredibly-stupid-choices, arc-2012

Confession time: I was pretty sure I would love this book even before it showed up in my mailbox. I loved the title, I liked the cover, and the description sounded really interesting. What I didn’t know, however, was that I wasn’t just signing up for a fun read, I was signing up for heartbreak and some really huge, eye opening lessons. Don’t get me wrong: The Catastrophic History of You and Me is often laugh-out-loud funny, but that’s not nearly all it is.

Brie Eagan’s life was perfect: she had Confession time: I was pretty sure I would love this book even before it showed up in my mailbox. I loved the title, I liked the cover, and the description sounded really interesting. What I didn’t know, however, was that I wasn’t just signing up for a fun read, I was signing up for heartbreak and some really huge, eye opening lessons. Don’t get me wrong: The Catastrophic History of You and Me is often laugh-out-loud funny, but that’s not nearly all it is.

Brie Eagan’s life was perfect: she had a great family, her three best friends and the most wonderful boyfriend a girl could wish for. At least that’s what she thought. But days before her sweet sixteen, her boyfriend Jacob uttered four horrible words that killed Brie on the spot: I don’t love you. It would seem that a young and perfectly healthy person really can die of a broken heart. It didn’t matter that Brie’s father is a famous cardiologist. It didn’t matter that she had so many other things to be happy about. The shock and the hurt of Jacob’s words were too much for Brie’s heart to handle.

At the beginning of our story, Brie opens her eyes to discover that she’s indeed dead, and currently existing in her own version of afterlife, which just happens to be her family’s favorite pizza place. Her company is even more surprising, especially the boy dressed exactly like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. His name is Patrick and he immediately jumps at the chance to be Brie’s guide through afterlife, or at least this part of it. He is kind, thoughtful and the closest thing to an angel Brie is likely to meet. As the two of them go back to observe the aftermath of her death, Brie is forced to accept that her life wasn’t nearly as perfect as she thought it was and slowly fight her way through five stages of grief.
Here’s just a small taste of denial:
This is all just a bad dream, I told myself. I’m totally in bed, totally safe, totally snuggled. Hamloaf’s next to me. Jack’s down the hall. Everything is okay.
But still, why the crazy nightmare? I must have eaten something funky. Or maybe I have a history test coming up. Or I’d forgotten to floss.

In my experience, books that strike me the most are the ones that successfully mix humor and tragedy. One of the recent stellar examples is Looking for Alaska. Jess Rothenberg does this extraordinarily well. She knows when to lighten the mood with a joke, and when to stop with the humor entirely. She knows exactly how much tragedy her reader can take and when it’s time to water it down with one of Patrick’s nicknames for Brie or something similar. It is a valuable skill, and one that pretty much guarantees that I’ll read her next novel, and the one after that.

Here’s another thing I should mention, one I’m pretty sure some of my friends will appreciate. (I won’t be naming names, though.) Seeing as Patrick had died in the 80s and he’s dressed according to the fashion of 1983 or so, every chapter is titled after a song, a huge part of them from the 80s, and there is a four-page long playlist at the end of the book. I played most of them while reading this book and felt like a lost time traveler most of the time – but in a very good way.

An advanced copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Puffin/Razorbill UK for review purposes.

For this review and more, please visit The Nocturnal Library
...more

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Jun 30, 2016 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Aj the Ravenous Reader by: G

Shelves: fantasy, lol, physically-owned-books, unexpectedly-good, auto-buy-authors, with-a-touch-of-paranormal, emotionally-intense, young-adult

I’ll go straight to the point. Despite some reviews that say this is corny and melodramatic, I loved it, loved absolutely every word from the very beginning up to the very last word of the Acknowledgement.^^

“REVENGE MAY BE SWEET, BUT BOOK DEALS ARE DEFINITELY SWEETER.”

To me, it’s a beautiful and quirky (two adjectives you don't see together often) novel about heartbreak in all its possible meanings. It’s mysterious, fantastical, very intriguing, romantic, seriously funny (certainly had dozens a ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Ari rated it really liked it

Shelves: sweet-romance, 2012

“The trouble is, sometimes words are like arrows.
Once you shoot them, there's no going back.”

I love books that make me feel more than one emotion.. I love it when my chest feels tight and achey for a moment, and then it gets all sweet and giggly; when I want to cry and smile at the same time; when I feel like I can't get enough from the story and I would like to keep reading about the characters until the end of time.

This goes for this story, this goes for Brie and Patrick, for a heart whic ...more

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May 01, 2013 Levi rated it it was amazing

Catastrophic, indeed.

I love how the titles of each chapter were lyrics from songs (like the titles of the notes I write).
I love the twists and turns of the story.
I love how the initials of the four besties spell B(rie)-E(mma)-S(adie)-T(ess).
I love Brie's cheese nicknames. I love Patrick's jacket. I love the BEST's charm necklaces.
I LOVE JACK and HAMLOAF
I love the way LOVE gave everyone peace. How it freed Brie, Patrick, Eagan family, Jacob, and BEST (even Larkin).
I love how the story literally ...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Lucille rated it really liked it

“My heart didn't fail, someone failed my heart.”

Brie's boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

If this happens in real life, I think 50% of the world's population would go down. Humans would go extinct. And Delirium comes in. There would be a cure for love to prevent heartbreak. Lol.

This was definitely a very great book. At first, I thought it was about angels and afterlife and heaven, that kind of stuff. But I was wrong. This book is about moving on, forgiving, accepting, and most importantly, loving again.

This book made me sad, teary, happy, laugh, smile, and of course, it left me awwww-ing at the end. Truly, love is the best part of any story (taken from Stephenie Meyer's dedication in her book, The Host).

I almost cried when Brie saw her family and how she reacted. It's so relateable, since I'm 15, too, and I would hate it if my bestfriend steals my boyfriend. I would cry and scream and be sad and angry.

I fell in love with the characters, especially sweet old Patrick Darling. I love his humor. Even though he's old, he's hilarious and super duper sweet.

Anyway, after thinking it through, I've decided to give this book 4 stars because: a) I didn't like how Brie acted towards sweet Patrick at the end, and b) Brie died because of a stupid reason, she should have heard Jacob out first before dying, c) Jacob said the crappiest break-up line ever, d) I don't buy the reincarnation stuff.

Notable quotes:

“No matter how much you think you know a person - no matter how pretty they act, or how popular they seem, you can never know what their lives are really like.”

“The problem is there's absolutely nothing 'fun' about falling in love. Nope. Mostly it just makes you feel sick and crazy and anxious and nervous that it's going to end miserably and ruin your whole life. And guess what: Then it does.”

“Time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds. Sometimes, it just makes the wound worse.”

“Hell is when the people you love the most reach right into your soul and rip it out of you. And they do it because they can.”

...more

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Nov 30, 2016 Rachel Maniacup rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Rachel by: Pearl Angeli

Shelves: adorable, drama, entertaining, friendship, fantasy, paranormal, romance, surprisingly-very-good, ya-contemporary

Every time I read a book by an author I haven't encountered yet, It fascinates me because It does surprise me really good,especially when I don't really know what to expect. And I'm glad I've read this one 'cause this is something different..something you would call an amazingly unique story!

From the cover,the concept,the heartbreak,the romance,the humor,the drama,and particularly from the 80's pop songs that the author used as the titles of each chapter made this book incredibly adorable and me ...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Sasha rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012-publication, young-adult, 2012-debut-author, ya-qc-4, read-in-2011

The Catastrophic History of You and Me is every girl’s worst nightmare. Brie is dating this awesome guy and they go out to dinner and – BAM – he tells her he doesn’t love her. Next thing she knows, she’s dead. That’s right, she literally DIED of a broken heart. And her dad is a cardiologist so he starts digging into this notion that one can die of a broken heart. But Brie has to go through the stages of grief before she can “move on” to a better place.

This book is definitely cute. It was lighthe ...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Sarah (saz101) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-releases, young-adult, wow-i-read-a-non-fantasy, contemporary, favorites, paranormal, g-g-g-ghosts

Fifteen is altogether way too young to die. Especially to die of a broken heart. So when sweet, funny, charming Brie is cut down in the prime of her teenage years, what do we get? Angst? A heart-warming Disney movie? Well, perhaps not what you expect. It's more than either. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is brimming with humour and charm and tempered with a perfect balance of heartbreak.

Shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Brie Eagan’s boyfriend tells her he doesn’t love her... and sh ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Jen (The Starry-Eyed Revue) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, contemporary, re-read, ghosts-revenants-reincarnation, 2012, audiobooks, magical-realism-speculative-fiction, 2018, angels, alamw12

This. Book. Wins. If this had been the book given to me as my first foray into comtemporary YA -- and granted, it has supernatural elements, what with the MC being dead and all -- anyway, had this been my first contemporary read, it might have easily led me to decide that contemps were my favorite subgenre. Instead, I've shied away from most anything contemporary and consistently read paranormals with a heavy dose of romance to satisfy my cravings. This book may have changed all that. Don't thin ...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Celine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

Review originally posted in: http://forget8me8not.blogspot.com.au/...

Cover:
I love the girl's purple dress , the sky background and the upside down bridge. I can feel as if the girl is flying there in the sky and the cover gives off this heaven and calm feeling!

Story:

There's a girl called Brie. She died because of a broken heart. Her heart LITERALLY broke in half...

don't you (forget about me)

I don't think I'll even bother writing my own synopsis for this book. What I'll do instead is put some of ...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Angela rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, favorites, fantasy, books-library-owns, contemporary, ghosts

You can obsess and obsess over how things ended - what you did wrong or could have done differently - but there's not much of a point. It's not like it'll change anything. So really, why worry?

I was thinking about giving this only 3 stars, but no. It deserves 4.

This book was amazing in so many ways. I was drawn in from the first sentence. (I got bored for a few pages, but whatever. That's nothing compared to how I felt about the rest of the book.) After the not-so-interesting part, this book jus ...more

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Mar 06, 2012 MizzSandie rated it really liked it

Shelves: didnt-want-it-to-end, put-life-in-perspective, hate-the-cover, you-re-doing-it-right, well-written, heartbreaking, romance, good-story

So...
I'll admit it from the get-go:
this book started out sort of 'meh' for me. I was not really 'feeling it' and I sort of found the heroine a bit whiny, self-absorbed, and a little too vengeful and agressive for my taste. My main complaints would be along these lines, 'Don't blame the world for your problems honey', 'dont judge and jump to conclusions' and'don't take your anger out on others'.

BUT about a 3rd of my way into the book though, things started to change. The story got a hold of me, ...more

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May 05, 2015 Aaron Vincent rated it did not like it

Shelves: for-bookclub, 2015-read

At the beginning of the novel, the main character introduced her sisterhood of the corny metaphorical necklace by comparing them to Disney princesses. One exotic, one redhead with a pet crab and one brunette who loves to read. Wanna take a shot which princesses are those? This is only one of the many examples of lazy writing that is so prevalent in this thing that pains me to call a novel.

It is so full of those baits you commonly see on 'reviews' that contain lines like "Plus, you'll really love ...more

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Sep 23, 2016 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: cover-me

4.5 Stars

The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a jolt to the heart! Love is on full display in the pages of this book. All of love’s lovely little pockets and hidden away dark corners. Everything love has to offer is here. Blushing, beaming joy to brutal, heart crushing agony! Love isn’t always rainbows and romance. Just ask Brie.

“Love hurts us all, no matter how old or young we are.”

Brie Eagan died of a broken heart. Really. She’s dead. But ~~life~~…well the afterlife must go on. We follow Brie
4.5 Stars

The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a jolt to the heart! Love is on full display in the pages of this book. All of love’s lovely little pockets and hidden away dark corners. Everything love has to offer is here. Blushing, beaming joy to brutal, heart crushing agony! Love isn’t always rainbows and romance. Just ask Brie.

“Love hurts us all, no matter how old or young we are.”

Brie Eagan died of a broken heart. Really. She’s dead. But ~~life~~…well the afterlife must go on. We follow Brie on a journey of memories, denial, anger, longing, acceptance, and LOVE in a new and ever changing landscape that I don’t want to spoil for you with too many details. Let's just say the afterlife is a new world with rules and ways all its own. Good thing this new world comes with a guide! :)

Meet the cocky and charming, Patrick, the Resident Lost Soul of Brie’s particular slice of heaven. Brie and Patrick are so much fun to watch. They jab and joke and *spark* at first eye lock! From every cheesy nickname in the book to fun, flirty banter—these two have it going on! So much fun. Could they be more than friends though? How could they? Brie’s heart is broken. Broken hearts don’t fall in love again. Do they?

If you have ever been in love and had your heart shattered into itty bitty pieces, this book is for you. The power of this story really surprised me. Hidden underneath the sarcasm and humor and flirty ways is a mountain of emotion. Heartbreak. Heartache. Anger. Fear. Joy. Patience. Tenderness. Love, love and love. It’s all in here! Every element comes to light in Brie’s relationships with her family, friends, and more. Come listen to her heart. It may be broken, but it’s still thump-thump-thumping away.

And then we have the music to listen to, hum along with, and remember. Ms. Rothenberg’s chapter titles are songs and lines that make me smile. Oh how they make me smile! I’ve had ooh Heaven Is a Place on Earth and Lucky Star in my head for days! :D Most of the shout outs are 80s tunes, so prepared to be blasted back into the past!

This book opened up a well of old feelings and memories in me. Some happy, some not so happy. But isn’t that one of the many joys of reading. I adore a book that makes me examine old loves and hurts and joys. I’ll be on the lookout for more from Jess Rothenberg for sure.

I highly recommend this dazzling journey through life and death showcasing the power of love.

...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Corrine Jackson added it

At the outset, the premise didn’t grab me. There, I said it. I know this book has a ton of buzz, but honestly, a girl dies of heartbreak? It didn’t snag me. But on a Sunday afternoon, I needed something different to read and I picked it up.

There is a lot to recommend about the book. First, the voice. Brie is fifteen and she dies at the start of the story when her boyfriend breaks up with her. We follow her on a journey through the five stages of grieving. She haunts her boyfriend, parents, littl At the outset, the premise didn’t grab me. There, I said it. I know this book has a ton of buzz, but honestly, a girl dies of heartbreak? It didn’t snag me. But on a Sunday afternoon, I needed something different to read and I picked it up.

There is a lot to recommend about the book. First, the voice. Brie is fifteen and she dies at the start of the story when her boyfriend breaks up with her. We follow her on a journey through the five stages of grieving. She haunts her boyfriend, parents, little brother, and best friends, watching them grieve for her. This could all feel very maudlin, but Jess Rothenberg manages to steer clear of that. The voice is so exactly that of a fifteen year old girl, full of sass and sadness and naiveté and the odd moment of wisdom. That voice hooked me right away.

I also loved how we are carried through the five stages of grieving. There’s a lot of meat there for anyone to relate to, whether you’ve broken up with someone or lost someone close. Brie’s emotions bounce all over the place, but they almost always feel real. She’s not always a nice character, but she’s a believable one. In fact, she’s probably more believable because of her faults.

There were some things – fairly big things for me – that bothered me about the story. A few scenes felt unnecessary or repetitive. Brie’s love of 80’s music didn’t ring true for a contemporary teen – I felt like it was author intrusion into the story every time they were mentioned. And, I hate to say it, but the love interest plotline fell flat for me, especially at the big dramatic moment at the end.

What saved the book for me, though, aside from the wonderful, engaging voice and interesting format, were the relationships Brie had with her friends and family and even her dog, Hamloaf. Before she dies, Brie has a kind of simplistic view of her world. After her death, when she gets peeks into the private lives of those she haunts, she learns that the world is not what she thought it would be. That people are more complex. That sometimes they are weak and fail you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. I thought Rothenberg did a fantastic job illustrating this, and despite the problems I noted, I think a lot of readers will love this book. ...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-fiction, 2013-reads, blah-blah-blaaahhhh, donated, supernatural-fiction, utterly-underwhelming, goodreads-readalong, dramamongering, high-expectations-and-low-reward, bring-on-the-cliche-parade

Readalong with the lovely Christina from Christina Reads YA!

This.... was a bit of a mess. And by "a bit" I mean "a rather large mess." For many reasons; I admit I'm quite disappointed. Too cutesy, too cliched, too annoying to make much of an impact. ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Sabrina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: almost-favorites

“Hell is when people you love the most reach right into your soul and rip it out of you. And they do it because they can.”

I loved this book.

I wanted to buy this book for so long and then when I did buy it I just put it in my bookshelf and didn't read it, for about 2 years. I have the tendency to always do that. I know I'm going to like a book and I just don't read it.
I'M CATASTROPHICALLY HAPPY THAT I DECIDED TO READ THIS BOOK.

This was a fun and heartbreaking (in a good and in a bad way) st ...more

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Aug 24, 2014 Pearl Angeli rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sobfest, mind-blown, young-adult-contemporary, owned-physical-copy, 2014-reads

Because love is worth it after all…

Dear heavens, I didn’t expect The Catastrophic History to be really this amazing. I mean, I did expect it to be good, but I didn’t know it’s way better that it seriously gives me goosebumps!

I found out that it could make me feel so many things all at once. I felt surprised, angry, hopeless, depressed, regretful– it’s like I’ve also been to stages of grief while reading Brie’s epic, catastrophic (indeed) story.

The concept of this book is beautiful. It’s fun ...more

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May 02, 2015 Natasha(Books are my sustenance) rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-characters, book-boyfriends

"I was fifteen years old when I died of a broken heart."

Brie's boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart — literally. Now she's D&G(dead and gone) and ends up in the afterlife which turns out to be the pizza place her family used to go to. And she's not alone, there are some other people there and they all just hang around, waiting to move on.There she meets Patrick, resident Lost Soul, who is so damn sweet, crushworthy and all-around awesome!!But more on that la ...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Isamlq rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It’s not what I was expecting: funny mostly but not all of the time.

The Good

Those nifty chapter titles; I loved those because they touched little on what she loved and she loved a lot. She ~~has~~ had a passion for older music, a skill for diving, and a love for those close to her. And it was that last bit I appreciated the most: she’s close to them. I also liked her having these ideas about the people around her, feeling comforted when they lived up to her notions, then being so confused (shocked) ...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Aly rated it did not like it

To be honest I just didn’t like this book. I just couldn’t connect with the character, or what she had to go through. Mostly I just wanted to be finished with the book, because once I start a book, I usually try to finish it…unless it just horrible. This book in my opinion is bad, but not horrible.
Mainly Brie is just horrible. I understand that she just died, and it sucks to know that people are moving on without you, but she’s selfish. She tries to hurt almost everyone in her life.
However, my ...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Angie rated it it was amazing

I laughed, I cried, I came, I saw, I conquered. Or at least I did the first two. Rothenberg knows humor and her dialogue is full of the kind of wit and retorts that I love. On the opposite side, she also is able to bring on the sadness and I found myself unable to read a few times because of blurry vision. They weren't tears, because I don't cry. I don't. I probably just need new glasses. Anyway...I felt the pain that Brie felt and the feelings that overcame her as she made discoveries. Oh, and ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Julianna Helms rated it liked it

Shelves: own-arc, 2012-debut-ya-author-challenge, received-via-trade-with-awesomers, arcs-for-trade

Quick Reaction: This book made me feel so bipolar, it wasn't even funny. I don't think I've ever read a book that made me cry just as much as it made me want to rip it apart. The Catastrophic History of You and Me features a protagonist who felt shallow and like a 5-year-old with the way she treated everything, yet though I detested her during the "Anger" and "Bargaining" parts (this book is told in parts labeled as the stages of grief! And every chapter is a song title! So freakin' cool.), I cr Quick Reaction: This book made me feel so bipolar, it wasn't even funny. I don't think I've ever read a book that made me cry just as much as it made me want to rip it apart. The Catastrophic History of You and Me features a protagonist who felt shallow and like a 5-year-old with the way she treated everything, yet though I detested her during the "Anger" and "Bargaining" parts (this book is told in parts labeled as the stages of grief! And every chapter is a song title! So freakin' cool.), I cried bucketfuls in sadness and acceptance. In the end, I think it's the transformation of Brie that finally redeemed her in my eyes, as did the quite honestly well-thought twists. One thing, though. There's this giant big twist at the end that affects everything, and it involves a bargain, but... (and this is when I went from a 4-star to a 3-star) if it changed everything, does that mean everything Brie did during the book is just illegitimate? Non-existent? Gone? If so, there was no explaining nor backing on that aspect, and though it was a fantastic fairytale-esque ending, that plot hole cracked the ice.

Actual, full review: This review is also on my blog. (Note: due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost.)

Brie died of a broken heart, and she left me with one, too.

This book was definitely original and compassionate, but Brie has a voice that rivaled a five-year-old. Everything Was Capitalized and Of Course OMG Abbreviations! But this book--my goodness--made me feel so bipolar, it was like slowly inching up on a roller-coaster, only to have the ride be stuck at the highest point, staring down at a trail of steepness below. Brie frustrated me and made me cry. She made me want to throw the book against a wall and hug it so fiercely my ribs hurt. She makes immature decisions--and talks almost nothing like a teenager, if you ask me (a teenager. Yup. Hi there!)--but the things she goes through are so heartbreaking, I broke down into terrible sobs. I don't even know what to think.

This book is cool, though. It's broken into parts--each one being a stage of grief. Every chapter is a song title (I didn't even know until a friend pointed out that Total Eclipse of the Heart was, in fact, a song, and not a supremely cool original chapter title). And though Brie sometimes annoyed me so much, and I would have smoke steaming out from my ears if I was in a cartoon, she did make me laugh.

You know, I think I know how she managed to infuriate me and break me at the same time. Brie knows she's done wrong. She's so terrified of her own mistakes that her fears become my own, and she's so afraid that she won't ever be able to fix her own self that I am surrounded by these eternal walls of impossibility, suffocating and choking and horrifying.

Brie backed herself into a steel prison, and it's not only catastrophic, it's claustrophobic. (ha, get it? Get it?)

This book has surprises, turns, and zero explanations. And it's not even the most entertaining book of all time, considering Brie's childish voice. But here's what I'll tell you: The Catastrophic History of You and Me will find a part of you so deeply hidden--so scarce and afraid--and yank it out, fast, so that you won't even realize what happened until you feel this gigantic hole in your chest. It'll stitch you back together, one attempt at a time.

But no matter how many times it tries to save its own destruction, you won't be the same. (Whether that's meant in a good way or bad way, though, that's up for you to see.) ...more

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Sep 16, 2014 G rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“The trouble is, sometimes words are like arrows. Once you shoot them, there's no going back.”

First of all, I want to praise the theme/concept of the book. It's quite different from the books that I have read before though the idea of the heart being literally broken into two is weird. Hah. The first few pages were okay, light and a little fast-paced, but as the story goes, it got more and more interesting. I like how the story progressed for five stages (of grieving? if I remembered it righ ...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Coranne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

So Lauren Oliver blurbed this book. If you are in the young adult community- that is a big deal to have Lauren Oliver blurb your book. I had high expectations going into Catastrophic History and that blurb is why.

Lauren nailed the description of the book: "Inventive, funny, beautiful, heartbreaking". Those are the exact words I would use to describe it (if that wasn't total copying!) I have never read a book like this- it was like Teen Angel plus that show Revenge on ABC. Man, the drama was palp ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Hilda rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, tears

A heartbroken moment can turn deadly.

Brie’s life ends even before she has a taste of sweet sixteen. Her boyfriend, Jason, said the deadly words, “I don’t love you.” The shock in his words breaks Brie’s heart literally. Now Brie is a ghost, unable to rewind anything. She is determined to make Jason pay for his fault. Along with his new ghost partner-in-crime Patrick, Brie goes to visit Jason and take revenge on him. But things on Earth have been different after her death. Her family is torn apart A heartbroken moment can turn deadly.

Brie’s life ends even before she has a taste of sweet sixteen. Her boyfriend, Jason, said the deadly words, “I don’t love you.” The shock in his words breaks Brie’s heart literally. Now Brie is a ghost, unable to rewind anything. She is determined to make Jason pay for his fault. Along with his new ghost partner-in-crime Patrick, Brie goes to visit Jason and take revenge on him. But things on Earth have been different after her death. Her family is torn apart, and Jason seems to have a special relationship with Brie’s best friend, Sadie.

Brie has to go through five stages before she can go to Heaven for real. She has to learn about forgiving… before it is too late and she can’t save people she loves anymore.

Even though The Catastrophic History of You and Me sounds like an incredibly funny and hilarious read (just take a look at the cover!), this book turns out emotional. Brie’s death, however surprising the cause is, is a shocking and sorrowful thing. Her father can’t accept her death and he’s obsessed to find the cause of her daughter’s death, even if it means abandoning his family. Jason is confused and lost, and I can tell that he’s feeling guilty of Brie’s death. I can’t hate any of the characters in this book, however wrong their decisions.

Sure, there were times when I frowned at Brie’s vengeful acts. It’s not easy for her to accept that she’s dead now, especially when everything around her world is perfect before her death. I can understand her confusion and anger perfectly. If you have a great life with all possibility in your future, wouldn’t you feel sad if you have to die in such young age? Brie is a completely relatable character. She’s only fifteen when she’s dead, so it makes sense that sometimes, she can be really egoistical and full of herself.

Other than the tearful part in this book, there are many funny lines and witty remarks thrown in the book. Patrick, Brie’s ghost partner-in-crime, is such an adorable and swoon-worthy character. He’s incredibly funny and he also plays really important part in the story. This book also got to surprise me in some parts, and the ending is really beautiful. I personally think that it’s a little too perfect for my taste, but I assure you, the ending really suits the story.

This is a lovely book and I’ll recommend this even for people who are no fan of sad story. The Catastrophic History of You and Me definitely crosses the line between fun and heartbreaking.

“Love sucks, huh?” said Patrick.
I nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

Read other reviews in my blog! :)

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Dec 16, 2011 Jessica (Jess Hearts Books) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I’m a big fan of what I’ve come to think of as “Afterlife” books. With what exactly happens after death being the world’s biggest mystery I think that it gives authors artistic licence to really put some imagination into their take on life after death. I found Jess Rothenberg’s version of an afterlife fascinating and thought that it was a brilliant idea for the deceased to have to go through the five stages of grief- Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness and Acceptance- just the same as those they I’m a big fan of what I’ve come to think of as “Afterlife” books. With what exactly happens after death being the world’s biggest mystery I think that it gives authors artistic licence to really put some imagination into their take on life after death. I found Jess Rothenberg’s version of an afterlife fascinating and thought that it was a brilliant idea for the deceased to have to go through the five stages of grief- Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness and Acceptance- just the same as those they left behind have to in order to move on.

What makes this book stand apart from others in the “Afterlife” genre is that our main character Brie literally dies from a broken heart when her first love Jacob tells her that he doesn’t love her. There’s a real mystery behind the book as to why Jacob broke up with Brie when their relationship seemed so perfect. I loved watching Brie visit her old life and go from seeking revenge on Jacob to slowly coming to understand and accept the reasons why their relationship didn’t work out all whilst struggling with her growing attraction to her new friend and guide to all things afterlife Patrick. Patrick himself is another big mystery to the book, I was so curious to know why he had been in this “in-between” place for so long and what was keeping him from moving on to the other side. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a book that explores love in all its glorious and devastating forms and is ultimately a unique and quirky romance.

As well as the romance aspect to this book, Brie is also trying to navigate her way and learn the rules of the afterlife as well as trying to tie up loose ends and act as guardian angel to her best friends and family. What really impressed me with this book was Rothenberg’s ability to write a story that is in equal parts as funny and life affirming as it is heart breaking and sad. I loved Brie’s voice and could completely relate to her and the mistakes she makes with love.

I would whole heartedly (cheesy pun totally intended) recommend this book to anyone who’s ever had their heart broken. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a love story like no other, with a hilarious heroine, and the ultimate disaster romance this is a story of life, death, love and all the glorious things in between at its best. ...more

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Jun 02, 2018 lobelyys (tired af) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: hated

I only liked the ending of this book. The main character was so annoying I couldn't care less about her. The plot twist at the end was really good, but it seemed a little hushed or forced but still if it wasn't for the mc this could have been really good. ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Irena BookDustMagic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite

at the beginning I thought it was childish or that I was too old, but as the story developed it turned to one unique story with some powerful moments and now it goes to my favorite shelf.

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Mar 21, 2014 Paula M rated it liked it

Shelves: all-them-feels, favorite

3.5

Such adorbs. Full review to follow. Full of swooning for sure.

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YA Buddy Readers'...: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg, Restarting August 20th 2015	24	84	Aug 19, 2015 03:36PM
What are the 5 stages of grief?	1	7	Feb 28, 2015 11:08AM
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About Jess Rothenberg

Jess Rothenberg

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JESS ROTHENBERG is a writer and freelance editor who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. A former editor of books for young readers, including the #1 International Bestselling Vampire Academy series, Jess lives in New York City with her husband, son, and cat-who-thinks-he’s-a-dog, Charlie. Her debut novel for teens, The Catastrophic History of You & Me, has been translated into more than a doze ...more

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“You can obsess and obsess over how things ended—what you did wrong or could have done differently—but there's not much of a point. It's not like it'll change anything. So really, why worry?” — 581 likes

“The trouble is, sometimes words are like arrows. Once you shoot them, there's no going back.” — 379 likes

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