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The Breakup Lists
Love is more complicated than “boy meets boy” in bestselling author Adib Khorram’s sharply funny new romantic comedy, set in the sordid world of high school theater
Jackson Ghasnavi is a lot of things—a techie, a smoothie afficionado, a totally not obsessive list-maker—but one thing he’s not is a romantic. And why would he be? He’s already had a front row seat to his parents’ divorce and picked up the pieces of his sister Jasmine’s broken heart one too many times.
No, Jackson is perfectly happy living life behind the scenes—he is a stage manager, after all—and keeping his romantic exploits limited to the breakup lists he makes for Jasmine, which chronicle every flaw (real or imagined) of her various and sundry exes.
Enter the senior swim captain turned leading man that neither of the Ghasnavi siblings stop thinking about. Not that Jackson has a crush, of course. Jasmine is already setting her sights on him and he’s probably—no, definitely—straight anyway.
So why does the idea of eventually writing a breakup list for him feel so impossible?
Jackson Ghasnavi is a lot of things—a techie, a smoothie afficionado, a totally not obsessive list-maker—but one thing he’s not is a romantic. And why would he be? He’s already had a front row seat to his parents’ divorce and picked up the pieces of his sister Jasmine’s broken heart one too many times.
No, Jackson is perfectly happy living life behind the scenes—he is a stage manager, after all—and keeping his romantic exploits limited to the breakup lists he makes for Jasmine, which chronicle every flaw (real or imagined) of her various and sundry exes.
Enter the senior swim captain turned leading man that neither of the Ghasnavi siblings stop thinking about. Not that Jackson has a crush, of course. Jasmine is already setting her sights on him and he’s probably—no, definitely—straight anyway.
So why does the idea of eventually writing a breakup list for him feel so impossible?
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First published April 2, 2024
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About the author
Adib Khorram
12 books1,844 followersADIB KHORRAM is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. When he isn’t writing, you can find him learning to do a Lutz jump, practicing his handstands, or steeping a cup of oolong. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person. You can find him on Twitter (@adibkhorram), Instagram (@adibkhorram), or on the web at adibkhorram.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews
May 27, 2024
I could say this book is predictable. Just an average romcom. Nothing special. Except for Jackson’s hearing, the story is pretty simple. And still … Why is it so d*mn addictive?
I flew through the pages. My jaw hurt from smiling, and then I knitted my brows together because I wanted to slap some people (no, I’m actually not a violent person l, but I hated Jasmine and Cam), and then my lips turned up in a smile again. I think this is all because of Adib Khorram. His writing is so easily accessible and simple yet so beautiful. His characters are flawed yet so perfectly written. And the longing and the pining in this story is the best. All those shoulder bumps, those knees touching, those cheeks heating, those eyes locking. Jacks(on) and Liam were so adorable!
I already loved Adib’s previous books, especially his Darius series, but he’s one of those authors whose books I’d read blindly. And now I’m eagerly waiting for his adult debut I'll Have What He's Having, releasing in August.
Thank you, Dial Books and Edelweiss, for this awesome ARC. I’m so happy I could read The Breakup Lists early!
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I flew through the pages. My jaw hurt from smiling, and then I knitted my brows together because I wanted to slap some people (no, I’m actually not a violent person l, but I hated Jasmine and Cam), and then my lips turned up in a smile again. I think this is all because of Adib Khorram. His writing is so easily accessible and simple yet so beautiful. His characters are flawed yet so perfectly written. And the longing and the pining in this story is the best. All those shoulder bumps, those knees touching, those cheeks heating, those eyes locking. Jacks(on) and Liam were so adorable!
I already loved Adib’s previous books, especially his Darius series, but he’s one of those authors whose books I’d read blindly. And now I’m eagerly waiting for his adult debut I'll Have What He's Having, releasing in August.
Thank you, Dial Books and Edelweiss, for this awesome ARC. I’m so happy I could read The Breakup Lists early!
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April 29, 2024
I have loved every book I’ve read from Adib Khorram and was so excited to get to read through an ARC of this (thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books/Penguin) prior to its release.
This cute queer rom-com explores the relationships of high school stage manager Jackson, from his loving, but sometimes inconsiderate family and his steadfast best friend Bowie, to his theatre teacher and his classmates. While this is a delectable love story, it also explores the issues that come with being hard of hearing, the throes of young heartbreak, and the many stresses of high school theatre.
I adored Liam, Bowie, and Jackson and I loved to despise Jasmine and Cam (to different extents throughout the book). The author has such a good way of writing his characters in ways that make them immediately accessible to the audience. It was great to have such a diverse cast of characters (both main and extended) that felt real and three dimensional.
Even though there were some more predictable moments, I don’t think that detracts at all from the book and it made some less predictable moments even more surprising and enjoyable!
A younger version of me would have absolutely loved a book about a queer high school stage manager (and 30 year old me was still simply enamored). I already want more, but I’ll settle for rereading it once it has been released!
This cute queer rom-com explores the relationships of high school stage manager Jackson, from his loving, but sometimes inconsiderate family and his steadfast best friend Bowie, to his theatre teacher and his classmates. While this is a delectable love story, it also explores the issues that come with being hard of hearing, the throes of young heartbreak, and the many stresses of high school theatre.
I adored Liam, Bowie, and Jackson and I loved to despise Jasmine and Cam (to different extents throughout the book). The author has such a good way of writing his characters in ways that make them immediately accessible to the audience. It was great to have such a diverse cast of characters (both main and extended) that felt real and three dimensional.
Even though there were some more predictable moments, I don’t think that detracts at all from the book and it made some less predictable moments even more surprising and enjoyable!
A younger version of me would have absolutely loved a book about a queer high school stage manager (and 30 year old me was still simply enamored). I already want more, but I’ll settle for rereading it once it has been released!
March 30, 2024
E-ARC generously provided by Dial Books/Penguin in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
5 stars. Combining the exact kind of dramatics I love from teenagers who have yet to fully develop their frontal lobes and storyline reminiscent of classic DCOMs and teen rom-coms that I ate right up, The Breakup Lists brought me right back to what it felt like being 16, gay, and desperately in love with a boy who you thought would never even look at you.
I yelled, I screamed, I swooned: this book left me feeling like a feral alley cat and honestly, I don't think there's a more ringing endorsement! Read this!!!!
5 stars. Combining the exact kind of dramatics I love from teenagers who have yet to fully develop their frontal lobes and storyline reminiscent of classic DCOMs and teen rom-coms that I ate right up, The Breakup Lists brought me right back to what it felt like being 16, gay, and desperately in love with a boy who you thought would never even look at you.
I yelled, I screamed, I swooned: this book left me feeling like a feral alley cat and honestly, I don't think there's a more ringing endorsement! Read this!!!!
Read
May 17, 2024Adib was an author buy author for me so I wanted to try this one. It’s cute but I was left wanting more.
Pros: really loved the main character and was a great deaf representation.
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Cons: a lot of the other characters were kind of flat and I could see the twist coming from very early so I was just waiting for it and bored for a while.
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I listened to on audio and loved the narration.
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If you’re a theater gay I think you’d like this
Pros: really loved the main character and was a great deaf representation.
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Cons: a lot of the other characters were kind of flat and I could see the twist coming from very early so I was just waiting for it and bored for a while.
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I listened to on audio and loved the narration.
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If you’re a theater gay I think you’d like this
April 13, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
The Breakup Lists is a queer YA rom-com set in the world of high school theatre, and it's very good. And dramatic, but that comes with the territory! Jackson Ghasnavi is deaf and a techie for the school drama program. He also makes breakup lists for himself and his sister- lists of what's terrible about their exes. One of his terrible exes is a lead actor in their rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jackson is crushing on the seemingly straight senior swim captain to snagged the role of Jesus in the production. Oh, and his sister also seems to be into him....
This of course gives the dramatics you might expect from hormonal teenagers in love, but it's also really sweet and heartfelt with strong elements of friendship and found family. I also loved how Jackson's disability is integral to the way he experiences life, but isn't what the story is about. I don't know if I've read a book like this with a deaf main character and it was cool. If this sounds up your alley I would definitely recommend it! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
The Breakup Lists is a queer YA rom-com set in the world of high school theatre, and it's very good. And dramatic, but that comes with the territory! Jackson Ghasnavi is deaf and a techie for the school drama program. He also makes breakup lists for himself and his sister- lists of what's terrible about their exes. One of his terrible exes is a lead actor in their rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jackson is crushing on the seemingly straight senior swim captain to snagged the role of Jesus in the production. Oh, and his sister also seems to be into him....
This of course gives the dramatics you might expect from hormonal teenagers in love, but it's also really sweet and heartfelt with strong elements of friendship and found family. I also loved how Jackson's disability is integral to the way he experiences life, but isn't what the story is about. I don't know if I've read a book like this with a deaf main character and it was cool. If this sounds up your alley I would definitely recommend it! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
July 6, 2024
jackson is such a hater he is so me
did-not-finish
April 8, 2024I really wish I could unread this book. It's labeled "romantic comedy" but it's neither romantic nor is it a comedy. So, the main character, Jackson, is an idiot. Then there's this guy, Liam, who's obviously interested in him, but dumb Jackson assumes he's must be straight and shoves him into the arms of his sister. Cue Jasmine, an absolutely insufferable bitch. She loves to push herself on random guys and makes her as frequent as inevitable break-ups and break-downs her brother's problem. No, she's not "dramatic", Jackson. That's toxic behavior.
What was probably meant as some sort of "love triangle" is actually a plot tumor. And it drags on and on. It's no fun to read. If I pick up a gay rom-com, I don't want to read half a book of the narcissistic sister dating the love interest of her doormat brother. And it just keeps getting worse and worse.
DNF@50%
What was probably meant as some sort of "love triangle" is actually a plot tumor. And it drags on and on. It's no fun to read. If I pick up a gay rom-com, I don't want to read half a book of the narcissistic sister dating the love interest of her doormat brother. And it just keeps getting worse and worse.
DNF@50%
April 4, 2024
Many thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy.
I'm a huge fan of Adib Khorram's books, so I already knew I was going to love this, but still I was surprised by how much fun I was having.
The writing was just so incredibly fun, and it made me want to continue reading. I would highly recommend reading this in one sitting if you can because it's exactly that kind of YA romcom, the kind you won't want to put down and is just so fun to consume all at once. I didn't quite manage that this time, and it was a struggle to put this book down!
This book very much stood out to me in writing style. I loved reading the self-censoring Jackson does: striking certain words and phrases from the narration and replacing them by more palatable, but less honest ones. This was a brilliant way of letting us get to know Jackson really well as a main character without having to explicitly tell us that he struggles with saying what he means instead of pleasing the people around him.
Jackson is also deaf and wears hearing aids. I can't speak for the representation, but I did like how we got to experience a large part of what it means to Jackson to be disabled. In dialogue, it would often say "somethingsomething" in places where Jackson doesn't catch what someone is saying, which means that, since we also didn't get that information, we got to experience exactly how frustrating this is for him. I also appreciated the attention to how exhausting his disability can be for him.
And the romance? Is so sweet?? I love love LOVED seeing the budding friendship between Jackson and his crush, Liam, in the beginning of the book. I loved seeing them grow closer together and each thinking the other doesn't feel the same way, so both making terrible choices and creating a real mess.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is caught in the crosshairs of this mess, or you could say she firmly inserted herself there, depending how you look at it. I've seen some reviews be very critical of her, and I understand why, but I didn't feel quite that strongly about her. I do think she messed up, but Jackson also could have talked to her more. I think she was realistically flawed. The one thing I didn't like was how she took out her anger with him at school. Since they're siblings, that felt like a step too far, and I feel like it was a betrayal of sibling trust to take a conflict like that outside of their family environment.
I'm a huge fan of Adib Khorram's books, so I already knew I was going to love this, but still I was surprised by how much fun I was having.
The writing was just so incredibly fun, and it made me want to continue reading. I would highly recommend reading this in one sitting if you can because it's exactly that kind of YA romcom, the kind you won't want to put down and is just so fun to consume all at once. I didn't quite manage that this time, and it was a struggle to put this book down!
This book very much stood out to me in writing style. I loved reading the self-censoring Jackson does: striking certain words and phrases from the narration and replacing them by more palatable, but less honest ones. This was a brilliant way of letting us get to know Jackson really well as a main character without having to explicitly tell us that he struggles with saying what he means instead of pleasing the people around him.
Jackson is also deaf and wears hearing aids. I can't speak for the representation, but I did like how we got to experience a large part of what it means to Jackson to be disabled. In dialogue, it would often say "somethingsomething" in places where Jackson doesn't catch what someone is saying, which means that, since we also didn't get that information, we got to experience exactly how frustrating this is for him. I also appreciated the attention to how exhausting his disability can be for him.
And the romance? Is so sweet?? I love love LOVED seeing the budding friendship between Jackson and his crush, Liam, in the beginning of the book. I loved seeing them grow closer together and each thinking the other doesn't feel the same way, so both making terrible choices and creating a real mess.
Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is caught in the crosshairs of this mess, or you could say she firmly inserted herself there, depending how you look at it. I've seen some reviews be very critical of her, and I understand why, but I didn't feel quite that strongly about her. I do think she messed up, but Jackson also could have talked to her more. I think she was realistically flawed. The one thing I didn't like was how she took out her anger with him at school. Since they're siblings, that felt like a step too far, and I feel like it was a betrayal of sibling trust to take a conflict like that outside of their family environment.
May 29, 2024
aah this was so sweet and cute! simply, i am an adib khorram stan!
this was so good but i don't recommend the audiobook. i did not know going in that this had strike-out passages to represent jackson's thoughts and in the audiobook, they appear by the narrator saying "strike that". which yes, makes sense!! but it got annoying really fast the amount times that he says it.
(also i am a jasmine hater! she was annoying and horrible! and i despise her! she annoyed me! and did absolutely unforgivable things!)
this was so good but i don't recommend the audiobook. i did not know going in that this had strike-out passages to represent jackson's thoughts and in the audiobook, they appear by the narrator saying "strike that". which yes, makes sense!! but it got annoying really fast the amount times that he says it.
(also i am a jasmine hater! she was annoying and horrible! and i despise her! she annoyed me! and did absolutely unforgivable things!)
January 25, 2024
4.5
this is the best YA romance i’ve read in a hot minute. all of the characters and relationships are very well fleshed-out, there’s a lot of casual representation which is always great. characters fuck up badly, but they also know how to apologize properly. and liam. he might be one of my favorite love interests of all time. my only slight complaint would be that i wanted this book to be a bit longer, i thought it would’ve benefited from maybe having 50 more pages in terms of wrapping up storylines.
also a huge thank you to NetGalley and Dial Books/Penguin for providing me with an ARC of this book.
this is the best YA romance i’ve read in a hot minute. all of the characters and relationships are very well fleshed-out, there’s a lot of casual representation which is always great. characters fuck up badly, but they also know how to apologize properly. and liam. he might be one of my favorite love interests of all time. my only slight complaint would be that i wanted this book to be a bit longer, i thought it would’ve benefited from maybe having 50 more pages in terms of wrapping up storylines.
also a huge thank you to NetGalley and Dial Books/Penguin for providing me with an ARC of this book.
September 6, 2024
very cute but predictable
September 6, 2024
My original 3 star rating was bothering me, enough to come back and change to one star.
Things I loved:
1) a handicap/ hard of hearing MC.
2) Liam learning sign language to be able to better communicate with Jackson.
3) Inclusivity (though this was done to the extreme).
But there were so many things I hated about this book- I DNF'd at 76% which I hardly ever do- might as well finish it at that point. But this book was so annoying, borderline upsetting, that I couldn't finish.
Things I hated:
1) Obviously, Jasmine. She's basically a narcissistic sociopath who gives ZERO sh*#s about her brother, or anyone really, just herself. She's horrible to Jackson throughout the whole book, and though Liam was a sweetheart with her and broke up in a completely friendly way, she still villainizes him.
2) Jackson's parents. They're both very smart people, but absolute idiots when it comes to dealing with a HOF child. They should've learned sign language right away! Wearing hearing aids hurts and doesn't pick everything up. They didn't give a damn.
3) Liam- I hated that he was such a wimp, that he couldn't tell his sister, or anyone really, that he was interested in dating Jackson, not Liam.
4) the miscommunication trope- ughhhh- absolutely despise.
5) the teachers. Are you telling me that a single teacher doesn't care about their students enough to pick up on the fact that Jackson is going through stuff??? Is the drama teacher who supposedly really likes Jackson so blind and uncaring that she allows Cam to bully Jackson? Which leads me to...
6) Cam. He's such a jerk! Bullying Jackson. Liam's the only one that picks up on this and that drives me nuts too.
7) Nothing really gets resolved/ have consequences. Jasmine and Cam get off scott-free (a few detentions for Jasmine is nothing). The drama teacher isn't told off for mistreating Jackson. What's the point of having a HOH MC if you don't do anything with it, besides Liam learning a few words here and there? Neither his parents or the school have consequences or were corrected for not including Jackson/ being more accommodating. I have some physical limitations, enough to have been considered handicap by the school, and they did so much to try to help me- including allowing me to record lectures, getting multiple student notes anonymously uploaded on the school site for me to download. Why doesn't this school do anything to help Jackson?
8) Lastly, Jackson. I hated that he lacks a back bone. He should've told just about everyone off and put them in their place instead of letting them (mostly Jasmine and Cam) walk all over him. He should've stood up for himself and actually communicated his feelings, not let Jasmine lead his life for him. If he really loved Liam, he wouldn't have gone along with Liam's list (all the lists were stupid in my opinion).
So yeah, this whole book left me all kinds of annoyed.
Things I loved:
1) a handicap/ hard of hearing MC.
2) Liam learning sign language to be able to better communicate with Jackson.
3) Inclusivity (though this was done to the extreme).
But there were so many things I hated about this book- I DNF'd at 76% which I hardly ever do- might as well finish it at that point. But this book was so annoying, borderline upsetting, that I couldn't finish.
Things I hated:
1) Obviously, Jasmine. She's basically a narcissistic sociopath who gives ZERO sh*#s about her brother, or anyone really, just herself. She's horrible to Jackson throughout the whole book, and though Liam was a sweetheart with her and broke up in a completely friendly way, she still villainizes him.
2) Jackson's parents. They're both very smart people, but absolute idiots when it comes to dealing with a HOF child. They should've learned sign language right away! Wearing hearing aids hurts and doesn't pick everything up. They didn't give a damn.
3) Liam- I hated that he was such a wimp, that he couldn't tell his sister, or anyone really, that he was interested in dating Jackson, not Liam.
4) the miscommunication trope- ughhhh- absolutely despise.
5) the teachers. Are you telling me that a single teacher doesn't care about their students enough to pick up on the fact that Jackson is going through stuff??? Is the drama teacher who supposedly really likes Jackson so blind and uncaring that she allows Cam to bully Jackson? Which leads me to...
6) Cam. He's such a jerk! Bullying Jackson. Liam's the only one that picks up on this and that drives me nuts too.
7) Nothing really gets resolved/ have consequences. Jasmine and Cam get off scott-free (a few detentions for Jasmine is nothing). The drama teacher isn't told off for mistreating Jackson. What's the point of having a HOH MC if you don't do anything with it, besides Liam learning a few words here and there? Neither his parents or the school have consequences or were corrected for not including Jackson/ being more accommodating. I have some physical limitations, enough to have been considered handicap by the school, and they did so much to try to help me- including allowing me to record lectures, getting multiple student notes anonymously uploaded on the school site for me to download. Why doesn't this school do anything to help Jackson?
8) Lastly, Jackson. I hated that he lacks a back bone. He should've told just about everyone off and put them in their place instead of letting them (mostly Jasmine and Cam) walk all over him. He should've stood up for himself and actually communicated his feelings, not let Jasmine lead his life for him. If he really loved Liam, he wouldn't have gone along with Liam's list (all the lists were stupid in my opinion).
So yeah, this whole book left me all kinds of annoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2024
Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Loved the concept of this book and all of the great representation, but overall it just fell flat for me.
-I thought the actual "Break up Lists" would be funny, but they really weren't. This was a missed opportunity.
-I'm not sure if it is because an ARC is not a final draft, but I was confused by the numerous times something was described with an alternate word or synonym attached to it.
-I loved Liam and the chemistry was really cute, but seriously, what's the deal with Jackson's tag situation?! Why is he the only one at school who has a tag that can't stay in his shirt? This was definitely over done.
-From early on, you could tell what was going to happen and knew that it would be annoying.
-Jasmine was absolutely horrible and honestly ruined the book for me. What a toxic human being!! I'm also really irritated that she basically gets away with everything and karma doesn't intervene. The sibling resolution still doesn't hold her accountable for being a total narcissist and an all around horrible human.
I know I'm in the minority with this review and glad that everyone else has enjoyed it more than I did. Again, great idea and loved the diversity, but I guess it just wasn't the right book for me.
Loved the concept of this book and all of the great representation, but overall it just fell flat for me.
-I thought the actual "Break up Lists" would be funny, but they really weren't. This was a missed opportunity.
-I'm not sure if it is because an ARC is not a final draft, but I was confused by the numerous times something was described with an alternate word or synonym attached to it.
-I loved Liam and the chemistry was really cute, but seriously, what's the deal with Jackson's tag situation?! Why is he the only one at school who has a tag that can't stay in his shirt? This was definitely over done.
-From early on, you could tell what was going to happen and knew that it would be annoying.
-Jasmine was absolutely horrible and honestly ruined the book for me. What a toxic human being!! I'm also really irritated that she basically gets away with everything and karma doesn't intervene. The sibling resolution still doesn't hold her accountable for being a total narcissist and an all around horrible human.
I know I'm in the minority with this review and glad that everyone else has enjoyed it more than I did. Again, great idea and loved the diversity, but I guess it just wasn't the right book for me.
November 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this YA contemporary. I loved the theatre setting, of course. The story is predictable, but that's nothing new in this genre. I liked the main characters and the romance was very sweet. Adib Khorram has such a great writing style, it's addictive and so easy to read. I also enjoyed the lists and text messages.
April 2, 2024
I do not like anything about this book.
May 27, 2024
Jasmine … what an awful child. Jasmine (for me) evokes feelings that I’ve only had for nadine’s brother in the edge of seventeen
August 7, 2025
This was going to be four stars except I hope the sister dies a horrifically painful death <3
dnf
April 9, 2024dnf
the strikethroughs are incredibly annoying (whereas in the book version the text is crossed out, in the audiobook the narrator says 'strike that' every single time...a choice for sure). i think i'm just too old to enjoy this type of simplistic, almost wattpadesque, storytelling. if this book is on your radar check out other reviews.
the strikethroughs are incredibly annoying (whereas in the book version the text is crossed out, in the audiobook the narrator says 'strike that' every single time...a choice for sure). i think i'm just too old to enjoy this type of simplistic, almost wattpadesque, storytelling. if this book is on your radar check out other reviews.
April 22, 2024
sooooo much fun. messy and teenage-angsty and endearing. i would watch this disney channel original movie
April 3, 2024
thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Came for a book with a theatre techie as the main character and stayed for a story that was hard to put down and interesting character journeys. THE BREAKUP LISTS is so incredibly readable even in some of its relative simplicity. I think the great thing about this book is not that it’s some incredibly unique plot or story, but that it takes some pretty regular coming-of-age and YA moments and personalises it through individual and unique characters that you want to read about. And even when I thought I had everything figured out, Khorram would take things a slightly different way than I guessed. It’s a really solid YA read and one I absolutely flew through without even meaning to, definitely worth the read and I absolutely recommend it!
Just to get them out of the way, there were a few things I didn’t totally love about this book. For one, there’s lots of little words or terms that are personal to the characters and while I understand they’re characterization, the fifth time I read ‘schmoodie’ I wanted to set the book down. I also initially found it annoying how it felt like every other sentence had a word crossed out, but this writing style actually grew on me, especially as Khorram uses it to showcase Jackson’s growth and growing self-confidence!
Like I said at the beginning, I think the best part about this book is the characters. I think we get several really nuanced characters (even if I still don’t like Jasmine), and it’s really fun to watch them both learn and grow. Jackson isn’t perfect and his growth arc is not just getting others to treat him better, but treating others better. I was also really invested in the theatre techie storyline aspect as someone who used to do tech in high school, especially after not really getting a role in a show. I can’t personally comment on the authenticity of Jackson’s experiences as a deaf person, but I do think it was well-integrated into the story and enhanced what Khorram was trying to do with this story.
It can feel harder to relate to YA stories, even ones that have elements that were important to my high school experience, as I get older. But despite the things that I even thought might make me sad and miss my past experiences were just another piece that made this book fun to read. I really enjoyed my time reading it and I hope to continue to read more books like it!
Came for a book with a theatre techie as the main character and stayed for a story that was hard to put down and interesting character journeys. THE BREAKUP LISTS is so incredibly readable even in some of its relative simplicity. I think the great thing about this book is not that it’s some incredibly unique plot or story, but that it takes some pretty regular coming-of-age and YA moments and personalises it through individual and unique characters that you want to read about. And even when I thought I had everything figured out, Khorram would take things a slightly different way than I guessed. It’s a really solid YA read and one I absolutely flew through without even meaning to, definitely worth the read and I absolutely recommend it!
Just to get them out of the way, there were a few things I didn’t totally love about this book. For one, there’s lots of little words or terms that are personal to the characters and while I understand they’re characterization, the fifth time I read ‘schmoodie’ I wanted to set the book down. I also initially found it annoying how it felt like every other sentence had a word crossed out, but this writing style actually grew on me, especially as Khorram uses it to showcase Jackson’s growth and growing self-confidence!
Like I said at the beginning, I think the best part about this book is the characters. I think we get several really nuanced characters (even if I still don’t like Jasmine), and it’s really fun to watch them both learn and grow. Jackson isn’t perfect and his growth arc is not just getting others to treat him better, but treating others better. I was also really invested in the theatre techie storyline aspect as someone who used to do tech in high school, especially after not really getting a role in a show. I can’t personally comment on the authenticity of Jackson’s experiences as a deaf person, but I do think it was well-integrated into the story and enhanced what Khorram was trying to do with this story.
It can feel harder to relate to YA stories, even ones that have elements that were important to my high school experience, as I get older. But despite the things that I even thought might make me sad and miss my past experiences were just another piece that made this book fun to read. I really enjoyed my time reading it and I hope to continue to read more books like it!
June 14, 2024
cute ya romcom as long as you're fine with some extremely fanfic prose
July 7, 2024
I think it would be an average book of the main guy didn't say "scratch that" every 2 seconds
August 20, 2024
Noncommunication is one of my least favourite things and my absolute hatred of the sister made this a struggle to get through.
March 21, 2025
Why is his shirt tag always out?
May 1, 2024
thank you to dial books and penguin teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
this book was truly such a blast! my previous experience with adib khorram was with their short story included in an anthology collection, which i had adored. instantly, i knew i wanted to read more from him and especially a full length novel. so when i saw that he was publishing the breakup lists, a book about a theater-loving, queer teen i had to get my hands on it!
and i’m so so glad that i did. not only was the theater nerd out in full force in this book, but there was competitive swimming AND disability representation (which i truly had no idea what present in this book). i wish there was more people shouting about how khorram portrayed our deaf main character (who is wearing hearing aids on the cover i just totally didn’t realize!). while i can not speak personally on the representation as i’m not deaf/hard of hearing, khorram’s depiction of jackson’s disability felt quite accurate. he doesn’t hear everything which is representative has jackson physically missing the words and attempting to fill in the black. his assumptions aren’t always correct. people will get frustrated with him. he communicates with his friends through ASL. it was so incredible to see and was truly the highlight of this books.
as for the writing structure, while i didn’t personally love jackson’s internal monologue crossing things out on page, it does get toned down as we progress through the story. and did sometime’s lead to a laugh. so while it took a while to get used to that stylistic choice, it did become quite workable.
okay, moving onto liam. i love liam. i think he is the sweetest soul, and while he think’s he is a people pleasure, i just know he has the best intentions, even if it does end in disaster. i was so curious to see how his story would play out and i loved how it was executed. while jackson can be very strong with his lists, and his worries, i loved seeing liam’s calm demeanor. i think they were such a great pairing and while they took a while to get where they were, it was worth the trouble.
this book was truly such a blast! my previous experience with adib khorram was with their short story included in an anthology collection, which i had adored. instantly, i knew i wanted to read more from him and especially a full length novel. so when i saw that he was publishing the breakup lists, a book about a theater-loving, queer teen i had to get my hands on it!
and i’m so so glad that i did. not only was the theater nerd out in full force in this book, but there was competitive swimming AND disability representation (which i truly had no idea what present in this book). i wish there was more people shouting about how khorram portrayed our deaf main character (who is wearing hearing aids on the cover i just totally didn’t realize!). while i can not speak personally on the representation as i’m not deaf/hard of hearing, khorram’s depiction of jackson’s disability felt quite accurate. he doesn’t hear everything which is representative has jackson physically missing the words and attempting to fill in the black. his assumptions aren’t always correct. people will get frustrated with him. he communicates with his friends through ASL. it was so incredible to see and was truly the highlight of this books.
as for the writing structure, while i didn’t personally love jackson’s internal monologue crossing things out on page, it does get toned down as we progress through the story. and did sometime’s lead to a laugh. so while it took a while to get used to that stylistic choice, it did become quite workable.
okay, moving onto liam. i love liam. i think he is the sweetest soul, and while he think’s he is a people pleasure, i just know he has the best intentions, even if it does end in disaster. i was so curious to see how his story would play out and i loved how it was executed. while jackson can be very strong with his lists, and his worries, i loved seeing liam’s calm demeanor. i think they were such a great pairing and while they took a while to get where they were, it was worth the trouble.
August 22, 2024
There is a really good reason why Adib Khorram is one of my favorite authors. It could be that I smile through his books. Maybe it’s because I look forward to every year’s release knowing he won’t let me down. I always seem to relate to his MC’s in some way, which in turn means we would be great friends. At least in my head that’s what it means.
Jackson is a theater kid, which doesn’t inherently make him the perfect character. (I was a theater kid… we are wonderful people!) He’s also deaf (great rep, but we will be revisiting this) and Iranian (as is the author). All of this together makes such a well rounded MC. His only flaw (imo) is his lists…
When someone upsets him, he makes a “breakup list” for them and the pro’s and con’s of them as a person. He also does this when his sister gets dumped to help her move on. Obviously, he thinks no one will ever see them, but we as readers can sniff out foreshadowing like a blood hound, especially when it’s shoved right into our (beautiful) faces.
Jackson’s sister, Jasmine, is the ultimate storybook villain. Not only is she selfish and doesn’t actual think about her own brother’s feelings, but when she dates his friend and eventually they break up, she makes him REPEATEDLY read his own friend’s breakup list that he didn’t want to write in the first place back to her. By repeatedly, I mean ALL THE DAMN TIME. And to top it off, since they got his hearing results back, none of his family have even attempted to learn ASL to make it more accessible to talk to him… he lost his hearing YEARS ago. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarssssssssss. So she learned her selfishness from her parents.
Now enter Liam, a new friend who may or may not have already been into Jackson before they got to know each other, but thought he was dating his best friend Bowie. So he never made a move and instead got pushed to the side. So like in teen romcom fashion, we got a lot of pining and want from afar.
I had a lot of emotions during my read of The Breakup Lists, because I really enjoy a YA Romance that centers around theater. It brings me back to the good ole days and makes me wish I had been a little more outgoing and spent time with my cast mates outside of school and practice. If only I could do high school all over again………. I would not. 😂 I loved it, but I can’t deal with all of those hormones again. That’s too much work.
Sometimes when I read a book that I love, I start to feel protective over the characters. Like I don’t want anyone to hurt them, because they’re my perfect little angel babies. And to top it off, they’re queer so I feel a kinship to them.
Needless to say I loved this! Read it!
Jackson is a theater kid, which doesn’t inherently make him the perfect character. (I was a theater kid… we are wonderful people!) He’s also deaf (great rep, but we will be revisiting this) and Iranian (as is the author). All of this together makes such a well rounded MC. His only flaw (imo) is his lists…
When someone upsets him, he makes a “breakup list” for them and the pro’s and con’s of them as a person. He also does this when his sister gets dumped to help her move on. Obviously, he thinks no one will ever see them, but we as readers can sniff out foreshadowing like a blood hound, especially when it’s shoved right into our (beautiful) faces.
Jackson’s sister, Jasmine, is the ultimate storybook villain. Not only is she selfish and doesn’t actual think about her own brother’s feelings, but when she dates his friend and eventually they break up, she makes him REPEATEDLY read his own friend’s breakup list that he didn’t want to write in the first place back to her. By repeatedly, I mean ALL THE DAMN TIME. And to top it off, since they got his hearing results back, none of his family have even attempted to learn ASL to make it more accessible to talk to him… he lost his hearing YEARS ago. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarssssssssss. So she learned her selfishness from her parents.
Now enter Liam, a new friend who may or may not have already been into Jackson before they got to know each other, but thought he was dating his best friend Bowie. So he never made a move and instead got pushed to the side. So like in teen romcom fashion, we got a lot of pining and want from afar.
I had a lot of emotions during my read of The Breakup Lists, because I really enjoy a YA Romance that centers around theater. It brings me back to the good ole days and makes me wish I had been a little more outgoing and spent time with my cast mates outside of school and practice. If only I could do high school all over again………. I would not. 😂 I loved it, but I can’t deal with all of those hormones again. That’s too much work.
Sometimes when I read a book that I love, I start to feel protective over the characters. Like I don’t want anyone to hurt them, because they’re my perfect little angel babies. And to top it off, they’re queer so I feel a kinship to them.
Needless to say I loved this! Read it!
March 22, 2024
3.5 rounded up
An enjoyable queer YA romcom with a great cast of diverse characters and a relatable Iranian American deaf MMC who falls for the guy his sister starts dating. I thought the hard of hearing disability rep was excellent in this book, especially the way that parts of conversation was blanked out because our protagonist missed when certain people were talking and he couldn't read there lips.
That said, I got really annoyed by the way he repeated 'crossed out' his thoughts (this might have been easier to handle reading the print or ebook version but on audio it was very distracting from the overall story/inner dialogue.
Still a good story though and especially recommended for any and all theatre geeks as this book revolves around a high school Shakespeare production. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!
An enjoyable queer YA romcom with a great cast of diverse characters and a relatable Iranian American deaf MMC who falls for the guy his sister starts dating. I thought the hard of hearing disability rep was excellent in this book, especially the way that parts of conversation was blanked out because our protagonist missed when certain people were talking and he couldn't read there lips.
That said, I got really annoyed by the way he repeated 'crossed out' his thoughts (this might have been easier to handle reading the print or ebook version but on audio it was very distracting from the overall story/inner dialogue.
Still a good story though and especially recommended for any and all theatre geeks as this book revolves around a high school Shakespeare production. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!
May 29, 2024
a love letter to the theatre kids, both onstage and behind the scenes!
i had a lot of fun reading jackson and liam's story! it's messy and complicated, but also super heartfelt. i also loved bowie's character, i would definitely read a book about them! even though i could see the miscommunication & conflict coming, it somehow was even more dramatic than i had anticipated. jasmine... i've got some words for you! there were also a lot of different identities represented in this story and i think that it will mean a lot to a lot of young readers!
thank you to penguin teen & netgalley for the eARC!
i had a lot of fun reading jackson and liam's story! it's messy and complicated, but also super heartfelt. i also loved bowie's character, i would definitely read a book about them! even though i could see the miscommunication & conflict coming, it somehow was even more dramatic than i had anticipated. jasmine... i've got some words for you! there were also a lot of different identities represented in this story and i think that it will mean a lot to a lot of young readers!
thank you to penguin teen & netgalley for the eARC!
April 3, 2024
Oooooh that was CUTE AS HELL 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
June 25, 2025
I wish Jackson's sister had gotten a fucking shoe to the head
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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