Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2024
336 pages
Genre: Romance
Publication Information
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 Liam: 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?
"An irresistibly readable novel that builds on the tropes of a traditional rom-com. It has a carefully constructed…empathetic and fully realized characters…and sensitive treatment of Jackson's disability. We're already putting this on the list of the year's finer novels." —Booklist (starred review)
"This sweet, slow-burn sibling love triangle with an added sprinkling of family drama rivals Alice Oseman's Heartstopper in its cuteness and appeal…Love deserves a standing ovation in this multilayered exploration of what it truly means to feel seen." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In this emotionally complex rom-com, Khorram (Kiss & Tell) winningly captures Jackson's struggle finding himself amid the chaos of high school theater. Jackson's first-person POV recounting his growing crush and his frustration with those around him is both sharp and sincere, making this a wholesome and hilarious tale." —Publishers Weekly
This information about The Breakup Lists was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Afsoneh Khorram
Adib Khorram lives in Kansas City, Missouri. When he isn't writing (or at his day job as a graphic designer), you can probably find him trying to get his hundred-yard freestyle under a minute, learning to a Lutz jump, or steeping a cup of oolong.
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