Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

In a sentence or so: On her way to deliver back a box of ticket stubs, bottle caps, a stolen sugar container and other mementos from their whirlwind relationship, Min writes a letter to Ed about why they broke up.

Min met Ed at a party for her best friend Al. Ed is the star of the basketball team and Min adores vintage films. Ed is part of the in-crowd with a bit of a player reputation while Min has a group of arty friends and hangs mostly on the fringes. She never thought he’d notice a girl like her, but he did. Ed never thought he’d buy a girl a camera just because she wanted it, but he did. Neither of them thought they’d be so head over heels so quickly…but they were.

Like all relationships, Min and Ed's brief courtship had highs and lows and everywhere in between. Min relives the best and the worst of them through her letter to Ed and patiently and passionately explains why they broke up.

I loved the concept for this book. You know their relationship ends, so reading about it from the beginning and knowing its doomed provided an original take on puppy love for me. Neither Min or Ed are perfect or blameless, which makes them authentic and relatable.

While at times the book felt like it was written from a much older perspective, I still loved the idea and execution of this story. I found this to be emotionally rich and invested easily with the characters. The fresh take on a doomed puppy love was absorbing and surprisingly fulfilling.

There are illustrations that create additional layers to the read that weren’t included in this ARC, but did come in postcard form. If you’re interested in getting one of these postcards from yours truly, be one of the first five people to leave a comment with your email address and I’ll contact you so I can send one your way!

Fave quote: "Here we are at the bottom, almost empty. It's like confetti, these dried remnants you find in the street for a party no one invited you to. But they used to be, I can admit, part of something beautiful." (pg. 325)

Fix er up: While I did enjoy Al as a character, I wasn’t a huge fan of the secondary role he played. I won’t spoil anything for potential readers by sharing further…but if you have read this, let me know so we can discuss!

Title: Why We Broke Up

Author: Daniel Handler

Illustrator: Maira Kalman

Publishing Info: December 2011, Little, Brown for Young Readers

Genre: Relationship, Romance

[FTC Notice: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine. Thanks Little, Brown {much love AS ALWAYS} and Amazon!]