5⭐️

I thought I had outgrown YA novels and was mostly reading them for my students, but I was so wrong. This wonderful romcom was so addictive. I had to read every spare minute. I think my family thought I had a code brown myself. Every parent knows that the toilet is the most quiet place in the house and I gratefully took advantage of that.
The story of Liam and Jackson is so pure and beautifully described. The longing for each other, the knees touching, not daring to say what you actually feel and therefore making stupid choices.
The story was predictable, but at no point was it disturbing. The writing style prevents it from becoming cliché and it gives you a wonderful insight into the minds of two teenagers who want nothing more than each other, but are also looking for themselves.
I will definitely recommend this book to my students. I'm sure they will enjoy it too.

Thank you netgalley and penguinTeen for providing the arc. This is my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I am not sure how i feel about this book in the end. I liked the plot well enough! But there was a stylistic choice of crossing some things out and i didn't totally understand the meaning of it? It felt overly specific in a way that just didn't work for me. My expectations were high because i like Adib Khorram but ultimately this book was just pretty good.

I do think it is very appropriate to be in high school libraries and that there are kids who will connect well with it!

NetGalley ARC.

A cute YA rom-com with a diverse set of characters!!
Super easy to read with great themes for all ages.

The book is told from Jackson's pov, an Iranian American deaf/hoh theatre kid, who is falling in love for the first time and it's just so sweet and tender. It's classic YA with a lot of diversity which we LOVE <333
I thoroughly enjoyed this story except I could not STAND Jackson's sister and what she did to him.

The adorable tension between Jackson and Liam was making me just kick my feet!!! I loved it so much.
Thank you so much Dial books & Penguin Teen for the ARC of this sweet book!

In “The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram, the author has created a multilayered and complex story, one in which the characters are three dimensional and the romance is realistic and authentic. From the very start, I liked the depth of the story, with Jackson differently abled and the conflict set up between him and his sister. I like that the author doesn’t shy away from depicting Jackson’s deafness and does so with sensitivity and understanding.
Part of what makes the story so endearing is seeing how Jackson struggles with his feelings. He clearly hasn’t resolved issues from his parent’s divorce nor should he have. This creates a complex dynamic but I love how the friendship between him and Liam grows. I especially like how it forces Jackson to deal with some of his issues and stand up for himself with others. Liam is also treated with empathy and his feelings are as important to the story as Jackson.
If you like emotional stories full of drama, multilayered and complex narratives and characters, this story is for you. If you liked Heartstopper you will likely enjoy this novel as well. It has the same depth, a similar authenticity and characters you can empathize with, especially Jackson. I loved the honesty and the drama.

This is the first book I've read by this author and is a little different than the typical books I read. It was really enjoyable and I hope to read more by this author.

Jackson is most comfortable when he is working as the stage manager for one of his school's theater productions. Unlike many of classmates, including his older sister, he largely avoids romance since he broke up with Cameron, a frequent star of the school's shows. Instead, he writes breakup lists for his sister after her frequent relationships come to an end, helping her identify every flaw with her latest ex-boyfriend as a way to help her get over them. So when Liam, a star athlete, gets one of the starring roles in the latest musical, Jackson is shocked to find that he may have a crush on him. Jackson soon discovers that he may want more from his high school experience than he had let himself imagine ... and that getting it may be harder than he ever expected as he navigates the complicated dynamics of relationships, family, and theater.

This was a perceptive and often funny novel. Well-written with strong characters, it offers an engaging and creative story.

Highly recommended!

A little fun fact about me is that I was a theater kid in high school and today is the release day of The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram. So naturally, I had to search for my old script of Twelfth Night because I did the same show in high school like the characters in this book! Okay enough about me, let’s get to the book review!

Despite being out of the target demographic for some of these YA books, I still find comfort in the cliches and predictability of a YA romcom. And Khorram’s newest book delivers that in full!

Not only do we get classic YA tropes and friendship and relationship drama scattered amongst the sweet and funny moments, there is also a lot of diversity in this LGBTQ+ romance. Our main character, Jackson, is not only gay and Iranian-American, but is also hard of hearing and wears cochlear implants. Having him be the center of the story adds an extra layer of depth to his struggles as a teenager trying to navigate high school. Alongside him is a love interest who’s just dreamy and a plethora of side characters that round out this novel to be the fun and binge-able YA novel it is.

Also, as a former high school theatre kid, I appreciated every theatre reference in this book and made me wish I could go back to high school when, even though it didn’t seem like it at the time, things were much simpler. That nostalgia factor will definitely have older readers enjoying this story while younger readers will relate to the struggles these characters are dealing with.

If you’re looking for a book with diverse characters, typical teenage angst and drama, disability rep, and theatre kids galore then this is the book for you.
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*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Adib Khorram creates another delightful YA character in Jackson Ghasnavi, a high school stage manager in Kansas City. Jackson has been openly queer for a while, but hasn’t dated much, aside from one conceited actor who now bullies him. On the other hand, his sister Jasmine has dated a parade of horrible boys, and every time she goes through a breakup, Jackson writes her a “breakup list” of reasons they sucked (I like how Khorram suggested this wasn’t a healthy dating history without shaming Jasmine). Sometimes, Jackson writes breakup lists for other people he’s frustrated with.

When Liam, a swim teammate of Khorram’s best friend Bowie, auditions for the school musical, he and Jackson become friends, and Jackson starts to feel a little more. Liam even learns ASL to communicate better with Jackson, something not even his own family has done (Bowie, the child of Deaf parents, taught Jackson). But he also catches Jasmine’s eye, rendering him off-limits for Jackson. There’s lots of pining and the development of a great friendship and then, well, drama ensues.

I won’t summarize much more to avoid spoilers. I love a good high school play in literature and here, there were two! Jesus Christ Superstar gives way to Twelfth Night (fun fact: my only starring role ever was as Viola in Twelfth Night when I was in fifth grade). Both of them are delightfully queered, and I love that our protagonist is a stage manager, keeping everyone organized but always playing second fiddle to the dramatic actors. I also really liked Bowie, though I felt some of the other supporting characters could have been more fully realized.

The lists are kind of obviously Chekhov’s breakup lists, so of course they cause drama late in the novel. I also really like how that was handled—Jackson gets a lot of flack for what was really a coping mechanism, and a lot of people don’t respond the way they should, but things do work out. I love Khorram’s nuanced emotions and attention to detail. And this isn’t Darius the Great Is Not Okay, but what is?

can’t express how much I love it and definitely will be ordering some copies for the bookstore It make me feel like I have reading a tv show, funny and lovely a book that needed this young generation.

I had a fun time reading this book! It was very over-dramatic teen problems (which is absolutely not a bad thing, and makes sense considering the huge role theater plays in the book). Liam is the perfect romantic lead, and I loved Bowie. My biggest issue with the book is I find it hard to believe that Jackson’s tag is sticking out *that* much. At this point I wonder if it’s a user error or something. Someone please get Jackson some tag-less clothes.

I’m not sure why I don’t read more YA romances because I usually love them when I do. This story hit me on so many levels. I was a theater kid who also did stage crew and that’s actually how my husband and I met. My kids were both swimmers. There were so many things in this story I can say the author got spot-on. It seems weird, but the way the smell of the swimmers was described brought authenticity to this book for me.

One of the things I love about this story is the way Jackson’s family is portrayed. From the outside, they are a loving and supportive bunch. Jackson and his sister get along great, he loves his step-mom, and his dad mostly stays out of the way of his kids as he’s a busy doctor. Yet, as is the case with most families, there are underlying issues that may not be seen from the outside. In truth, I couldn’t stand Jackson’s family. Jackson is deaf and they are all ableists. His sister is selfish and self-centered. It quickly becomes obvious that they get along so well because Jackson doesn’t push back about anything, and he often should.

The romance in this book is so sweet and angsty. There is so much uncertainty in how Jackson and Liam interact and dance around each other, yet it’s obvious from the start that there is a spark there. It’s a wonderful portrayal of what it’s like to be a teenager and fall for someone you don’t know enough about. Add in the fact that one character is openly gay and the other is an unknown and there’s even more confusion. The way things get sorted is a fumbling mess that is plainly going to implode eventually.

As much as I adore Liam and Jackson, the unsung hero of this story is Jackson’s best friend Bowie. Where Jackson’s family is lacking, Bowie and their family pick up the slack. Even when Jackson isn’t such a great friend, Bowie is still there to pick up the pieces and be his sounding board. Their relationship is often one-sided, but Bowie is patient while Jackson sorts himself out.

I’ll definitely be seeking out more from this new-to-me author. I loved this story, his writing, and his characters.

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!

This was such a lovely book full of so much heart. I loved that Adib Khorram took a predictable plot and made it into something really special. I really loved the lack of gay panic with Liam. He wasn't always confident, but he never seemed to take any issue with the fact that he had a crush on a guy. Whether Liam is bi, pan, queer, gay or something else, I just really enjoyed that there wasn't an internalized homophobia plot thrown in. I thought Jackson was an incredibly lovable character and I super appreciated the hard of hearing representation! My only qualm with this book was that Jasmine really did not have to atone at all. I felt like her apology to Jackson was weak and all through the book I felt annoyed with the type of person she was. That being said, since we never really got to take a look into her head, I do give her some grace. Overall, this was another excellent read from Adib Khorram!

Did I just find a new favorite author? It seems that way.

The amount of love I have for this book.

I literally devoured the book. It was so good!

Such an entertaining and quick read!

I love books that bring on nostalgia for me, and this was one of them.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

I truly enjoyed this coming of age LGBTQ+ romance. It had the right amount of teenage angst mixed with humor and cheekiness. I liked the high school theater elements and thought the main characters were so compatible. I'm always a proponent of Own voices novels and Adib Khorram delivers once again with this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Group Readers, and Adib Khorram for an eARC of The Breakup Lists in exchange for an honest review. 

Great plotline with well fleshed-out characters that I felt myself relating to in all sorts of ways. Lots of great explorations of intersectionality and ways the characters navigated the world they were in.

I sometimes had qualms with the way that the characters handled specific situations, but overall I really enjoyed this read.

4/5 stars!

Another hit by Adib Khorram. Jackson, Liam, and Bowie were all standout characters for the main cast, each of them having distinct and lovely characteristics. In general I thought that the plot was well thought out and worked, and while being predictable in some spots it didn't put me off of the book but made me excited to see how the characters would react in the situations. The novel left me feeling warm and happy, and it now ranks number two of his novels firmly behind Darius the Great is Not Okay.

Thank you Publisher and Netglley for this e-galley.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH.
Jackson, as a main character is so adorable and Liam is so gentle and sweet. Every simple gestures between them make me swooning so hard.

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!!!

I enjoyed this book. I always like Adib Khorram's books and feel that he deals with a lot of struggles queer teens face in his books. I loved the deaf representation and how the character Jackson was portrayed. His and Liam's relationship was sweet to watch, despite how messy it was behind the scenes. I overall enjoyed the ending of the story, I did feel Jasmine needed to take more responsibility for her part in her and Jacksons fight and I don't think she fully grasped how messed up what she did was. Otherwise, I liked everything else and adored the side character of Brodie, I could read and entire book on them I loved them so much!

The Breakup Lists was a fun, YA story with flawed, but endearing characters, mistaked made, and lessons learned. I look forward to Khorram's next book!