I really enjoyed this story about Jackson, a Deaf Iranian teenager who does the stage managing for the high school drama department. The entire story is told through his point of view. I especially liked how it would show that he couldn't always hear everything people around him were saying even with hearing aids. I thought it was so cute that Liam learned ASL in order to communicate at all times with him when even his own family hadn't bothered to learn. This was such a cute story and I definitely want to read more from the author.

Jackson is a lot of things… but romantic. He’s had front row tickets to his parents divorce and has suffered on that end of not all “happily ever afters” end on a happy note. He likes life quiet and behind the scenes, literally, as he works as the stage manager. But when the popular swim jock enters the stage, Jackson and his sister Jasmine both have eyes set on winning the hunk.

This story was raw and real. I connected and I felt. Of course I’m not a gay guy falling for the jock, but the realness was there. It was such a quick and enjoyable read as I loved all the aspects the story told. Jackson deals with different challenges, being on the deaf spectrum of hard hearing, it has him always turning into a shell. There’s also just some comedic timing and banter that make the plot come together.

Every time I read a book by Adib, I remember how much there’s something special in the world. And refreshens me with the world of love and hope!

Romantic and sweeping, this was the perfect unexpected high school romance. Fascinated by the new kid, Liam, Jackson has no idea what's hit him.

Jackson Ghasnavi is a high-schooler who doesn't really believe in romance. His parents split up and his older sister has gone through a long list of breakups in her dating history. Each time she has a breakup, Jackson writes her a "breakup list" which details all the reasons she is no longer with that person, and she asks him to read her the lists on a regular basis. He spends his time working as the stage manager for the high school drama department - making sure all the shows run smoothly. Then his sort-of friend Liam, senior swim team captain with very boy-next-door vibes surprisingly gets the lead in the senior musical and he and Jackson start spending more time together. The problem is that Jackson's sister has some strong feelings for Liam, and Liam thinks that Jackson and Jackson's best friend Bowie, are more than just friends.
This was a sweet and fast YA read. It was pretty predictable, but I was still rooting hard for Jackson to be seen by all those in his life who weren't really seeing him, and the happy ending was a joy to read. Jackson also has a hearing disability, and the frustrations he faces with that and the people around him not understanding those frustrations taught me some things about hearing loss (and made me want to learn ASL).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I have mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed the fact that the main character was deaf and the way that was represented in the story. I also thought the love story was cute and the theatre department setting/plot was fun. I struggled a bit with the lists that Jackson made--it's one thing if you are going to make something like that, but who in their right mind would keep them in their notebook and bring them to school every day? It was clear from the beginning that one of the lists would cause the 3rd act conflict. I also really disliked Jasmine (Jackson's sister) and the way her storyline played out in relation to Jackson and Liam. Overall, this was a fine YA romance but not one that will shoot to the top of my recommendation lists for students.

Since his mother left him, Jackson has been making lists to deal with his disappointments, a habit that has been extended to his sister and her numerous heartbreaks, so she'll remember why she shouldn't care for those guys. Now Liam, who has become not only Jackson's friend but also his secret crush, may become his sister's next boyfriend and maybe his next list, even though Liam was supposed to be his.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I don't remember reading a book about a character with a hearing disability before, and it was great the way it integrated seamlessly with the story. And of course, it raised great topics for discussion along with points I'll bring to life.

But this book is much more than being about a character with disability. The story had me hooked in all of its acts. There's this cute guy who's become a part of Jackson's daily life and even though he's cute, he's never given any sign that he could also be into guys, so Jackson never makes a move and he's probably okay with that until his sister also takes interest in Liam, and different from Jackson, she does go for what she wants. It's such a bad dilemma. As much as he liked Liam first, now he happens to like the guy his sister made very clear to like—without him protesting, though I'm not sure how that talk would have gone if he had told her anything.

The parts about theater, about his ex, about the plays were also interesting to follow. It made me want to watch the musical theater version of Jesus Christ Superstar and I'm not even a fan of musicals!

The plot itself is a pretty hard one to give a good resolution unless you appeal to lucky happenings—like, magically, his sister forgets about Liam and falls for someone else entirely—, which is not the proposal of this book. I admire that the author faced the problem head on, even if I wished it could have had a cleaner solution, without the heartbreak.

I liked the style and I liked the development, and I loved the characters, so I'm definitely recommending this to fans of YAs. Also, I'm eager to get my hands on more works by this author!


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

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!!

THE BREAKUP LISTS by Adib Khorram is a sweet yet angsty teen romance. It manages to stay light-hearted while touching on real issues of discrimination and complicated high school relationships. Jackson is a likable leading character, He does make some frustrating mistakes, but they're justified well by the plot and characterization. While the story feels slightly disjointed, it makes for an overall light and entertaining read.

Any book about theatre kids automatically gets my attention. The characters were diverse across race, sexuality, gender, and abilities. This book not only had a swoony romance, but the main character’s friendship with his best friend was also beautiful. I really flew through this one - it was just the right length and really sweet.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Well I flew through this book. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, but I should have considered since it’s Adib Khorram. Since reading his Darius books back in 2022, I will read anything and everything he puts out. This was an adorable addition.

I don’t know how I felt about all the random words being crossed out everywhere. I know it was probably to make it look like a list or something, but it was a little weird. I love a good romcom, and this one had all of the usual workings as well as some moments that truly made me furious. Jasmine was the most annoying person ever throughout the whole book and I’m not really sure if I can forgive her in the end. She’s just a really bad sister. I also got weird anxiety reading because I knew something bad was going to happen eventually. Why do romance books always need third act breakups?!

I liked how this explored Jackson being deaf and how people treated him for it. The way people would speak slowly or treat him like he was stupid instead of just repeating themselves to him. The fact that none of his family had learned sign language. Liam was such an adorable golden retriever boyfriend. His character was my favorite. I also really liked Bowie and a few of the minor characters that we don’t really see that much of.

Adib’s writing is incredible and I’m so excited for his adult debut later this year. This one has a lot of heart and great storytelling and is full of amazing rep of different kinds.

Always excited to check out an Adib Khorram book ever since the first Darius book, which was one of the best intersectional YA story I'd read at the time. Every book since then has trended more and more towards generic YA trends, with a dash of interesting diversity in the cast of characters, which is still very valid and necessary. This one is a love letter to Theater as a safe space for a protagonist who is not just queer and part Iranian, but also deaf. As a former Theater queer myself, this makes up for the majority of what I adored about this book. The protagonist embodies ALL of the intersections but is also a hot mess of a teenager, and that is sweet and heartwarming. However the things I miss from the Darius days are things like meaningful fleshing out of parents and other family members. Jackson's dad is loving but relegated to a very vague outline of an Iranian dad, and the family member that has the most impact in this story is a complete trash human and is too easily forgiven. Everyone else is relegated to simplistic labels as humans, and the love story is sweet but very generic. My love of high school theater notwithstanding, this story doesn't break any significant new ground for me. Still, for the landscape of YA at large, this is a worthy addition towards more intersectional stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was one for the gay stage managers and I LOVED it!! Every detail was perfect and I was engaged throughout the whole book. The romance was super cute, but I was mostly in love with the theatre.

Struggled with this one. I was so excited for it! The premise sounds fresh and fun.
But the writing style just didn't work for me. Just felt like an old person very clearly writing what they believe teenagers talk and joke like.
While I loved the main character and the best friend character and enjoyed the bits we get about stage productions, I found everyone and everything else kind of blah.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were enjoyable and realistic and I truly loved the protagonist which I tend not to in many cases. The reasons this is getting three stars is because one, the strike through was getting extremely annoying, it was done so often I stopped reading them, and two, I guessed the conflict so early one I was waiting for it the whole time I was reading and that did take away from the experience.

The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram
- Deaf Iranian MC with a hearing aid
- YA M/M romance
- Theater kids and plenty of drama
- Lots of queer rep

I liked the first half of this more than I liked the second half. That being said, I really enjoyed the book as a whole. I’m not deaf or handicapped but I thought the Deaf representation was well considered and well written. I enjoyed Jackson’s narration, and he and Liam are really sweet together. I love Bowie (though I’m torn on how to say their name - the Maryland way [Boo-ie] or as in David Bowie? Probably as in David, but I’ve spent too long on the East coast to not consider the MD option.)

This is a little predictable and a little cheesy at times, but overall, it’s an adorable and very diverse YA romance and I quite enjoyed it.

#netgalley #arcreview #adibkhorram #thebreakuplists #iranianmc #deafmc #ya #mmromance

I loved the diverse representation in this book. Jackson, our narrator and main character, is a biracial, Iranian-American, gay teenager. He's also deaf and wears hearing aids. Jackson's best friend, Bowie, is Black, aroace, and nonbinary (they/them pronouns). They're also a CODA (child of deaf adults), so they and their parents know sign language (which is how Jackson learns sign). I can't speak to the accuracy and authenticity of the deaf representation, but I hope due diligence was done in terms of sensitivity readers.

Jackson's sister, Jasmine, is a bit of a lovesick teenager. She has a LOT of ex-boyfriends. To help her feel better after the breakups, Jackson writes breakup lists that he recites to her whenever she needs to be reminded why her ex is undesirable and why she's better off single. The breakup lists are easy to write, until she makes him write one for her latest ex, Liam. The same Liam he fell in love with, and who was his friend before dating Jasmine. Liam is on the swim team with Bowie, and Jackson and Liam become closer when Liam tries out for, and gets the lead in, the fall musical, for which Jackson is the stage manager.

I thought the relationship between Jackson and Liam was so cute! I felt their chemistry and loved them together. I swooned over the little touches before they were officially together, and before either knew the other liked him (these touches had me SCREAMING at Jackson, "He's NOT STRAIGHT!!!"). In my opinion, this was friends to lovers done right. We see the start of Jackson and Liam's friendship and see them growing closer before they ever get romantically involved. Liam is a fantastic love interest. He learns sign language to communicate with Jackson. I'm not sure if it's possible to pick it up as quickly as he does, but the effort is sweet, especially when Jackson's own family couldn't be bothered to learn for him.

Jasmine is insufferable. I couldn't stand her in EVERY scene she was in, and she does little to redeem herself in the end. She is so self-absorbed, shallow, and manipulative. You'd think SHE was the theater child, given her propensity to dramatics. She does something unforgiveable and cruel to Jackson (something I would NEVER do to my brother, no matter how mad at him I am), instigating the third act conflict and subsequent breakup (no spoilers). I didn't like the placement of this breakup, because Jackson and Liam don't get back together until the VERY end. Like, we're talking after 95 percent. The resolution felt rushed in relation to the slow burn in the first and second acts. This was a very fast read, and it probably could have been a bit longer to extend the resolution.

It feels statistically improbable that Jackson's shirt tag would be sticking out as much as it was. It feels like user error. Jackson... bro... you know they make shirts nowadays that have no tags in them, right? Like the tag is printed directly onto the shirt? You might want to think about investing in some of those. Cuts down on the sensory overload, too.

This is a minor criticism, but I didn't like all the cross-outs. In the ARC, the text didn't show as crossed out, so it got confusing. I'm sure this will be fixed in the final copy, but I still think the cross-outs were overdone. I wouldn't say "get rid of ALL of them," because they were a part of Jackson's voice, but I think there should have been fewer.

I mostly liked this book and would recommend it if you want to read an interracial queer romance with Deaf/Hard of hearing representation (not OwnVoices)!

Thank you to Penguin for the complementary advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are voluntary and my own.

What a lovely, lovely little book. It’s a classic high school romcom with a deaf main character and an adorable love interest. One star off because Jasmine REALLY sucks - she fell flat for me the whole time. This is an easy, quick read and I would absolutely recommend to any ex-techies wanting to relive their glory days on the catwalk <3

Thank you to NetGalley and PRH/Dial Books for the ARC!!

I had a lot of fun reading this and laughed out loud more than i thought i would but then again i expected nothing less from Adib.
While there are some little things I didn’t like, and the mc is far from perfect, this is definitely something id add to my favorite reads of the year.

I'm signing up to be in Adib Khorram's official fanclub after reading this one. Adib always delivers and The Breakup Lists is no exception to that.

In this book, we follow Jackson Ghasnavi who is a lot of things but his love for theater (especially being a techie/stage manager) is the one thing that remained constant in his life. And yes, Jackson is also NOT a romantic after being a first-row audience to his parents' divorce and his sister Jasmine's romance misadventures. That was until Liam entered the scene.

Jackson and Liam hit it off as friends but soon they realized that they're feeling a bit more than friendship but both are too shy to act on it.

This is more complicated than the typical 'boy meets boy' as the author included a conflict than made me rethink of what I'll do if I was in Jackson's position.

The Breakup Lists talk about both the beautiful and messy sides of loving someone while also sublty discussing about the importance of letting a person decide and explain about their gender and identity.

And as someone who loves reading about characters who actually care about others, not just themselves, this is a topnotch characterization. I want to hug Jackson after finishing the book.

The romance is where I'm really conflicted because of the way Jasmine was involved in the scene, and I really had a hard time thinking about what I'll do in that situation. But in the end, it's good to know how things worked out for them.

And yes, friends to lovers enthusiasts won this one iykwim.

I've loved everything else by this author, so I'm disappointed to say The Breakup Lists was just okay for me. I really loved the main character, and the love interest, and the best friend. I loved all the stuff about the stage production. But I could not stand Jasmine, the main character's sister. Her being so completely selfish and unlikable really hurt the story for me. I think I would have felt much more conflicted and emotionally invested if her character was actually someone I cared about, since she's such a big part of the story. Everyone here is messy and making mistakes, but while I felt I could so easily understand the choices most of the characters make, Jasmine's whole attitude and her actions are just plain awful.

I also kind of felt like there was too much going on in the story, to the point that I didn't connect with much and felt less invested than I would have liked. I think that the sweet moments between the MCs were really well done, and those, along with the moments between Jackson and his best friend, were my favorite part for sure. I also felt the pacing was somewhat off, especially toward the end. I did appreciate that an MC seeks out therapy and that we are shown young people in love can break up and still move on with their lives and find new interests and joys.

So yeah, this was a mixed bag for me because there was a lot to like, but also some aspects that didn't quite work for me. I wish I'd felt happier and more invested overall while reading but it was kind of 50/50 on the parts I enjoyed and the parts I just wanted to be over with.