4.7

Not a lot of books highlight queer joy, but even less address how messy the gays can be. A genre that I’ve learned to affectionately call “Queer Hot Mess” has begun to find its star on rise, and this book sure did take me for the ride of my life. “The Break Up Lists” by Adib Khorram took me on a wild journey through the cutthroat drama of high school theatre and what it means to be BIPOC and queer in those spaces. Plus, I totally fell in love with Liam who is such a sweet guy and a wonderful character that balances out the main character, Jackson really well. His disability and sexual identity were handled tastefully and I liked how casual ableism was addressed. Many people think they’re being helpful when they do stuff like slow their words down for a HoH person but it really hinders their attempts at niceties and comes off more as patronizing than anything. Ableist actions like these are common in modern society, as deaf and HoH people begin to speak out about how this hurts them deeply. “The Break Up Lists” was the right menagerie of sibling relationships, LGBTQIA+ and HoH representation, and messy interconnected relationships that will certainly keep readers coming back for more!

The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram is about romance and high school theatre. Good for fans of Becky Albertalli's Kate in Waiting. This book also talks about learning ASL and has a hard of hearing character.

This is a cute book! I enjoyed the characters and the story overall. I think certain things could have been fleshed out a bit more like the conflict with Jasmine and maybe some more about Liam's home life/personal life. Nonetheless, it's a cute story!

This well-written YA novel features a disabled and LGBTQIAP+ main character and I absolutely loved seeing all the representation! I hope this book reaches as many readers as possible!

i FLEW through this book and it was so cute!! first, i don't read synopsis' but this had deaf rep and it was really cool part of that was when our main character couldn't make out what someone said it was written in the dialogue as "somethingsomething". this made his deafness and integral part of his character and it isn't just a one and done mention. the romance was also really sweet. this was just a good book and y'all should read it come april!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an Arc of this novel!

I love Adib Khorram and his writing! It’s so fun and unique and has a great character style! Darius the great is one my favorite books I’ve read and I will absolutely read anything he writes.

For The breakup lists I enjoyed the premise and was very excited to read it. I just was a little disappointed since I loved all Adib's other books. When I was reading I just felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again and that I was reading a lot but nothing was happening. But I LOVED Liam so much. He was an amazing love interest and I thought he was a perfect person for Jackson to have a crush on. I did really enjoy their dynamic and relationship, it felt very natural and real. I wanted to keep reading to find out more and how they were going to end up!

Posted on goodreads

A huge thank you to Dial Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel!!
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A novel set in the beautiful chaos of high school theatre with a protagonist that is the stage manager…it’s like a book was written specifically for me. I was a stage manager all through high school who started learning ASL at age ten. I followed that up with continued ASL classes through college, and I still sign at work in my career as a professional Stage Manager. I wish I had written this book, but it’s even better that I know it exists in the world for the next generation.
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The intersectionality of Jackson as gay and hard of hearing was presented authentically. I loved the way the reader also lost words when people would turn away from Jackson and he didn’t catch everything they said. It was so accurate and infuriating; I wanted to shake his family and ask them why they can’t be bothered to learn ASL. The relationship with Liam is adorable and I was rooting for them through every twist and turn. It’s clear that there is some formatting and editing to come from the version I read, and I can’t wait to see how the work evolves in the next few months before release in April.

4.5/5 stars



The Breakup Lists was an adorable novel filled with hope, heartache, growth, and coming into your own. This story hooked me from the first chapter. I was so enthralled in the book I read it in one sitting.

Jackson’s got a lot on his plate, he’s a junior in high school, navigating theater politics, an annoying ex, a heartbroken sister, and parents who love him but don’t really understand him. He’s joined by an amazing best friend Bowie who’s awesome, and ends up in an awkward love triangle with swimmer Liam.

The book navigates how tricky relationships (family, friends, romantic, mentors) can be. It explores communication and humanity in a very sweet way. We get to see Jackson manage so many things and grow.

If you love LQBTQIA+ books with great disability rep I would absolutely recommend picking up this book. You will love it if you liked books like Julian Winters “As You Walk On By” or Becky Albertalli’s “Simon vs. The Homosapien’s Agenda.” Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I don't care that it's October, i'm in my romance era. Gay romance with a theater background? Sign me the F up! I freaking loved this, and the element of siblings falling for the same guy made for a really interesting subplot. I feel like this was less about the list (which was also fun and hilarious) and more about finding yourself and learning to love in the wake of your trauma (in this case the divorce). Cannot recommend enough!

I loved the intersectional representation throughout this novel. I also loved the pacing throughout this novel. My only complaint is about Jasmine as a character but that's a small complaint at best.

Overall great book.

4.5/5 stars