The book lived up to its title. And it's a collection of total deuchbags and dramaqueens in some parts and totally understandable, weird parts as well when it comes to break ups.
I would have enjoyed the book more if more adult break-ups were included. It was more of a teen drama, first love or first relationships kind of break ups.

Some were simply hilarious. Some stories were damn bitchy and mean. Some stories unbelievable!

Thanks #NetGalley for the book

Honestly, I love this.

This book is a compilation of messages, illustrations and short stories of people experiencing break -ups or being the one to initiate the break-up. Most of them are hilarious, actually they all are. And there was many a time when I stared at my screen repeating "What an ***hole" in my head (okay, maybe I said it out loud), and laughing out loud.

If you want to bounce back from a break up, or just look at relatable stories about relationships and/or break-ups gone wrong, with a light-hearted twist, you should definitely read this.

NOTE: It is not a book telling one single story, with any plot or development, it is just a fun compilation of the experiences of the general public who have gone through break-ups.

In this book, Hilary put down stories of people who had to deal with a cruel break up. These stories were accompanied by funny and beautifully drawn cartoons. This book made me laugh and cringe a lot. Laughing because some of the stories, and mostly the drawings were funny, but also cringe because some of the stories were quiet cruel, how can people be like that?
I loved reading this book and I read it in 3 sittings. A real recommendation!

I give this book 3,5 out of 5 stars ✨

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

2 - It was okay

I like the book concept - initially I thought that it would be the literary equivalent to the "Museum of Broken Relationships" in that it would contain relatable stories of love and heartbreak, which would sometimes be sad and other times funny.

My expectations faded pretty quickly as I found myself thinking: "Wow, these people are very abusive... and not very relatable."

In short, it felt like reading a long Buzzfeed article. Entertaining? Sure. Life-changing, uplifting, or heartbreaking? Nah, not really. My favorite part was probably the guy who broke up with his girlfriend to spend more time with his dog. Kudos.

The illustrations are entertaining, but that's about it. Maybe other people could get a laugh out of this.

I requested this book because I needed a little break from all the heavy books I'd been reading lately, and it was the perfect little pick-me-up. The book is filled with humorous tories of people breaking up with each other. Even though every little tale s about a break-up they're all different. And the images that go with them illustrate the punchlines perfectly, It made me lol several times.

Cute, hilarious and moving, this is a collection of anonymous breakups - a few of which hit really close to home from conversations with friends. I did in fact message one friend and ask if she'd submitted to hers and ended up howling with laughter over the similarities.
Well worth it for both catharsis, ideas and just to see that you're not alone.

"Everyone is always saying what a great guy you are", my ex-girlfriend said one day. I turned my face to hers and smiled. But she wasn't finished. "After all this time with you", she continued, "I'm still waiting to meet that guy they're talking abou."
Ouch.
This was a really nice compilation of break up stories + some illustrations. It is a good and fast read.

I received a copy of the book from Animal Media Group via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But You Could’ve Done Better is a graphic novel by Hilary Campbell.

SUMMARY:

Anonymous break up stories from men and women, old and young, serious and silly and the cartoons that inspired them. Author and artist Hilary Campbell turns the painful into the hilarious, validating emotions from forgotten middle school tragedies to relationships that ended only hours ago.

—

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But You Could’ve Done Better will make you chuckle and understand just how crazy breakups can be sometimes. The stories told within this book are all unlike each other and they have a great, humorous flow. The illustrations are my favorite part of this novel; they are colorful and fun to look at.

I like this book. With that being said, I was also expecting to read something completely different. I was expecting a book that focused more on plot but I quickly figured out this book is meant to be cherished for its quick wit and great drawings. This whole book can be read in at least 15 minutes. Hilary Campbell’s writing is good; the short and choppy sentences really fit with these zangy stories. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a laugh, or even anyone who has just gone through a breakup of their own. This book reminds you that you are not alone, and that even if you have gone through a hard time there is probably someone out there who has felt the same you do.

A really quick read, at times the stories where funny, other times they had me like "WHAT?! WHO DOES THAT?!". The drawings after every story were pretty cool also.

As the author states repeatedly in her introduction (and also at the end) of the book, people can be pretty terrible. Some of these had me cracking up (mostly in shock) at how awkward and terrible a break up went. Some had me exclaiming out loud at how awful people could be. I've had my fair share of awful relationships and break ups and so many of these instances and feelings were absolutely relatable (as cringeworthy as many of them are). Reading these stories and having that peek into other peoples' lives brings me a weird kind of satisfaction. Lol not that I take pleasure in other people's unfortunate situations, but it's honestly comforting to know that you're not the only one who goes through some crazy heartbreaking things, and also crazy awful things you never want to repeat. Some people are seriously twisted though. Yikes!

I enjoyed most of the graphics that illustrated and complemented all the stories but I also thought that they weren't anything spectacular. Some did make me chuckle. I guess I misunderstood the blurb and thought that the stories would be illustrated in comic format, but it was still enjoyable the way it was. Needless to say, this was a very fast, mostly fun read! The author ends the book with a note saying that she's still accepting these break up stories over on her website, but as I just realized this book was published two years ago, I don't know if she's still taking any. If she is, I might go ahead and share some stories myself! Lol

Ohhhh my. There is something in here for everyone. Some stories are from the dumpers, some from the dumpees, but all definitely could have gone better. And the author has created charming, funny drawings to depict the awkward and inane scenarios. If you are getting over a bad split, or want to appreciate being in a better place now, this book will make you smile. And maybe indulge in some ice cream. And make sure you've blocked a few people on social media.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

2.5 / 3 stars

The idea of this book is very entertaining, however the execution could have been better. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with this book but there is also nothing outstanding. It was a fun quick read that could interest you if you have nothing else to do. There are many amusing stories in this collection but none of them are memorable, the stories, in my opinion, needed to be longer in order to create an impact on the reader. The drawings were cute and some of them were funny but I wasn’t laughing out laugh like I thought I would.

Overall this is a sometimes funny quick read that I would recommend if you have nothing to do I don’t really want to put much though into what you read.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy for an honest review!

So many interesting and sometimes even weird brake up stories but that's life for you - it constantly changes :)
All illustrations were really nice and on point :) It was quick and enjoyable read :)

Super fun and quick read. This book was a compilation of break up stories, sent into the author by real people. The whole book felt like that old confession columns we all used to buy Cosmo magazine for! I can see myself rereading this many times with my friends, so we can all have a good laugh about it together. The stories vary from just plain sad to hysterical. The illustrations just made each story that much better. I would have loved if the book was a little longer, but I enjoyed it. A great compilation of stories. I look forward to more by this author.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do... But You Could've Done Better is a collection of break-up stories. Each one is a unique real-life story and has an illustration from the author, which makes it funny. I like some stories more than others, but still, it is interesting and easy reading.

Thanks NetGalley for providing this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I was a little lax on beginning to read this one, but when I did, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! These stories were hilarious/heartbreaking simultaneously. I love Campbell's sarcasm and honesty. And to be frank and a bit dark, I enjoyed reading about the experiences (misery/sadness) of others, yes it sucks that people are terrible but it kinda feels a bit better knowing that you're not the only person who thinks so. This is book is inspiring in the strangest ways, and it made me appreciate humanity, which is odd for a book that discusses how awful people are! I loved it!

Synopsis
Nearly everyone has had that one bad breakup. In this book of anonymous confessionals, guys and girls alike share their worst breakup stories, from the ones that have left you completely blindsided and asking, "Wait... you're breaking up with me?" to the downright outrageous. The breakups you tell as guaranteed icebreakers at a party. Because yes, this really happened.

My Thoughts
Overall, I thought this book was...okay. It's about as good as you might expect, given the content and the format in which this book is written. It sort of feels like a throwback to the kinds of stories they would include in Cosmogirl or Seventeen Magazine (ayo, early 2000s!), where readers would write in, sharing their most embarrassing "OMG" moments or their swooniest crush. This book is pure catharsis, just as breakups are meant to be. Whether they're the breaker or the breakee, each person has their own story to tell, and it's interesting to have a "breakup book" that features stories from both sides. No one story felt the same either. They were all so, so different from each other, which really helped keep me interested to the end.

Unfortunately, for the most part I didn't find this to be a particularly enjoyable read? If anything, this just reinforced my own dating anxiety and reminded me of how childish and petty grown adults are capable of being. While I did like some of the breakup stories (particularly the one where the girl finds her inner strength through one particular boy wizard and is finally able to dump her boyfriend), by and large I gradually just got more and more annoyed at reading about other peoples' drama and their idiotic, conceited behavior or their ex's reckless behavior, and so on and so forth. It became a sort of trend that after flipping past each story, I would think to myself, "Yeah... you deserved to get dumped. Going along with this, another unfortunate case for this book is the fact that it's oversaturated with stories submitted by douchy men... completely exposing their own douchy behavior.

Example 1: Dude got annoyed at his girlfriend for breaking her ankle on the way to a movie date and ruining his Saturday night, then refused to take her to the hospital to get X-rays. Granted, this was from the girl's perspective, so thankfully it was not this dude who wrote in. But still, I'm upset FOR this girl!

Example 2: A Christian guy gets his girlfriend at camp to rub his crotch because they're both horny but must continue to practice abstinence. He's later racked with guilt over this and breaks up with her, telling her that what they did together was sinful. Girlfriend points out that he's the one who coerced her into giving him the hand job. Rather than owning up to his own part in it (jokingly saying "like the slut shamer I was") he refuses to discuss it any further... and then concludes his story by complaining that it wasn't even a "real hand job" because it was through clothing.

There were also moments here and there that I just found distasteful, where a story would try (and fail) to put a humorous spin on something, like a bitter ex pulling an "AIDS" prank by telling her guy that she's HIV positive and he probably has it, too. Or a girl casually using the word slut multiple times to describe both herself and another girl in town who had "stolen" her boyfriend.

Final Thoughts: Was this book somewhat entertaining and helped pass the time? Sure. Was it the most compelling collection of stories? Definitely not. I think I would've liked this book a lot more had it included stories that had something more to say or the contributors reflected on how that breakup affected and shaped them. Something more profound and substantial than, My ex broke up with me via IM. But his loss, because he's now fat and I'm getting my PHD. But alas, this is the world of dating, after all. You can only expect so much...

This is an older book that I happened to find a copy of on NetGalley. All opinions are mine.

So. I've been listening to and reading some pretty heavy stuff lately. Just comes with the mood I've been in, I guess. This book was a super quick read but it entertained me in a way that I didn't know I needed. Essentially the author drew a picture to tell the story of a bad breakup of hers, and it cheered her up, so she decided to take people's worst breakup stories and illustrate them, just to make the world a bit of a happier place. I sped through this like it was a Facebook meme page, but it was cute and it made me laugh. If you're in a bad mood or going through a crappy breakup, this is definitely a pick me up and a reminder that it could always be worse.

Very quick and enjoyable read! Some of the break-up stories were easily forgettable, but some of them make me laugh out loud. I especially related to the one about the boy who lived. Also, the illustrations were adorable!

brief summary
In this collection of brief anecdotes about breakups, comic illustrator Hilary Campbell demonstrates the universality of breaking up by exploring the myriad ways to do so.

full review
Prepare to cringe and breath astonished puffs of air while reading this book. The secondhand awkwardness is nearly palpable in some of these entries, while with others the feeling of having dodged a relationship bullet by never dating anyone like the person described is definitely visceral. In that respect, it works well as a somewhat humorous manual on how not to interact with the humans you claim to care about. In fact, the book offers a generally optimistic perspective on the termination of relationships, despite Campbell's insistence that "people suck," while simultaneously making it clear that how you treat people matters (like the young person who took years to feel attractive wearing a ponytail after a fellow first grader dumped her for wearing her hair in that style).

It is refreshing that not all of the stories in here are told from the perspective of the wounded party, but there are a number of stories where a careful reader will see that the self-empowerment exhibited by one part of the relationship in leaving the relationship are actually stories of escaping a relationship that might have turned physically abusive down the line (such as the tale of the Harry Potter fan). In these, while the undesirable behavior was pointed out in the story itself, it would have been nice to see a sidebar or afterward which highlighted that the behavior exhibited was not only unacceptable, but a potential red flag for future domestic violence or partner abuse. On that same note, I would have liked to see a section at the end about domestic violence and partner abuse with resources for those who may be experiencing said things in their relationship.

Since this book was put together by a professional artist, it is incumbent upon me to mention the art, except I don't really want to do so because Campbell's illustrations are simplistic and don't add anything to the text except a higher page count, unfortunately. Anyone who had this idea first could have published this book, with or without the illustrations, and it would not have been substantively different.

This is a difficult-to-place book, because it is absolutely not the book you give to a friend who has just experienced a break-up, whichever side of it they were on, because to give this book to someone else reeks of condescension and even a dismissive air of "look how much worse your break-up could have been, you lucky thing." Rather, this is a book to seek out in one's own time, at one's own discretion. A library copy would be ideal for this, particularly since it is not the sort of book most readers will feel the need to return to over and over again.

My favorite break-up story came early in the book, and it was about someone who broke up with their eighth grade girlfriend because they wanted to spend more time with their dog, and who still feels that doing so was the best decision they ever made. Now there is a young person who had their priorities sorted at an early age.