Mariko Tamaki

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend. Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love. Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

kait

it is a crime that a book with a cover this cute is only just okay

Filipa Carvalho

The art on this graphic novel is absolutely stunning, but I wished  we could've had more thoughtful conversations. There were a lot of plot points that never really got anywhere and could've have been helpful and really interesting to the premise and overall message of the book. A cute read overall.

Tatiana

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me: 3/5


  “Polyamorous or monogamous, your love should be a thing that brings something to you.
It's true that giving can be a part of love. But, contrary to popular belief, love should never take from you, Freddy.”

CW: Toxic relationships

This book was exactly what I expected and nothing more. It explores a toxic relationship and how that affects the others around you. I think this is an overall valuable lesson for young adults, but as a 22-year-old woman, I felt there were some issues with it.

Heres what I liked:
1. The overall message of discovering love you deserve and exiting toxic relationships. I think the actual writing was strong and conveyed the message well.

2. The art is to die for! The colors and attention to detail are astounding. I could flip through this and only look at the art for hours.

3. It's pretty easy to follow. Because of the art, every setting is recognizable, and the plot is straightforward, making the story simple and an easy read.

4. The diversity. We are met with a highly diverse cast of characters that made each page come to life. I enjoyed all the diverse backgrounds each character had to share.

Here are some issues:
1. The characters only exist in their relationships with each other. None of the characters had their own personality, making it difficult to connect with each one. The characters never exist as individual entities, which is essential for a well-rounded character arc.

2. The majority of the graphic novel was highly emotional, depressing, and takes a lot out of the reader. 3/4 of the story is Freddy getting emotionally abused and mistreated, and thus, alienating herself from her friends.

3. Nobody asks if Freddy is okay. I understand that because she is not a great friend throughout the novel, her friends distance themselves from her, but it is clear that her friends do not like Laura Dean and sense something is wrong. The only people that ask if she's okay is a stranger. Instead, her friends resort to being passive-aggressive about her relationship and to Freddy herself. This causes Freddy to spiral even further into Laura's abuse. This led to a constant undertone of victim-blaming that was highly upsetting.  

The last issue is where most of my criticism lies. It does not sit well with me, and I think a friend reaching out to Freddy would have been beneficial to the plot. In the story, Freddy gives all she has, and no one is giving anything back to her. 

I understand the message is supposed to be hopeful at the end, but I wish Freddy had at least one ally to rely upon. The overall vibe for this book was depressing.

Please read the trigger warnings before picking up this graphic novel

trixie

Stevie Gonzales

3-3.5/5

tw: toxic relationship, abortion

I read this in one sitting and I was so stressed I wanted to throw my phone. I continued reading because I can relate to the characters, and it was also realistic in a way. How as teenagers, we tend to make these mistakes coz we actually have no idea what the hell are we doing. Hell, I was like that too (sometimes I still am, but hey, growth!). Anyway, it was satisfying to see Freddy decide that she wanted this cycle to stop and to be a good friend.

Although, it was so fast-paced that the characters seemed 2D, that they have no characteristics other than the ones that are related to the relationships they have with each other, if that makes sense. I was also expecting more, but I was given less. I dont know how to explain that, so let's just go with it. 

Anyway, I'd still protect Doodle, Eric, and Buddy. they are cute

Vivi

★★★✩✩ (3.5)

“Polyamorous or monogamous, your love should be a thing that brings something to you.
It's true that giving can be a part of love. But, contrary to popular belief, love should never take from you, Freddy.” 

Nunca había visto una novela tan hermosamente ilustrada. RTC

wauwa

I finished this rather quick, the art is really cute!
The story did feel all over the place at some points. I wish it could’ve been longer maybe? So it didnt feel rushed?
but even then I related to it, it was nice to see this drawn out.

** spoiler alert **
           Read this during an emotional turmoil and have never been infuriated with a character's loopy decisions. I love the diversity but sometimes I feel like some are just a "statement", not really an important aspect of the book.

Lara Engle

This was a slow starter, but it picked up in the second half. As always, Mariko Tamaki's artwork tells a masterfully paced tale with dreamlike ease. I particularly admired the use of pink and shades of gray to help direct the reader's attention. The lessons learned and realizations made leave the flawed but charming characters with wisdom they didn't have before. And they leave us with hope that life really does get better when we show vulnerability and let others in.

2.5 i clearly need to stop reading hyped books

I really loved the art style and the way this talked about relationships, particularly high school ones. However, there was a kind of weird thing in the latter half that I had complicated feelings about that kind of colored my view.

Emma Miller

menna

angie

Jamieson

“What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you and then presumably coming back to you? What does your love with this person offer you? Does it make you happy? Does it give you what you need to be a better person?”



I loved this so much. Even though I do think it wasn't /perfect/ (I would have liked to see more depth to Laura Dean's character to better flesh out why Freddy loved her so much and was attached to the relationship) I do think it was excellently dealing with a lot of themes. Books like this dealing specifically with lesbian characters are so rare, so I really appreciated what this was doing. This felt like a really important book looking at toxic relationships, break-ups and the complexity of love. I also liked the general queerness of the side characters and the focus on friendship. 

The art is the HIGHLIGHT though, absolutely stunning. It's worth reading this book just for the art, honestly.

victoria

It's not as good as heartstopper but I enjoyed! At first I wasn't that happy with the story cause I couldn't agree with Freddy at all, but her development is really good! Also I loved the saphic representation

brianna

From This One Summer co-creator Mariko Tamaki comes a hilarious and poignant story of teen heartbreak and friendship. All Freddy Riley wants is for Laura Dean to stop breaking up with her. The day they got back together was the best one of Freddy’s life, but nothing’s made sense since. Laura Dean is popular, funny and SO CUTE ... but she can be really thoughtless, even mean. Their on-again, off-again relationship has Freddy’s head spinning — and Freddy’s friends can’t understand why she keeps going back. When Freddy consults the services of a local mystic, the mysterious Seek-Her, she isn’t thrilled with the advice she receives. But something’s got to give: Freddy’s heart is breaking in slow motion, and she may be about to lose her very best friend as well as her last shred of self-respect. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnist Anna Vice, to help her through being a teenager in love. Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need. Key Text Features rough sketches character drawings speech bubbles process art Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

'Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me' walks a fine line between sympathy and kindness for its characters and sentimentality. It is gentle exploration of messy relationships and being messy as part of growing up without being cutesy or oversimplified. 

This is strengthened by the art style which feels both fluid and legible. It strikes a good balance between more intricate panels and pages and the use of negative space. Perhaps the use of pastel pink as the only "accent" colour further helps soften the tone of the visual novel and gives it a dreamy, melancholic feeling. 

The visual novel is poignant while also feeling a hug from a friend.

'Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me' walks a fine line between sympathy and kindness for its characters and sentimentality. It is gentle exploration of messy relationships and being messy as part of growing up without being cutesy or oversimplified. 

This is strengthened by the art style which feels both fluid and legible. It strikes a good balance between more intricate panels and pages and the use of negative space. Perhaps the use of pastel pink as the only "accent" colour further helps soften the tone of the visual novel and gives it a dreamy, melancholic feeling. 

The visual novel is poignant while also feeling a hug from a friend.

Ana Paula

OKAY LOOK, I promise I tried but I just could not get into it. I gave myself breaks, tried reading it at different times of the day AND different days altogether, I even tried not to skim (and then did skim a bit); sadly, nothing worked.

The first 30% was nice but (and I know the title literally alludes to it) it was soo repetitive to me. Maybee I wasn´t in the right mindset (despite my best tries) or its a "best to read a physical version" kind of book; I don´t know, but I can´t even raise it to three stars. 

Points in favor: 
1. Art style ⭐⭐⭐.5
2.Representation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jantien 

Not a great fan of graphic novels, but I’ve read much more captivating ones this year. Sorry. Just not really my thing!

Patri wio 

Izza

5 stars | my queer heart is so happy 💚💛

Jude Moon

5/5.

*me after reading this book in one stand and be crying until 3 am*: this graphic novel was so good 😔😔😔😔😔😔

*also me*: OKAY AND THE ARTWORK????? IT'S STUNNING!!!!

here you have my honest review

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

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