The Breakup Lists
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Darius the Great is Not Okay comes a sweet queer love story where a high school stage manager (who is a realist not a cynic, thank you) finds love despite everything.
“Rivals Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper in its cuteness and appeal.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A heartwarming romance where creating authentic connections takes center stage.”—School Library Journal, starred review
Jackson Ghasnavi is a lot of things—a techie, a smoothie afficionado, a totally not obsessive list-maker—but one thing he’s not is a romantic. And why would he be? He’s already had a front row seat to his parents’ divorce and picked up the pieces of his sister Jasmine’s broken heart one too many times.
No, Jackson is perfectly happy living life behind the scenes—he is a stage manager, after all—and keeping his romantic exploits limited to the breakup lists he makes for Jasmine, which chronicle every flaw (real or imagined) of her various and sundry exes.
Enter Liam: the senior swim captain turned leading man that neither of the Ghasnavi siblings stop thinking about. Not that Jackson has a crush, of course. Jasmine is already setting her sights on him and he’s probably—no, definitely—straight anyway.
So why does the idea of eventually writing a breakup list for him feel so impossible?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Half-Iranian and half-white high school junior Jackson Ghasnavi, who is Deaf and queer, prefers life behind the scenes as a theater tech and stage manager. Ever since his actor boyfriend dumped him as a freshman, he's avoided romance and finds comfort in making lists of faults of people who annoy him, particularly his older sister Jasmine's myriad ex-boyfriends. When senior swimming star Liam Coquyt, who reads as white, lands the lead role in the fall musical, Jackson finds himself with a front-row seat to Liam and Jasmine's budding relationship. And while his own developing friendship with Liam prompts Jackson to wonder if romance might be in his future after all, he balks at the idea of betraying Jasmine's trust, and must decide what he really wants, even if it means claiming the spotlight for once. In this emotionally complex rom-com, Khorram (Kiss & Tell) winningly captures Jackson's struggle finding himself amid the chaos of high school theater. Jackson's first-person POV recounting his growing crush and his frustration with those around him is both sharp and sincere, making this a wholesome and hilarious tale. Ages 14–up.
