Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up With Me by Tamaki and Valero-O'Connell - HIGH

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, 304 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second, 2019. $18                        

Language: R (17 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: NC-17 (Sex off the page, abortion, sleeping with a married man); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Frederica Riley is in love with Laura Dean, but Laura Dean keeps breaking up with her.  Freddy's friends cannot understand why she would keep going back to a girl who may be cute, popular and funny but is really thoughtless and can even be mean. Freddy decides to consult a mystic but is not too thrilled with the results of her visit.  She is also losing all of her friends in the mean time, especially her best friend Doodle. With the help of the advice columnist, Anna Vice, Freddy starts to understand what the important things in life are, and realizes a relationship with Laura Dean may not be that healthy after all."   "This novel may be important for certain students to read.  It shows how a same sex relationship can be very toxic and hurtful to be involved in.  I like how this book shows the main character Freddy going back to Laura Dean, but through the help of her friends, it shows why she shouldn't and what kind of person Laura Dean really is.  Sometimes it is hard to see this when in the relationship.

Some of this book was confusing because of the names and pictures.  The main character is named Freddy but I found myself forgetting she was actually a girl because of her name.  Her best friend is named Doodle and is a transgender character but it was hard to remember if he was a boy or a girl because of the pictures and his name. This book also talks about some heavy topics which some students may not be comfortable with. Overall, I liked the book and I feel like it has a good message that some students will really connect with.    

Jessica Nelson Media Specialist