Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me

Printz Honor Book

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Justification: I was intrigued by this young adult and lesbian teen novel because of it's graphic format and I've only begun to recently investigate graphic novels. To be honest, it was the cover that really grabbed me (see image above), so I definitely judged a book by it's cover! Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is truly a work of art. I have also read many of the Printz Award winners and I wanted to try something new I haven't read before.

Response: This beautifully rendered graphic novel depicts a toxic lesbian relationship between two high-school students: Freddy and Laura. Illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, the images on display are gorgeous. She expertly employs a palette of black and white (and shades of grey) with splashes of salmon pink contributing to the vivid visual storytelling. I connected with this book because in my experience relationships can be messy and complicated. Breakups are not surgical, seamless, and devoid of emotion. Severing a relationship is thorny, complex and stressful. I could easily identify with what it's like to end a relationship. Freddy's codependency and her unhealthy attachment to her lover make for a realistic depiction of a toxic relationship. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me also does an excellent job of depicting what it's like to be dumped and how it affects your self-esteem.

Seventeen year old Freddy is the protagonist of this novel and she is in constant distress over her on-again-off-again relationship with her popular girlfriend, Laura. Freddy must navigate what's most important to her as she starts neglecting her close friendships in favor of constantly engaging with Laura. Ultimately, Freddy receives this sage advice from an online advice columnist: "The truth is, breakups are usually messy, the way life is often messy. It's okay for a breakup to feel like a disaster. It doesn't feel okay, but I assure you it is okay. It's also true that you can breakup with someone you still love. Because those two things are not distinct territories: love and not loving anymore." Freddy has some tough choices to make and has to learn how to prioritize the most important things in her life.

Conclusion: Mariko Tamaki does a great job of not idealizing young love and showing the complicated truth. Not every romance has a fairy-tale ending and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is a realistic depiction of just how complex relationships can be--whether they are same-sex or hetero. All relationships require navigation through a range of emotions and this book has the added layer of young love between two teenagers. I have read another graphic novel by Mariko Tamaki, Skim, with another strong female voice, and I would definitely read This One Summer, her other graphic novel. Due to some mature themes, I would recommend this text to young adults grades 8-12 interested in LGBTQ, relationships, romance, or high-school drama.

APA Reference: Tamaki, Moriko. (2019). Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. New York, NY: First Second.