Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Review:

This was the first book I’ve read in a long time that I just loved. I loved the art of this graphic novel. It was very feminine and pretty. Something about the black and white panels with a splash of pink, just super appealed to me. The facial reactions and emotions that come across the artwork was just spectacular; it felt like I was watching a movie.

I also think the story is so important. It deals with something I’ve gone through, and that I think, unfortunately, a lot of girls go through: dating whoever you can get to like you and settling for a bad relationship because you don’t think you can get any better. Laura Dean is a terrible girlfriend. She cheats, she neglects, she abandons, and she fights with Freddy. And Freddy keeps going back to her. Part of me kept yelling at her to stop doing it, but part of me super related. I think as a teen, when you’re so self conscious and afraid, it’s easy to fall into this trap. And it’s easy to neglect your friends for “love.”

I’ve never seen this point made so clearly and well. It was good that we got to see how this toxic relationship affected those around Freddy (like her best friend who really needed her). And it was also so nice to see Freddy finally start to realize things, to realize she deserved more than this and her friends did too.

I also like that this was a relationship between two women. It’s important to know that these kinds of things happen to all kinds of relationships and not just straight ones. I think this is a topic all humans can understand. We all need to value ourselves more than we do, and it’s such an important lesson for Freddy to learn.

All in all, this book impressed me. The art was stunning. The story/plot was on point. And the characters were definitely flawed, but also loveable. I give it a 10/10.