This book was a certain novelty, to be sure. Many authors come up with brilliant ideas and storylines, just like this one, but few are able to do their idea justice through masterful storytelling and prose. Philip Siegel is one of the few. The idea for The Break-Up Artist was a good one—and he nailed it. Siegel used just the right amount of humor, sentence structure, and quirkiness to make this book stand out from the rest. I for one fell in love with Becca automatically. I believe Becca’s experiences with relationships connect her with anyone that’s single, in a relationship, or had their heart broken. Another one of the main things I loved about this book was the lack of empty drama. In young adult literature, it seems when that unavoidable downfall comes, you meet with a least three chapters of angst-filled pages with the wails of “why me?” and “I’m never going to show my face again!” Thankfully, Siegel kept the stagy woe-is-me to a mere two pages (seriously, I checked), and that was it. Becca didn’t feel sorry for herself. She picked herself up and kept going—without all the drama that goes with it. And just when I thought I had this book all figured out and tied up in a bow—BAM! A plot twist that changed the game. Altogether, The Break-Up Artist was a lovely, joyous read that I would certainly recommend for your end-of-term booklist.
“We all like to think that there’s one person out there who will rescue us from the tower…But that’s not how the real world works.”
I would recommend this book for ages nine and up. There is some underage drinking, and, as every book that has a relationship in it, a little PDA, but other than that, you’re all good.
Focused on pulling off the biggest breakup yet, will Becca be successful in her quest to shake up the relationship zombies of Ashland High School? Read The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel to find out!
