Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak

by Adi Alsaid Narrated by Nancy Wu

Overview

Dumped by her boyfriend the summer after senior year, teen love and relationship columnist Lu Charles has hit a wall with her writing. The words just won't come to her like they used to and if she doesn't find a topic for her column, she'll lose her gig at hip online magazine Misnomer, and the college scholarship that goes along with it. Her best friend, Pete, thinks she should write through her own pain, but when Lu overhears another couple planning a precollege breakup just like hers, she becomes convinced that they're the answer to cracking her writer's block. And when she meets them-super-practical Iris and cute, sweet Cal-and discovers they're postponing their breakup until the end of the summer, she has to know more. Have Cal and Iris prolonged their own misery by staying together, knowing the end is in sight? Or does the secret to figuring out all this love business-and getting over it-lie with them? One thing is certain-if Lu can't make a breakthrough before summer is over, she can kiss her future goodbye. From the acclaimed author of Let's Get Lost and North of Happy comes a touching exploration of love, relationships and the pain of breaking up.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Many teens will find something to take away from this story. Hand to fans of Jenny Han or other romantic comedies." -Booklist

"A refreshing novel about friendship and romance that defies cliché, Never Always Sometimes will win readers over with its hilarious musings and universal truths." -Adam Silvera, author of More Happy Than Not on Never Always Sometimes

"An utterly charming and thoughtful meditation on love, friendship and all the territories in between." -Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything on Never Always Sometimes

"Reminiscent of John Green's Paper Towns, Alsaid's debut is a gem." -School Library Journal on Let's Get Lost

"Debut author Alsaid creates enough adventure to make the stories feel breathless." -Publishers Weekly on Let's Get Lost

"There is a kernel of truth in every cliché, and Alsaid cracks the teen-lit trope of friends becoming lovers wide open, exposing a beautiful truth inside. He also perfectly captures the golden glow of senioritis, a period when teens are bored and excited and wistful and nostalgic all at once. Everything is possible in this handful of weeks, including making up for squandered time." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review on Never Always Sometimes

"An exceptional tale of grief, ambition, love, and maturity." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review on North of Happy

Kirkus Reviews

2018-12-25

Lu Charles, the love and dating columnist for the popular online teen magazine Misnomer, struggles to write her next piece.

And losing her writing gig would mean losing her scholarship to attend New York University in the fall. But since being dumped three weeks earlier, Lu has been suffering from a severe case of writer's block. So, like every clichéd aspiring writer, Lu turns to eavesdropping on people's conversations for inspiration. Her efforts lead her to the charming, hipster glasses-wearing Cal and his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend, Iris, who is practically perfect in Lu's eyes. Fascinated by the couple's joint decision to break up before heading off to college, Lu becomes the ultimate third-wheel-by-choice, planning to follow them around and document their final moments together for her column. But as she grows closer to Cal and Iris, she continually fails to meet her editor's deadlines, wastes time she could be spending with her best friend, Pete, before summer ends, and avoids confronting the pain she clearly still harbors from her recent breakup. There is a valuable and John Green-esque lesson on love in here, but readers are forced to wade through Lu's denial and self-centeredness until she understands it herself. Lu, though fed Italian food daily by her mother, is Filipina, as is her ex-boyfriend, Leo. Iris is Latinx, and other major characters are white.

The just-right ending despite the monotonous plot makes this one skimworthy at best. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170838172
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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