Sixteen-year-old Min has just broken up with her first love, Ed. This book is her rambling letter to him explaining exactly why they broke up. At the beginning of the book, Min explains that she's dropping a box of the stuff from their short relationship on Ed's doorstep, then proceeds to write about each object in that box. She explains why it's there, and why, from the moment each object appeared in their relationship, she should have known right then that they'd break up soon.
It sounds really simple, and to some degree it is, but this book is also completely and totally awesome. Kalman's illustrations of every item in the Ed box are fantastic, and Handler hits exactly the right note as he mixes the magic of first love with the bitterness of first heartbreak. The characters are unbelievable too. Min and her wry sense of humor very much remind me of Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars (which, if you've heard me talking up that book, you'll know is very high praise indeed). Why We Broke Up is simply incredible. Read it.
Also: check out the Why We Broke Up Project. It's really cool, and a continuation of the breakup stories that make up the author endorsements on the back cover.
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