Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak
By Mary Cosola,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Uneven take on summer breakups and teen love.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In BRIEF CHRONICLE OF ANOTHER STUPID HEARTBREAK, a teen girl flounders after a breakup and spends most of her summer avoiding a writing deadline and obsessing over the nature of love. Lu's boyfriend breaks up with her at the start of summer, crushing her notion of the two having a few wonderful, carefree months together and possibly a long-distance relationship when they start at different colleges in the fall. As for college, she's received a scholarship to NYU that's tied to a writing gig she has with a hip online teen magazine. The column is about love and relationships, and the breakup spurs writer's block of epic proportions. She's at risk of losing her column and her scholarship if she doesn't get something -- anything -- written soon. She happens upon another teen couple on the verge of a summer breakup and decides she wants to write about them. But still, the words don't come. She's convinced that these new friends have the answers to love and relationships she's hungry to learn, but in spending so much time with them, she blows off her boss, her mom, and her best friend. Lu is emotionally stuck in so many ways and needs to figure out how to dig herself out of the mess she's created.
Is It Any Good?
This tale of teen summer breakups is equal parts frustrating and endearing. In Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, author Adi Alsaid accurately captures the highs and lows of that unique summer between high school and college. Teens that age are technically adults, but they have one foot in the world of independence and the other still accountable to parents. The characters' musings on love, and teen love in particular, are interesting and engaging. The intelligence and kindness of the secondary characters add a certain sweetness to the story. Lu is awkward and sarcastic, which is sometimes relatable, but throughout most of the book she is so self-absorbed, in denial, and clueless that she ends up not being a sympathetic main character.
Writer's block and shirking aren't compelling story topics, and Alsaid doesn't do a great job of making them so. The story is told in first person with Lu as narrator, and her head's not a fun place to be, making a too long book feel endless when she's not moving forward with anything in her life. The repetitive thoughts and conversations become tiresome. There are sections of the book that are funny and charming, but the slow place and frustrating main character bog down the narrative.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way teen relationships are depicted in Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak. Do you think the ways the different characters behave are realistic? How does this compare with other books and TV shows about teens in love and relationship breakups?
How much do you trust your family with details about your personal life? How much do you share or hold back? Why?
Do you ever have trouble completing a project or meeting a deadline? What do you think holds you up? How did you break through and get it done?
Book Details
- Author: Adi Alsaid
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Friendship , High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Inkyard Press
- Publication date: April 30, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: February 11, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate