Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me

Freddie is head over heels for the popular and mysterious Laura Dean. So in love that she'll keep going back to Laura no matter how many times she breaks up with Freddie, and despite all her friends' interventions. If you're not pulled in by the cover alone (seriously, how stunning?) just wait until you open it up. Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell have created a beautiful snippet of what it's like to be young, "in love," and in a toxic relationship. Recommended By Brianna B., Powells.com

Author Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Rosemary Valero-O'Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, a graphic novel that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

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.

"Tamaki and Valero-O'Connell's tender-hearted narrative sings with real, honest emotion that will resonate with anyone trying to figure out love." The New York Times

"Relatable, heart-wrenching, and often funny... Black-and-white panel illustrations with pink accents provide additional characterization and feature a cast diverse in race, gender identity, and body type." Horn Book (Starred Review) 

"This exploration of toxic relationships and social dynamics at the cusp of adulthood is, like its cast, sharp and dazzling." Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)

"Touching gently but powerfully on topics of bullying, homophobia, and toxic relationships, this superb graphic novel has its finger on the pulse of teenage concerns." Booklist (Starred Review)

Mariko Tamaki writes comic books for BOOM! Studios, Marvel and DC Comics. She is the co-creator of the New York Times bestseller, This One Summer with Jillian Tamaki, which received Eisner and Governor General awards, as well as Caldecott and Printz Honors. Mariko lives in Oakland.

Rosemary Valero-O'Connell has done work for DC Comics, BOOM! Studios, CAPY games, and Mondo Tees among others, and her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators NY, and shown in galleries both locally and internationally.