The Breakup Artists

by Adriana Mather, Booboo Stewart (Illustrator)

Overview

Adriana Mather, New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch, brings her signature wit, wild imagination, and all the feels to her new YA novel, The Breakup Artists—perfect for fans of Jennifer E. Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.

August and Valentine, seventeen-year-old best friends, run a business called Summer Love, Inc. They hire themselves out to unhappy parents whose kids are in bad relationships, adopting fake identities and going undercover to break up these relationships by any means necessary.

Valentine, the brains of the operation, believes that they’re making the world a better place by steering people away from a relationship precipice so they can someday find true love. But for August, every case is personal—another chance to prove that true love doesn’t exist. He blames his sister’s manipulative boyfriend for her death, and—unlike Valentine—he doesn’t believe in soulmates. No, he thinks the idea of falling head-over-heels is ridiculous at any age.

But then August meets Ella, who suddenly turns everything he thought he believed about love upside down. The problem is that she’s their new case, which means that everything he’s told her about himself is a lie—including his name.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212417525
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	429,190
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

In addition to her novels How to Hang a Witch and Haunting the Deep, Adriana Mather is also a full-time producer and actor. She owns a production company called Zombot Pictures, which has produced the award-winning Honeyglue, among other films. She lives in Massachusetts with her family. Follow her at @AdrianaMather or @adrianamatherauthor.

Booboo Stewart is an actor, artist, and musician. He’s best known for his appearances in the Twilight Saga, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Descendants. Growing up with an actor/stuntman father and an artist mother, Booboo was constantly surrounded by creative energy. Slipping into art was almost a must. Now for Booboo drawing has become more than another creative exploration, it’s become his release.

Editorial Reviews

Wrapped up in a summer romance is a story of grief, loss, and growing up, making this a perfect read for fans of Jenny Han and Kathleen Glasgow.”

Booklist

The Breakup Artists is a hilarious, smart, and swoonworthy book that will have you cheering, laughing out loud, and falling in love.”

author of the New York Times Notable Book The Serp Jeff Zentner

07/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Mather takes a time-worn trope from adult comedies and gives it a comical and poignant teenage spin with this novel that's sure to connect with readers. Seventeen-year-olds August and Valentine (Tiny) share a dream of attending their top college choice and just like many ambitious kids before them, undertake a job to help them reach their financial goals. Only in their case, their business is breaking up teenage couples at the request of loved ones as part of their agency, Summer Love, Inc. Tiny, as the brains of the operation, has outlined rules they must follow for their business to be a success, with the biggest one being don't fall for the target. They are so close to meeting their financial goals with one final job, but this one presents a different challenge when the target shares a similar storyline with someone close to August. While seemingly successful in catching on to their latest project, this could be the one where they get too close. Reading the story through the switching viewpoints of August and Tiny presents all their situations from slightly different priorities which will make this book enjoyable for teen readers seeking a funny yet impactful book. VERDICT A worthy addition to any YA collection, especially for those looking for a romantic comedy that tackles some important relationship struggles many teens will deal with as they reach their college years.—David Roberts

School Library Journal