The Breakup Bible [Hardcover]

Melissa Kantor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2007

Jen Lewis is having a great junior year.  She is the features editor of the school paper, and she’s dating Max Brown, the paper’s editor-in-chief. Everything is perfect—that is, until Max says, “Maybe it would be better if we were just friends.” In shock and total denial, Jen wonders how she is going to deal with the pain of seeing Max in school every day. Her misery only intensifies when her grandmother gives her a book that she heard about on the radio. Dr. Emerson’s The Breakup Bible claims that “there’s no reason a woman can’t get over a breakup very quickly if she’ll just follow a few basic commandments.” Jen is doubtful. What does Dr. Emerson know about her and Max?

In a send-up to the scores of dating books on the market, Melissa Kantor’s The Breakup Bible tackles the aftermath of a high school romance with her trademark honesty, humor, and wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Junior Jen Lewis' life revolves around the school newspaper and her boyfriend, the paper's editor. So things really go south when Max dumps her, and Jen is left to wonder why and wander around hopelessly. When Jen's grandmother gives her Dr. Emory Emerson's The Breakup Bible, brimming with advice about moving on, Jen tosses it; she doesn't want to move on. Then, she learns that Max left her for another girl on the newspaper and decides she desperately needs the guidance. Written with wit and featuring a few fine plot twists, this will have teen girls nodding sympathetically. There's also a strong subplot centered on a newspaper article Jen and an African American friend are writing about the school's de facto segregation, which adds some heft to the oldest story in the world. A solid entry for chick-lit shelves. Cooper, Ilene

About the Author

Melissa Kantor is a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, where she lives with her husband, the poet Benjamin Gantcher, and their son.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786809620
• ISBN-13: 978-0786809622
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Five fun facts about me:
1. The first time I ever kissed a boy, I made a complete fool out of myself. Right before we kissed, the boy asked, "Have you ever kissed anyone before?" I said, "No. Have you?" He said, "Yes." Then I said, "Oh, I forgot. I have too."
2. I'm a Capricorn.
3. I used to unbend a paper clip and put it on my teeth like a retainer because I wanted braces.
4. I didn't learn how to make a grilled cheese sandwich until I was in college. (Does anyone know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich? They're actually kind of hard to make!)
5. I failed Spanish.
Come read the first chapters of all my books for free at melissakantor.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Broken Up About Finishing It, January 8, 2009

By 

Rossana Snee "Book-a-holic" (Lakewood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Breakup Bible (Paperback)

This book was so so for me. As far as YA books go, this was not the best. I had a hard time with the main character pining for Max the entire novel. Also, difficult for me was two teens drinking Sangria at a restaurant. Come on. They're teens for crying out loud. And they were served alcohol at a restaurant? Although the book wasn't terrible, I would not put it on my list of books to recommend.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 10, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Breakup Bible (Hardcover)

Jennifer had the perfect boyfriend, the All-American Boy, Max Brown, who she has had a crush on since kindergarten. Everything was fine and peachy for them, or at least that is what Jennifer believed. Out of nowhere Max tells her that he has been thinking about this a lot and just ends their relationships. Heartbroken, Jennifer has no idea what went wrong and is having trouble seeking out the answers, most likely because all she can do is cry in her room.

Jennifer's grandmother believes that the only way she can get over the relationship is by reading The Breakup Bible, the pink book with a golden heart torn in the middle, written by Dr. Emory Emerson. At first Jennifer is still too shaken up about the relationship that she can't even think of her ex's five faults (step one of The Breakup Bible). Jennifer is too busy thinking that Max has figured out that he has made the hugest mistake by breaking up with her. She constantly wonders about this when Max seems to be sending mixed signals to her in their journalism class.

But as Jennifer begins to see that thinking about Max may not be the healthiest thing for her, she takes Dr. Emerson's book and starts using the ten commandments, from trying to not talk bad about your ex to getting a new hobby. But little does Jennifer know that the changes that occur aren't only because of the book--and that the perfect boyfriend she once had isn't so perfect after all.

THE BREAKUP BIBLE is funny, sad, and very sassy all rolled up into one. Melissa Kantor tells the story of Jennifer, who everyone will soon grow to love and cheer for, hoping that she gets together with just the right guy. Not only Jennifer, but also her Nana and mother, makes the story even better. Teen angst never looked so good until THE BREAKUP BIBLE. I say that it is in need of a sequel.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Breakup Bible, June 22, 2007

By 

Chelsie Lacny "Chel" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Breakup Bible (Hardcover)

This book was great. Truly great. I've read Melissa Kantor's other two novels, Confessions of a Not-It Girl and If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince? and I think this book is just as great as those. It shows one girl, Jenny, and her troubles with getting over her first love. After all, he was such a great guy.

I won't spoil the ending, but let me tell you, it's probably the best that I could have asked for. Perfect in the way only a novel can be. I would definitely recommend anything by Melissa Kantor, just because she writes some of my favorite books.