This original review was written by and posted on behalf of Samantha Magee.
I read this book in the winter of 2022 for a school assignment. Sadly, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me is one of the many LGBTQ+ books that has been banned in school districts across the country. Much of my insights are not just about the book's story, but what makes it appealing to LGBTQ+ audiences: Reading about people like us. I believe allies will benefit from the book's unapologetic representation, understanding what LGBTQ+ culture is like in twenty-first century America.
All Frederica “Freddy” Riley wants is her girlfriend, Laura Dean to stay with her. Fruitlessly, Freddy writes to advice columnist Anna Vice and gradually loses touch with her friends. Luckily, an exciting older girl and a shocking revelation pull Freddy out of her despair.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me is a story about relationships, but it is also unapologetically LGBTQ+. Illustrator Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Don’t Go Without Me) not just tells but shows rejection of cis heteronormativity through its characters’ styles and relationships. Doodle, Freddy’s best friend, and the titular Laura Dean both sport close cropped hair and athletic pants paired with loose tops or graphic tees. Buddy, Freddy’s friend wears cutesy earrings, and Mo, a friend of a friend, rocks a mohawk and menswear. And all of Freddy’s friends but Doodle are non-straight– Buddy and Eric are dating, Vi is implied to be lesbian, and of course there’s Laura Dean. LGBTQ+ readers will be able to relate to Mariko Tamaki’s (This One Summer) colorful cast through cultivation of identity through gender nonconforming presentations and how LGBTQ+ individuals tend to form friendships almost exclusively with one another.
Freddy’s messages to Anna Vice are presented in square format, a stark contrast to Laura Dean’s traditional speech bubbles. Styled like a message board, Freddy’s cries for help function as a twenty first century diary. Valero-O’Connell leads readers through a world colored in shades of black and white, liberally splashed with millennial pink. Readers paying close attention will notice that wherever this color appears, an important setting, object, transition, or strong emotion is at hand. Valero-O’Connell’s fluid lines, expansive figures, and use of negative space convey the emotional ups and downs of youth. Laura Dean teaches readers about the importance of leaving toxic relationships to pursue brighter futures.
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