Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

"Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?"

Even after reading YA for years, you'd think I'd be used to different types of somewhat far-fetched stories. Maybe I'm a romantic pessimist or something, but I'll admit a girl dying of a broken heart made me kind of roll my eyes at first. I went in thinking I wouldn't love this book, but was pleasantly surprised.

This story is much deeper than I thought it'd be. It's one of those books that doesn't really make its impact until you've finished it. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if I liked it after I finished it. Then, I had this really long discussion with a few friends who were also reading it and realized how many ways this book could be interpreted. After we went through all the layers of this story, I realized that I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought because of the questions it brought up for me.

I will say that I was somewhat annoyed at Brie at times, but once I once I really thought about who she was, I understood her actions a bit more. Patrick was my favorite character in the book because he was so sweet and understanding. I also loved how I totally got that 80's feel with him. There were a lot of surrounding characters that I really wished I knew more about. I felt like they'd have something more to do with the story and was disappointed when there wasn't more included.

Another aspect that I MUST mention is the awesome playlist included in the book. Each chapter uses a different song/lyric to start with. I loved that it helped set a somewhat theme for the book as I read since the songs were all pretty known.

As I said, this book is much deeper than I expected. If you're looking for a story that will give you questions and surprise you with different events then give the book a try. Don't let the pretty cover fool you, this book will keep you reading even if you think you know what's going to happen.

Soundtrack: 

Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Yankee Bayonet - The Decemberists

Memories Can't Wait - Talking Heads

I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab For Cutie 

And because Jess Rothenberg's playlist will probably put mine to shame, I'm going to share. 

The Catastrophic History of You and Me Spotify Playlist by Jess Rothenberg