The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg Published by Razorbill on February 2nd 2012
Pages: 375
Goodreads
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?
This was a quirky little story of a girl called Brie (like the cheese!) who literally dies of a broken heart when her boyfriend tells her he doesn’t love her. This is only the beginning of Brie’s story however. Brie meets a boy called Patrick in the afterlife who helps her through all the five stages of grief that she has to go through in order to ‘move on’.
Although the science is a bit wonky (dying of a broken heart for instance) this was a thoroughly enjoyable debut novel from Jess Rothenberg. The musical references that made up each chapter title were also a nice little touch (spent a while puzzling over some of them only to realize there was a list at the back!).
I liked Brie a lot. She was smart and funny (and at times also somewhat bratty). She is angry at the universe and not at all ready to leave her life behind. I also really liked Patrick – he was witty and mysterious – you have to love a boy who seems to be perennially stuck in the 80’s! I also loved the dog Hamloaf, he was super-adorable.
I also loved that Brie had a close circle of female friends and although they didn’t get much page-time, it is easy to see why she missed them so much.
All in all, a nice little afterlife story.
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