The Heartbreak Messenger

kathol - The Heartbreak Messenger by Alexander Vance: If breaking up is so hard, why not pay someone to do it for you. That's what the trailer for the heartbreak Messenger says. The heartbreak messenger is a great book with drama and a lot of break ups. Quintin didn't ever try to be the heartbreak messenger, he was just sitting at his best friend Rob's house when Rob's big brother mentioned wanting to break up with his girlfriend. At first Quintin thought it was nothing until Rob's brother mentioned paying one of them to do it. Without thinking Quintin agreed to do it. After it was done Rob's brother told his friends and then it started Quintin was the heartbreak messenger. He charged 20 dollar for a break up 50 if you want to give them chocolates and flowers. The antagonist is Abby his best friend because she wants him to stop being the heartbreak messenger. Quintin is the protagonist. One conflict is Abby gets a boyfriend named Justin, and another one is Justin wants to break up with Abby. What will he do? Find out in the book. I really liked this book and would recommend it to all people who love a good book filled with drama. I hope of you read you will love it as much as I did.

May 27, 2013
After seventh-grader Quentin accepts $20 to deliver a breakup message for a friend’s older brother, a new business is born: he becomes the “Heartbreak Messenger,” hired to perform breakups for the weak-willed. Quentin believes his single mother, an auto mechanic, is struggling to pay their bills, so there’s an altruistic side to his entrepreneurship, but he also enjoys the power the job gives him. Problems arise, including bad reactions from the recipients of his services, as well as the friction created as Quentin lies to his close friend Abby about his secret profession. His complicated feelings for Abby don’t help, especially after she starts dating another boy. The laughs are plentiful in Vance’s debut, between Quentin’s wry voice and the awkward situations the author creates (like when Quentin gets decked by a girl after delivering the bad news); Quentin’s communicative, protective relationship with his mother is another high point. The lessons Quentin learns about love, compassion, and himself can be slightly heavy-handed, but overall it’s an entertaining and funny read with a clever conceit. Ages 10–13. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Starred review from August 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-When his best friend's brother wants to break up with his girlfriend but doesn't know how, Quentin agrees to do it for him for $20. He never expects it to turn into a business, but after being successful and taking the ex's advice to soften the blow with flowers and chocolate, he becomes the heartbreak messenger. Wanting to help out his car-mechanic mother with what he assumes are money problems, he takes on more breakups. However, most of them are not so simple. He gets punched by a girl, has to figure out how to break up with two girls at the same time without telling them about each other, and must comfort an enormous football player whose heart is broken. As he struggles to keep his business and his body safe from harm, he finds himself with conflicting feelings about his other best friend, Abby. When her boyfriend asks for his services, Quentin must decide about his true feelings for her. Quentin is a likable and funny narrator. His confusion over his feelings for Abby is authentic, and his decision that he is not ready to pursue a romantic relationship will strike a chord with other preteens. This clever read will find an audience with both boys and girls.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 Breaking up is hard to do, but not if you have the Heartbreak Messenger do it for you. For 20 bucks he will deliver a breakup message to your soon-to-be ex. But who is the man behind the myth? None other than 13-year-old Quentin, who invents the surprisingly lucrative business after assisting his friend's older brother. Quentin finds being a professional relationship ender harderand more dangerousthan he expected, but he doesn't fully understand the emotional fallout until he is hired by the boyfriend of his best friend, Abby. The situations Quentin finds himself in are humorous and heartfelt, often underscoring his own cluelessness about Abby's true feelings. With strong supporting characters and an appealing lead, this funny, feel-good tale is perfect for those beginning to think about dating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)