It?s three days before the biggest trip of your life to none-other than romantic Italy with the most wonderful boyfriend ever and it?s all you can do to keep the excitement under raps. That is until you happen upon your ?wonderful? boyfriend in a very heated make-out session with the girl nicknamed, ?Boob job.? With her incredibly romantic trip practically ruined Jessa decides to go regardless of the fact that her cheating boyfriend and his new girlfriend are also along for the trip. Feeling like a bird who?s had it?s wings clipped mid-flight Jessa gets a little bit of help from her best friend, in the form of 20 sealed instruction envelopes explaining why exactly it is that her ex-boyfriend is a ?Slimy Jerk.? As Jessa picks up the pieces of her broken heart she may just learn a few things about herself along the way.
First of all I just have to say, I?m a huge fan of Kim Culbertson, huge! Why? Well, because of her profound love of music. I first read her book, Songs for a Teenage Nomad last year and I loved the way she was able to weave the words and music from various artists into the storyline. I?m sure I?m not alone when I say that music adds feeling and memories to situations and stories the way that nothing else like it could. For me, there are numerous songs that I haven?t listened to in years but at a single chorus line or first few beats and I?m instantly transported to another time and place. I love it! This is exactly what Kim does in her books and even though you can?t physically hear the music, you still remember it, which brings her stories to life. For Songs for a Teenage Nomad it was more pop and rock music that was mentioned and in Instructions for a Broken Heart it was all musicals and Broadway show tunes, each was exactly what the book needed. In this day when so many are hooked on the TV show Glee and other pop super stars I have no doubt that Instructions for a Broken Heart will be exactly the type of book many would love to read.
Besides the music, another aspect of Culbertson?s writing that?s incredible is how she captures the true feelings of an individual. Without a doubt her main character, Jessa was someone I felt could have been a friend of mine in high school or college, heck it could have been me! Recently, there has been a lot of negative feelings spoken about female lead characters who sulk or mope too much. As if to say that in a situation where a person who has been completely in love with someone is suddenly crushed by her love interest should not cry about it, but get up and conquer the world. Because I live in reality and know that most women (and men) aren?t like that, it seems reasonable to me that there should be some grieving. What I loved about Jessa?s character in Instructions for a Broken Heart, was that she was crushed by the situation in a very real way. Who wouldn?t be? Your first true love. You are supposed to be traveling to the other side of the world, an incredibly romantic Italy at that, and are now meant to tolerate your ex & his new girlfriend making out in front of you for days. I?d absolutely be crushed and struggle with the whole thing. What was nice though was that Culbertson timed everything perfectly and though Jessa grieved she wasn?t consumed the entirety of the book. It was incredibly real and extremely easy to connect with.
For the very fun part about the book, I loved the ?instructions? Jessa receives and also how they help her grow. Her best friend Carissa also involved their good friend Tyler to make sure each and every ?instruction? was carried out. From things like singing to a crowd, dumping a drink on her ex, as well as delivering a letter to her ex which covers the various aspects of what exactly he?s missing out on now. It was perfect! By the end though, the instructions became more about Carissa and Jessa?s relationship as well as Jessa herself which was a really nice thing to see it transition into. There was also a bit of romance with Jessa and a couple of other ?potentials? that was nice to see develop and the ending was especially perfect with how it tied into her reading of James Joyce?s novel, A Portrait of the Artist. If there was anything I wished there was more of or thought Instructions for a Broken Heart lacked was maybe a bit quicker pace. There were a few slow points and parts where I wish Jessa could have spent more time with a certain new love interest, but otherwise it was fantastic!
Kim Culbertson has an incredible talent for writing a beautiful coming of age stories filled with wonderful accompaniment as well. Through the Broadway show tunes many readers have grown up with or are now becoming acquainted with in it?s recent popularity, Instructions for a Broken Heart has not only background music but background memories to accompany it. As a teen who grew up around the high school theater kids and remembers those songs after playing them over and over in the orchestral pit the music was a welcome stroll down memory lane, one that connected me to Jessa and her story completely. Instructions for a Broken Heart is set in the beautiful cities of Italy and will no doubt have Chick Lit fans swooning with each setting along Jessa?s trip. Learn what it takes to be the person you truly are inside by following a few Instructions for a Broken Heart.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks, for providing this book for review!
Also, don?t miss my extremely fun 20 Question Interview with author Kim Culbertson over at There?s A Book!
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