The Museum of Heartbreak

By: Meg Leder
Location: FIC LED
Genre: Young Adult- romance

It is something we see in our library quite a lot. Heartbreak. Sad endings to once happy moments. Misunderstandings and confusions, sad faces, broken smiles. It is not just teenage romance, it is the mates that hurt each other, the cutting words spoken, the families they are not there to be there. As the cover of this book says maybe in life there are not too many happy endings... But what if you kept a memento of the things that break your heart, a shrine of brokenness maybe. What would be in it? I would have a fluffy toy dog, a bangle, a letter from a guy that has since been murdered by his wife, a bell to remind me of the school bully- it was her surname.  I guess I would have  a few books and music that connects me to those times and places.


"The Museum of Heartbreak is a unique story about a girl dealing with all sorts of heartbreak. I loved the main character and found her to be so relatable. The themes of family and friendship added even more to the book, and made me really happy. I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance as this is a quick and cute read, perfect for summer. I found it so original how each chapter focuses on one item from Penelope's Museum of Heartbreak and how she acquired it." Olivia

In this ode to all the things we gain and lose and gain again, seventeen-year-old Penelope Marx curates her own mini-museum to deal with all the heartbreaks of love, friendship, and growing up.

Welcome to the Museum of Heartbreak.

Well, actually, to Penelope Marx’s personal museum. The one she creates after coming face to face with the devastating, lonely-making butt-kicking phenomenon known as heartbreak.

Heartbreak comes in all forms: There’s Keats, the charmingly handsome new guy who couldn’t be more perfect for her. There’s possibly the worst person in the world, Cherisse, whose mission in life is to make Penelope miserable. There’s Penelope’s increasingly distant best friend Audrey. And then there’s Penelope’s other best friend, the equal-parts-infuriating-and-yet-somehow-amazing Eph, who has been all kinds of confusing lately.

But sometimes the biggest heartbreak of all is learning to let go of that wondrous time before you ever knew things could be broken.