The following version was used to make this guide: Tamaki, Mariko and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. New York, New York: First Second, 2019. This young adult graphic novel is 289 pages long, without any distinct parts or chapters, but for the purposes of this guide will be broken into seven parts.

The novel opens in a high school gymnasium on Valentine’s Day, beginning with a narration of Freddy writing an email to Anna Vice. Freddy is with her friends and they ask about Laura, and Freddy says she is coming. Freddy explains to Anna Vice how she is in love with a girl named Laura Dean. Suddenly Laura arrives and they start dancing, as Freddy explains Laura keeps breaking up with her. A friend calls out to Laura and suddenly Freddy is alone. She starts looking for Laura, and finds her in the closet making out with another girl. Freddy sobs with her friends, getting drunk. They take her to a donut shop and Freddy vomits all over the counter. Freddy’s friend takes her home, leaving a note to get breakfast the next day signed just - “D.” The next day Freddy gets a text from Laura “don’t be mad” (20). Freddy explains how Laura has broken up with her three times now, all on holidays. Freddy goes home and is miserable. She goes to school and is miserable knowing everyone around her knows the drama too. Her friends offer to do what they can. Freddy sees Laura at school and Laura is flirty but it is awkward.

At the bowling alley with her family, Freddy runs into the girl from the Donut Shop, Vi, who served them, and watched Freddy throw up. Freddy’s parents watch Freddy feeling miserable at the bowling alley. Freddy finishes her email to Anna Vice in the narration, asking for advice.

Freddy goes to work and D meets her there, then takes her to a Seek-her for advice. Freddy explains how she met Laura in gym class square dancing, and their electric chemistry. The Seek-her tells Freddy she has to break up with Laura, but Freddy is confused. She leaves D at the coffee shop as D waves with a stranger in the courtyard. When Freddy walks home, Laura is there on the porch waiting for her, asking if she is free, and Freddy says she is.

Freddy starts another email to Anna Vice, explaining how she has looped back to the beginning, as she has sex with Laura. Freddy starts to wonder about different kinds of relationships and she talks about sex and intimacy with her friends at school. She keeps hooking up with Laura though repeatedly catches her in lies. Doodle, meanwhile, is increasingly frustrated with Freddy and seems distraught.

Doodle tries to keep Freddy engaged in their joint hobby of stitching up stuffed animals into new creations, but Freddy blows her off to meet with Laura. Freddy goes to a party at Laura Dean’s house and is ignored by Laura, but Freddy thinks maybe she is braving a new lesbian frontier of relationships. Freddy hangs out more and more with Laura at the expense of spending time with her friends. She runs back into Vi who invites her to an art show. Meanwhile, Doodle is increasingly cool towards Freddy, and acquires a cell phone, mysteriously texting someone.

Freddy goes to the art show, and seeing Laura cozy with another girl, she grabs another person and makes out with them. At school, Doodle tells Freddy they need to talk at lunch. But then Laura confronts Freddy about her making out with someone else, and asks if Freddy wants to break up with her but insists Freddy cannot as they have something special and always come back to each other. Freddy then realizes she blew off Doodle at lunch for Laura, and Doodle is angry and will not talk to her. Buddy tells Freddy she needs to check on her friend, and Freddy goes over to Doodle’s house and learns that Doodle is pregnant. She had sex with a married man and Freddy is surprised, and Doodle turns her away, angry that Freddy is judging her. Doodle tells Freddy she is a terrible friend and Freddy leaves upset.

At school, Freddy asks how she can help and Doodle says she can go with her to the clinic for her abortion on Saturday. Freddy agrees, but at work later Laura tells Freddy she is having a birthday party on Saturday. Freddy tells Laura she cannot go, and Laura says ok. On Saturday Freddy is about to leave to meet Doodle, when she gets a text from Laura saying there is an emergency. Freddy sprints over to Laura and Laura says she just wanted her girlfriend there at her birthday party. Freddy is angry, as other people start arriving and Laura lets them all in, and slams the door in Freddy’s face. Freddy sprints to the clinic to meet Doodle, but Doodle has already gone in for her appointment.

Freddy goes home with Doodle after her appointment, and receives a response email from Anna Vice. Anna explains to her that love and breakups are difficult and never easy. Doodle wakes up and cries, telling Freddy about the man she had sex with. Laura texts Freddy with a picture from her birthday party, as Freddy keeps reading the email from Anna, who asks what she wants out of her relationship and that her relationship should make her a better person, and not take from her. Freddy stays over at Doodle’s and the next day she stops at a coffee shop for coffee from Vi. She then goes over to Laura’s house and breaks up with her. Later at prom, Freddy sends a final email to Anna Vice, explaining she is working on being a better friend. The novel ends with Freddy and Doodle dancing together, happy.