Review: It's a Twin Thing: The Break Up by Kristin Darell, Illustrated by A. Yi

From the moment that I saw The Break Up advertised online, I knew that I might just be on to something. Immediately this one stirred up memories of Sweet Valley, the Parent Trap and several other stories about twins, all of which I found quite intriguing when I was a kid. And when I discovered that the book was written by an Australian author and set in Australia, I very much wanted to give it at chance, even though I am well outside of the target audience.

The novel, the first in a series introduces readers to twins Abi and Brook who are about to start year five at their primary school. It is an important year--they are now senior students with additional responsibilities and they must work towards their eventual transition to high school in two years time. This year, however, comes with an unexpected surprise. Abi and Brooke, who have always done everything together, will be placed in separate classes for the first time. And with that comes the discovery that maybe they are not so alike after all ... 

The Break Up is a refreshing take on a familiar subject when it comes to stories about twins. Usually, these follow a set formula, where the outgoing twin ends up with all of their friends and the quieter twin finds themselves alone without any of their usual friends or support networks. In this case, it is outgoing Brook who finds herself in a class without the kids in their usual friendship circle. She very quickly adapts to her new environment, though it is not without its challenges or a few moments of insensitivity toward her sister. Meanwhile, Abi is also thriving in her new class, is insensitive to Brook and begins to feel increasingly insecure in their friendship group. Problems arise when the twins begin to feel betrayed by each other, and because of their age, struggle to communicate this effectively with each other and their parents. Darell writes in such a way that it is easy for the reader to feel empathy for both twins, and the journal entries were a nice touch. As was the way the other kids in their social circle handled the conflict. 

Overall, The Break Up is an excellent novel that will no doubt be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers, and explores themes of independence and loyalty in a way that is empathetic and relatable.

Highly recommended. 


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