3 out of 5 stars

"How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang is a romantic drama set against the backdrop of a TV show production. I particularly enjoyed the insider glimpse into the television industry, which provided a unique setting for the story. The chemistry between the main characters was good; and the “will they, won’t they” trope is in full effect here.

However, the backstory between the characters (which I won’t spoil) and their reunion as adults felt a bit too contrived for my taste. The narrative seemed to rely heavily on past misunderstandings, which sometimes stretched believability. While I appreciate a second-chance romance, the execution here could have been more natural and nuanced. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read but it falls short of fully delivering on its potential.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Helen is a best-selling author who tragically lost her sister Michelle to suicide in high school. When her best-selling book series is to be turned into a television show, it turns out that one of the writers in the room, Grant, is a former high school classmate who is connected to her sister's death. Despite their complicated history and personal journeys to recover from the trauma of Michelle's death, Helen and Grant develop a friendship that turns into something more. But can they come to terms with their pasts in order to form a serious relationship?

I had read some reviews of this title and put off reading it because I wasn't sure it was going to live up to the hype. However, I ended up being engrossed with the story from almost page one. I love a story where the characters have to deal with personal traumas in order to form a healthy relationship and this one delivered. Helen was a character I could really relate to with her insecurities and imposter syndrome. I did feel like Grant's background could have been more fully developed and I thought the pacing of the ending could be better (it was drawn out until it wasn't and then the book ended very quickly). But overall, this was a very compelling story that I couldn't put down.

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice: 2/3

Thank you so much for this ARC! I loved the third person POV. It was a unqiue book that I think a ton of people are going to enjoy :)

This was absolutely incredible. The book girlies are gonna love this one. It was emotional, funny, and steamy! The book has an Emily Henry vibe and I was here for it.

I received an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I was initially interested in this book because the author has written screenplays to adapt some of Emily Henry's work. I can see why the two work well together - Kuang has some wit to her while also diving into deep emotional territory. And there was some spice as well!

I don't think this was a perfect novel - I have seen some criticisms of the dark stuff (which did not bother me) and the "twist" was perhaps too on the nose. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and I thought the premise of adapting the main character's novel into a TV show was really interesting to follow along with.

Definitely recommend for all my Emily Henry/Abby Jimenez fans!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy. This review contains some spoilers.

As an Asian-American woman, there was a lot to resonate with and it made the book difficult to read in a really good way. Helen’s relationship with her parents and the generational trauma that comes from cultural expectations was spot on. I empathized with her line of thinking and cringed at the chaotic choices that also felt relatable to me.

However, there was a lot left to be desired about the plot itself. Helen and Grant are both defined by their trauma but nothing else. Their relationship at times felt more about the forbidden fruit and trauma bonding more than genuine connection over shared interest and journey through that trauma. It almost felt like character development stopped after just realizing and naming the baggage rather than working through it.

I was rooting for them both because they both needed a win while simultaneously thinking they were both exactly what the other person did not need. It felt whiplash to end the book with a wedding. I understand it is unreasonable to expect that Helen’s family would ever really come around to Grant but the way that it went from hiding the relationship to marriage felt absurd. I think seeing more of the individual growth and the authentic ways they helped each other would have gone a long way.

A captivating and emotional story that explores the complexities of love, loss, and second chances. The characters are well developed with tension and chemistry in the air. Beautifully written.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh wow, I loved this even more than I thought I would. The things Helen says about her sister just shattered me. The romance was spicy and despite it’s somewhat problematic origins I loved how they helped each other heal from their traumas.

HOW TO END A LOVE STORY broke the spell of my string of not-so-great romance novels, restoring my faith in the genre. (I tend to roll my eyes at Asian girls and white men as the love interest, but I think I can give Grant a pass this time, lol.)

The book follows Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard, who experienced a tragic accident (in different ways) that has altered their lives. We meet them 13 years later since the accident, with Helen now a bestselling author and Grant one of the screenwriters adapting Helen’s book into a TV series.

This story goes beyond your normal romance novel. It’s explores familial love (whatever that looks like) and self love. The way we fear love, and fear to love. The complexities of grief and guilt, showing how these emotions shaped Helen and Grant.

Initially, Helen’s character didn’t resonate with me. Her insecurities, especially regarding her looks, writing skills, and career, as well as her sometimes immature behavior, particularly in her relationships with her parents, were off-putting. However, as her story unfolded, I began to empathize with her struggles, realizing she was broken by grief, guilt, and pressure she placed on herself. As her story unfolded, I felt a wave of complex emotions and found myself deeply moved, especially as I thought of my close relationship with my sister.

The chemistry between Helen and Grant was one of the highlights for me. Their banter, the sexual tension (some scenes are steamy 🥵), and their journey to heal from their troubled pasts, together, were beautifully portrayed.

However, I did find the pacing uneven, particularly towards the end where it felt rushed. Additionally, I wished for more depth in Helen’s relationship with her parents, especially regarding the unresolved issue of Grant, which felt somewhat glossed over.

Overall, HOW TO END A LOVE STORY is an emotional and intricate story of two broken individuals shaped by grief and guilt, finding solace and healing together.

The foundation of this “love” story — which, not a spoiler since it is included in the blurb after all — is that the MC’s sister took her own life in high school by jumping in front of the future love interest’s car.

Now, would this understandably be a difficult loss to reconcile? Yes. Would it be hard to look at the driver the same way, even though they’re just as damaged by the death? Of course.

But would you outwardly show resentment, anger, and disgust towards this person whom your sibling non consensually involved in their suicide? I would hope not, I would hope that you would instead be upset that your sibling chose to unwillingly involve them and cause them trauma for the remainder of their life.

Yet, the MC and her family treat this man as though he deliberately killed the sister. They, frankly, are downright cruel to him; and when the MC meets him again some years later, she STILL treats him as though he murdered her sister and asks the man to QUIT HIS JOB simply because he should, out of decency and all, since she doesn’t want to be around him.

With that said and to prevent this from becoming a complete rant, these two characters should have never gotten together in any capacity, the MC is the real villain in this story, and the LI deserves so much better.

Loved the dialogue, smart writing, and peek into film- and television-writing. Really struggled with the basic premise of the love story, though; the plot point that makes the two MCs is truly traumatic, for both of them, and felt hard to believe as a stable foundation for an eventual emotionally healthy love story.

I love Helen and Grant together. They were bound by a horrible tragedy, and I can totally relate to some of the things Helen was going through with her parents. She forgave Grant but it took so much longer for her parents to. They made this book enjoyable to read!

I absolutely loved this book. I laughed. I cried. I pounced the air while kicking my feet uncontrollably .

How To End a Love Story is so rich and full life.

I truly wanted to love this book but I got to the 60% mark and ended up not finishing it because it just wasn’t holding my attention.

All of that to say, I’ve seen so many RAVE reviews of the book and I think it was more of a me problem than anything.

Cute, quick read. Love the representation of heterosexual Asian families and relationships, especially the quip about drying dishes in the dishwasher instead of running it to wash. Very relatable! The rollercoaster of emotions, silent treatments, family dynamics, mental health, love - ugh, everything - was so well laid out.

Included as a top pick in weekly April New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️(and a half)

I really enjoyed this read and the overall plot. I do feel that the ending of the book felt rushed and fell flat for me. There was so much build up of tension and character development that the ending just felt… “there” without a lot of thought. Overall an enjoyable read and well written, I was just a little disappointed by how the ending was written.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon for this ARC to review.

I had heard a lot of great things about this book & I was really excited to read it. It was definitely an interesting read and it did keep my interest throughout but I will say this one just wasn't for me. This is once again an example of why publishers need to include possible trigger warnings and content warnings in the description of a book listing PRIOR to requesting the book. Because there were aspects of this book that absolutely would have kept me from requesting it had I known.

It was a definitely more of a drama than a romance story and it had a whole lot of depth and tragedy which is not usually what I'm looking for in a romance book and I think the blurb didn't give enough of a heads up that this was going to be a tough book and not a typical romance.

I would love to read more from this author in the future, the writing was very well and beautifully done.

Wow, I was in the biggest reading slump before this book. And even though it started off a little slow for me I knew it had so much potential and it didn't disappoint. The last 60% was phenomenal. I can't wait to see what this author does for the Emily Henry film adaptation. I could feel the emotions of the characters falling off the page. The bonds that drew them together and the things that kept them apart. There were times I need to just sit and stare at a wall for a few minutes to process this beautiful story. What to expect: Huge grief storyline LA vibes Writers room Forbidden romance Anxiety amd trauma representation Complicated relationship I adored this book, if you were on the fence about picking this up I urge you to run out and buy it immediately. I loved reading about how writers rooms worked in LA, having been on a few film/TV sets here in the UK it was nice to see an inside scoop on how that side of things worked too. I also love reading books that are about books in some way, so this was great! What a great debut

This one admittedly took me a minute to get through because I had a feeling it was going to wreck me, and I WAS RIGHT. What a perfectly achey romance that manages to run the gamut of emotion — sweet, sexy, messy, devastating — and all swirl together in a way that very few writers would have been able to pull off. I can’t wait for whatever Kuang writes next (and if I was excited for her to adapt Emily Henry’s books to screen before, I’m even more psyched now!). What an absolute banger of a romance novel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.