Helen Zhang's younger sister was killed in a car accident in high school. Grant Shepard was the person driving the car that killed her.

13 years later, Grant, now a screenwriter, is sitting in the same room as Helen, helping turn her popular YA book series into a TV show.

How is this even going to work? That is the question that Helen and Grant need to figure out as they get to know each other in this new setting, years after a traumatic incident that changed both of their lives.

Though Helen has spent this time harboring hate toward Grant, and Grant has spent that time trying to leave the accident in the past, new emotions start to form as they are forced to spend time together.

How to End a Love Story is about in two people recovering from trauma and learning to feel worthy of love - as they can't help but fall in love with each other. Steamy and dramatic with many light-hearted moments in between, this is a book I'd recommend to romance readers who love complexity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

5! How to End a Love Story follows the story of Helen and Grant, which is Yulin Kuang’s debut book. This is such a well-rounded and written story. Kuang’s storytelling truly captivated me and was able to keep my attention from beginning to end. To be honest, in the beginning, I was a bit confused about how these two characters were going to grow to love each other. However, when the tension and angst began to rise, I NEEDED them to get together. Helen and Grant worked so well because they understood one another and knew how to forgive and move on from the past. The last third of the book was so emotional that I was caught off guard. The heartache was insane. This is not only a love story between the two characters but a story that explores grief, family dynamics, and happiness. What an amazing debut and I can't wait for more books from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. How to End a Love Story releases on April 9th!

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang was a pleasure to devour!
One of the best contemporary romances I’ve read!
I was completely hooked on the first page and could not put it down.
I absolutely loved the writing style, the characters were so charming, and the chemistry was PERFECT!
This book was perfectly paced and kept me interested.
This debut is immediately captivating, blending warmth and romance with meaningful insight.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Overall this is a really solid contemporary romance debut by Yulin Kuang. Her two main characters, Grant and Helen, are connected by a tragedy at the end of their senior year that forever alters both their lives. Years later, they find themselves working together, and slowly realizing they may have more in common than they thought.

The storytelling as a whole in this book was beautiful, and it explored challenging family dynamics, grief, trauma, and forgiveness in upfront ways. There were moments when the romantic progression felt a little haphazard and also when the jumping from once perspective to the other was too quick and the author's background as a screenwriter was showing through, but in general I think this is definitely a story worth reading.

Super cute and fun! I have been following Kuang's career for a long time and their multi-faceted talents extend to novel writing. Delightful!

This was absolutely utterly perfect. I could not ask for more - a well balanced story, a moving plot, and a whole lot of heart and emotional triumph. I cannot recommend this enough. Kuang carves out a unique spot for herself that is simultaneously in the same stratosphere as Emily Henry, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Katie Cotugno. Absolutely wonderful.

I have a lot to say about this book so let's dive in. First off, holy cow, I did NOT expect a book with this cute of a cover to make my heart ache as much as it did. THE ANGST. THE HUMOR. THE HEART ACHE. Everything about this book was just so wonderful. I was very nervous going into this but I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Amazing banter, it had me laughing out loud throughout the entire thing. I LOVED the aspect of Helen noticing different versions of Grant, reminded me a lot of january/gus in beach read. When I wasn't reading it, I found myself wishing I was and missing the characters like they were real people. When I tell you they were living in my mind RENT FREE.

This book is such a breathtakingly beautiful and vulnerable portrayal about grief, love, forgiveness and life. Yulin writes with such emotional intelligence and I think that's one of the best things about this book. If you're an EmHen fan, you will absolutely love this book. I laughed, I cried, I yelled at Helen's frustrating parents and I swooned over Grant. Reading this will have you fully understanding why Yulin is the one adapting EmHen's books and I couldn't be happier after reading this beautifully heartbreaking and adorably hilarious book. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quotes: "I'd rather have a fraction of you than all of someone else"
"He looks up just then, and it's like the sun comes out only to highlight Grant Shephard's smile."
"This is what it would feel like to love Grant Shephard, she thinks, and it aches."

One of the joys of being on Bookstagram is reading a book, loving it, and then seeing other readers gush about the book. That’s been my experience with How to End a Love Story.

This is author Yulin Kuang’s debut novel, but she clearly knows her way around story and romance—fun fact: Kuang is adapting and directing the movie version of Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

If you love romance books or are curious about the genre, How to End a Love Story should absolutely be on your April TBR.

***

In How to End a Love Story, Helen Zhang has temporarily relocated from New York City to Los Angeles, where she’ll work in the writers’ room of the show adapting her popular series of YA books for television.

Helen quickly faces an unwelcome surprise: Grant Shephard, the golden boy from her hometown with whom Helen shares a fraught history, has been chosen by Suraya, the showrunner, as Suraya’s “number two” in the writers’ room.

Reluctant to disrupt the show’s progress, Helen decides to stay quiet about her past with Grant, hoping they maintain a professional rapport in the writers’ room and keep their distance outside of it. Alas, life rarely follows the scripts we outline…

This book is SO, SO, SO good. Not only is the chemistry between Helen and Grant palpable, but they are also nuanced characters imbued with depth. Alongside the romantic narrative, Kuang includes observations on adult friendship, professional ambition and frustration, grief, and complex family dynamics.

While the book is funny and tender, it also grapples with tragedy and trauma. The somber portions of the book are handled with sensitivity and never felt gratuitous. One detail I really appreciated is that both main characters have been in therapy. The therapy sessions aren’t depicted on the page, but it is nice to see characters who are doing their best to evolve, heal, and grapple with their humanity.

How to End a Love Story is among my favorite romances I’ve read. A big thank you to @avonbooks and @netgalley for sharing a digital ARC with me.

This is a wonderful book I positively drank down. It has such a high degree of difficulty, pairing a woman with the person who accidentally killed her sister. It is NOT a romcom; it is very emotional and angsty, and precisely what I wanted. I loved all the inside baseball about writing for television, and while medical calamities usually strike me as a lazy way to create drama, I thought it worked here. I am already anxiously awaiting what this author has in store next.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, so it pains me to say I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I’m still so thankful to have been approved for an arc for this one!

I truly think it was just me who didn’t vibe with the characters or some plot points, so I do think people are going to love this one. And I will definitely be reading more of Yulin Kuang’s work – I did enjoy her writing style, just not so much this particular story.

Don’t let my opinion dissuade you though – I still had a good time, and if you like any of these tropes + plenty of tension and yearning, you might enjoy this one!
- forbidden love
- forced proximity
- enemies to lovers
- office romance

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the e-arc!

CW: suicide

Grant Shepard killed Helen Zhang's sister. She should hate him, she should avoid him, she should definitely not spend the next several months in the writer's room with him- turning her novel series into a tv series adaptation.

It's been more than a decade since Helen's sister, Michelle took her own life by jumping in front of a car at age 16. It could have been anyone's car, and logically Helen knows that-- but when she finds herself working in close proximity with Grant Shepard, the someone whose car *did* kill Michelle, she is forced to reevaluate long-held feelings of anger and grief.

According to her " about the author" section, Yulin Kuang is an award-winning screenwriter and director, which lends so much authenticity and passion into this wonderful novel that relies on the writer's room for a major plot point. Fans of Emily Henry will be delighted to hear that this section also included the exciting news (news to me, anyway!) that she is currently set to direct a screen adaptation of Henry's novel Beach Read!
I could not believe, as I read this novel, how many plot points came together seamlessly- without ever feeling rushed or forced. Kuang's writing is immersive, and gives you glimpses of family dynamic and generational trauma, healing through therapy and dealing with mental health issues, the Chinese-American experience, dealing with uncertainty and imposter syndrome as an author, and a love story that offers healing and redemption, Truly wonderful read, that I will be insufferable about for weeks, and recommending to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for a digital ARC!

Artfully crafted and poignant, How to End a Love Story is a brilliant debut from author Yulin Kuang.

The overarching conflict in this book sets out a seemingly impossible path to an HEA, and the ways in which Kuang explores all of the nuances of said conflict is thoroughly compelling. I will say that I felt that there were moments when Helen in particular felt overly harsh, but that trait also made her achingly human.

The prose is beautiful and the narrative arc is ultimately satisfying, but readers should be ready to be put through the wringer before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And be aware that this book does deal with some topics that might be triggering to some readers.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

How many words does it take for an author and a screenwriter to fall in love? Find out in this encapsulating novel about a harrowing past turning into a beautiful future.

Grant and Helen know each other from their past. Unlike most high schoolers, they are connected over a traumatic and life changing event. When they meet again years later through work, how will it go? Will they be able to deny the sparks and pull between them, or will they continue entangling themselves?

This book had me hooked. The writing is impeccable, with the reader being able to jump in and out of the heads of both Grant and Helen. You fall in love with both of them instantly and immeasurably, hoping they will be able to take the same jump together. Truly un-put-down able, this book put me through every emotion and feeling, just to help me better understand how to perfectly end a love story.

Swoony and spicy and everywhere in between. “How to End a Love Story” is heartfelt and heartbreaking, more melancholy than I expected but what could I expect from the writer/director adapting two Emily Henry novels?

I'm OBSESSED with this enemies to lovers, dual POV, Hollywood romance between two writers who find themselves forced to work together on a tv series adaptation of a bestselling YA series one of them wrote.

Full of emotional depth, great banter and chemistry and a killer epilogue. I couldn't get enough of this story that was also great on audio narrated by Katharine Chin and Andrew Eiden. HIGHLY recommended for fans of authors like Ava Wilder, Christina Lauren or Elissa Sussman.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @libro.fm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review. I'm excited to see Yulin in person later this month with Tessa Bailey and can't wait to read what she writes next!

Steam level: open door (mild details)

4 Stars How to End a Love Story is the debut novel from Yulin Kuang, screenwriter of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation and screenwriter/director of Beach Read, and it explores grief, healing, and how trauma inexplicably binds us together.

Thirteen years after the tragic accident that took the life of her sister and bound their lives together, Helen Zhang is shocked to see Grant Shepard again--and in the writer's room that is adapting her bestselling YA series. Hoping to conquer her imposter syndrome and solve her writer's block, Helen is determined to succeed in the writer's room. The only thing she hadn't planned on was Grant. Grant Shepard has done everything to move on from that fateful night, including moving across the country, but the past still haunts him. Helen and Grant are each exactly as they remember each other from high school; Grant is funny, charming, and the life of every room, while Helen is brilliant, talented, and closed off. There is so much unresolved between the two, but that doesn't stop their feelings from growing the more time they spend together, both in the writer's room and outside of it. Could falling in love in the present finally help them make peace with the past and move on?

I feel at a loss for words to describe this story. Yes, there's grief and loss, hurt and pain, but there's also joy and love, healing and growth. Kuang touches on many subjects, including suicide, loss of a sibling, guilt, mental health, assimilation, familial expectations, and loss of connection to one's family's culture. The author handled all of these subjects with loving care and sensitivity. Despite the heaviness of the topics, I never felt like the story was that heavy or angsty. There were times were it was surprisingly light, much like I guess it is surprising to feel light after grieving for so long. Helen and Grant were fascinating characters and I truly feel like I haven't read a love story like there's before. Overall the story kept a good pace and I loved the time jumps at the end so we got to see more of their HEA. A beautiful love story ❤️

YULIN KUANG!!! i’m excited to see her grow as an author and can’t wait to read more from her!

I think this is technically closer to a 3.5⭐️ for me but there were so many things i loved about it i had to give it 4. i could tell from the first two chapters this was going to be a good book! the writing had personality and made me feel like i was chatting with my friends, not reading a book. it was so compulsive and easy to read, and i fell in love with the characters.

the story was somehow both horny and heartfelt … the romance is really fun but i think this is also how it fell off the path to 5 stars for me. given the subject matter, all the spice took away from what i had hoped to be a more insightful healing journey for both the main characters. we didn’t really get that until the very end. i would have liked to see them share more “graveyard moments” throughout the book.

i also wanted a bit more meaningful plot from the screenwriting/producing aspect too! i was really intrigued given kuang’s background, but it was mostly used as a plot device for a character-driven story.

again, there’s so much to love about this book, especially if you’re into steamy romance! kuang has a distinct voice that grips you and makes you want to read more! plus she wrote a man who BEGS and what more can a girl ask for?

thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc!

A sweet and heartbreaking story -- I would have loved to learn more about Helen and Grant as teenagers and some of my favorite parts were when they were back in their home town. I also loved how unapologetic the author was when talking about therapy and how important it is for processing trauma.

If you enjoy angsty, emotional, complex, character-driven, contemporary stories that draw you in and refuse to let go, How to End a Love Story is a book you'll want to read. I'm still thinking about these characters and I have a feeling I'll continue to do so for some time to come.

Based on the cover, title, and blurb, I really had no idea what to expect from this book other than it sounded interesting. What I found was a fascinating character study, compelling journey, and unexpected romance that kept me flipping pages well into the night. Shocking prologue aside, once the present-day story began it took a while for me to become invested in the main characters. And yet, even though I felt a bit disconnected, especially from Helen, I couldn't turn away from her either. Kuang's writing kept me tethered to the story as she slowly began to reveal layers of both Helen and Grant, two complex, multi-layered characters with one very complicated past. By the time I reached the midway point of the book, I was fully invested with no idea how Helen and Grant would ever overcome the obstacles keeping them apart or if being together was even a possibility.

In addition to the romance (and it is a romance), this book also takes readers behind the scenes into the writing room and production of the television series being adapted from Helen's books. As a television screenwriter and director herself, Kuang brought authenticity to this facet of the book, immersing me in the atmosphere and process of actual television production. It was like having a seat at the writer's table and being a guest on set.

The author tackled some difficult, possibly triggering, topics in this book including family death and suicide. It's the first book I've read where the author explores the fallout from a death on both the surviving family as well as the surviving person who is blamed for the death. Factor in cultural expectations, complicated family dynamics, love, and guilt, as well as unexpected, enemies-to-lovers romance and you have a cauldron of emotions waiting to bubble over. It's an emotional roller coaster for both the characters and the reader but necessary for the growth, forgiveness, and healing that have been waiting in the wings for thirteen years.

I'll be looking for more from this talented debut author.

4.5 Stars
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased review

Helen Zhang is a successful YA author whose bestselling series is being adapted into a TV show. She is excited to be helping in the writers' room until she realizes that Grant Shepard is also working on the show--the same Grant Shepard she hasn't seen since a tragic accident bound them together in high school. Helen is still harboring anger and grief over this event years later and struggles to work with Grant. Grant, for his part, really needs the career advances that will come from working on such a high-profile show, even though he knows Helen doesn't want him there. As the two try to work through their feelings, they must figure out if they will ever be able to move on from the past to have a future.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me and I ended up skimming the last half or so. The writing style really grated on me--it wasn't bad per se, but there were a LOT of italics and emphasis on what felt like every other word. It made everything feel very dramatic in a sort of juvenile way. I also was just not convinced the entire premise was workable/realistic--whether two people involved in a tragedy in that way would be able to get past their negative feelings to find love. I'm not sure the author convincingly explained the switch in Helen's feelings for Grant. The switch from "hate" to "lust" felt very abrupt and unnatural and threw me out of things. I also felt like a number of threads were introduced and then sort of left dangling--there were references to Helen's writer's block and Grant's anxiety that were mentioned a few times but never fully explored.

The most powerful and emotional scenes in the book are when Helen is processing her grief over her sister. The book would have been much better, in my opinion, if it had focused on that. The author writes very compellingly about the confusing mix of grief, love, anger, and sadness that Helen experiences while trying to come to terms with her sister's actions. I didn't enjoy the overall book but I did find those sections very moving.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.