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.

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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.

3.5 stars

I originally had interest in this book because of Yulin Kuang's connection to the two Emily Henry adaptations and was intrigued to read her debut novel. The plot description was absolutely wild, because how do we go from tragedy between two people to falling in love???

The writing style took me a second to get used to. I usually don't mind third person POVs, but for some reason Kuang's third person just seemed clunky and I felt like it didn't flow well. Once I got used to her writing style, I enjoyed the story much more. As a whole I really enjoyed the characters and the plot of this book. The event leading up to the third-act breakup was a liiiiitle cliche for me in terms of what we already know of the story. I don't always mind a third-act breakup, but to get there the reasons need to be legitimate and not just for the sake of plot, which is what I felt happened here.

While How to End a Love Story was a pretty good read and I'll probably read her next novels, it leaves me more interested to see what Yulin Kuang does with Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation as they get adapted.

Thank you, Avon, Yulin Kuang, and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Helen is still trying to get over her sister Michelle’s suicide 13 years later; she is a best selling YA writer and her book is now being made into a TV series and is temporarily moving to LA to help with the show. Grant was the homecoming king, all around most handsome and loved high school jock whose life came crashing down when Helen’s sister walked in front of his car. While on the surface he has a successful screenwriting Hollywood life, but he still has panic attacks and can’t sustain anything beyond a superficial relationship. Neither Helen nor Grant are thrilled to have their lives intersect again when Grants ends up as the second in command of the writer’s room on Helen’s show, but slowly Helen and Grant realize that not only are they incredibly attracted to each other, but that they can find forgiveness for Michelle’s death together.

While the premise of forbidden love seems to veer a bit darker than a romance should want to go, this actually remained light in many ways (it may have been the spice level on this one which was, shall we say…umm spicier than I am used to). But I ended up enjoying watching these two come together as a couple and learn through each other’s trauma and in the end there was redemption through love. However, I did find the relationship and the story at times too unrealistic to fully enjoy. That being said, I will certainly pick up Yulin Kuang’s next book.

3.75 rounded to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC to review

Author Helen Zhang is trilled when her YA novel is granted a tv adaptation and she is invited to join the writers room but is less than happy to learn one of the writers on the show is Grant Shephard. Grant was the golden boy of their high school and the person behind the wheel when Helen’s sister ran in front of his car and died by suicide. Neither quite know what to do with the other as both are still living with the trauma from their shared history 12 years ago. They learn to get along and work together which leads to attraction. They try to keep their relationship strictly physical but despite their best efforts, feelings become involved.

I was not sure what to expect with this book and was absolutely blown away. The book is a perfect blend of melancholy, joy, and lots and lots of feelings. I love a book where people who don’t want to catch feelings come down with the bad and the longing between these two was absolutely palpable. I absolutely loved both Grand and Helen. The depictions of grief and the pain of what happens after a loved one dies by suicide felt very authentic and were handled in a loving way. I cannot stress enough how talented of a writer Yulin is. Her experience as a screenwriter comes across as she is able to wonderfully show and not just tell exactly what her characters are doing. There is not once ounce of fluff that does not move the story forward. It was a book that I did not want to put down and read in a single day. I wish Yulin had a large back catalog for me to go and reread. I was truly shocked to learn this was a debut novel. I will be rereading it and ordering myself a copy.

I am excited to see what Yulin writes next and very excited now for her to direct Beach Read and her adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew! In awe Kuang pulled off such a dark and heavy situation here with so much finesse. Tonally, this was a bit different than I expected, but overall had me swooning. Excited to see what she does next!

4.5 stars. I absolutely loved this debut romance from an author that has been involved in some of the adaptations of Emily Henry books (both screen writing and directing). I loved how Grant and Helen's relationship developed throughout the book - they had so much baggage between them and I think that was reflected through the ups and downs of their interactions. I loved how Kuang showed them both working on their own personal healing both independently and with each other. I do wish that Grant's mental health struggles had been explored a bit more, but that is pretty much my only quibble with the book. I loved the peek inside a writer's room for a series show and how that works, and I loved how close all of the writers become during their time together (I really hope that found family happens in real life). This one had SO MUCH STEAM, and I was here for it. I think I read this one at just the right time, and I know it will stay with me. I can definitely see myself coming back to reread this one, and I almost never say that!

I haven’t disliked a book this much in quite a while. This was really icky trauma bonding. It just felt icky from page 5 and I can’t understand how these 2 characters could ever come together. It felt very unrealistic, strange and uncomfortable.

On top of all that it was also boring.

You can just tell catching Yulin Kuang at her debut is getting in at the ground floor of something special. The screenwriter/director has done something romance authors with far more titles under their belts only begin to accomplish. Perhaps it’s no surprise, given her day job, that Kuang weaves together romance with pain, joy, the fallout from a horrific family tragedy, the experience of being a child of immigrants, sex, and workplace humor with such a deft hand. You can tell this is someone who spends a lot of time thinking about what makes a story work: pacing, characters, plot. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she’s at the helm of not one but two Emily Henry screen adaptations, so she’s absolutely learning the art of writing romance that will make you sob, crack you up, and turn you on, from the very best. In Helen and Grant, Kuang gives us a couple loaded with chemistry, and burdened with genuine trauma that frankly, for once, is actually a very good reason not to be together without making their relationship toxic. Outside the romance, Kuang paints vivid portraits of parents struggling to parent after a shattering event, the complicated struggle of loving someone who doesn’t love themselves and is no longer around to forgive or be forgiven. The scenes in the writers room, on the other hand, are funny and filled with characters I enjoyed getting to hang out with.

CW: Those who are sensitive to descriptions of suicide will want to proceed with caution.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.