Would you fall in love with someone you share a tragic past with? Such a strong promising debut that pulled my heart right out of my chest!

Grant Shepard and Helen Zhang share not only just the same high school but are also tied to each other through Helen’s sister’s suicide which happened more than a decade ago. Seemingly brought together by fate, they must work to adapt Helen’s, now a popular author, book series to the small screen. With regular interactions from the writers’ room, will they then be able to get past their shared trauma and achieve their happy ending?

To preface, don’t be deceived by the cover, this book is another one of those with a cute pink one which packs a lot of heady stuff from topics of suicide to grief to on-page panic attacks. I literally craved for something cold and sweet the moment I finished this but to no avail since it was already 1am, HA.

I loved how Grant and Helen’s relationship progressed from someone whom they went to HS with to everything that came after. While Helen had built a wall the size of the Great Wall of China around herself, it was fascinating to watch it all slowly fall down and let Grant in. Both of them were changed by what happened and it was lovely to watch them heal together and as individuals as well.

I also appreciated how the heavy themes in this book were tackled with sensitivity. However, the reason I docked a star is that I wanted to see more of the complicated family dynamics, especially that of in an Asian household, coming from one myself. I think this could have been explored more.

An overall satisfying read and definitely an author to watch out for!

Thank you so much to Avon Books, NetGalley and Yulin Kuang for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

A great blend of depth, humor, and romance. Although I’ll admit there are times both Helen and Grant frustrated me, they also felt very real. They had a complicated past that was a unique “second chance” set up, but from a friendship and forgiveness standpoint and not an ex-relationship.

There’s definitely moments of heaviness and the theme of letting go/moving on is seen throughout. But I thought it was well-balanced with plenty of comedy and lighter romantic moments.

TW: Suicide of a loved one

“I know you're human, Helen,” he says.
“And I'm sure you know how to love people, even if you don't say it out loud all the time.”

I'm picky when it comes to romance and prefer when there's more to the story than just the romantic elements. Seeing all the rave reviews, I thought How to End a Love Story would be a promising read, especially because it also explored grief and loss. however, I found it to be pretty unmemorable to me.

Ironically, what I cared most about the story was not the romance. I found the romance to be difficult to root for and I just didn't care for the love interest. I felt like it developed way too quickly. They hated each other for years and then suddenly after a couple weeks in the writer's room they loved each other? I was just not buying it. also, I knew that Helen and Grant’s past would be important to the story, but what thirty year olds still care about high school?

What I appreciated most about the book was Helen’s character. She was so relatable and it felt like I was reading about myself, just older. Her awkwardness, self-doubt, friendship struggles, and loneliness were just too real.

Even though I didn't Grant I thought his character was also well written. I enjoyed how both the main characters and the side characters had a lot of depth to them.

I loved the writing as well. there were times that it was repetitive, but it was still good. This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I love it when romance is written in third person.

I think the cover of this book makes it seem like a silly happy romcom, but it's really not. this book is much more emotional than your average romance book and it's similar to Emily Henry’s books where it's also about self discovery and character growth.

Though I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted, I am still looking forward to what Kuang writes in the future. She’s a really talented author and I’m sure her writing career will go far.

Helen and Grant share a past trauma that has defined both of their lives. Once their paths cross 13 years later will their trauma bond, heal or break them?This was a really beautiful story. Heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. Do not be fooled into thinking this a romantic comedy. It is very much a romantic drama, but written so well.

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

Yukon Kuang is a star! Screenwriter for Emily Henry’s people we meet on vacation and writer/director for Beach Read and now author herself! Was so excited to get the ARC for her debut novel.

Helen and Grant went to high school together but haven’t seen each other in 13 yrs since both were impacted by tragedy. Then they are working together in a writers room to turn Helen’s YA series into a TV show.

The writing was really great. You could feel/see the scene and emotions. I enjoyed the insight into turning a series of books into a tv show, especially knowing Yulin has personally been in writers rooms.

The third act breakup was not my favorite but knowing Helen’s thought process during the time helped me through it.

Enemies to lovers. Forbidden romance. Family issues. Open door, spice.

How to End a Love Story sets the bar so very high for 2024 romance novels. Everyone should read this book. That’s the review.

How on earth is this so good? This was an emotional roller coaster meets a+ pining meets steamy romance meets love story. Wow. Both Grant and Helen are tied together due to tragic events which unfolded many years ago. They both feel broken and unworthy and are by no means looking to fall for one another. The relationship as it develops and influence of family expectations and their past history propelled this story into a whole other level and seemed completely realistic. This is not your typical romance book but romantic it is. 5⭐️

from the bottom of my heart, all i want to do right now is to drop to my knees and present some flowers to yulin kuang.

in reality, i lack the appropriate words to describe what this book has done to me. i have never identified myself as a romance lover because i have a hard time identifying my vision of love in popular romances. one exception to that is emily henry, which many assimilate to "chick-lit". maybe that's my genre of love stories after all, because at the end of the day, i find this genre of romances to be more emotionally sensible and humane and i think what we have here is a new reference title of the genre, and personally one of my new favorite books of all time.

"how to end a love story" follows helen zhang, a successful writer of a YA series and its TV adaptation, and grant shepard, a successful screenwriter of the project. the novel opened with the death of helen's sister, michelle, and how grant is involved in the tragedy. the main story started a decade later, where our two protagonists meet again in the writers' room.

this book has the wittiness of an emily henry novel, the emotional tenderness of olivie blake, and the delicious angst of a 100k-work-slowburn-hurt and comfort fanfic on ao3. somehow in barely 300 pages, yulin kuang's writing pushed me down a roller coaster of emotions, between the romantic part and the family issues part (get a girl that can do both!) i felt deeply seen in the helen's and grant's love through vulnerability and acceptance, but also helen's relation to her mother. of course, we have seen many representations of immigrant mother-daughter relationship, but i really like the direction of the book took in exploring helen's dilemma between honoring michelle's memories and living her life free of expectations.

this book is a tenderly vulnerable portrayal of love in many of its form. i think that yulin kuang writes with a lot of emotional intelligence: there is something very shocking about the beginning that i almost didn't continue. the situation makes me uncomfortable, because i feel (and identify) with the deep pain the characters went through. yulin, the screenwriter she is, makes readers feel emotion by mastering the "show not tell" through the whole novel: for example, i find myself screaming crying throwing up at the couch scene (iykyk) because it was so sexy but still very intimate. that scene reminds me a lot of the church scene in alone with you in the ether and the cathedral scuplture of rodin. there is always so much tenderness, intimacy, and respect in the love that exists. at many points, i find myself in awe with the way yulin kuang just seems to see straight into my heart because with the relationship of grant and helen it just feels right, it makes sense that they are together and it makes sense that they feel a profound love for each other, and for this i salute yulin kuang. fews have done this as well as she has.

overall, "how to end a love story" firmly establishes itself as one of my favorite romances of all time, maybe even of all time i sit on it long enough. reading this i am not surprised that yulin kuang got a seven-figure deal in a six-bidder auction for her first three books because in my opinion she will become a new figure of the romance community. i am excited to see what she has to offer next and will be waiting the next book with utmost impatience (avon, if you heard me and want to send me an ARC 👀)

oh yulin, please save me yulin 😩😩😩

visit me on instagram @shardsofdeadlove

thank you avon | harper voyager and netgalley for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review. i will potentially add quotes to this review upon release.

As soon as the book starts, you wonder how this could EVER work out! It was angsty and painful at times, both so broken apart and yet they still end up together with this dark sadness looming over them. I LOVED reading the book, I had a hard time putting it down and functioning in the real world. Thankful to Yulin Kuang for the ending so I can sleep tonight.
The things that I didn't need are the extra spicy love scenes, I don't think it fit with the tone and background of the book, and the extra use of the f-word...really no other swearing but probably 100s of f-bombs. Just not necessary in this love story. Without this, it would be a 5 for me, but I did skip a few pages .
Thank you for the advanced copy!

thank you to netgalley and harper collins for sending me the electronic and physical arc!

i was so so excited to read this because as a chinese american, eldest daughter of immigrants parents, i knew i would feel represented in this story. overall, 4/5!

the first half of this was rather slow-burn, which i really enjoyed. i liked seeing the tension and the tortured backstories of helen and grant. typically with contemporary romance novels that are dual-pov, the male pov is always really cringe to me, but yulin's writing very rarely made me cringe, so i'll take that as a win! initially, helen and grant's interactions made me sad, because they were so mean to each other, but i think that's what makes for a good rivals (?) to lovers setup. i say rivals (?) because i don't know how to classify their relationship, since grant didn't truly hate helen, but helen did. i did like grant quite a bit, but i was joking to that my friends that even in book universes, we can't escape white man x asian woman.

there were quite the number of spicy scenes (my favorite was the textbook scene ifykyk), although they sandwiched in quite nicely with the angst scenes and screenwriting scenes. speaking of, i thought it was really cool to see a little bit into how tv shows are written/produced!

helen's parents reminded me exactly of how mine are: very closed off emotionally, apologizing through food, and the result of generational trauma. i was expecting there to be some big scene for closure between helen and her mom, but there wasn't, which is as realistic as it gets. i really appreciate that mental health issues and going to therapy was so prevalent throughout this book. i felt so so seen when helen said that her relationship with her parents consists of a complicated love.

my only issue with this book is pacing - the first half was slow burn, then we have developing romance tucked into the development of her work life, climax hits, and then the resolution seemed rush. we barely got to see detailed scenes of helen and grant towards the end, as it seemed to be blips of their interactions throughout different timepoints. i also had wished there was going to be book name drop somewhere, but alas.

if you're a fan of emily henry, carley fortune, or christina lauren, i would highly recommend hteals!

This book was a breath of fresh air. How to End a Love Story, contrary to the title feels exactly like falling in love. The joy, giddiness, and heartbreak I felt while reading this compares to no other. I fell so hard for these characters, almost as hard as they fell for each other. Through her storytelling Yulin gave us a beautiful message, you don’t need to be completely healed to be loved. How to End a Love Story is so much more than a romance, it’s deep and real and it’s alive. I was so attached to the characters and truly cared for their healing hearts. If you’re someone who has to remind themselves “healing isn’t linear” please read this.

. I think that I'm simply not the reader for this book due to the sensitive subject matter! Wishing this book all the best and hope it finds the readers that are right for it.

Helen Zhang hasn't seen Grant Shepard in thirteen years since her little sister - Michelle's funeral. The tragedy and circumstances regarding Michelle's death is what has bound Helen and Grant together forever. However, fast forward to now and Helen is a popular YA author whose series is being adapted into a TV show and she's managed to get herself a spot in the writer's room for the first time ever. After her years in New York and her sister's death being in the back of her mind, she needs a fresh start in LA.

Unfortunately, that's not what Helen gets - in the thirteen years since High School, Grant has become a successful TV screenwriter in Hollywood and the number two billed writer on Helen's book adaptation. The last thing Helen wants is to be surrounded by more memories of her sister's death, but somehow Grant and Helen are going to have to face each other and come to an understanding to get this show written. In working together, the one thing Helen never thought would happen occurs and the two of them grow closer together as there's chemistry and tension they can't deny. Despite what she feels or what happens with Grant, Helen knows it can never last and theirs can never be any kind of real love story with Grant's connection to her sister's death.

I was very much anticipating this book because of the attention around Kuang's three book deal as well her being tied to two of Emily Henry's adaptations of her books as screenwriter and director. I thought this was a very interesting premise that made the story and the chemistry between the two characters very complex. However, for some reason I thought this book was going to err on the side of being literary fiction more than romance due to that premise. I thought the character of Helen was a little one dimensional at times and wasn't fully developed except for the tragedy of her sister's death being the only real personality trait she had. All in all though I thought it was an enjoyable read and the sexual chemistry and tension between Grant and Helen being very well done. There was a good portion of their "sexual" encounters that were not sexual at all in nature, but felt like they were and that I believe is a talent of an extremely good author.

A damn good read. Exceeded my high expectations! Snappy and heartfelt writing with captivating characters. So many feels!

this is a heavier story and it’s not for everyone but I can’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy it. I will say the romance wasn’t the best part about this book for me. A lot of it felt stilted and empty. I felt like the pacing and the sexual tension ruined the emotional notes but the back half of this book really got to me. I saw a lot of myself in Helen and I adored Grant. it’s hard to pull off a concept like this and although I found it did have its flaws, I’m looking forward to what Yulin puts out next because it’s clear she has so much talent.

Thank you to netgalley and Avon for the eArc in exchange for an honest review

this is a heavier story and it’s not for everyone but I can’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy it. I will say the romance wasn’t the best part about this book for me. A lot of it felt stilted and empty. I felt like the pacing and the sexual tension ruined the emotional notes but the back half of this book really got to me. I saw a lot of myself in Helen and I adored Grant. it’s hard to pull off a concept like this and although I found it did have its flaws, I’m looking forward to what Yulin puts out next because it’s clear she has so much talent.

Thank you to netgalley and Avon for the eArc in exchange for an honest review..

Beautiful, heartbreaking, angsty, hilarious, steamy, phenomenal, etc. etc. etc.

I might write a more coherent review someday but probably not. Fans of Emily Henry, Elissa Sussman, Tia Williams, and Ashley Poston (so, me) will INHAIL this book!

Cw: suicide, mental illness/panic attacks, grief, death of a sibling, car accident.

i was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful story! tugs at the heartstrings one minute and has me giggling/blushing the next. this really spoke to me as the eldest daughter in my family, an aspiring screenwriter, and the hopeless romantic. feels like a must-read for any and all fans of the contemporary romance genre.

I really enjoyed this story - how Helen and Grant, once both victims in high school from a tragedy, somehow find themselves working together on a TV adaptation for Helen's book. Each has their baggage, and Helen is just trying to get through the short time they have together. Day by day, will they learn more about each other? I liked the dual perspectives and how Yulin Kuang brought their story to life. I had a hard time putting it down!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and to Netgalley, for the ARC.

I've been a Yulin Kuang fangirl since the aughts and have been so delighted by her career trajectory. Her knowledge of the New York to Hollywood trajectory, of publishing and creating, has added a richness to the novel that I hope people unfamiliar with her work pick up on. For those of you in the know, this book has just as much pining as Kissing in the Rain, sly references to fandom and fanfic, and feels deeply authentic. The story is complex and heartbreaking, but is indeed a love story. Yulin knows how to end a love story & I can't recommend taking a chance on this debut novel more.

Fans of Emily Henry's catalog and Curtis Sittenfeld's "Romantic Comedy" will *adore* Kuang's debut romance novel! I had high hopes for this one and it exceeded my expectations. One of my favorite new releases of the year thus far!