Diving into my first eARC, I couldn't have chosen a more captivating read than Yulin Kuang's debut novel, ‘How To End A Love Story.’

The story revolves around Helen, a bestselling author, who unexpectedly lands in the chaos of the LA writers' room for the TV adaptation of her own novels. Into this mix steps screenwriter Grant, also working on the show, and a person from Helen's past with whom she shares a heart-wrenching history.

Despite a slow start, the narrative quickly blooms into something unexpectedly deep. There is no light-hearted romance here; in fact, the story gets quite heavy at times but the way Kuang navigates through the trauma and grief to deliver such an emotionally satisfying ending for readers is impressive.

I loved the richness of her characters. Helen, our Asian-American FMC, is refreshingly multidimensional, her identity woven seamlessly into a narrative brimming with intelligence, wit, and vulnerability. Meanwhile Grant's portrayal, particularly his struggles with mental health, offers a moving and empathetic perspective not often seen in male romantic leads.

The romance between Helen and Grant is passionate and steamy, covering a number of my favourite tropes; he falls first, forced proximity and forbidden love. I was truly perplexed as to how such a tragic premise could turn into a love story and whether or not there even could be a happy ending for anyone but despite these concerns I was not left wanting by the book’s conclusion.

Overall, ‘How To End A Love Story’ is a brilliant, emotionally intense debut. Yulin Kuang has become one of my new must-recommend authors and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for this eARC, make sure to check it out when it's released on 09 April.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content warnings: suicide, substance abuse, complex grief, mental health, familial death

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early reading copy!

OVERALL RATING: 5 stars (I wish I could make it 6)
Trigger warnings: suicide, anxiety, depression, death of a family member

For some reason it is so much easier to talk about things you didn’t like than the things you loved. And that was definitely the case for me trying to review this book. I absolutely loved it, to the point that it’s hard to talk about why. One of my first thoughts was that reading this gave me the same feeling that I felt when I first read Beach Read. And to find out that Yulin Kuang is involved in adapting both Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation gives me so much hope!

How to End a Love Story follows Helen, young adult romance author, and Grant, Hollywood screenwriter while they work on the script for Helen’s book series TV show adaptation. However, Grant and Helen already know each other. 13 years ago Grant was involved in the tragic accident that killed Helen’s sister. For the sake of the show and their careers, they need to find away to work together. The setting of Hollywood and the intimate writers room was the perfect backdrop for Grant and Helen’s growing attraction and delicious tension.

Firstly, the writing was incredible, it felt like I was watching a movie play out in my head and I was addicted to reading it. From the first chapter I was instantly hooked into this book. Kuang’s experience as a screenwriter absolutely came through in the way that she described every setting and emotional dialogue. But she also didn’t lack in the more novel like aspects of writing either, there’s so many beautiful phrases, metaphors or paragraphs that made me pause and reread over and over.

Both characters were layered and complex and developed amazingly. Their romance gave me a heartache reading along and everything felt timed perfectly. But I also cried reading this, Kuangs conversations on grief and family and trying to live a healthy life were done so well and fit perfectly in the story.

I don’t know what more to say because like I said, I loved it too much to even describe. This is a book I will be thinking about for a long time, and one I will be shoving into the hands of everyone I meet.

This was an absolute treat and exactly what I have been craving! In a genre heavily pervaded by tropes and formulas, Yulin Kuang manages to cut through with a layered and touching story about grief, family dynamics and the vulnerability of choosing to love someone.

This was the author x screenwriter romance that I never knew I needed, and truly the most believable enemies to lovers arc I have seen played out in contemporary setting. Helen and Grant are bound together by a tragedy in high school that haunts them both at every waking step, driving a sharp eternal wedge between the two of them. When Grant is hired as the screenwriter for her best-selling YA series, they are forced to reckon with their dark, intertwined past and learn how they can even begin to work together in the writer's room.

I am obsessed with the process behind book-to-screen adaptations, and immersing myself in the intersection between Hollywood and the publishing industry that this novel is set in was beyond enjoyable.

Kuang creates such delicious tension between Grant and Helen, and the excruciating slow burn that she concocts certainly makes the pay-off worth it. Both characters were so complex and flawed, and even the side characters were well fleshed out. I found myself relating to Helen's relationship with her parents, and the pressure to succeed and outperform her expectations for herself.

This book is for us Emily Henry girls and after reading this, I know that my favourite books are in the safest and most well-seasoned hands.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the ARC! Definitely one to watch out for when it is released April 9th.

A great read, with some excellent tropes:

♥️ Second chance (sort of)
♥️ Forbidden romance
♥️ A shared traumatic past
♥️ Workplace romance
♥️ Forced proximity
♥️ Screenwriter/Author
♥️ So much angst!

Trigger warnings: suicide, substance abuse, panic attacks, grief and the death of a sibling

This was very angsty and kind of dark. These two characters are bonded in the most awful way and are forced to work together. Their individual stories are heartbreaking and it was painful to read about their insecurities and negative self-talk. Their forced proximity does allow them to slowly break down their walls and take a chance on one another. This is a love story, but it's also so much more!

Grant. Freaking. Shepard.

Welcome to my first e-ARC review bookish friends! To say I loved this book would be an understatement. I am a big mood reader and I really needed something to soothe my romantic soul this week. How to End a Love Story brought me so much joy.

Helen Zhang is an author dipping her toes into the world of television writing. All her dreams are coming true until Grant Shepard appears, someone from her past that she absolutely did not ever want to see again. What happens next is something she truly could never have imagined.

The dynamic between Helen and Grant is complex and Yulin Kuang has done a spectacular job at weaving how their relationship shifts over time. One of my favourite parts of this book is Yulin's depiction of mental health. The subject of panic attacks is brought up, but it isn't something that the characters have to "solve" for the plot to move forward. It is something that happens and is managed, just like in real life.

It also helps that this book is far from light on the spice. There is just enough tension and build up to keep you on your toes without keeping you waiting forever.

How to End a Love Story is out 9th April, and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @hachetteaus @thebookishtype_hau for providing me with this e-ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Let me get preface this by saying that I had no idea that this woman was going to be involved with the film development of one of my favorite books ever, Beach Read, and now that I know that, my heart is full of trust after reading this.

I don’t usually read books in this tense, so it took a while to get into; but which such a beautiful storyline of loss, self development and love, I was quickly enthralled. It definitely does not fall into to the cliche romcom trap, and without any spoilers; I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!

This book was honestly such a surprise, I enjoyed this so much more than I expected, and from a debut author as well!
We follow Helen and Grant who have a complicated past and end up having to work together on the screen adaptation for Helen's books, have some intense tension and maybe get to know each other better.
Firstly, I loved the characters, despite being endlessly cooler than me they were really relatable. Especially felt seen when we got Helen's descriptions for preparing for social events re; new people and awkward conversations. Particularly in the work place, having the need to succeed, knowing you have the skills for the job but being unsure of the social scene was articulated perfectly. Also loved the anxiety representation from Grant, I felt for him so much he was so sweet. The simp energy from Grant was also very much appreciated (and I say simp as a massive compliment, we love simps over here).
The unexpected depth in this book on emotional processing and struggle with grief, family and just like... life was written so well. The pacing was also good, allowing the characters to have time to grow without taking so long that the story dragge.
Overall, lovely book! Can't wait to see more from this author

CW: Suicide, complex grief

Thanks kindly to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A long, shrill scream feels like an appropriately concise summation of my feelings about this book.

So. Many. Feels.

Yulin Kuang's debut novel has set the bar so unreasonably high for my foray back into the romance genre and I'm not mad about it. This enemies to lovers story is gorgeously and lusciously rich. It explores the impact and aftermath of suicide, family dynamics and adulthood, set in the world of traditional publishing and screenwriting/Hollywood. And has done so in such an incredibly nuanced and considered manner.

I loved so many aspects of the author's writing. Most of all, the way Helen Zhang, the main protagonist, was portrayed. Her Asian American identity influences her world view and sense of self, but it isn't her everything. She's a character that happens to be Asian American. She isn't the Asian American character.

Let's also not forget how wonderfully well paced the novel was. And the god damn tension between the two main characters. Would recommend prospective (and re-) readers to please not start the book in the evening because I may or may not have stayed up till 3am just truly absorbed in the writing.

Truly this book is for anyone that's chasing a romance novel. More specifically, for me it's a nuanced (and sexy as) enemies to lovers story that traverses the themes of suicide, grief and family while delivering a peek into the world of Hollywood book-to-screen adaptations. It's about learning to love despite the pain it might bring.

This story gave me heartburn. Broke my heart. Mended it. Shattered it again. Then drip fed me hope until I caved in and finally began to slowly believe that the happy ending would eventuate. Even though I knew it had to.

Can't wait for more.