Sometimes, books surprise you with the depth of what they have to say about life and family, and this one one such book. On the one hand, it's got some great back and forth, second chance love banter, and spicy scenes. On the other hand, the story it's telling about family, and tragedy and how our parents can really screw us up was just top notch. Helen and Grant are super fun, nuanced characters, and I want to spend more time with them, and see what kinds of stories they tell in the future. I also really related to the unresolved sibling relationship. Siblings can be some of our hardest, most complex relationships, and I appreciated that there wasn't a neat and tidy ending in the offering here. Will definitely recommend to readers looking for something a little more thoughtful than the average romance.

This is hands-down, my favorite book of 2024 so far. I cannot wait for more people to read it so I can talk about it with them! It broke my heart and the best way. I finished the book immediately wanted to reread it!

Could you fall for the guy who accidentally killed your sister? This intense story shares two sides to a devastating loss. TW for suicide. A really beautiful story, with an intense storyline.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The plot is good, but the story dragged in the middle for me. I liked the last part of the book however.

Helen Zhang is a writer whose YA book is being turned into a TV series. The head writer is Grant Shepard, and he and Helen have a difficult history. When they were teenagers, Helen’s sister deliberately ran into traffic to take her own life, and it was Grant’s car that hit her. Helen’s parents call him a murderer and have never forgiven him.

To complicate matters, Helen and Grant are attracted to each other. They both know that the relationship can’t be anything long term, but continue on with it in spite of everything.

The backstory is so heavy, I’m not sure the characters could get past it especially when Helen’s parents are so triggered by the mere mention of Grant’s name. However, the writing is good and I’ll definitely read her next book. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my

I found this author through Emily Henry and I am so pleased I did. This was amazing—a truly surprising romance and unforgettable characters.

This was a really good book! It definitely had some spice in it, so if that’s not your thing you can skip it and still enjoy the story! I enjoyed all the characters and was really rooting for Helen. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Yulin Kuang is a gifted writer. Unfortunately for this book, it has two things going against it. It follows the publication of ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld and RIGHT ON CUE by Falon Ballard. The parts I enjoyed the most didn’t have anything to do with the romance aspect. It had to do with the psychological exploration of the two protagonists. I hope the author will realize that about their work and explore such themes in more depth in their next book.

I’M OBSESSED. The best thing about this book is that it’s not just the same old romance novel that we come across time and time again. I felt like I was actually in the story with the way this book just takes you there. You will love the characters but more importantly relate to them, feel like you know them, and feel like you’ve been them. This is perfect for fans of forced proximity, work romance, kind of second chance romance, forbidden love.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was truly impressed by how much I loved this book start to finish. The characters were so well fleshed out and the dialogue so realistic. I particularly enjoyed the unique setting of the story being in a TV writers room and all the eccentricities that go on there. Watching a romance build from a place of seemingly impossible odds to a realistic outcome was so satisfying as a romance reader who needs to see realism and endings that are earned to be enjoyed.

I’ve been a fan of Yulin Kuang since her Kissing in the Rain web series. This both was the love letter to love that I remember feeling 10 years ago when I watched that series and also deeper and more nuanced in its exploration. She is so adept and creating characters you know and understand and hurt for but also writing toe curling sweet sexy romance

I loved this book so much

Thank you to Avon Books and Book Club Girl for the advanced reader copy and to Harper Audio and LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Wow! The writing here was simply phenomenal. Grant and Helen went to high school together. They weren't friends, but they were tied by an awful incident. And now he is one of the primary TV writers adapting her hugely popular YA series to television.

Grant and Helen have forced proximity that feels so rough. And they both need to keep on with in given they work together. Since I so frequently call out miscommunication in romances, I think it's important to highlight just how great the communication was here. I was so impressed by both of them separately and as individuals. And this was hot. The two had so much chemistry. I was so invested in their relationship and whether they could really make it work.

Katherine Chin and Andrew Eiden brought it to life on audiobook. Their narration was absolutely spectacular, and I am glad I chose to listen to this one. It was deeply emotional and moving.

CW: car crash, death of a loved one

REVIEW🎥

How to End a Love Story ~ Yulin Kuang
Pages: 384
Genre: Romance

Gist: Helen’s best selling YA novels are being adapted for TV and she has negotiated her way into the writer’s room. That’s where she sees Grant Shepard, a pretty well-known LA based screenwriter. He’s also an integral part of the tragic demise of Helen’s sister.

But this is a love story after all and their shared grief builds understanding, while their undeniable chemistry might be more than both Helen and Grant can deny.

Thoughts: This was fab! As you may or may not realize by now, I’m really soaking in the romance reads and this was the perfect combination of sweet, steamy, and serious. I loved the banter and attraction Helen and Grant shared but I also really enjoyed those vulnerable moments when Helen was with her family or the writers were navigating being “heard” in the writer’s room. This is definitely not a one-note romance.

I knew early on that I was impressed with Yulin Kuang as this is her debut, but then I got word that she is the screenwriter bringing Emily Henry’s novels to the big screen and my respect exponentially grew. What CAN’T this woman do??

Highly recommend. Out now (published April 9th) and also available on Book of the Month so you can add it on when the May selects drop. You won’t regret reading this one. Thank you @avon for the chance to read it early!

WOW!

In high school Helen and Grant didn’t really know each other. A tragedy made them sure they would never forget one another.

Years later work opportunity brings them together in ways neither one of them could’ve seen coming.

Oh I loved this book. The premise was interesting from the start. I could totally tell where Helen was coming from and I adored Grant. They were both fully rounded characters and the author did such a good job bringing them together.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

Absolutely loved this one! Going to be one of my new favorite romances that I'll recommend to anyone who loves Emily Henry or Carley Fortune.

How to End a Love Story is a FANTASTIC debut novel, and I have no doubt that it will be one of my favorite books of 2024! Helen and Grant's story is so moving, and I loved both characters. Thank you so much, NetGalley and Avon, for the advance reader copy of this five star read!

This is an incredible debut. The story is beautifully told, and the characters are rich and fascinating. It's also brutal, occasionally being willing to live in the depths of grief and guilt that the main characters both have over the situation that forever binds them (please check trigger warnings for this book). It's also got nice Hollywood bits- which feel extra interesting with the author's personal knowledge of the setting. I would read 100 books by this author.

This was such a sweet and unique story. Unlike the typical rom com. So adorable and relatable, I loved the anxiety representation and the found family. I can’t believe this was a debut novel, 5 ⭐️

Yulin Kuang truly took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions! From deep grief for a family member, to enemies to lovers swooning romance, I was enthralled. I love how this book features diverse characters who explore complicated emotions while trying to navigate the relationships with those around them and those past. This book is so helpful for those who are grieving or who have experienced grief and serves as a witty and cute guide on how to make peace with what you cannot control and explore what you can. Yulin Kuang writes with such vulnerable emotional intelligence, I am in awe!

How to End a Love Story is one of the best books I have read in such a long time. I could’ve read this book in one day, but I consistently put it down and stopped reading it because I didn’t want it to be over.

Yulin created two incredibly relatable characters that had such authentic and human struggles. After hearing Yulin say she was inspired by regency novels, I can’t unsee that connection. She writes yearning so well.

I could not get enough of this book and will read anything Yulin ever puts out (including her grocery lists).

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, Libro.fm for my ebook and audio copies! All thoughts are my own.

I had no idea what to expect about this book but as the author is the screenwriter behind People We Meet on Vacation and the director of Beach Read, I knew I had read her debut novel. And it did not disappoint! In fact, I feel like it fits into the vibe of what I’ve dubbed ~ literary romance ~ like Emily Henry, Carley Fortune and Kennedy Ryan. It is a heavier book, dealing with complicated feelings of grief, second chances and parental relationships.

Synopsis:

“Thirteen years after her younger sister’s death, Helen Zhang is doing alright. Better than alright, if you don’t look too closely. She’s the bestselling author of a young adult series that’s being adapted into a TV show, and she’s scored a coveted spot in the writers' room. Never mind that she’s used to storytelling in solitude and is convinced she’ll be revealed as an imposter any minute. Or that she only jumped at the opportunity to move to LA to avoid her writer’s block. Helen has a few months to figure things out, in a fresh-start city where she knows exactly no one. No one, except…

Grant Shephard hasn’t seen Helen since high school, when their lives were tied together forever by the car wreck that killed her sister. He’s done everything in his power to move on, and while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s universally well liked around town as a screenwriter who can be counted on to deliver both on the page and in a writers room. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but working as the showrunner’s right-hand man will open doors to developing his own projects.

Grant’s presence comes as an unwelcome surprise to Helen, and he’s exactly as she remembers him–charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she has never been. Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers, too—brilliant, closed off, and undeniably beautiful. The more time they spend together, the more undeniable the pull between them becomes. 

But working together is fraught and sometimes messy, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven him, have no idea Grant is in the picture at all.

When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. For these two very different writers, the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—just might lie in holding on to each other in the present.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Pacing—This is one of those books that gives you the “one more chapter” feeling, which is a high I think all readers are chasing.

The Dialogue—More screenwriter’s writing novels! You can tell Kuang has a talent for dialogue, which I assume stems from her background in film and TV.

The Chemistry—OOOOOOH the chemistry. I think what I’ve heard about this book surrounds the chemistry. And it definitely holds up to the hype. Grant has a way with words.

What Didn’t Work:

It’s not that this didn’t work, but I definitely ended up having some complicated feelings along with the characters. It felt so real

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Content Warnings:

suicide/suicidal thoughts, grief, death of a sibling, car accident, panic attacks/disorders, child death