A great love story! I really enjoyed Helen and Grant’s relationship. I love gritty romances, and this one really had the characters work through some tough stuff. I’m glad they didn’t shy away from the ugly truths. It was interesting, emotional, the spice was HOT, and I just loved how they loved eachother. I appreciated that Helen’s Chinese culture was sprinkled throughout. The only gripe was that some of the initial dialogue was a bit odd, but it got better.

How to End a Love Story is about Helen, an author living in New York City, whose most popular YA series is being adapted to television, and at the start of the book, she moves to Los Angeles temporarily to participate in the writer's room. It's there that she reconnects with Grant Shepherd, one of the head writers in the room, whom she went to high school with. The only problem with that? The two of them are connected in an unthinkable way - Helen's younger sister committed suicide at sixteen, throwing herself in front of Grant's car. (Although I will say - this plot point is introduced in the prologue of the book, so if you find out quickly, and if this is something you don't think you can read about, you'll be able to jump ship immediately.)

Over the course of the book, despite best efforts to avoid one another by any means necessary, Helen and Grant find themselves drawn to one another. It's clear that what connects them is still affecting them, all these years later, and they eventually begin to help one another through their respective grief and anger. Helen is still angry with her sister, and devastated that she never noticed what was wrong with her, and Grant is still coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault. I really appreciated the growth each of the characters experience, especially because I was very hesitant about even reading this to begin with, given the connection between the two protagonists. It was hard for me, as an older sister, to imagine a world where I would even consider pursuing a relationship like the two of them have, but I'm so glad I decided to keep reading, because it was so worth it in the end.

I imagine a lot of people discovered or decided to read this book because Yulin Kuang will be involved in the adaptations for Emily Henry's books Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, or because Emily herself has been raving about this book - but Kuang truly, truly deserves every ounce of praise. This book is a feat. It's hard to believe it's her debut. She's been involved in screenwriting and adaptations, but this is her first full-length novel, and it's fantastic. How To End a Love Story stands on its own - it made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me believe in true love. If you're not a huge romance reader - I'm certainly not, not unless it's sprinkled into a fantasy novel - I would highly recommend giving this romance a shot.

This romance differs from a lot of contemporary romances in the seriousness of the main subject matter. It still has the occasional comedic moments and the hot scenes, but there’s always that elephant in the room. I’m still not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but I was rooting for a happy ending and for a man to love me and wear his heart on his sleeve the way Grant does. This one will suck you in!

At first, I thought this was going to be just another enemies to friends romance novel. After I was through, I realized this was actually a smart, witty and sometimes even deeply felt story. Some of the descriptions of what went on in the writers’ room made me feel like I was there.

2024 API Month

Oh boy. The reviews are polarizing for a reason. While I initially thought I'd flat out hate this, I found myself surprised by loving the first 20%. Things went downhill soon after.

While I tire of WMAF as the predominant IR relationship I see both in books and irl, I was willing to give this one a chance due to the premise of the story. This isn't a spoiler as it's in the description, and truly the first few pages of the book, but in high school, Helen's sister jumps in front of a moving car in order to die. The car is Grant's. He is homecoming king, and overall, a popular good looking guy. Helen, while not unpopular, is none of these things. I'm not sure why this matters so much thirteen years later.

Helen is now famous for writing a series of YA books, in part based on her sister and life. These books are being turned into a TV show. Grant is one of the screenwriters. Some of the reviewers have issues with the popular boy becoming a writer, but not all writers are your stereotypical nerd. Hollywood is full of nepotism, and while Grant didn't "know anyone," looks will get you far in LA, and perhaps anywhere.

I am loathe to call this enemies to lovers, as Helen and Grant aren't truly enemies. They know each other, barely, by circumstance. However, that is what sells, even if it is misapplied to more than half of the books it supposedly labels.

There's a lot of sex here, so if you're into that, welcome. It's the other things I take issue with. The lack of communication, the strange communication, the out of nowhere communication - all of these things should've been shown and not told. I hear from writer friends that this definitely feels like a screenwriter wrote it. And to be fair, Yulin is, by trade, a screenwriter. I have less issues with the writing than the rest of the things occurring.

Helen's relationship with her parents, while fraught, isn't über concerning. It's when Grant tries to dissect what he finds strange that I really get angry. I've dated a few more white men than I care to admit to. Looking back, a thing that really gets to me, is the lack of understanding toward my parents, and what they find impersonal about them. They are not impersonal. They're just not the stereotypical white parents. And that's fine. If I can code-switch with barely a second thought, why isn't the same consideration being given to me?

I obviously had a myriad of problems with this, but not everyone will, and search different reviews before making the decision to read it. Some of my friends loved this. Quite a few more hated it. But as always, I won't tell you what to do.

📚 Buddy read with Steph

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Avon

I’m writing this review, but I have kind of mixed feelings about the book. Did I love it? Yes. Did I also dislike it? Yes.

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Helen and Grant went to the same high school and have been through the same tragedy in different ways. They are not friends and have not seen each other in 13 years. Helen is an author of a popular YA series that is being made into a tv show and Grant is a writer on the show. When they both end up in the writers room they have to put aside their problems for the sake of the show. They also end up getting to know each other on a deeper level.

This book is spicey but also very deep. It deals with a major topic (look up trigger warnings) and those topics come into play right away. Like sentence one. While I think the author handled the topic very well and the spice was also well written there was just something I could t get behind. I’m not sure if the relationship was believable because of the circumstance. It felt like these characters were trauma bonded and maybe that is something that could bring them together but also was it healthy? I’m not sure.

I can totally see why this book is getting a lot of hype, but I’m just not sure it was for me. It was so melancholy the whole time and I rarely had butterflies, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. (Hence, my mixed emotions)

This was so fantastic!! The emotions, the writing, the CHARACTERS. I care about these characters so deeply. I will be reading anything Yulin Kuang writes in the future, and the fact that she is writing the Beach Read film script.... chills!! She is amazing.

This book, start to finish, was fantastic. The concept, tone, writing - it is all great. I can’t wait to read what is next from this debut novel (and to watch her work on screen!)

I loved this complex story of love and grief and family connection. I would have appreciated a trigger warning for suicide, but otherwise this was perfect. A nuanced story of what happens when you fall for the man who was once part of the great tragedy of your life. I look forward to more of this author’s work!

This romance does not follow the typical roller coaster, and I loved it for that reason! Thank you for writing outside our expectations, but still giving us fantastic characters (and spicy scenes)!

5/5 :star:
3/5 :hot_pepper:

Yulin Kuang absolutely knocked it out of the park. I give this book actually SIX out of five stars because it’s simply the best book I’ve ever read.

I’m sorry, this is her DEBUT??? Incredible. Her writing is so good it makes me no longer want to be an author because if I don’t make my readers feel the way Kuang made me feel I simply don’t want it.

Throughout the story, Helen Zhang (the FMC) has some side dialogue to her sister who died by suicide. The way she speaks to her sister is *absolutely hilarious* which I didn’t expect from a book about the grief process and moving forward but wow, I don’t want anything else now. I personally deal with difficult situations by using humor so this was exactly my kind of book. Kuang’s sense of humor is so good. Like the subtle hints throughout the dialogue made it even funnier — "funny funny" not "funny haha."

The character development, the way Helen works through the grieving process but also processing with Grant (the MMC). I loved all of the side characters and I felt like I was in the writing room with them. They each had their own personality that added to the MCs' story.

Grant Shepard is the absolutely king of dirty talk. I was BLUSHING during some of the spicy scenes and I had butterflies from some of the dialogue. WOW.

Overall, I'm screaming about this book from the rooftops and can't wait to see what Kuang comes up with next (aside from the screenplays I am WAY too pumped about!). And if she never publishes a book again (please don't let this be true) this book will have made it's mark.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it could’ve been shortened in places, but I kept turning the page to see how Grant and Helen’s story progressed.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Lovely cover. Was really interested to see how Emily Henry's screenwriter would write. It was similar to Emily Henry's style but the content left a lot to be desired. Not for me.

4.5 stars!

I loved "How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang! What a fabulous debut novel. Talk about a beautiful, romantic gut punch. This is a simply beautiful, tragic, terrific story that I will be thinking about for months and possibly years to come. It really affected me on a deep level. I was taken through the gamut of emotions while reading this one. My HEART! It's not the typical kind of love story readers have come to expect. It's layered, full of big emotions like grief and reckoning, full of second chances (not in the way you'd assume). It is bitingly funny, shockingly relatable. Helen and Grant are fully fleshed-out characters with terrific backstories. I was immediately overcome with emotions by their stories. I wanted so badly for things to work out for them! I loved them both for different reasons. They are each trying to work through their traumas and discover who they are apart from them. I felt for them and understood their journeys. I understand why Helen is the way she is. I did not find her unrelatable or unkind at all. She's just trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life and move on the best she can. And Grant... ugh, what a guy. Loved them so much! The pull to one another is divine. The spicy scenes are soooooo good, and well-earned, too! My one tiny complaint is that it feels like the book ends too quickly. It's almost as if Kuang ran out of steam a little towards the end. I found everything up until the last 10-ish% to be well-paced, but it's a teensy bit rushed. Apart from this, this is a tremendous novel full of excellent dialogue and fantastic chemistry. I urge you to read it as soon as possible!

Thank you to NetGalley, Yulin Kuang, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I really did not like this one as much as many people did. It did not live up to any of the hype for me. I didn't like either of the two main characters and found the sister subplot to be emotionally manipulative and ultimately did nothing to forward the plot in a meaningful way but to add angst to a relationship. I also never felt any connection between the two main characters at all, but especially one that would allow them to come together so fast despite their past and current job status.

I just loved this so much! As a sometimes socially awkward introvert, I very much related to the FMC, Helen. And obviously am so in love with Grant, the MMC. <3

Felt myself laughing, crying, and kicking my feet throughout the entirety of the book, which doesn’t always happen for me. It’s cute! It’s sad! And it’s… complicated. With a hefty serving of spice: 3-3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

What a wonderful, wonderful novel. A powerful, emotional, heart tugging, sexy story that had me reading and reading and has left me with such a book hangover. The set up is painful but Helen and Grant find their way to each other with a supporting cast that is so endearing. I'll be telling everyone to read this one - Yulin Kuang's talent is in every line on every page. Bravo. I just hope she can write really fast because I need her next book asap.

Really liked this one! Felt like it dragged at some points, but the immigrant and sibling trauma was well done. The chemistry between grant and Helen was amazing and I loved their scenes together. Excited for what Yulin does next!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6086177955

At the beginning, you're like how can Grant and Helen get over this traumatic past? I admit it freely, I was skeptical. But How to End a Love Story is a story about confronting our past. About seeing the baggage, the issues, the thoughts we can never discount, and having to decide what we do. It very much is a story about grief and love, but also about chemistry and secret feelings.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mix of heavy and fun (and spicy). I also appreciated the author's use of dual POV. It was so nice to get almost simultaneously, both characters' perspectives throughout the shared scenes. I could definitely feel the author's experience in screenwriting. The story felt very cinematic.