
Member Reviews

The potential was real! The story has the perfect formula for my contemporary romance preferences: emotional traumas to heal from and diving into personal struggles, especially self-worth and self-doubt, beyond the romance itself.
At first I felt real animosity from Helen and conflict in Grant which enticed me. I was excited to see the how she was going to stop resenting him, but I found that the tension fizzled out too quickly, like the build up of camaraderie was missing so many beats. I blinked and suddenly they were friends and suddenly they were physical. In retrospect, I could see the seeds being planted but it felt like they sprung into a whole garden without the proper time for water to absorb. I think I felt whiplashed and this was only around the 30% mark so I didn't really believe their chemistry or emotional connection (aside from the obvious tragedy that tied them).
Also, it somehow didn't go deep enough for me, despite the heavy themes, especially the stuff with her parents which felt unresolved. Maybe it was meant to be that way? I'm not sure, but it wasn't satisfying to me and I badly wanted it to be because I relate to Helen's dynamic with her family.
Ultimately it was that I couldn't connect with either MC, especially Grant, who didn't quite feel three-dimensional and a little bland. And the smut was really not to my tastes; not the worst I've ever read but bland and cringy at the same time? And for a romance to have left me feeling "if they weren't endgame I'd be good," that's not a good sign!
Of course this is my opinion! I did have a fun time reading most of the book and enjoyed following Helen. The ending was sweet and the final library scene was too cute!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review. SPOILERS AHEAD!! This book has triggering factors, so please proceed with caution.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Summary of the plot:
Grant and Helen are tied together by a tragedy. Thirteen years ago, Helen's sister Michelle committed suicide by jumping in front of Grant's car. Helen and her family blamed Grant for Michelle's death, even Grant blamed himself too. Jumping forward to this story, Helen is now a best-selling author and one of her books is getting turned into film. Grant is one of the lead writers/producers for the film. Helen finds out that he will be working with her and tried to get him to quit, but Grant doesn't because he needs a job. Helen is very rude to Grant despite his attempts to try to be friendly. Eventually, they're forced to work together with the rest of the producers and they fall in love, but not without complications.
Thoughts on the book:
I think my biggest issue with this book is I felt like the author missed an opportunity to really explore the challenges of mental health, especially within the Asian community. I've never lost anyone to a car accident or suicide, so I definitely can't say how someone should be reacting after 13 years, but even after so long, no one except maybe Grant has really processed in Michelle's death. Everyone still blames Grant for Michelle's death. The most we really get regarding dealing with mental health struggles is Grant having a couple of panic attacks and him taking deep breaths to calm down. I felt like more could have been done to explore how Helen and her parents could be dealing with Michelle's death.
I also found Helen to be unlikable at times. In the beginning, it made sense, but I didn't see enough character development to truly be on her side by the end of the novel. Helen basically just doesn't like anyone except Grant. And even Grant was just okay in my opinion.
Something that I did enjoy was seeing the writers' room and how ideas are bounced off of each other. It's intriguing see how a plot for a book can be different (and should be different) from the plot of a film based off the book. You get to see Helen grow a bit as a writer as she learns how films and books differ. (And apparently Yulin Kuang is adapting Emily Henry's book, so I can only assume that the writing room is accurate!)
Overall, this was a decent read. I wish I liked this book more because the plot was so interesting and different than other contemporary romance novels. Alas, we can't all get what we want.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This book follows two people who are tied together by a tragic event. Years later, they meet again and we follow them as they fall in love and try to navigate through their shared past.
First of all, I loved the Asian American representation! I loved Helen and her personality and really identified with her sense of duty to her family. I enjoyed seeing the Asian American family dynamics represented and thought it was really accurate.
I also really enjoyed having the dual POV with the 2 main characters. It was good to see how both characters were still dealing with their own trauma/struggles many years after the death of Helen's sister and see how Helen's sister's death affected them in different ways. The two MCs had great chemistry and I found them to be very endearing. If you like yearning and angst, this book is for you. Because of how huge the elephant in the room was in their relationship, I honestly didn't know how the relationship was going to end up, but I was pretty satisfied with the ending.
I loved this book and read it all in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book!

How to End a Love Story is a heartfelt, funny, sexy romance that is a winner from top to bottom. If I could read this for the first time all over again, I would. Thank you so much for getting the opportunity to read!

The four stars are merely math - I give the first 1/3 of the book two stars and each following third 4.5 stars, added together and rounded up.
Why explain the math? Four stars sounds like a great rating, BUT for the full first third of the book (arguably when a reader needs to be engaged the most), I was slogging through an okay plot with a FMC who was negative, harsh and believably without friends or social skills.
The transition for the FMC was too abrupt. The edibles episode was the perfect transition for the writing room group, but in other areas? The change was jarring.
If you can forget the first third, this book has all the feels, presented with believable emotion and turmoil and you will be engaged on every page. So much so that you might, like me, feel a tad annoyed that the first third stood in the way of recommending this book to anyone and everyone who would listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
Loved this romance story. It was done flawlessly. Yhe author is new to me and didn't know much about the writing style, but found I enjoyed thebread.
Recommend.

I picked up HOW TO END A LOVE STORY (Pub 04.09) because my friend Addie needed to talk about it. That's always a good sign.
This contemporary literary romance debut by screenwriter/director Kuang is about complicated people in a complicated situation. It's also a deeply emotional story about family, forgiveness, grief and hard-fought-for happy endings.
While there is no such thing as a "typical" romance, this story feels like so much more than a love story. There is mutual long-term trauma that is woven through both MC journeys. I loved that the chemistry laden tension was paired with a mutual respect for each other without immature miscommunication. Heft aside, there is funny banter, spicy steam, and interesting colleagues.
Also, because the author is also a screenwriter I felt like I was seeing this on the big screen- in the best way. Addie said it best, "But Kuang uses words so well to tell Grant and Helen's story. I found myself wanting to highlight phrases and remember passages because they connected so well to life."

What an interesting title and I went in blind. The title alone sold me.
Our main characters, Helen Zhang and Grant Shephard are not your typical love story. There’s no misunderstanding that is keeping them apart… Nope, it’s a legit problem. That was really refreshing and I didn’t realize how refreshing until a couple days after reading it and discussing it with a friend. Don’t get me wrong, I love my rom-coms, but man, there are some rom coms that I am like if you just COMMUNICATED this book would be so much shorter.
This was the author’s debut novel, which also in itself is incredible and I will absolutely be reading whatever this author puts out next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely LOVED this one.
Helen is a bestselling author of a YA series who is headed to Hollywood to help assist with her books getting turned into a TV show. She's still reeling from the tragic death of her younger sister while she was in high school and is very closed off and to herself. Grant is a writer in the television world who accepts on job on Helen's show, despite his connection to the death of her sister, which has affected his life immensely. They get thrown into the writing room together and what starts as genuine hatred blossoms into something else. There is a lot of depth to both characters and the relationship that occurs despite the crazy circumstances, feels realistic. I felt that the complex topic of grief was handled well and that I was rooting for the characters the whole time.
This is a good book for fans of authors such as Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. I think that this author could absolutely become a bestseller and I am honored to have gotten to read their debut novel.

If a Pulitzer in romance was a thing, the short list would be Yulin first then Grant Shepard second. Because apparently women still remain undefeated when it comes to the fictional writing of men. (The yearning!!!)
This book is honestly an emotional prowess of romance in all its raw and uncut powers to utterly destroy and put you back together so beautifully. It’s genre defining that pushes the boundaries further, creating a narrative space for complicated families, mental health struggles, and forbidden love that still charges those two hind brain cells to lustfully kiss right through it anyway.
Helen and Grant were absolute gone (horny) for each other, and seeing the ties of everything else fall into place, complicated still, but with the understanding that love doesn’t have to wait for the perfect assimilation of two worlds colliding as long as there’s strength to fight for it everyday.
I resonated a lot with the themes that touch on growing up with immigrant parents, being the oldest sister, and the comparison that is the thief of joy from our present will to take pride in what we do have, and I think Yulin is a force to be reckoned with. Her debut is one for the ages and I think shines a light on the pool of talent that exists to tell love stories from all walks of life still.
Thanks to Avon for a digital copy of this beautiful arc.

I was not expecting this to be as good as it was. Oh my goodness I am obsessed! I finished it yesterday afternoon and I'm having the hardest time letting go. I fear a book slump coming on! This had the best romance. I wasn't invested until around 20% because I really couldn't see the two main characters ever becoming friends, let alone love interests. I think this slow build-up was what made it so good though. It never felt forced and done just for the sake of the story. And then the ending?? I was truly worried this wouldn't end well. I absolutely adored this book.
Read if you liked:
* How to Fake it in Hollywood
* Nora Goes Off Script
* Romantic Comedy
* The Idea of You
* Beach Read
* Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance
Full review to come closer to pub date
Thanks for the early review copy, Avon Books! (partner)

Can you fall for the one person who killed your forever love story? Yulin Kuang’s debut novel is for literary fiction romance fans— it’s written like a dream, with twists that develop into such heartwrenching moments that you’ll revel in the knowledge that Helen will get her HEA. It’s a book that celebrates life and how we cope with tragedy. It’s beautiful, it’s hot. You’ll love it so much you’ll wonder where Kuang has been all this time.
Want to know what happens in the room where they write scripts? The stories that flip from the page to the screen? The room is where it happens-- it's where this book takes us and where we get to revel, as outsiders, with Helen.
The room is where your insides get ripped out, like a knife through the belly of a shark—tin cans, fish guts, and shoe laces spilling out on a table. What will stick? What will endear you to the five people around the table? Will your pilot sink, swim, or be ushered into the ether like most pilots?
More than a book, this is a slice into the brain of Kuang— where I would love to live for a while. Kuang creates depth, tension, devastation and longing like the experts (see the acknowledgment section with a nod to Sarah MacLean, the ‘kissing book’ queen of us all).
There's a line where Grant realizes that if he can't be with Helen, he’ll move to a Greek island and become a cabinet maker. I think like that sometimes, in those absolutes of a starving human. Parts of Grant are pieces of ‘shattered glass’ (as Kuang likes to put it) where I’ve found that reflection of myself in How to End a Love Story.
Kuang is here for the long game— that while Grant is ‘good in a room,’ she makes the room, and I, for one, am so glad she’s running the show.
Emily Henry is one lucky writer, and I will keep my ear to the ground for the ‘Good in a Room’ film…
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc to review.

I really loved this book. When I started it and found out the history of Helen and Grant I really didn’t know how the author was going to be able to make it realistic for how they could overcome it. But, I ended up really really loving it. The characters felt very real and I loved their chemistry, how they talked to each other and this was a case where I didn’t mind the things that usually frustrate me.

This is a debut novel from Yulin Kuang and as long as she keeps on this same path, I can see her in the leagues with some of our favorites.
Helen Zhang and Grant Shephard are not your typical love story. What I liked most about their story, was that it didn't seem like a silly misunderstanding. There was no miscommunication troupe (thank God) there's no cheating, what keeps them apart is a legitimate problem that takes therapy, want and work to move past. Both these mains were so relatable, and as the reader you were rooting for them to not only better themselves for themselves, but also for each other.
There were times I felt the transitioning in the story felt a tad bumpy, Kuang gave us a love story that was filled with steam (seriously loved that) and realness. I highly recommend checking this novel out and will be keeping my eye on her to see what else she has in store for us!
Fun fact: She is the screenwriter on both Emily Henry's book to screen adaptations :internally screams:
Thank you NetGalley & Harper Collins for this ARC!

There is a solid romance here. But I think the premise will be difficult for some readers to get past. It's a big tragedy, and having experienced a version of that tragedy, the glib way it's just moved past for most of the book did not feel true to me.
Kuang is good with dialogue, especially in group settings -- the scenes in the writing room are fun -- but there seemed, to me, always a big disconnect between characters' interior thoughts and their words. Some of that is by design; however, there's also a lack of action by the characters to back up either thoughts or words. Basically, Kuang relies too heavily on telling you, vs. showing you, that Grant and Helen are meant for each other. In another book with a less tragic premise, this wouldn't have bothered me as much.
Excited to see how Kuang adapts Emily Henry's work. I came away from this thinking she must be an excellent screenwriter.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

As I’ve stated before, sometimes contemporary romance books can be a dud for me. They kind of all seem the same when reading them back to back. However, this book had so many things I liked about it.
In Yulin Kuang’s debut novel, we are introduced to YA author Helen Zhang. Helen is the first-born daughter to immigrant parents who much like other immigrant parents would prefer their children to be a lawyer, doctor or engineer. She also had a sister. Her sister died 13 years prior in a way that even her parents still don’t understand. Helen’s book series is being turned into a TV series and one of the writers of the TV series happens to be the driver of the vehicle that hit her sister.
Grant Shephard may have moved (literally to another state) on with his life but he still thinks about the tragedy that took place. The tragedy that will forever bind Helen and him. Grant also suffers from panic attacks and just wants to do the TV series justice.
Helen and Grant have to learn to not only work together but co-exist outside of work gatherings with work colleagues. At first, they are annoyed with one another but they form a bond using the tragedy that took place all those years before.
I loved the chemistry between the two and I may be a bit bias but I appreciate that the characters are close to my age. It felt like I had friends telling me what was going on in their lives. Finally, I liked knowing what it was like to be in a writer’s room as I never thought that there were sometimes more than 5+ people pitching in to write one episode of a TV series.
This was a great debut novel! Thank you @harpercollinscanada for the eARC!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I went between 4 and 5 stars on this one. The only reason I'd dock a star is the heaviness of the themes which made it hard to get lost in because my heart ached for the characters. But doesn't that just prove it was really good writing?
Helen Zhang is the first daughter of immigrant parents and their family is struggling through the grief of losing a daughter/sister from suicide and the love interest, Grant, is unfortunately attached to this trauma. In her writing, Kuang gives readers a glimpse into her delightful and witty characters who (like most of us) are buried beneath complicated experiences of grief/loss, anger, love, forgiveness, and complex healing. The unfortunate circumstances of Helen and Grant's history sets up a story of impossible love where you are cheering for their healing and growth so they can just love each other through the complexities of their lives.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ This book is very spicy BUT in her acknowledgments she suggests chapters that her parents should skip when reading this book which would also be super helpful for sensitive readers. So if you want a cleaner read, here are the chapters she suggests skipping: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, and 35.
Read if you like these tropes:
•Forced Proximity
•Enemies to Lovers
•Forbidden Love
•Office romance
•Second Chances
•Destiny
•Impossible Love
•Multiple POV

3.5 stars
This story starts off great - the characters are well drawn, major trauma is handled deftly and with nuance, and the chemistry is hot! I really enjoyed the depiction of a writers' room and recognized a lot of the personality types there. Sadly, it kind of lost steam as it went along. Helen's parents are not given much depth and her issues with them are resolved in a way that feels both too easy and incomplete, making the main obstacle to the romance feel like a bit of a straw man, even though it decidedly isn't. And Grant's mental health challenges also sort of drop away without comment. I really liked the first half or so, wanted to like the rest more, and I will definitely look out for new books by Kuang in the future!

Yulin Kuang’s DEBUT novel BLEW me AWAY! How to End a Love Story ended up on my radar when I read that the author is the screenwriter for “People We Meet On Vacation” and the writer/director for “Beach Read”. I will consume ALL THINGS Emily Henry so if there’s something in the Henry-Verse I’m going to read it.
Helen Zhang is a widely successful YA writer and has just published the final book of her popular series. Grant Shepard writes for TV shows and gets hired to work on the TV show adaptation of Helen’s series. Unbeknownst to their coworkers, Helen and Grant are bonded by a shared trauma they experienced in high school.
This is truly an Enemies to Lovers romance. The trauma they share is heavy and it’s not something to easily move past. In the beginning there is so much hatred I constantly wondered how they could possibly move to the “lovers” phase!! Be assured that THEY DO. Expect pining, aching, and forced proximity. There’s so much heart in this novel, it hurt my soul a little. Yulin Kuang is going to be a MUST-READ author for me. I’m excited to see her work in other mediums as well!
How to End a Love Story is out April 2nd 2024.
Thanks to the Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Most Anticipated Romance Books of 2024
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Release Date: April 9 from Avon
Many romance readers may know Yulin Kuang as the screenwriter adapting Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read (and directing the latter), but I’ve been aware of Kuang since I Ship It, her short-lived TV series about bandmates who write songs about fandom culture. I leapt at the chance to read the ARC for her contemporary romance debut, based upon perhaps the darkest foundation for a love story: Helen Zhang lost her sister Michelle to suicide when they were teenagers, when Michelle ran in front of the car of homecoming king Grant Shephard.
Thirteen years later, Helen is a bestselling author of a dark academia series, and she’s nabbed herself a spot in the writers’ room of the forthcoming TV adaptation. The only problem is, one of her new coworkers is Grant himself, who is the definition of “good in a room”: annoyingly affable and a brilliant writer. As Helen and Grant work through their awful history to try and collaborate on something new, they are drawn to each other in dark, messy, heady ways. This book will twist the knife in your gut, yet give you every reason to root for these two, even when they don’t know how to fight for themselves.