i still don't know how to feel about this. the premise was INSANE and i'm not sure it was in a good way. also the way the whole thing wrapped up was so quick and i felt like we had so many loose ends and not a single one was tied up. the romance was alright, but it had a lot of telling and not showing which prevented me from connecting with it as much as i wanted to.

A stunning debut with an enjoyable enemies to lovers romance. I really loved the drama and soul searching between our two characters and the spice was just the right amount!

Very sexy and well written, but oddly melancholy and sad, especially contrasted with the spice. No bad thing though and very much looking forward to reading her next book

Love, love a sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance! I enjoyed reading this book so much and I look forward to the author's next work!

I feel a little bit like an Asian mom after reading this book — it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for and kind of didn’t meet my high expectations but it turned out okay nonetheless.
This book centres around Helen Zhang, who is still grief-stricken after the death of a dear one from many years ago, and Grant Shepard, the cool boy who is haunted by an event in his youth. Both reconnect by chance and there is definitely no sparks flying at the beginning. However they quickly move into a situationship but both cannot acknowledge their feelings.

This book started off so well, giving space to deeper emotions such as grief and anxiety which I think was initially very well explored. However, this initial excitement quickly cooled off since it barely moved on from the situationship. Even the occasional nods to the main character’s second-generation immigration background couldn’t entirely make up for it — the parents’ issues were too quickly resolved, which was supposed to be a major obstacle for the romance though. Nonetheless, I would say that the scenes with the parents were one of the ‘truest’ ones. I also really liked the insights into the behind-the-scenes film industry.

A perfect rom com, I really wanted to read this due to knowing the author is adapting emily henry which im also a massive fan of.

This book was a perfect combination of my favourite elements.

I had requested this book on Netgalley some time ago, but because I ended up DNFing the book I didn't leave a full review. I honestly don't think anyone would enjoy this book and for me it rates at a solid 1 star. It was an easy DNF and I won't be trying again in the future.

I loved this! So romantic, a nice sprinkling of spice, and some serious drama/soul searching for our star crossed lovers. I couldn't ask for more!

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this and sadly ended up not enjoying the story. I was perpetually confused about the author’s choice to switch POVs midway through each chapter, so aside from the story not making a lot of sense and the pacing making it confusing, I was left struggling to connect with it throughout. This was a book I had high hopes for, but was left disappointed.

Unfortunately I found How to End a Love Story to be quite underwhelming. The premise had a lot of promise: two people forever tied by a tragedy come face-to-face after years apart, both dealing with unresolved feelings and traumas. But rather than exploring those layers, it felt like the story focused too heavily on miscommunication.

One big issue I had was how the blame was placed on Grant. Without giving too much away, I didn’t understand why Helen and her family seemed to treat him as if he were somehow at fault for the tragic accident that bound their lives. Grant did nothing wrong, and to me, he came across as deeply sympathetic, clearly still haunted by what happened. While it makes sense that Helen and her family would be affected by his presence, the level of blame directed at him felt melodramatic and unfair.

There are things to enjoy about the book such as the snappy dialogue and the undeniable chemistry between Helen and Grant, but it often felt more like a series of sex scenes than a genuine attempt to unpack their complex relationship.

Overall, I felt it fell short of what it could have been. Instead of delivering a truly moving story about healing and forgiveness, it ended up feeling over-dramatic.

I devoured this book in just two days—it was ''that'' good! The love story was beautifully done, touching on grief, loss, healing through trauma, and finding love in all the unexpected places.

And let’s talk tropes: Hollywood screenwriters, a grumpy FMC, a sweet MMC, workplace romance, and an emotional rollercoaster of grief and complicated relationships—this book had it all! I’d recommend it a million times over, especially because of ''Grant''. Seriously, where can I find a Grant in real life? I need one!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for letting me dive into one of the cutest love stories I’ve come across in ages! It was an absolute delight from start to finish, and I couldn’t get enough.

#HowtoEndaLoveStory #NetGalley

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

I have to say I wasn’t quite expecting such a harrowing start to the book where you feel how on earth is this going to work out between these two? Helen has lost her younger sister to a tragic car accident in an apparent suicide and is killed by someone at her school, Grant. So years later and of course they start having feelings for each other, how on earth can they get over their past? There is dry and dark humour in this. I enjoyed this, even with the delicate subject matter.

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang was one of my most anticipated romance releases this year. I was thrilled to see what the creative mind behind Emily Henry’s projects would bring to the table, and I can confidently say the verdict is in—both films are in excellent hands!

The story follows Helen Zhang, the author of a wildly popular YA series and its TV adaptation, and Grant Shepard, the screenwriter for the project. As an eager reader, I was completely taken aback just from the first page—the novel begins with the tragic death of Helen's sister and reveals Grant’s involvement in the incident. The main narrative picks up a decade later, when Helen and Grant are reunited in the writer's room, where the tension can be cut with the knife!

You might be wondering if this is really a romance story—don’t worry, it all makes sense, and there’s plenty of time to swoon and giggle! The romance is beautifully woven into the story, filled with just the right amount of angst. Helen and Grant’s chemistry is undeniable; it neither feels rushed nor too slow. Grant is the perfect golden retriever to Helen’s prickly personality—they balance each other perfectly.

While I love a good, swoony romance, I always appreciate when a story has emotional depth. This book masterfully addresses difficult topics like grief and suicide (in the past) as well as the complexities of family relationships and expectations. I believe many readers will find pieces of themselves in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eagerly anticipating what Yulin Kuang will write next!

How to End a Love Story is a book that filled me with many different emotions. This book deals with grief, but also with coping through it and a stop that brings a new spin to the genre. I liked the slow-burn parts of it and am looking forward to more books by the author.

where to start with this review.
the premise was so interesting and immediately i went into the book hooked and ready to see an angsty love story unfold. but one thing that holds me back in a lot of books is the mc being insufferable. unfortunately, this book had a majorly infuriating fmc, helen. it was so hard to empathise with her and the grief she was facing when she was as annoying as she was.
the mmc was no saving grace as it felt their romance was only charged by lust and even in reflection, i fail to recognise a genuine romantic connection between them. it just wasn’t believable for me.
the smut was too much, the third act conflict was ridiculous and didn’t suit either of their characters. it was yet another trope thrown in just to make way for a sappy resolution to build connection, which failed.
there was almost nothing enjoyable about this book for me, save the conflict our characters initially faced presenting a challenge in their relationship. but after that faded and it felt like nothing significant was in their way, i lost all interest.

“It’s my birthday. Lie to me. Treat me like you love me back.”

“You could keep me your dirty little secret, come to me tasting like other men, I’d still take you back every fucking time,” he says, a muscle ticking violently in his jaw. “I’d rather have a fraction of you than all of someone else.”


These are two of my favourite quotes from the book because it shows how heartbreaking this love story actually is.

It was angsty, devastating and heartbreaking. All of those things and more, even better is that we actually got a happy ending to the story. This is everything I love about romance books. It was heartbreaking and healing at the same time.

I really enjoyed this read and I recommend it to anyone who needs to feel something because it will defo help with that.

I went in with high expectations following all the hype about this book and ended up severely disappointed.

Several things didn't work for me at all. Mind you, I read an ARC, but I found the editing really bad. So many repetitions, especially in the first half, it grated on my nerves and I am not usually someone who pays close attention to such details. Even I found it egregious here.

I was not prepared for that opening ||the burial of a young girl who died of suicide||. It does a great job of hooking into the story right from the start but it was tough to read for me.

I did like the beginning of the present-day relationship between the MCs. I could understand her hate and distrust though she didn't even try to see his POV or treat him fairly. It was angsty and both MC stood out as multi-dimensional people with real issues. Honestly, this was the bit I liked the most in the story.

After all the animosity, then boom, they just right into an intense sexual relationship. And there was a lot of sex on page, pretty graphic, and quite repetitive. There was no real growth in the relationship. She insisted on keeping things casual and secret and as can be expected, it didn't work out.

All the angst and deep emotion that was explored at the beginning was completely lost and lots of external conflict came into play. The heroine had a car accident that led to her parents' finding out and rejecting her relationship with Grant. The whole story moved into a completely different direction. Her parents became the main obstacle for her relationship, not the actual lack of communication between her and Grant, or their complicated past.

Her mother was especially toxic and I felt she was never redeemed. None of their family issues got resolved in my mind.

Overall, this book was not what I expected it to be. Despite some good elements, it was mostly a disappointment for me.

CW: teen suicide (in the past), drug use (in the past), toxic family relations, panic attacks, anxiety, car accident, hospital stay

I can see why Yulin Kuang has been chosen to be the screenwriter for the adaptations of Emily Henry's books. Their writing styles are very similar which is a strength to Yulin Kuang. The story and characters had a lot of depth and it was a great read.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Yulin Kuang for giving me the opportunity to arc review How To End A Love Story.
The premise for this story How To End A Love Story is a bit out there on the spectrum of meet cutes, but I’ve actually heard of something like this happening in real life before. Tragic circumstances can bring people together in the most unlikely ways. I think Yulin Kuang has a great imagination and openness to explore usual situations that draw people together.

A bitter sweet romance forged out of tragedy. I liked the overall story, but I felt the chemistry sometimes between Helen and Grant was a bit bland, not striking the right balance between emotions I would have expected. Unfortunately the romance between Helen and Grant didn’t gel with me. They are supposed to be late 20s or early 30s, but act so childish in their relationship. I mean there is a lot of baggage for them to unpack but I felt this was glossed over in the plot, but expect they will both need a lot more therapy the future.

My reading experience wasn’t the best as the format of the digital arc was awful; missing letters and weird paragraphing. I had to focus a lot to read this so it felt a little exhausting for what I hoped would be a bittersweet, but heartwarming romance.

Some books are hard to review – you love some elements, dislike some others. How To End A Love Story sits in this category for me. Would I read another Yulin Kuang book? Probably. I enjoyed her writing style, bold exploration of themes of grief, loneliness and self, and normalising people do go to therapy (it’s not a dark stain on the soul or secret).