How to End a Love Story had an interesting title and likely I thought it had an interesting premise but sadly this book was not working out for me and I have to DNF it. Several things that I don't like: the writing format (not sure if this is just because of the e-ARC I'm reading but it wasn't pleasant) and also I wasn't enjoying the writing as well. I struggled to continue this book and when I found out that the author of this book (whom I knew because of an adaptation she is working on as of right now) shared a post that I do not agree with in October, it kind of fixed my decision of DNF-ing.

This is Yulin’s debut and it felt so original, I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before. I really enjoyed both characters - Helen and Grant. I loved the social anxiety representation and how it was portrayed. I liked how they grew closer through the pages and it felt like I was watching it unfold in front of my eyes because the writing just transported you there. I loved that both of them were flawed but didn’t shy away from it. They didn’t think that they deserved good things but I was rooting for them to heal and start living life fully because they did deserve it.

It was a very emotional read too. I could feel my heart squeezing at some parts. I also related to Helen so much with her internal monologues regarding her role as the elder daughter in an immigrant family, the responsibilities it comes with, the expectations, etc. It made me think about me and my own relationship with my family as the eldest daughter, and my dual identity as a Belgian-Moroccan woman…

I didn’t enjoy the romance as much as the rest of the book, I wasn’t head over heels over them. I just think that the beginning of their relationship arrived a little too soon in the story and kind of from nowhere? I was rooting for them individually more than for them as a couple… but they did have great chemistry so the angst was still good!

With that being said, I have to give Grant his flowers because he was a pretty perfect MMC, I don’t have any notes for him…

Thank you to Hodder Books for the arc via NetGalley!

as a teenager I discovered Yulin Kuang's short films on youtube and I have been impatientily awaiting this release since it was first announced, and im so pleased to say it really lived up to the hype!!! A gorgeous spicy romance that has such a rich plotline, I adored just how full the whole world around the protagonists felt.

Really looking forward to anything else Yulin cooks up!

This was a solid debut. I was excited to read this since she will be directing a Emily Henry book and wanted to get a tease of her style and this was such a good rom com.

First things first, I want to express my utter joy that she is adapting Emily Henry’s novels. Personally, I want her to write the screenplay of my life. I love romance books with a certain sadness/ emotional depth to them and this one didn’t disappoint.

Helen Zhang is a best selling YA author and her book is being made adapted into a TV series adaption. She moves to LA after earning herself a spot in the writers room alongside Grant Shepard, the last person she wants to see again. Helen shares a complex and emotionally charged past with Grant, following an event that took place when they were in high school. How is she expected to work alongside him ?

Personally , I loved how original and fresh this book read. It delves into the complexities of loss, love and acceptance. I was drawn to the vividly portrayed characters , each with their own unique struggles.

Helen is our little guarded , protective , comes across as cold but is actually very sensitive princess. She also struggles with social anxiety and it was relatable to read her inner monologue. Watching her explore her grief and her complicated relationship with her family was quite painful. Her struggles as a daughter of immigrants and the challenges that come with language barriers.

Grant Shephard , on the other hand is a golden retriever who knows how to work a room, friendly ,charming, wears his heart on a sleeve. In contrast to Helen , he is vulnerable and expresses his feelings with no fear. But Grant has his nightmares and is not as bubbly as he might seem on the outside.

In one word, this book was pleasantly sexy. Like, this is romance. Yulin Kuang , please write something again. The angst was angst-ing. Personally, I would like to watch this come to screen. The chemistry was undeniable and I was giggling and kicking my feet when the romance kicked in. I liked the pace and length , I was worried that the book was a bit long but it needed to follow such a timeline to see it come together. I’m pretty sure I would have complained that it was insta romance if it wasn’t as long. I wouldn’t change a thing eventually, it was perfect.

I really loved how it explored the profound impact of grief and suicide. The anguish of final hurtful words, ultimately exploring the journey towards acceptance. This romcom breaks away from the usual predictability, offering surprising twists and revelations that pleasantly catch the reader off guard. It was fun getting to learn how the process of screenwriting works.

What a beautiful novel. Will definitely be looking forward to more from this author. I definitely recommend adding this to your tbr. Perfect for Emily Henry and Elissa Sussman lovers , especially if you liked the Hollywood atmosphere of Funny you should ask.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Being Emily Henry's screenwriter on one adaptation project and director for another has propelled Yulin Kuang's debut romance into the spotlight. Additional push has been given by some big-hitting authors blurbing it, so the book was bound to get attention. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get on board the Hype Train.

The fact that I put this book down literally in the middle of the scene when the main characters first actually have sex (after some admittedly hot encounters that amped the temperature) is testament to how much I did not care about them or their love story. I have DNFed at 62%, much, much later than I normally would for an ARC and this was mainly due to me wanting to give it a fair shot.

Our female main character Helen is a prickly customer. I think in trying to make her so very Not Like Other Girls the author has leaned a little too far on the negative emotions and actions side of things and though I want to like Helen I just can't. Yes she's been through some shit (the death of her teenage sister by suicide AT THE HANDS OF THE MMC in a vehicular accident is the lynchpin of her relationship with the MMC) but at best she's a loner with a gift for writing, at worst a fairly bland and irksome woman lacking in personality.
Grant the love interest somehow manages to be the most beige romance hero I've read in a while - even while being hellishly attractive, charismatic, extremely capable and having a tragic backstory. I just wasn't interested in him, and something was missing that would have made me more interested in them as a couple once they clashed then came together.

I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't love here except that the story initially hooked me with its premise of being set in a writer's room and the MC's antagonism towards each other, but failed to keep me interested as things progressed. I put the book down one afternoon to pick up another one and realised after a few days I have no desire to see where the story went or how it ended.

Overall, it was just really mid for me.

An emotional read, but well written. I liked how it was told from both points of view and was rooting for them to end up together.

Reading this was so much fun! I loved the setting and how the story unfolds. The fact, that it’s written in dual POV made me even more invested and I was hooked almost immediately. I did enjoy the first half a little more than the second one, because I didn’t expect this book to be so smutty and felt like it got a bit repetitive since there where a couple chapters back to back where nothing happened but the characters hooking up. The smut itself was good tho, it had me giggling 🤭. Grant is truly a book boyfriend and he was so down Bad, I was here for it. All in all, this was a great romance book and I am so open to reading future books by Yulin Kuang! I also learned that she is working on two Emily Henry adaptations and now think that they are definitely in good hands!!

𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧...
forbidden love
forced proximity
found family
grief & trauma

𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★★.✫

𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨...
Thirteen years ago, Helen's younger sister committed suicide by jumping in front of Grant’s moving car. Now, Grant has been hired as a screenwriter to adapt Helen's bestselling novel for the big screen, and the two must work together.

𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨...
I loved Yulin's debut novel 🥹 As you might expect from the person screenwriting an EH adaptation, this isn't a sunshine & rainbows story - it hits very hard, but Yulin's beautiful voice really shines through. There is a mix of angst & heartbreak, but also such a tender romance 🥲🫶🏼

Helen & Grant are complete opposites - with Helen being a slightly closed off & prickly introvert, and Grant a sociable, people-pleasing, golden retriever. They worked so well together though - and the spice was 🥵 I did feel for Grant at times though - he wears his heart on his sleeve, and sometimes Helen just stomps on it 🫠 (the result of her own insecurities... but I just wanted to give Grant a hug!)

I loved the found family aspect of the writers' room - and also knowing this is the world Yulin belongs to made it feel so real! Seeing Helen finally open up, and find real friends in her colleagues made me so happy 🥹

This is told in 3rd person throughout, and it jumps between Helen & Grant's PoV constantly. I loved the window into what each of them was thinking - however I do feel like the 3rd person narrative kept me at arm's length from the characters - and perhaps was the reason I didn't connect with them as much (no tears! 😱) and ultimately this didn't quite reach the full 5★s for me.

“𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀.”

Really enjoyed this one. I loved the insight into the world of TV writing and the writers' room as a setting. The premise was interesting, the characters fun and relatable and multi-layered. Very fun to read.

This book's style of writing & opening were instantly relatable, it felt almost like reading someone's diary! Equal parts exciting & emotional, I liked that you knew what had or was going to happen but you didn't know how. Also, here for the steamy moments...

How to End a Love Story was PACKED with angst (my kryptonite), steam and humour. I loved getting a glimpse behind the scenes of Hollywood and going on a journey with two people whose paths become tangled up in the most tragic way. I can’t wait to read more from Yulin Kuang! 🩷

I enjoyed Kuang's writing style and the way she explored the difficult dynamic between Helen and her parents after the loss of her sister. The actual romance was a bit weak for me; because the subject matter at the heart of the book and the way in which these two people know each other is quite dark and intense, I think there just wasn't enough time for me to be convinced by their relationship. I felt like the attraction between them came a bit suddenly and out of nowhere and so, whilst I thought the spice was written well, it didn't feel earned for me. I think the enemies to lovers trope to this much of an extreme is really difficult to pull off and I would have enjoyed this more if the way the characters knew each other weren't so traumatic. I do want to say, however, that I'm not a big fan of angst in my romance so this is very much personal taste - if you enjoy an angsty romance then I would definitely recommend, because Kuang is a fantastic writer!

4.5 ⭐️ this is for the girlies who cry listening to the archer by taylor swift and waiting room by phoebe bridgers <3

falling in love with the man who was driving the car that ur sister jumped in front of to unalive herself years after the face is finally a “conflict” that seems legitimate coupled with their shared trauma from the experience it’s just so good and so raw and i cried reading the last 100 pages

only minus a .5 because it really felt like 1/3 of the book was just sex scene after sex scene when their little romantic dates were what made me giggle and kick my feet

I wasn't ready for the rollercoaster this book made me feel. Seriously, I was a mess reading it, but I think that was a good thing.

The writing was flawless, and I was hooked on the story from the start. Helen and Grant are such special characters.

I don't think I'll ever be able to forget this book.

Amazing debut! Felt fresh and original not full of recycled tropes that are too often found in contemporary romance- I found it so easy to connect to the characters they were both reliable and ironic in their own ways- the romance and the chemistry were on point! Absolutely nothing missed on this one absolutely would recommend

This book made my heart so happy (and sad) that I almost cried to be honest. I felt so close to the main characters and their yo-yo of a relationship that wasn't actually a relationship. Whilst it has some warnings (suicide, death of a sibling) it is a beautifully written, gut-wrenching yet also heartwarming novel that really takes you along for the ride. The true meaning of a rom com where the relationship feels easy, spicy and supportive. It also showed the idea of a found family and how making friends as an adult in a new place can be tricky, but you can find your people in the end. Love 🫶

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

okay, if you need me, i’ll be crying in a corner for the next week. yulin kuang, i am on my knees. this book!!!

it follows helen zhang, an author whose book is being adapted into a tv show, and grant shepard, a screenwriter who is working working on the same project. however, helen’s younger sister, michelle, jumped in front of grant’s car 13 years ago, killing herself. helen and grant must navigate their newfound circumstances, and the complicated relationship that comes with them.

despite knowing the premise of the book, i was not emotionally prepared for this. it is a beautiful story about loss, and grief, and love, and family, and forgiveness. i adored every page. helen and grant are deeply loveable characters - yulin skilfully urges the reader to align with them both while still understanding the perspectives that they have of each other, without villainising the other character.

helen is shy and unsure and struggles to find her place in the writer’s room. throughout the book, she opens up and becomes more confident in both her work, and around the other screenwriters and i loved the found family aspect that came with that. grant is easygoing and liked by everyone, but deals with anxiety and panic attacks when alone. i really liked that representation, and i loved seeing helen comfort him and talk him through one of his panic attacks. i wanted to give him the biggest hug.

helen and grant together were so special. considering the circumstance they were in, i was unsure how their relationship was going to develop, but it happened so naturally and beautifully. i loved their friendship and the building tension between them (the scene on the couch in grant’s room…) and the way they cared for each other during their “arrangement”. i want to be loved the way grant shepard loved helen zhang!!!

as well as the romance, this book also explores grief and the complicated feelings that come with suicide. i really liked how yulin wasn’t afraid to show the angry side of grief - how helen was angry with michelle for what she did. yulin deals with uncomfortable topics in such a delicate way and it makes her characters so incredibly relatable. i adored the last letter helen wrote to michelle; i could not stop crying.

i know that this book is going to stay with me for a while. it was so beautiful and made me feel so warm. such an incredible debut from yulin kuang.

(also if i was worried about the beach read adaptation before, i am not anymore. i now trust yulin kuang with my life.)

5⭐️- rating this an easy five stars but I would give it six if I could!

This was such a tragic love story that I wasn’t expecting at all from the cover and I know without a doubt it’s going to be one of my favourite reads this year. I still can’t wrap my head around this incredible romcom being a debut, Yulin Kuang has created a beautiful yet gutwrenching storyline with such endearing characters.

This book follows Helen Zhang, a highly acclaimed YA author of a series being adapted for TV, and Grant Shephard, a successful screenwriter on the same project. Helen and Grant share a tragic past, involving the death of Helen’s younger sister Michelle, with the story picking up 13 years later when they meet again in the writer’s room.

I found Helen so relatable, particularly her struggles with social anxiety, often observing those around her and not knowing what her place was in a room of people. She had complex relationships with her family and as a result, struggled with giving and accepting love. And Grant was such an incredible MMC, there was so much more to his character than meets the eye. He came across so confident in the writer’s room, but was so unsure of himself anywhere else.

The romance between Helen and Grant was full of angst, tension and so much chemistry. I genuinely didn’t know whilst reading this whether it was going to have a happy ending for them or not. How to End a Love Story is witty, spicy and full of so much emotional depth, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I’ve already got my physical copy on pre-order for release day! I’m SO excited to see what Yulin does with screenwriting/directing Emily Henry’s upcoming projects, having read this I know it’s in the best hands 💕

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

REVIEW
cw: grief, anxiety, suicide loss, panic attacks, mention of addiction
Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard for thirteen years. Ever since her younger sister willingly stepped out in front of his car, tragically binding their lives together in the worst possible way.
I really loved the premise of this book and was so excited to get started. Sadly, I found myself disappointed. Firstly, the writing style. I'm generally not a fan of stories told in the third person present, as I find it too passive, and unfortunately this did nothing to change my mind. It often read like extended screenplay scene descriptions so I always felt rather disconnected from any emotional beats. Learning that the author is a screenwriter explains a lot. I loved the inner workings of the writers room, especially the banter surrounding the ending of episode three. Owen and Nicole were a lot of fun. But, for all that excellent banter, the dialogue between Helen and Grant felt rather juvenile and superficial at times, especially considering the huge potential for more emotional depth.
I also struggled with the pacing of their relationship. We went from a brief, 'I hate Grant' period, to instalove vibes after a single edible. From then on, there were random moments of intimacy, the first few followed by Helen suddenly disappearing. I'll be honest. I really didn't like Helen at all early on. She was so shut off that it was difficult to really understand her. I could see what the author was going for, but it never really worked for me. There was lots of potential to examine Grant's emotional struggles, but again, I thought this fell flat. What I did appreciate was Helen's conflict over her sister taking her own life, and the struggle of who to blame for it. Finally, third act breakup for the sake of the drama? Not a fan.
This had the potential to be an emotional, angsty rollercoaster but unfortunately it just didn't do it for me.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*

Favourite Quotes:

"Everyone wants to believe they could save someone else’s life, if they saw the right signs, had the right tools. Like maybe, if I say the right words, in the right combination this time, she’ll choose life. But that’s not how it happens.”